Strange recoveries, and... 奇妙な復帰、そして……

7. Interviewee ７ 取材相手

The black market for organs in the Philippines for foreigners to use is famous, and even now, it is bought and sold on a daily basis for an average of about 100,000 yen per case. According to Philippine law, living-donor kidney transplantation to foreigners is limited to less than 10% of the total, but it is actually ignored, and about 60% of patients undergoing organ transplantation are foreigners. It is said that many of the foreigners are Arabs in the Middle East. Therefore, for a while, the government took the lead in trying to launch a system to allow living-donor kidney transplantation. Depending on the way of thinking, this can be said to be a countermeasure for the poor who have to sell organs at a low price. However, in reality, hospitals have diverted to foreigners who buy the organs they have acquired at a high price. Therefore, there were many criticisms even in the local area, and it did not come to reality.

It seems that organ trading in the Philippines has been carried out on a daily basis since around 1970. Therefore, the organ registration system and the trading process are now fully established, and the surgeons specializing in organ transplantation, which are rare in Japan, perform proper health management before and after surgery. Of course, just because it is not revealed, the failure of surgery, the death of the donor, or the behavior of a malicious broker may actually be a daily occurrence.

"Hey, thank you for your hard work."

Miyahara managed to complete some interviews in Manila by 4 pm on the final day of his stay, and when he returned to his hotel, he worked for photographer Numata.

"Oh, thank you very much, Mr. Miyahara too. So what are you going to do now? Do you eat dinner? Do you play? I know a little about this area so I can guide you. "

Numata, who has a wealth of coverage experience not only in Manila but also in the Philippines such as Cebu, Calamba, and San Fernando, invited Miyahara with a laugh.

However, Miyahara gently refused the invitation while putting both palms in front of his chest.

"Mr. Numata, I'm sorry. Actually, I have another appointment for coverage, and I'm heading there from now on."

However, despite Miyahara's worries, Numata didn't seem to care.

"Oh, is that so? You are enthusiastic about your work. So what? Secret coverage?"

"It's not a secret. I'll go, listen, and return to the hotel in about an hour."

"Oh, I see. Until then, you'll do your best."

Numata tapped Miyahara's back and headed for the red-light district in Manila, which should soon begin to become lively. Miyahara moved with Numata to the point where he left the hotel entrance, and then broke up with him and hurried. Numata walked into the red-light district, while Miyahara contacted Florend P. Abdu, whom he was about to meet, on his smartphone.

"Hello, Miyahara. Mr. Florend, I'm heading there. That's right. If the road isn't crowded, I think it will take about 10 minutes. Yes, thank you."

Miyahara turned off his smartphone and went out to the main street to search for a taxi. Unusually, the taxi wasn't caught. When he finally caught a taxi in front of the St. Luca Medical Center, he opened the door, stretched his neck and looked into the dashboard. Then, as he expected, the driver did not turn on the meter. So Miyahara asked, "Please turn on the meter." The driver obediently responded, so Miyahara reassuredly boarded the taxi and said his destination. The taxi driver once looked back at Miyahara and reiterated the destination Miyahara had told him.

"Yes, there is no doubt there."

As in Thailand and other East Asian countries, there are so-called rip-off taxis in Manila too. They usually finish their run without using a toll meter and demand exorbitant tolls. However, in the case of the Philippines, it's about ten times the regular price, so it's cute. Rest assured if you meet a driver who uses the meter according to the passenger's instructions.

Shortly after arriving at their meeting place at the hotel, Miyahara immediately headed to the lounge bar on the top floor. After getting off the elevator, he entered the bar without hesitation. When he looked into the back of the bar, which wasn't crowded at that time, the evening view of Manila was out of the window. Beyond that, he could see the Manila Sea shining in the setting sun.

"Mr. Miyahara, I'm here"

Miyahara got his face photo from Abdu, but he had a hard time identifying the person in question. As Miyahara was wandering around the bar, reporter Florend P. Abdu discovered Miyahara earlier and called out to him. Abdu's pronunciation had a stronger Spanish accent than when Miyahara heard it on his smartphone. Miyahara realized that Abdu might have been a little careful about Miyahara when he was using his faceless smartphone.

