By Loy M. PalaposThe typical Boholano does not just dream of his future. Headstrong and persevering, he searches for his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, wherever that would be; even to the extent of leaving his homeland and his loved ones, if only to give them some comfort in life, both material and intangible. He knows how to sacrifice to reach a goal, and when he sees the silver lining, his main obsession is to come back home.
The Boholanos were some of the first Filipinos who traversed the Pacific on a month-long journey to the pineapple plantations of Hawaii and the apple and orange orchards of California . When seamanship was the vogue, led by compatriot Tomas Cloma, they boarded foreign ships and tankers that circumnavigated the globe.
When the Arab countries needed engineers to explore their oil fields and construct buildings, and doctors and nurses to man their hospitals made by petro-dollars, the Boholanos crossed the skies unmindful of the risks in an alien culture. Even in the Philippines , the Boholano is well-known as the “el viajero,†the traveler. This explains why many provinces and cities in Mindanao are populated by 70% Boholanos.
Engineer Elias Fuertes Bonite is a typical Boholano, fearless in his quest for a greener pasture. He was born in Panglao, Bohol on July 4, 1958 . His father, Bartolome Bonite, once worked at the Panglao municipal bureaucracy, while his mother devoted her times to taking good care of their six siblings.
Marietta B. Go is a Commerce graduate and now resides in California with her family. Edgar is a Civil Engineer, now connected with DPWH I. Fe B. Milana finished BSN and is now a Nurse at Madonna and Child Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City. Dario is an Electrical Engineer, now working with NIA in Pilar. The youngest in the family, Julieta, stays with their parents in Panglao.
Dong Bonite is married to Gloria Lagria of Lila. She finished BS in Chemical Engineering at UB. Both are blessed with 5 children. Elaine Gay studied at UST and finished a degree in BS Biology. Eileen Grace also studied at UST and finished BS Mathematics. Ethel Gladys is a graduate in BS Mass Communications of Dominican College.
These ladies now manage a family-owned recruitment agency along Calceta Street in Tagbilaran City . Dominic Garry, the only boy among the siblings, is enrolled at Philippine Aeronautics-PATTS (Philippine Air Transport and Training Services). The youngest, Emerald Gretchen, is taking up BSN at Holy Name University.
Dong first studied at the Looc Elementary School in Panglao Island , and finished his secondary education at Saint Augustine Academy . He enrolled at the University of Bohol for a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and finished the course in 1980. That same year he took and passed the Board.
The Boholano trait of trying new waters was evident in his desire to leave Bohol and work, and be independent. He readily got a job as an Electrical Engineer at the Bukidnon Industrial Construction Corporation (BICC), working at the Bukidnon Sugar Company (BUSCO) Expansion Project in Quezon, Bukidnon province, from 1980 to 1982. That same year, the travel bug was more potent. He moved to Cagayan de Oro City and became a Sales Engineer at the Cagayan Heavy Equipment Company (CHECO) until 1984.
The working climate and take-home pay were good, but he sensed he could still move higher. This time in foreign shores; and he knew he needed to work harder, not just depend in sheer luck. In 1985 he got a job as Project Engineer of Ali Al-Ghamdi Estate in Rahima, Ras Tanura , Saudi Arabia . He was part of a team that worked with several ARAMCO projects until 1987.
Another high-paying job was offered as Senior Electrical Engineer at Al Taqadum Estate for Trading and Contracting, which he accepted. He stayed in Yanbu , Saudi Arabia and worked on Saudi Royal Commission Projects until 1990. And it was time to move on. He crossed the borders after signing a contract to work as an Electrical Engineer of Bechtel International, Inc. in Kuwait , where he was a part in the Rehabilitation of the war-torn Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).
In 1992 he was promoted as Assistant Project Superintendent of Bechtel International, Inc. and was assigned at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Gas Plant Project , United Arab Emirates . A year later, he came back to the Philippines to be with his growing children, and worked as Project Superintendent of Parsons International Philippines, Ltd., on Caltex Refinery Expansions Project in Batangas, where he stayed until 1995.
But the love of petro-dollars was irresistible to a capable man at his prime. He went back to Saudi Arabia in 1997 and accepted an offer to be the head Electrical Engineer of the Materials Standardization Division of Saudi ARAMCO. He holds the position up to the present.
Engr. Bonite has given vent to a profitable wanderlust and simultaneously shared his skills in Organizational Management. Even as a student at UB, he held the distinction of being a part of the first Batch of Kabataang Barangay (KB), and was President of KB-Panglao.
This, in turn, paved the way to him becoming the MYSD (Ministry of Youth and Sports Development) Coordinator of his Municipality. Eventually, he was appointed Provincial KB Coordinator in Bohol , for which reasons he toured the Municipalities as a youth speaker on “Alay Sa Tao Caravan†and the fruitful Government Information Campaign for KB, a stint which made him at par with the youth leaders of the country.
When he was in the Middle East , he was elected President of CISTA (Cebuano Integrated Society and Tribal Allies), an organization of all Visayan speaking Filipinos in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. He was elected Executive Vice President of Oversees Filipino Workers Congress-Eastern Province Chapter, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia . At the same time he was made Deputy Chapter Commander of the Order of the Knights of Rizal (OKOR), also at Al Khobar.
His crowning glory in Organizational Management also took place in Saudi Arabia , where he was Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BOWACCC (Boholano Oversees Worker and Community Credit Cooperative). This is the first Cooperative organized in the Middle East and registered at CDA (Cooperative Development Authority), with Registration Number CBU-2817. What many thought was an impossible task, Engineer Bonite made possible. This despite the travails he had to surmount.
After 20 long years in Cagayan de Oro City, Engr. Elias Bonite and his wife Gloria decided to move their family back to Bohol two years ago. With three of their children already college graduates, they put up RJM International Manpower Services, Inc. It is still a way of helping fellow Boholanos seeking greener pastures. By September, he will fly back to Dhahran , Saudi Arabia to fulfill his overseas contract. But Bohol is always his home.
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Topic: Electrifying the Arab Countries: Engineer Elias Fuertes Bonite (Read 10517 times)