Project Title : Flipping the Filipino Identity

Team members :

Chan Yi Zhen U1430363C

Gabriel Khoo Wei Jie U1430148K

Chia Sze Ming Amanda U1331048D

Heidi Binte Mohamed Jamal U1431111G

Boh Xuan Qi U1430295L

Abstract :

Lucky plaza – a place bustling with raucous activity and cheap deals. It is also a popular hangout for Filipino domestic workers to seek relief from the domestic ‘cages’ of their employers’ home. “Flipping the Filipino Identity” will focus on how Filipinos negotiate and attach meaning to their identity, within the spatial context of their particular chosen ethnic enclave, Lucky Plaza. Considering the differing perceptions of the Filipino identity amongst locals and Filipinos, we would like to uncover the common stereotypes ascribed to Filipinos and understand if such pre-conceived notions aptly represent Filipinos in general. Many Singaporeans may feel that it is a deliberate choice on the part of Filipinos to cloister within their own ethnic community, instead of making the conscious effort to interact and bond with Singaporeans. However, the apparent social reclusiveness of Filipinos may be attributed to the very fact that Filipinos face difficulty assimilating into the Singapore society, living merely as sojourners in a foreign land, as a result of Singaporeans’ xenophobic attitudes towards migrants. Thus, we aim to find out why Filipinos choose to congregate and intermingle primarily within their own socio-ethnic and cultural space. Our interest in the topic stems mainly from the contradictory dialectic of requiring domestic aid in form of filipino maids, while concurrently having to juggle with the apparent disdain and xenophobic sentiments that the general Singaporean populace tend to express towards foreign migrants. Hence through the use of personal anecdotes and filmed interviews with  both locals and Filipinos, we hope to develop a better understanding of what constitutes the “True Filipino identity” particularly in the minds of Filipino domestic helpers in Singapore.

Timeline: