Unforgettable stay in Manila

I sometimes (or oftentimes) eat goto along the sidewalks for only P 12, just to save some penny.

Roaming around in this crowded city

It was four years ago when I visited Manila for the fourth time, and this time at the age of 24 I am already finding my luck in this big and crowded city.

I first visited this place in 1988, when I was still 8 and no other things in mind but to roam around and made some lakwatsa and pasyal elsewhere in Big Bang sa Alabang, (No SM in Las Piñas at that time yet), RFC, Uniwide, Sangley Naval Base in Cavite where my uncle, Papa Juan worked as soldier, Manila Zoo and many other places of interests in this beautiful place? (that was my first impression of this city, some hundreds of miles from my hometown in Leyte).

All that I’ve seen in Manila was the imposing structures, sophisticated vehicles and machines, everything that is high –tech (at age of 8 I have not visited the places which is the other face of the city). I thought then that Manila is all beautiful and all people living here were rich and riding in their cars.

My uncle, Daddy Vic has his own car, (he is a bank executive in Makati) and he drove us to Jollibee or Mac Do or anywhere we wanted to.

1995, I am back in Manila, with my family. I am already in my highschool but since our relatives live in a posh subdivision in Moonwalk Village, I have not (again) seen some other places in this city where ordinary folks live and work. All that I see is the grandeur and spectacle in this lively place on Earth. I’ve heard about traffics, brownouts, no water, or flooded places in this city, but did not care to listen since I didn’t experience those things in this place. We live in the house of an affluent family and we have everything in my uncle’s house.

In 2002, we made a short visit again in Las Piñas for two weeks and our activities limited only to visits of our relatives and some shopping at SM Southmall.

But my most unforgettable stay in Manila was in 2004. At this time, I am no longer accompanied by my Mama or any of my brod or sis. I travel alone and stayed for few weeks in a military camp in Sangley Air and Naval Base in Cavite City.

I meet the woman whom will be my life’s significant other, the 18-year old Ritchel “Cheng” Caabay from Palawan (who is 6 years younger than I am). We’ve met some three or four years ago, and it was just a simple, unfussy acquaintance. Now she’s is our house taking care of our one –year old baby girl, Johnill May (Angel).

The tragic twists of events and the indifference of my relatives in Manila compelled me to stand on my own feet. I don’t want to be enslaved anymore by anybody or I don’t want to be hurt by a relative, if they discriminate us of being poor then I’d better find a way to survive here in this city.

It was truly very unexpected. My Mama and her siblings were very close. We received any gifts (almost everything) from them without knowing that they have hidden agenda against us. I must admit that they accommodated me in their house, where I stayed for weeks or even months but instead to hear pleasant things from them, it turned out to be a disaster. I pray to the Lord that I can forgive them, so that I will be forgiven too.

They did not help me to find a job instead they used me in doing everything (errand) and pressured to do what they wanted. I cannot rest, I spent some sleepless nights, and I am depressed. Wa ko kahibawo sa akong buhaton.

In those troubled times, I frequently visited the Baclaran church with very small of money on my pocket but I spend time in praying and asking for God’s guidance. I asked the Lord for his grace, I prayed and told Him that I am about to surrender, I did not know what to do, and I am nothing without Him.

During noontime, I will spend P 8 for my lunch of goto or any streetfood in Baclaran and along the sidewalks in Las Piñas. Sometimes, fishballs, or squidballs would be enough for my lunch or dinner. Nag practice ko nga mag tipid because I know that sooner I will leave the house of my uncle. His son (my first degree cousin) has already packed his bags and I did not where he is. Those difficult times were spent in reflections and prayers. I roamed around the city by foot looking for any job hiring posted on the walls, but it often ended in nothing.

This things lurked in my mind, I been helping my uncle in their house and whatever he instructed me to do, but he did not bother to help me in looking for a job. He has the connection, and friends ang nakapait kay iya ko gisultihan, kaya tika nga pasudlon sa kompanya sa akong mga amigo, pero dili ko kana buhaton.

It turned out that going away from this palatial house would mean blissful freedom on my part. I did not depend from anyone else’s help I do my own work and ask some help of my friends. It was my first time to do such thing in my entire life. I live in a friend’s house, I help them in household chores, and earn some few barya for a living.

My sorrows then turned to joy. My friends shared with me their angst and sentiments in daily lives. We eat together, drink together, sing at the videoke, and talk everything in this crowded place and the houses are dikit –dikit. Garbage are everywhere in this place, the old dumpsite was cultivated for pechay production and the people here plant camote and other vegetable.

I was happy, but my concern is that I don’t have any money. How can I survived. For several days I was given food by my friends usahay kung asa ko agdahon adto ko mokaon, unya anha ko matulog sa gawas sa balay, sa bilyaran (outside their house) nga gitabilan ug trapal.

Pagka pait sa akong kinabuhi. I left my uncle’s house with only P 20 on my pocket. The good thing is that Cheng helped me and we shared our meager resources, since she also packed her bags to escape her boss’ (a lady physician) maltreatment. We stayed in one house, there in the squatter’ area where I live (in Pulo, I forgot the name of the barangay I think it was Talon 2, near BF homes). We rented a room in a very crowded, messed up neighborhood near the creek. And since then we live together in one house, and the rest is history.

I find a job as merchandiser/ management trainee in an international company DS Max and we sell imported merchandise at very low price. But since it involves house-top-house selling di gyod ko kaagwanta, dili sab ko mahalinan, naay higayon nga nahalinan ko ug more than daghan my commission reaches more than P 200 pero kausa ra to mahitabo. The rest of my experience was really a disaster. Alkanse gyod. You need to spend your own money for the fare going to the area (sometimes Cavite, or Muntinlupa, one time we were in Bicutan, and then we also have some house-to-house in BF, Parañaque), then spend some money again for the lunch and pamasahe bound to the company’s office in Las Piñas and then pamasahe again for the homeward bound –PUJ. Usahay alkanse gyod kay ang gastos nako all in all let’s say P 40 unya kung ang commission nako inig ka hapon is only P 30 how can I recover that. I left because of the unfair practices and violations of our rights (gihurat pa ko sa among boss) his name is Ramon, I forgot the family name somebody from Zamboanga.

Looking for a job in this city was never easy. Pagkapait gyod sa akong kinabuhi pero ing ani man gyod ni. I and Cheng was planning to go to our home provinces pero unsaon man? We have meager resources nga igo lang gani sa among pagkaon.

I got sick in Pulo (still in squatters area) and was in bed for almost two weeks. I did not know what happened to me. But I suspect napasmo ko kay magpalipas man ko sa gutom o basin sab overfatigue. I thought it would be my end. But thanks God, He gave me another life.

My second work in Manila, as agent of Powerex energy saving device has saved me. I worked in Las Piñas for more than 1 month and I tried to perform well to become close to our boss, Sir Wayden and Mr. Dee. Then since the group will go to a provincial sortie (caravan) in Biliran and Leyte towns, naniguro ko nga makakuyog.

It was also during this time, when Cheng discovered the address of her elder sister, Liit in Zapote and we live there for few weeks. When I have already earned some money in the caravan (siguro mga 5,000) ako na siyang gikuha sa Manila and I brought her to Leyte this time.