Heading Kuya Ronnie's Advice : PEBA Nominee 2011

Disclaimer: Hindi kasi ako makapag-comment sa blog nya for some reason so dito na lang.

I was amused with his reference to Dorothy and the ruby slippers. Ronnie's simple approach to how to discuss a main issue amongst OFWs made me think of the relatives that I have who are in other countries. My tita Lodia started working in Hong Kong when it was still a British colony. Now it's Chinese territory and she is still there. She was not able to invest a lot at home and there is not much to show for it. Her husband was not as ideal (he's my uncle by blood) and her kids are not a source of pride either. Her eldest daughter got knocked up and now has a raging little daimon of a son and her younger daughter was a former volleyball scholar who is now an out of school youth. She didn't tell her mom that she has flunked out of school and got kicked off the team a semester before thus she owes the school at least 18,000 in tuition. She can't even go back to her old home where she used to send a lot of money to because she can't bear to look at her husband who betrayed her. She has a knee injury that she endures. She got it when she flew off her husband's motorcycle one time she was back in the country. I wish she could come back home and have a chance to be happy here, to enjoy what she worked so hard for. But with no one to support her here she prefers to continue to work to save for her future.

On the other hand, I have my Tito Pako who is actually on a vacation now in the Philippines. He married a Bulakenya (tita Nancy) and they have two daughters, Elena and Patty (Fatima). He was able to invest in a home in the same compound as his parents-in-law. He asked my mom to save him money and invest it in educational plans and health plans (I don't know what happened to those since those companies have barely made it through the economic crises.) He is a citizen there because of all the years that he has lived and worked there. Their kids were born there and have dual-citizenship because of that. He is the go-to-guy when my mom can't afford my grandfather's hospital bills. But he is also saving for his future. He knows that in the future, when his kids are able to finish college, he would want to retire or take longer vacations in the Philippines. He doesn't want to die in another country though the health system there might be better than ours. The government actually gives the people refunds for their taxes and not hoards it for personal gain.

My bessie from UPLB is coming home with her mom. She is thinking of looking for a place to buy or land to buy so that she would have some investment. Her mom also wants to retire in the Philippines. OFWs in that part of the world can't get citizenship so they can't really own property (as far as I know). Her brother is going study in UP Baguio so she is thinking of making the best out of her long vacation. I envy her in a sense. I want to invest on a house as well. But if I actually do that, my parents would INSIST that I invest on a house in BATANGAS and not in the city. I wish I had enough money to buy land and have my dad build a dorm near UPLB. But that would only happen if I marry a sheik, win gazillions in lottery (I have never played so impossible) or if I inherit gold from an unknown relative. Not even prostituting myself would pay that much.

My mom mentioned wanting to invest on land near UPLB. My brother's job is based there and my mom hopes that my sister would study there as well. UP Diliman is the only other option for my sister. ^.^ I would hate to be her since she might need to bunk with me if she ever studies in Manila.

Even my ex is investing on money. But he is coming back home under shady reasons this June. There are so many stories that are untold, both inspiring, one hope the other fear. My mom keeps telling me that her shaman told her that if I go abroad she would get a lot of gain from that endeavor. *Of course she would! I would be single and my dream is to give her loads of money.* But I am too much of a scardy cat to do that. Plus, it's cold in Canada.

I just hope that if I ever leave (if by some twist of fate I do, not that I WANT TO) that I would be smart enough to invest my money too.