Marco Enzo Chiesa, chemical engineer–Only child of Lorenzo Matteo Chiesa
In a story, if you have a hero who will come to save the day, unfortunately, you also need either a victim or someone in distress. This is the function that Marco will fill. Here lies the crux of the matter, Marco doesn’t know that he will be the victim. As a matter of fact, all he is aware of is that he going to enter an exciting new period in his life.
Before we start telling Marco’s tragic story, let’s give the reader a little of Marco’s background. Marco Enzo Chiesa was born to Maria Conceptione Chiesa and Lorenzo Matteo Chiesa on October 2, 1995, in Rome, Italy. Marco was a good student and showed a penchant for the sciences. He graduated from high school with honors. He double majored in college, earning bachelor’s in science degrees in both chemistry and engineering. He went on to get a master’s degree in chemical engineering.
Even though he loved Italy, by the time he obtained his master’s degree, he was ready for a change of scenery. Through his university’s career placement department, Marco discovered that the Philippines and in particular, it’s capital Manila was in desperate need of chemical engineers. Their need was so great that many of the companies located there were even taking new graduates with no experience. This seemed like a dream come true. He had always wanted to live in the tropics. Marco grew up watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries. During his formative years, he dreamed of scuba diving below the sea’s surface, swimming with exotic sea life, and making groundbreaking discoveries. Now maybe his childhood fantasies will come true.
While Marco’s father, Lorenzo, did not relish his son moving to the other side of the world, he understood his son’s desire to follow his dreams and always tried his best to support them. Marco was Lorenzo’s only child. However, it was not by design. When he was born, there were complications, and his ever-suffering wife, Isabella, had to have an emergency hysterectomy to save his life. Even though she had always been sickly and nearly lost her life during childbirth, she produced a magnificent son. Despite being diagnosed with leukemia a few years after their son was born, they managed to live a happy life. Lorenzo doted on his wife and son and provided the best life that he could. At least his wife and Marco’s mother managed to stay alive until their son graduated from college. Lorenzo remembered how proud his Maria was of Marco. He knew why it was important that she see Marco get his diploma because he was the first member of the Bianchi family to graduate from college.
When Maria finally succumbed to her leukemia, it was the saddest day in Lorenzo’s life. Now that his beautiful son Marco was moving to the Philippines, he felt his heart break again. Even though he had two older siblings living in Italy, they were not that close. His sister Isabella was busy with her grandchildren, and of course, his older brother was the Pope, so he had little to no time to devote to Lorenzo. Besides, his only love was God, so he would never understand the loss he was feeling now that his son would be living thousands of miles away. Once Marco settled in, Lorenzo had considered moving to the Philippines, but he quickly decided against it. He didn’t want Marco to feel like he was crowding him.
Marco had submitted several applications to companies in Manila and the surrounding areas and received several requests for interviews. The offer made by Aboitiz Foods, located in Cebu City, interested him the most. For one, the cost of living was lower than in Manila, and secondly, the crime rate was lower. But the best part was that they offered him the best pay rate and benefit package. While Marco had not worked for any corporation yet, he had interned for several years while he was completing both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, so he did have plenty of hands-on experience working in labs and with various software packages, including advanced CAD software.
One benefit of Aboitiz Foods was that it was a growing company with a presence in eight different Asian countries. If the Philippines did not work out, there were opportunities for transfers to other locations. For now, the important thing was that they were hiring in the Philippines, which is where Marco wanted to live at this time, so that is where we will concentrate our story. For better or worse, Marco is going to Cebu City.
I have included a little information on Cebu City below. The appendices include a brief history of the Philippines and a more in-depth discussion of the country.
Cebu City is renowned as the “Queen City of the South,” a term signifying its historic and economic importance as the oldest city and first capital of the Philippines. It’s also recognized as the country’s main domestic shipping port and a prime trading center. Cebu is generally considered a good place to live, especially for retirees and those seeking a more affordable lifestyle. Beyond its economic and historical significance, Cebu City is known for its vibrant culture, particularly during festivals like Sinulog. The Melan’s Cross commemorates the introduction of Christianity to the Philippines. Fort San Pedro is a historic fort with a fascinating history, offering insights into Spanish colonial rule. The Basilica del Santo Niño is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. Cebu boasts beautiful beaches, scenic diving spots, and waterfalls like Kawasan Falls and Tumalog Falls. Besides, UNESCO has recognized Cebu City as the country’s design capital, known for its furniture, arts and crafts, and fashion design. Even though there are 7,641 islands in the Philippines, the country only has eight international airports (Clark, Davao, Laoag, Mactan-Cebu, Manila-Ninoy Aquino, Kalibo, and Puerto Princesa). So, having an international airport near where he would be living and working was definitely a perk. The only problem is that it is still limited to a few international cities: Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul. So there are no direct flights to Rome. That is not an issue, because with modern air travel, direct flights are a rarity, unless you live in a major city and are traveling to another major one; layovers and connecting flights are a fact of life.
Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB)
There are always bad with the good, mainly because no place is perfect. Some individuals have reported concerns about police corruption and safety issues, although this is not a universal experience. Another negative issue is that foreigners cannot own land in the Philippines.
After Marco completed his application and his phone interview, and he was certain that he had a guaranteed job, he started looking for a place to live. From talking with friends, he knew that finding a nice place to live in the Philippines could be difficult. So before he even purchased a ticket to Cebu City, he did an internet search for a nice condo to live in. After several hours of searching through a bunch of crappy apartments and condos he came across Mivesa Garden Residences. As soon as he started looking at the condo photos and reading all the reviews, he knew he had found his new home. Once he had found the best place, he contacted the manager and locked in a condo for one year. He could have signed a contract for longer, but wanted to tie himself down for that long. You could never tell; maybe he would hate his new job or hate the Philippines.
Miseva Garden Residences
While Marco was going to school, he always had the idea in the back of his head that he was not going to remain in Italy, so he never accrued a lot of belongings. This minimalist approach to life was now paying off in spades. All his belongings fit in a couple of large boxes, which he shipped to the Philippines via a discount service. He kept everything he would need upon arriving in the Philippines with him. All these items fit in two suitcases.
His new boss was accommodating and gave Marco a week to settle in before he had to report to work. Because his condo was furnished and he had so few belongings, he didn’t need all that time. So once he settled in, he started exploring and learning about his new home. Not being one to waste time, he also took advantage of the extra time to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a certified scuba diver by getting his diving certification card, or C-Card as it is known among the diving community. SiDive Diving Center offered a full complement of PADI dive courses, and their reviews were all favorable, and not hearing anything to the contrary, he signed up with them. He had always tried to keep himself in shape, so the classes did not prove to be too taxing, and within three jam-packed days, he was now the proud owner of a shiny new C-Card. Money was a little tight, so he got the bare minimum: a dive mask, snorkel, swim fins, and a stylish-looking waterproof backpack explicitly designed for dive gear. He would have to rent the rest of the gear when he went scuba diving.