BY REYSHIMAR ARGUELLES
ILOILO City – Aunty Terry is back in Singapore.
Teresita Sajonia, the domestic helper who inspired her now grown-up ward to make a film about his family’s experience with her, boarded a Cebu Pacific plane bound for Singapore around 11:30 p.m. on Friday.
It was past 1 a.m. of Saturday when Sajonia landed in Singapore. She has returned to the land where she worked for eight years in the house of film director Anthony Chen. But this time, she gets VIP treatment.
Last night, she attended the premier of the film she inspired, Ilo Ilo at the Sands Theatre of the Marina Bay Sands, an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore billed as the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion.
The official Facebook page of the movie posted this message after the premier last night: “Dear friends, we’ve just finished the screening of Ilo Ilo at the Sands Theatre and we are so, so proud to tell all of you: Ilo Ilo received a standing ovation from the audience!”
Included in Sajonia’s entourage is Regional Director Helen Catalbas of the Department of Tourism.
“She symbolizes the beauty of the Filipino spirit…In her own way, she espouses the best in the Filipino,” Catalbas said at a send-off dinner in honor of Sajonia Friday night.
At the Changi Airport, Sajonia and her entourage were welcomed by her former employer, Joana Chen and son Anthony, the director of Ilo Ilo that won the Camera d’Or in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year and has been receiving various accolades from all over the world.
Sajonia took care of three Chen boys, including Anthony, in the early 1990s for eight years.
Catalbas brought promotional materials about Iloilo and Western Visayas to Singapore.
The film Ilo Ilo has been generating a lot of buzz there. She hopes to take advantage of this to enhance Iloilo and Western Visayas’ tourism industry.
“Iloilo is a place of good-hearted people. Aside from that, it is also a tourist and investment destination,” Catalbas said.
Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Tourism (DOT) hosted a lunch for Chen, the cast of Ilo Ilo and the Singaporean media.
DOT showed a promotional video about Iloilo and other places of interest in Western Visayas, and distributed brochures.
After the film won the Camera d’Or, the search for the real Aunty Terry began. Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Singapore, took interest and ran a story about Sajonia. Part of its story read:
“Sometimes, even after years of separation, there are those who are destined to meet again. On Sunday, 23rd July, in a small hut in the village of San Miguel in Iloilo province, Anthony and Christopher were reunited with the real Aunty Terry after a 16-year separation. Words were unnecessary as they embraced. It was an emotional moment for all who were present…
“Teresita did not start working for the Chens through an agency. She was working for a family nearby for two years. Her work permit was expiring soon and she heard that the Chens were looking for a domestic helper to take care of the three boys (Anthony’s mother had just delivered the youngest son but planned to return to work after a month.) Accompanied by a friend, Teresita knocked on the door of the Chens for an interview. After hearing favourable comments from their neighbours, the Chens hired her…
“After working for the Chens for eight years, Teresita returned to Iloilo, and the Chens have not hired a domestic helper ever since.”
Charles Lim, head of Selrahco Management, was inspired to find the real Aunty Terry after hearing about Ilo Ilo.
With his help, including getting sponsorship from an airline company, Aunty Terry had returned to Singapore to attend the premier of the film./PN
Aunty Terry back in Singapore, film she inspired makes waves
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