Weeks ago, we reported that the real Auntie Terry, the Pinay OFW who inspired the story of ILO ILO had a reunion with the director of the movie Anthony Chen. Finding Auntie Terry was a story which brought about a flood of media attention and excitement, especially from Iloilo.
The Facebook page of the movie has provided the (translations of the) report of the Singaporean newspaper which had covered the event, which.was a very low-key event with no other media, as requested by Anthony and his family. [hit the jump to read the report]
Singaporean director Anthony Chen's ILO ILO, which won the Caméra d'Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is inspired by the domestic helper from his childhood whom he and his two younger brothers called Auntie Terry. After the film won the Caméra d'Or, Ilonggas (Iloilo locals) began a search for the real Auntie Terry, and it did not take long for them to find her. After 16 years of separation, Anthony and his youngest brother Christopher recently visited the village of San Miguel in Iloilo Province to be reunited with her.
Sometimes, even after years of separation, there are those who are destined to meet again. On Sunday 23rd July, in a small hut in the village of San Miguel in Iloilo Province, Anthony and Christopher were reunited with the real Auntie Terry after a 16-year separation. Words were unnecessary as they embraced. It was an emotional moment for all who were present.
The woman whom the Chen boys called “Auntie Terry” is Teresita D. Sajonia. She’s only 56, but looks a lot older. Her clothes are ragged, her hair greying and her face is full wrinkles. What happened to her in the last 16 years? Why was she living in poverty, in a run-down hut filled with the foul odour of animal excrement? Why was she afraid to talk, when she used to speak fluent English? Anthony was looking for answers to those questions when Auntie Terry was found, because the Auntie Terry from his memory was a cultured, young, and beautiful lady who loved to dress up and listen to cassette tapes of “Evita” and “Miss Saigon”.
What happened to Auntie Terry may very well be a very common example of domestic helpers from the Philippines or Indonesia – They work hard to send their money home, and neglect to look after their own future. Teresita’s older brother has a house nearby, with electricity and television, but her own house is probably the most dilapidated in the village. One might as well call it a chicken shack.
Her house is roughly the size of a regular HDB room, but built with wooden planks and bamboo, with no proper walls. There is no door; the floor is muddy, and the gaps between the bamboo are filled with spider webs. The kitchen shares the same space as the living room, and there stands only a wooden table and a bench. There is no fridge, cabinet or gas. Her bedroom is raised on a small platform above the floor, and the bed is also built with wood and bamboo. There is no mattress, only a ragged pillow, some blankets and a mosquito net. The space between the house and the floor is used to raise chickens, which explains the foul odour permeating the house.
The entire house is lit with only a small light bulb. The TV has been broken for three years but she cannot afford a new one, and an old radio is the only electronic appliance in the house. The “toilet” is a short distance away, which she must walk through unsheltered, muddy ground to reach. There is no modern flushing system or electricity. The drinking water she consumes every day is not filtered pipe water, but well water from the ground.
16 years ago, at age 40, Teresita decided to return home due to health issues. Initially she stayed with her sister in the city. But the house became to crowded and Teresita decided to return to the village. During the ten years she worked in Singapore, she sent home majority of her salary, and only had 80,000 pesos (roughly SGD2300) set aside for herself. After building a cabin and buying some livestock, she has little money left. She wakes up at six in the morning every day to work. But as she has little food to eat and her rice bucket is often empty, she has no extra money to use to take care of her crops. “Sometimes I only have two meals a day, only bread,” she says.
She takes her chickens to the market to sell, but she’s really bartering her chickens for fish and this is the only way she gets to eat fish. She has no refrigerator so fish cannot be stored for too long. She refers to two old rattan baskets hanging on the ceiling as her fridge. The old rattan baskets are actually used to store the only food she has, otherwise the chickens and ducks will eat them. The land she lives on was left to her by her parents, but the land given to her elder brother is much better. But she says she has never regretted helping her family with the money she earned by being a maid.
Living in such conditions, instead of making a life in the city reflects Teresita’s helplessness and lack of confidence. She had stopped speaking English for a long time, and thus was very shy and reluctant to speak to visitors in English. She tells us she is in poor health, and she’s not sure what she can do in the city. She planned to be a nurse-midwife before she went to Singapore, but did not end up taking the exam. Even after she returned home, she could not fulfill her dream as the nephews whose studies she sponsored offered her no financial help. Living in poverty, she has not seen a doctor in 16 years, and turned to traditional herbal treatments whenever she fell sick. On this trip, the Chen brothers gave her some money, as well as vitamin supplements, to help with her health, if only for a small part.
Teresita and her partner Mr. Jhunie have suffered from myopia and long-sightedness for many years, but they couldn't afford glasses. When the Chens brought them to The SM Store – the biggest shopping centre in Iloilo city – she wished for a pair of glasses. That was also the first time they have visited the shopping centre. Other than glasses, the Chens also bought them some clothes, t-shirts, jeans and shoes. When introducing her partner Mr. Jhunie, Teresita told us he was her neighbour and she got to know him after she returned from Singapore. Mr. Jhunie's wife left him a long time ago, but he could never afford the expenses of getting a divorce.
Teresita did not start working for the Chens through an agency. She was working for a family nearby for two years. When her working permit in Singapore was about to expire, she heard that the Chens were looking for a domestic helper to take care of the three boys (Anthony’s mother had just delivered the youngest son but planned to return to work after a month.) Accompanied by a friend, Teresita knocked on the door of the Chens for an interview. After hearing the favourable comments from their neighbours, the Chens hired her. "It was really fate that brought her to our family," says Anthony.
After working for the Chens for eight years, Teresita returned to Iloilo, and the Chens did not hire a domestic helper after. After she returned to her village, Teresita missed the three boys very much. She didn't marry and had no children. Up till today, she still carries photos of the three boys with her, as if they were her own children. She wrote to the Chen family once, but unfortunately the family moved to a different address and they lost contact.
Anthony is the eldest in the family. The second, Justin, could not take time from work for the visit. The youngest, Christopher, was closest with Teresita. "We were sharing a bunk bed, and every night she would pat me on my back to sleep,” he recalls.
Christopher recently graduated from the University of British Columbia and will be returning to Vancouver for work in August. When he knew that Aunty Terry was found, he insisted to go with Anthony to visit her. He is very concerned about her living conditions after the visit. When she gets older, it will be even harder. "There are many domestic helpers working in Singapore. We thought when they return home, they'll be able to afford a big house, or run a small business. But the truth is not always the case," says Anthony.
Mr. Charles L. Lim, head of Selrahco Management, was inspired to find the real Auntie Terry after hearing about ILO ILO. With his help, including getting sponsorship from an airline company, both Aunty Terry and Mr. Jhunie will be attending the Singapore premiere of ILO ILO. This will be the first time she is visiting a foreign country after 16 years, and to watch a movie in a cinema.
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