Former flight attendant who lost her job amid pandemic turns to selling LPG

Maurice Maureen Avila, a former flight attendant who was retrenched amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has set up a business selling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

On Facebook, Maurice proudly announced her new venture, posting a side by side photo of herself during her days as part of the cabin crew when she said “life was so easy and totally different” and a present photo of herself posing with an LPG cylinder.

According to Maurice, the second photo shows “what I do for living now. The first business that I and my boyfriend ever tried.”

“Diskarte at sakripisyo ang bubuhay sa ’yo at sa pamilya mo, hindi opinyon ng ibang tao,” Maurice wrote.

Maurice posted on Facebook on Oct. 16, which was the “effectivity date of the 2nd wave of retrenchment” in their airline.

“I am exactly one and a half month unemployed,” she said.

“Yes, I am already unemployed. I am not a flight attendant anymore and I don’t have the wings anymore,” she added.

Maurice said it took her so long “to accept and post this in social media.”

Maurice admitted she used to be ashamed of her current situation. “Madaming nagtatanong sakin pero hndi ko nirereplyan. Kase nahhiya ako. Kase feeling ko nagfail ako sa buhay.”

She said she used to question God. “Bakit kailangan mong kunin yung pangarap na pinaghirapan ko?”

Maurice said she was “devastated for 2 weeks; nawalan ng gana kumain, iyak ng iyak kada kagabe, paggising sa umaga iiyak nanaman. Ang sakit sakit.”

“But eventually, natanggap ko din naman. Bakit? Nasaktan ako. Pinaghirapan ko to. Pangarap ko to. Eto ang mundo ko. Eto ang bumubuhay samen ng pamilya ko. HINDI DAPAT IKAHIYA NA NATANGGAL KA SA TRABAHO,” she added.

Encouraging those who like her lost their jobs amid the pandemic. “Don’t lose hope,” Maurice said.

During that one-and-a-half month period, Maurice said she realized “kahit anong gsto natin sa buhay kung hndi naman talaga yun ang plano ni Lord, kukunin at kukunin nya yun sayo.”

Maurice said she couldn’t wait to see and be with her fellow flight attendants who hoped to return to the job once it called them back again.

“Para sa mga gusto pading magFA, kita kits tyo sa pila sa Grand Hiring. Sabay sabay tayo mangarap uli, sabay sabay tyong lilipad uli!” she said.

“There is always hope and always keep in mind that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We will paint sky yellow, blue and red again! We will have our wings again!”

Maurice said being a flight attendant changed her life. “It was a pleasure to be onboard. Thank you everyone!  Maurice Maureen Avila, Your Lead Cabin Crew 258240 Now signing off...”

According to the Department of Labor and Employment in September, about 180,000 Filipinos lost their jobs in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. – Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/RC, GMA News