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by Elizer Penaranda Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:20 pm

HOME RUN

by Elizer Penaranda

�Please release me, let me go��

This has been the undying theme song of us migrant workers under the Employment Permit System. We �re bounded by labor policies provided by the Ministry of Labor. And one of these is the privilege of being employed four times in different companies under the same category. Consequently, these chances have significantly affect the living and working conditions of us either positively or the otherway around . This is very evident in our two feature workers who experienced the two faces of a worker�s life.

Boyet, a 30-year old worker who worked as a waiter in Davao and had no factory experience yet before working to Korea. He was employed in Seoul and worked in a plastic injection manufacturing company. According to him, he�s been exposed to the Korean �pali�system and that made him a bit careless. Eventually, he came up with a number of rejected products. Also he complained the �No Work, No Pay� policy of the company, verbal abuse from his Korean co-workers and less conducive accommodation esp. during winter time in the container van which served as his shelter. As a result, he had filed a complaint against his employer regarding salary and the said problems. Unfortunately his employer out of anger �released� him out. Until in August last year, after losing the work permit due to three �releases� he decided to run back home and reapply for EPS in Korea this year.

And Edwin, a BS Engineering graduate from Bulacan has no work experience also in manufacturing company. Like Boyet, he was not exposed to manufacturing type of work. He used to design buildings and bridges in metro Manila. But in Busan, he is exposed to grinding metal parts in a shipyard for he worked for a metal fabrication company. He was used to the �pali� system and worked for long hours. Also, he patiently treated his co-workers well despite of the vulgar words like �sikya� and �shibal�. For three years, he just did what he was supposed to do as a migrant worker: strong faith in God and determination to uplift the living condition of his family. These were all his inspirations to survive. Today, he just arrived from one month vacation for he has given another three years of work contract by his employer. Laughing

They are just two out of 18,665 Filipino EPS workers who have tasted both the bitterness and sweetness of being away from home, obviously, for work reason. We have sacrificed everything just to improve our families living condition. Boyet who has easily given up in just a short time of work and Edwin who patiently worked with his co-workers are reflections of our struggles and dreams. Like them, we are working in the so called dirty, difficult and dangerous type of jobs. But it depends on how we motivate ourselves too. Let us be informed of the current labor policies and issues so that we�re guided properly in our work. These will surely lessen the burdens due to the problems we daily encounter. In all our �releases�, struggles, failures and success, there will only one destination that awaits us all at the end�home.

by amie sison Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:52 pm

idol ko yan si eli.....galing mag sulat

by crazy_kim Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:14 pm

nice article!!!

sana lahat ng ofw maging maayos ang working condition nla s mga bansang pgttrabahuhan nla..but reality bites hindi lahat sineswerte...pero pray lang ky GOD...n mging maayos sna ang klagyan at kbuhayan ng kniknilang mga pamilya...

thanks for sharing!!!

by jeonna Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:41 pm

galing naman! napaka importante din g health sa trabaho at saka malakas. kain talaga sa tamang oras para may panlaban satarabaho.

by WARLiE Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:22 am

nice one... sa mga kgaya nting nkikipagsapalaran dito sa bnsang korea, mgagamit ntin ang kasabihang: "LAKASAN LANG NG LOOB YAN!".

by Cielo Sat Aug 02, 2008 7:25 am

hay!naku mahirap talagang makipagsaplaran sa ibang bansa,hindi mo alam kung anong naghihintay sau,
kala nila sa pinas pag nagabroad ka maganda na buhay mo hindi lang nila alam may ilan satin d2 na ganito ang inaabot,tulad ng sabi ni warlie "lakasan lang ng loob yan"pero sana lagi pa rin tayong magdasal para sa ikabubuti at kaligtasan natin d2 sa ibang bansa at ganun din ng mga kababayan natin.
salamat po sir Elizer 4 sharing us this wonderful article

by Elizer Penaranda Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:34 am

Thanks amie, crazy_kim,warlie,jeonna and Cielo for the appreciation!

by angel Tue Aug 05, 2008 4:03 pm

Cielo wrote:hay!naku mahirap talagang makipagsaplaran sa ibang bansa,hindi mo alam kung anong naghihintay sau,
kala nila sa pinas pag nagabroad ka maganda na buhay mo hindi lang nila alam may ilan satin d2 na ganito ang inaabot,tulad ng sabi ni warlie "lakasan lang ng loob yan"pero sana lagi pa rin tayong magdasal para sa ikabubuti at kaligtasan natin d2 sa ibang bansa at ganun din ng mga kababayan natin.
salamat po sir Elizer 4 sharing us this wonderful article

korek ka sis cielo akala ng marami sa atin sa Pinas kapag work tau sa malayo ok na kung alam lang nila how hard it is, physically, financially,emotionally sometimes mentally pa. Dasal talaga at tibay ng dibdib ang sandata sa pakikiapag sapalaran sa ibang bAnsa. Ingatan din natin ang ating kalusugan. sana lang wag nating kalilimutan na Pinoy tayo at sana magtulungan tayo lahat hindi yung kapwa pa natin mismo ang binabagsak natin.

thanks sir eli for sharing...sana maraming Pinoy ang magising sa article mong ito..