Unease in Singapore over Filipino workers. Media playback is unsupported on your device.
The BBC's Tessa Wong takes a look at why Filipinos, long part of Singapore's workforce, are now viewed with unease by some locals. Manage your page to keep your users updated View some of our premium pages: google.com. Upgrade to a Premium Page.
Media caption. The Philippines' ambassador to Singapore Antonio A Morales says that Filipinos are moving into more sectors of employment. One of Singapore's most popular comic characters happens to be a Filipino maid called Leticia Bongnino.
A fictional character from a television sketch show, she embodies a stereotype familiar to Singaporeans who have long relied on Filipinos to tend to their homes. But it is also a stereotype that has become outdated, as more Filipinos move into new professions here. Wild Dating. These days a Singaporean professional is likely to have Filipino colleagues. With many more taking up service sector jobs, he is also likely to be served by a Filipino at a restaurant, supermarket, or doctor's clinic.
The estimated number of Filipinos working in Singapore tripled in the past decade to about 1. Philippines census data. The Singapore government declined to provide the BBC with official figures. But their rising visibility in Singapore's society has drawn attention. Amid increasing general resentment towards foreigners, a backlash towards Filipinos has taken place. Earlier this year, a plan to hold a Philippines Independence Day celebration on Singapore's main shopping street Orchard Road was cancelled following online complaints by some Singaporeans who said the space was special to locals. One blogger called the move .
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Many Singaporeans also lambasted those who complained about the event. But anti- Filipino sentiment has continued to swirl online, culminating in a blog titled Blood Stained Singapore suggesting ways to abuse Filipinos, calling them . The blog was eventually taken down by Google for infringing content rules.
Image caption. The shopping mall Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road is a popular Filipino hub in Singapore. Image caption. The Philippines independence day event was scheduled to be held at a prominent plaza on Orchard Road. Change in profile.
The Philippines ambassador to Singapore, Antonio A Morales, told the BBC in a recent interview that . Singapore police have launched an investigation and say the case is still being probed. Part of the problem is that Filipinos are willing to take on jobs for lower salaries, with working conditions unacceptable to Singaporeans. Matthew O`Leary Dating. The trend has made Filipinos .
At work she has encountered customers who have made fun of her for being Filipino. She came to Singapore five years ago after her sister, who found a job working at the airport, urged her to follow suit.
It is also very safe, so I like it here. The citizen unemployment rate remains low at 3%.
Widespread unhappiness led to the ruling People's Action Party scoring its lowest- ever share of votes in the 2. Since then the government has made it more difficult to hire cheap foreign labour, and incentivised productivity and innovation - but progress has been slow.
It also ramped up transport infrastructure and housing, and attempted to cool the property market. Tightening manpower rules.
One way Singapore has tried to solve the labour crunch while placating the public's desire for fewer foreigners is outsourcing jobs to other countries. In the Philippines, the Singapore government- linked company Keppel set up shipyards in Batangas and Subic Bay. Last year a government agency tasked to find opportunities for Singapore companies overseas set up an office in Manila. In a recent sketch, she reeled off the names of fictional relatives working at a call centre, department store and caf.