Imeldific

I had the chance to watch a documentary in Dubai One last night about the world famous Filipina, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. I forgot the title of the said documentary but it documents Imelda’s rose to power. I will have to admit because of cosmetic surgeries, she’s still very beautiful to this day.

We’ve heard several accusations against the Marcoses in the past. At first, I just want to take in all the negative things thrown to the Marcoses. As I grow older though, I’ve realized that the Philippines was better during the Marcos era. People are disciplined and our country was clean and beautiful. There were accusations against Imelda that her beautification projects are just covering the true state of the nation. They said that poverty still exists and the Marcoses are in denial. There were also accusations that they’ve enriched themselves at the expense of the Filipino people. Well, they might have but life during the Marcos era is still better than today.

When the Marcoses were overthrown by the over rated EDSA revolt, the succeeding governments were not able to address poverty. In fact, Cory Aquino’s tenure as a leader saw a ballooning increase in population and poverty. It’s because of Cory’s ineffectiveness as a leader and her faith as a devoted catholic. It’s alright to be prayerful but it affected her decision on reproductive health. The Catholics are against birth control and it’s the root cause of poverty. Cory’s incapacity to lead put our country into downward spiral.

Imelda Marcos maybe ostentatious, flamboyant and out of touch to the reality but she really did develop Filipino’s cultural identity. She built the CCP after all. Her butterfly sleeved Filipiniana ternos can be seen all over the world. In New York, an exclusive shoe store there has a roll up saying “Everyone has an Imelda in us”. It only goes to show that she’s known in New York. Good or bad, the news that Imelda generate had put our country in the map.

To her detractors, she’s called Imeldific that means ostentatious display of wealth and power. Imelda said that she’s ostentatious to the non believers of beauty. She said that if you’re religious you lit candles and incense and decorate your altar with flowers. For her, or for the believers, doing all those stuff is not ostentatious. But for none believers of beauty it is. She doesn’t see any point of arguing with people her beliefs. She just wants beauty in everything.

Imelda’s extensive art collections, thousands of shoes, tons of jewelries and hoards of money can never be explained. I doubt that our generation can even trace their origins. We may like or dislike the Marcoses but there’s no doubt that Imelda Marcos will always be a part of the Philippine history.

Northwest Flight 253

A Nigerian man failed to blow up the Northwest Flight 253 bound for Detroit Metropolitan Airport. He ended up with severe burned limbs. He’s now being charged by the US Justice Department for terrorism.

There is nothing new with the profile of the accused. It’s pretty stereotypical. He’s from the African continent, well educated and comes from a reasonably rich family. The question now is why would this young man join the terror organization? Americans should seriously answer this question if they don’t want another attack.

For me, the Americans should address the cause of hatred amongst people all over the world. These are just few of the reasons why people hate America:

1. The havoc that they created in Iraq and Afghanistan

2. Abuses in Abu Ghariab and Guantanamo Bay detention centers were not addressed.

3. America’s continued support to the Israeli Government and Israeli Occupation in Gaza and West Bank.

4. Imperialistic policies in the Third World Countries and its ambition of world dominion.

5. Discriminatory treatment of Muslims in the United States after the 11 November attack.

Barack Obama should keep his mouth shut and show to the world that America is indeed serious in revising their policies. If America would not change, they’ll be confronted with several problems in the future. Other countries lost their respect for America. In fact, other countries do not want to deal with them anymore. Unfortunately for the Third World Countries, they have no choice but to follow what America says since they’re dependent from the American Aid.

Andres Bonifacio, the real National Hero

Filipinos should seriously consider replacing Jose Rizal as the national hero. Writing books and dying a dramatic death at the Bagumbayan does not make one a hero. It’s like what our politicians did to Ninoy Aquino. Being assassinated at the MIA tarmac is not heroism. Worst, the politicians who are sip-sip (sucker) to the then President Cory Aquino renamed MIA into NAIA and made Ninoy Aquino a hero.

