I'm Sorry Dad

Here is another story of an OFW who wanted to lift his family's financial status by going to Mauritius and to work in a fishing vessel that later on turned out to be a living hell.

This is just an excerpt of the original article from Rinka Chic's blog. The author is relaying the story told by her aunt who happened to be one of the instruments of rescuing the OFW from his floating coffin.

Filipinos, they give out phone numbers, get to know each other specially when they're in a foreign territory. Just then out of those very few Filipinos Tita* met in Mauritius, one of them rang her in the middle of the night. He told him that there's a Pinoy locked up in a fishing vessel.. who's very sick. Just then Tita * sensed that something's wrong so she asked this guy if he could bring this man to the hospital immediately.

So this is what the other Pinoy fishermen crew did. They sneaked this sick man out of the vessel and brought him to the hospital where they met Tita*. And by then they learned how critical the physical condition of this guy. He's very thin, long-beard and weak. He's diagnosed with ulcer which became severe due to lack of medication and food while he was on board that ship. Worst, he was maltreated by the capt of the vessel who locked him up and... left there to die and be thrown to the open sea afterwards.

Sad though, but before he's scheduled emergency operation, he died. Leaving only few stuffs behind. A cellfone, wallet and shirt.

When they brought his remains back here in the Philippines, he's family couldn't believe what happened.. and really happened. (oops im having goosebumps now).

Apparently when they're checking his things, someone saw some voice recordings on the phone - made by him. These were recorded while he was on board that vessel.. suffering, alone and dying..

Tita* said that she cried over and over when she heard the recordings.. :
~ive been on this boat for so long now and they havent given me food for 3 days now
~im sorry dad i've dreamed of a good life for us.. remembered i wanted to buy a new fone for..
~im sorry dad .. dad im so alone here... it's dark.. i don't want to die here dad.. pls i dont want to die here
~it's xx days now that im locked up.. it's so dark here.. i want to go back

I can't sleep that entire night thinking of how that man suffered cruelly just for a simple dream - for his family... and the thought of being locked up, alone, sad, hopeless and dying. knowing that even if u escape that death dungeon you're still lost coz our not in your homeland.

seesh.. im having goosebumps again. well anyways, gma will be having a documentary about his story (i guess they will also play the recordings from him). It will be a campaign against illegal recruitment and how people should be careful about them. it'll be shown in imbestigador by nov.. which makes me think that i'll be missing that show since
** i'll be out of the country by then as an ofw also.. (cross my fingers and toes and.. just nothing like that will happen to me)

ok it's a true story ok.. im having goosebumps again.. so im signing off by now. :)

Being an OFW really is a sacrifice in its own context. Leaving the comfort of our own home and country, risking to take the odds of winning, hoping to support the financial needs of our families back home. Even if it would mean of working in a not-so-friendly environment just to earn that money that we don't know how to find in our failing homeland.

How many more sons are still out there? Sons who have been into this kind of situation, so alone and afraid, so desperate and helpless, saying, "I'm sorry Dad for dreaming a good life".

May God bless them all.