Jose Marcelo



Everyday dozens of Filipinos roll the dice in Macau not inside the halls of its grandiose casinos but in the airport and ports leading to this gambling capital of Asia.

Lured by its thriving economy, Filipinos take advantage of cheap flights mostly from the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga and take their chances in the former Portuguese colony.


"ang daming Pilipinong dumadagsa sa Macau araw araw," said Ariel, a security guard in one of Macau's casinos.
"Marami sa kanila ay legal, marami ring mga turista, pero marami rin sa mga ito ang nag babakasakali lang na makakita ng trabaho dito."


The latest statistics at the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong show there were 8, 260 documented Filipino workers in Macau at the end of June. But consulate officials estimate there are well over 10,000 Filipinos there on any given time.


The bulk of the difference represents Filipinos who go to Macau in search of work. Some hit the jackpot, but some suffer the proverbial lutong Macau and there the problem starts.

to be continued....