Erica Nicole F.

Jayme PhilArts; MTh 11:30-1:00

Filipino Performers in Cruise Ships, Disneyland, and other Foreign Ballet and Dance

Companies

Hearts beating out of control and heat rushing through the performers as the adrenaline

from the performance subsides. As they stand before blinding lights and cheering crowds,

scenarios of them hugging their daughters or laughing with their parents flash before their eyes.

It was in that very moment when they come to realize that their heart longs for something else -

home. Behind every performance are hearts that beat for their loved ones from miles away, for

the people who are the very reason for these longings. Seeing the smiles of the people they

touched with their performance surely brings them happiness; happiness that could never equal

the bliss of seeing the smiles of their families.

These are the people that deserves so much respect for being strong enough to fill the cups

of others when they can’t even fill theirs, for always giving a part of themselves despite their

puzzle pieces being incomplete. But are they really accorded the respect that they deserve from

the community they live with abroad?

A lot of times Filipino immigrants get exploited and abused by foreigners. With that, they

develop a thinking that being Filipino makes them less of a person, that it makes them inferior.

There are already countless circumstances of Filipinos being looked down in other places but,
these discriminations could never put out their burning passion to take their families out of the

crushing poverty in the country. That created an image of Filipinos being persistent and resilient

people gaining the respect of foreigners. Filipinos, despite any situation they face, never fail in

being courteous and warm, not to mention the smiles that never fade from their faces.

Another thing that gained the respect of foreigners is Filipino talent. It is undeniable that

Filipinos are world-class when it comes to talent for they could bloom wherever they are in the

planet. A lot of famous Filipino artists have already created a name for themselves across the

globe. One of which is Lea Salonga who has brought pride and honor to the country’s name

worldwide. Artists like Lea surely do get admired by a lot of people especially foreigners.

Marcelito Pomoy who never thought that auditioning for ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ could bring him

to the stage of Ellen. Now, he astounds so many foreigners by his talent. It is not surprising

since that admiration comes hand-in-hand with them being celebrities. Aside from these famous

personalities, there are numerous Filipino artists around the world who are less known than the

celebrities yet are not any less talented.

These artists gave so much hope, not just to their families, but to the whole Filipino nation.

They gave us all a vision of Filipinos being globally known, not as a worker but as a

well-respected performer. These artists also ignited our sense of nationhood because if we go to

the places they perform at, there’s no person even more proud to see them shine than their fellow

kababayans. Despite not knowing personally that performer, we get that pride in us to say

“kababayan ko ‘yan!”. And it is very heartwarming to be able to witness how Filipino artists
bloom abroad. It just goes to show how great Filipino people are in terms of talent, hardwork,

and perseverance.

However, working abroad comes with the side effect of sadness. In times of gloom and

homesickness, these performers also find their own way coping. Some find time to communicate

with their families despite their hectic work schedule. For Rony Fortrich, one of the pioneer casts

of Hong Kong Disneyland, he says that he finds happily-ever-after in creating songs that could

touch people’s lives. People like Fortrich finds fulfillment in what they do which brings them a

sense of happiness that, for some reason, lessens their longing. But as for Raki Vega, a Filipino

cast member of Hong Kong Disneyland, turning to video games and Youtube helps with

homesickness. It surely is sad to be away but one thing that is good in working abroad is that

they also meet fellow Filipinos who share the same sentiments with them. They create a certain

bond with one another that could somehow lessen the sadness. However, this ephemeral

happiness is nothing compared to the delight of being home with their loved ones. Above all, no

matter how beautiful the place you work at is, no matter if it is the happiest place on earth, there

will never be a place as sweet as home.

References:

“Christmas Came Early for Filipino Cast Members of HKDL.” BusinessMirror, 3 Jan. 2016,

businessmirror.com.ph/christmas-came-early-for-filipino-cast-members-of-hkdl/.