Going back to Rizal, we’ve been celebrating Rizal day every 30th of December since time immemorial. Rizal doesn’t deserve any of our celebration. Rizal never fought in battlefield and that makes him a coward. Andres Bonifacio, the real national hero fought and won in battles. There were reports before that Americans specifically selected Rizal to be the Filipino national hero not because he’s intellectual but because he never fought in battlefield. Rizal’s cowardice would not inspire rebellion to the occupying power (U.S.). If they (U.S.) selected Andres Bonifacio, it would be another story.

Rizal comes from a rich family and is highly educated. He could even be called a snub. Andres Bonifacio on the other hand comes from a working class family, poor and is less educated. He represents 80% of the Filipinos today who are mostly poor, exploited and marginalized. He’s like every ‘Juan’ of us. His bravery is amazing! He’s truly an amazing freedom fighter. He established the Katipunan and fought against the Spanish using his bolo.

The year that was …

‘Those who don’t know how to look back have nowhere to go’.

December 26, the day after Christmas is the most appropriate day to look back on the stuff that happened to me this year. Unlike the previous year, this year is full of fond memories that I’ll forever cherish in my heart.

I’ve been really blessed during the year and I am very grateful for all the blessings. I just wish that the coming year will be a very good year for me too. I promised myself to always count my blessing. I believe that if you count your blessings, you’ll forever be grateful and your heart will have no room for bitterness and regrets.

The world experienced the global financial crisis at the beginning of the year, courtesy of the US. Luckily, our economy was able to withstand the economic downturn. Thanks to the effort of PGMA. To her detractors, please learn to acknowledge PGMAs hard work. Don’t just dwell on your hatred. You’re pulling our country down with you. But despite our economic resilience, we were struck by several devastating natural calamities thought to be the result of Global Warming, again, courtesy of the highly industrialized nations (e.g. US and EU). The good thing that comes out of all those calamities is that we showed to the world that we (Filipinos) can unite and shun politicking during the crisis.

I hope that the Filipino will choose the right person to lead our country. We should not just vote for somebody because he’s Ninoy and Cory’s son or because he’s Tetay’s brother. Admit it, he doesn’t have what it takes to lead our country. We’re better off with Teodoro or Villar. We should also not vote for somebody just because their family owned the Araneta Center. That guy can swear like hell! We’re better off with Fernando or Manzano. As for the Senate, you can select the people you like but just don’t forget to put Inday Miriam in your list. The Senate is no fun without Inday Miriam in it.

Pope Benedict XVI attacked

The Catholic faithful are still shocked by the security breach at the Vatican on Christmas day. I don’t know what’s in that woman’s mind when she attacked the Pope. You’ll hear how the crowd reacted when the Pope was attacked by that woman. While watching the EWTV service, the Pope was visibly shocked. I don’t blame him, he’s well in his 80s. Buti na lang wala namang masamang nangyari sa kanya. That woman could have killed the Pope.

The Pope is the head of the State of Vatican as well as the head of the billions of Catholics worldwide. He’s in a very special position. His power transcends politics and national borders. I surmised that the American President is in fact envious Pope’s power. I’m not just referring to a good talking (but without result and can’t deliver) current president but all his predecessors.

Although I’ve always been impartial to the hollier than thou Priest, Bishops and Nuns in the Philippines, I’ve always loved and admire the Pope. We all know kung anong kahayupan ang ginawa ng mga pari sa ating bayan. Galit talaga ako sa kanila! Lalo na sa mga Obispong pamumulitika lang ang ginagawa. But I don’t hate the Pope.

The Pope will always be a target of wrath of the extremist. His predecessor, John Paul II was even shot by a Turkish assassin. By this time, the Vatican Police and the Swiss Guards should have learned their lessons. They should seriously consider revising their security strategy if they don’t want the Pope to be attacked again.

Mean what you say!

When you say Merry Christmas, mean it! Last Wednesday, the last day of work, a colleague sent Christmas greeting with the picture of his family. It would have been okay if we’re close but we’re not. I could still remember what he did the last time when I borrowed CRTB answer sheets from him. He’s such a jerk! If he’s beside me, I would really punch his nose to teach him a lesson. I could be very violent if I’m very angry.


I right away deleted his email. You know, Christmas greetings should make us feel good. I never felt that way with his greetings. If we’re not in the same network, I would have put him in my block senders list. Why would he send a Christmas greetings to me? Close ba kami?

