How I survived in America - STAR BYTES by Butch Francisco

The topic of D-Day last Thursday was in keeping with the times. It was about resignation – or knowing when to quit and throw in the towel. Among the guests in that episode was running priest, Fr. Robert Reyes, one of the propagators of the Erap Resign movement.

Since D-Day is not a public affairs show, it had to include in its line-up of guests non-political people who can discuss other reasons for resigning (from their jobs, responsibilities, etc.) One was Olen Lim, who quit from her job at Slimmers’ World, and the other was this writer, who gave up two top-rated TV shows for a hard life in the US.

Actually, it’s been more than two years since I resigned from Showbiz Lingo and Cristy Perminute to migrate to America. But to this day, people still say that I was crazy to have done that.

What they don’t know is that way before I accepted the offer to do Showbiz Lingo is 1992, my immigration papers were already being processed. In 1995, I was given my green card.

As a green cardholder, I’m supposed to stay in the US and not here. Of course, I know of a lot of Pinoy green cardholders who are overstaying here. But these are the people who know how to go around the law – and I don’t. Call me stupid, but I’d rather do it the legal way.

Doing it the legal way means applying for a re-entry permit which would allow me to stay here in the Philippines for two years. That was what I did in 1996. But in early 1998, my time was up. I had to decide whether I’d give up my green card and stay here or live in the United States.

That time, my career on television was still at its peak – modesty aside. (Although I never really made it as big as my co-host, Cristy Fermin, who had a daily show that carried her name.) And choosing between a lucrative career here at home and joining my loved ones in the US proved to be the toughest decision I ever had to make in my life. Well, I chose to leave for the US and suffered the consequences of that decision.

In the US, my family is based in Los Angeles. But when I decided to enroll at the Harvard University in the East Coast, I had to live all by myself in Boston. In order to survive there, I had to do menial jobs – like work at a commissary where I stacked canned goods. (I was assigned at the cat food section and – to this day – I can’t stand looking at those feline creatures whose furry faces were stamped on those can labels.)

In order to earn more money, I volunteered to mop floors – but I wasn’t good at it so I was fired after only one week. Later, I learned how to drive the forklift and got paid good money for it.

Although I was earning a lot (I was doing the graveyard shift which paid more), I still had to tighten my budget because I was renting an apartment. Food was always a problem since I didn’t have the proper cooking utensils. In order for me to have a decent meal, I’d get myself invited to all sorts of parties. At one informal dinner, I found myself full and unable to eat one slice of pork chop left on my plate. Instead of throwing away the pork chop, I wrapped it in a plastic sheet and slipped it into my pocket. That served as my lunch the following day.

Foraging for food became part of my daily ritual. Sometimes, I’d help out in a friend’s house for a free chow. This went on for almost a year – until the school term was over.

After I left school (I couldn’t afford it anymore), I decided to apply for another re-entry permit and flew back home where I resumed my TV career via Startalk.

What I went through in Boston was hell. I could have easily asked for financial help from my family, but pride got the better of me.

Was I sorry for having resigned from two TV shows here in exchange for a hard life in the US? My answer is No. It was a decision I made and I had to stand by it.

President Estrada is now in the process of getting impeached. Had I been in his position, I would have quit right after the jueteng scandal broke out – while I still had some dignity left.

I know I’d be oversimplifying matters by comparing the President’s current predicament to this personal experience I just related. But I’d just like to share this little lesson in life to anyone who’d care to read this.

That time I was eating moldy bread and weeks-old rice in Boston. I wanted to kick myself in the head for having given up my career here in the Philippines.

But looking back, I’m glad I went through that kind of purgatory. I’m not sorry anymore since I was given the chance to go back to television anyway.

I may have lost Showbiz Lingo, but I now have Startalk (thank you, Boy Abunda) – where I feel more comfortable.

While I’ll always be proud of having been part of Showbiz Lingo (no other movie talk show has measured up to the high standard it set on television), I have to admit that I had difficulty doing it because it was too gossipy for me.

Honestly, and I hope I don’t come out like an ingrate, I feel a lot more comfortable doing Startalk which allows me to seriously tackle issues pertaining to the entertainment business.

So I guess the risk I took two years ago – when I resigned from Channel 2 – still paid off. As an added bonus, it gave me strength and taught me patience (I’m a lot easier to deal with now).

No, I’m not telling people dissatisfied with their jobs to run to their computers this minute and type out their resignation letters.

What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t be afraid to take risks and take chances when we reach crossroads in life. Things may be difficult in the beginning and there’ll be some regrets. But most likely, everything would turn out to be for the best in the end. If it worked that way for me, maybe it would also work that way for other people.

Maybe even for a President like Erap.