FAMILIES FIND GLIMMER OF HOPE IN ‘LITTLE GAZA’
Organisations launch series of initiatives to help Filipino-Palestinian families resettle in the Philippines after fleeing the horrors of war
On Good Friday in Quezon City, hundreds could be seen flocking to the “Little Gaza” neighbourhood to savour a range of dishes prepared by a group of Filipinos.
The event might have seemed like any other food fair held in Metro Manila during a holiday season, except for the background and experiences of some of those present, who had escaped the horrors of the Israel-Gaza war just a few months ago together with their family members.
The Filipinos are married to Palestinian men and the money they earned from selling the dishes at the “Little Gaza Kitchen” event was their first income for a long time.
The event was one of several initiatives aimed at helping Filipinos who had lived in Gaza before the outbreak of the war and returned to the Philippines in November, December and February.
A collective called the MoroPalestinian Cooperation Team organised the one-day event at Don Antonio Village, where the Filipinos and their Palestinian spouses are staying in a fourstorey building affectionately known as “Little Gaza”.
In total, 69 men, women and children from 16 families live in “Little Gaza”. All the adults are unemployed and the children are not in school.
To help the families run their food booths at Little Gaza Kitchen, Nords Maguindanao and his fellow co-founders of the collective invited sponsors and collected donations to buy equipment and ingredients. One such booth called “A Taste of Gaza” served Palestinian dishes such as
a stewed rice dish cooked in a pot, and a pancake with nuts.
Project Urduha, a non-profit organisation that runs a mentoring programme for women, set up a social media page for the stall to promote the families’ food businesses and take online orders.
“The ladies were already selling food by word of mouth. Our goal is to get them a restaurant they can register with [food delivery service] GrabFood,” said Project Urduha coordinator Cecelia, who declined to give her last name.
One of the “Little Gaza Kitchen” attendees, Jecs Bejar, said the booths attracted long queues and most of their dishes were sold out. Bejar, who bought chicken biryani and beef kebab, said he was eager to do his part in alleviating the plight of the families.
“It was a relief to see women and children having a safe place here in the Philippines. It made me emotional seeing the children having the chance to play,” said Bejar, who works at a migration consultancy firm in Laguna province.
Another attendee, Jopie Sanchez, a creative freelancer from Quezon City, said it was important for her to show support for the families by taking part in the event.
“The food was very good and it gave us a glimpse into the culture of Palestine and their country.”
Kamilah Manala-o, another member of the collective, recalled the difficulties the families faced after landing in Manila. They were staying in the dormitories of the University of the Philippines for a short period and had to leave last December when government aid for them ended.
Manala-o regularly visited the dormitories and brought the families halal dishes and clothes. Her collective later helped them move to the shelter in Quezon City and pledged to pay for their basic expenses for at least the next six months and up to a year.
“Our promise [to them] is that we will take care of the rent and bills so they can focus on picking themselves up and putting their children back in school … [and] focus on [finding] jobs,” she told the Post.
Several organisations that have been helping the families said the Philippine government’s response to the refugee crisis was inadequate. When the first batch of families from Gaza arrived in November, they received cash aid of US$1,361 per family from the government. After being placed in hotels for three days, they found themselves without a place to stay.
Reverend Alan Sarte, secretary general of the Philippines-Palestinian Friendship Association – the organisation that helped arrange for the shelter in the University of the Philippines’ dormitories – said the government had failed to plan for the long-term needs of the Filipinos and their Palestinian spouses.
One of the key challenges faced by government agencies was the absence of clear guidelines in dealing with a refugee crisis, said lawyer and Commission on Elections officer Nesrin Cali, who has been providing legal aid for the families. “Our system does not have the structure to respond to these situations. It could be a lack of funding or maybe our government officials don’t see it as a priority,” Cali said.
Among the legal matters that Cali is helping the families with include voter registration for the Filipinos and employment paperwork for their Palestinian spouses. One such case is a Palestinian refugee who was a former assistant dean at a university in Gaza.
“We’re trying to get the Palestinian husband a spousal visa so that he can get the necessary work permit. These people are highly educated and they can be employed here but the problem is their paperwork,” she said.
These people are highly educated and they can be employed here but the problem is their paperwork
NESRIN CALI, LAWYER AND COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS OFFICER