I know when a greeting is genuine or false. I know that for a fact. By sending that unsolicited Christmas greeting, he’s just insulting my intelligence. Ang ayaw ko lang is yong kaplastikan ba. If we hate each other, let’s not pretend to be nice to each other. Life is too short to pretend to like somebody that you hate. Hindi ibang tao ang niloloko mo kundi ang sarili mo lang.

Deployment in the land of Cedar Trees

It was announced recently that the POEA is contemplating on lifting the ban of OFW deployment in Lebanon, the land of the Cedar Trees. If I remember correctly, POEA imposed the ban of OFW deployment when the war between the Hezbollah and Israel took place three years ago. The war left the south of Beirut in ruins. My boss has to postpone his vacation because of that war. Many people including children in both sides died because of that senseless war.

I remember the general reaction of the Lebanese employers when their maids were taken out of their custody. It’s an open secret in Lebanon that having a Filipino maid is a status symbol.

I just hope that our government would once and for all ban the deployment of house hold workers. They’re in a very vulnerable position from being taking advantaged of or being harassed. We should only concentrate on deploying skilled and technical workers. They’re in a safer position since their employers are companies and not individuals.

Domain Name Registration for .com.sa

Companies in China nowadays are engaged into registering domain names of any company that they can think of. Surprisingly, this scheme has reached the Saudi Arabian shores. They would register everything from .com.sa, .gov.sa, .vn, .ph, .sa, and actually, practically all the domain extensions that they can think of.

The bad thing with this scheme is that for example your domain name is Olayan.com, these companies in China would outdo you into registering the .com.sa extension. It’ll of course be a big loss of business in your part. They could actually sell the extension to your competitor.

This past week I’ve been very busy coordinating with the different Admin and IT Managers of our Operating companies just to make sure that they’ll register the extensions .com.sa of their websites. Some of them don’t see any rush to do the registration process but when I explained to them the chances that other company might outdo them into registering the .com.sa domain name, they’ll be in a big trouble. What we really did was we drafted the letters and they’ll (Operating Companies) just have to sign that letter and fax it together with their Commercial Registration to the domain registration committee in Riyadh.

But sometimes, with Arabs involved in the process, it could be very tedious. Some of them really love procrastinating. I thought that Filipinos are fond of procrastination but I was proved wrong. Some of them are also full of themselves with egos as big as a pumpkin ball. They’re also fond of bureaucracy. In fact, a guy from our Admin Department was so fond of initials or signatures that he won’t do anything without the initials of the requesting head. He’ll insist of the initials even if he knows the urgency and importance of the documents. I understand that just want to follow rules but when the interest of the business is at stake, he’ll have to bend sometimes. He should know how to weigh the urgency and priorities. The most important thing is getting the job done.

My Christmas List

In a way, being here in the Kingdom of the Sands spare you from the exhausting Christmas preparations. If you’re in Pinas, you’ll have to go to a department store to shop whether you like it or not. You’ll also be attending your office Christmas party and several parties that your friends or family organize. I tell you, it’s very exhausting and of course expensive.

The good thing that comes out every Christmas is that people are more patient and generous. I really appreciate it when people go out of their way just to give you a present. It doesn’t matter what the present is. What matter, as they say, is the importance and thought of the giver.

Celebrating Christmas here in the Kingdom of the Sands has always been different. Here, you’re not celebrating Christmas with your family. You’ll be with your friends. Most of the parties here are low key. You’ll observe the absence of ostentatious display of Christmas ornaments.

Since there’s only four days to go before Christmas, here’s my Christmas list.

1. Health top in my wish list. I wish that my Mother, me and my siblings and their families good health for the coming 2010.
2. I hope that I’ll do well in my career. My boss hadn’t made his evaluation for me yet but I’m crossing my fingers that it’s gonna be positive.
3. I wish for more patience. I want to be patient in everything that I do.
4. I wish to be surrounded by people who truly care for me. Life is too short, so I’d rather spend it with ‘totoong mga tao’.
5. Love. I don’t think that I need to explain what love is.

