Emmanuel Mirador 2010-78388 BA European Languages

Prof. Wystan dela Pea

On nurses, the Filipino Diaspora and chismis lunch breaks What started as a way of alleviating the rising rate of unemployment during the Marcos regime, Overseas Contract Workers or boon contemporarily known as economy.

Overseas

Filipino Workers had

become a

to the Philippine

Throughout much of recent history, their remittances had significantly kept the Philippine economy afloat amidst rising debt and a host of other economic maladies. These benefits of course for the motherland have its adverse affects. Stories of families separated from each other for weeks, years or decades had been a staple of drama anthologies and a common theme in soap operas on TV. Apart from that, these workers had to give up their way of life, culture, ways and inevitably language in search of greener pastures. For the past years, much of the Diaspora had come from the field of healthcare, with most leaving as nurses or caregivers to either the United States or the United Kingdom. Recently, four Filipina nurses were fired from their jobs Maryland for allegedly speaking at a hospital in which is

Tagalog (Filipino) at work, an act

considered as a violation of the hospitals policy of the exclusive use English in its operations. This policy violates Title VII of the Civil Rights act of 1964, a federal law which protects individuals from discrimination based on national origin and

race. The four nurses further claim that speaking Tagalog during their break times or lunch does not impede their work. The termination of the employment of the

Filipina nurses is a clear manifestation that racial discrimination is commonplace notwithstanding the existence of statutes ensuring the protection of racial and linguistic minorities. Discrimination doesnt begin as soon as soon as their planes carrying Filipino nurses land Londons Heathrow or Chicagos OHare airports or elsewhere. It begins at home. It is interesting to note that before the graduates of nursing or caregiving can be admitted to the above-mentioned countries, they had to undergo a series of examinations and these exams include an assessment on the use of English known as the IELTS or the TOEFL. It all boils down on how large speech communities view minor speech communities. Language of minorities are often suppressed in favor of the language of the majority. But that is not always the case. Business exigencies in some companies also force their employees to yield their native languages. In the Philippines, BPO or Business Process Outsourcing notorious for companies, also known as call centers, inside the are

enforcing the English-Only-Policy

workplace. Non-

compliance usually result in disciplinary action, review of employment or even termination. Whatever those nurses are talking about or whatever language they are using during their lunch is out of the question. Instances such as these that suppress expression is uncharacteristic of the ideals of a country that boasts itself as democratic and egalitarian, and this acts of discrimination should not be tolerated.

Reference :
Balitang America . 4 Filipino Nurses fired for Speaking Tagalog . Last accessed December 28,2010 . .http://www.balitangamerica.tv/four-filipino-nurses-sue-baltimore-hospital-for-discrimination