CI hosts largest Filipino community in Caribbean
(CNS): With more than 2677 work permit holders as well as a growing number of permanent residents and status holders, the Cayman Islands is home to the largest number of Filipinos in the Caribbean officials from the Washington-based Philippines Embassy revealed on their recent visit to the jurisdiction. Some 450 of Cayman’s Filipinos came out to meet First Secretary and Consul Arlene Tullid-Magno and Welfare Officer Saul De Vries when they were here last week on a trip facilitated by the deputy governor’s office. (Photo Lennon Christian)
It is estimated that around 8.5 million Filipinos live outside the Philippines across the world. In the United States there are about four million Filipino immigrants, making them the second-largest immigrant group in the United States after Mexican immigrants.
The Philippines is the fourth largest recipient of remittances in the world and the money sent back by Filipino overseas workers from around the globe now contributes well over US$20 billion annually to the local economy which has struggled to recover following the Marcos years.
It was during theinfamous Marcos reign that many Filipinos left their country for a better life as a result of the severe economic depression, lack of job opportunities and political oppression.
During their visit to the Cayman Islands, the delegation from Washington was accompanied by the local Philippines Honourary Consul Arturo Ursua. Although not formally appointed, he has been acting as a liaison officer for some time and was commended by Tullid-Magno “for doing a great job since 2008 – largely because of the Cayman government’s acceptance and support of his work.”
After making diplomatic calls on top government officials, the Filipino visitors conducted three days of meetings and official transactions with Filipino nationals, such as passport renewals, replacements and other services. Three other embassy staffers formed the delegation.
According to the latest immigration figures Filipinos are the second largest group of nationals on work permits in Cayman beaten only be Jamaicans with more than 8200 permits.
Tullid-Magno also spoke about the diplomatic problem which was settled earlier this year after a short deployment ban was imposed on Filipino workers for the Cayman Islands. The ban has been suspended, and the official said the action was initiated by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency.
“There was never an issue of the Cayman Islands not being in compliance,” the diplomat noted.
Meanwhile, although liaisons with Cayman fall under the auspices of the Philippines Embassy in London, issues in the Americas are usually managed by the Washington Embassy. With the closure of its Venezuela embassy in July and the Havana office later this month, the Philippines Embassy in Washington is taking on the role for the entire region.
The Philippine officials are working alongside the Cayman government to establish an officially sanctioned local presence. Once established in Cayman, an Honorary Consul would process applications for e-passports that are issued in Manila, serve as a civil registry of births, marriages and deaths, authenticate documents, and assist nationals who are ill or imprisoned.
Government officials said another reason for the visit from the embassy representative was to register Filipino nationals for next year’s general elections in the Philippines, in which they can participate via absentee ballots. The officials also administered oaths to those Filipinos here in Cayman that have acquired local status to recover their Filipino nationality as they are allowed under the country’s laws to hold dual citizenship.
Category: Local News
I'm thinking Jerry Springer after reading all these comments!!
Stop hiring the Filipinos Caymanians and start hiring your own. The Caymanian men also needs to stop importing the Hondurans, the Dominican Republicans and start working on their own established Caymanian Families. Caymanians please help yourselves, by Caymanizing the workforces, especially in the lower levels. We still need some sort of foreign employments, but the educated ones. Have any of you took a look at the babies that are entering our school systems, these children cannot read nor write and its because the mothers cannot do so either. If you want to marry, marry an educated one, please Caymanian men be smart.
While you'Re at it, you also need to tell the overweight, unpleasant, obese, multiple-baby-having and or rejected Caymanian women to stop marrying every fresh-off-the-Jamaican-or-Honduran-boat piece of scruff that tells their desperate behinds "hello"!
Never have I seen such a widespread legitimisation of an influx of an undesirable and criminal element into this forsaken country!
By the way – the blood of both those coutries flow through my veins – but too many of the worst kind are joining our community through this marital loophole.
Yeah!!!
Wait…what?!
I admire the Filipinos. They are loyal, hardworking and very friendly and loving people. If you ever have the chance to visit their homes, within a short time they will offer you both food and something to drink. I am glad that some of them have chosen to come to Cayman to work. They have certainly made this country a better place.
For those of you who run them down and say that they are taking Caymanian jobs, I say to you, stop being so racist, hateful and ignorant. Your memoriesare very short, but I'd like to remind you that our fathers and forefathers prior to the 70s did likewise. They went to Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, the USA, Jamaica; wherever there was work to be had and they sent money home so that we could live. You may not know about it, but I do. My father went to sea, employed by an American who owned a shipping company. Some like Mr. Linton Tibbetts were able to make a fortune in their adopted homeland. Everyone contributes to the society in which they live, so before you continue down your dangerous path of hatred and selfishness, remember that your forefathers went abroad to help provide for your family. They too took someone else's job, so to speak, so that you could buy food.
One point conveniently glossed over by Caymanians when bemoaning the number of expats on this island, is that it is CAYMANIANS born and bred who are importing this labour and hiring them in preference over their own people. Caymanians are the business owners and employers on this island, not expats. So when your own people prefer to hire expats, what does that tell you???
