MODULE VII: The Flor Contemplacion Story

This film was very difficult to watch. Having known about her story in a previous course, I was saddened and upset knowing this film was based on a true story. I’ve watching many films, but this was one I really didn’t want to face. It was a reality that the story that was going be told about this women was true and I couldn’t watch knowing that this film with portray how she was led to her death. As the film began, I looked down at my paper and blurred the film. But as I thought to myself in that eight minutes I had my head down, I realized that this story needed to be told and as a Filipina student, I needed to understand this story because it was very important. Having come from immigrant parents of the Philippines, knowing that I have relatives there who go abroad for school or work, I had to watch this film. This wasn’t something I could ignore, because the truth is, it happens—every day, a Filipina dies or is killed abroad and not much is being done.

As I’ve learned in my ethnic studies course, millions of Filipinos are sent abroad to help the Philippine economic. Majority of the country’s income comes from labor exploitation, and it’s a necessary cause. In order for the government to help pay for its citizens, the women usually, would have to sacrifice their lives and work abroad. And that’s the sad thing, with that sacrifice comes leaving your family and sometimes even death. Although the Philippine government tries to protect their people who go abroad, not much is being done to protect them from getting killed or dying. It’s a “take your chances” kind of idea and it’s not fair. Filipino women are hardworking people, and they are being exploited for labor in rich countries instead of being able to work for their own country. Knowing this is sad, and that is why I had trouble watching this film.

Flor Contemplacion’s story is a tragedy, one that is hard to forget now that I’ve already heard about her story. Like most Filipino women who go abroad and Filipino women in general, she was innocent, caring, patient, and hardworking. She left her family of four children and husband, to make a better living for herself and for her family. But in the process, many unsuspecting events occurred. While she was abroad, missing her family, her husband takes on a mistress. The mistress, knowing that the man she was with was married, she continued to have an affair with him. At the same time, you have the wife, who is more or less a slave, working hard for a living. Already this pissed me off because I don’t understand how a man can cheat on his wife, knowing that she’s away for months trying to make a better life for them. I couldn’t stand to watch Flor get hurt, knowing later at the end of the film, she will eventually die. But even knowing that, when Flor finally returned to the Philippines, I was relieved knowing that she handled herself well. Even though she did slap her husband a few times and yelled at his mistress, she took the news with her head up and instead turned it into a threat, which I thought she handled well. Of course, I was on her side all the way. I hate husband snatchers!

Aside from this portion of the film, I was more disgusted with the people in the Philippine and Singapore government. It didn’t seem like the Philippine government did everything they could to save Flor from being accused of murder. Instead, sending that one lawyer who told her to just “admit” that she committed the crime so she could get a five year sentence really pissed me off. To actually have this lawyer come in and tell Flor to admit something she obviously didn’t do was stupid—and to think that the Philippine government tried to help the situation.

Honestly, it’s very difficult to talk about this film because I didn’t like it. Each time the film showed Flor and her children, it brought me to tears. That separation of a mother and her children really hurt me and I couldn’t deal with it. Instead of facing the truth, I again looked down at my paper. The worst part of the film, was towards the ending, the last time Flor and her children seen and spoke to each other. I felt for the children, because I thought about my own mother and how it would feel being in their situation. I was devastated. Even though it was upsetting and very devastating, I’m really glad that I got to watch her story in this film class. Her story is a very important one to be told. For future film classes, I think this is an important issue that needs to be addressed and made known for students be aware of. However, I wouldn’t watch it again. Her story impacted me by the end of the film because my half-sister in the Philippines works abroad and even if she’s not a domestic helper, the fact that she is in a land not the Philippines, anything could happen to her. Working away from home is difficult and being alone is even harder to deal with abroad.

R.M. Aurellano