Banyuhay

It was the year 2045. Lakambini, a country in the Southeastern region of Asia has cemented its place in the ranks of economic giants. President Delano has finally won his fight against terrorism and drugs, and in 2030, he proposed a new system that was fully supported by the majority. It is called the Banyuhay system.

The Banyuhay system consists of four classes. First, the white and gold-donned Maharlikas who work in business, research and academia, and are considered to be model citizens. Second, the Mandirigmas, who have sworn to protect the country. They include both the army and armed militia who strongly support the president and his family. They wear black and bronze. Third, the blue-wearing Manlilikhas who are the farmers, builders and other skilled workers. They are the backbone of the economy. Lastly, the Magdurusas who are the prisoners forced to do free labor for the rest of their lives. They wear gray. Unlike the other three classes who live in Hilaga and Centro, Magdurusas only live in the south - Timog, separated from the rest and will never be able to rejoin society.

However, every Utopia has its secret. Although President Delano claimed that the war on drugs is over, the reality is far from it. The truth is, the government has finally taken control of the drug and human trafficking industry in the country. The Magdurusas are forced to work in drug manufacturing facilities and the women are sold to local and foreign customers for sex or slavery.

Despite this, a resistance group who calls themselves Tagasagip has formed and President Delano has already ordered their quick execution.

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“HELP! HELP!”

“We found someone!”

“Are you okay?”, someone asked.

“I-- I think so.”, I responded weakly. I slowly opened my eyes, but was immediately struck by the harsh sunlight. I fought the headache and tried again. This time I succeeded.

“Who are you? Where am I? My family. Where’s my--”, I tried to get up as I was speaking, but the person who found me stopped me from doing so.

“I think it’s better if we take you inside to rest first then we’ll answer your questions..”, she said strictly.

I felt two sets of hands grabbing me from each side to help me onto a wheelchair. I can now get a good grasp of my surroundings. We are by the sea and there’s an endless coastline of white sand. Palm trees surrounded the area and the birds chirped merrily. I felt the cool breeze as I took in what was in front of me -- tall, white concrete walls that lead to a beautiful, modern two-story house with huge windows that reminded me of expensive beach resorts you see on tv.

Inside was even more beautiful. Marbled floors and a spiral staircase greeted us as we entered. I saw more people inside, and like the ones who are accompanying me, they are all dressed in crisp white scrubs.

“Is this a hospital?”, I asked. The worry in my voice was apparent.

“Not really, but don’t worry. We are more than capable to help you. We will explain more in a bit. After you.”, she said as she ushered me towards a room that looked like a huge office space, which similar to the rest of the things I have seen so far was also purely white, accented only by greens. The two women who were pushing my wheelchair helped me settle on a couch, brought some crackers, a pill for headache, and water, then left.

The woman who found me looks like she is in her early 40s. She had dark hair tied up in a bun and dark-rimmed glasses that contrasted with her pale skin. But despite her intimidating appearance, she had a very warm smile and kind eyes.

She sat on the chair opposite to me, smiled and started speaking. “I am Dr. Victoria Paz, but everyone calls me Dr. Ria. I am the director of this facility. I know you have some questions, but before that can you tell me about yourself and how you ended up here?”, she asked politely.

I took the pill and drank the water before responding. “My name is Lena Alegre. I am 15 years old. As to how I ended up here, I am not sure. I don’t even know where this place is. All I remember is that I was travelling with a group trying to escape--”, I cut myself off before I reveal anything else to Dr. Ria. “I remember that we took a boat, the waves were strong and the boat capsized.”.

Dr. Ria looked at me intently. I am not sure if she was trying to gauge if I was telling the truth. She then started scribbling on her journal.

“Wait, am I being interrogated?”, I asked. “Listen, I need to get going. I need to find my family.” I stood up and felt something fall out of my pocket. It was my heart-shaped locket.

I picked up the locket and opened it. Inside was a photo of me, my parents and my younger sister. “My family was with me on that boat. I need to find them. Have your people rescued anyone else?”, I said as I tried to choke back my tears.

Dr. Ria sat next to me and held my hand. “No, we haven’t seen anyone else, but I will tell my staff to search the island. It is a small island so it would be hard to miss if anyone gets washed ashore.”, she said. She gave me another glass of water and I drank it hastily. “Lena, I think it is better for you to rest first and we can continue this discussion later.”, she offered and was about to call someone when I cut her off.

