6 Message from Ambassador E. P Buensuceso

7 Moments with Mayor Klaus Bondam8 PICUM - Human Rights Day9 Paris - Brussels Conferences10 Response to Au Pair Ban Lifting

14 WAVE Conference15 KULU16 Christmas Features18 Babaylan Foto Collage21 Integration22 Sara Stilling

23 Health24 Kapatiran25 Legend of Makahiya26 Economy27 Letters from the Outlands

ABAKADA, WINTER 2010

FEATURES ADVERTISEMENTS

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Cover Illustration:Muir Jover

About the cover, Filipinos suppos-edly have the longest Christmas in the world, starting already in the month of September and ending with the Feast of the 3 Kings on 6 of January. Christmas means being with your loved ones to enjoy and share the tastes, sight and sounds of the season, bask in the festive mood. If distances keep families apart then the next best thing is to give and receive gifts, especially from abroad.

CONTENTSABAKADA

Ang Balitang Kababaihan sa DanmarkThe News on Women in Denmark

www.babaylan.dk

C & C TRAVELKROGH’S VINIMPORTPHILIPPINE CONSULATEFILCOM DENMARKBABAYLANBRONCANO FAMILYREYES FAMILYGUDMUNDSSON FAMILYDra. MARGA CONGRESO

28 Women News

29 Grin Page

30 Transition31 Migrant Women in EU

32 Arts & Media33 Christmas Greetings

Happy Holidays to all!

We often use “Happy Holidays” as greetings during Christmas. It is often used as a generic cover-all greeting for all the Winter holidays, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Chi-nese New Year and Thanksgiving. It is an all-inclusive greeting no matter what culture or religion one belongs to, fitting a growing and increas-ingly diverse population.

In the Philippines, Christmas sea-son is the most popular celebration of the year where Happy Holidays covers Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year.

Christmas season is the most popu-lar celebration of the year and is the most anticipated event for every Filipino. It is the time to remember being with the family, giving gifts, preparing special foods, wearing your best clothes, decorating the house, hanging parols, playing Christmas songs, shopping, sending cards, it goes on and on…For Filipinos abroad, it’s the time of the year to visit their families back home, to be with their loved ones on Christmas Day! It’s the season to be jolly...

Babaylan-Denmark would like to share a peek of Filipino Christ-mas to all Pinoy around the country. Since October this year, our Reach Out Program, through Western Union’s sponsorship and help from our friends and supporters, has been a huge success. Holding Christmas Events to different Filipino communities from different regions all over Denmark, be it a community fair, dinner parties, Christmas Food Court or Christmas cultural shows, the Filipinos unite to create a strong bond with the aim of helping our kababayans as well as keeping our cultures and traditions. It is in the spirit of Christmas where we have common thoughts on what to give, what to share and what to eat!

Filipinas I met from several events held in Jylland,Fyn, Midt Jyl-land, Nykøbing, Flaster & Møn were all positive and supportive of the program. It is my hope that in the coming years, Babaylan will be more visible and active in empowering our Filipina kababayans for better life and opportunities.

As we unite in the spirit of Christmas, may the coming years bring us together to realize our goal of keeping Babaylan-Den-mark, stronger, committed and highly competent in organizing for change!

BABAYLAN OFFICERS MESSAGE

ABAKADA, WINTER 2010

BABAYLAN-DENMARKBOARD MEMBERS & OFFICERS

2010-2011

Women organizing for change!www.babaylan.dk

CES C. NYMANNTreasurer

cessy_castro@yahoo.com

HILDA GUDMUNDSSONAsst.Treasurerhilda72dk@yahoo.com

LEMY GADDIAuditor

joylemy@yahoo.com

OWIE N. DELFTERWebdesigner

owie@babaylan.dk

MUIR JOVERIllustrator & Cartoonistjovermuir@yahoo.com

FILOMENITA HØGSHOLMPublic & Intl. Relations Officersfilomenitamh@gmail.com

ANA LINDENHANNSecretaryanalind@babaylan.dk

JUDY JOVERChairpersonjudy@jover.dk

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JUDY JOVER

EDITORIAL

ABAKADA, WINTER 2010

The Magazine of the Philippine Women’s Network in Denmark

Ang Balitang Kababaihan sa DanmarkABAKADA

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ABAKADA is the official news magazine of Babaylan-Denmark. It is trilingual quarterly published by Babaylan-Denmark, the Philippine Women’s Network that covers issues of women and gender as they tangent migration and asylum, development, cross-cultures, etc. Contribu-tions are welcome but are subject to editing for reasons of space and time. Reproduction in whole or parts allowedwith permission and proper accreditation.

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FILOMENITA M. HØGSHOLM

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL.

