In a country with over a billion people, the 10,000-strong Filipino community in China might not seem like much. But Filipinos living and working in the world’s second largest economy are proving their contributions are much more than their numbers suggest.
President Benigno Aquino’s on-going state visit to China is putting the spotlight on the Filipino community. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are about 10,000 Filipinos working in various industries such as manufacturing, media, entertainment, hospitality, medical services, creative services, engineering and teaching in China.
“Many of the Filipinos’ success stories have carved important imprints in the Chinese people’s appreciation of the talents and industry of the Filipinos,” the DFA said in a statement.
Four Filipino English teachers were recognized as “outstanding foreign experts” by provincial governments in northeast China last year. The awards are given by the Chinese government in appreciation for foreigners’ contributions to China’s economic and social development.
Frederick Lomibao, who has taught in a private school in Liaoning Province’s Yingkou City for 6 years, was given the award in 2010. Ma. Socorro Rodriguez, Arnel Genzola and Lileth Mesias Reyes, who all teach English in higher education institutions, were also given the awards by the Jilin Provincial government in 2010.
Educators Roman and Mildred Go founded the Manila Xiamen International School (MXIS) in 1993, the first international school in the province of Fujian.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing said there are some 400 Filipinos working as English teachers in northeast China, and an estimated 2,000 in the whole of China.
Journalists ‘write’ China’s story
Jaime Florcruz, Chito Santaromana and Eric Baculinao have been working for international media agencies in China since the 1980s. In the 1970s, they spent their youth in the Chinese communes after they were banned from returning to Manila during Martial Law after a study tour of China
Florcruz, CNN Bureau Chief in Beijing, said: “We have the role of interface between China and the world. It is the role of understanding the perplexing maze of China. It’s knowing where China is coming from and why they do things the way they do. ”
Santaromana recently retired as bureau chief of ABC News, while Baculinao heads the NBC bureau in Beijing.
There are other Filipino journalists employed in English language media companies such as Reuters, China Daily, CCTV-9, Global Times and China Radio International.
Pinoys in the corporate world
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