Two friends. One dream. Two destiny. This is the story of my friends Donnie and Frankie.While they're not the best of friends, they considered me one of their best if not the best. They'd been together in the same work place nine years before I joined them as a result of my moving up. Donnie joined our company a year earlier before I did. We haven't been together nor seen each other before. He was posted at the country's premier Airport, the former Manila International while I was posted in our outlying office, a third class domestic airport. Frankie joined the company last, fifteen years after I was hired.As a result of the company's downsizing, I was moved up from my posting in the province after our senior supervisors in the city prematurely retired becoming my eventual friends superior. In 1983, Donnie was able to get a tourist visa to visit the U.S. mainland together with his wife. After less than two months of vacation in the U..S. , Donnie returned and was back to work leaving his wife in the care of their relatives. True enough, she left the mainland before her valid six month stay expires. Yes, she returned after giving birth to their youngest son. Donnie's wife has been coming back to the mainland yearly, staying there a little less than six months. During her stay, she did different kind of jobs as beautician “manicure, pedicure, hair culture and on some occasion cooks food for Filipino immigrants and visitors during weekends and was paid substantially. The U.S.- born son was left in the care of his uncles, aunts and grandmother when his mother is in the Philippines when he was already attending classes there. Donnie make it his habit to be with his son once a year in the U.S. and during school break, his son came here. The son completed his primary and secondary education in the U.S. Donnie and his wife says education is free until high school so it's more expensive if they are to send their son home to study here. Ten years ago, Donnie made a difficult decision. Our company was in turmoil after the crippling strike staged by our union. Then unknowns to us, while Donnie was at the picket line, he has a plane ticket in his back-pack, ready to take the last plane out in the event the airline finally closed shop after declaring bankruptcy. Leaving a strict instruction to his wife "NOT TO COME HOME WITHOUT MY GREEN LIGHT", who was at the mainland at that time together with their U.S. - born son and two other younger children, Donnie executed his elaborate plan with swiss-watch like precision. After the company's president announced the closure of our company in two days, Donnie proceeded to the Airport and took that night's flight to San Francisco . No none knew he left. I only learned of his leaving when he was already in the mainland, he called me at the office while we were shutting down our equipments and turning them over to our manager. He requested me to take care of his locker and things and he'll be calling again. Two weeks later, the company re-opened but without our flight to/from San Francisco . Hearing the news from Reuters, Donnie called up to verify if indeed, the company is to resume operations. "Affirmative", I told him. He said, "I'm flying out to Manila, first available flight". In three weeks time, our flight to/from San Francisco resumed. He was on board the second flight.. Reporting to work immediately after arrival, we learned he considered not coming back and just to overstay and wait for an amnesty. He consulted an immigration lawyer and was told to better go back and wait for his son to turn 21. The son will file a petition to have his parents be with him in the United States and it's the legal one rather than be a TNT, waiting for an amnesty which may never come. When the son has graduated from high school, he instructed his son to come home to study and earned a college degree. At first, the son refused but later understood his parent's desire so he came home and took up a highly-skilled course, Aircraft Maintenance. When the son turned 21 in 2004, he has graduated in his technical course. Right after turning 21, the son filed a petition to have his parents migrate to the United States . He filed it at the U.S. Embassy in Manila . In a months time, papers from the embassy arrived telling my friend Donnie that a petition in his favor and his wife is in the works and was told to submit documents, photographs attesting their parent-son relationship. I was quite familiar with the progress of their petition. Seven months after submitting their documents, the couple got their immigrant visa (theirs was an IR category, Donnie says itss immediate relative) and took off for San Francisco two months later. Since becoming an immigrant in August 2005, my friend and his wife came home several times- Nov 2005, Aug 2006, Nov 2006 and Apr 2007. The eldest son, now married and living in their house in the nearby province was given a brand new Toyota Innova after only their second visit from the U.S. , and the house was renovated as well. I'm happy to have and see a friend, former subordinate became successful. Our friendship remained as strong as ever. Maybe, he's disappointed because I haven't made good my promise to pay him a visit in San Francisco . I just told him maybe someday . How can I do that? I don't have a U.S. visa and it's too expensive to apply for this. If you're denied, the money is not returned. Anyway, every time he returns he treat us just like the old times. Thats enough friend. It's okay to see you here during your visit.
