That Friend's Advice and Regrets

 

        By Vic Odarve

 He was one of those young and aggressive labor union leaders in the wood industry, as if by chance or fate, lead the leading company into a closure due to labor unrest. Like Hitler, he typically spoke with strong and remarkable persuasion and became the influential figure as one of the most feared worker’s local union leaders in the democratic country. Because of standoff between worker's union and the company, his close friend and supervisor Vic earnestly advised him what his best decision would be.” Monching, the wage increase is justifiable, why not accept the company’s reasonable offer instead of going a strike?” But Monching argued persuasively, “We don’t believe this company is losing. We will fight valiantly to the end”.

Pulp and Paper Mill-PICOP

After a week of complex negotiation with the arbitrary committee promptly formed by the local government, the company and the local labor union did not reach an agreement. Hence, labor strike ensued. The company stopped instantly its local operation, and the daily wage workers brought placards on the bustling streets demanding fiercely their wage increase. The strike incurred heavy loses to the company until it declared total closure. As in most big companies with labor unrest, this resulted to hundreds of families displaced and jobless. After a year, the affected workers tried landing a job just to have both ends meet.

 Forty years had passed, Monching looked old now. He had become weak, thin, and rough like all the men of impoverished households. With hair half combed, with dirty shirt, and dirty hands, he sat down near the window and always remembers the excellent advice from his plant supervisor Vic at the plywood department so long ago, when he was so powerful and so admired as a union leader. What would have happened if he had agreed and signed the agreement? Who knows, who knows? For sure, the company would still be operating, he mumbled.

One Sunday afternoon, as he walked leisurely along the Esperitu St. to refresh himself after the hard day’s work, suddenly he instantly saw a decent man walking with a child. The man was Vic, his former supervisor and close friend, still looking young, still strong, still charming.He felt ashamed and emotional. Should he speak to him? Yes, of course. Why not?

 

Some workers returned to farming

"Good afternoon, Noli", he said with a smile. The other, astonished to be addressed by his name, did not recognize him. But after few breathless minutes, he precisely recalled his friend Monching and said gently, "Oh! ... my poor Monching, how you have changed a lot! ..." "Yes, I have had some hard times since the company’s closure and encountered many miseries. It is because I did not heed your valuable advice." "Me? How can that be?" "You remember that instead of having to sign the stalemate labor agreement as what you’ve advised, I opted to have a strike? “recalled Monching.

 "Yes. Well", said Vic with instantly dropping shoulders. “Well, I lost the job. As well as likely hundreds of daily wage earners. I did not see it. That advice was just taken for granted. “, added Monching.

 Today the plant buildings and other edifices still stands out there … abandoned and dilapidated. It is a gruesome reminder of how Monching’s key decision as union leader collapsed a big company!

 “Well, that is life. We can learn from our mistakes, but we must move on. Do not let regret gets you down,” added Vic. Life must go on! 

Sometimes a friend’s advice must not be taken for granted. Regrets come always at the end.

 

 

An Amazing Watch Repairman

                By Vic Odarve

As the grand wedding of my beloved daughter was approaching, I was passionate about wearing the old, treasured luxury wristwatch during the festive occasion. But it had a problem. Sometimes the watch second-hand moved forward erratically and ticks back and forth in one spot. Hence, I promptly decided to refer to a watch repair shop inside the mall and surprisingly, the charge for repair was P2700.00 excluding charges on parts to be replaced, if any. Because of short of budget, I instantly decided to be back on the other day. 

Watch Repair Shop

While going home and walking along the narrow aisles in the San Pedro Street, I passed by a glass shelf a meter wide with a flipped over the paper sign, “Watch Repair”. Just for curiosity and after a brief discussion with watch repairman, I asked,” How much is the charge for this watch to repair?”. Repairman Mando modestly replied, “Five hundred pesos, Sir. “Without hesitation, I handed my watch and curiously did an eagle eye how he carried out the repair. Astonishingly, he completed the job in an hour! As anticipated, Mando assured a warranty of 6 months.

Even after a year since repaired the watch worked perfectly without any specific problem. But the historical memory of Lando, wearing slippers, short pants and sleeveless shirt, and his small watch repair shop and the savings entailed on the repair cost of my wristwatch always haunting my memory. And he has been on this local business for 15 years. This business traditionally supported his family in making both ends meet. Unlike watch repair shop on the local mall where customers queued, this shop along this street sidewalk seldom had a customer! Since then, the picture still fresh in my memory.

