Yayahood 101

*This is a piece I wrote for an essay-writing contest with a theme "My Icon, My Hero". Of course I did not win, but I think this is still worth sharing -- especially because it's yaya's birthday today. :)

Beef stick. Gordon blues. Pancit cantoon. I scratched my head for a moment and laughed to myself. Yaya’s grocery list never gets old. I scurried around the supermarket to look for beef steak, cordon bleu, and canton noodles. I came home proud with bagsful of groceries only to hear Yaya point out all the mistakes I had made again – wrong brands, wrong sizes, wrong colors (green Ligo sardines, not red!). I fought the urge to say, “Whatever, yahyah! Your list was full of mistakes too yahyah!” Of course I opted to stay silent to save the list for my future entertainment.

From a humble barrio in Catanduanes to our doorstep came this proud Bicolana with curly hair and a signature mole on her chin. Yaya Baby has been with our family for 22 years now. That’s how old I am too. She was our nanny when my sisters and I were little kids, and as we grew older she became our beloved cook and house keeper. Though she has lived with us for so long, we don’t really know exactly how old she is for she just giggles at us whenever we ask. She never got to marry and raise her own family (there’s still a chance though, having those textmates here and there), because she has devoted most of her life in service to our family. Yaya is, without a doubt, the unsung hero of our home.

Our memories as children are never complete without side stories about the yaya who helped raise us. My personal favorite is how despite being a skinny girl now, I was once a chubby child because my yaya was fat. And it’s true. Yaya used to force all the food into my mouth while constantly accusing me of “parking” (i.e. sucking all the juice out of the food for 15 minutes before swallowing). She would not let me play sungka with my best friend until I was done with my long and tortuous process of grinding food – so she played with my best friend instead. She was the classic Filipino nanny: she put sili on my pacifier so that I would stop using it at five years old, threatened me that an aswang would come in from my window and kidnap me if I didn’t sleep in the afternoon, warned me that Papa Jesus would be angry whenever I did something wrong. Indeed, classic evil fat yaya she was in the eyes of a child, but an effective one at that. My parents loved her.

We carried on with our childhood and Yaya was like an extra parent, but one who was obliged to perform the nitty-gritties of our little bratty requests. When our dad bought us this tri-cycled bike, Yaya had to pedal it up our steep street as I sat on the side car, instructing her to pedal faster. While my mom helped me with my cross-stitch project in Grade 4, Yaya also had to sew me a perfect set of Chinese jackstones to play with during recess time. Yaya also took on the very stressful task of dragging us from bed every morning for school, for which she deserves a best actress award in the “pretend-in-panic-that-it’s-already-late” tactic. Indeed, she had her own distinct role in my life when I was young. She could never replace my parents, but my parents could never replace her either.

As we grew up and graduated from the nanny stage, Yaya assumed the new responsibilities of cooking and cleaning in the household. Her exceptional work ethic and loyalty to my parents did not waver. My mom trained her equally well and taught her how to pray. Being sociable and unreserved, Yaya started to become popular around the neighborhood, known as Ate Babes to security guards, tinderas, drivers and other household helpers. Sooner or later she became the most in-demand ninang for their children. Then from being ninang ng bayan she also earned the title of “utangan ng bayan”, as she never refused to lend the little of what money she has to people ranging from village maintenance workers to my very own grandmother. Yaya also sought out other new fulfilling activities such as leading the household helpers’ choir for our church. Such deeds outside her regular duties make her shine and be valued by many in our community.

Yaya’s bloopers and idiosyncrasies are as priceless as her hard work. Lots of times would one of my sisters or I catch her off-guard, dancing alone in front of the mirror to Boom-tarat-tarat, snapping her fingers and clucking her tongue at the same time. She’s also the ultimate clutter-keeper, saving all of our junk such as paperbags, boxes and old thingamajigs, resurrecting our old stuff that we desperately try to get rid of (I would throw away used-up pens only to find them on my desk again the next day). She loves to narrate stories verbatim, repeating what this or that person said even though she doesn’t really have a point – so my sisters and I would crack up and she would always think it was because her story was funny. She also has this super-advanced body clock (grown out of habit in trying to wake us up in the morning) – so when she says it’s 11am already, that means it’s only 10am.

