Philippine Embassy and Philippine Catholic Mission-Switzerland jointly conduct Seminar-Workshop on Intercultural Marriages
The Philippine Embassy’s Gender and Development (GAD) Section and the Philippine Catholic Mission (PCM)-Switzerland successfully conducted a seminar entitled, “Seminar-Workshop on Intercultural Marriages: Bridging the Cultural Divide” in Zὒrich on 31 May 2015.
The event, which targeted Filipinos who are newly-married to Swiss and those who are about to marry Swiss/foreign nationals, aimed to identify differences, both real and perceived ones, in Philippine and Swiss cultures that can create or potentially create obstacles to understanding and communication between couples.
Photos (L-R): Fr. Julipros Dolotallas, SVD, welcomes participants to the seminar; Minister Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro discusses Philippine culture and values relevant to intercultural marriages
Addressing the seminar participants, Fr. Julipros Dolotallas, SVD, of the Philippine Catholic Mission (PCM)-Switzerland, said that men and women think differently and such difference becomes more pronounced when the couples come from two different cultural backgrounds. “We hope that through this seminar-workshop we can present ways to help bridge the cultural divide,” said Fr. Dolotallas.
Philippine Embassy’s GAD focal point Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro talked about aspects of Philippine culture and values that impact on intercultural marriages such as social institutions (including the Filipino concepts of “family”, role of husband and wife, misconception about Filipino women, church/religion, circle of friends; language (verbal and non-verbal communications) including the Filipino concept of “yes” and “no” as well body language and tone of voice; interpersonal relations and the concepts of “sumpong” and “tampo”, Filipino concept of “space”; role of social events as a way to unwind; and the issue of money within the context of marriage/family life, among other issues.
Photos: Seminar participants actively engage one another in discussions
The presentation on Philippine culture and values was followed by reactions from the Swiss spouses present. A lively exchange of views on the differences and parallelism between Swiss and Philippine cultures followed.
Issues of common concerns from the side of the Swiss spouses included financial management, particularly those relating to remittances and budgeting at home; responsibilities toward extended family; as well as differences in the concepts of “time” and “personal space”. On the part of Filipino spouses, some complained that their Swiss spouses could be oblivious to the importance of “romance and courtship” during marriage, that is, their spouses tend to forget important occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries; others said that their spouses are quite strict when it comes to budgeting/financial matters.
The lively exchange of views during the workshop and open forum enabled participants to openly discuss their concerns, issues and problems, and in doing so, helped them identify measures that could bridge their differences. From the discussions, it became apparent that an in-depth briefing/orientation is necessary for interracial couples to help them understand the cultural root of their partners/spouses’ behaviour and why they behave the way they do.
The seminar-workshop was the third conducted by the Philippine Embassy aimed at helping Filipinos in Switzerland adjust to their new environment. The first was a seminar on social integration and the second was on psychosocial and legal services that are available to Filipinos in Switzerland. END
