Many may wonder what my title is all about.I have asked this myself more than 5 yrs ago when i left PLDT. And the same question entered my mind when few days ago,i came across with our neighbor while me and my son Carlo was on our way home from a drug store.Our neighbor who still works as a lineman where i used to work,and his wife stopped me to tell me that he saw many operators crying at the lobby of my former employer,he said more than 500 employees of PLDT, 238 of them were my former co workers and friends were sacked!I was enveloped by sadness, coz i know how they value much of their work. i know most of them are bread winners,and i know the feeling....so depressing!
It was 1990 when i decided to apply as an operator in PLDT.I was a graduate of BSE and had a one year teaching experience from a Catholic School. I decided to try another field coz eversince I was a kid,i really wanted to work in an office,to be an office girl.I had a funny dream then,i wanted to be a saleslady...lol.coz way back then,i can saw them wearing make up and they were wearing sexy skirt and heels...and i thought before, they're working in an office hihihi...then when i was in high school,i dreamt of becoming a teacher coz i know this is a noble vocation so i became one.but after a year of experience i resigned and became a private tutor to 8 kids near our place.when i learned that the leading telecommunication in the country was hiring,i applied.it was a stiff competition.i remember i didnt know how to go to Makati,i was with my friend when i submitted my resume and it was my mother i was with when i had my first interview....hahaha...i thought after that,it was all over.but it was followed by another,then exams then interview then exams.series of interviews and exams lasted for a month because after one interview,you'll be asked to come back after 3 or 5 days for psychological test then you'll be asked to come back for another tongue twister after anther 3 days.we were less than a hundred of applicants when i had my first interview.After each interview,they will call the names of the ones who passed. and before we reached the final interview,we were just 3.i was so nervous coz it was really hard.i was the 2nd one to be called,the first one didnt make it.and when it was my turn,i went inside with confidence but still nervous.the manager was gay,as he was talking to me,i felt comfortable,i answered each question with confidence.after the interview,he gave me a sheet of paper and told me to give it to the guy at the left table,he told me i passed the exam and was asked to get a form so i can have my PE exam and the rest is history! i learned that the third lady didnt pass the final interview.that made me sad for her but was so glad for my luck coz with less than 100 applicants,it was only me who passed! my family was so proud of me!
And my days in that company started,i met lots of friends and "enemies" as well....lol....coz let's admit it,being in an all girls department, we were more than 500 employees,and we all know we cant please everybody right? and im the type of person who's transparent,what you see is what you get,i dont talk to a person if i dont feel like it,kaya nga sabi nila suplada daw ako....lol..but i didnt mind kc i know im just being true to myself...i met a lot of people,i gained lots of experience and gained friends, some friends were more of a user than being true and real. i found out who really are my friends there when i left my work in 2002. they were the ones who console and give me moral support when i was down and up to now,they're still there for me.though it was sad when i left the company,the place that i considered my second home and my world revolved around,but then im happy,coz it made me strong and more responsible for my actions and because of that i found my true friends and they know who they are.
Before,i thought there was no life after pldt. why? coz aside from this is one of the top companies in the Philippines,it offers a lot of benefits, and the salary is high and of all the departments,Traffic, where i used to belong, is the one who gets paid really good. but of course life is not a bed of roses, we need to sacrifice as well,we need to work very hard for it. if operators were the high paying employees then, we were the ones who suffer a lot. if there's a calamity,whether from here or abroad,it's a sin to be absent coz we're a public servant. and they're very strict when it comes to tardiness, if you'll be absent, you need to call the office a day before so they will find a replacement for you. if you need to change your days off,you need to find a co maker,make a memo and submit it to your supervisor and wait for it to be approved by the chief operator.and most of all,dealing with different kinds of people was truly tough!
Oh about my title, yes! there's life after pldt,in fact,it has a lot more.We just got used of our life when we were there because we can buy whatever we wanted, if one wanted to have a vacation abroad, it was so easy because you have money.new cellphones,cars,shopping.. name it and pldt has it. but life isnt just material things.there's more to it. family is more important,and being a person that you are.No matter how rich a person can be, life cant be measured how much millions you have, you can embrace all your money but it cant embrace you back. you can buy all the things you want with it but you cant buy real happiness. you can have lots of friends because of it but you wont know who your true friends are.
Before, i thought i cant survive without pldt,but i did. i even gained true friends who trusted me and accepted me as i am. although i dont have money, im more at peace, im more relaxed. i know i cant buy things that i want like i used to but that doesnt stop me from being happy and contented with my life.i have my family who's always there to give me moral support,my son who never fails to give me headache...hahaha :-), but kidding aside, my son is all i have,he's my world. he's growing up too fast but i've no regrets because being a stay in mom, i saw him grew up, i was with him when he had his first tooth, and i was with him when he first set foot in school and i was with him when we bought a gift for his first girlfriend....lol...and i'll continue to be with him to guide him and give him all the love that i have.I used to be busy also because of my job in pldt, but now, im always at home..i didnt have any single regret by just staying and working here, because of it....i met my true love...the one that made my life very colorful. i know i already have my son who gives color to my everyday life, but Joe completed it all... i can say that i already have a complete family but this will come true only if we 3 are living together and i know that will be soon.
12 yrs of working in pldt taught me a lot of things and i gained a lot of experiences after 5 yrs of being not there.Life has to move on, we must move on...the road is wide and life has lots to offer although i know it's hard but eventually, we can adjust....there's hope while we're alive and we still have a long way to go...remember.... LIFE IS A JOURNEY!
The pics here are some of my real friends.we dont communicate often but then,we know by heart that no matter how far the distance is,our friendship will remain forever... See because of our sweet smiles(and with those belly "baby" fats...lol),you'll know that we are happy even without PLDT!
