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The journey of RJ Señeres begins well before his musical career – in their 3 bedroom apartment in Abu Dhabi, while he was only 11 years old. That's his story.
LAWYER. From music to advocacy work, Roy Señeres Jr has come a long way.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – This was an ordinary day for 11-year-old Roy Señeres Jr – known by his friends as RJ – when their doorbell rang suddenly.
They then lived in the same building as the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, where his father, Roy Señeres Sr, was working as a labor attaché in the 1980s.
As always, the young RJ ran to open the door. A Filipina woman who looked younger than her mother was standing in front of him. One of his eyes was bruised, he remarked.
His father came to welcome him to their home. " Pasok dito, pasok dito," he heard her say (enter, enter). Later in the day, they learned that the woman was a Filipino overseas worker (OFW), struck in the face by her " ma'am" (the term they used to refer to their female employers).
A normal child would have panicked or shown curiosity to find out why the woman's eye was bruised. Or he might have wondered why his father would let so easily enter a stranger into their home as it was about a friend whom they could trust.
But this was not new to RJ.
At the time, there was no shelter for OFW in distress in Abu Dhabi, so their 3-bedroom apartment served as a shelter for workers fugitives
and RJ would open the door to see Filipinos always catch their breath, or miss a shoe, or had few clothes, or were not carrying bag or luggage with them.
All of this was nonsense for young RJ and naive at first.
FAMILY. RJ Señeres (2nd from left) and his siblings Christian, Hannah, Hazel and Chris lived in Abu Dhabi where their father Roy Señeres Sr. was a labor attaché.
His father welcomed these OFWs into their apartment and offered them food, a bed and clothes. Often their house would be so filled with OFW in distress that RJ had to share his room.
The young RJ did not like that. His drawings on the wall were torn apart, and he could not play with his glow in the dark stickers because there were 3 to 4 strangers in his little room.
RJ's father finally noticed his discomfort. One night, his father sat down and told him that he was planning to ask the government to allow him to rent a new office, a larger one where RJ and his siblings could play. His former office would rather be turned into a shelter for the OFW, equipped with a social center where they and other OFW children could play too.
This eventually led to the establishment of the first welfare of overseas workers Administration Center in the Arab city
RJ was too young to understand his father's adult jargon. "What's a Ministry of Labor? What does it mean to" rent "?" He wondered
But there is a sentence from his father that has struck RJ the most.
"Thank God na ang nagdo-doorbell his pintuan natin ay hindi if mom mo, o if Hannah, or if Hazel (Thank God that it is not your mother, or Hannah, or Hazel who rings at the door) " says her father. Hannah and Hazel are her sisters.
After months of opening the door to the OFW in distress, RJ finally understood what his father meant. For the first time in months, he realized how trivial his problems were to the problems of the visitors with whom he shared his room.
The Rhyme of RJ [19659007] Growing up in this environment, one might think that RJ would like to follow the path that his father followed. But instead, RJ pursued a career in music.
RJ attended high school in the United States, when his father was appointed working attaché at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC
C & # 39; is where he was exposed by his African-American friends. to hip-hop music.
When RJ returned to the Philippines for college, he brought with him a love for hip-hop music, as well as what he called a "hip-hop culture and attitude."
He finally met friends with the same passion, and in 1995 they formed the hip-hop group Sun Valley Crew (SVC).
Together, SVC has done well in the local music industry by launching some albums under major labels. The group's fans know RJ by his stage name, Ill-J.
RJ began her musical career at age 17, so at the time, her music was mostly talking about teenage anxiety. your own man. He was talking about "booty," he says.
Growing up, RJ's music evolved, his words became more aware of society and he spoke more about politics, society and life in the Philippines.
OFW Family Club
When RJ's father came back to Canada after years of As a labor attaché and ambassador to the The OFW and their families often went to their home in Las Piñas to ask for help.
Their house was in a cul-de-sac. the association of the owners of their village because treasures of people were lined up in front of their doors, waiting for his father.
On hearing that this already disturbed their neighbors, their family decided to form an organization … they called it the OFW Family Club, because whole families have often ask for help.
The vision was to create a network of migrant workers, advocates and ambassadors who would help those in need. give the OFW a stronger voice.
On June 1, 2000, the OFW Family Club was born.
OFWS HELP. This photo shows the OFW Family Club during its early years. The club has now grown to 2 million card-carrying members worldwide.
Help the OFW
Today, for the 18th year, their humble club now has more than 2 million card-holder members in the whole world.
Thanks to this organization, the family helped many OFWs, providing them with social assistance and legal assistance, organizing seminars and guiding them throughout their trip abroad. day – especially domestic workers – and they do their best to help them. One particular case they worked on, for example, was the case of OFW Joseph Urbiztondo.
Urbiztondo was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Kuwait for allegedly taking the life of a Bangladeshi national. Urbiztondo claimed that he defended himself only and that he had been confessed to him for a crime that he had not committed.
His case was brought to the attention of RJ's father while he represented Congress under the list of members of the OFW family. At the time, Urbiztondo was already in prison for 17 years
With the help of the organization, they were able to find the relatives of the victim in Bangladesh to negotiate the liberation of Urbiztondo. After paying the price of blood and obtaining a letter of apology from the victim's son, Urbiztondo was finally released. He has been imprisoned for 20 years – the longest time of an OFW has been imprisoned abroad.
Passing the Flame
But it was not all rainbows and butterflies for RJ and the Family Club OFW.
RJ's father decided to run in the 2016 presidential elections. Due to his declining health, however, he decided to withdraw his candidacy on February 5, 2016. He died of from a cardiac arrest a few days later.
2016 ELECTIONS. This photo shows Roy Señeres Sr after filing his candidacy in October 2015. He died a few days after withdrawing his candidacy in February 2016.
Before his death, RJ's father had already handed him the torch and his brothers and sisters. He knew that it was best to leave the organization in the hands of his children who grew up surrounded by OFW.
As his father, RJ was chosen and trained to lead the organization. They thought that because they shared the same name, the transition would be easier, and that the friends his father made on the way would recognize his name and help him out.
But the operation of the club was difficult without his father, RJ admitted.
"He was the cornerstone, the guy who played a very important role in all the operations of the organization, so now that it's no longer that was very difficult, "he said.
Nevertheless, RJ is determined to continue moving forward. Every day he carries with him the promise that he made to his father before his death: "Do not worry, I will continue, I will continue and do what needs to be done so that the club that you founded stay firm and continue the work you started. "
For RJ, the club has come a long way, but still has miles to go. new plans and greater ambitions
For its part, it wants to unite more OFW through the organization.It also encourages the deployment of other ambassadors, attachés and agents
"Isipin mo, ilang libong mga Pilipino ang umaalis his bansa, ang aum, union attaché, pa rinisa, dalawa, tatlo. So, we need to add more, " he said.
(Think about it: Thousands of Filipinos leave the country, but the number of Filipinos working attaches is always the same – one, two or three – it's the same with social workers.they are saturated, we have to add others.)
PASSAGE OF THE TORCH Roy Señeres Sr passed on to his namesake, Roy Señeres Jr., the responsibility of running the OFW Family Club and assisting the OFW around the world.
Drawing the lessons that he learned from his father, and the passion that grew in him after having met and helped so many OFW in distress, RJ will start his own journey and honor the name he inherited. [19659007] Just as his music, RJ cont to grow and evolve. His father has already set the pace, and now it is up to RJ to add rhyme and rhythm to the song of his life. – video produced by Marga Deona / Rappler.com
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