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208 Panel 5At the same time, Filipino community formations(emerging from restricted settings) seem to bemaximizing available venues, for example, where thechurch has also been appropriated as a physical, sociocultural,“national” space for Filipino migrants. Whilegiving them opportunities for “bonding” (as someFilipino leaders call it), these in turn usually offeroccasions for deepening community formations, orcreating and formalizing support groups andassociations, for and by migrants, focusing on theirneeds and concerns, however they may define it intheir respective localities.NGOs and Local Support NetworksAside from church-related spaces, migrant ethnicassociations also operate within a larger constellationof actors and agencies, including national and regionalNGO networks, unions and local government bodies.There are Malaysian and Japanese non-governmentorganizations that aim to provide support to foreignnationals residing and working in their countries.Apart from extending specific forms of assistance—daily living assistance, domestic violence interventionslegal aid, arbitration, information and education, laborcase support, translation and facilitation services,medical assistance and other basic services—thesegroups may also engage in legislative and policyadvocacy, and nationwide campaigns. Moreover, looseformations, such as MWG in Malaysia and SMJ inJapan to which some migrant communities areindirectly or directly connected, gather like-mindedorganizations in regular discussions that tackle criticalissues and emerging developments in migration, attimes rallying around common platforms andcollaborative engagements.By linking up with these formations, self-organizedmigrant organizations also enhance their “capacity toassist” co-nationals, extending the range of servicesthey may offer (or refer) to compatriots in need, bytapping other allied organizations which specialize onparticular aspects and issues related to migrants. Forexample, the NGO Asian People Together establishedin Japan brings together local and migrant volunteersin the service of foreigners in the prefecture. As Iobserved, the NGO serves as a platform by whichmigrants can offer their services to other foreigners.The NGO extends a range of services includingtranslation, counseling, legal assistance, facilitation,workshops and referrals. In handling individual cases,the migrant community gains access to these services,which they might otherwise be unable to provide ontheir own. As such, migrant community volunteers areable to respond more effectively to individual cases.Moreover, through these networks, issues concerningmigrant workers on the ground are taken up on larger,mainstream, and more influential venues. In thisregard, self-organized groups also function as focalpoints, through which relevant, up-to-dateinformation, and critical debates may be disseminatedto a wider audience of migrant workers on the ground.Here, policy questions and advocacy points could betaken up. Through these extended networks, selforganizingmay be situated within a broader practical,political and discursive terrain that goes beyondhandling of individual cases and holding particularevents.Local and Transnational InterventionsCommunity involvement, usually constructed as aform of service for the benefit of kababayans, can besituated within both a localized and transnationalframe. For one, community interventions may begeared toward compatriots (kababayan) locatedoverseas or at home.Here, the construction of the Filipino constituencyextends beyond their local area, even as the choice ofinterventions still tends to be rather localized, usuallysmall-scale and directed at hometowns and origincommunities.Apart from observing traditional and cultural events,some formations also organize other activities for themigrant population in their areas, and/or for Filipinocommunities at home. For instance, variousassociations, including those so-called social clubs mayorganize fund-raising events, such as bingo socials orconcerts, as an activity for socializing but also for thebenefit of communities in the Philippines. Proceedsgenerated from these activities are sent back home,for disaster victims or other beneficiaries suchas schoolchildren or women’s livelihood projectsimplemented in their hometowns.Many leaders from various communities shared storiesof their initiatives to help the victims of TyphoonOndoy. Others had begun initiating events for allforeigners in their area, not just Filipinos, creatingopportunities for the foreign populace to gather, sharetheir experiences and cultures, for instance throughannual events such as Migrant Sunday (Penang) orcasual tea parties.The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows