Shera Di Kaum Punjabi

When we moved to the Philippines 3 years ago, it took me about a year to gain the confidence of driving our car around on my own. Until then, for that entire year, I used to commute using public transport wherever I would go out alone. Jeepneys are the most popular form of public transportation here; accommodating about 17-18 passengers in a ride. On most occasions when I would travel in a jeepney, I used to get curious looks from my fellow passengers and I would attribute it to my foreign features (read long nose). However, sometimes someone's compelling curiosity would bring up a sheepish question -"Are you Five-Six?"
 
The first time this happened you can imagine my plight in trying to come up with an appropriate response - "No, I'm 007!" (too cocky!) or "I'm two-five, twenty five!" (he he!) or "What is that?". When caught off guard, one tends to be honest and plain, and so I went with the last one and just got a smile in return. But this never happened again; because I by then knew better, as the answer, quite simply, was "No."

I live in a place called Clark, an upcoming Special Economic Zone, located in the lively province of Pampanga, 200 km north of Manila, the capital of Philippines. When we moved here the only Indians I was expecting to encounter were either BPO professionals or ship crew. But I was so wrong! After my first five-six fiasco in the jeepeney I decided to find out more about it, and realized that what I was finding out about was not "it" but "them".

Five-Six, also known as Boombai (for Bombay / Mumbai), are Punjabis living in the Philippines who are in the business of money lending. They lend in multiples of 5000 pesos and get 6000 back in 120 days earning an interest of 20% flat! Annualize it and it's 120%!! This of course is all illegal and discreet. Most of them have a legitimate face in the form of a convenience store, service provider, trading firm, etc. They have been around here for generations, settled in pretty much all provinces of the country. In part they are liked for the "help" that they are ever so willing to "offer" and in part notorious for the dire consequences of non-payment!!

And when you see their boys doing seva at the Gurdwara, you would find it hard to believe that some of them have never been to India! They talk in rustic punjabi and seemingly flawless tagalog (national language of Philippines) and even keep switching between both quite seamlessly. Unfortunately, my own interaction with them has been very limited due to language barrier. (I can't speak either of the two.) However, I frequent the Gurdwara in lure of the langar quite often and once got the chance to ask one of them what he does for a living and the very polite, yet straight answer I got was "Finance ka business hai ji". Yeah, right! :)
 

As I see them - these people from villages of Punjab, settled and thriving in the Philippines islands, having created and firmed up their own unique identity - I wonder what made them move here 40-50 or may be more, years ago, when both countries had minimal interaction, poor telecommunications, no media and sparse infrastructure. What drove them to a then far flung, unheard of, country leaving everything behind to make a living out of illegal money lending business! Was it desperation? Or was this a case of the brave with an appetite for adventure? Or were they some enterprising, self driven businessmen? Guess I'll never know...but what an interesting tale it must be!