Al Evasco has been working as an automotive mechanic for 23 years. He has always wanted to be one, he says, as he likes “magbutingting,” or taking things apart and fixing them. He excelled as a Tesda trainee, and was awarded as outstanding student when he took its automotive mechanic course after graduating high school. Setting his sights high, he applied to a top-brand car dealership but was not accepted.

The auto repair shop that took Al and for which he works up to now is also an established one, though, with many branches. He does anything and everything an auto mechanic does, from disassembly and assembly to acetylene welding and fabrication.

Al has a wife and child and dreams of having his own family home someday. He says that more than money, he wants good health for himself and his family. He does not consider his diminutive size a hindrance and says he is happy at work. He gets along well with his coworkers and goes out with them after hours, saying it is important to be “marunong makisama.”

Related: In 2022, crisis in incomes and jobs pummeled labor sector