AAA CEMEXME v 13 for press.pmd - Cemex Philippines

24 CEMEX+ME 1st Half of 2004 /MANILA, PHILIPPINES
overtime pay. “Ang (CEMEX)
Palitada King mas matipid at mas
matibay…di mapapagod ang
trabahente… hindi paulit-ulit ang
trabaho,” Mang Rolly claims. “Kung
minsan kasi, naiinis na ‘yung mason
dahil, minsan … di lang limang
beses matutuklap (ang semento)…
‘Pag-plaster mo, ilang minuto lang,
matutuklap na. Iyon ang problema…
‘Yung mason, kamot na lang sa ulo
dahil napipikon na. Kaya nga, sabi
ko (kay Engr. Bañares), sana
(CEMEX) Palitada King na ang
gamitin natin (CEMEX Palitada King
is stronger and more economical…
the worker doesn’t get tired because
work isn’t repeated… Masons get
annoyed sometimes because the
cement splinters more than five
times… Once you’ve plastered the
wall, the cement will splinter in just a
few minutes. That’s the problem. The
mason just scratches his head out of
exasperation. That’s why I’ve asked
Engr. Bañares to use CEMEX
Palitada King here).”
And what did the project
engineer say about his request?
According to Mang Rolly, “Kinausap
ko na si Engineer (Bañares), sabi
niya, ‘Wag kang mag-alala… ‘yan
na ang gagamitin natin.’ (I spoke to
Engineer Bañares, and he said,
‘Don’t worry, that’s what we’ll use.’)”
Clearly, CEMEX Palitada
King rules over the rest.
It’s not all work
It’s not all work at the site
for this foreman and his crew of 45.
Even as they’re standing in the
intense midday heat of the summer
sun, surrounded by cement, sand,
and dust, and fully wrapped in caps,
scarves, long-sleeved shirts, and
sturdy pants, the men can still
exchange stories and jokes while
they work. The topic of that day’s
bantering: men and their wives.
“Mayroon ring panahon ng
kasiyahan (sa site),” Mang Rolly
shares with a smile. “Dito,
nagbibiruan kami, nag-uusap,
nagtatawanan… Ang pagtatrabaho
at pagkukuwentuhan, puwede
namang ipagsabay, susundin mo
lang ‘yung kausap mo… palakadlakad
kayo kasi hindi kayo
puwedeng tumigil sa isang lugar
lang (There are also light moments
here on the site… Here, we joke with
each other, we laugh with each
other… It’s easy to mix working and
bantering, you just have to walk
around with the person you’re talking
to because you can’t just stand still in
one place.).” When asked what they
frequently talked about while working,
he answered: “Problema sa
asawa… pamumuhay, budgeting…
pamilya… ang pulitika, madalang…
(Relationship problems… life,
budgeting, family, hardly anything
about politics)” He said that, in spite
of the forthcoming elections (the
interview was conducted two weeks
before the presidential elections),
talk of politics was rare—the people
were too wrapped up in their everyday
concerns to bother much about
politicians.
“Ang karamihan (sa mga tao
dito), humihingi ng payo (tungkol sa
mga asawa nila)…,” he admits. “Kung
minsan, nalulutas ang problema,
kung minsan naman, humahantong
sa di pagkakasundo.. Hindi naman
maiiwasan `yan. (Most of the men
here ask for advice about their
wives… Sometimes, they’re able to
solve their problems, other times, it
ends in conflict.)”
Mang Rolly, however, is
more fortunate than his colleagues.
His wife, Aling Vising, is clearly
supportive of his work, as are his six
children: Rodel, 23; Roberto, 19;
Rolando, 17; Rovelyn, 15; Rowena,
13; and Reginald, 11. The family was
based in General Santos City, their
hometown, when Mang Rolly was
offered to work in Habitat for
Humanity’s project site in Taguig,
Metro Manila, near the C-5 stretch.
From there, he moved to his current
location in San Pedro, Laguna,
where he was joined by his entire
family in April of this year. After
Dreamland Heights’ completion in
June, the family will once again move
to another Habitat project in Fairview,
Quezon City, then in Bicol, before
settling back in their native Gen San.
Do his wife and children
complain about this frequent
movement? No, Mang Rolly an-
swers without hesitation, in his
heavily accented Filipino. In fact,
the children enjoy being able to go
around the country with him—it’s an
opportunity they would not have
had elsewhere. His three elder
sons, Rodel, Roberto, and Rolando,
are even employed already by
Habitat, with Rodel and Roberto
being masons, while young
Rolando is still a helper. Mang Rolly
is proud that his sons enjoy masonry
as much as he does, so
much so that they quit school to join
him at the site. “Kung ano ang
puno, siya rin ang bunga,” he
quotes an old Filipino expression.
There is clearly much
more to masonry than
meets the eye, and
what Mang Rolly has
shown us was just a
slice of these lives
that are often taken
for granted.
Masons toil under the sun
and work under the harshest
conditions to complete the homes
and structures that stand proudly on
our streets, and it is but fitting that
they be treated with the same
respect as other professionals.
Their hands may be dirty, but their
work is noble—it is their sweat that
keeps us and our families secure at
night.
CEMEX values the work
that these men do to support our
partners and our industry. We hope
that, as we take our work to the next
level, so can we take these men to
higher ground, offering them
products, services, and training that
can put the Filipino mason at par
with their peers from around the
world. Much still has to be done,
but with your support, much can be
achieved. What else is in store for
you? Keep posted for the next
issue of CEMEX + ME!