REGIE’S JOURNEY HOME

PHOTO STORY

REGGIE’S JOURNEY HOME, A FLIGHT TO FREEDOM.

Reggie, 17, a victim of human trafficking from a remote village in Bogo, Northern Cebu, one of the towns badly affected by the powerful typhoon (Haiyan/Yolanda) in history to hit land. Desperate to look for a job to get food for his hungry family and grandmother, he was lured by the offer of mean human traffickers into a job that was unpaid labor on a big fishing boat with six other victims.

After many days of hard work day and night, the fishing boat made land in Batangas port to sell the big catch. The boys were not paid but ordered back to the boat. They refused and ran away from these harsh conditions and Reggie found his way to Metro Manila after walking for almost two days carrying his few pieces of old clothes in a yellow plastic bucket that was his only possession. He begged for food along the way.

Arriving in Manila, instead of help and protection by the authorities, he received additional misery and hardship when Reggie was taken out of the street for being a vagrant and was put into a youth detention prison in Pasay where Preda social workers rescuing other children found him behind bars.

In the jail without a charge or a court hearing, and no chance to tell his story, he was left in the jail with other youth, some as young ten years of age in sub-human conditions. Every day, he survived on only a handful of rice and a spoon of vegetables as his daily food. He felt abandoned, lost and very frightened and threatened by the bigger boys who controlled life in the cells and took most of the food for themselves and made the younger ones wash their shorts and T-shirts, the only possessions they had.

His day of release was a happy one for him. He almost cried when brought out from detention by Preda social worker Emmanuel Drewery and Father Shay and was taken immediately into a restaurant for a good meal as he was malnourished, weak and very hungry.

“This is the first time I have ever eaten in a restaurant”, he told them.

He grew up a impoverished village in the remote part of Northern Cebu island which was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan(Yolanda). It was that extreme poverty that drove him to look for work on the fishing boat where he was put into forced, unpaid labor.

After his rescue, he asked to stay at the Preda Boy’s home where he was happy and recovered his physical and emotional strength. He loved to play basketball and go swimming with the other boys there. After several months of recovery and rest at the Preda Home for Boys, finally he was ready to travel home and experience his first ever airplane flight which was a great thrill for him.

He went with Mr. Francis Bermido, the Preda Executive director and his assistant director Emmanuel Drewery and besides attending to the administration of all the Preda projects, they frequently join in the field work.

Reggie was thrilled when together, they took a low cost flight on Air Asia and landed in Cebu. They travelled with the help of Preda Fair Trade Partner, Profood based in Cebu.  Justin and Debbie Uy, owners of Profood, a company committed to fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, provided a vehicle and after a three hours travel through the devastated area where thousands of homes were in ruins, Reggie was happily and tearfully reunited with his family.

In this photo below, Reggie accompanied by the Preda Exec. Director Francis Bermido before boarding the Air Asia flight to Cebu. His assistant Preda senior staff, Emmanuel Drewery joined Reggie to visit the devastated area to meet Reggie’s family and document his journey home. In the middle of such widespread disaster from the typhoon where the trafficking of children and youth prowls, this is one of several happy endings. Preda Foundation will provide more help to the family of Reggie to help them recover from the losses to their livelihood and the near destruction of their little house. Thanks to the supporters and donors, better times lie ahead.

 

Flight to freedom.  After several months of stay at the Preda Home for Boys, Regie is ready to come home and be reunited with his family in Cebu. In this photo, Regie was accompanied by the Preda Exec. Director Francis Bermido before boarding the flight to Cebu. Another Preda senior staff, Emmanuel Drewery joined Regie to document his journey home.

Happy meal of friendship. Regie told how happy he was to stay at Preda. He also said he will never forget his good memories at Preda, especially that it was the only time he was able to eat in a restaurant such as this being impoverished all his life. He promised to return and visit Preda again someday when he becomes successful in life.

The Preda staff accompanies Regie for a few kilometer walk on the hilltop to visit his grandmother’s house in a remote part of Bogo, Cebu.

Like many families in Cebu, the house of his grandmother was not spared by the wrath of typhoon Yolanda.

Here, Preda social workers are interviewing the grandmother and uncle of Regie and discussing about Regie’s plan for the future.

Regie was able to visit his sister who is studying at a nearby school. She was very glad to see her brother after several months of being apart.                                                                                                         Regie, told the Preda staff, that before he was trafficked, he agreed with his sister that he will sacrifice his studies and find work so that he can support his sister’s education who is a top-notcher in her class.

Regie with his mother and two half siblings. The mother now lives with a new live in partner and resides in a separate home.

The Preda staff during this visit was able to meet one of the victims who was also trafficked to Batangas together with Regie. This victim was able to return home on his own.                                                                                                     He confirmed the hardship they endured while on the fishing trip without adequate water and food and shared that he earned nothing after three months of doing the work.

Regie, together with his grandmother who took care of Regie since he was a baby. Regie received a warm welcome from his community who was very happy to see Regie returned to his home.

Preda social worker and senior Staff, Emmanuel Drewery, explains to the family of Regie the circumstances of Regie’s rescue and the possible assistance that can be provided to Regie by Preda after his return to his family.

Regie is finally reunited with his family and provided with food pack enough to last for a week. Preda will continue to find ways to support the education of Regie so he can finish high school and assist in the rebuilding of houses of those affected by typhoon Yolanda in Cebu and Tacloban.