He knew that education was his passport to the realization of his dream that he pursued his education in Manila, where he met his eventual wife, taught again in a college and found an opportunity to go abroad: in Australia, which just lifted its non-white immigration policy in the early 1970s as it was experiencing a shortage of professionals.

“I pushed myself with the though that I must go abroad to fulfill my dreams,” Rivas said, who eventually pursued his passion for teaching in Sydney, before he and his wife, the former Edna Morante, a native of Plaridel, Bulacan, whom he met while studying and teaching in Manila, moved to the City of Darwin in the Australian North Territory.

Darwin and the rest of the Northern Territory is the second home of more than 5,000 Filipinos where they are the second biggest foreign group of residents behind the Greeks, Rivas said

DREAMING TO DO MORE

More than 30 years later, and after serving as president of the  Filipino-Australian Association of the Northern Territory for eight years since 2000, the Kabankalan native is dreaming to do more for his people and his new country after his June 2008 appointment as Honorary Consul of the Philippine government to the Northern Territory was confirmed by the Australian government in November. FAANT was founded in 1973.

In his first official visit to his home country and province last month performing consular duties, consul Rivas met with various government officials to discuss his agenda, which includes exploration of strengthened relations between the Philippines and the Northern Territory area, particularly along  trade, tourism and education and also to seek government commitment to participate once more in the Arafura Games in Darwin scheduled May 9-17. The games, started in 1991, is considered a major stepping stone for athletes in the area in their quest toward higher level competitions. It will include 27 sports disciplines this year. 

In his visit,  met with Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Kabankalan Mayor Pedro Zayco and leaders of Davao City and the Philippine Sports Commission which have committed to participate in the Arafura Games as well as of West Negros University, which is fielding its basketball team in the games and has brought its cultural group to perform in the annual FAANT Barrio Fiesta. The Fiesta is one of the biggest ethnic-group festivals in the North Territory, along with the celebrations of the Greeks, Indians, Scottish, German and Chinese communities. He also met with officials in Manila, which he called the first exploratory visit on RP-NT relations in 10 years.

EXPLORATIONS

The exploratory discussions, he said, also included the prospects of Filipinos finding jobs in the Northern Territory, where skilled workers “are acutely needed”. Among the in-demand jobs open, he added, are for welders, automotive and refrigeration technicians, dressmakers, cooks and chefs, tillers, roofers, carpenters and beauticians.

The diplomatic official expressed optimism on the prospects for Filipinos especially with the dormancy of the BIMP-EAGA, or the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines
East ASEAN Growth Area, initiative.

Consul Rivas told StarLife that Filipinos are among the preferred human resources in Australia because of their English proficiency. He explained that starting last year, employers started to have stringent requirements for overseas workers  as they have found difficulty with non-English speaking individuals. Consequently, the government is requiring a score of seven out of a Perfect Ten for professionals in its adopted International Language Testing System, which covers speaking, writing, reading and listening to the English language. The seven-point requirement covers each of the four areas, he added. For skilled workers, he said, the requirement is a score of 4.5, which ensures functional communication skills on the part of the foreign employee. He reiterated that Filipinos “are highly regarded by employers, other cultural groups and the Northern territory communities”.

OPENING DOORS
THROUGH EDUCATION

The honorary consul is also trying to promote “another door that is open to Filipinos” – the Student Migration Program which gives a two-year student visa to approved university applicants after which they can later apply for permanent residency.

He said the Charles Darwin University in the city and in its other campuses offer diverse programs from the bachelor to the doctoral levels, adding that the Philippine sis now among the top suppliers of students to CDU along with India and China.

Students enrolled in the university are required to enroll and pass all four courses for semester with school schedule amounting to only 20 hours, thus giving them the opportunity to find jobs on the side to augment their allowances.

RECOGNITION

Rivas, a highly-esteemed educator at the Casuarium Senior College in Darwin,  has been teaching levels 10-12 students  and constructing and  developing programs in biology, chemistry, geology, marine science, human biology and nutrition, putting into invaluable use the Teaching Science course he studied at De La Salle University  while he was still in the Philippines. He is also part of the mentoring program for his colleagues.

His track record in the profession eventually gave him a meritorious service plaque for 30 years of educating the Australian youth which was presented by the government’s Department of Education.

His experiences as an educator and as a service-oriented citizen have given him a citizen of the year award and had  “placed the Filipino community and FAANT in the Australian map”. The association received government assistance for the construction of its association building – the only foreign community to get government help – a gym which took seven years to complete. Because of the persistent efforts of the association, he said, “we gained good favor because of what we have done to improve multi-cultural, trade and other ties,” he further said. Part of that effort is the association’s participation in programs, like harmony Day, where Philippine youth participate in concerts and the big celebration of the Philippine Independence Day.

The Association has also documented the immigration of Filipinos in the Northern Territory with records showing that the first wave were composed of pearl divers in 1895, the consul said, adding that eventually the Filipino community grew with the “family reunion and marriage visa, include mail-order brides migration which the government allowed in the late 1970s.

This self-made man, believes that his work as an honorary consul, which does not provide him any cent for pay, is a great opportunity  help people, especially fellow Filipinos. I’ll keep on exploring until I get what I envision and dream of to help others, he said, adding that his present post “is a gift I now share with and use for others… my labor of love.”

 

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