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Jeepney Press November - December 2022 / Isabelita Manalastas-Watanabe

from Jeepney Press #120 November - December 2022

by Jeepney Press

from Jeepney Press #120 November - December 2022, page 34

Article from: Jeepney Press #120 November - December 2022

Jeepney Press November - Dece...

Take it or Leave it!

ADVICE NI TITA LITS

Dear Tita Lits readers:

This year is very special for me. I received the best gifts ever, for my Nov. 8 birthday.

An advance birthday gift, for being given the chance to join the 2022 18th Summit of Filipina Women’s Network held in Lisbon, Portugal last Oct. 30 - Nov. 4, and a belated one, for being chosen 2022 University of the Philippines’ (UP) Outstanding Alumna for Banking and Corporate Social Responsibility, with dinner hosted by the UP President on Nov. 9, and the presentation of the award on Nov. 11 by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA).

The latter is the most valuable gift for me, as it tops all previous awards, citations, and recognitions I have received during the 69 years of my lifetime. I owe this to my Ima and Deng, to my first-year school adviser, now Medical Mission sister Carmelita Perez, to UP Sigma Alpha Sorority, which nominated me for the award, to you, my readers, and my co-OFWs, and most of all, to God who has never failed to guide me through my ups and downs, and who always holds my hand to help me stand up when I fall.

There were three (3) things I wanted to accomplish in Lisbon:

1. Do my Global Pitch on the Deployment of Nurses and Caregivers in Japan, to the USA and other English-speaking first-world countries like Canada and Australia;

2. Attend the book launching of “Being”, the 4th FWN leadership book where I am one of the authors (I was also an author in the first leadership book Disrupt, Filipina Women: Proud. Loud. Leading Without A doubt, and the title of my chapter was Japan: A Love-Hate Relationship).

3. Give moral support to my two (2) nominees for FWN Global 100 Most Influential Women in the World Award who made it to the awarding, Elena C. Tesoro, PhD., and Prof. Grace Gorospe Jamon, Ph.D. (Note: I was in the first batch of Global 100 Most Influential Filipina Women, awarded in San Francisco, USA. The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo was the one who nominated me for the award).

I am hoping that my Global Pitch will produce concrete results. The audience was composed of FWN’s Most Influential Filipina Women in the World awardees from more than 36 countries in various fields of endeavor – medical, immigration law, politics, etc. Surely, there is a big chance of finding the right partner to assist our nurses/trainees who enter Japan basically as “trainees” for 3 years and have to pass the language proficiency exam before the end of their 3-year visa, lest they be sent back home. I want to be able to offer them another chance at continued employment.

My chapter in the book Being is titled “Just Me, Lita’s Mother”. It is a tribute to the love of a mother for her daughter, her sacrifices for years, and her suffering quietly when her daughter is in pain. It is based on a letter I discovered in my Ima’s attic when she was already very sick. Unfortunately, she did not see the book come to print as she passed away last April 30, 2022. I also failed to thank her for her deep love for me, as evidenced by that hand-written letter, before she finally joined her creator. (Note: All the FWN leadership books, including “Being” can be ordered thru Amazon.com).

To Elena and Grace, I now pass on to you the responsibility to continue searching for a Filipina leader in every sector of the world economy, but most especially, from our province in Pampanga where there may be other Filipina leaders who remain undiscovered and unrecognized.

2022 University of the Philippines’ Outstanding Alumna in the field of Banking and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Dennis Sun/Jeepney Press was one of several who was requested by UP Sigma Alpha Sorority to write a recommendation letter to strengthen the sorority’s nomination of myself. Cesar Santoyo of SEELS academy was another one from Japan who wrote glowing praise for the work I have done during my at least 30 years of working with OFWs, particularly women, in Japan. Thank you, Tito Dennis and Ka Cesar. Others are the Editor of the FWN leadership books; a top businessman who is one of the 40 richest in the Philippines, and my former PNB Chairman.

When I first received a call from the UP Sigma Alpha Sorority that they want to nominate me, I initially refused. The sorority has a sterling record of three (3) consecutive years of bagging the award in various categories. I thought I am not worthy of their trust and confidence, and I might break the sorority’s record if I do not get chosen. I was told people will do their best to get some organization/institution to nominate them, and here I am, refusing the chance. And so I agree, and the rest is history.

I should not fail to mention here that my Dear Tita Lits advice column to our Japan OFWs (“femtoring”, as FWN calls it) was mentioned and highlighted among my services to our OFWs. Thank you very much mga ka-OFWs. Salamat din for paying my salary (indirectly) when I worked as head of PNB for Asia and the Pacific and also for Europe, Israel, and Africa based in Tokyo and Rome, respectively. I continue to thank you for your patronage of Speed Money Transfer Japan K.K. which, is now my employer.

Just continue dreaming; work very hard; do not give up; take any good opportunities to improve your education, your career; pray hard.

We can make it!

Love, Tita Lits