Though I have not personally met the man, one of my favorite people in Desiree’s Manila neighborhood is her garbage man. He lives under a bridge not far from Desiree’s house. He is, as they say in the Philippines, “stretching his bones.” Meaning, he is always trying. Always working as hard as he can. Daily, he hauls Desiree’s garbage to a collection point. He often helps Desiree move heavy things about. She pays him little regularly and pays extra when he helps with other chores outside hauling her trash.
For several weeks, Desiree has
been struggling to get a handyman to help her install a new AC unit. A bit of remodeling is required. Several contractors failed to show up. One did show up to look at the job, but his
behavior was off-putting and she did not hire him.
A lot of other people live
under the bridge alongside the garbage man.
Desiree finally hired a man from under the bridge to begin demolition of the wall required for the installation of her new AC unit. On the second day, the man brought along a
“carpenter” friend of his. The carpenter
also lives under the bridge.
“He’s fast,” Desiree said of
the carpenter. “He knows the best way to
do everything. And he has tools!”
Desiree quickly lined him up
with a host of small projects she wants done.
I asked her to send photographs
of his projects. I am impressed. I can tell he is a craftsman. He knows plenty about construction and he
works for a reasonable daily wage.
In Manila, if you want the best
men for getting work done, I know just the place to find them.
— Mitchell Hegman
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