Filipinos make a difference in France

There are more than 12 million Filipinos scattered all over the world employed in various professions, from nurses to teachers to household workers. Over the years, billions of dollars of remittances coming from these OFWs have propped up the economy. According to the World Bank, the amount of remittances is expected to show a decline this year due to weak economic global prospects, but an estimated $29 billion of remittance inflows is still expected — the third biggest after India’s $65.5 billion followed by China with $65.2 billion.

The global economic slowdown, however, is forcing employers to stop hiring foreign workers including Filipinos. Many OFWs are also being sent home due to companies closing as a consequence of the oil crisis in the Middle East, with thousands of Filipino workers still stranded in Saudi Arabia. Despite this, many employers say they prefer Filipinos because they have a lot of positive traits. Aside from being hardworking, Pinoys deployed abroad are highly skilled in their respective lines of work. Add to that the fact that they are resourceful, quick to learn the ropes and adjust. A plus factor is their facility in English and their ability to learn the language of their host country.

During my trip to Paris, I came across several Filipinos who are doing extremely well in their host country, among them Ernesto Gutierrez and his older sister Cathy Gutierrez-Laus. According to Ernesto, they have been in Paris for 22 years and have already petitioned for most of their family members who all hail from Guagua, Pampanga.

Ernesto owns a Mercedes Benz van that he uses mostly for VIP transport for clients that include well known Filipinos and foreigners from all over the world. His older sister Cathy meantime has become well known for her Philippine Mini Mart, a grocery store that markets Filipino goods. Located right in the center of Paris, Philippine Mini Mart offers such products as cane vinegar, fish sauce, even Sky Flakes and cup noodles. One of the most popular products among Filipinos and even the French is the chicharon (pork crackling) because of the special pork used. Aside from the Mini Mart, Cathy also has a remittance business (shown in photo) that is also patronized by other foreign nationals, not just Filipinos.

Both Ernesto and Cathy are proof that Filipinos have the ability to thrive and do well anywhere in the world because they are hardworking and industrious. An estimated 70,000 ( including the undocumented) Filipinos currently reside in France, a European nation with which the Philippines established diplomatic relations in 1947 following the signing of a Treaty of Amity by both nations. According to sources, France is the fourth biggest trading partner of the Philippines among European countries, with the United Kingdom as number one. It is estimated that around 10 percent of Filipinos working and living in France are now married to French citizens.

Relations between the Philippines and France have been very cordial with French president Francois Hollande even visiting the country in 2015. Earlier this year, the French Embassy in Manila also issued an invitation for Filipino students to apply for academic scholarships to universities in France. According to UNESCO, France is a leading non-English speaking choice for international students all over the world, with some 300,000 enrolling to French universities every year. Currently, there are about 350 Filipino students living in France.

OFWs in France, however, are becoming extremely concerned about what’s happening in the Philippines, with all the negative news coming out in the international media about the controversial comments of President Rodrigo Duterte against the European Union of which France is a member.

Filipinos in Paris say they are starting to get affected, especially now that the French daily Liberation has come out with a banner story that described Duterte as a “serial killer” president – which Malacañang promptly protested as “irresponsible” journalism.

Chateau Du Tertre

Wine connoisseurs are recommending a French vintage that they say is a perfect gift for Malacañang guests especially the ambassadors coming from European Union countries and maybe even from the United States — and it goes by the name of “Chateau Du Tertre.”

In fact, friends of outgoing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg are planning to give him a bottle of Chateau Du Terte Grand Cru Classé Margaux 2009 during a despedida cocktail event as a memento of his tour of duty in the Philippines.

Who knows, maybe Digong can get a supply of this wine for the Palace wine cellar so his dinners could become more “colorful.”

*** Email: spybits08@gmail.com