In pictures: U. S. soldiers used ‘water cure’ on Filipino ‘insurgents’

Before ‘water cure’ or ‘water boarding’ was known to have been used on ‘terrorists’ or ‘insurgents’ by the U.S. soldiers, this mode of torture have already been used on Filipinos they also called ‘insurgents’.

“This is a photograph of the “water-cure,” one mode of torture and interrogation used by the U.S. soldiers” during the Philippine-American War/photo by Jonathan Best Collection; from the book The Blood of Government, by Paul Kramer.

Reducing OFWs to abstract, commodity

This article is about the negative impact of classifying OFWs according to their skills–”lowly skilled”; “semi-skilled” and “highly skilled”– blogger.

If the argument was purposely to label the workers according to their type of work, yes they can do it and they’ve done it. That is how commodities (are we?) are labeled, right? When the government decides on a matter of policy one is very likely or forced to, whether OFWs likes it or not, comply with it. But complying with it does not mean one agrees with it, or this will become absolutely correct at all.

But whether it has use in reality or what impact is has had in ones daily life, no scholar or government can feel the depth of what a person is experiencing. If the policy needs to be changed, then it is where it should go. It is (in theory) for the OFW, not for the sake of having a policy, right?

Filipinos can’t be divided in stereotypes

This article is a response to “Why Mareng Winnie was (likely) not addressing you” article published at gmanews.tv – blogger.

This makes sense. Monsod’s argument about ‘traitor’ was inexcusably wrong.
But to divide and classify Filipinos abroad, in this article, merely of their work types–”highly skilled”, “semi-skilled” and “low-skilled”, itself does not speak of the reality.

It disfranchises, does not recognize and denies the existence of other Filipinos not falling under this author’s stereotypes.

This broad, generalization and stereotyping do not help at all. We cannot divide humans and their experiences merely because that is what is written in their work permits; or, their condition of stay in foreign countries.