“Let this be a reminder for all! No one can help us but ourselves. We must take the initiative to rise up once again and live a better life than it was before!” The man dressed in plain clothes declared as he stood at the podium with a stern expression.

Everyone in the crowd cheered in unison, clapped their hands, and raised their fists in the air. Men and women in face masks and transparent face shields simultaneously allotted a six-feet distance from one another as they gathered across the field.

A man peculiarly stood out amongst the crowd. His dishevelled hair attracted a swarm of flies above his head and his faded clothes emitted an unpleasant odor as he struggled to swoop a medium-sized signage over his head. 

Midway through the gathering, a woman screamed and the rest followed suit, before rushing towards the peculiar man who was lying on the ground. 

2 DAYS EARLIER 

The sun scorched at twelve in the afternoon. Its strong rays didn’t slow down workers in long-sleeved shirts, bandanas, and face masks. Dust was scattered throughout the site as the huge excavator dug deep into the loose soil. 

“Ray! Tinatawag ka ni Sir Brian!” The man shouted to his older co-worker. 

Ray halted everything he was doing on site. He lightly dusted off the dirt on his clothes and went to see their foreman in a container van. 

“Sir Brian? Tinatawag niyo po ako?” Ray asked after knocking on the door. 

The foreman immediately closed the folder on his desk and stuffed it underneath the rest of the folders and papers.

“Mang Ray! Pasok! Upo ka rito.”

Ray meekly went in and sat down on the chair across from his. His eyes scanned the office and spotted picture frames of the foreman and his family, together with some business permits and certificates. 

“Kamusta naman ho kayo? Lalo na ngayon nasa pandemya tayo, sana nakakakain pa ho kayo ng sapat.”

Ray’s hands automatically fiddled with each other, continuously rubbing each finger until his whole hands warmed up.

“Ah, sakto Sir Brian…Magtatanong po sana ako kung kaya humingi ng dagdag sa sweldo ko po at kung kaya i-advance na rin ‘yung sakin para sa susunod na buwan.” Ray said. 

The foreman did not utter a word and kept a blank face. He stayed silent for a few more minutes before he grabbed a folder underneath the rest on his desk and opened it. He slowly laid a piece of paper and a ballpen in front of Ray and stood up from his seat.

The words TERMINATION OF CONTRACT in bold, capital letters brought his heart beat faster by the minute. He couldn’t bear to finish reading the letter since his attention kept shifting back back to the words on top of the sheet, fists now clenched to prevent it from any additional movement.

“Sir Brian! Hindi pa nga ho tapos ang kontrata ko sa proyekto na ‘to patatanggalin niyo na ako? Pinabayaan ko na nga ang suweldo namin na bumabawas kada-buwan, ngayon lang sana ako makikiusap sa inyo na dagdagan niyo po dahil kapos na talaga ako sa pera ngayon.”

Walking back to his desk, the foreman sat down and assured Ray that he will be paid twice the usual amount of his salary for the last time. Ray placed his hand at the back of his neck, replaying every single word sir Brian said to him. 

“Wala rin naman ako magagawa.” He softly surrendered as he picked up the ballpen and scribbled his name on the paper.

The route back to his home seemed longer and farther than the past few days. Ray walked slower than usual on purpose, wanting to catch a glimpse of the pink-purple sunset for the last time. 

Upon reaching his barangay, he spotted a young man fully dressed with a backpack sat on the corner of the street. “Hindi ka pa ba uuwi? Baka hinahanap ka na ng pamilya mo.” 

“Okay lang yan ‘tay, sanay na rin po sila na makita akong late na umuwi eh.”

Ray crouched down and sat beside him. He offered the young man a cigarette but he politely declined. Ray shrugged his shoulders and lit it up. 

“Eh, ba’t parang isang damakmak na problema ang binuhos sa’yo? Bata bata mo pa, inuunahan mo ko?” Ray asked as he inhaled the nicotine from the cigarette before exhaling it slowly.

The young man chuckled. “Natanggalan po kasi ako ng trabaho. Ang suweldo ko sa trabaho na ‘yun ay para sa pag-aaral ko sana, para makapagpatuloy muli ako ng kolehiyo.”

“Aba’t parehas lang tayo ng problema! Natanggalan din ako sa iisa kong trabaho nung dalawapu’t tatlong taong gulang pa lang ako.”

Silence descended upon them for almost thirty minutes. The two observed the people and cars passing by the main road before Ray spoke.

“Walang makakatulong sa atin. Itatakwil lang tayo ng gobyerno dahil hindi tayo ang priyoridad ngayon. ‘Ni isang saklolo ng manggagawa ay kumuha sa atensyon nila…Ang mga jeepney drivers nga eh oh! Wala na akong pag-asa dahil sino naman ang kukuha sakin bilang trabahador sa edad kong ‘to? Pero ikaw, malakas ka pa. Makakahanap ka pa ng trabaho.” 

“Wala man makakatulong sa atin na makapaghanap ng trabaho ngayon, pero baka may makakatulong sa atin upang masilayan ang pag-asa.” The young man responded calmly.

As the young man cleared his throat, he added, “May parang gathering na magaganap dalawang araw mula ngayon sa Quirino Grandstand, kung saan muling papaalalahanan at itataguyod ang mga karapatan natin. Sabi lang sa ‘kin ng kaibigan ko.” 

Ray stood up and bid the young man good luck. Nearing towards his home, he couldn’t help but remember what the young man said about the upcoming gathering, but in the end brushed it off as he stepped inside his cramped home.

2 DAYS LATER

Multiple sizes of signages are present in the area, from a piece of bond paper to large placards hoisted up to advocate the people’s desires. 

Human rights for all!

Stop inequality, prevent discrimination!

If one is at risk, everyone is at risk!

The man standing at the podium continued, “Today, we are all gathered here to remind ourselves, including the government and other sectors, the importance of human rights. Despite the existence of this declaration, more and more people are taking away the rights of each person, leaving them behind.”

A woman suddenly screamed when she saw a man collapsed on the ground. Not far from there is the young man who immediately went closer to take a look. As he was only a few meters away, he saw a familiar face and rushed towards the crowd.

“Tay? Tay! Dumating pala po kayo….eto na ‘yung tulong na kailangan natin sana para masilayan ang pag-asa natin ‘tay….” The young man tried his best not to eat his words due to the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. 

Mang Ray slowly shifted his head to where the voice was coming from and held the young man’s hand for the last time.