So you guys, I hope you’ll also start writing your wish list for 2010. It wouldn’t cost a dime to write a wish list. God bless you all and Merry Christmas.

Mount Mayon Eruption

The Philippines is once again in the world news. This time, it’s not about mass murder in Maguindanao or flooding in the Metropolis. But your guess is right, it’s another natural disaster. Mayon Volcano, thought to be the most perfectly cone shape volcano in the world, erupted. Advancing lava in the four kilometer danger zone radius burned trees, coconuts and vegetation. People living within the six kilometer radius were already displaced.

The eruption of the Mayon Volcano is just another way to prove that the Philippines is indeed the disaster capital of the world. Despite its beauty, our country is almost always plagued by natural disasters. People have not recovered from the flooding and here’s another one. We could only pray that we’re a rich country so that we can afford all the relocation and aid to the people who are affected.

A friend of mine said that the Mayon Eruption was perfect because it’s election time. All politicians would have to help or show support to the victims in order to generate votes. In a way, the publicity that the politicians will generate from helping would of course benefits our displaced kababayans in Albay.

I just wondered why every time a woman president leaves the office a volcano erupts. When Cory Aquino left the office in 1992, Mount Pinatubo erupted. PGMA is also leaving the office with a bang with the eruption of Mayon Volcano.

It’s very difficult to be displaced. I wonder how our kababayan in Albay celebrates their Christmas. In the absence of food and shelter, we just hope that they’ll celebrate their Christmas low key. That is, celebrating the true spirit of Christmas in thanks giving.

Obama escalates war and gets Nobel Prize

I had the chance to watch the BBC Coverage of the Nobel Laureate for 2009. One of the people interviewed there says that ‘Nobel Peace Prize should be given to someone who has actually done something (peace) to the world. It’s not given to those who are willing to make peace or think peaceful thoughts’. What the Nobel Committee did for this year is that, they give the Peace Plum to Barack Obama, somebody who hasn’t really done anything for the World peace. Instead, Obama escalates the war by increasing the US troops in Afghanistan to 30,000. I think that the Nobel Committee was drawn to Barack Obama’s words. Words of hope like ‘they can’, ‘yes we can’. If that’s their criteria, they’re better off giving the award to the reigning Miss Universe. At least the Miss Universe is involved in charitable causes like HIV awareness and helps promotes world peace!

There were reports that the Nobel Committee gave the peace prize to Barack Obama just by being elected to the US Presidency! Mr. Jagland, the chairman of the committee in fact says that Obama’s election brings new tone to international relations because he’s a good speech reader. When I say Obama has not proven anything means that he did not stop a war from happening.

If he has delicadeza, he should have refused the award. Accepting the award with the intentions of troop surge is embarrassing and ironic. The award is for peace and not for war.

Switzerland Banned Minarets

Switzerland overwhelmingly voted (57%) to ban minarets. Minarets are slender towers with balconies used for calling prayer. I’ve watched several news programs and Islamic leaders are easy to condemn the decision of the whole Swiss people. I say, let’s respect the decision of the Swiss people. It’s their country and nobody should interfere to their internal affairs. It’s too bad that they banned the construction of minarets but we just have to respect their decision. I know how the Muslim people feel about it. For them, their religious freedom is being curtailed. Others even accused the Swiss people of Islamophobia.


As I’ve said, Switzerland is a free and independent country. People from outside should respect their decisions. In the same way that people around the world respected the decisions of any Islamic countries not to build churches in their countries. Switzerland is one of the most tolerant countries in the world. I don’t think that banning minarets in their country is a religious suppression. You’ll see mosques sprouting in any European City. Believe it or not, there’s a mosque in Rome, the center of Catholism. The least that any Arab country could actually do is to reciprocate. Muslims cry foul when they feel they’re suppressed in Europe but doesn’t care when a Christian, in the Kingdom of the Sands for instance calls for religious freedom. Here in the Kingdom of the Sands, you’ll never see a single Catholic Church. They have an Irish priest in Aramco but they only have a make shift church (using the Dhahran Hills School Auditorium). You can’t also openly practice your religion for fear of prosecution.

Sana fair is fair lang! Para patas naman ang laban.

