Literally though. This. I've been kind of like. Wow. I nresponse. to some of the responses that I've see nto the article that have basically been like "KILL HIM" like. ugh there's too many layers.
i kr and no one bothers to listen to the filipinos who are trying to explain the cultural contexts, while weirdly enough also asking us to explain it? Like we just did, comprehend it for once. They ask us why didn’t the author stand up against his family even if hew knew it was wrong? We explain it’s because of filial piety, and then they call us slave apologists for it.
We were just trying to explain, educate. You want an explanation? Well you have it. Maybe it’s not the rose tinted glasses you expected to have, but that’s our explanation.
At the end of the day, whatever they do, whatever think pieces they write, whatever insult they throw at us, they can do nothing to change the system that exploited Lola Eudocia in the first place. Only Filipinos in the Philippines can do that because they can influence the government (even if it’s on fire), they’re the ones who can directly fight to give kasambahays more labour rights, increase their minimum wage and what not.
So for once, listen to them.
EDIT: Oh and before anyone says anything, being a kasambahay is a source of income for these people. Not every kasambahay in the Philippines experienced the same kind of abuses as Lola Eudocia faced, but it’s a lie to say that kasambahays are treated fairly.
At the end of it all, Lola Eudocia was a slave but it’s the broken system of kasambahay that led for this to happen.
