Running head: KASAMBAHAY ON THE MOVE

Kasambahay on the Move:

The kasambahays experiential journey from small town to big city
Kristine Mae C. Andaya
Steffani Czanelle C. Go
Angela Fe T. Rivera
Franco Varela
Ateneo de Manila University

Research Methods
Dr. Mira Ofreneo
February 26, 2016

Kasambahay on the Move

Abstract
Multiple studies have been conducted on the reasons why kasambahays migrate from rural
areas to urban areas. However, there are minimal studies on their personal experiences of
transitioning and adjustment. Through a qualitative design, with the interview as the main
method of data collection, we conducted a thematic analysis of four kasambahays who were
born and raised from different provinces. Results showed that their experience can be divided
into three stages pre-adjustment, adjustment, and post-adjustment, with the family as an
overarching theme. That being said, this has implications in the socioeconomic factors in the
Philippines with regard to domestic work.
Key Words: kasambahays, domestic workers, Philippine internal migration, adjustment,
Filipino values, pakikisama, family, thematic analysis

Kasambahay on the Move

Kasambahay on the Move: The kasambahays experiential journey from small town to
big city
Many studies have been conducted on the reasons why kasambahays migrate from the
rural areas to urban areas. It has been found that most kasambahays take on their line of work
in urban areas in order to find financial stability, particularly as a duty to their family. Many
studies have been conducted on the sociological phenomena that make this migration
conducive such as the poor education and few financially stable opportunities in the
province that make kasambahays leave their hometowns and the gender roles at play and the
complicated urban lives that employers lead that make them hire these domestic workers.
Their occupation has also been found to have an impact on the identity of these kasambahays.
However, there is still a gap in our knowledge with regard to their personal experience as
they adjust to their new living situation.
Review of Related Literature
The Republic Act no.10361 or Domestic Workers Act defines the kasambahay as
any person engaged in domestic work in an employment relationship, whether in a live-in or
live-out arrangement, such as, but not limited to, general househelp, yaya, cook, gardener,
or laundry person, but shall exclude service providers, family drivers, children who are under
foster family arrangement, or any person who performs domestic work only occasionally or
sporadically and not on an occupational basis. De Guzman (2014) notes that, due to the
commitment of domestic workers to this profession, they end up sacrificing their family lives
since they would be separated from their families at a young age, usually for very long
periods of time. In cases where these domestic helpers are also parents, they must also engage
in long-distance parenting. However, they stand firm in their decision to work for they are in
need of the economic benefits this would entail.

Kasambahay on the Move

To understand why some people endure the often unregulated conditions of domestic
work, we should have a demographic perspective to it. Though heavily concentrated in Metro
Manila, most of these workers (41.7%) come from rural areas, mainly from Western,
Central and Eastern Visayas, with the second largest group from Bicol - regions deliberated
as among the most economically depressed in the Philippines (Sayres, 2007). These regions
are low in employment opportunities but high in unskilled manpower, which can be inferred
as reasons to resort to domestic work.
Domestic workers also have lower levels of educational attainment than most of the
workforce, and are part of ethnic minorities (Burnham, Theodore 2012), and have less work
experience.
These demographics point to why most employers select them. Men and women in
urban areas have industrial jobs, therefore needing household help from those in rural areas.
Women and children in these areas are perceived as submissive, their lack of work
experience attribute to the fact that they would expect less from their work, and the economic
depression in their areas encourage them to look for higher paying jobs in the urban areas
(Sayres, 2007).
From the aforementioned studies, one could infer that such issues are the probable
reasons why a high incidence internal migration of Filipinos from rural to urbanized areas of
the Philippines has been observed. Results of these studies show an overlap of themes that
led to the reasoning of why Filipinos from rural areas want or need to migrate to metropolitan
cities family, socioeconomic mobility, survival, self-development, etc (Camacho, 1999;
Chant, 1998; Trager, 1984).
Due to the Philippines collectivist culture and relatively low socioeconomic status,
one of the prevailing themes among the articles was the family and how it has become an
influential factor in the decision-making process of these rural migrants. Camacho (1999)

