Enrick Samonte: The Copying Machine Technician who became a Regular PAL Employee
Posted on Friday, 6 January 2017
ENRICK SAMONTE: THE COPYING MACHINE
TECHNICIAN
WHO BECAME A REGULAR PAL EMPLOYEE
By Apolinario Villalobos
During the early part of 1990, to ease the
burden of copying for the Standards and Coordination Division (SCD) of
Marketing and Sales-Philippines (MSP) of Philippine Airlines, an agency was
contracted for the provision of one heavy-duty copying unit with a technician.
Everybody then, on the 5th floor of Vernida building, not only the
division for which the machine was intended, was happy. What made them glad
more was the amiable technician who was assigned by the agency, Enrick Samonte.
A gregarious guy, he at once befriended almost everybody for being
accommodating. He would be late sometimes for lunch for giving in to many
requests for which he would just smile and scratch his head.
He must have been astounded with the
voluminous requirements most of the time that at times forced him to extend his
duty beyond 5PM. I would recall the times that he also stayed overnight with
the staff if there were urgent copying to do. All of them were taken in stride
by Enrick. He was also proud of his job and diligent, as we would find him at
his post way ahead of the PAL employees in the morning. He was also very neat
in his outfit and sometimes wore blazer to match the color of his sport shirt.
When our group was absorbed by another
division at S&L Building, I lost contact with Enrick. I thought he was
pulled out by his agency and transferred somewhere else. I was glad to learn,
however, that he was taken in as a regular employee. When I left the company, I
learned further that he joined the staff of Mr. Dave Lim, the SVP for Sales.
Lately, I was surprised to find him to have been assigned to the Office of
Metro Manila and Luzon Sales, a division of the Philippine Region.
For Enrick, his journey within Philippine
Airlines has been challenging as he had to deal with people of various
characters, but he successfully melded with them. He is liaising for the
division with which he is now connected and very much happy about it because he
is back to where he started as a copying machine technician. Just like any
other regular PAL employee, he is enjoying free tickets, benefit that he shares
with his family….all because of his patience, diligence and amiability.
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