Migrant's Focus Magazine: Issue #1     Profile #5: Even Musicians Get the Blues Mahusay ang Pilipinong musikero. Filipino musicians are renowned for being versatile. They are sought after for the variety of music that they can perform - from the slow to the up beat, from the classical to the modern, from acoustic to the synthesized. It is not surprising, therefore, that we find Filipino musicians employed in the many hotels and restaurant all over the world. There they entertain foreign patrons. They entice them to dance to the rhythm of countless cha-chas, rhumbas, discos, and even the newest pop hits. Or else, they sway them to relax after a full day's work with sentimental music, jazz and even that soulful music called the blues. However, the blues refer not only to this special kind of music that conveys a sad almost depressing feeling. When we say, "get the blues", we mean, "to be sad", "to be downhearted." Even musicians get the blues. They also have their issues and concerns. Behind the glitter and the blaring notes of a night's performance lie the sad notes of a musician's life. It is quite extraordinary to imagine that these entertainers share in the sorry situation of overseas Filipinos. Having limited opportunities to provide a living for their families in the Philippines, our own musicians are forced to seek employment overseas. They would leave their children to slave the night, entertaining others while they mask their loneliness and drown their sorrows from being separated from them. And even if they live with them, they sleep over the days when their children grow up for they have to be awake when it is time to perform in the evenings, and the children have got to go sleep. Such is the story of Hernando Herrera, a veteran and talented Filipino musician in Hong Kong. And that is the story that his son, Alejandro may be forced to repeat. Music is his life Hernando Herrera, Ka Ding as he is more fondly called, has been a musician for more than three decades. Born in Tondo, Manila, he's 63 years old and the third of six children. During the Japanese war, his family moved back to Bulacan, their hometown. After which, they went back to Manila and resided in Blumentritt, then Grace Park in Caloocan where he had his teen-age years and subsequently got married and had his own family. "Mahirap lang kami...masasabi nating isang kahig, isang tuka." (We come from a poor family). His father died when he was only five years old. His mother sold wares in the local market. His eldest brother became a musician at the US bases and had been a good provider for the family for a long time. Even then, Ka Ding was only able to study until second year high school because money was not enough for him to continue his studies. His musician brother has been most influential to his career as a musician. At an early age, he taught Ka Ding the saxophone. However, when he got married, playing the saxophone was not enough to feed the family. Admittedly, he wasn't much interested in the sax and wasn't a professional with it. He wanted to sing. Luckily, his neighbors were a singing group who then recently lacked one other performer. At 25 years old, he joined the Mac Brothers. This group performed in stage shows at the Clover and the Grand Opera House. It was 1959 and the work was hard. "Maliit ang sweldo, mahirap ang trabaho." They worked shifts among many such stage shows from lunchtime through late in the evenings. Eventually the Mac Brothers were able to perform on TV. And that is were they were spotted by Pilita Corales. She offered them to be her mainstay back up and from 1962-63 they had been so. In 1964, "An Evening with Pilita" aired and they even sang the theme song of the show. His career as a musician was gathering momentum. It only took Pilita's brother, then an agent for promotions abroad, to change their lives forever. Off to Hong Kong It was 1964. Ka Ding was 27 years old when the Mac Brothers were hired to perform at the Sapphire Club in Kowloon. They performed standard jazz for audiences during their meals. Through Pilita's brother, they were recruited to play in Hong Kong. At the time, the promotion agencies handled the processing. The prospective employer paid for all expenses to bring them here. Everything was free. For a six month contract, they were given HK$1,200 and a free flat for the band members. A helper was even provided for their household needs. "Maganda ang kondisyon ng trabaho noon pati ang samahan ng mga Pilipino," Ka Ding states. Sundays were off. They only had one job and it was enough. Even remittances were simple. They only had to go to Tom Lee Music store, which at that time had a partner in Raon, Manila. This partner company uses the Hong Kong dollars to purchase their equipment in Hong Kong and in return, the families can collect the remittance in pesos at the branch in Manila. There were no charges. Why did he leave the Philippines? "Hindi naman ako nakatapos ng pag-aaral (I wasn't able to finish schooling)," Ka Ding remarks. He only had his music to go by. But in the Philippines, that wasn't enough to feed a family. He had to go abroad. Besides, "gusto ko na ring lumabas sa Pilipinas at makita ang ibang bayan. (I also wanted to leave the Philippines and to see other countries)" Off to the War After a year in Hong Kong, a talented and famous Filipino trumpet player asked their band to go with him to Vietnam. The US Navy wanted entertainers for their soldiers and officers. For seven months, they went to Saigon, then the central base of the American forces and played at different officers' clubs. This was during the height of the Vietnam War. Why did he decide to go to work in the middle of the war? "Mataas ang sweldo (The pay is good)." They were paid US$ 500, much more than what they get in Hong Kong. He rationalizes the fact that he risked his life and limb to earn just a few dollars more. They were earning more, Vietnam is so much like the Philippines - with fruits and balut, and they were not in the frontline. True enough, they were not witnesses to the bombings and killings in Vietnam. They just saw Viet Cong doing suicide raids in Saigon military outposts. The most frightening experience they had was when an hour after they performed in a club, the building was bombed. They narrowly escaped with their lives. But all these, he sets aside because he had to earn. And for that, he was willing to play with luck. Perseverance Pays Thinking that they would get a contract for Bangkok, they waited for their working permits back in Hong Kong. However, the employer changed his mind and the deal was off. Ka Ding was stranded in Hong Kong for three months. He had no permanent job. Forced by the situation, he played in special functions and did "extras" (non-permanent work). Faced with adversity, Ka Ding then decided he should further his skills in music. He went into intensive training, studying and reading notes and playing with different bands to get the practice and professionalization any musician is required to have. At