Kasambahay on the Move

points out how low SES children pursue work in domestic services to ease the financial
burden of their family by providing remittances that could greatly aid in providing education
for their siblings and relief to their parents. Trager (1984) and Chant (1998) were able to
point out how the Filipino concept of utang na loob could have convinced or pressured them
into migrating to the cities and into doing what is expected of them as dutiful children,
despite the uncertainty and difficulty of acquiring a job. However, several participants in the
study of Camacho (1999) emphasized that it was their personal decision to migrate and look
for a job, in spite of familial consultation. Camacho (1999) also noted how there were other
reasons for moving to the city to find work aside from the family that include personal
motivations, such as self-development, economic benefits, and financial needs for their
individual items.
There is also a pattern on how rural-urban migration has been broadly female
dominated in Southeast Asia wherein the work commonly involves domestic services and
other informal sectors (Chant, 1998). According to Chant, this is due to the surplus of
household labour in the rural areas, which are particularly keener on maintaining gender roles
typically assigned to women, such as maintaining and managing the household (1998).
Regardless of their limited employment options in the cities, domestic work and personal
services could provide strong economic rationale for womens rural to urban migration due to
traditional gender norms and expectations. There is also a trend wherein most of these
females are young and single when they migrated to towns or cities in search of employment
(Chant, 1998; Trager, 1984).
The above research shows that there is a convergence of broad social and economic
issues, gender norms and roles, traditional notions regarding family, and parenting.
Consequently, this also leads to the reconsolidation of identity in the experience of being a
yaya. This ultimately ends in a heavy personal burden on the yaya, manifesting in

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transformed parenting strategies with her children in the province due to spatial distance (de
Guzman, 2014) and attempts to acquire new skills and roles and redefine relationships so that
they can identify themselves as more than "just maids" (Ueno, 2010). This emphasizes the
change that occurs within a person during the period of adjustment.
Statement of the Problem
With these things taken into account, this study aims to examine the experience of the
kasambahay in terms of migration from their home to the city, personal justifications of their
decisions in doing so, and, more importantly, the period of transitioning as they adapt to the
new environment. This study also wants to explore the perspectives of kasambahays with
regard to their preconceived notions of Metro Manila, as well as their very own self-image,
and how the images they had formed have changed or remained in the process of
transitioning. The questions that this study intends to answer are as follows:
1. What is the experience of a kasambahay specific to moving from the province to the
city and her adjustment to the new environment?
Method
To capture the experiences of the kasambahays transition towards Manila, this study
utilized a qualitative design, with the interview as the strategy for data collection. Once
information was gathered from our total of four participants whom we located through
purposive and convenience sampling, the group used thematic analysis to process and study
their responses.
Design
Due to the nature of the question, a qualitative design was used to find out about the
meaning and experience of kasambahays in an in-depth way. Specifically, a narrative
approach was used due to the chronological nature of the content being studied.
Participants

Kasambahay on the Move

For this study, the group decided that the participants must fall under a set of
criterion: first, the kasambahays must be female; second, she must have been born and raised
in the province; third, they must have been between the ages of 18 to 25 when they arrived in
Manila; fourth, all of kasambahays must have resided in Manila and must have been with
their current employer for at least a year.
The project involved a total of 4 females currently working as kasambahays in
Filipino households. From that, one can already infer that our participants come from low
socioeconomic backgrounds, unable to acquire more than secondary education. All of the
participants came from different provinces one was from Cebu; another one was from
Masbate; and the other two was from Bohol. Three of the kasambahays Grace, Leslie, and
Maria, are young adults ranging from the ages 20 to 26. Additionally, they arrived in Manila
between the ages of 18 to 20. However, one of them was 33 years old when she set foot in
Manila, and is currently 44 years old. All the kasambahays have already resided in Manila for
more than a year now and have also worked with the same employer for more than a year.
Lastly, as aforementioned, the kasambahays were recruited through purposive and
convenience sampling, in which the group utilized the pagtatanong-tanong method to locate
such participants.
Materials
Our materials involved a recorder, an interview guide, a consent form, and tokens.
The interview guide contained the questions for the interview proper and the opening and
closing scripts. The opening script states the nature and the objectives of the research, while
the closing script expresses appreciation of the group and re-affirmation of their anonymity.
Moving on, the consent form explained their rights as participants of this study. Lastly, each
of the interviewers gave a token of appreciation to their corresponding interviewees.
Procedure