Underserved Nobel Prize

Eyebrows all around the world rose when the Nobel Committee announced that the 2009 plum will be given to US President Barack Obama. I mean, come on! What the hell did he do to deserve the Nobel Prize? This year’s announcement only undermines the credibility of the Nobel Prize. People around the world were so shocked about the announcement. Barack Obama hasn’t proved anything yet. He’s a good talker, yeah but hasn’t really delivered. Besides, how could the Nobel committee give the peace award to a president who just announced that he’s increasing the US troops in Afghanistan? By increasing the US troops in Afghanistan, he just contradicted himself. During the campaign period he vowed for gradual troop pullout in Afghanistan and Iraq. Well, remember the Gitmo? He also promised to close down Gitmo but couldn’t. He couldn’t handle the pressure. He could not even work with his own Democratic Part to once and for all settle the Health Care bill.

The Democrats are crazy when they favor the good talker Obama over Hillary Clinton during the Democratic Primaries. Americans are crazier when they elected Obama over John McCain. Hillary could have handled the economic downturn better than the inexperienced Obama. Hillary’s proven capability is what the Americans needs. Obama’s a bitter pill for the Americans. They elected him so they’ll have to suffer the consequences.

I won’t be surprised if Sarah Palin will kick his butt on the 2012 presidential election.

Al Khobar Chop Chop Lady

It’s all over Al Khobar. I heard the news yesterday when a colleague from one of our Operating Companies told me about the murder case. The case involved a Filipino couple who murdered their Filipina maid. If you’ve been to Badgaish Appliance Center in the first street of Al Khobar, you’ll probably know the suspect. He’s C, the Chinese looking guy who converted to Islam. You’ll often see him wearing thobe. I was so shocked when I learned that Cs the suspect. I’ve meet him several times before in that appliance center but you’ll never think that he’s capable of murdering an individual. The grapevine says that the maid was pregnant when she was murdered by the couple. Others even suggested that it’s courtesy of C. That’s what they said was the reason for murdering the maid.

I also read a news report today with an entirely different story. The maid was said to be maltreating and abusing Cs children so the couple beat her to death. They mutilated and chopped her body and buried her inside their flat. They were considering throwing away the maid’s body to Jubail but later changed their mind.

Crying Foul over Human Rights

If a government dissident died during a battle, the usual accusations of these leftist groups are that their Human Rights are violated. You’ll always hear them condemning the government and our Armed Forces of Human Rights violations. Pero, if an NPA killed and mutilated civilians and our uniformed men, you’ll not hear anything from them. These leftist groups survive because of the revolutionary tax that they collect to the helpless farmers and businessmen. If the farmer or a small scale businessman refuses to give revolutionary tax, they’ll be harassed or even get killed. Since we have the most irresponsible media in the world, crimes like these are not reported. If you’re a victim of these dissidents, your voice will never be heard, you can’t even claim that your human rights are violated.

The term ‘Human Rights’ in our country is exclusively for the leftist groups only. In fact, Human Rights are primarily created so that leftist groups can use it against the government. Ito yong ginagamit nila para matabunan naman ang kanilang mga kasalanan at kahayupan. If you don’t know about it, these are the same people who bombs up Globe and Smart Telecom transmission towers, NAPOCOR towers and Radio facilities. They are the same people who raided police outposts in the Quezon Province. They’re also responsible for several unreported murders and mutilations. They’ve committed evil things in our society but they always portray themselves as the victims.

Cory Aquino gave their leaders amnesty pero ano ang nangyari? They became the problems of the succeeding administrations. It only brought a culture of rallies in EDSA and crying foul every time the government retaliates. I just hope that our gentlemen from the Armed Forces would put an end to them once and for all. It would be better if AFP would do like the Sri Lankan’s do to the Tamil Tigers. They killed everyone and that ends the insurgency in Sri Lanka. If we want peace in our country, AFP should kill them all!

