At the start of year 2012, the HanCole REACH team for January, Bob and Ed once again visited National Children’s Hospital (NCH), one of HanCole’s regular recipients of its charitable cause. A 3-year old twin caught their attention and touched their hearts, as their mother, Estrella Sasutona, relayed the details of how they came to NCH for treatment. Zhaiven & Zhaider, the twin brothers, were diagnosed with cerebral palsy complicated with seizure disorder. Their father, Jimmy, is a contractual laborer earning a meager salary of 300 pesos per day. Estrella is a plain housewife and takes care of the ailing twin. Both of them came from Peñafrancia, Bicol province, located at south of Manila.
How they migrated to Manila is a sad but interesting story which Estrella has told Ed and Bob. Ed recounted Estrella’s story and wrote.
The parents of both Jimmy and Estrella were coconut farmers who at an early age lived and survived harvesting young coconuts and drying copras alongside the stretch of Peñafrancia’s highways. They never finished high school due to extreme poverty in which their respective families were caught up. The young Jimmy then, who just finished 2nd year high school, took the nerve of stowing away from his parents. Driven by his passion and armed by his positive view of life, he was easily convinced and made to believe that Manila offers the best life one could ever imagine.
The young Estrella did the same. She met Jimmy in an agency office, which recruits young people, promising them good life once they set their foot in Metro Manila. Unfortunately, the agency turned out to be a scam, thus, their used to be colorful dreams of paradise turned out to be a hurting insipid affront to their positive view of life.
They left Peñafrancia on board a private van. They arrived in Manila about midnight and it was raining heavily and very dark. They were met by a group of men (looking like goons) who publicly showed-off their hand guns inserted into their waistlines. The men ushered them towards a heavily tinted van. Inside the van, the men gave each of them an over-sized handkerchief and instructed them to wrap it around their head fully covering their ears and eyes.
An extremely cold chill run through their spines. They planned to shout, scream on top of their lungs to attract by-standers and beg for help. But the goons were seemingly doing this on a regular basis and were doing it calmly, naturally and easily. And so before anyone of them could cry for help, one of those goons coldly and blatantly warned them: “anyone who tries to scream or escape will be shot dead!”
After a seemingly eternal trip to hell, the van finally stopped and they heard the sound of crackling metals which seems to be coming from an old and dilapidated steel gate.
They finally found out that they were brought to a piggery farm in Bulacan. Together with five other people, they were forced to work underpaid. Every day they painstakingly did long hours of work. Their current grim situation tortured them physically and emotionally. They almost lost faith with their Creator.
Jimmy and Estrella cried a lot into the confines of their private places. Talking with each other was strictly prohibited; they were divided and being ruled. The farm was heavily guarded by civilian guards armed with guns. No one was allowed to leave the premises. Everybody’s basic necessities were provided to them per their request.
Their chance to escape came once when two of the guards assigned to the main gate were heavily drunk on a fateful early morning of January 2006.
They have been watching the two since early dusk. Prior to this, they have already decided to escape no matter what happens that night. They observed from the past that these two men were the most careless of all the guards especially when they were drunk. They prepared everything; they kept with them important papers, documents and their hard-earned money.
Fortunately, they were able to make it and made their way out. They walked as fast as they could and avoided the main streets. They came across a tricycle driver who assisted them on how to get a bus ride out of the place.
On board a bus German Espiritu Liner, they felt overly ecstatic and exhilarated. They hugged tightly on numerous occasions. Estrella coyly but smilingly told the story when asked how Jimmy’s hug was and then she chuckles lightly and cut the story short.
Bob and Ed then met the social worker at NCH, Ms. Rose and the NCH Administrative Officer, Ms. Teresita Lantin. Ms. Rose mentioned that the kids need a lot of financial support for their treatment as they still have to undergo many tests and procedures. HanCole, thru Bob and Ed, handed over the company’s donation in cash.
Teary-eyed, Estrella Sasutona was so thankful to HanCole for the support extended to her for the treatment of her children, Zhaiven & Zhaider.