(Be)Longing: Coping Among Ageing Filipinas In Valencia, Spain
(Be)Longing: Coping Among Ageing Filipinas In Valencia, Spain

Author(s): Mari-An Santos, Alvarez Catis
Subject(s): Economy, Health and medicine and law, Migration Studies, Asylum, Refugees, Migration as Policy-fields
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Longing; Filipinas; Valencia; Spain; migrant; remittances; global pandemic;
Summary/Abstract: The Philippines is one of the largest migrant-sending countries in the world. Through their remittances, Filipino migrants sustain their families and the Philippine economy. Much literature has examined the phenomenon from perspectives of families left behind, but their emotional narratives are understudied. From narratives of ageing Filipinas (Filipino women) in Valencia, Spain who have lived there for more than 10 years, using the decolonised methodology of Sikolohiyang Pilipino or SP (Philippine Psychology), this research examines what drives their (be)longing. It is part of a larger study conducted from March to April 2019. The research reveals that the Filipino emotional culture of utang na loob drives coping in two ways: through faith in God within the context of the Catholic church and compassion built within Filipino communities over time. These are only some among a multitude of narratives of searching and finding a semblance of home... away from home. Considering what they contribute to the sending and receiving countries, these emotional narratives must be considered to address the psychosocial needs of migrants now and long after recovery from the global pandemic.

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