The hype of the OFW phenomenon led to the foolish idea that Filipinos are supposedly "conquering the world". Who can remember when Edz Ello thought that Singapore will become the new Filipino state - only for him to be DEPORTED after that? Edz should've known better than Singapore has very strict censorship. Edz didn't only lose his job but also got deported as a result. On the contrary, this film by ABiaS-CBN showed the exact opposite in the midst of the kilig or heartfelt love story. Them being separated from their loved ones is anything but conquest. Joy's struggle as she lives with a Hong Kong family with a mentally challenged daughter is one. Joy was a nursing student who hoped to give her family a better life - only to become a nanny to a child in Hong Kong. Was Joy conquering Hong Kong for the Philippines? On the contrary, Joy (along with other OFWs) are the ones conquered in Hong Kong. They are already made to submit to the rules in Hong Kong. Worse, Joy's family is slowly separated before her very eyes. Joy's mother remarried to a man in Hong Kong - something her father initially agreed to. However, Joy's mother ends up loathing her former husband eventually. Meanwhile, Ethan's family seeks residency in Hong Kong with their disabled father. Ethan seeks to become a bar owner in Hong Kong. Did Ethan's family conquer Hong Kong for Filipinos? On the contrary, Ethan and his family become the conquered as they seek residency and bow down to the Chinese government instead. True, Filipinos got the jobs in a country that's not theirs but when you get the jobs - you also get a boss riding on your back! They are bound to their foreign masters because they're in a foreign country.
It's not the first time that ABiaS-CBN made a film about OFWs either. Back in 2000, they had a film (which I remembered was shown to our Filipino class in college) called Anak (Child) starring Vilma Santos-Recto (Josie, the OFW mother) with a wayward daughter named Carla (acted by Claudine Barreto-Santiago). The film showed OFW life is ANYTHING but glamorous as Josie lands on an abusive Hong Kong employer. I wonder is ABiaS-CBN really trying to glorify OFW suffering as means of conquest? Until now, Hong Kong has NEVER become an expansion of the Philippines. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can just instantly deport all Filipino workers with just a declaration. The film Hello, Love, Goodbye is no different as it shows that OFW life is anything but glamorous either. The film Anak made a cameo watched by OFWs who were in no way conquering Hong Kong. Instead, they really relived all their struggles watching that iconic part where Josie gets mad at Carla. Josie gets estranged from her daughter Carla. Carla also wastes the money her mother sends on cigarettes and even goes out with lewd men. Rewatching the film may make you wonder is the OFW program really still worth it? Should we support removing excessive restrictions for foreign investors or should we well still (in vain) attempt to conquer other countries using OFWs?
I'm amazed at how ABiaS-CBN also made other films that ironically show the need for constitutional reform. Yet, they (several times, in fact) REFUSED to support it. One of the other films that ABiaS-CBN made before was called Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat (The Only Mother to You All) - a film that ironically showed the perils of the presidential system. Yet, they didn't want to shift to parliamentary even after making a film that clearly showed its perils when a KNOW NOTHING named Ina Montecillo became the president and wrecked the country. Ina may have inadvertently uncovered Bill Bilyones' hand in murdering the president BUT that didn't make her qualified. Yet, the presidential system only cares about popularity and not the credibility of the candidate. The Tanging Ina films are really more annoying than funny - the only dumb reason why I watched them before was because of Shaina Garcia Magdayao. However, not even Shaina's presence could convince me to rewatch those two rather irritatingly stupid films. Yet, the second movie ironically showed the perils of presidential systems - something that ABiaS-CBN still supports. Ironically, their hero Ninoy Aquino revealed that the Marcos Years wasn't a real parliamentary. Marcos' parliamentary was rightfully described by Ninoy as 80 Days Around the World and a non-democratic form of charter change. Charter change isn't necessarily bad when it's done democratically. Unfortunately, ABiaS-CBN demonized it to the point that many Filipinos kept fighting against reforms that could've helped them.
This is where ABiaS-CBN continues in its failure of mind. Some of its films ironically show the need for constitutional reform. Yet, they still don't want it believing it would revert us back to the dark ages with Marcos - as if the Aquino years were the golden years. Just because the Marcos Years were not the golden years doesn't make the Cory years the golden years either. Fidel V. Ramos wanted to change the constitution yet he was demonized for it. The 1987 Constitution boomeranged on their faces causing them to lose the franchise they so loved. They probably never saw it coming that the lousy constitution they so defended would one day bite them back. Personally, I don't care if ABiaS-CBN gets another franchise or not under a reformed constitution. ABiaS-CBN is not shut down and it still operates as a network. They really need to get a reality check, support constitutional reform (which in itself should NEVER be attached to PDP-Laban or ANY political party), and really start to make sense of their films which ended up serving as eye-openers.
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