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Convenience sampling was employed for the selection of participants in which we in

we interviewed the people who were most accessible to us. One of the kasambahays
interviewed had been recommended by a friend and the rest of the kasambahays interviewed
were selected from the pool available in the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
Once we had selected our participants, we had introduced ourselves and the purpose of
our interview. We then confirmed if the demographic we were looking for had matched theirs.
Once this had been confirmed, we read and handed them the consent form to sign. After this,
we proceeded with the interview proper, asking them questions based on our prepared
interview guide. Once all the interview questions had been exhausted, we made it a point to
end the interview on a positive note. We then thanked them, handed them our token of
appreciation, and parted ways.
Data analysis
Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data gathered from the four
interviews. Interviews were transcribed and important themes were taken from the verbal and
non-verbal content given by each participant.
Results
From our findings in thematic analysis, several key stages in the adjustment of
kasambahays were found: pre-adjustment, adjustment, and post-adjustment. Pre-adjustment
tackles attitudes, thoughts and feelings that participants experienced prior to starting their
work in Manila. Adjustment is constituted by attitudes, thoughts and feelings that participants
experienced while becoming accustomed to their new surroundings. Lastly, the Postadjustment stage is concerned with their attitudes, thoughts and feelings that they experienced
from the point they felt they had assimilated into their surroundings and living situation up
until the present. Several subthemes were found under each stage, each of which were found
in an evolved form in the next stage. Within each stage, there was also a chronological

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relationship among concepts, which we attempted to represent in our thematic map by

connecting concepts that influenced the proceeding concept.
Pre-Adjustment

Individual Dreams
Lungkot and Takot

Lakas ng loob

Family
Big

Excitement

Adjustment

Reassessment of
Dreams

Hiya
Coping

Post-Adjustment

Contentment, utang
na loob and sanay
Current Dreams

Tapang

Kasambahay on the Move 10

Pre-Adjustment of the Kasambahays with Regards to Working in Manila
Individual dreams prior to becoming a kasambahay. We found in the interviewees
narratives that it is typical of young Filipina women to have their own dreams prior to their
lives as kasambahays. However, they are often unable to pursue their dreams like finishing
college because of the low socio-economic background of her large family. With minimal
financial resources, they consequently had little or no opportunity to acquire quality higher
education. As a result, themselves as people who are incompetent and unskilled to perform
and acquire high-paying jobs. This then forces them to set aside their individual dreams and
enter the field of domestic service in order to make a living and survive. As Grace put it:
Gusto ko sanang makapagtapos man lang gusto kong maging writer
kaso lang hindi po natuloy dahil di po kaya ng pera namin. Ang dami-dami pa
namin.
To assist Family. Most of their reasons for working in Manila are strongly linked to
the overall welfare of their families. This shows the strong collectivistic nature of Filipinos in
which they give high regard to their relatives and loved ones. Common reasons involve
wanting to financially support the basic needs of the family and wanting to give financial
help for their siblings tuition fees and overall education. Grace said:
Pero ako yung naging parang panganay, kaya nagpursigi na ako pumunta
dito para lang sa kanila [family]eh. Kasi para makapag-aral sila [siblings].
Para sa kanilang kinabukasan
Nevertheless, it must be highlighted that it is possible for some kasambahays to be
more willing than others despite the similarity of their goals in helping ones family. For
instance; On one hand, Grace reported that she was the one that really wanted to go and work
in Manila, and that she had a hard time convincing her parents to let her do so:
Nasasaktan kasi yung parang ayaw nila.. pero kahit ganun, parang tinuloy
ko parin yung nasa isip at puso ko diba, nung gusto ko na, bahala nalang
kung ano nasa isipan nila basta maintindihan lang nila nang pagdating ko
dito Yung pag-alis ko para sa kanila, dapat yun yung maintindihan nila.
Hindi naman para sa akin lang yun eh, kung di para sa kanila.

Kasambahay on the Move 11

On the other hand, Maria disclosed how she did not have any intention or desire to go
and work in Manila, but her family heavily persuaded her into doing so.
Big perceptions of Manila. The kasambahays shared one common adjective in how
they see the city of Manila malaki or big. This adjective then could be referring to two
different aspects of how they view Manila. For the kasambahays, the word big could first
be used in terms of describing the physical environment of the city. They tend to see the city
as geographically bigger than it actually is, mostly because of the novelty of the place to
them. Leslie illustrated this by sharing:"Parang crowded place siya, tapos big city na rin,
parang maraming makikita na mga buildings or ano."
It could also be seen in terms of how most of them would share how they see Manila
as a city full of opportunities and possibly bigger or higher wages which could be beneficial
to both themselves and their families. As Grace would put it:

Kasi mas malaki kasi yung kikitain ko. Mas malaki ang maitutulong ko sa
pamilya ko pag dito ako talaga tsaka mas marami ako opportunity dito na
mapapabago ko pa buhay namin doon ba.
From these perceptions of Manila, the kasambahays are then led to experience
positive emotions, negative emotions, or even a mix of both with regards to their issue
regarding their likely move to the bustling city.
Excitement of moving to somewhere new. Some had positive feelings about
relocating to Manila because they are able to experience a new environment. Grace
mentioned how she was excited about her move to the city because she wanted to experience
a new environment, Oo, excited! Excited na kung anong meron dito. Siyempre malayo
basta, gusto ko mag-experience ng ibang lugar.
Coming from a low socioeconomic status, one could infer that the kasambahays may
not have the financial luxury to move around from one place to another or have long trips to

Kasambahay on the Move 12

different places. With that in mind, they may see their migration towards the city of Manila
as one of lifes opportunities for them to expand their horizons, causing them excitement.
Lungkot and Takot. Despite the excitement some of them may have felt in moving to
Manila, it cannot be discounted that all of them experienced negative emotions such as
lungkot and takot. The former refers to feelings of sadness, while the latter refers to feelings
of dread and fear. Based on the interviewees statements, they experience lungkot due to their
separation from their families, thus causing them to feel that they are going to be all alone in
the big city of Manila.
Leslie also had feelings of lungkot not only because of the fact that she is leaving her
family behind, but also because of her idea that she is unable to go out and explore her new
environment due to her lack of knowledge regarding it:
Ano, siyempre parang malungkot kasi first time kong iwan yung pamilya ko,
ganun. Tapos naisip ko na rin na, ano, para makatulong na rin, ganun, di ko
na inisip yung lungkot lungkot ang lungkot lungktot di ka naman
makakalabas, ganun [kasi wala pa akong alam na place noon
These feelings of lungkot may also be rooted from their humble realization that for the
mean time they would be setting aside their personal dreams for their future. Although there
were no clear and distinct quotations regarding this issue, it was heavily implied.
Feelings of takot mostly stem from their perceptions of the social environment of
Manila. Aside from seeing the city as a land of opportunities, the kasambahays also have preconceived notions of how Manila is full of violence, chaos, crime, and the like. Grace said:
Parang maganda pero nakakatakot kasi ang gulo gulo. Parang lagi na
lang may nag-aaway, may nagbubugbugan, yun.. yun yung parang nasa
isipan ko dati kasi iba naman dito kaysa sa amin talaga eh.
Additionally, their feelings of dread also take root in their fear of the unknown. It
caused them distress how they have no control on what will happen, where they would lead,
and who they would be working for. Grace disclosed:

Kasambahay on the Move 13

Natatakot sa kung anong pwedeng mangyayari dito ikaw lang mag-isa
diba? Kasi sa Manila marami talagang... mga magnanakaw, ganun.
Andami mong iniisip... na paano kung may mangyayari ano na yung
gagawin ko nasa iyo naiwan ang bahay eh.
Lakas ng loob. For someone to have lakas ng loob, that person should be daring and
bold enough to face whatever challenge and tribulation is set before them. Grace mentioned,
Lakas ng loob lang talaga na ano, pag gusto mo talaga, magagawa mo, aasenso ka,
showing that despite the takot and the lungkot, she really had to have lakas ng loob in order
to take an active step towards something that could lead to progression in her life. For some
of them, they gained this lakas ng loob in turning to God. As Ate Ester put it: lakas loob
kong hinugot galling kay God.
Upon reaching Manila, this evolves into kaya, or the will to keep going and that they
can survive.
Adjustment of the Kasambahays with Regards to Working in Manila
Hiya. Kasambahays, during their first days in Manila, are shy. This may be due to the
fact that in their perception, those from the province and those from Manila are very different
from each other, and that they think others are evaluating them. Grace notes that:
malay mo, kung ano tingin nila sa akin, syempre nakakahiya. Tapos first
time, yung tinitingnan ka ng mga tao na hindi mo kilala. Nakakahiya talaga
diba? Kung anong sasabihin nila sayo?
As time goes by, they get used to the customs of the people in Manila, by getting to
know them better.
Coping. As mentioned earlier, kasambahays feel takot and lungkot. They overcome
this with the aforementioned mindset of kaya, concretized by their coping activities. Mostly,
they cope and adjust by relating to the people around them. This includes their amo, their
charges, and other fellow kasambahays. Being far away from their family, they may be doing
this in order to make new friendships, and maintain a much more pleasant working
environment to cope with the sadness of being far from their family. It can be noted from the

