IT SEEMS like it was only yesterday, I was a young boy enjoying the
company of family and friends in the only place I knew as home—Ibaan.
I was not aware of the reality of life then. To me, hanging out with
friends and enjoying a bottle of gin at kaunting sayahan at kulitan
was life. But as time goes on, I had to leave the comfort of home
and try my luck in a foreign land to finally make something of myself
to finally make it big, to finally achieve my dream. Now, here I am,
living thousands of miles away, working 13 hours a day, 6 days a week—sometimes
even 7—to make a living and to support the family I left behind.
I can't believe it was almost four years ago when I left my beloved
Ibaan to take a chance in South Korea. Full of hope and enthusiasm,
I was ready and very eager to fly. Yet when I look around now, I find
myself living in a small two-bedroom place with nine other people,
eating sinangag, itlog, ramion, and hot and spicy kimchi (a Korean
cuisine). This is not exactly what you call a good life.
By the way, my name is Jun Torrano, 25 years old, single from Coliat,
Ibaan, Batangas. At hindi naman sa pagmamayabang, sabi nga ng iba,
artistahin ang dating...hehehe. I am one of about 150 Ibaanians working
here. Some of us are here legally, but many are here illegally. Most
of us were hired to do the special task we'd like to call 3D jobs
(dirty, difficult, and dangerous). However, the job itself is the
least of our concern; dealing with people from a different culture
seems to be more of a challenge. Koreans are not easy to please; kahit
tama ka, in their mind, you're always wrong. They are very bossy and
often delay paying our salaries. Also, you better pray that you don't
get sick because there are no benefits and absolutely no sick leave.
You must show up for work or else... The idea of complaining or fighting
back isn't a practical option because of fear of being reported to
the immigration. Siguradong isusumbong ka nila and will immediately
be sent back home.
Some of you may wonder how one gets here. It's actually quite easy.
Just simply apply for a trainee or a tourist visa at the Korean Embassy
in Manila then look for a job here with the help of some recruiters,
and hope not to get caught and deported. The placement fee is 130
thousand pesos for the recruiter. And if you were hired as a trainee,
it is 90 thousand pesos. But before you decide to do that, please
continue to hear me out.
We spend most of our time here at work, but when we do get a chance,
we enjoy ourselves by playing basketball and attending church to pray.
Other than that, sa bahay lang kami nagpapahinga para walang gastos.
We would rather send the money back home para magamit ng pamilya at
maibayad sa ilaw. Everytime I call Inay, she never fails to complain
about that PCA (Power Cost Adjustment) that Ibaan Electric has been
adding to the electric bill. Ganun din ang akin mga kasamahan dine.
To tell you the truth, I still do not understand what it means and
why we have to pay that much. I hope our newly elected local officials
will do something to get to the bottom of it. At least, kahit mabigyan
man lang ng simpleng paliwanag. Aba, mahirap kumayod ng pera, eh.
Anyway, now that the Christmas season is coming, super tipid muna
talaga, so we can send "padala" o "package" para
maging masaya ang Pasko ng pamilya.
Despite our difficult situation here, our spirit is intact. We are
skilled workers and we take our jobs seriously. For example, we know
most Koreans don't speak English so we take great effort to immediately
learn their language so that we can break the language barrier. I
am proud to say that I can now read and write in Korean. We truly
do provide quality manpower to South Korea. Sometimes I can't help
but wonder what would happen if we only had great leaders in the Philippines
(from the President all the way down to SK representatives) who would
take care of the public interest first instead of their own selfish
personal interest, siguro asenso na rin tayo at maraming trabaho sa
Pilipinas. That way, hindi na kami lalayo sa pamilya para lang magkaroon
ng matiwasay na buhay.
It is lonely here. Kaya laking tuwa ko na lang when I found Ibaan
Online, the website of Ibaan para sa mga taga-Ibaan, in the Internet
na ginawa ng Ibaan Community Foundation. Through this powerful website,
I can communicate with our kababayan and I can read news of what's
happening. Para na rin akong nakauwi sa atin, at kahit papaano at
kahit sa kaunting saglit ay napapawi ang lungkot na nadarama.
As I look back and reflect, I realized how much I've changed.
The boy that came here four years ago full of dreams is now a man
who just wants to go back home. Unfortunately, I cannot...at least
not yet. Dahil ang butas na bulsa noong ako'y dumating dine ay halos
ganun pa rin, maliban sa nag-iisang 100 dollar bill na aking pinagkakaingat-ingatan.
Ganun pa man, I am thankful coz at least I have become a responsible
son and a productive citizen to my country.
The point of my story is that sana magkaroon ng pagbabago sa ating
bansa, unahin at simulan natin ito sa ating bayan para makita kaagad
ang pagbabago. Kung nakakaya nating magpursige para makapaglingkod
sa ibang bansa, siguro naman ay makakaya rin nating magtulungan para
sa ikauunlad ng ating sariling bayan. I know I will because I truly
miss home. Or as we say in Korean, "Ibaan mani pogoshipseyoo."