The truth is that it is the Caymanians fault because they hire the Philipinos because they know they will work for little or nothing for longer hours. It used to be the Jamaicans, then the Hondurians, etc. A new nationality will soon come along and we'll play the same song again as long as the Caymanians will employ them.
Interesting contrast. The Filipino Government cares enough to care for and look after their people where ever they are in the world. While or Cayman Government only cares about its Developers and travels the world looking for new ones.
Way to go Cayman! Import all the poor ass people in the world pay them little to nothing and put Camanians out of work! Please don't give me the the crap about Caymanians are lazy or don't want to work! Go back to the seventies when 90% of the work force were Caymanians, a time when we were so prosperous we were able to maintain a surplus in our annual budget after paying our bills. All because we used "A PROCESS" now seemingly unknown to those who run our country. That process is called "accountability" which has been replaced by a thing called "SUBSTANCE". Meaning I'm going to do it my way no matter what!
Don't get me wrong ! We welcome all foreign workers, but not at the expense of our local work force. And I'm speaking as one who admires the work ethic of these fine people who due to economic conditions in their homeland are forced to come here to make a living. But please contribute to our economy by spending some of what you earn, don't send it all back to your countries. And don't destroy what little of the shoreline fishing we have left by keeping every little baby fish that takes the bait.
BE THANKFUL AND APPRECIATIVE!
I, like many of my friends, are only here BECAUSE we can save every dollar we can to take back home with us. We need to be paid a high salary precisely so we can save enough to make having to live in Cayman worthwhile and to compensate us for living in Cayman. I am not taking a job away from a Caymanian and instead by being here, doing business and spending what I have to spend, I am helping the economy. YOU should be thankful and appreciative to us for the sacrifices we have to make by living here and the contributions we make to a nation where locals have no desire to pay tax like real countries. I am appreciative for my income, and I am thankful that I have somewhere else to look forward to living in the future.
Oh-oh, here comes Ginger Chicken again, trying to claim Pit Bull's crown as the UK born grouch of CNS and scourge of Cayman and Caymanians. As a matter of fact, the style of writing is very similar…………………….though I think Chicken's is more wicious and wenomous so it may be Pit Bull on steroids.
I am a wery wery wicious chicken.
I suspect, Chicken, if you were able to summon up from your depths the sense of humour and lightness of touch this post at 15:16 displays, you might find life, even in Cayman, rather less disagreeable than your other posts would suggest you do. But I could, of course, be wrong.
When you're used to earning nothing CI$3.00 is a lot of money! I can see why you think it's a high salary!
Wow these guys got a ton of work done on their visit!
Personally, I am a little upset I was not invited to any of the official events. I would have loved to have seen the band they flew in from Manilla for the welcome do.
8.5 billion – 10 per cent of the country’s population.I think they need to start practicing some birth control.
You need to practise better mathematics.
All you dumb XXXX giving the guy hell because of a type-o. By the way 20:56 one does not "PRACTISE" mathematics, But one can "PRACTICE" spelling.
"Practise" is the verb, "Practice" is the noun. So if you were in business as advertising yourself as a dumb XXXX you would have a succesful practice. However when it comes to identifying the finer issues of the English language you need more practise.
Dear 7:39, You screwed up again. Both words are correct and both words represent "NOUN and VERB". PRACTISE is the English word and PRACTICE is the American version. One must know their maths not practise [practice] There's only one answer to 2+2 that's 4. Don't try to fool me now by adding negative numbers. One can practise law or medicine, but one does not practise mathematics . Reason Why? Neither of the formerare sciences, whereas "MATH IS" and ONE DOES NOT PRACTICE SCIENCE!
English has both "practice" and "practise" and they are different words with different functions. American English dropped "practise". So you are wrong. Next time you think you know something check it with someone else first.
As to the specific usage in this thread, you need to learn about the concept of rhetoric. The reason the original poster referred to "practise better mathematics" was for rhetorical effect in response to a post which referred to "practicing [sic] better birth control". Obviously the subleties of effective rhetoric are beyond you, given your "Mr Angry" posts on this thread. I bet you tailgate too don't you?
Thank you Professor 02:52! Just so you'll know "RHETORIC" is also an "ART".
Proving you are stupid and racist in just 19 words is both impressive and efficient.
8.5 BILLION??? Where did you get this number?? There are just over 7 Billion people on the entire PLANET..
I believe that CNS initially made the typo, but then quickly corrected it.
Er.. million.
huh?
Same thing could be said of Caymanians.
Quite to the contrary, we need to up our birth rate, just to the right sort of parents.
Not even the global population has reached 8 billion. What are you talking about?
check your math, how can you be employed if you don't know even simple counting.
Seems like we need a delegation for Caymanians
It can offer specialist counselling on expressing melodramatic self-pity.
Iguana fried rice, Iguana chop suey, Iguana wonton soup. Eat up fellows.
Yes, I don't know is wrong with these damn colonials and their melodramatic self pity. First the Chagossians and now the Caymanians. Why can't they accept that it is their lot in life to be abused without complaint and that it is our right to trample on them.
So sour…
Cayman has sure came a long way, I just hope that the they will always remember the words of the the late Mr. Ashford Panton and men of that era. Talk to the elders of Cayman and see what make us great. Pandora's box is now open and there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. Good luck Cayman and congratulations to the Filipino community.