“No, tell me what this place is! I can’t stay here if I know that my family is out there needing my help!”, I screamed. The two staff members who were waiting outside rushed inside to check on what was happening. Dr. Ria stopped them before they could grab me.

“Lena, I am not sure exactly what is happening here, but I have heard enough stories about women trying to escape Timog to know that I am in front of one even though you clearly tried to hide that by wearing black.”, she said. She said the statement with great certainty, like she did not even need me to confirm it. I wanted to say something but she got ahead of me.

“But the good thing is, as I said, you are safe here.”, she paused for a bit then pointed at the green badge she was wearing. Now that I look at it, I can read what the letters in gold spell out - Tagasagip.

“Welcome to Primarya.”, she said with a reassuring smile. “I believe this is the place where your boat was heading to.”, she continued.

I looked at Dr. Ria still in disbelief of what I just heard. “Primarya? The Isla Primarya? Did I actually make it?”, I asked. The rush of emotions was too much to handle that I started crying and laughing hysterically. Both of the staff gave Dr. Ria a look, looking for any cues on whether they should sedate me or not. Dr. Ria ignored them.

“Yes Lena, you will be safe here. It took a while to set-up the system to help the Magdurusas escape Timog, but we have managed to place Tagasagip members in positions of power to make this finally possible. Isla Primarya is the perfect place for us to set up the first base. Then transfers to Islas Segunda and Tersera will happen in the next couple of months. Just precautionary measures so we can vet the people we are taking in before reaching Isla Malaya, the headquarters of the Tagasagips. No one would realize that anything is amiss here. This is a wellness center where Maharlikas come for relaxation. Not everyone can afford it, so only a select few know about this place.”, she said, beaming with pride at what she and her team managed to accomplish. “It’s the perfect place to shelter Magdurusas before they make the next trip.”.

“Your boat is the fifth one that managed to escape Timog. We were expecting you to arrive last night, but after we didn’t get an update from Antonio we lost all hope.”, Dr. Ria said sadly.

“Antonio is my nephew. Did you meet him, Lena? He was supposed to lead this rescue operation.”, she asked. I can see in her eyes the desperation. “Before your trip, he warned me that some people from his class, who are staunch supporters of President Delano, were discussing that the government is aware of the Tagasagips and are trying to locate our headquarters.

“Yes, I know Antonio. In fact, he was the one who told me about Isla Primarya...”, I said as I clutched the heart-shaped locket once again. A habit I do whenever I feel uncomfortable.

“We were in the same class.”, I continued. I looked away from Dr. Ria so I couldn’t see the look of confusion that marred her face. Instead, I gazed at the sea. The palm trees with their trees dancing with the breeze. The waves that crash onto the beach, disappearing as fast as they came. The chirping of the birds that calmed me moments ago.

It was very peaceful, betraying the events that have been slowly unraveling without anyone noticing. “I can live here.”, I thought.

“He didn’t do a great job in hiding that he was a Tagasagip. Volunteering to visit Timog weekly? Who does that? What an idiot!”, I said sarcastically.

“You know, Dr. Ria. I kinda liked your nephew. If the situations were different, who knows? I could have dated him.”. I can see the color on Dr. Ria’s face turned bright red .

“Are you okay, Doctor? You’re probably getting bored with my story.”

“Just tell me where Antonio is. Please, he is just 16.”, she begged. Tears flowed profusely from her eyes. She looks like she will faint any moment now. She didn’t need to hear it from me to know that it was too late.

“Sorry, just doing my job.”

Before she could even say anything, a group of armed militia burst in the room and arrested the staff and Dr. Ria. I finally looked at her and saw the look of disbelief, or was that disgust on her face?

I approached her and put my face close to hers so she could hear every word I say. “Oh, and it was not a mistake that I am wearing black. Afterall, I am the youngest captain of the Mandirigmas.”

I didn’t wait for Dr. Ria to respond. The men took Dr. Ria and the rest of the staff back to the ship that was lazily docked by the beach. I held my locket once more -- the only reminder of how happy I was. Now it’s just me, orphaned by the same criminals these traitors are helping.

“President Delano will be very happy, Lena. I’m sure a promotion is waiting for you when you return. Now, where next?”, asked one of the armed men. I couldn’t bother with any of their names. Afterall, they are just pawns to help me rise to the top.

“Back to Centro, of course. We deserve a break after all. Isla Segunda can wait.”