Today, after 22 years, Yaya is no longer as strong and as sharp as she used to be, but she is still yaya in every sense of the word: full of character, caring, nagging, pakialamera, chismosa, “ma-beauty” as she always likes to say, a good entertainer of guests and friend of our suitors. She still secretly cooks pancit cantoon for us for merienda even though my mom disapproves of the MSG. More importantly, she has evolved to become a GURU of household helpers. She may not be the most educated or intelligent woman, but trust me when I say that she has already earned a Ph.D. in nannyhood. Really, people like Yaya epitomize the raw essence of what it means to serve. She is a rare find and a blessing to our home. And while she has made all the classic horrifying mistakes one can possibly think of (name it, she made it!) – like burning a hole through an expensive dress while ironing it, throwing away my homework accidentally, pleading guilty in perhaps 50% of all broken glasses, and even reading my sister’s diary while cleaning her room – my heart overflows with love and gratitude for Yaya and the selflessness she has shown to my family all these years.

More often than not we talk about our parents or friends being heroes of our personal lives, and we seldom recognize other heroes in the background who work just as hard in building us a safe and loving home – like our household helpers. True enough, the Filipino yaya has been the object of humor in local movies and sitcoms, for they bring color to our life stories with their English accents and silly antics. Without us being aware of it, they have become true icons of Philippine culture. We also acknowledge the diligence and sacrifice of our OFWs, who make known the quality of alagang Pinoy to the world. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to honor and applaud all the hardworking household helpers out there – those who guard the house while the family is out for vacation, hold the cameras to take the family pictures, clean up the mess after a big party, and above all, who were there to help raise our children. Obviously, Angelina could not have risen to fame without her yaya. So thank you, Yaya, and all household helpers here and abroad. You are the hidden heroes of Filipino society.

I hereby declare that...

2010 is going to be L-E-G-E-N-D-A-R-Y!

Thoughts on Obama's Health Care Plan

*Note: This commentary explores some aspects discussed by Obama in his speech during the joint session in Congress last September, which I wrote for my Math260 class. I do not claim full knowledge on the issue at hand.

Universal health care has remained that “great unfinished business” of American society. While the effort of President Barack Obama to finally own the challenge of reform is outstanding, U.S. citizens cannot help but feel overwhelmed with negativity and paranoia about change. The skepticism brought about by an economy fresh from a financial crisis glares in contrast with the idealism of the Democrats’ proposed health care plan. Three basic goals addressed in this bill are: security and stability for the insured, quality and affordable choices for the uninsured, and slower growth of health care costs for everyone. Opponents have slammed the proposal as being unrealistic and expensive, declaring that it will only impact the public the other way around. In this case, is it really worth going out on a limb to push for reform? Or will such an endeavor prove to be too costly that it is no longer worth its long-term gains?

The first issue in the speech that is of primary interest to me is the creation of an exchange where insurance companies can participate and compete with a public option. Obama mentioned that the purpose of this exchange is to offer better prices to those who do not yet have health insurance. I agree that the presence of competition can also reduce, if not prevent certain abuses by insurance companies, and it will also compel them to provide quality coverage to the insured. At the same time, insurance companies will also have to abide by new consumer protections – such as providing routine checkups for no extra charge, or placing caps to people’s out-of-pocket expenses. Now this will surely be good for consumers – but I think it puts too much pressure on insurance companies, especially those which are doing their jobs well in the first place. Such new restrictions will incur more costs, thereby generating higher premium rates – but with the public option in place, they will have no other choice but to forcibly lower their rates in order to compete. Otherwise, a government-sponsored health insurance will remain the most attractive option even to those who already have insurance. And so, while Obama does not intend to put insurance companies out of business, I’m inclined to believe that his new plan just might do exactly that.

