Donna’s take on the social issues faced by the Filipino Diaspora

“ I'm a process improvement and digital transformation leader for a fortune 500 technology company. I'm a writer and award winning author, and also a member of the board of a nonprofit. I have successfully published a book, to help Filipinas thrive abroad. And with this book, I want to adapt it to a TV series to bring it to the wider audience.

So, first off some statistics about the Filipinos in diaspora. As of this year, first quarter of this year, there is around 1.8 million overseas Filipinos. Of those 1.8 million, 61% of that are women.

And over the last decade, remittances of those overseas Filipinos account for almost 10% of the Philippine GDP. The majority of that is contributed by women. And, yes, our Filipinos in diaspora face social issues, racism, & discrimination. Raise your hands, if you have experienced any? Yes, yes, yes.

And why? Because, number one, there is a clear gap, a knowledge gap for the majority of the Filipinos moving abroad, in preparing them for the life overseas. I have met these women. As a country, we are still in a position where our fellow women go overseas out of necessity, and not out of choice. Women who are very brave go overseas, they probably have not ever rode in the plane before, they don't know how to live by themselves, they don't know how to conduct yourselves with foreigners, etc.

And then the other reason is that there's also a second gap in knowledge, of people not knowing who we are, that we come from a diverse background, that we have our own culture and traditions.

So to address these two points, I published my book. I never really aspired to be a writer, but somehow, this is my crucible. I managed to put myself out there with my experience and knowledge to be able to help women and with this objective, I wanted to empower Filipinas and uplift the image of Filipinas in diaspora.

I wanted to promote self love, in that it's not just about working, giving money to your families back home, but also about taking care of yourself, and being a more well rounded individual because of your experiences. Finally, I also wanted to increase awareness of the Filipino people.

Now, I want to bring this to a TV series, because apart from those objectives, I also want to showcase Filipino talent. The series will be a Drama Comedy (think about Emily in Paris, Crazy Rich Asians, and Sex in the City vibe), featuring our stories, and addressing the issues that I have already shown.”

Watch Donna’s Pitch!