“Behind Closed Dollars,” Manilatown Center, May 10-July 19, 2008

1. “The National Interest: Where Are Our Mothers?” Photo collage, 14" x 11". Grainy faces of Filipino children are almost obscured by symbols of international economics—dollar signs, flags and a map. The size and placement each flag indicates the population and location of overseas workers around the globe.The children’s photo is by Amaryllis T. Torres fromwww.imagesphilippines, used by permission.

2. “The National Interest: Remittance.” Photo collage, 14" x 11". A group of Filipino boys are contrasted with the number of dollars remitted to the Philippines by overseas Filipino workers from ten countries, sized by dollar amount, and positioned by geographic location. About ten percent of working-age Filipinos are deployed abroad, and the money they send home amounts to over 13% of the domestic economy. The children were photographed by “Sayote Queen,” a prolific and talented photographer who resides in the Philippines. Photo fromwww.flickr.com, used by permission.

3. “The National Interest: Left Behind.” Photo collage, 14" x 11". There are over 11 million Filipinos living abroad, counting Philippines citizens who are temporary overseas workers or permanent residents of other countries, as well as those who have become citizens of their countries of residence. A photo of children behind a fence is overlaid by a map showing the distribution around the world of overseas Filipinos. Ironically, the photo was snapped by a Dutch tourist, who posted it on Flickr under the title, “Like you’ve never seen a white person before.” When I emailed for permission, he wrote, “I took this picture somewhere deep in Cebu city. We were eating chicken heads, feet, etc with Filipino friends. These children passed by, and then came back when they saw those long-nose white persons. ‘Hey Joe!’” Photo from www.flickr.com, used by permission of Lennart Woltering.

Warmth, humanity and patience make Filipinos excellent caretakers; and intelligence, education and discipline make them excellent engineers and technicians. But if these qualities are exported and exploited rather than invested in the family and society at home, what qualities will be inherited by the next generation of Filipinos?

I am not Filipino American, but over the years, my Filipino friends have shared experiences and perspectives about absent parents, the dual economy, and false values fueled by Western salaries, Catholic oppression, negative stereotyping, and internalized oppression about indigenous and village culture.

I became more closely acquainted with overseas Filipino/a workers in 2006 when I spent two months in a skilled nursing facility with a broken leg. I spent many hours with Filipino/a LVNs and CNAs. They were kind, caring and conscientious professionals who displayed tremendous compassion even for homeless and addicted patients. They were great teamworkers who retained the ability to laugh and joke in difficult circumstances. And many spoke movingly about their children, who remained in the Philippines.

The work asks whether the true measure of success is material or a more complex blend of psychological, spiritual and social richness. It raises awareness about the global impact of exported labor and its impact around the world.

In keeping with the theme of globalism, some of the images were found on the Internet and are used with the permission of photographers in the Philippines, the United States and the Netherlands.