The second matter that caught my attention is that the plan seeks to limit premium discrimination based on health risks or “pre-existing conditions” (even gender and age). First of all, I strongly favor the idea that insurance companies should not be allowed to deny anyone coverage, or drop it unexpectedly because of some pre-existing condition that they or the patient have not been initially aware of. I also find it ironic that those with health problems have greater difficulty obtaining coverage when they are the ones who need it the most. However, there are some conflicting issues associated with imposing “unbiased” premium rates. Higher health risks imply higher premium rates – that’s how insurance works; you pay more if you need more. Once the premium rates are no longer based on one’s well-being, overall rates will be higher relative to the healthier or younger ones, and they will end up paying more for those who are frequently sick. In other words, making insurance more affordable to those who have pre-existing conditions might make it unaffordable to those who don’t. In this perspective, it does not seem to be a good idea. But on the other hand, it is precisely that discrimination that gives people the incentive to conceal any pre-existing conditions in order for them to be able to acquire coverage. When that happens, either the insurer will eventually have to water down their coverage or else other people will still end up paying more for the costs. To prevent such cases, perhaps a community rating will be just as favorable. I personally wouldn’t mind paying a bit more if it means giving someone else with a serious illness the opportunity to afford health care.

There’s already a lot of tension between having to drive down premium rates through competition, and being required to cover pre-existing conditions at the same time. Indeed, insurance companies in the U.S. have the most to lose. But it also serves to remind them that their services to the public are more valuable than their profits are to them. And it is the obligation of the government to lay down its hand when the quality of health care is deteriorating because of greed (read: not applicable in the Philippines). Still, I can argue to some extent that Obama may perhaps be undermining the insurance companies too much. Let’s not forget that people abuse insurance companies too by committing fraud. I thereby echo Obama in emphasizing that real reform can only be achieved if everyone does his or her part, insurer and insured alike.

A third aspect I’d like to point out is that under the Democrats’ plan, there will be individual mandate to carry basic health insurance. This is to address the concern that those with insurance are being forced to pick up the tab for the ER expenses of the uninsured by paying higher premiums (or higher taxes) for it. The mandate can therefore level out premium rates by making everyone chip in for the costs of health care, which I believe is only fair. However, making it a requirement of the law though may be a little stringent or restrictive to the lower-income individuals, who may have other immediate priorities than health insurance. Well, Obama did say that individuals and small businesses who still can’t afford insurance will be given tax credits, or a hardship waiver for exemption from the requirement. I guess regulation and enforcement will be the most difficult undertaking with this proposal, but otherwise I don’t see anything wrong with it.

In the three main points I mentioned among many others, I can see that some aspects of the plan can make costs go up, while other aspects can make it go down. We have yet to see which one outweighs the other, and what macro effect it will have on American society. All in all, being the powerful speaker he is, Obama’s speech was rather convincing. He clearly addressed all the controversies and rumors hounding his plan. He did say that American taxpayers will not be subsidizing the public insurance option, in which case competition should be more reasonable. And he did say that the new plan will not add a single dime to their deficit. Of course, while things are easier said than done, clean implementation and enforcement will be the next bigger challenge. The weeding out of waste and inefficiency in Medicare to fund for the plan, while protecting the benefits of the elderly, is not an easy task. Nevertheless, it is admirable for Obama to boldly take up this cause instead of making the politically or financially safe move to stick to the status quo. He mentions that the issue of health care is no longer just a material concern, but a moral one. True, we are not always aware of how big a difference it makes to give other people the means to afford life when they are losing it. And finally, while Obama’s plan of making health insurance accessible to everyone is grounded on noble intentions, it is obviously not a win-win plan. In fact, there may never be a win-win plan. There will be gains, but there will always be costs, and the debate goes on. What’s left for the Americans to decide is whether to trust their President or not. If I were an American citizen though, I would be willing to give it a shot.