Kasambahay on the Move 14

two accounts below that pakikipagkapwa is an important aspect of coping with being a
kasambahay:
Unang una, nag-adjust ako sa kalungkutan dinaan ko na lang sa
pakikisama sa mga kasamahan ko lalong-lalo na dito sa Ateneo; pakikisama
sa ibat-ibang klaseng yaya, iba-ibang klaseng ugali. (Ester)
May mga kasama naman ako, tapos ganun, parang tumagal ng tumagal
nasanay na rin. Di na rin masyadong malungkot. (Leslie)
They also had to cope with the environment that they work in. Most of them are new
to working for an amo, in a house with much more sophisticated appliances and bigger
areas to clean. Most, at the start, do not know what to do and are preoccupied by this. Such is
the case with Ester, who at first wasnt really sure of what to do first, and kept thinking about
this. However, she gradually learned to relax and pace herself and the job she is doing.
Yung time ko sa pagtatrabaho parang relaxed lang ako, hindi katulad nung
dati na kailangan ko pa mag-isip kung ano gagawin ko. Ngayon parang dirediretso na. (Ester)
Kasambahays also had to maintain a relationship with the families they left behind.
When Ester was asked on how she makes contact with her, she said that she uses a cellphone
because thats the only technology she knows how to use. Another thing kasamabahays do is
padala or to send something, usually money to their families. Grace illustrates this by saying,
Lagi talaga ako nagpapadala, buwan-buwan para sa pag-aaral ng mga kapatid ko.
Kasambahays also look back at their lives in the province. Maria mentioned this when
she says she regularly calls her family to talk tungkol sa mga noong bata pa kami. They
also cope by looking forward to returning to the province. Ester explained, magpapahinga
na ko babalik na ko sa Bohol, when asked what she would do after this goal of finishing
her childrens schooling is achieved.
The relationships they maintain and their families may be help them hold on to
something, to be able to keep doing what they are doing, and to motivate and inspire them to
achieve their goals.

Kasambahay on the Move 15

Reassessment of Dreams. Goals and dreams are very important because these
motivate people to do their jobs, and the thought of it helps them cope with their current
situation. All of the kasambahayas had dreams of graduating and finishing college. When
these dreams seemed out of reach, they can adjust and pass these dreams on to their children
or siblings. Makatapos yung mga anak ko na lang, Ester said when asked about her
dreams after she had adjusted. Grace, as previously mentioned, sends money back to the
province every month to keep her siblings in school. Ate Maria, also shifted here dreams of
wanting to be a teacher, to helping her sibling finish college.
Post-adjustment of the Kasambahays with Regard to Working in Manila
Contentment, Utang na loob and Sanay. Throughout their constant perseverance in
their stay, the kasambahays eventually learned to accept where they are, feeling more content
and used to their new way of life. The concept of learning to be content and being sanay was
salient among the post-adjustment stories of the kasambahays we had interviewed. They
generally described contentment as being okay with where they are right now and being
happy with how their current job of being a kasambahay is providing for their needs and their
familys:
medyo ok na ako dito. Na medyo malaki na rin yung tulong ng
trabaho ko eh. Yung mga bagay na hindi ko mabibili, mabibili ko na.
Yung mga gusto ko sa buhay na dati na pangarap ko lang, nagagawa
ko na ngayon. Unti-unti ko nang nabubuo. (Grace)
The concept of utang na loob was also expressed by the ladies in that they are thankful
for how their current bosses treat them. They generally describe their bosses to be kind and
helpful which is why they have chosen to remain with them until today.
Oo, utang na loob na rin. Napamahal narin kasi sila sa amin. Tsaka
ayaw kong iwanan nang ganun ganun lang. (Grace)
As for being sanay or accustomed to things here in Manila, the ladies generally
described themselves being less lonely compared to before:

