Life is Full of Surprises MIDDLE EAST COMPANY NEEDS 100 ELECTRICIANS, 100 PLUMBERS By Manny Pinol Every crisis offers windows of opportunities. I ran into a bit of a situation Wednesday afternoon when I went to the South African Embassy in Makati City to claim our visas so we could travel on Saturday for the first title defense of North Cotabatos first world boxing champion, Edrin Dapudong, in East London July 18. Arriving early at the embassy on the 29th floor of the Yuchengco Building on Gil Puyat Avenue (formerly Buendia), I was met by a brusque security guard who immediately told me to come back at 3 p.m. While he was talking to me, he was putting toothpaste on his toothbrush and when I tried to explain, he raised his hands and brushed me off. What happened next was a display of my typical self. I exploded. I may have uttered expletives but I made it clear to the guard not to talk to people in a dismissive and condescending manner. I really thought that the confrontation with the embassy guard would lead to the denial of our visa application because they have posted a signage which says: Rude people will not be served. That left me a bit worried, not for myself, but for Edrin who may not be able to travel to South Africa should our visa application be denied. I consoled myself with the thought that I will never allow anybody to disrespect my person for anything or at any cost. My self-esteem and dignity are my only treasures. But they let me in when I came back. It was a long wait though. The clock was nearing 5 p.m. and everybody was gone except I and a lean looking woman who was very respectful who talked to me with Po and Opo when I engaged her in a conversation. I found out she was working for a job placement agency which was sending workers to Mozambique to work in a coal-fired power plant. Their workers had to pass through Johannesburg, South Africa thus the need for transit visas. Liza Camarines also shared with me that her company needed electricians and plumbers for a Middle East company but they could no longer find skilled workers in Metro Manila. When she found out that I was Governor of North Cotabato, she asked me if I could help her company find electricians and plumbers who could be fielded immediately. That request gave me an idea of how many families in North Cotabato could be helped if I am able to find 100 electiricians and 100 plumbers who could be deployed to the Middle East even with a modest basic salary of 1,500 Saudi Rial which includes food allowance. I assured her I would help her find the workers and we exchanged numbers right away. Shortly after that, the Visa Section clerk called me out and even apologized for the delay in the release of the Visas and I left ahead of Liza. Leaving ahead of her, I walked out of the Embassy office happy and light-hearted. I stood up against a rude guard and protected my dignity and I was able to get our visas and fulfill our engagement in South Africa. Most of all, the anguish of waiting turned into a very fruitful development and it opened up a window of opportunity where I would be able to help at least 200 of my provincemates find jobs. This would be a great blessing in the face of widespread poverty in the province which has rejoined the ranks of the 16 poorest provinces in the country with a poverty incidence per family of 43.9%. Indeed, every crisis offers windows of opportunities. (Photo credit: Photos of electrician and plumber were downloaded from Yahoo.) (Note: Cotabatenos who would like to grab the work opportunity as electrician or plumber could contact my secretary Joyce Tupas through 09485036849.)
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 00:19:12 +0000
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