HELLO PO, TORONTO!
This column is especially written for Fil- Cans most especially those who hail from my ‘municipality in the sky,’ that’s Tanay in Rizal province, overseas Filipino workers in Canada and elsewhere, and those who may not be part of these 2 groups but who may understand my dyologs Pinoy words and feel what is to have hope in life and be excited as each morning dawns from today onwards.
I first met Maricel over a year ago when my family checked in at a small resort hotel in Tanay. She seemed to be head supervisor of the place as she was assigning staff to take us to our villa for us to judge if we did like the place and eventually gave our nod to be billeted there for a number of days. She did not come out as a crisp and corporate formally- trained supervisor but she was efficient, organized and seemed well- respected by the workers in the hotel.
The whole family enjoyed our stay there- my balikbayan sis was relaxed, my daughters enjoyed dips in the pool and some adventure activities, and I was thoroughly comfortable as I hied off to that hotel after a day of overseeing some work in my farm nearby.
That was a year ago.
Before the past year closed , I had an opportunity to be with Maricel again but this time, under different circumstances. She has been asked to resign by the hotel management because its owner found out that she had intentions of applying for work in a newly- opened camp resort in the area- and she has not even filed her letter of application to that place yet!
And so, there was this 32- year old single parent of two girls, suddenly jobless with out warning a few days before the onset of Christmas month of 2011 really and seriously worried about an uncertain tomorrow – literally a tomorrow that she was not prepared for (no savings, alternate job, or any source of revenue). Never mind the slave wages she was receiving- no overtime pa yun- at least there was money that came regularly. Ngayon, wala na talaga. Wala din syang naipon.
As is typical in a Pinoy locale, the family was the first to lend succor to her and her two children, aged 6 and 4. Baka medyo mind- boggling for some of you to know that Maricel’s family is as she describes it ‘almost as poor as a rat.’ Mother Mey is a barangay health worker who receives a little stipend from the local government for the 3- day a week she does health service for sitio Mala- anunang which extends to some villages along the slopes of the Sierra Madre ranges- weigh- ins, monitoring of malnourished children, checking out of common ailments; Stepdad Ruding who has been daw a true father to her and her kids, is a construction worker who is at times out- of- work; there are 2 teen- aged stepsiblings to complete the family that lives in a small shanty along a vacant lot opposite the University of Rizal System Complex. It is part of a squatter colony(‘informal settlers’ is the politically- correct word daw po) that has received warnings of ejection many times.
As uncertain of the future as how their jobless daughter felt, this Pinoy family embraced its daughter and all her concerns- ‘makakalagpas din’, that’s our way of expressing hope that something good will happen in the morrow, the specific time and circumstance notwithstanding, but when the family is tight and together, somehow the weight is not as heavy and each member feels stronger and able to bear the seriousness of whatever problem besets him.
The coconut, malunggay, papaya, langka and other trees, balinghoy, kamoteng- baging, mga gugulayin and others that Mey patiently tended in the backyard were sources of ulam that was always on the table. The rice was purchased from Ruding’s salary as construction hand. No one should should really go hungry in the mountains of Tanay, that’s what mother Mey says, if only one were masipag, malikhain sa food preparation, and hindi mapili sa ulam- she invented several napakasasarap na ulam out of combinations of gata, tinapa, sardinas, and kadyos with gulay as the main ingredient… and Magic Sarap, ano ka. Meantime, as it was Christmas month and working people were thinking of how to spend their bonuses, I gave Maricel some small business, selling inexepensive China cellphones, ladies’ bling- blings, toys for kids, and fashion accessories for the teenage group- pahulugan all, and eventually paiyakan for some because, medyo nahirapan sya to make singil some mangungutangs. But try to earn some revenue she had to do as her eldest goes to school and had to have some money for baon everyday- talaga namang pagsisikapan ng kahit sinong magulang ang edukasyon ng mga batang tulad ni Tin- an, her eldest, who topped an assessment of day care pupils in the whole province of Rizal just a year ago. She emerged number 1 inspite the fact that she belonged to the group diagnosed earlier to be one of many malnourished children in the sitio and who needed to be monitored regarding nutritional intake- anong say nyo???
In between plying her ware and doing singilan, she would come to MetroManila to submit her resume and try to find a more regular- paying job (salesgirl, waitress, dishwasher, kahit ano lang daw). If she stayed a day longer, I would offer her the shelter of my roof and some sustaining meals- so bawas problema din niya. This went on for more than a month. By this time, she was practically staying in my home, going back to Tanay only during ‘singil’ days. I saw her upbeat and very hopeful at the start (why, she was very efficient and knew it! She was sure that employers would immediately hire her as a dynamic new member of the team); then medyo nafrustrate na a couple of weeks later because she was always told that she was ‘too old’ for the job she was applying for; hanggang I began noticing the lessening of the luster of hope in her eyes- nababaon na rin sa utang and worried where to get the payments when end of the month comes- di naman kasya ang commission from her pahulugan. Hanggang nakitaan ko na rin ng takot ang kanyang mga mata (I was secretly observing her as she came home from job- hunting each day)- a fear that baka she may not be able to find a solution to her financial woes and her dreams for the two children would disintegrate. I realized that at this point ay gutay ang kanyang puso,’alang matakbuhan as she did not know influential people to help her.
