Baguio City – When I was working as a contractual employee in the Voice of America Relay Station Baguio, I was privileged to know on how it was great to be working with one of America’s highly respected icon, and that is VOA. Although, I am only working as maintenance personnel, I get used to diligently perform my duties and responsibilities knowing that I have this kind of opportunity that only a select few can have.
It was really good having a job as a maintenance crew because we are responsible in maintaining the vast area where the Voice of America is located. Its mountainous location is surrounded by pre and post world war two pine trees. Poachers or illegal loggers are prohibited because we alternately guard the perimeters or boundaries of the facility. But sometimes, treasure hunters are doing their illegal diggings in the area most especially at night.
Old folks living near the area of VOA believes that Japanese strugglers buried gold bars and other precious metals inside the vast area of the Relay Station of VOA. And so some of the residents contacted treasure hunters from Japan and other nationality to conduct diggings. In one instance, our American boss was angered by the illegal activities of treasure hunters and he ordered us to undo all the diggings and shovel back the soil to its former place.
But in 1990, the once popular Relay Station came to a halt because almost all the communication towers were toppled by a strong earthquake. The following year and to the disbelief of all the employees, the then Aquino government finally terminated all the American facilities including the well loved Voice of America Relay Station Baguio, that provided bread and butter to the local employees for so many years.
And now, as I tried to bring back the memories of working inside the VOA Relay Station, I was surprised to see that it is no longer the facility I used to love. It drastically changed that the area looks like an asylum for the insane. Lawns and plants not well maintained, tall grasses almost outgrown other plants, pine needles littered all around the place and the whole area is a total mess. Reported diggings in the area was said to be conducted through the sinister plot of some government officials. The good memories and importance of VOA was totally disregarded Ah… what a nice facility, a nice place gone forever.
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