Tales of Filipinos in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

To embrace the spirit of the sociolinguistics of global Asias, we in this chapter attempt to paint a picture of the diverse Filipino community in Brunei Darussalam as we engage with multiple forms of history that have brought “the Philippines” into the consciousness of everyday Brunei since its independence in 1984. Through a free-styled and storytelling writing approach, we show how Brunei has become one of the most popular destinations for Filipinos, both professionals and workers in the service industry. We shall walk you through restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and schools where Filipinos are the main players, and to churches and dance halls and music scenes around which Filipinos have imprinted their cultural and linguistic identities. We also show how the significant presence of the Filipino community has resulted in the introduction of the Tagalog language program at Brunei’s flagship university—Universiti Brunei Darussalam. We argue that the mobilities of foreign workers from other Asian countries to Brunei, particularly those from the Philippines, have contributed to and enriched language practices in multiple domains in this sultanate. We also attempt to theorize the relationships of mobility, language, and cultural identity in ways that take into account the unique context of Brunei and its engagement with global Asias.