“Nanghihinayang ako sa ibinabayad kong buwis sa gobyerno.”
These words were from a former neighbor who, despite a successful electrical engineering career in Tarlac, opted to risk the uncertainties of an expatriate’s life in London, where he, his wife and three children are now living.
“At least doon, mataas man ang binabayad na buwis, sulit naman,” he added.
Yet this engineer isn’t the only person I know who, despite an earlier reluctance to leave the country, was forced to go abroad because of the anti-Filipino conditions in this country.
A high school friend of mine, for example, was — and still is – the most patriotic Filipino I have ever met. When we were in high school he would always tell me that he’d never leave the Philippines to work in a foreign land and to work for foreign people. He would always tell me that his skills were only in the service of his people.
After getting his degree in Nursing and passing the licensure exam, my friend promptly volunteered as a nurse in a public hospital. Even before his “tour of duty” as a volunteer nurse ended, he was already preparing to apply in the same hospital as a regular nurse. When I asked him why he wouldn’t apply in private hospitals, he said: “This is where I will be most happy because this is where I am most needed.”
But alas he could not be hired! The hospital wasn’t hiring anyone because it did not have the money for this purpose. The politicians who controlled the funds made sure all the money available would be spent on projects that, while useless, would ensure a steady supply of SOPs to make their already bulging pockets bulge still more.
Next, my friend applied for a nursing position in a military hospital. He had wanted to become a soldier, too, but his father was adamantly opposed to the idea. He said to be a military nurse was the next best thing to being a soldier. As it turned out, all that one needed to get the job was to have a “backer”. But, tough luck for my friend, he didn’t have one. He was one who always believed that government jobs should be given to the best, the brightest and the most dedicated, and never as spoils of war.
When at last he found a job at a private hospital he was so grateful that, despite the measly sum he was receiving as a salary, he worked doubly hard. Soon he rose through the ranks and became head nurse.
But while his position rose, his salary didn’t. At the time he decided to apply for a job in London his salary was less than P5,000. He wanted to stay home, but he had a wife and a son to feed. And they were leading a hand-to-mouth existence.
And to cut the long story short: my friend left for London. It wasn’t difficult for him to get accepted because he’s bright and dedicated. There was no nursing and nursing-related exam that he didn’t pass. Now he’s receiving a monthly salary that is many times greater than what my wife and I are receiving.
I don’t know why abroad is called “greener pasture” when home is not green at all.
