Filipino wives

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 14

Filipino wives

Sir,—l think Roy Roberts (September 3) and A. Prinsep (September 5) miss the point of Colleen Costello’s letter (September 1). In no way was she commenting on individual relationships. She was pointing to the basic injustice that underscores the' whole thinking of a .Philip-, pines friendship (marriage) club. As well as being a “ . • - friendly, proud andy good people. . the Filipinos are ; exploited,: oppressed ’ , and repressed to a degree equal to that of the harshest regimes. To conduct a club on the basis of Filipino women being .prepared to leave home, family ’and culture, to. escape an oppressive society is to perpetuate the injustice and to take advantage of an unfortunate and unequal situation.—Yours, etc., glen Mclennan.

September 5, 1980. Sir,—l take issue with Roy Roberts’s statement (September 3) about the Filipino people that .“a more contented and carefree population' would be' hard' to find.” According to . former Senator Jose Diokno, who visited Christchurch this year, “more than 70,000 people have been jailed since martial law began” eight years ago, (“The Press,” April 12). This indicates a strong discontent by people to the present martial- law government which allows 90 per cent of its people to earn below the official minimum wage of SNZ2OOO p.a., Last year, 1.5 million children out of. a population of 48 million were. suffering mental retardation caused by malnutrition. I have visited the Philippines twice in recent years, and have seen the vast squatter areas of Manila which are carefully hidden from the tourists’ eyes. I can only conclude that Roy Roberts met the wealthy minority who constitute 10 per cent of the population.—Yours etc., WENDY KISSEL.

September 3, 1980. . [Mr Arthur Eaton replies: “If a man prefers that the marriage takes place in New Zealand,..a-bond (return.fare) must be lodged with the Immigration Department to safeguard the woman’s interest, if it be found that they are not compatible. This is only an alternative method of immigration. When the marriage takes place in the Philippines: and all her papers are in order she can proceed to New Zealand holding a document that entitles her to be a permanent resident. Generally speaking they are very attractive, caring, and home loving.: To give an opinion on a large population one must generalise. They are a very'closely knit society thus bringing about common attitudes (friendliness, pride, respect) etc. Indeed there are some with different personalities.”] ■