Its been proving difficult lately to spend quiet time for myself just to write. Account Management under the Barclay’s portfolio took a while to get used to given that the judgement call I used to exercise under the HVB portfolio simply doesn’t exist with Barclay’s.Barclay’s, being a very conservative English bank, looks at their Philippine distressed debt investment with eagle eyes and they are not simply contented with just being paid. Barclay’s is fiercely protective of its reputation and all transactions / documentation that comes out of my desk should have the blessings of its Barcap legal team despite us engaging our own external counsel to help in the legal side of things, ie documentation / litigation. In a good way however, we learn a lot from Barcap regarding Risk Management. They see angles in transactions which we never thought existed and I’m impressed with the thoroughness of their queries and the speed with which they revert.
It took a bit of time to get used to the working set-up but eventually, I got the hang of it. I’m now able to pace myself and start to relax and lean back on my good old swivel chair. Hehe!
So, on to more interesting stories. I went to visit Batanes again for the second time last March 20-23. It was a photo safari trip of Mandy Navasero which B asked me to come join her as she is into photography. I gladly said yes as I wanted to see Batanes again and at the same time, it was an opportunity for me to say Hi to Memen.
Memen was our guide in Sabtang Island the first time I visited in 2005. At the time, he was also one of the local councilors representing Batanes. Like the typical Ivatan, his smile is wide and warm and his skin is brown from too much sun and wind exposure. We became fast friends and when my group had to return to Batan island soon after the tour was done (waves get pretty rough towards late afternoon), we exchanged cell numbers. Memen would call me regularly from then on, asking me when I’d go back to Batanes. He went to Manila in 2006 to visit his sister and I took the time to bring him to Tagaytay and had him meet my parents.
Memen was obviously looking for more than a friendly relationship with me, but unfortunately, I did not reciprocate his feelings. 2006 was the time TB was already a part of my life and TB was the one I wanted. And in struggling with my TB brouhaha, long story short, it ended up with Anton getting conceived (this blog is almost 80% story of that brouhaha).While I was pregnant with Anton, I received a call from Memen saying that he again was in Manila and promptly, I invited him for dinner. I wanted him to see me pregnant and to see his reaction. Unfortunately, that never happened. Memen knew how to get to the Karport Building and I had a feeling that in his intention to surprise me, saw me going about and heavy with child. Memen never called me back, never texted and when last year,I tried to call him to tell him I was planning to visit Batanes again, the number he gave me was no longer in use.
So, March 20, 2009. Batanes is a place where everyone knows everyone and I asked our guide if he knew Memen and as expected, said yes. I asked him if its ok to please tell Memen that Tonette is in town. Guide said he will relay the message to Sabtang.
I was looking forward to our trip to Sabtang Island and when the falowa boat docked at the pier, I was hoping that he got my message and was at the Pier to welcome me…but no Memen in sight. When B and the rest of the group started clicking their cameras at the scenery, I was quietly looking for an opportunity to chat with a local and ask where Memen was. I chanced upon one friendly looking chap who volunteered that Memen was his classmate in High School, that Memen got married last Sept 2008 and that he already has a baby. He further volunteered that Memen was in Manila recently to look for a job and has even considered working abroad. He offered to bring me to Memen’s house as it is likely that he is home. I couldn’t find B anywhere but saw D and told her I’ll just go visit a friend in the village.
So there I was in front of Memen’s house and the high school friend did all the yelling in the local dialect. Finally, a pretty girl with round eyes opened the door carrying a baby girl with equally round eyes. “Memen is not around”, she said in Ivatan, “but he’ll be back soon.” I told the girl who I was, how I came to know Memen and how pretty she is and how lovely their baby girl is. She was young and shy with strangers and since I had nothing else left to say, bid her goodbye while gently caressing the baby’s foot. Going back to the photo safari group, I was feeling quite disappointed. I decided to leave him a letter and left it at the department of fisheries building, the only building in Sabtang that was open on a Saturday.
As was the routine, we toured the whole Sabtang Island, with the last stop being the Sabtang lighthouse. When we returned to the Pier to return to Batan Island, still no Memen around. Turned out he was in Ivuhus, fishing. I knew then that this was my last trip to Batanes and that I know that I will not get to talk to Memen again. I didn’t write down my cell number in the little message that I left for him. In the seair flight back to Manila 2 days after, I grew very sad and cried a little.And so, life goes on in Manila. I’ll never know if he ever got to receive and read my letter. The photos of the photo safari group has since been posted and commented on in Multiply, how breathtaking the views, how refreshing the sight, how tranquil the place looks. I agree with all of that, but to me, something else is already lacking in the picture. Memen's not in any of them.