Photo Credit: Singapore Tourism Board

I have heard about this award-winning Cannes film, Iloilo, in a news release around September and was touched by the gesture of its director who looked for his nanny to whom he dedicated this film.

My team, together my boss and president of Singapore Philippines Association, Alan Chng (2nd from left), Sherina Chan, Director of Singapore Tourism Board and Cheok Pin Lee of Singapore Philippines Association.

“When I was much younger, my mother hired a Filipino maid to look after the children. Teresa was with us for a long 8 years until I was 12 years old. We called her Auntie Terry. When she left to return home, it was hard to bear, but we got used to her absence and somehow lost contact. The one thing that has stayed with me after all these years is the name of the place she was from, Iloilo, a province in the Philippines. That is how the title of the film came about.

My experience is probably similar to many other kids in Singapore and in the region, where hardworking parents spend their days at work, leaving the young ones in the hands of a hired stranger. In this case, having a maid is not a luxury of the bourgeoisie but a need for practical reasons.

There have not been many films made on the subject of such maids, at least not in Singapore. Yet more often than not, what the media portrays is usually of a negative kind – controversies of abuse concerning domestic helpers, where either the victims are the children they care for, or the maids become the victims of employers. What one forgets is that an entire generation of children has grown up in the hands of maids. This is more true today with most families having both parents working full-time.”

I believe the universal experience of children growing up with maids is one of having a “surrogate” mother, a friend and a confidant. What is intriguing and never brought to light is the emotional inter-relations created, nurtured, cherished, and yet brutally taken away when circumstances change.” 

Iloilo is a film that has captured a raw emotion which can only be portrayed and captured by someone who had a first-hand experience of this down-to-earth, simple and heartwarming bond of a little kid to his nanny.

THE SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARDThe Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a leading economic development agency in tourism, one of Singapore’s key service sectors. Known for partnership, innovation and excellence, STB champions tourism, making it a key economic driver for Singapore. We aim to differentiate and market Singapore as a must-visit destination offering a concentration of user-centric and enriching experiences through the “YourSingapore” brand. For more information, please visit http://www.stb.gov.sg/ or http://yoursingapore.com/