A Dayoff to remember

Subic — It may be tough to be in somebody’s shoes for a day and do that one important thing — earn a living — so one could take a break from the back-breaking task of providing for the family. But Mike “Pekto” Nacua didn’t have second thoughts about accepting the offer to be one of Q-11’s Dayoff hosts the first time the idea was proposed to him.

“I find it interesting and different from the shows I used to have as a comedian,” Pekto says.

The show’s concept is to give one deserving Filipino worker a chance to relax and spend the whole day with his family in a vacation place without having to worry about his duties. This is done every week with Pekto or Carmina Villarroel (the other host) serving as replacement.

Though the two are not used to tough jobs, they still do the task at hand, knowing that this could make a difference in the day of a kababayan. That’s why they always feel a sense of fulfillment every time they accomplish certain tasks for someone else.

 “The most memorable for me was when I had to go atop a billboard 120 feet high. I got nervous but I still did it with a harness because I really feel the man deserves a relaxing day-off. Imagine, he’s been mounting billboards and tarpaulins for a living without wearing a harness or protective suit! That’s too risky,” Pekto says.

And if sometimes doubts come in, the thought of making someone happy and relaxed only for a day makes Pekto get up and go. He doesn’t mind, for instance, climbing a high, slender-bodied coconut tree or planting something as dangerous as a dynamite in a quarry site.

With the difficult tasks laid out before him, Pekto cannot help but be thankful for the kind of work he has, even if it means less than four hours of sleep most of the time.

Doesn’t he get close to the people featured on the show?

“I got close to most of them as they are ready to share whatever views they have. By the time you hear their stories, you realize how hard they work to sustain their needs,” he answers.

 “Sometimes, as a father myself, I feel the sadness of someone who works but still cannot afford to be near his family,” Pekto adds.

That’s why he always tries injecting humor to lessen the burden or grief of those people trying to get a day off. “They’re so serious with their work, it’s just right that they have fun once in a while,” Pekto says.

Recently, as part of Dayoff’s second anniversary blow-out, 100 hardworking Pinoys were chosen to have a relaxing trip with Pekto and Carmina. Fifty of them went to Laguna while the other half was treated to an enjoyable day in Subic.

Laughter and excited voices filled the air. Happy faces were all over Subic’s Zoobic Safari as Dayoff winners enjoyed a thrilling adventure inside the safari. The winners glanced at every amphibian, reptile and mammal with curiosity, touching and mingling with the tame ones while exercising caution in dealing with dangerous tigers and crocodiles. Pekto and the winners also watched Aetas perform and later exchanged banter with them.

The trip inside Zoobic lasted for almost two hours, and a hearty lunch at Gerry’s Grill followed. The winners stored a lot of energy for their trip to other places like the Jest Camp inside Subic.

Oohs and aahs were heard when dolphins and sea lions started displaying their exhilarating moves in shows at Ocean Adventure. Delight was written on everyone’s faces as underwater creatures paraded before everyone in the fish museum.

Others shrieked with excitement as they immersed in the cold waters of All Hands beach resort where they capped that one relaxing day in their lives.

Jeremiah says she didn’t expect the day when she can enjoy and temporarily set aside life’s troubles would ever come her way. She works 15 hours a day as carioca and butse vendor in a Pasay City market to provide for her family. Her daughter sent a text message to Dayoff since she wanted her mother to enjoy a rest day.

“I’ve been working hard every day of my life since I was 14. It is only now that I get to taste how it is to go on a trip,” Jeremiah gleefully says.

“We’re like kids again, free from worries and obligations,” adds Luisa who works in a feeding center for the malnourished in Laguna.

“My husband is waiting for me at GMA because this is my first time to go out. I don’t even know how to go back to Laguna as I am busy working every day to help provide for our needs,” Rosemarie blurts out.

The words only prove all are tied down with work and no time to relax.

Dayoff will air these exciting trips on its two-part anniversary special on Nov. 17 and 24 at 8 p.m.