Juan Goes To Malaysia: An OFW tale

It was just a small plane, with a large yellow sun sandwiched between blue and red trimmings painted on its tail. It landed hard creating black tire marks which seemed to glue themselves on the concrete runway. It is exactly 2:15 pm on Juan's watch. Back in Manila, his handler said he'd arrive here at 1:45 pm. No wonder they call it "Plane Always Late" or PAL, otherwise known as the Philippine Airlines.

Nevertheless, Juan was very happy. He had worked hard to save money for this trip, let alone paying P100,000 for the agency's placement fee. He had sold his parent's farm lot in Cagayan Valley to raise that huge amount of money. He is only a fast food waiter in the Philippines. Here in Malaysia, he will also be a waiter but with a difference -- a difference of about P10,000. He was promised a P21,000 monthly salary by his agency, a far cry from the P11,000 he was receiving back home. He could hardly make ends meet with that pay, but here, he can surely save at least half of his salary every month. The contract said free board and lodging. He won't be paying for transportation, and he won't be paying for food and rent. Aaah, the joys of being an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Malaysia.

He had earlier resigned from his job back in Manila. His co-workers treated him in a despedida inside a cheap waterhole, drank three long neck bottles of Emperador Lights which went with hors d'œuvres of raw mangoes, inihaw na liempo and chicken stew with tanglad. They sang "Pusong Bato," "Faithfully," and "Laklak," and a hundred more songs from a rented videoke machine. There were also female co-workers who joined them, sharing his joy on becoming an OFW at last. One of the women, Jessica, is Juan's girlfriend. He remembers the first time they went on a date at an SM mall. They were both jittery, being together alone for the first time. He remembers quite clearly how he kissed her lips, how they hold hands and how she quivers at every touch he makes over her body. They did not understand the movie, though the actors were top love-team Marianne Rivera and Dingdong Dantes . All they did inside the cinema was kiss and whisper. And after the movie, they went down to the SM Food Court area and went to Jollibee. Both of them ordered one-piece Chicken Joy, with him ordering another extra rice. It was a low-budget date, spending only a little above P500. He just cannot afford dinner dates in fancy restaurants. Jessica knows this and it's okay with her. She understands fully well Juan's capacity.

After downing three bottles of Emperador Lights, Juan got drunk. He kept on singing "Pusong Bato" mimicking Coco Martin's Tagabantay acts. He raised his umbrella in a swashbuckling swordsman stance and lunged into open air several times. They laughed heartily. Juan was happy. His co-workers were happy. Even Jessica was happy. Why not? Juan will now be a dollar-earning OFW. His wallet will thicken and grow fat with money. Jessica was expectant. She dreamed of becoming Juan's wife someday, receiving his dollar remittances every month. They planned on having two kids, give them the best school so they would land the best jobs when they graduate. And when they do, their children will take care of them when they finally retire. Aaah, the joys of being an OFW.

"Sir..."
"Sir..."

The flight attendant tapped Juan's shoulders gently and signaled her hand pointing the plane exit doors. Juan stood up, picked up his bag from atop his seat and walked along the plane's aisle. He approached the door and felt the sudden rush of hot air, the wind blowing his tussled stresses. As he went down the flight of stairs, he sniffed the gusty wind as if savoring the warm air Malaysia offers. Before finally leaving the stairs, he closed his eyes. His heart thumped wildly, his chest flooding with mixed emotions. Happy, sad, excitement, eagerness, strength and many others. He felt like a virgin about to be deflowered. It was his first time on foreign soil. Then, he opened his eyes and moved one foot then another. He is now walking upon Malaysian land.

Inside the airport, he is amazed to see familiar faces. He knows Malays have very similar facial features with the Filipinos, but he thought this people looked so much like him. And they were talking in a dialect he can recognize -- Cebuano. Jessica is a Cebuana so that's why he recognizes the dialect well. Could be fellow OFWs, he thought.

He fell in line outside a counter which bears the sign, "ARRIVAL". There are at least seven people in front of him, all talking in Cebuano. The airport officer up front processed one passenger to another until his turn comes. The officer was talking to him -- in Filipino. His eyes opened wide, his tears slowly building up as the officer kept on talking. He felt his chest about to burst, his throat choking with dried saliva.

Stitched on the officer's uniform sleeves is the Philippine flag.

END