Last week I received a txt from someone I met in a hawker's center. I came to know him while ordering a set meal of a quarter fried chicken, coleslaw, and french fries together with the soup of the day. First time I saw him he was in full smile and I don't know if he recognized me as kabayan or he's just being friendly. I sensed that he is kabayan but I am not sure so I asked him if he's one in a guarded tone. He jolted upon hearing the word and sabi na lang kuya??! ako naman ang nagulat kasi though he look young at 25 and because of his height di pa naman ako katandaan. While I was seated just in front of him and waiting for the food, he keeps talking to me in a loud voice. Since I assume that no one understand us, I do the same thing. On our not so convenient conversation, I learned from him that he is new here just over two months. That he is being discriminated by his co workers as he is earning higher than them. That he is having difficulty in his job and staying in his uncle's place far away from his work place. That he paid equivalent to two months pay for him to get his job here. That the job offer he got in pinas was an assistant cook in a restaurant, contrary to his present post which is server and cashier in a small foodstall in a hawkers center.
He sms me to let me know that he just lost his job, just on his third month because the stall he was manning closed shop. His employer already canceled his work permit and channeled his last month pay to his local recruitment agency. The agency deducted some outstanding amount which he was not aware of and ended up getting only a few hundreds. Now he is busy looking for job and he must find one within 30 days. If not he has to go back to pinas. Given the current situation here, it would be very difficult now to find a job. But he has to find job here since the amount he paid in the agency in pinas was a loan and is not been paid yet.
In my current job, for now things seems to be alright. Tomorrow the contractor will start building our site office and has given a month to complete and make it operational. Once completed only then they can proceed with the work. The contractor has given two years to complete the job, it could be longer than that since my previous project site got a year extension. As my current job assignment is a government priority project, maybe I should not worry.
Well just maybe, for now.
6 comments:
You are lucky then to have a stable job there. Well, leaving Pinas for a job, it's 50-50 situation. So, better expect the unexpected.
I hope and pray you will not suffer the same fate as that Filipino you met..It's quite scary knowing how uncertain things can be. I have heard of stories about other Filipinos who are working in MAlaysia, Singapor, Hong Kong and Taiwan who got laid off from their jobs..
Were just lucky we still have our jobs..
naku! Plano ko pa naman maghanap ng work jan! Kung hindi ako makakahanap work jan eh di mamamasyal na lang ako jan! Jijijijijiji...
@klivengood: Indeed lucky is the word, even in my field there are projects that has been halted and passing them from mrt everyday really makes me shiver.
@kittykat: thanks, prayer is the only way to counter the worrying.
@I am Xprosaic: You can still try, travel now is cheaper.
You're were surprised being addressed as "kuya." Me, I had to suppress my murderous instinct every time somebody calls me "tatay." Not because I'm in that certain age - but merely because those who call me that often times look a lot older than I am. Yikes.
We're really in for some bad times these days. I hardly know you, but I'm glad your doing well. :)
Thanks Jan for droppin, hahah my pamangkins called me papa...
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