... continuation
... the capital city of PNG for a possible attack.
According to our intelligence report, from Filipino teachers based in those areas, our site would be attacked by the natives from all fronts. Meaning about 30 to 50 tribal groups are to attack us for their breakfast, lunch and dinner unless our client would pay the royalty money. Almost one third of Papua New Guinea Armed Forces were frantically diverted to Kiunga Province to augment the original forces assigned there for the protection of the lives and equipments of the company. After a week of negotiation with the tribal heads, things were agreed and there was peace again in the site. As I thought of my family, it did pass to my mind just to go home, but my goal was much greater than my desire. Also, nobody from the expatriates tried to resign or else it could have been a big dent on the pride of my fraternity Lex Taliones from San Beda College of Law.
For the first time in my life I was shaken to death. I was just imagining myself how it would feel when they would start barbecuing me. In spite of our Plan B to escape via the river taking the tugboat of the Filipinos we were resigned to die by giving them a good fight on a hand to hand combat. We were not marines yet all our rooms were fully armed with bows and arrows, hatchets, bolos and some bottles of Molotov bombs with find sand inside to make it hot flying element. Thanks to my experience as a street parliamentarian during the Marcos regime. After those worst upheavals, things came to stillness. We were back to work. Yet the experience kept me petrified even in my sleep. It was a long one until I experienced peace knowing that I was there for the future of my family and a good show off for the people who kept me at bay during my days in the Philippines.
Because of that long work lull, the project was at full blast, trying to keep up with the work slippage, therefore the arrival of materials and equipments was indeed heavy and taxing yet when we transposed this into work, the overtime was more than we could handle. As a matter of fact my paycheck was so huge that I made a comment that I should have worked abroad long time ago. Things were getting to be much better for us. I felt that working overtime was necessary yet I recognized the big spiritual negative effect because I often missed my Sunday masses. So my life abroad was driven by my desire to work and work and earn dollars even at the expenses of forgetting my Sunday mass obligation.
My job as a Material Specialist was physically difficult. I had to climb the ships cargo bay, jump from container to container and to look at the million dollar heavy equipments for any damages. I was the wharf’s last word. Neither ship nor barge could be unlashed unless I say so. I was the ship’s captain pain in the butt. I was also in-charge of identifying materials that nobody could identify.
Comparing my job to the last one as ...
...to be continued
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