He went back to working as auto mechanic and driver of rent a car. He told himself maybe a job abroad was not really for him.
One day, while driving for a visiting Saudi executive, the guy asked Thony if he knew any mechanic willing to work in Saudi Arabia. If he could recommend a very good auto mechanic daw. He asked him if that’s for real. Baka naman yan ay lokohan lang kasi nga maraming illegal recruiters. He told him he’s very much qualified for the job and he would like to work in Saudi Arabia.
Thony Luluquisin, at last, left for Saudi Arabia.
He worked day and night as a mechanic to earn enough to secure his family’s future. Aside from his full time job, he also accepted repairs of friends, friends of friends, bosses of friends’ vehicles. His skills, experience and sariling galing sa makina, helped catapult him into bigger jobs like repairing of any kind of motors, machinery, including engines of air planes.For two years, he focused on earning money. His skills went beyond fixing cars.
He won contracts with the big Saudi oil company Aramco.
He was able to save ridiculous amounts of money. He was ready to go home. Three days before his flight to Manila, policemen came and put him to jail together with two of his partners. Some Filipinos tipped the police that they were producing liquor which was highly illegal in Saudi Arabia.
Three days after he and his friends were thrown in jail, two Filipino guys ransacked their house/quarters and stole all their money and valuables, including the maletaful of dollar bills which he was supposed to deposit in the bank the day he was picked up by the police.
They were wrongly accused. He was being forced to admit the crime that he didn’t do.
He fought the case and won after spending a year in jail. They were released and he left for the Philippines with no money.
According to Thony, the accusation lodged against them was manufactured by co-Filipino workers who knew of their big contracts and perhaps envious of the amount of money they were reaping.
How much was stolen from the three of them? Millions according to him.
to be continued.
