Sunday, August 12, 2007

BUHAY AT PAG-ASA
(Ipadala ang kuwento ng inyong buhay sa P0 Box 1301, Safat 13014, Kuwait o mag-email sa radio_bengarcia@yahoo.com kung gusto ninyong ma-ilathala ang inyong kuwento kasama ng inyong larawan. Ipadala ang 2X2 photo o anumang klarong kopya ng inyong larawan. Ito po ay optional. Para sa komento, bumisita sa aking blog site: www.buhayatpagasa.blogspot.com)
‘I felt neglected by my own country’

Hinaing ng isang ‘disabled’

Dear Kuya Ben,

Greetings!
I've been you avid listener/reader since you started. If I'm not mistaken, that was early 2000 when you started a program Buhay at Pag-asa on Filipino radio here. If you may recall, you had read my letters, I'm MM. That was the code name that I had given to myself, with all the poems and letters I have sent. Up to the present I'm still your big fan.
By the way, I'm sorry to learn that your father had passed away. I know you're brave and you can overcome the pain, yes it was really painful, but God is bigger than anybody else and may His consoling power reign with you and your family!
Alam mo disperado ako sa sistema ng ating pamalaan. Nakita ko kasi ang article ni Labor Attache Leopoldo de Jesus (Panorama-July 29) about the services and benefits na ibinibigay ng OWWA once you are a legitimate member. Sa insurance benefits (b. disability and dismemberment benefits). Kung hindi mo man ipagmamadamot, narito po ang buod ng aking kuwento.
Last August 2006, umuwi po ako ng Pilipinas, bago ako umuwi kumuha po ako ng OEC sa Philippine Embassy sa Kuwait. Bumalik din ako after 15 days or so. Then, umuwi ako just after a month or two, that was October 23, 2006 at bumalik po ako dito sa Kuwait Nov. 16, 2006. Sa POEA po ako nag-process ng Balik Manggagawa ko. At hindi po ako pinagbayad ng OWWA kasi valid pa daw po iyon. So, bali ang binayaran ko lang po ay an Philhealth at ang processing fee.

Sa hindi inaasahang pangyayari, nadisgrasya po ako last Jan. 23, 2007. Na-admit po ako sa Mowasat hospital for 23 days prior to my knee surgery. Hindi po kasi kaya ng Al Razi hospital for some reasons. I paid for the bills.(I had several fractures: clavicle fractures, pelvis factures, broken fibula and my knee was totally damaged). I underwent total KNEE RECONSTRUCTION Surgery which cost me a significant amount of money. After my surgery last Feb. 14, 2007,(same hospital) It's a must to have a therapy in order for me to walk. I did it for a month here in Kuwait. But due to the fact that hospitalization and medication here is very outrageous, I decided to continue my knee therapy in the Philippines, last March 2007 for a month. I went to Ortigas (POEA) as per the advice from the Philippine Embassy here in Kuwait. You know what they told me? I already came home so it means that I'm NOT Disabled anymore. I'm with my brace when I went to POEA, but they gave me that very UNFAIR answer. I showed all my police and medical reports, x-rays, but still nothing has happened. They just throw me out of the seat to entertain another guest. No OPTIONS at all. I felt neglected by my own country, Kuya Ben. I don't know what's the reason behind. Maybe because I don't belong to a known family. I don't have a 'wasta' perhaps like most Kuwaitis do.

I'm going home again this coming December, at gusto kong idulog ang bagay na ito sa Office of the President. Puwede kaya? Kasi alam ko, hindi lang sa akin nangyari at ayaw kong maulit pa ito sa iba pang kapwa Pilipino natin. Sana bigyan din tayo ng pansin lalo na sa aming maliliit na mamamayang Pilipino.

Thanks for your time. I hope na naiintindihan mo kung ano ang nararamdaman ko bilang isang OFW. Minsan tuloy wala na akong tiwala sa ating gobyerno. Magaling lang sila kung sila ang makikinabang, pero kung sa atin nang mga OFWs wala na silang nagagawa, kundi ang mangako at mangako ng wala. Paano na ang mga hindi inaasahang pangyayari tulad ng nangyari sa akin? Kung mayron kang maipapayong mas mabuti, I will really appreciate it. Maraming Salamat po.

Gumagalang at nagpapasalamat,
MM

Hello MM! Mmmmm..Maraming salamat saÕyong liham. Biruin mo mula 2000 ikaw ay masugid ko nang taga-subaybay ng Buhay at Pag-asa. Thank you very much! Isa lamang ang iyong liham sa mga kababayan nating naghahanap ng kasagutan sa tunay na serbisyong ipinangako ng ating pamahalaan para sa mga OFWs. Gusto kong iparating saÕyo ang katotohanang nai-forward ko na po ang iyong liham sa tanggapan ni Vice President Noli de Castro. Hintayin po natin ang kanyang sagot. Sa mga nagtatanong kung anong paki-alam ni de Castro sa affair ng OFW tulad ni MM. Siya po kase ang ini-appoint ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo bilang consultant ng OFW affairs, so in a way, nagbaka-sakali po ang programang ito na bigyan niya ito ng pansin. Naka-CC rin po ang message kay Ignacio Bunye, ang ating Press Secretary at Spokesperson ni Pangulong Arroyo. Kung hindi man, kalampagin niyo po sila sa kanilang opisina sa Pilipinas pag-uwi mo ng December. Kung tutuusin, mayroong tamang ahensiyang tutulong saÕyo, nariyan ang OWWA at POEA; pero mas magandang mula sa kanila ay matugunan ang problema mo. Sabi mo nga 'wasta'. Sana maayos ang problemang ganyan, dahil, hindi lamang ikaw ang maaaring mangailangan ng tulong--- maaaring ako, kayo--kayong mga nagbabasa o maraming iba pa at harinawa ay maisaayos ang problemang ganyan.
Hintayin din po ninyo next week ang sagot nina Labor Attache Leopoldo de Jesus o assistant Labor Attache Elmira Sto Domingo. Maraming salamat po!

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