"I'll warn you first."

Shortly after Miyahara was guided to his seat by the waiter, Abdu said.

"Mr. Miyahara. You should never show a keen interest in this matter. It's okay for you to talk to someone, but keep in mind that this story has been talked about as one of the city's rumors. Is it OK? "

"I understand," Miyahara responded. "By the way, is it in Manila or throughout the Philippines?"

"I don't know about the response outside this country. However, if you can, I think it's better to approach with the same attitude in any country where there are rumors. Of course, nothing usually happens, even if you don't follow it. But what did the Japanese saying say, have ears on the wall and eyes on the door? "

"Oh, the door isn't wrong, but it's made of paper in Japan, so it's a paper sliding door. To be more precise, it's a sliding door with paper on a wooden frame, that is a shoji screen. "

"Oh, is that so? But the meaning is the same anyway."

"Mr. Florend, what does that really mean? Is it a kind of taboo?"

Miyahara couldn't understand the meaning of the words of reporter Abdu. So when he asked him about it in a roundabout way.

"Taboo is a custom that originally prohibited the indigenous peoples of Polynesia and the South Pacific from touching or talking about certain people or things as sacred or unclean. Is this the same as that? "Abdu replied with a stagnation. "

So a whirlpool swirled around Miyahara's chest.

"I don't understand you, Mr. Florend. Does that mean it's not conceptual? Straightforwardly, if I ask you, does it really exist? Or ... "

　フィリピンにおける外国人相手の臓器の闇取引は有名で現在でも一件平均約十数万円ほどの金額で日常的に売買が行われている。フィリピンの法律によれば外国人への生体腎移植は全体の一割以内と定められているが、実際には無視され、臓器移植を受ける患者の約六割が外国人だという。またその外国人には中東のアラブ人が多いといわれる。そのため一時期、政府が中心になり、生体腎移植を認める制度を立ち上げようとしたが――これは考えようによっては安い金額で臓器を売らねばならない貧困層への対応策ともいえたのだが――現実には病院が手に入れた臓器を高値をつける外国人に横流しすることになるので、さすがに地元でも非難が多く、現実には至らない。

　フィリピンにおける臓器売買は一九七〇年頃から日常的に行われていたようだ。だから現在では臓器の登録システムや売買プロセスが完全に確立されており、また日本には数少ない臓器移植専門の外科医などにより、手術前後の健康管理も適切に行われている。もちろん表に出ないだけで実際には手術の失敗やそれに伴うドナーの死、あるいは悪質ブローカーの暗躍などが日常茶飯の出来事なのかもしれないが……。

「いやあ、お疲れさまでした」

　アポイントメントが取れたマニラ市内での複数の取材を、滞在最終予定日の午後四時までに何とか終え、宿泊先のホテルに戻ると宮原がカメラマン沼田を労う。

「ああ、宮原くんもお疲れさま。で、これからどうすんの？　メシに行く？　遊ぶ？　オイラ、多少この辺りを知ってるから案内できるよ」

　マニラばかりではなく、セブ、カランバ、サン・フェルナンドなどフィリピンに豊富な取材経験を持つ沼田は笑いながら宮原を誘う。だが宮原は両掌を胸の前に当てつつ、その誘いを断る。

「沼田さん、申し訳ない。実は別の取材のアポがあって、これからそちらに向かいます」

　けれども宮原の心配を他所に沼田は気にした様子はない。

「ああ、そうなの。仕事熱心だね。で、何？　秘密の取材？」

「……というほどのことじゃないんですけど。行って、話を聞いて、一時間くらいしたらホテルに戻りますよ」

「おお、わかった。じゃ、それまでお達者で」

　沼田は宮原の背中を鷹揚に叩くとそろそろ賑やかになり始めようかというマニラ市内の歓楽街に向かう。ホテルのエントランスを出るところまで沼田と一緒に移動し、その後道路に出たところで沼田と別れ、先を急ぐ。沼田は歓楽街に歩みを進め、一方の宮原はこれから会う予定のフロレンド・Ｐ・アブドゥにスマートフォンで連絡を入れる。

