By Jessa Marie Barbosa
As you walk through the halls of the University, as you listen to your professor teaching the lesson for today, eat at the canteen, and hang out with your friends, has it ever occurred to you that your seatmate has experienced how it’s like to stay in the slum streets of Luneta, begging for food? Or maybe think that the person you’ve just come across in the canteen was once the farmer who dries the palays in order to become the rice that you have on your plate?
You won’t have to worry anymore for this person may be the last person who flashed you a smile.
With Nasir Lapangan’s friendly and light aura, one wouldn’t imagine that he has managed to went through all those challenges in life. he was enjoying his meal when we met, a smile spread across his face as he greeted me, “Upo ka“. I felt welcome all of a sudden. Little did I know that he’ll be sharing things about his life a little bit more than what I expected.
THE BREAK OF DAWN
Nasir, commonly known as Kim amongst his friends and classmates, was a smart child. He graduated as valedictorian during his elementary schooling. His tita was the one who supported him and was with him during his formative years. “Product ako ng broken family,” he shared. “Separated ‘yung mom and dad ko, and I never met my dad when I was younger.” However, this did not stop him from excelling well in school.
The future was bright for Kim then. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamt to be a lawyer,” he shared. He had the perfect mold for becoming a lawyer – he was eloquent, studious, and knows his obligations. His fruits of hard work paid off for he was sent to Puerto Prinseca City for his secondary education.
Hailing from the remote area of Palawan, he was an outsider when he was in high school. “Everyone was elite, ‘kung matalino ako noong elementary, ‘nung high school feeling ko ako ‘yung pinakabobo sa mga bobo.” Even with his academic load, Kim looked for jobs that could aid him in his school expenses. At seventeen, he became the youngest city tourist guide in Puerto Princesa. True enough, Kim excelled and managed to be the valedictorian of his class. You might think, what more could one ask for right?
THE NIGHT BEFORE
“Simula elementary hanggang highschool, wala akong parent na nagsasabit sa akin ng medalya. Teacher ko lang ang tumatayong parent ko,” he recalled. “Malungkot, syempre, kasi para kanino ba ‘yung mga medalya na ‘yun? Hindi lang naman para sa akin kundi para sa nanay at tatay ko.” But life without his parents went on for him. Some individuals were kind enough to support Kim in his financial situation and send him to college. He finally even met his dad who wanted Kim to migrate to Malaysia. However, he declined all of those opportunities and opted to work in Manila. “Hindi na. Sa lahat naman ng naging laban ko sa buhay, wala namang ibang tumulong sa akin kundi ibang tao.”
At that time, Kim was lucky enough to have been recruited by an agency that will give him a job at one of the well-known call centers in Manila. He could almost taste success, “gusto kong magkaroon ng bagong version ng buhay”. These dreams turned into a wishful thinking in just a blink of an eye. He was scammed. The agency wasn’t legitimate so he was forced to decide if he will just book another ticket back to Palawan or continue with his Manila ordeal.
“Sabi ng guard doon sa NAIA, ‘Sir, if I were you, I’d get another ticket at umuwi ka na kasi walang mangyayari sa’yo dito sa Manila.'” Being the fighter Kim is, he did not listen to the advice of the security guard. “Hindi pride ‘yung nananalayatay sa’kin ‘nun eh, gusto ko talagang mapaganda ‘yung buhay namin ni mommy… Gagawin ko ang lahat para maibigay ko kay mommy at sa sarili ko.”
For two months, he called Luneta Park his home. “‘Yung mga pulubi, namuhay ako na katulad nila,” he shared. “‘Yung buhay na mangangalakal ka, manghihingi ka ng pagkain sa iba… masalimuot pero pinagdaanan ko lahat.” Like most informal settlers, Kim also experienced being caught by the roaming vehicles of DSWD but he, along with his companions, escaped the center and went back to their lives in Luneta.
Luneta Park is a symbolic place for the Filipinos, and for Kim it held so much more meaning. Here, he found his friends whom he shared the same life with for two months. He said that he has encountered a lot of people in Luneta – there were robbers, drug addicts, pushers, liars, and the like. Alas, Kim found someone good. Or so he thought was good. He met a recruiter who offered him a job in Nueva Ecija wherein he will repack onions and garlic. But fate wasn’t just on Kim’s side, for he was scammed once again although this time, there was a job. “Nagulat ako, magbibilad pala ako ng palay.”
Again, Kim had no choice but to suck up his decision to move from Manila to Nueva Ecija. “Alam mo, nagbibilad ako ‘nun ng palay tapos lumuluha lang ako.” “Every night, tinatanong ko kay God, ‘kailan Mo ako yayayain sa isang magandang opportunity naman?'” Kim was hopeless and he did not know what else he could do to improve his way of life. “Nagtatanim ako ‘nun ng palay, tapos lumuluha ako, pero tiniis ko.”
THE MORNING AFTER
Little did he know that he needed to experience all those hardships in order for him to get to where he is supposed to be. While trudging the fields of palay, he used his skill as a tour guide to give local tours to tourists visiting the place. That was when the owners of the palayan knew that he could speak in English. He became a tutor of the owner’s children, and these then eventually was whom he considered family. “Sila ang naging daan ko para makapasok ako ng call center sa Sta. Rosa.” That was when Kim had found the light amidst the darkness. Even though he already employed in a call center, he was still doing his job at the palayan.
Eventually, all of those paid off. The owners of the palayan saw how dedicated and persevering he was and offered to loan him money to start his own business. From the rural places of Palawan to Puerto Prinsesa, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Kim found a new home in Laguna. “Nangolekta ako ng mga plastic bottles na basura, nililinis ko, nirerecycle at ‘dun ako kumita,” he said. He was able to house his mom and cousins in his humble abode. “May pera nga sa basura,” he shared, “Dito kami umunlad.” Currently, he has grown his trading business that is now operating with 50 employees.
If you would look at it, Kim, now in his mid-twenties, can be considered as financially stable as his business is already booming.
“Gustong gusto ko matapos kahit na ngayon kaya ko na mag-provide para sa sarili ko, o bumili ng kahit ano,” he said. “The freedom in life is not about money, hindi ‘yun ‘yung achievement na masasabi ko. Success siguro, oo. ‘Yung achievement kasi para sa akin is that you’re walking along a path na maraming tao nang tinatawag ang pangalan mo at may magsasabit ng medalya sa’kin. ‘Yun yung personal achievement ko.”
With all of Kim’s experiences, he did not give up. “May mga times na naging weak ako, tinatanong ko si God, ‘Bakit ganito?’ pero kinabukasan, ‘pag gising ko, alam kong isang araw na naman ‘yun na dumating sa akin para mabago ko ang buhay ko.” His message to his fellow Perpetualites is simple: “If you want to live a positive life, forget a negative mind.”
As we went through the course of his story, he really had to be in Luneta so he could meet the person that will bring him to Nueva Ecija, and so on and so forth. It is a chain reaction. For all the times he questioned the events happening to him, now he fully understood why they were all meant to happen.
Now, Kim’s a successful businessman who’s looking to expand his business and at the same time, he is an aspiring educator that will be of inspiration to the people he’s going to teach someday. Life is not always about hardships, and everything you go through in life has its own meaning. Like the pattern of daytime and nighttime, we also experience our own darkness in life. However, may we never cease to look forward to the morning after.
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