Damn if you do, Damn if you don’t

Damn if you do, Damn if you don’t. If a leader will just listen to everything he hears, he’ll never accomplish anything. In the end, they will just criticize the leader, especially in front of the TV. That’s the attitude of Filipinos. No wonder, we lagged behind our ASEAN neighbors. There’s only one thing we’re good at, criticizing. Pag trabaho na for the good of our country, wala na! After the infamous massacre of 57 people, militants and grandstanding opposition politicians were easy to condemn that the government is not doing enough. They accused the government and our uniformed men of cover up. They want results and fast.


They never thought that getting evidence from the crime scene is a painstaking process. Aside from that, you’re not only talking about a single criminal but a whole clan with goons and dozens of private armies. When PGMA declared Martial Law in Maguindanao last Saturday, our Armed forces were able to confiscate high powered fire arms and war machines at the Ampatuan Mansion. They also arrested the elder Ampatuan and the ARMM Governor.

Kaya you’ll be surprised na naman when the ML was imposed on Maguindanao. Those who clamor for swift action are now marching on the streets opposing the ML. They’re telling people that PGMA is doing the Makoy. One critic even boldly said that PGMA’s a Makoy worshipper. Of course, opportunistic opposition leaders and politicians who want to grandstand are there too, peddling baseless intrigues. Even if the government will take the usual or extraordinary ways to lock up the suspects, there will always be people in the streets chanting anti PGMA and anti ML. They will never be pleased regardless of what the government will do.

If I were PGMA, I’ll just declare a Martial Law covering the whole Philippine Archipelago. Buti yang ikulong yang mga dissidents na iyan nang tumahimik naman itong ating bayan. Tingnan ninyo noong panahon ni Makoy, isa lang ang bida, si Makoy lang. When Cory took the reins of power, biglaang nagsulputan ang mga bida. Hindi lang si Cory ang bida at dumami pa kaya nagkakagulo. Everyone wants to be ‘bida’. In the end, all the succeeding presidents are the kontra bida.

Martial Law in Maguindanao

Finally, the Arroyo Administration has collected enough courage to declare Martial Law. The sad thing is, they only limit it to Maguindanao. It would have been better if PGMA and her government declared it all over the country. Our government needs to be tough and Martial Law is one way to discipline our people. The powers of Martial Law are enough to curtail the government dissidents such as the NPA, MILF, MNLF, JI and Abu Sayyaf. It would also be better if she silence her critics, those hollier than thou priest and bishops, destructive opposition leaders and irresponsible media practitioners who’s living comes from demonizing her. We need a tough national government and if Martial Law is the only recourse, then the Arroyo Administration should do it.

Adam Lambert on Baba Wawa’s Most Fascinating People List

Adam Lambert, the real American Idol Season 8 winner, is listed in Baba Wawa’s America’s Most Fascinating People of 2009. I emphasized the REAL winner because if the voting was not rigged, he would have won. Fox, the network that broadcast AI in the States is run by conservatives who do not really favor gay people (e.i. Adam Lambert). I’m sure you’ll all agree that Kris Allen’s performance during the entire Season was mediocre. He’s dull and forgettable.

Adam deserved to be in the list. ABC could not deny that fact. Even if they banned Adam Lambert after the AMA incident, they just could not contain Adam’s popularity. In fact, Baba Wawa’s featuring Adam Lambert in her show just says it all.

People are fascinated by him not because he’s gay, wears eyeliner and black nail polish but because of his talent. Adam has amazing vocals but still polite and down to earth. If you ignore Adam’s existence, chances are you’re from the Stone Age. Like most people, I spend my free time googling his name just looking for the news item about him. My friend A. gave me Adam’s two latest Albums.

Adam is that fascinating! If you don’t think so, you must be deaf, dumb and blind.

World Cup Draw

I’m sure most of the Ilonggos can relate to the World Cup craze. I used to play soccer in school. I grow up with the soccer ball since I live near La Paz Plaza. My cousins, neighbors and I constantly played at the Plaza. I could still remember the 1.0 mark I made with my P.E., courtesy of soccer.


I’ve also tried out for a soccer scholarship at the University of San Agustin. Unfortunately, it’s pretty competitive and the Barotacnon’s really dominate the games. As you are well aware, football is the official sports of Barotac Nuevo. Kids in Barotac Nuevo who’s as young as two years old knows how to kick balls.