Mando residential house

 Not long ago, our neighbor requested my help to seek a buyer for her house and lot located just a few meters from my residence. She planned to leave and join to her son living in Canada. To seek a prospective buyer, we posted in Facebook marketplace,” For sale house and lot for P2.9 million. Direct buyers only.”

A day later, a man came and visited the house and lot and keenly interested to buy. To my surprise, he was Lando, a watch repairman who did the job of my watch a year ago along the sidewalk of the San Pedro Street. Completely dumbfounded, I thought to myself ‘this watch repairman is a silent millionaire!’

Overtime, I learned that he lived just a block away with a three-story house worth around P5million. When I asked him what he should do with this house, he just merely says, “just reserve for the future once we grow old.”

His respond sounds good but pierced to my heart. Nowadays, even engineers and OFW’s have no millions of pesos in saving at hand.

San Pedro St, Davao City

And so, it is with life…As most people say that you cannot judge a book by its cover. It is baffling to believe a sidewalk watch repairman, who at your first meeting looks pitiful like most of the street vendors where having a difficulty in meeting both ends. How he did a saving and owned a house to such extent mystified me. It is possible that this guy won a lottery or conceivably had a wealthy aunt that died and left him millions of pesos. Nobody knows!

He is indeed an amazing watch repairman.

 

The Man Who Dreamed to Have a Tall Children

            By Vic Odarve

“If I will marry her, our son or daughter would be like us…small and dwarf like”, retorted Dodong who stands 4’11” when his fellow workers hinted that they are compatible and really meant for each other with office mate named Gingging. Gingging is a petite and at the same height with Dodong. Since they are of almost the same age of early thirties and still singles, their office mates dearly wanted them to settle down. Though somewhat like a mild joke and nonsense in the beginning but later becomes irritable to their ears. And as days on, his insightful comment sparked like a wildfire in the local office.

PICOP, Bislig, Surigao del Sur

Dodong and Gingging were both engineers by chosen profession. True, as Gingging was petite and Dodong was also small and short guy, their possible offspring might be as short like them. In fact, Dodong’s aware parent earnestly advised him to marry a girl taller than him. Because of the matching joke that they were really meant for each other, they intentionally tried to carefully avoid meeting in the office.

The working environment seemed hostile to them. The words compatible or meant to each other was irritable to their ears. However, they managed to restrain each other though the girl sometimes seemed a feeling of hatred toward him.

Unexpectedly, few years later, the plant ceased its operation due to labor unrest between the management and the labor union. The company’s local operation collapsed like the house of cards. All the employees had to pack their belongings and sought a job elsewhere. As jobs opening were scarce in our country, most of them had secured jobs in the middle east. Since then, the closure disrupted their communication among friends.

PICOP Technical Services

Many years had passed, and lately the pandemic covid-19 spread around the globe. OFW’s were returning home as most of their overseas operations stopped.

Two of their friends from the Middle East due to pandemic returned home, for good. While the two were at the hotel counter desk waiting for the receptionist, they had learned that the establishment was owned and managed by Dodong and Gingging. “Madam, can we talk to Dodong or Gingging? Just tell them their friends are here,” they requested the woman receptionist.

A moment later, genuinely shocked, and surprised, Dodong saw them at a distance in a toothy smile. Like before as friends in a previous company, he instantly threw his arms around their necks and said,” How are you then my friends? It’s long time, no see.” “We are fine,” the two said with a pleasant smile. 

Pinoy OFWs

And while dining they laughed and happily reminisced about their past the time they were working in a plywood and paper company. When asked how their love blossomed after the company’s closure, he simply said, “You know friends - life is full of imperfect things... & imperfect people. Even my parents reasonably objected the idea of promptly marrying her simply because we too are small and short. But with our constant communication, we fell in love and got married, “said Dodong. A burst of laughter naturally followed.

As we checked out, Dodong, Gingging, and their only daughter assisted us in our belonging to a taxicab waiting nearby. The family, as cute as they were, portrayed as what their parents and friends expected while we worked together in a plywood and paper company.

Now when I see this modern hotel and restaurant near the overpass of Farmer’s Market in Quezon city, I always remember Dodong and Gingging and their sole daughter…an attractive and petite lady.

Precisely, as what Dodong had dreamed before of having a tall child remained a dream!