HCMC was once a promising land for many Filipino immigrants. But during the period of strict social distancing from May onwards, many people have lost their jobs and live on social support.
Sharon Quidangen Tanallon lving in a small room in District 7
Sharon Quidangen Tanallon, 47, another mother from the Philippines teaching English in HCMC. She shared that “I used to think that I had overcome all difficulties and had a stable career to support a living. When I first came to HCMC in 2018, I did all kinds of jobs such as tutor, caregiver, maid and even walking the dog to earn a living and raise children in the Philippines. Last June, I got the teaching job at SunShine School in District 7. During this time of unpaid leave, my colleagues, my boss and even Vietnamese parents try to help teachers like me. My landlord also agreed that I will pay them later when I have a job.”
Therefore, Sharon tries to keep her expenses as low as possible. She lives in a small room on Nguyen Van Linh Street, District 7 now. She has moved here since April and pay for the rent about 2.8 million VND including electricity and water. Currently, Sharon needs food provided by some NGOs in the city. Calling back home to her children, she did not want to tell her situation because she knew that they were waiting for her money to go to school.
Monica and her kids received support from communities
Monica Auria from the Philippines is a single mother living in District 2. She is teaching English online at home for a few classes currently. It is difficult for her to pay for the expenses and raise her 3 children. She lost her job in school last April and she had to leave her apartment and stay at a Vietnamese friend’s house in District 9. From July, she has had to rely on the expatriate and Vietnamese community in the city. They sent food to help her and her children.
Her husband disappeared without a trace for 5 years, therefore, she came to Vietnam to work and support her children. The first years were peaceful because she could raise her children while they studied in HCMC. 2 years after the pandemic, her job was unstable during the time of social distancing, her children had to leave schools. “My children are smart so they study very well. I feel guilty that I can’t afford to send them to school this time. I’ve been looking for scholarships for them, but still can’t find one. Even if they get scholarships now, I can not afford to buy 3 laptops for them while the schools practice teaching online.” Monica had no choice but to teach her children at home.
But she is still grateful to those who help her. “I am very lucky to have food for my children, there are many people out there who need help. There are a lot of Filipinos around here who have lost their jobs. Some can still rent houses, some become homeless.”
Some other Filipinos in the city said they have to stay 10 people in one small room. This is a time when the number of Filipinos losing their jobs increases resulting in their debt to the landlords. Sometimes they receive charity food regularly, sometimes only twice a month. Many people have registered for repatriation flights to return to the Philippines. They are maids, musicians and many other freelancers.
Aj and his family
Aj Caber Sagcal and 27 Filipinos successfully applied to the repatriation flight. They has been in isolation at 4/1/9 -4/1/11, ward 4, Tan Binh district since 3 August according to the procedure of the Philippines government to fly on August 16. However, the flight was delayed and some members of the group have tested negative for Covid-19. Therefore, he is also considered as F1 despite being in a separate isolation room. Currently, his wife is 6 months pregnant and suffering from Myoma, so he wants to fly back to the Philippines as soon as possible.
Aj and his wife lost their jobs last May, months ago he and his wife lived on food subsidies from the Filipino and Vietnamese communities in the city, He wants to address their situation to the Philippines government “The situation is very stressful for us right now. Although the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam helps us a lot, we hope that the Philippine government will bring us back soon and help us during our stay. The price of the plane back home is too expensive for me and my wife at the moment, so we can only have the repatriation flight. My wife needs special treatment, and the two children in the isolation in this place also need care. 27 of us here need more vitamins to increase resistance against Covid-19 and also food.”
These Filipinos said returning home is the best solution for them. They don’t know when they will have a job again in Vietnam. 19 southern provinces and cities in Vietnam are applying social distancing following Directive No 16/CT-TTg, nearly 20% of businesses have stopped operation and nearly 3 million people lost their jobs, accounting for 33.4% of the region’s total workforce, according to VietnamNews . Although getting a job in the Philippines now is not easy, they do not have to pay rent there. According to the Philippine New Agency, the country’s unemployment rate in May 2021 was at 7.7% easing from 8.7% in April 2021 due to lesser restrictions. In May, 410,000 jobs were added to the labor market.