Laid-off Filipino worker draws flak over CERB interview for being ‘ungrateful’

Calvez added that she was not speaking just for herself but also for many other workers whom she believes were also experiencing the same situation as her, so she hopes that the government will come up with a “long term” solution to better help Canadian workers. (File photo: @evanthewise/Unsplash)

A laid-off hotel attendant landed in hot waters over her comments regarding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) which, she said, was not enough to support her amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (2019) pandemic.

Nym Calvez, a Filipina, was interviewed during a CBC News Virtual Town Hall called “Living with COVID” last Wednesday, May 13, where she shared her struggles to stay afloat with only having CERB as her source of funds.

She said the $2,000 worth of aid she is getting from the Federal government was “not enough” to cover her bills including her rent which, according to her, costs almost $1,500, not to mention that she also has a family to support in the Philippines.

Calvez added that she was not speaking just for herself but also for many other workers whom she believes were also experiencing the same situation as her, so she hopes that the government will come up with a “long term” solution to better help Canadian workers.

But several Filipino workers in Canada did not echo Galvez’s sentiments, with many of them criticizing the laid-off hotel attendant for being “ungrateful” to the government.

Reacting to Calvez’s comments, a YouTuber said in a reaction video uploaded in his Youtube Channel “Everyday Life,” that he felt “very much ashamed and utterly distraught and disappointed” upon hearing Calvez’s interview.

Although he understands that the current situation is not easy since he himself was also laid off from his job, he reminded the Filipina that the financial assistance they are receiving from the CERB is only intended to cover their basic needs in Canada.

“The Canadian government has no responsibility to your family back home in the Philippines,” he said, adding that Calvez was “not in the right position” to complain to the government about her family’s situation.

He said he believes that Calvez’s family in the Philippines would understand why she might not be able to send them money given that the global economy is badly affected by the pandemic.

“This is the time for all of us to be frugal. We need to strategize on how we spend our money and this is also the time for us to be united and to help each other rather than complain,” he continued.

Meanwhile, in her own reaction video uploaded in her Youtube Channel “Elie and Me Video,” another netizen told Calvez, “Alam mo kung ako ‘yon magpapasalamat na lang ako kasi ang daming nawalan ng trabaho dito (You know if that was me, I will be grateful because there are a lot of people who lost their job here).”

“Dapat magpasalamat ka dahil hindi lahat ay nabibigyan ng pagkakataon na mabigyan ng ganyang halaga. Two thousand [dollars] ang laki po n’yan (You should be thankful because not everybody is given a chance to be given this kind of amount. Two thousand dollars, that is huge already),” she added.

As one of CERB beneficiaries, she said there is still a lot of funds left in her account although she used the financial aid to pay for her bills and buy groceries.

“‘Pag kulang, edi magtipid ka (If it is not enough, then you should save),” she told Calvez.

On the other hand, YouTube user named grashabel also slammed Calvez, saying that the Canadian government was actually being “very helpful” to the public.

“One thousand [and] five hundred [na rent]? Sobrang laki non. [Baka] maluho ka eh kaya ‘yung $2,000 sayo kukulangin talaga (One thousand and five hundred dollar worth of rent? That is too much. [Maybe] you are a big spender that is why the $2,000 for you will not be really enough),” she said.

Leo Angelico Mendoza, meanwhile, advised Calvez to just move to other places in Canada since the cost of living in Vancouver, where Calvez is staying, is expensive.

“Mahal kasi talaga sa Vancouver. Pwede ka namang lumipat sa ibang lugar. Sa ibang lugar mas mura lang ‘yung cost of living (The cost of living in Vancouver is really expensive. You can move to other places. In other areas, the cost of living is cheaper),” he said.

He also defended the government, claiming that it is ‘doing everything they can’ to attend to the needs of the people during the crisis.

John Bryan Casino, who is working in the hospitality industry, also belied Calvez’s comments that the aid was not sufficient, stressing that it will not be enough only if she has a ‘luxurious lifestyle.’

“Sapat ba sa amin ‘yung $2,000 na binibigay ng Canadian government? Ang sagot is ‘oo,’ in my case (Is the $2,000 given by the Canadian government enough for us? The answer is ‘yes,’ in my case),” he said.

“Sabihin na natin na ang renta ay $1,500 and may $500 kang left para sa food for the whole month which is sapat na kung hindi ka mapili. Hindi lang ‘yan sasapat kung bibili ka ng mga unnecessary things like ‘yung o-order ka sa restaurant for your food. So we Filipinos here in Canada are grateful ewan ko bakit ‘yung babaeng ito ungrateful pa doon sa government (Let’s say that the rent costs $1,500 and there is still $500 left for food for the whole month which is already enough if you are not picky. It will not be enough only if you buy unnecessary things like ordering food from a restaurant. So we Filipinos here in Canada are grateful, I do not know why this woman is ungrateful to the government),” he added.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau earlier told CBC News that the government is trying to help the people, as well as small and large businesses through a wage subsidy designed to make employers keep their employees on the job or rehire laid-off workers.

“The best we can do is to support people now and to enable businesses to keep having optimism, having opportunities down the road so that if Nym doesn’t have a role in the business she’s in right now, there might be another role that she might be able to get because we’ve helped many businesses to bridge through this time,” Morneau said.