Connections: Celia and Delia

Celia and Delia are members of Spectrum’s Filipino Social Support Group. They grew up in a home with 13 other siblings* where learning to share and care for one another was a family affair. Nowadays, they share a home together and continue to inspire each other to be their best selves.

Clockwise from top left: Delia aged 4 with Celia aged 6 years old; present day at the Filipino Social Support Group; recent photo celebrating Philippines Independence Day; Celia aged 24 and Delia aged 22.

CELIA: I was born in Santa Cruz in the Philippines. My mum and dad had a tailoring shop. They were tailors in Australia for two years before they got the pension, so they could support our brothers and sisters in the Philippines. When we were working and people would see our dress, or our coat and they would ask, “oh, where did you buy that?” I would say, “My dad made this”.

After high school I finished secretarial studies and then I worked five years before I pursued university education. I finished my Bachelor of Science and Business Administration, majoring in Management, at the age of 31. Then I supported my other sister to do her architecture degree. In our family we have two nurses, one dentist, one in communications, an electronics engineer, another in civil engineering, and three teachers.

I’ve been here in Australia 36 years this coming August. I already knew some of the social support group clients before I joined with Spectrum. I enjoy the camaraderie and the exercise. It’s good to get out of the house.

Delia is very demanding, but we are close.

She’s the President of the St Francis Filipino Senior Citizens Club. They have more than 200 members. I help to organise the food. I cook all Filipino food, like menudo, apretada, kare-kare, mechado.

We travelled together too. In September last year, we went to the Holy Land – Israel, Egypt, Dubai and Jordan. It was very special. I felt like I wanted to cry, especially when I touched where Jesus Christ was born and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where He died – you feel different. It was difficult to travel, especially the food, because it was spicy.

Sharing is our motto – and supporting each other. We share secrets (but won’t tell). Especially about our childhood sweethearts.

DELIA: Actually, we are really close. In the Philippines, we sleep together because we were too many of us. We go to work together. It so happened that one time we worked together in one company.

Do you believe that we had suitors who were brothers? We were about to mail letters to our suitors, but my dad saw the two letters. He was very protective, so we cancelled everything. We were just teenagers. Nothing happened, that’s why we’re still single

My sister Imelda came to Australia in 1986 and started sponsoring other family members to come. I was the last to come; I’ve been in Australia since 1991.

In the Philippines I had two jobs. I was working in the US navy and in the nighttime, I taught part time at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. I didn’t want to come to Australia, but the family said come and have a look. I came with my adopted son – as tourists, and he didn’t want to come back to the Philippines because almost all the cousins were here. We had to go back to get proper papers, and after six months we came to Australia.

I am really proud that everyone in our family finished their studies. Whoever finishes school, we are assigned another sibling to help with their fees and an allowance. For poor people, education is your weapon.

Our first generation is mum and dad. Then there were 15 children – 13 of us here in Australia. There are 34 nieces and nephews in the third generation. The fourth generation has 42. And there are now two in the fifth generation!

We all get together at Christmas, and we have to ask each one “would you like to host Christmas?” so its not always in our house. They bring their own food. You should see the gifts, looks like a mountain!

Celia is the demanding one. We practice seniority rights; because she is the elder sister, she’s acting like mum. For example, someone died in the Philippines, and they are asking for help. Okay, so we have to ask the siblings. So how much, twenty dollars? And she says “no, they are working, tell them to give fifty!”

As normal as we are, we are always commenting on what we are doing. “You should have said this, You should have done this!” But that’s not as competition, but as improvement.

We share everything, even the problems.

Celia says I can’t live without her. I say, “you can’t live without me!”

*All siblings were named in alphabetical order: Angelito, Benjamin, Celia, Delilah (Delia), Elisio, Frederico Jnr, Generosa, Helen, Imelda and Josephine (twins), Kim, Lucilla, Mona Lisa, Nenita and Oliver.

Find out more about our Social Support Groups.