Filipino maids' act of resistance
By Julian Lee Every week thousands of Filipino maids occupy Hong Kong's central business district in an act tantamount to a show of resistance, a visiting ANU Fellow said. At over 130,000, the Filipino population is the largest non-Chinese community in Hong Kong, and every Sunday the women come from all over the island and surrounding territories to congregate in Central and exchange news, letters and gossip. Dr Lisa Law, in the Department of Human Geography at RSPAS, said the ritual could be seen as more than just a get-together. "Their occupation of Statue Square and the ground floor of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, on their only day off, is highly symbolic and a claim of autonomy over their oppressive working conditions," she said. Besides long working hours and strict rules about curfews and uniforms, domestic workers in Hong Kong are made to live in small back rooms or if space is tight, on kitchen floors or on tops of cupboards, Dr Law said. "Sunday gatherings let them be free to control their time and voice for a day," she said. "It is an expression of power beyond their lowly rank as maid, and gives them a chance to throw away imposed Chinese customs, meet with friends, and talk about home." The congregation is also a good place for Filipino advocacy organisations to stage rallies against poor working conditions and Philippine policies which encourgage the export of Filipino women, Dr Law said. She believes that the visibility of the crowds is an essential element in having their voice heard. While she admits that there have not been many successful rallies, a crucial event held in 1993 sought and won an increase in minimum wages. Furthermore, since the execution in 1996 of Flor Contemplacion, a domestic worker in Singapore, these organisations have also raised the profile of domestic workers in the Hong Kong Philippine embassy. Chinese residents express resentment over these rallies, Dr Law said, labelling Filipino workers "public nuisances" or "impolite guests". Dr Law believes that tension is exacerbated because Filipino domestic workers are often young and well-educated. The presence of attractive young women in the home can cause concern for some wives, and employers may feel intimidated by a domestic worker with a higher level of education, she said. "Negative backlashes and strict restrictions placed on the maids are symptoms of the unease that the presence of domestic workers is causing in modern Chinese culture," Dr Law said. "The overwhelming presence of Filipinos in Central is a poignant reminder of changes to the modern Chinese family." The Philippines began exporting workers in the 1970s as part of a program to increase foreign currency to repay international debt. Overseas workers now send back billions of dollars to families in the Philippines, injecting vital funds into the economy. To recognise their importance and ensure the program continued in spite of reports of maltreatment, in 1988 President Corizon Aquino promoted domestic workers as "national heroes". "Despite social stigma, culture shock and having to leave family and friends, working overseas is attractive to Filipinos because they are able to earn many times what they could in the Philippines," Dr Law said.