Fr Herbert Fadriquela
For many Filipinos at home and abroad, Christmas is already in the air even if in the Christian liturgical calendar, it is still the season of Advent.
Here in the United Kingdom, many of our kababayans (compatriots) have already decorated their homes with a belen or a nativity scene, an image of the “inn” where baby Jesus was laid in the manger on the first Christmas.
Interestingly, one of the powerful characters in the nativity story are the shepherds. Shepherds cared for the sheep, which were not just kept for wool, but also for milk and meat and to be used in religious sacrifices.
The shepherds are important to society because without them, life would have been very different. Shepherding could be a difficult and dangerous job because shepherds have to live away from their families, close to nature, in summer time and winter time, in the hills above the towns and cities.
The shepherds were important to God, too.
They were the very first ones to hear of Jesus’ birth as revealed by the angel. God chose to tell about the birth of baby Jesus to the shepherds first and not to the rich and powerful in the society.
Filipino migrants and seafarers as good shepherds
As chaplain to the Filipino community in the Diocese of Leicester of the Church of England and as former Port Chaplain of Mission to Seafarers in the Port of Felixstowe and in the Ports of Hull and Immingham, the communities that I am serving are like the shepherds in the belen.
Many Filipinos are land-based migrant workers who are set apart from their families, spending a long time away from home. They are found in factories, in private homes working as domestic helpers and nannies, in care homes and hospitals.
On the other hand, Filipino seafarers work away from their family surrounded by foreign waters for 9 months and even more because crew changes are made difficult especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the current wars in other parts of the world.
Seafarers and fishers are there in the oceans and ports so that we can enjoy the goods that their ships bring to us here in the United Kingdom. The seafarers and fishers, like the shepherds, also live close to nature and see the awesome power of God at work through the waves and the winds, the sea and the sky. It is unfortunate, however, that as we enjoy the comfort and joy of Christmas, there are families who continue to search for their loved ones lost at sea.
Filipino migrant workers, seafarers and fishers make a substantial contribution to the economies of both the host and the home countries. Seafarers take care and manage the ships that transport most of the goods we eat, drink, use and wear. Land-based migrant workers care for the elderly and sick, clean homes and offices, attend to the needs of their employers’ children and oftentimes cry in silence remembering their own children back home.
Filipino migrant workers and seafarers are important in the global economy and their roles are appreciated in the survival of the Philippines as a country, hence, they are recognised as modern-day heroes.
Pressures in the UK and the Philippines
It is unfortunate, however, that despite the efforts and sacrifices of Filipino migrant workers, these modern-day heroes live and work in a very difficult and challenging situation as they face the rising cost of living in the UK and the rising cost of supporting a family in the Philippines. The rising cost of acquiring legal status to work and live in the UK and the various fees collected by the Philippine government from migrant workers have also impacted their economic position, especially newly-arrived Filipinos on their desire to live, work and settle in the UK.
With Advent as a season of preparation for Christmas, I invite you to reflect the message of hope in the context of a very challenging time for land-based-migrant workers, seafarers and fishers and their families.
Be a good neighbour, be a good Samaritan
Let us give hope to our kababayans by being a neighbour to each other.
And I have no other idea what is the character of a genuine neighbour rather than the words of Jesus in the parable of the good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke.
Like the story of the good Samaritan, who helped the traveler from Jerusalem to Jericho that was attacked by robbers, we have to play the role of a good neighbour to migrant workers, seafarers, fishers and their families who are in need through the help and support that we can humbly and possibly provide.
As a community of Filipinos in diaspora let us individually and collectively engage the Philippine government and the various appropriate agencies and charity organisations in the UK to lobby for support and help to our kababayans suffering from abuse, neglect and homelessness; those that are abandoned, alone and lonely this Christmas and beyond.
Imagine a road where travellers are secure and safe. Imagine a road where social justice flourishes.
Yes, indeed, we can be a good Samaritan in the present context because as migrant workers, we are guided and inspired by the earthly ministry of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
About the author
Father Herbert Fadriquela was born and raised in Odiongan, Romblon. Before his appointment as Chaplain to the Filipino community in the Diocese of Leicester of the Church of England, he was the executive director of the Cebu-based Iglesia Filipina Independiente-Visayas Mindanao Regional Office for Development, a faith-motivated community development program in central and southern Philippines. Currently, he is the Chairperson of the Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines.
On 8th November 2023, King Charles and Queen Camilla invited Father Herbert to Buckingham Palace for a reception to thank those who have made an “exceptional contribution to humanitarianism”.