「ハロー、宮原です。フロレンドさん、これからそちらに向かいます。……そうですね。道が込んでいなければ十分くらいで着くと思います。はい。では、よろしく」

　スマートフォンを切り、宮原が大通りに出てタクシーを捜す。珍しいことに中々タクシーが捕まらない。セント・ルカ・メディカル・センターの前でようやくタクシーを捕まえるとドアを開け、首を伸ばし、ダッシュボードを覗き込む。すると思ったようにメーターの電源が入っていない。それで、「メーターをお願いします」と宮原が頼む。運転手がそれに素直に応じたので宮原は安心してタクシーに乗り込み、行き先を告げる。タクシー運転手は一旦宮原を振り返り、宮原が告げた行き先を復唱する。

「ええ、そこで間違いありません」

　タイあるいは他の東アジア圏でもそうだが、マニラ市内にもいわゆるぼったくりタクシーが存在する。通常は料金メーターを倒したままで走行を終え、法外――といってもフィリピンの場合は正規料金の十倍程度だから可愛いものだが――の料金を要求するが、搭乗者の指示に従いメーターを立てる運転手の場合は安心して良い。

　ほどなく待ち合わせのホテルに到着すると、宮原はすぐに最上階のラウンジバーに向かう。エレベーターを降りると躊躇なく店内に入る。その時間帯にはまだ混雑していなかった店の奥を見やると窓の外にマニラ市内の夕景が拡がっている。その先には夕陽に輝くマニラ海が続く。

「ミスター宮原、こちらです」

　顔写真は送って貰ったが人物の見分けに手間取り、宮原が店内をウロウロしていると待ち合わせ相手のフロレンド・Ｐ・アブドゥ記者の方が先に宮原を発見し、声をかけてくれる。スマートフォンで聞いたときよりスペイン訛りが強い英語に聞こえたので、顔が見えないスマートフォンでの対応のときはいくらか気を遣って発音してくれたのだろうと宮原が気づく。

「最初にひとつ警告しておきます」

　ウエイターに席に案内されると間を置かず、アブドゥ記者が言う。

「ミスター宮原。例の件について、あなたは決して熱心な興味を示してはいけません。誰かに話すのは構いませんが、あくまで都市の噂のひとつとして話題に上がったという態度で臨んでください。よろしいですか？」

「わかりました」と宮原が応じる。「ところで、それはマニラ市内でのことですか？　それともフィリピン全土でもすか？」

「この国以外のことについてはわたしにもわかりませんが、できれば例の噂がある何処の国でも同じ態度で臨んだ方が得策かと思われます。もちろん、それを守らなくとも通常は何事も起こらないでしょう。ですが、日本の諺では何と言いましたっけ、壁に耳あり、ドアに目あり？」

「ああ、ドアは間違っていませんが、日本のそれは紙製なのでpaper sliding door となるんですよ。より正確に言えば木枠に紙が貼られた引き戸＝ショウジですが……」

「ああ、そうですか。しかし、いずれにしても意味は同じです」

「フロレンドさん、実際問題、それはどういうことなのでしょうか？　禁忌（タブー）の一種ですか？」

　未だに自分には意味不明なアブドゥ記者の言動に宮原が探りを入れると、

「禁忌というのは、元々ポリネシアや南太平洋の原住民の間で特定の人やモノを神聖あるいは不浄として触れたり口にしたりするのを禁じた風習のことです。これを、それと同じと言って良いかどうか？」とアブドゥ記者が歯切れ悪く答える。

　それで宮原の胸に渦が巻く。

「どうも良くわかりませんね、フロレンドさん。概念的なことじゃないということですか？　単刀直入に伺えば、その、例のモノは実在しているのですか？　それとも……」