Kasambahay on the Move 16

Wala lang, nakikisabaymay mga kasama naman ako, tapos, ganun,
parang nung tumagal nang tumagal nasanay na rin. Di na rin
masayadong malungkot. (Leslie)
Their concept of the big city, in terms of its literal size during their pre-adjustment
stage, also became less overwhelming. This was made possible through time and of course,
as they all mentioned, their pakikisama, towards their employers as well as their fellow
kasambahays.
Tapang. The ladies stories of adjustment also held the theme of growth in that they
have seen the impact that their stay here in Manila has had on who they are. Their growth can
be generalized into the word tapang or courage. Ate Ester shared how she had been very
scared prior to her adjustment but how she has eventually let go of that fear as she became
more accustomed to Manila, also because her current boss is a lot kinder compared to her
former bosses.
Para akong nakakulong kaya sobrang takot ko noon, hindi katulad
nito na, pang apat na amo ko na to, panatag ang loob ko kaya dito ako
nagtagal. (Ester)
In the case of Ate Maria, despite admitting that she still tends to be maiyakin or is
easily provoked to cry, boldly declared that the Maria now is matapang. Si Maria?
Matapang. They have indeed proven that they are able (kaya)the concept that was
salient during their pre-adjustment and adjustment phase.
Current Dreams. The ladies also expressed the dreams they had for their families
(family-focused) and/or for themselves (self-focused). It was interesting to note that all of
them saw their current line of work as pansamantala or temporary. This is due to the fact that
they are working as a means of achieving their aspirations in life both for their families, but
also for themselves.
Ate Leslie, although she had the primary motivation to work to earn money to help
her family, she also was working for an opportunity to study to become a teacher once she
had earned enough money. She did not mention that she wanted to become a teacher for her

Kasambahay on the Move 17

family butimplied how she wanted it very much for herself. When asked if she really wanted
to become a teacher she replied with Oo, sobra Gusto ko talaga. implying a personal
desire.
As for Ate Grace and Ate Maria, despite not being able to fulfil their dreams of
finishing school, expressed how they are slowly being able to fulfil some of their simpler
dreams. For Ate Maria, her dream developed into a dream to one day put up a sari-sari store
and build her own house instead of her initial dreams of becoming a teacher. For Ate Grace,
she began to look toward the little joys of buying what she wants. In addition to that, Ate Grace
shared how she had a dream of going to another country in order to earn more. In spite of her
dreams to go abroad, she has chosen to be content with where she currently is since her earnings
are already a big help to her and her family.
Lastly, in Ate Esters case, she believes she has been successful and is on her way to
completely fulfilling her dream, which is to provide the means for her children to finish school,
as was previously discussed. She claims, Dahil may napatapos nakong anak parang sa
sarili ko successful mother ako.
Synthesis
As a chronological study, many concepts found at each stage of the experience of
adjustment found new forms in later stages. For example, all throughout the narrative, we can
see how deeply family permeates the reason why kasambahays leave their hometown, why
they can manage to stay in their new workplace, and are also a huge part of what they look
forward to when their employment is done. Family is therefore the central concept in our
findings about the experience of kasambahays while adjusting. We can see that there is a
steady evolution of the struggling lungkot and takot with ones lakas ng loob. There is a lot
of initial fear and loneliness, but because of ones motivations, aspirations and determination,
these are turned into tapang and strength. Lastly, it is also interesting to note how

Kasambahay on the Move 18

kasambahays dreams change because of their new circumstances. A lot of them have shifted
from an originally self-focused dream to a more family-focused, communal one.
Discussion
Implications and Significance
Over the years, the situation and status of domestic helpers have been elevated in
society. Aside from the Batas Kasambahay, there have been many movements to improve the
state of househelpers and society is encouraged to call them by more homely names such as
kasambahay (as used in this study) instead of maid or muchacha. Part of this movement
toward respecting these kasambahays better is understanding who they are as people, and this
study contributes much in this, especially with regard to their own opinions of their work and
their other aspirations in life. Aside from increasing understanding of a class of people, the
findings from this study will also find significance in socioeconomic endeavors, as
understanding the attitudes of those who migrate to the city verses those who migrate abroad
for work becomes of high importance in our society wherein many people leave the
Philippines in search of opportunities in foreign lands. Understanding their experience in
working in Manila can lead to us improving it, which will hopefully keep more people in the
country, preventing the drain of manpower and reducing the disruption of family ties.
Conclusion
The study found that the overall experience of a kasambahay adjusting to their new
working environment has the overarching theme of family, which interacts with the novelty
of their surroundings and job demands in such a way that it influences how they persevere,
and how they construct and work for their dreams.
It is recommended that future studies focus on male domestic workers (i.e., boys,
drivers, etc.). It is also recommended that more studies look into the pakikisama of,
communication of and new relationships built by domestic helpers in their new environment.