the time, a musician had to play live in a floorshow. No tapes. No CDs. When his bandleader decides to go to Tahiti, Ka Ding decided to stay on in Hong Kong. Since then, his career catapulted. He formed his own band and was taken in by the Peninsula Hotel for two years. On and off a bandleader, he and his band would comb the nightlife of Hong Kong, performing in many hotels and restaurants. His perseverance paid off. He earned the respect and prestige among his colleagues. From the start, he has been an active member of the Hong Kong Musicians Union. In the 80s he has started to take on responsibilities in the union as a committee member. He had hoped that the union would continue to strive to provide assistance to all musicians in Hong Kong. Ultimately, his colleagues would recognize his leadership and vision. He was to become president of the union. A Musician's Son It would sometimes take years before Ka Ding would be able to go back to the Philippines to visit his family. Actually, when he came to Hong Kong, he wasn't able to see his youngest son born. It was a month after he arrived here that Alejandro Herrera, "Dong" as he is now called, saw the light in this world. Just like any migrant family, the separation was hard. The material compensation was even not enough to raise the standard of living of the families back home. On top of that, the children left behind face innumerable emotional challenges and fall prey to shady influences as they grew up. Such was the case for "Dong." His was not a luxurious life. Even with a father working abroad, his mother still needed to work as a cook in a small restaurant to eke out a living for his siblings. He didn't finish schooling. During his teens, he wanted to earn his own money. He worked in a Taiwanese factory making pots and pans. He drove a tricycle and took many odd jobs. He was eventually pulled into the world of drugs and drink. Through the help of his father, and also partly because of his decision to mend his ways, Dong was spirited to Hong Kong, here to work and help out the family. He started out as a part time worker in the union. There he was able to meet an organizer of the Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers. He was asked to help out in conducting a survey among Filipino musicians in Hong Kong. The results of the survey gave a lasting impression to Dong. Broken families, drugs, gambling and other vices also envelop the lives of the musicians and their families. This was the dark side of the trade. Dong, having turned away from these things, decided he would resist. And he had good company too. He became a pioneering member of LIKHA, a cultural organization under the United Filipinos in Hong Kong. There he would meet other compatriots, non-musicians, domestic helpers. And that would give him also a fresh perspective for his life. Aside from having the purpose of helping out his distressed compatriots, he also saw the need for greater unity among Filipinos in Hong Kong, especially between musicians and domestic helpers, between residents and contract workers. The Son Becomes a Father He met his wife at Pinoy Express in Tsim Sha Tsui. And that had also changed his life forever. Now they have two kids and are both struggling to provide for their future. He now works as a deejay in Wan Chai but continues to support initiatives of migrant workers organizations. Knowing the difficulties of raising their children here in Hong Kong, they would want to have their children study in the Philippines when they are older. They wish to also go home for good. But could they? "Kapag malaki-laki na ang ipon (If we have enough savings)," that was Dong's remark. He understands how hard it is to live in the Philippines and he dreams to set up a business, which would hopefully carry them through if they decide to go home for good. But he also has his doubts, especially when he goes home for vacation "Wala namang nagbago sa Pilipinas. Lumaki lang ang gastos. Walang pinagbago ang buhay. Dumami ang bahay sa lugar namin pero ganoon pa rin ang buhay. (Nothing has changed in the Philippines. You just have to spend more. Nothing has changed with the lives of the people. There are more houses now in our community, but their lives have not improved." His sister dared to open a small retail store but the daily earnings are not even enough to augment the family income. He knows that he cannot go back home as soon as they want to. "Mahihirapan akong maghanap ng trabaho doon. Baka bumalik lang ako sa paggawa ng kaldero. (It will be hard for me to find a job there. I might again be forced to work making pots and pans)." Will the Cycle End? Ka Ding and Dong share similar experiences as musicians and as fathers. Both wish to be good at their arts and at the same time provide a decent life for their families. But the worsening conditions in Hong Kong and the Philippines prevent them from escaping the cycle of migration. Especially during the height of the financial crisis in Asia, Filipino musicians in Hong Kong faced a veritable crisis. Many hotels and restaurants laid off their entertainers, opting to remodel their establishments as karaoke boxes. These musicians were forced to look for other jobs like cooks, hotel workers and even construction for the Chep Lap Kok airport. Others, like Ka Ding, had to resort to performing in special functions or doing performances in two or three places a night just to sustain their current livelihood. With inflation and high real estate rentals and prices (no more free flats now for musicians), they needed the extra income. And to think that these are irregular and non-permanent jobs. The influx of Filipino musicians has lowered the demand for them, and consequently, lowered their salaries. With business establishments capable of bargaining the "price" of the musician, the musician is forced to accept terms and conditions not anymore suitable to their qualifications. Even the karaoke bar where Dong works now has changed management; the previous owner cannot run it anymore. The new employer has stricter policies and stringent rules. The peak of the musician's glory in Hong Kong may be ending. But there are still dependable Filipinos aiming to better the lives of the musicians here, continuously striving to raise their dignity. Such people are Ka Ding and his son Dong. With the help of the Hong Kong Musician's Union and Filipino migrant organizations like LIKHA - UNIFIL, they are determined to bridge the gap between the resident Filipino musician and the domestic helpers and to further our interests as overseas Filipinos. In the end, they also wish to sing the sweet song of coming home to a Philippines where they can play the music of independence, progress, peace and development. And we're sure, they will not anymore be singing the blues.     Search our site: advance search             Back to top           1995 - 2001 (c) copyright The Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers (HK) Society e-mail: mission@migrants.net website: http://www.migrants.net