Every six months we seem to hit the jackpot. Babaylan Denmark has been lucky once again to receive manna from heaven. Rather like a Christmas gift that really makes a difference because without

it, you dear reader would not be having this magazine in your hand. We are talking about the support we get from our spon-sors and we want to acknowledge this with warm thanks for making it possible for us in Babaylan to be seen and heard.

Indeed, the Abakada, our magazine, is our window to and from the world which gives us Access and Visibility, But even more importantly, it gives us a Voice...so we can make known our concerns and be in contact with like minded groups and individuals through networking and joining coalitions on impor-tant issues. Together women can go a little further in moving towards their goals. .Earlier this year, the International Community gathered at the UN in New York for MDG 2015, which coded means that the world must renew commitments and formulate a global agen-da, which in global partnership can result in a better world by 2015.

We know in Babaylan that the key to achieving all 8 MDGS is to start with MDG3 which has to do with gender quality and empowering women. We believe that when this is promoted and achieved, all the other MDGs will follow.

With these goals foremost in our minds, we will continue to work for improving the welfare of immigrant women wherever we are. Au Pairs, the daughters of globalisation remain at the core of our advocacy, because in the the au pair phenomenon can we see many issues converge: issues on the labour market rights, access to health services, sexual and repro-ductive rights including infant and maternal health, education, even the environment and many more.. Babaylan has also competences in the social media sector which we are already availing of in our day to day interface with our target groups and among ourselves. This will natu-rally continue and hopefully be strengthened in the future. Abakada wishes everyone a Succesfully Busy New Year 2011.

ABAKADA, WINTER 2010

OFFICIAL GREETINGS

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MESSAGE OF AMBASSADOR ELIZABETH P. BUENSUCESOTO BABAYLAN DENMARK

Congratulations to Babaylan Denmark for its notable accomplishments during the year 2010, particularly the publication of the Abakada Maga-zine, the conduct of various conferences and seminars to help our coun-trywomen, the championship of worthy causes and alliances on issues affecting women, and its partnership with the Philippine Embassy.

I am inspired by your avowed objectives to elevate the issues of women, particularly those from the Philippines, to the consciousness of our kaba-bayans and the people of Denmark. Very often, people, especially those

misguided by disinformation and misinformation, exhibit overt or subtle discrimination against our womenfolk in Scandinavia. The first ever Au Pair Conference we held in Oslo in last year enlightened our people about their rights and obligations as au pairs. They also benefited from the seminars about self worth and self respect, basic necessities in a world still not fully liberated from traditional views of women and women migrants .

Your constructive and practical partnership with the Philippine Embassy has borne substantialharvest. The lifting of the ban on the deployment of au pairs, first in Norway and then in Denmark,was achieved in close cooperation with Filipino organizations, including Babaylan-Denmark. After16 years in limbo and years of exposure of au pairs to corruption and exploitation, we finallypersuaded both the Philippine and Danish governments to come to an agreement to includeprovisions that seek to protect the welfare of au pairs and at the same time allow them to departthe Philippines with proper documentation.

Uplifting the image of our country and our womenfolk in Scandinavia is also a value cherished bothby the Embassy and your organization. With your actual assistance to au pairs in distress andthose seeking a forum for addressing their emotional, psychological and spiritual needs, you havebecome the Embassy’s co-guardians in the promotion of au pairs’ welfare and protection of theirrights. I enjoin you to continue this productive partnership.

On a personal note, I would like to thank you for your loving support to me and my staff, who,because we are not based in Copenhagen, have nevertheless been able to deliver assistance toour people in Denmark. I also wish to extend my prayers for you to have a joyful Christmas andanother successful year ahead.

Jurisdiction:NorwayDenmarkIceland

Email Address: ambassador@philembassy.noWebsite: www.philembassy.noFax No.: +47 2241 7401Tel. No.: +47 2240 0900

Visiting address4th Flr., Nedre Vollgate 4, 0158 Oslo, Norway

Mailing addressP.O. Box 322 Sentrum

0103 Oslo, Norway

INTEGRATION

ABAKADA, WINTER 2010 7

MOMENTS with the MAYOR By Babaylan News & Features

Copenhagen’s cultural diversity Copenhagen Mayor for Integration and Employment Klaus Bondam hosted this year’s very well attended International Day on the last Saturday of August. A whole day affair formerly held along the edge of the Lakes, but this year moved into the main thoroughfare of Nørrebrogade, there was showcased many eth-nic cuisines from the many restaurants in the area who offered their menus @ fastfood prices, dining places around Nørrebro, considered to be the multicultural core of Copenhagen. The whole day also offered a plethora of cultural inputs: music and dance, and in the case of Babaylan, our signature cultural fashion show of national costumes and Dita Sandico Ong’s bananawraps..

