Father’s Day: Daddy Lessons
It’s 3:30 in the morning when the sun is still hiding, and the stars are still dancing, and the majority of the population are still counting sheep, and of course, he’s the first one to wake up. He readies the pots and the pans, the board and the knife, and all the ingredients needed for today’s breakfast. He closes the pan lid while the food is still sautéing, and the rice still cooking, and like clockwork- unconsciously decides to get the broom to sweep the floors on their rented apartment. Minutes later, the smell of hot and cooked food fills the room, signaling him to turn off the stove and gas. And he then resumes the house chores by mopping the floor, wiping stain and dust, and then proceeds to go out, in the Picasso-like dawn, and like a good husband, waters his wife’s plants, who by the way is about to arrive home from her night shift duty as a nursing aide, so that she doesn’t have to.
He peeps at the room of his three children who are huddled together, asleep, and can only imagine what they’re dreaming about. Work takes up so much of his time that he only ever sees his children when they’re sleeping at this hour or when they’re about to sleep at night. He doesn’t want to disturb them because he knows that they have online classes later. He closes their door softly and is reminded again why he wakes up at this hour daily. He then braves the cold of the morning breeze and takes a bath at 5 AM, readying himself for today’s work. He puts on his work clothes as a security guard at a local bank and then looks in the mirror as he combs and styles his semi-wet hair. He glances at the clock and calculates his commute time. He has been taking the bus to work for the past couple of days because his motorcycle recently got broken. This means that he would have to go out earlier than usual to beat the morning traffic and arrive at work on time.
He hastily sips his scalding coffee (3-in-1), burning his tongue in the process, and eats the meal he prepared like a champ. His wife arrived moments later, just in time for him to leave.
Vendors install their shop at camp, while drivers and conductors cluster together, discussing last night’s freak accident at the rotunda. The acrid smell of the bathroom urinals and floor fill-up the dusty and rusty spaces of the bus station. Cash is constantly being handed out on one section while tickets are constantly being distributed on the other. He noticed the line at the bus terminal being awfully long today and thinking probably because it’s a Monday. People, the majority of whom are front liners, line up, socially distanced, with their face masks and face shields on, waiting for their turn to enter the bus. His commute would take up roughly about 1 hour and 30 minutes in total.
This is the story of thousands upon thousands of Filipino working fathers who are at the frontline during this global pandemic, and who are risking their own health, to serve, and to make ends meet for their family. They work brutal hours and live paycheck to paycheck, day by day.
Resolve and Relief
Stories like the one mentioned ring true to millions of working-class Filipinos working an 8 to 5 job (or more), who are struggling with even the most basic of necessities- like the cost and the acquirement of a house and lot. A recent report by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) assessed that the country’s housing backlog stood at 6.75 million units, and could balloon up to 22 million units by the year 2040 if the problem is not addressed today.
The resolution then rests on the shoulders of the government and the private sector in addressing this housing backlog in the country. Housing developer Bria Homes, Inc. leads in this pursuit with its impressive portfolio of affordable housing that caters to the needs of every Filipino. From affordable house and lot for sale and rent to own homes to easy on-the-pocket condominiums, Bria Homes is resolute in its quest of providing the Filipino family a place of their own.
Being dubbed as the fastest growing mass housing developer in the country, with over 50 projects up its sleeve, from North to South Luzon, and from Visayas to Mindanao, Bria Homes is present and is continually expanding in the major cities and municipalities nationwide. Moreover, Bria Homes also offer its clientele flexible financing options like PAGIBIG housing loan and bank housing loans, which make it easier for the buyers to decide upon their choice of payments and mortgages.
Father’s Day: Daddy Lessons II
He clocks out from work at 7 PM, usually when everybody else has already gone. He turns over his shift to the next security guard who is scheduled that day to be on night watch. He stops at the nearest bakery, which also happens to be his go-to bakeshop, to buy some treats for his family. 5 pieces of cheese bread and 5 slices of banana cake, because 2 of his children are sweet-toothed and the other one is not. And just like last night, and the other nights before, he took out 1 slice for himself to eat, and pocketed the rest inside his bag.
After moments of long queues and excessive waiting at the bus stop, he finally was able to grab a seat. Tired but smiling, he looks out the window, excited for the bus to start, and even more excited to see his family. An unassuming man in a red polo shirt sits beside him. The man greeted him, and our protagonist greeted him back. And after a few chit-chats and a few laughs, the man in a red polo shirt hands him a flyer that said “Bria Homes SOON in….” The bus door closed and the engine started.
BRIA Homes is a subsidiary of GOLDEN MV Holdings, Inc., one of the largest real estate companies in the country. BRIA Homes is primed to bring quality and affordable house and lot packages and condominium units closer to ordinary Filipino families. This is the goal that drives every single employee in the company, for which the ultimate fulfillment is seeing a client happily moving into BRIA’s homes.
To know more, visit their website at www.bria.com.ph, like and follow “Bria Homes, Inc.” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Spotify, Viber Community, Telegram Channel, Kakao Talk, LINE and WhatsApp, or call 0939-887-9637.
Written by Keith Abellanosa
