Manila Downunder

~~ ASK SADDAM ~~

Hello again infidels, today I have an email sent to the barkada address from some guy in Canberra. It is outside your Uncle Saddam's usual coverage, but Ali felt there was no more suitable place to locate it.

Thanks for sending your view, other readers are invited to do the same when they have time.

Saddam

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Dear Sir,

I suppose I should travel down the usual road taken and congratulate you on the time you spend compiling the information contained in your interesting, and somewhat humourous, internet publication.

More recent topics that you have touched upon have struck a cord with me, closely paralleling many of the experiences I have had during my involvement in the Filipino community of the 'Australian Capital Territory'.

I have been married to a lovely lady from just north of Baguio for nearly 38 years now, we still remain happy and I am pleased to say she is a very carrying and thoughtful person, all that I had been led to believe Filipinas are.

During this period of time I have been involved with our local Philippine community, both through personal aquaintence and through two smaller associations.

While this was mostly enjoyable, both my partner and I were often subject to gossip and ridicule from people, getting stabbed in the back and, sadly, similar death threats to that which you describe.

It is dumfounding why this is the constant across the Australian-Filipino community, however it is more the rule than the exception and they have become known here as people best avoided.

God fearing they say, respectful they say. Still I do feel your pain when it comes to feeling the effect of giving these people your all, just to have it thrown in your face at the first opportunity.

If I have any advice for yourself, or indeed your readers, be VERY careful. Even the nicest person could turn out to be just with you for their own advantage and may just as likely discard you tomorrow for the next best thing to come along.

Think long and hard before investing much time and money in to the friendship of anyone new, in the long run you will be better off for it.

Trying to pick the very few good ones from a very large crop of bad can be an effort. But it will pay off dividends of great long term friendship and very many happy moments ahead in your future friendship.

Im sorry if this sounds decidedly negative, but as the old saying goes, 'You reap what you sew' and Australia-Filipinos have been very busy sewing.

Yours Sincerely

A Barstow

ACT

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