In order to thank all participants from that momentous day, Mayor Klaus as he is popularly called invited everyone to City Hall for a reception on the last Monday of October. Babaylan, being one of the organizations who participated into such a day from the very beginning, we naturally turned out in a small party of 5. Refreshments and cake accompanied the screening of a video documentary of this year’s International Day.

Bland dig I Byen: Get involved in the cityThe event was also the official launch of Copenhagen’s Integra-tion Policy for 2011-14 where the most significant point in such policy is to challenge Copenhageners to get involved as part of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. One must no longer be just integrated, one must be included. Indeed, the message from Copenhagen City Hall is that it is time to change the paradigm! For so long, Denmark has been invoking the con-cept of Integration when it really meant Assimilation. When Danish officials require that immigrants to integrate, they often mean that the new arrivals must change their identity overnight and be Danish in a jiffy! They forget that by “integration” is meant a 2-way street where two equal parts or halves, mov-ing towards each other to make a whole, an integer. Learning a new difficult language, finding work in a labour market where only 70% of jobs are announced, the rest is through social con-tacts, and finding a proper housing (non-ghetto,whatever that really means!) require not only time and money but often also the accept of the Danes who according to a recent Expat study excludes rather than include the foreigners in their midst.

The new policy is a result of numerous consultations with the myriad of organizations in Copenhagen, including youth and migrant women organizations such as Babaylan and FAD.According to Mayor Klaus Bondam, Copenhageners regardless of backgrounds are concerned about how they relate to each other, and by saying Inclusion rather than Integration, they are

signaling that everyone is welcome to their community. It goes without saying that cultural diversity: new cultures, new lan-guages- is highly valued in this setting. Inclusion means access to equal rights and opportunities. q

_____________________________________Postscript: Within days of the event, it was announced that Mayor Bondam was moving to Brussels by the beginning of 2011 to be Director of Denmark House in Brussels.

“Taste the World” Copenhagen International Day - Copenhagen Kommune and Wonderful Copenha-gen celebrated International Day this year bigger than ever. More than 50 groups & associations and 20 restaurants joined this year’s event with more entertainment and fun in the heart of Copenhagen last August 28, 2010.

8ABAKADA, WINTER 2010

HUMAN RIGHTS

LABOUR MIGRATION

The logos of the Council of Europe in Paris and the EU Parliament in Brussels.

Paris-Brussels: Migrant Women on the Move!By Filomenita Mongaya Høgsholm

Two events of significance for the welfare of immigrant women in Europe were held recently one after the other: the first , on December 7, was under the auspices of the Council of Europe in Paris, and then the following day, 8 December at the EU Parliament in Brussels.

Babaylan’s Founding Chair, F. Mongaya-Høg-sholm, who also represented WIDE (globalizing gender equality and social justice) and its Dan-ish National Platform, KULU was invited to both events. She inputted at the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) Roundtable in Paris on Migrant Women, together with other experts from the European Women’s Lobby, the UN Committee on the Rights of Migrant Work-ers and their families, as well as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and of PICUM, the Platform for International Co-operation on Undocumented Migrants. The Roundtable ad-dressed the challenges and difficulties faced by migrant women in the labour market.

Aside from the day to day violation of women migrants esp. those in domestic work in the home (housemaids, nannies, au pairs), Babaylan’s representative pointed out not only brain drain of highly educated migrants pulled by factors such as the demographic deficit when European women no longer go for service jobs because of better education, leading to a need for cheap hands to service the elderly and young children. Care is the only category that Europe allows in, thus deskilling and brain waste for women mi-grants. The big challenge for Europe is how to value the higher education that the care workers actually come with so that they can be poised to take their

places in a few years say in 2020 when Europe needs new brainpower of the highly skilled to be

competitive.

The following day, a crucial Hearing co-organized by 5 NGOs concerned with health and migration looked at how Undocumented Women and Chil-dren are prevented from accessing health care in much of the EU today, thereby fostering gross inequalities in a Europe founded on humane val-ues guaranteeing a life in dignity for all.

Among many panelists, many of them EU Parlia-mentarians and Medical doctors was a lone mi-grant Woman. Virginia Mangare Greiner, Chair of ENoMW, European Network of Migrant Women launched last June and to which Babaylan DK is Associate Member.

Unfortunately the Hearing held inside the Par-liament only had two hours so there was not enough time to discuss fully but as pointed out by Amandine Bach of the European Women’s Lob-by, co-organizer of the Event, it was a significant Hearing because EU parliamentarians across the political spectrum all called for an equitable access to health care in Europe for all undocu-mented migrants. A bold step long in coming!

ALL in all, there are new and good things hap-pening on the migration front for women but MUCH MORE has to be done, eg. in countries with ever tightening rules and exclusionary poli-cies such as Denmark and the Netherlands with their “point system” that keeps families and couples apart. q

9ABAKADA, WINTER 2010