New Year is a celebration of hope, prosperity, and love positively looking forward for a better year ahead of us. I miss home so much, kahit na medyo may kahirapan ang buhay satin iba pa din ang selebrasyon ng ganitong okasyon ang siste lang pag nasa pinas ka gusto mo umalis sa dami ng namamasko pero pag nasa malayo ka nman gusto mo nman umuwi..hay naku, ganyan ata talaga ang human psychology ika nga sala sa init, sala sa lamig. But in spite of our imperfections as human beings we cant’ really complain kasi kahit pano, kahit gano kalayo, kahit gano kahirap at madalas kaakibat natin ang dusa, sakrepisyo at sako-sakong pagngungulila sa pamilya ang pagtrabaho overseas ginagawa pa din natin mangibang bansa para maisakatuparan ang ating mga pangarap di lamang sa sarili kundi sa buong pamilya. Mabuti na lamang may mga taong tulad ni Esper Derpo, Chairman as what shes’ addressed to being the forerunner of the Filipino community based in Ikeja, City of Lagos Nigeria. So simple and jolly as she is I can’t help myself wonder what keeps her going and doing a lot more for the assistance of the pinoys working here. Intermittently sipping her drink of sparkling water while talking about the plight of some of us who were not lucky enough to get that good paying-good benefits-less stressful job, recollects the countless times she forcibly got herself up or roused from sleep to attend to a troubled kabayans and being busy chief cooking for that feast of free flowing assortment of home cooked pinoy delicacies whenever an occasion is celebrated in her abode. Her candid and simple but kind of straight forward way of putting any issues on hand only shows what the Chairman is made of. The present ban on filipino workers in Nigeria, her concerns about the Filipino workers not only in Nigeria but the migrant workers in general and the various humanitarian projects including the host country whom she thought of giving back simply because of the opportunities handed to us. These are just among other things that keeps her occupied not to mention her regular senior administrative position in the British High Commission but what strikes me the most is her reflection of a loving mother who takes good care of her offspring no matter what.
Nakakatuwang kwentuhan ang aking naranasan ng gabing yun at sa bawat higop sa kupitang tangan isang bagong issue na nman ang siguradong pag uusapan. Napag usapan din namin ang di ko malilimutang bulong na kanyang ginawa sa ating pangulong GMA nang sya ay tumanggap ng parangal bunsod ng kanyang pagsisikap na mapabuti ang kalagayan ng mga pinoy na mangagawa dito sa bansang Nigeria…akalain mo, sino ang maglalakas ng loob bulungan ang Presedente ng Pinas, to put it candidly she has been exerting and exhausting all efforts and avenues to lift that damn ban but still the answer was “don’t worry, ipapa evaluate ko kay General Cimatu”…(kay General Electric kaya total lagi nman brown-out dito eh, just kidding hehehe) Going back, our beloved Chairman takes that word from the President as some sort of a light at the end of the tunnel at least we have something to look forward to. Sayang naman ang opportunities sabi nga ni Madam Vangie ng Abuja eh pano na lng pag sila na ang umayaw (referring to the Nigreian government) isa pa baka maimpatso na yung mga bantay sa airport o bangungutin kaya. Hay naku, sana nga magbago ang ihip ng hangin at maayos din ang lahat sa tulong ng maykapal at sa walang habas na pagsisikap ng mga taong tulad ni Chairman Esper Derpo. Tall order I’d say but for somebody who has had her fairshare of experience though life that only a strong person with character can endure. A strong willed woman with a killer smile, I must admit she has done a hellofa job here and you know what, this is all for "ife" a yoruba word meaning "love" and a beautiful name for a child.
Cheers for the New Year! Let us welcome it with love and compassion by sharing our blessings with the unfortunate after all, as what John Lennon always says “All we need is Love”
Tres Bien! Chairman Esper Derpo!
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