This is my friend Frankie's tale. He's about my age. He joined our company in 1989 and six years later he got a tourist visa and it's single entry valid for six months. He traveled to the mainland immediately after getting it. Then he re-applied, this time together with his wife. They got five years visa validity and since then, the wife has been coming back to the mainland staying there for a little over five months and returns here. After two to three months stay here, she returns to the mainland. She worked there in a homecare as Frankie told us. Frankie and his four children has lived luxuriously since the wife has been sending him 200 to 300 dollars a month. He was able to pay his loans and has traveled to our local tourist destination as Boracay, Puerto Princesa and Dipolog. Many of our officemates was envious of Frankie's high profile living. Many times I refused his offer of expensive treats, foods every time I helped him in his written communications and office problems. I told him, my friendship is not for sale. Unlike some of the people who claimed to be his friends, they're so good at instigating him to make unnecessary expenses which Frankie apparently not notice. In year 2000, they renewed their visa including the children. The children got a better deal. They were given 10 years valid visa while the parents got 5. In late 2000, after getting their visa.. Frankie's wife and 2nd child, the only daughter left for the mainland.. Mother didn't returned to the Philippines since then and said her employer has petitioned her and was told a working visa is in the works. His wife is paying an immigration lawyer 200 dollars a month to workout the papers, Frankie alleged. The wife became impatient waiting for her working visa to arrived and quarreled with her employer. The employer pulled out the petition and Frankie's wife transferred to another homecare, her daughter in tow, now a TNT. In late 2003, her daughter called him asking she be allowed to go home to study B.S. Nursing so she can return to the mainland and worked as a nurse. Immediately, not telling anyone of his plans to fetch his daughter from the United Stated, we were surprised to see his daughter here. Indeed, the daughter enrolled in B.S. Nursing in 2nd semester of SY 2003- 04 and was supposed to graduate in March this year. But, as fate would have it… it was not bound to happen. In July last year, Frankie secretly asked me to join him in his close-door meeting with our division manager. I asked him why? He simply said, I'll know it later. "Okay, No problem", I told him. When our manager arrived, I was summoned to join them in the Manager's Office. There I learned, disaster struck. One of his two sons he brought to the mainland ( Los Angeles ) in September 2006 and was supposed to return in February 2007 but decided to overstay was caught by agents of USCIS. The agents came, knocked at the door and asked his son if he is "NANDO". His son said "Yes", and the agents handcuffed him and was detained in a detention center along with some 200 others. His son was cowering in fear inside the prison as narrated to his father when he came out after the mother posted bail and was scheduled for a hearing. His son can't even shave his beard and moustache inside the prison. After the hearing, his son was supposed to leave on voluntary departure last April 03, 2008. Otherwise, the 5,000 US dollars posted bail will be forfeited. This time, it was already confiscated and his son is on the run. Since July last year, many water has already passed under the bridge. The other son is still in hiding in the mainland fearing he might be next to be caught. Frankie's wife working visa which was expected to be released last December 2007 has stalled and probably voided. Then Frankie and wife agreed to terminate their marriage so his wife can marry his patient in the US , of course for convenience. Do they really expect USCIS agents are so blind not to suspect this. Papers from their immigration lawyer came asking him to sign those papers so his wife can marry her patient. Apparently, those are divorce papers certifying his willingness to release his wife and marry again. Last time, Frankie and his son Nando has a conversation, the son was blaming his father for releasing their mother to be able to marry again. Apparently, the son is revolting against his father. And the daughter here, unable to enroll in her last semester in Nursing is now working as a saleslady in a popular mall in their city here south of Manila . In desperation, the daughter may end up marrying her suitor/boyfriend as Frankie himself intimated. The youngest of his children (son) figured in a motorcycle accident several months back. Thanks God, his wounds were not serious. Two of his three motorcycles were repossessed by the dealer when he failed to pay the amortization losing his down payment and several monthly amortization paid. Expensive appliances, furniture and other valuables were sold. Some supposed friends scrambled to buy some of his belongings since they were sold at garage sale, they said. I was offered some but I declined. I'm not one to take advantage of my friend's misfortune. If at all, I will help with my smallest deed. These friends are like fox watching the poultry house. Lately, Frankie move to a smaller house, just enough to have roof over their heads. Yesterday, he is considering resigning to get his separation pay and start a new life anew. I disagreed and strongly argued against. Some of our friends saw the wisdom of my argument. I feel great not feeling alone in my position. But, what shattered my good wishes for my friend was the continuous blaming games, admonition, making it appear they're wiser and smarter than Frankie. Do they really have to do that, just to feel good about themselves. I left them and spent my thoughts in solitude in the lonesome of my cubicle, not coming out after not hearing their loud voices. I felt disgusted and on the verge on nauseating. Even after I went home after leaving my office, I still pondered what happened to my friend especially he's considering staying at the office warehouse and leaving his remaining children to his sisters and their family.
I can only pray.. may GOD give him wisdom not to make desperate acts that may further shatter his already broken dreams.
I'm not so concerned with Donnie's fortune but Frankie's present dilemma made me rethink my position. Does getting an immigrant visa and an opportunity of living in the USA and an opportunity of becoming a US citizen really worth it? A departed friend, once said "Some people wanted to immigrate to improve their lives, economically, others for political reasons like the asylum seekers, some to avoid prosecution and persecution, others for status symbol, some not for anything else but for bragging? Is that so? I'd rather be good at blogging. Citing my own experience, my family, friends, officemates, and probably, even my enemies.
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