Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Testimony of a young Filipino woman: “I earned too little in my country. It was difficult to leave my family, my little girl and my husband, but I decide to come here to give her a better future. To my little girl. The worst part was when I left my country. First of all to find the necessary money. My parents and my husband borrowed money to help me. The sum demanded by the 'Agency' in those times was enormous compared with today: they wanted and we gave them 15,000 euro. I left the Philippines on a very large ship. I was with two other girls closed in a container. We had no food, the air was unbreathable the heat was stifling. We arrived in a port in northern Europe where a car was waiting for us. The driver at one point wanted to leave one of us on the road. He chose me. I cried and said I would not give him the 3,000 dollars I was wearing on me, 3,000 more than what I had already given the ”Agency”. He was probably a German. If he wanted my money he could have killed me. However certainly not out of pity, he let me get back in the car with my two companions. Hours later before every border the man put us in the boot of the car. We carried nothing. I was wearing two pairs of trousers one on top of the other. All we did was to pray. We cried silently, terrified he would hear us. I could no longer feel my arms or my legs. Hunger, cold, thirst. But then we arrived. Now I am a legal immigrant, like my husband who has a job and is here with me and our daughter. We are very happy and together we thank God”. (Luca De Mata) (television programme trailer “La valigia con lo spago”: a series of 4 programmes: an investigation into migratory flows and new slavery in the world: Rai Uno beginning 29 June, 2nd evening feature). (Agenzia Fides 24/6/2009; righe 14, parole 223). (Agenzia Fides 6/7/2009; righe 21, parole 344)