I started making calls to tried and true friends. I did not wish to abuse the kindness of these friends- for- life so this was one rare occasion that I was seeking help for someone deserving.
Friend E is a stalwart in the export of services industry in the country. She is consulted upon by government, NGOs, and colleagues in the industry. She is CEO of an ISO- certified personnel recruitment company, more than 30 years in the industry- she has staffed with Filipino expertise and specialists many companies overseas particularly in the Middle East (hotels, restaurants, department stores, etc.). She has not grown very rich- she lives a simple life, looks after her charges devoutly, and shares her professional experiences with everyone.
Learning that Maricel has had experience in hotel service, she sent instructions for her to submit requirements for pre approval of an employer abroad. In a week’s time, the foreign employers came to the city to personally do interviews and decide on final choice’s for some 70 hotel workers that they intended to hire for a soon- to- open resort in a peaceful country in the Middle East.
Madrama man, maikwento ko na nga sa inyo ang mga pangyayari- 5:30am of a Sunday, the last one of January this year, sinamahan ko pa mandin ang young mother na si Maricel to her interview appointment scheduled at 7am. We had to leave the house early as we were unfamiliar with the office address and I wished to insure that Maricel would be the first girl in the line- up of interviewees. Please take note that my friend E was not part of the group that will decide choices. Seeing that my ward possessed the necessary qualifications for the job, she was included in the list of candidates for the hotel jobs by my friend E . She was in effect, our golden key to the opening of an opportunity for our candidate employee. The instruction stated ‘strictly corporate attire’- sinunod naman po naman. Maricel was in black and red slacks and top, red leather pumps and red leather bag (pahiram po mula sa ating wardrobe cabinet itong last 2 that completed her attire).We needed to boost this woman’s morale. We hoped that she would come out as a confident and capable person during the interview even if it were only a housekeeping position she wished to apply for. Never mind the setbacks in the past. This is the dawning of a brand- new day- so sorry,medyo cliché but, I am naturally corny po.
Maricel was included in the shortlist of staff to be hired. A sigh of relief for me, and I know a deeper, more meaningful feeling felt by Maricel- a lifeline has just been thrown her way to turn a new leaf to a hopefully better quality of life.
Placement fee was waived and the employer will shoulder cost of air travel- and that went to all applicants approved for shortlisting… miracles poured for this woman, indeed! On the way to the interview kasi, iniisip- isip ko na how I can put up the placement fee for her- I did not want to be abusive naman at utangin pa ang usual and regular fee na ito charged by most recruitment agencies for processing documents for departure. But it seems that friend E has successfully appealed to the employer- kasi naman talagang most applicants are those ‘kapit sa patalim’ at nakahandang tiisin ang lumbay ng pagkakawalay sa pamilya para kumita lang. So, to ask applicants to shoulder placement fees would be added ‘cruelty’ to them.Hmm, nahabag naman po at sinagot na ng mabuting employer na ito ang gastos ng placement.
Maricel is now completing the rest of requirements needed for processing of a work visa- NBI clearances and others for a new passport application, ( done), a thorough medical examination including hepatitis testings (done)- she is scheduled to fly by the second of March this year. I gave her a loan to be used for expenses incurred in these processings.My sis Joy and I were with her all the way as she worked on these requirements- moral support, taga follow up, taga request,, kahit saan where we could assist her complete her requirements.
And indeed she and the rest of the family have started weaving some dreams again- reachable now because of the chance of a lifetime given this woman whose self esteem was at its lowest ebb only some weeks ago…a small house and land in Tanay where Mother Mey can take care of her life- sustaining plants, a space far in the backyard where Papa Ruding can tend some chickens and a pig, a chance to step into university for the 2 siblings, and continued schooling, more nutritious food, and better things for Maricel’s 2 little girls.
Instant celebrity daw si Maricel these days in her part of the sitio- first to be an OFW daw, wow naman!
These were once just lofty dreams for this impoverished family who decided to stick it out together through thick and thin…By the Maker’s will, the way is being paved for their realization.
NOTE: My friend’s name is Edwina Lema- Beech, a former professional dance artist, goodwill ambassador in dance and popular covergirl in the Philippines in the 70’s. She established her company Mabuhay Personnel Services, Inc. 30 years ago- it is ISO- certified. She has been President and/ or Chairperson of many organizations looking after the welfare of OFWs and the regulation of the service exporting industry in the country. She has led and/ or joined special missions to other countries(many of which are in partnership with government) in pursuit of improving the service exporting sytem and in support of our many countrymen welfare who brave foreign land to provide more financial security for their families.
THANK YOU PO, TORONTO!