Kasambahay on the Move 19

REFERENCES
Burnham, L., & Theodore, N. (2012). HomeEconomics: The invisible and unregulated world
of domestic work. New York: National Domestic Work Alliance.
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Retrieved February 18, 2016.

Kasambahay on the Move 20

APPENDIX
A.

Magandang ____, ako po si _______. Estudyante po ako ng Ateneo de Manila, at

ninanais ko pong makipagkuwentuhan tungkol sa inyong karanasan bilang isang tagaprobinsya na kinakailangang pumunta ng siyudad at naging isang kasambahay. Ang
impormasyong maibabahagi niyo po sa amin ay makakatulong para makabuo ng mas
malalim na pagkakaintindi sa mga karanasan ng mga kasambahay tulad niyo. Nais po naming
maintindihan ang iyong pag-aadjust sa pagtrabaho dito sa Maynila at nais din po naming
maunawaan ang inyong damdamin, pag-iisip, at aksyon tuwing sa prosesong ito.
B.

Paano unang pumasok sa iyo ang ideyang maghanapbuhay dito sa Manila? Ano po ba

ang nag-engganyo sa iyo?

1. Paano mo naman po naisipang pumasok bilang isang kasambahay? Paano ka po
bang napunta sa gawaing ito? Naasahan mo bang ito ang magiging hanapbuhay mo
nang pumunta rito?
C.

Maari niyo bang ikuwento kung paano kayo nakarating dito sa Manila?
1. May mga kakilala ka ba rito? Kaibigan? Kapamilya?
2. Naaalala niyo po ba kung ano ang iyong nararamdaman at naiisip sa panahong
naghahanda ka pa lamang sa iyong paglakbay tungong Manila? Ano po ba ang
nangyari?

D.

Bago kang lumipat dito, ano po ba ang tingin niyo sa siyudad na ito?

E.

Ano naman po ang tingin ninyo sa iyong sarili bago kayo lumipat?
1. Ano po ang inyong mga paniniwala at tingin sa buhay?
2. Ano po ang inyong mga pangarap?
3. Ano po yung ugali ninyo dati nung ikay taga-probinsya pa?

F.

Nang ikay nakarating naman dito sa Manila, pwede mo po bang ibahagi ang iyong

naramdaman?

Kasambahay on the Move 21

1. Noong unang dating mo rito, ano po ba yung dumadaan sa iyong pag-iisip? Noong
unang pagpasok mo bilang kasambahay, naaalala mo pa ba ang iyong mga
naramdaman at naiisip tungkol dito?
2. Ano naman po ang tingin ninyo sa sarili noong pumasok kayo bilang isang
kasambahay? Maaari mo bang ipahayag?
G.

Maari mo bang maikuwento kung paano ka nakapag-adjust? Paano mo nakayanang

tumira at magtrabaho rito kahit baguhan pa lamang?

1. Ano po ba ang sinasabi mo sa iyon sarili tuwing ikaw ay nalulungkot o ninanais
bumalik ng probinsya?
H.

Ngayong nakapag-adjust ka na dito sa Manila, may mga pagbabago po ba sa iyong

imahe ng lugar na ito?

I.

Ano naman tingin ninyo sa trabaho mo ngayon?

1. Pansamantala lang ba? Anong nararamdaman mo tungkol sa iyong hanapbuhay
ngayon?

J.

May nagbago rin po ba sa inyong sarili? Paano mo na nakikita ang sarili mo? Nang

lumipat ka na sa Manila, sino ba si _____?

K.

Meron pa po bang kayong gustong ipahayag?

L.

Maraming salamat po sa inyong mga naibahagi. Bilang pagbabalik-tanaw po sa

inyong mga nasabi, uulitin ko lamang po ang aking mga naisulat upang maikumpirma ito sa
inyo. Ibabahagi ko rin po sa inyo ang aking mga interpretasyon ukol dito. [Insert collected
information and interpretations here].
Maraming salamat po ulit sa mga impormasyong inyong ibinahagi sa akin.
Makasisigurado po kayo sa pag-ingat ko rito. Sa dulo ng pananaliksik ng aking grupo,
mabibigay namin po kayo ng kopya ng aming papel, kung inyo pong gugustuhin. Maraming
salamat po muli at pagpalain po kayo ng Diyos.