IT’S NOT OFTEN that I meet Eufemia Pedregosa these days. Fems, who used to be one of my reporters when I was editor of a local tabloid, is now Iloilo branch manager of a job placement agency, YWA Human Resource Corporation, at Lopez Arcade, Jaro, Iloilo City. No wonder, when we crossed path last week, she asked us (I was with fellow columnist Ranie Jangayo) to join her for coffee.

“Any vacancy for a journalist abroad?” I asked as if I were among those reeling from poverty under the corruption-rich Gloria Arroyo government.

“Sorry,” he quipped, “I have yet to see a job order for a Filipino journalist. Otherwise, I would have gone out myself. But if you want to get rich quick, be a welder abroad. You could make a million in six months.”

It was her last sentence that really aroused my curiosity. The first part was not surprising. Many times, no less than TESDA Director-General Boboy Syjuco had asked me to scout for men and women interested in taking up welding because the demand for welders abroad had outrun the supply. In fact, TESDA has an open invitation to healthy Filipinos 18 to 55 years old to apply for scholarships in shielded metal arc welding and gas metal arc welding.

“Australia is the best place for Filipino welders,” Ms. Pedregosa continued. “There they now earn an average pay of 21 Australian dollars per hour. An Australian dollar equals thirty-six pesos.”

I consulted my calculator. At P36 per A$1, that means P757 per hour or P6,048 per 8-hour day. Even on a weekly day off, that could still hit at least P157,000 per month. I could imagine locally-based welders turning green with envy.

“In fact,” Fems continued as if reading my mind, “local industries have a hard time winning their welders’ loyalty. Any welder worth his salt would naturally look for greener pasture abroad. And foreign employers never hesitate in pirating them.”

I seriously thought of learning welding until I realized I was already past the age limit of 55.

***

I had the shock of my life when I joined friends for a two-day vacation in Boracay. It was no longer the “paradise” I used to enjoy in the 1980s. Only its unique white-sand beach distinguished it from a commercial center like Divisoria and Baclaran. With expensive hotels, restaurants and stores congesting the island, and smoke-belching tricycles and multicabs competing with thousands of pedestrians for narrow road space, the island has lost its aura.

To turn back the hands of time, Boracay was a sparsely populated forest island when it first caught global attention in the mid-1960s with the arrival there of Michael Caine and other Hollywood actors to shoot the war movie Too Late the Hero. I saw that movie in Manila .

In the 1970s, Boracay became famous for puka shells that dotted its shoreline. Entrepreneurs gathered as many puka shells as they could, selling them to trinket makers and retailers.

By the time I first set foot on Boracay in 1982, these puka shells had vanished, giving way to a shoreline so fine that it was pleasant to walk or job on. The sea was crystal-clear. By then, a number of bamboo-and-nipa cottages had risen to cater to foreign and local beachcombers and swimmers. A one-room cottage pegged a 24-hour rental of P25 only. It was thus possible for a poor tourist to spend days there.

During the day, it was fun watching fishermen come ashore to sell their catch direct to tourists for grilling. A five-peso worth of galunggong could feed two or three persons.

Nights in Boracay were romantic. With no electricity, each cottage “twinkled” on sooty kerosene lamp.

Gone are those days. Today, it’s impossible to visit Boracay with no hefty cash. Just having a 10-minute boat ride to Boracay from the Caticlan jetty port would entail more or less P150 for terminal fee, environmental fee and boat fare.

But of course, it would be pretentious if I would say I did not enjoy my latest Boracay journey. The sights of bikini-clad girls, the taste of good food and the comfort of an air-conditioned hotel made up for the foul smell that wafted outdoor from the garbage dumpsite of Boracay Regency Hotel.

Paging DENR…

***

We heard Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog tongue-lash on radio an unnamed politician for allegedly speaking unkindly of him.

Jed should have named his tormentor. Otherwise, we would guess he was referring to Raul Gonzalez, Sr., his possible opponent for mayor in 2010.

Strange bedfellows are these GMA worshippers.

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