南洋台灣姊妹會社工 鄭詩穎
Alice是一個運氣不好的菲律賓勞工。
為了生活，Alice和其他許多菲律賓勞工一樣，離開溫暖的家庭、兩個可愛的孩子，來到台灣工作。雖然一個人在異鄉很孤單，但是為了孩子的教育與未來，她咬緊牙關、努力賺錢，忍耐再忍耐。
Alice在2000年時來到台灣，本來在台北市大直照顧阿公，但是阿公在2002年時因病過世。台灣的外勞政策雖然允許照顧對象死亡的外籍勞工轉換工作，但是許多透過此途徑轉換工作的外勞都被安排到非常不適任的工作場域，大多數最終仍難逃被遣返的命運。Alice想到來台灣時積欠的大筆仲介費用、想到敖敖待哺的孩子，害怕會被遣返的她「逃走」了，在外面租房子，廣接打掃工作，將一筆筆辛苦賺取的新台幣換成美金，寄回菲律賓，以支持兩個孩子的生活與教育經費。而Alice的丈夫在她來台灣沒多久後就失蹤了，靠著娘家的支援，Alice孩子慢慢長大，穩定接受教育，終於到了國中與高中的年齡，成為Alice最大的安慰。
今年初，Alice被專勤隊查獲，進入外國人收容所。要回菲律賓，Alice必須籌出機票錢、MECO(菲律賓駐台辦事處)簽發的旅行文件費用、以及逾期居留的罰款。然而Alice將所有的錢都寄回菲律賓，身上根本沒有多少現金。我們接觸Alice的每次經驗，她都處在十分低落的情緒中，常常泣不成聲。被收容之後，Alice與家裡連繫，得知在菲律賓兩個可愛的孩子感染了當地嚴重的傳染病，擔心孩子的Alice雖然歸心似箭，但是被關在收容所的她卻一愁莫展、無能為力。Alice努力找朋友借錢，現在還缺台幣一萬五千元。一萬五千元，對許多人來說不是大數目，但是對在收容所、無法工作籌錢的Alice而言卻是天文數字。
如果您願意幫幫這個歸心似箭的母親，讓她能回到心愛的小孩身邊，請聯絡「南洋台灣姊妹會」北部辦公室，「南洋台灣姊妹會」(http://tasat.blogspot.com/)是一個長期服務東南亞移民/工的團體，Alice是我們服務的個案之一。
「南洋台灣姊妹會」北部辦公室連絡資訊： 電話：02-29210565 電郵：tasat.taipei@gmail.com 聯絡人：鄭詩穎 社工
A call for help-Help A Desperate Mother Reunite with Her Children
Written by: Shih-Ying Cheng (Social worker at TASAT) Translated by: Tasha Chang (Volunteer at TASAT)
Alice is a Filipino migrant worker in Taiwan, who seems to be deserted by luck when she most needs it.
For a better living for her family, Alice, like many other Filipino workers, who left everything behind, her loving family, two children, she chose to work in Taiwan. Life in a foreign land is, oftentimes, difficult, lonely and sometimes unbearable. With the future of her children in mind, Alice managed to overcome the difficulties she had faced and worked harder than ever, just so her children could receive a better education.
She came to Taiwan in 2000. At first, she worked in Da-Zhi, Taipei City as an attendant, taking care of Ah-Gong (a term in Taiwanese which refers to grandpa) for a Taiwanese family. Unfortunately, Ah-Gong passed away because of illness in 2002. Although the foreign labor policy in Taiwan does allow foreign laborers to change jobs after the pass-away of the patients they take care of. Nonetheless, most foreign laborers who did change jobs were placed in unsuitable workplaces that they ended up to be repatriated back to their home country. The thought of being repatriated like others haunted Alice. Because she had not yet paid back the money she borrowed for getting a job opportunity in Taiwan (which often requires a huge amount of commission), her children still relied on her for the monthly wages she sent home. So she ran away. She rent a room. She tried to get as many housekeeping jobs as possible, so that she could still support her children to go to school and have a better life with every penny she sent back home. Alice’s husband disappeared not long after she came to Taiwan; therefore, her children were raised by her original family. The two children of Alice’s, one in middle school age and another in high school age, were able to receive education, which among all, is the greatest comfort for Alice.
At the beginning of this year, Alice was caught by Specialized Operation Brigade under the National Immigration Agency and was placed in detention center since then. To be able to go back to the Philippines, Alice has to manage to raise money for plane tickets, the licensing fee for travel documents issued by MECO (Manila Economic and Cultural Office/Philippine Representative Office in Taiwan,) as well as the fine for overstaying in Taiwan. Alice is unable to afford all that money because she sent all her money back home and doesn’t have much money left with her. Every time we visit Alice, she seems to be in despair and often weeps in disappointment. After her detention, she knew from home that her two children in Philippines were affected with infectious diseases and are in serious conditions. She wants so much to go back home to reunite with her children, but now, she is caught in the detention center left with no choice. Alice has tried to borrow money from friends but is still short of NT.15, 000. This may not be a handsome sum of money for many, but for Alice, who is now being detained and not able to work, to be reunited with her family is something way beyond her reach.
If you’re willing to lend a helping hand to Alice, so that she can soon be back with her children, please contact TASAT (TransAsia Sisters Association, Taiwan), North Taiwan Office at (http://tasat.blogspot.com/). TASAT is an NGO which devotes itself to serving Southeast Asian immigrants and migrant workers in Taiwan. Alice’s case is one of the many cases that TASAT provides services to.
Find TASAT at: Tel:+886-(0)2-2921-0565 Mail: tasat.taipei@gmail.com Contact: Ms. Shih-ying Cheng (Social worker at TASAT)