[ Note : Thank you for reading, but this isn’t a complete story. If I’ve done our friend Alicat a disservice by not telling the whole story, it’s because I will either continue it or tell a better story later. I’m also putting this down while the memory is fresh, and please, please don’t think you don’t need a lawyer when you’re in court… In advance, apologies to you Alicat and everyone else, maraming salamat uli. ]
WORDS OF ADVICE, like her back story, are very short: she is long on description on how to help people and their problems, but when you ask her about herself, she is very modest.
Please let me explain, Precious Reader. I asked her first to tell me about what she does when helping out kabayan caught drunk driving in New Zealand (also known as driving under the influence in other countries) and the evidence is plain to see: positive alcohol breath test, car crash, and a mess on both sides. By the time the case reaches court, our kabayan is nearly at The Point of No Return: very high probability of a canceled work visa, and a flight back home tomorrow. Here is our Guardian Angel’s advice:
Ganito lang yon. Hindi lagi tatalab, pero aminin mo na lahat. Show sincere remorse, tell the court appointed lawyer you are very sorry for what you have done, and accept a detox program if it’s suggested. Don’t do anything that will show disrespect, and you have a good chance of saving your own skin.
That, and have Alicat Lozano by your side in court.
***** ***** *****
Often, our kabayan (1) can’t afford a lawyer, (2) can’t make themselves fully understood by court appointed counsel, and even if they did, (3) couldn’t easily make any judge sympathize with their situation.
[ In fairness, in many cases, the Philippine Embassy provides legal representation to kabayan, but in cases when Alicat’s help is requested, she makes use of her experience so that the court-appointed lawyer/s make the correct representation and the kabayan’s rights are well-explored, including discharge without conviction so that kabayan can restart their lives. ]
Alicat ticks all of the boxes, often (but not always) gets them off the hook, and has done this life-saving routine dozens of times.
***** ***** *****
Not that she approves of the kabayan at fault.
Madalas akala nila makakalusot ang ginagawa nila, and I’ll be the first to tell them they’re wrong. But they don’t deserve the punishment for their ignorance, and they don’t deserve to be sent home.
[She’s also the last to advise you not to have a lawyer present, it’s always good to have the best legal counsel possible. But sometimes it’s also wise to have a fellow Filipino explain your side to the Kiwi judge. ]
Such is Alicat’s generosity of her time and efforts that she has helped dozens and dozens of kabayan in similar situations. Used to be she only helped Filipinos in the Wellington area and region, but now she is asked for assistance all over New Zealand.
She helps people make insurance claims against unscrupulous insurance companies (success rate better than 50-50), assists beneficiaries with their benefits and claims before government agencies, and even helps OFWs present their problems before the Philippine Embassy and consulates.
She has been doing this the last 33 years.
***** ***** *****
AS mentioned above, if you ask her how she got here, she has a very short origin story. She was part of a group of street children that a major charitable foundation took in and sent to school.
She easily stood out in this group of “batang lansangan” and graduated high school and university in record time. Even before the ink dried on her diploma, she found herself in New Zealand, started work immediately and became a permanent resident soon after.
Along the way, she found many Filipinos on temporary visas who preferred to suffer in silence rather than assert their rights and status as deserving of benefits in New Zealand.
She pointed them in the right direction, guided them to doing proper actions, but soon realized that Filipinos , especially those overseas, are passive and not the type to assert themselves.
She decided to spend every spare minute of her time representing Pinoys in courts, helping Pinoys with their paperwork, and communicating to proper authorities the crucial services that Pinoys need and deserve.
I’m speaking to Alicat, and hoping for some more background on what she’s been doing since the late 1980s without ever being paid, or sometimes even being thanked for her help. Some of the Pinoys she’s helped, the day they met her, never came back to her again.
She doesn’t mind, and it will never stop her from what she’s doing. Our Zoom meeting had to be cut short as she was again, leaving Wellington City in a mercy mission for yet another Pinoy in need
Just another day in the life of the Guardian Angel of all Pinoys who need a helping hand.
Mabuhay ka, kabayan – everybody needs a guardian sngel sometime!
*angel
Her presence is indeed a blessing…….. but you mention about DUI s ( Driving Under the Influence ) . Perhaps Filipinos who commit this infraction do not realize that DUI is a serious offence “overseas”, especially in Western countries. In the US, it’s a NO-no, that’s why there are Ubers or designated drivers who will not drink. In the Philippines, people drink and drive . They think it’s the same everywhere. I’m angry at people who drink and drive. We had a friend who lost his entire family ( parents and little brother ) because of a teenage drunk driver. .
thanks for this comment renx, I 100% agree with you, and don’t intend to show DUI in a lighthearted manner. Universally it’s an evil that can never be condoned.
No problem, ylbnoel. It was just a momentary feeling that I happened to voice out. Cheers.