For decades, Philippines' top export commodity is "Maid in the Philippines" with millions of women from my country hired abroad as domestic workers. Now, my heart bleeds as these Filipinas are now known as "Mules in the Philippines". It saddens me that with the global recession and opportunities failing to be materialized here at home, a lot of my kind have resorted to something far more dangerous than being domestic workers to smuggling drugs.
Over the years, Philippines witnessed a dramatic increase in the numbers of our men and women... especially our poor women being used as drug mules. According to top officials in the country, there appears to be a specific targeting of our Filipina women by international drug syndicates often taking advantage of those who are in desperate situations to go back home to their families. Poverty... the need to pay back their debts, to buy clothes, medicine, food, provide schooling for their children drives these women to deep danger.
I believe that the only answer is awareness. If our women were informed and helped in the first place, if there was more equality then the problem would be much smaller. The Philippine Government should launch a massive awareness to fight this social illness that hounds our people and our country. With the help of our Philippines embassies offshore, the drug law enforcement agencies, the bloggers, the media and civil society groups, we can make this stop. Poor awareness pushes Filipinas to do these dangerous risks.
Awareness is the only way I can think of. I can't imagine how we will be able to directly stop having our women used as drug mules because then, we need to stop the demand and supply of the drugs. This brings me to ask... would the Aquino government help? These international drug dealers are ruthless, fearless and very rich..they corrupt the governments, police and other law enforcement agencies. And so it is a sad plight for drug mules when caught. A drug mule is a drug mule...whichever gender for it results to same sentences for drug smuggling... same offense... same punishment offshore.
Drug trafficking will always be there but if we help educate or making our women aware about taking these risks, it can be stopped. These Filipina women are respected and loved in our country... I cannot imagine how they and their families endure this sad and horrifying experience of languishing jail time and severe punishments like death in foreign prisons. I can't imagine how their own children feels about these...
I don't believe that these women, who are already being exploited, should be jailed or punished in any way but... there are laws. However, I feel we should treat these women with a lot more compassion. Let's help bring back our women to their own rightly pedestals... these care-giving queens are no drug mules... let's help bring them home to our land and to their children... safe and happy.
Photos by: Jonel M. Candelaria (Big thanks for providing them specifically for my blog!)