MIGRANT WORKERS | A temporary home that becomes permanent

The Filipino population is the second largest migrant community in Macau

Leonardo Dioko is considered a success story amongst the Filipino population, the second largest migrant community in Macau. Nicknamed “Don,” the Macau Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) lecturer arrived in Macau in 1991 with the intention of living here for “three years maximum.” However, he loved the city so much that he is still living here today.
“If someone were to have told me when I was young that I was going to spend most of my adult life in Macau, I would have thought they were crazy. Before I arrived here, I didn’t even know where Macau was,” he says.
Leonardo Dioko could have hardly imagined that he would go on to marry a Macanese citizen and raise a family in the territory. Nowadays, he states that family was the main reason behind his decision to live in Macau for so long.  However, he stresses that it was not the only reason: “I [actually] had an invitation to work elsewhere before and right after I married. After all, I think that the community feeling we have here, as well as the simple and relaxed way of life, makes it hard to go away.”
Comparing his Macau experience of almost 23 years with those of his colleagues who have relocated, Leonardo Dioko doesn’t hesitate to say that the decision to head to Macau was “one of the best things” that has ever happened to him.
“My colleagues who went to the United States and Europe also managed well, but considering the tax burdens, limited ability to save, and quality of life – they spend countless hours in traffic. [In terms of] acceptance and tolerance, I would say that my stay in Macau has been fulfilling” he says. “I would say the same thing even if Macau’s economy hadn’t surged,” he stresses, alluding to the gaming sector.
The Filipino is a permanent Macau ID holder, unlike most of his compatriots who work in Macau as non-resident workers, holding a type of working visa commonly known as a “blue card.”
Nevertheless, the scholar says that he supports the policies adopted by the local government to protect the most destitute, stressing that employers have to abide by rules concerning areas such as holidays and insurance. But, in his view, “there is a lot to improve, for example in giving [the migrants] legal representation so that they can have access to justice whenever they need it.”
“The government should work with employers to ensure that workers live in decent, healthy and safe conditions. The responsibility of finding lodging is still on the workers’ side. Access to healthcare should also be improved,” Leonardo Dioko says.
The tourism expert advises migrant workers to play an active role in “improving their living conditions through professional training programs and by working the hardest they can” in order to achieve success in the workplace.
Although he has a different background compared with most of the Filipino non-resident workers, Leonardo Dioko has identity issues like any other migrant.
“I have three sons born here and they feel very Macanese, although they are starting to discover that their identity is much more complex,” he comments. “To them, Macau is our permanent home.”  Fátima Valente, Lusa, MDT/Lusa