Here’s the draw result for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Group A
South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Group B
Argentina
Nigeria
South Korea
Greece

Group C
England
US
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D
Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group E
The Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Group F
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G
Brazil
North Korea
Ivory Coast
Portugal

Group H
Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

What went wrong?

What went wrong in Dubai? Well, Dubai became too overly ambitious! Dubai wanted to be the Hong Kong of Middle East, the financial hub and business capital of the region. Their economic model is however is not sustainable so it failed. Unlike in Hong Kong where most of the developments are done by private firms, Dubai’s high risers, manmade islands and other large scale projects are government funded. The funds used to build those massive projects are loans from the world’s major banking institutions. They never anticipated the economic downturn and it ruined them. The banking institutions are pressured because there’s a possibility that Dubai might default in their loans. They’ve asked money from Qatar and KSA but they were ignored. Its neighboring Emirate Abu Dhabi (AUH) declared that it’s not going to write blank cheques for them anymore.

Dubai will be able to raise the money needed to repay their loans but their image has already been tarnished.

World’s Most Irresponsible Media

Its official, PGMA filed her COC for Congress. As expected, irresponsible Philippine media expressed and ranted angrily at the decision of the President to run for congress. The President should just ignore them. They’re just angry because they can’t dictate PGMA. Most of the time, PGMA would do the opposite of what the media and oligarchs wanted her to do. She’s her own woman! I admire her independent mindedness and resolve.

PGMA’s born to serve the public. Public Service is in her blood. Let her stand as a candidate and let the people of Pampanga decide her fate. Should the people decide to give her the congressional seat, then, let’s honor the result. The problem with the Philippine media is that it becomes so distractive that it failed to participate in nation building. Instead, it only caters to the whims and personal interests of its owners (e.g. the Lopez Conglomerate). It is also money driven and would resort to tabloid type of reporting and sensationalism. That is why I am not surprised when a media person is murdered in our country. They are murdered primarily because they’re irresponsible. They’ve hurt and ruined several people’s lives because of their sensationalism. In the Philippines, even if you’re not guilty, media would right away label you as the culprit. They will display your face for the whole world to see. In the end, even if the court declared your innocence, you’ll never recover from the shame and embarrassment that the media have done to you.

During the Marcos Era, the Philippine media is controlled by the State. You could hardly hear baseless accusations and sensationalism. Then, you could hardly hear any Senators and Representatives grandstanding in order to be in the headline. Irresponsible media organizations were closed down (e.g. ABS CBN). Commentators and Reporters are silenced kaya disiplinado lahat.

That’s why we should elect somebody who could discipline the whole country and punish those irresponsible media.

Massacre in Maguindanao

The news about the gruesome massacre in Maguindanao is all over the world. The BBC and Al Jazeera have reports with the footage of ABS CBN News. I personally do not like the news reporting of ABS CBN but they’re undeniably the largest in terms of reach. Well, if you’re talking about ABS CBN, then expect that all of these will again be blamed to PGMA. ABS CBN is very fond of demonizing PGMA. That’s where GMA News differs from ABS CBN, sa GMA News, walang kinikilingan, serbisyong totoo lang.

The massacre shouldn’t surprise us at all. Murders and massacres are just part of the election process. People die here and everywhere during elections. Not even a total gun ban could stop people from killing each other. People are dying in every parts of the country. How much more in Maguindanao where politicians have goons and private armies? I just wonder why the convoy does not have a military aid when they were gunned down. Instead, they have media as escorts. They must have thought that they’re safe if they’re with the media. Media and broadcast journalist in the Philippines are irresponsible so I can’t blame people if they want to kill them. When I was younger, some of the reporters of Bombo Radyo Iloilo are regularly gunned down.

I think that the massacre will never be resolved. The suspects, The Ampatuan’s are too powerful to be prosecuted. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mangudadatu clan retaliates. The sad thing in what happened is that these people are related by blood. Power and greed destroyed their family.

Eid Al Mubarak!

Everyone is excited because it’s the Hajj Holiday. The Hajj holiday is the last holiday in the Hijri Calendar. Ang daming plano talaga but my friends and I agreed that this time, we will not plan anything for the holiday. It’s a waste of time planning then nothing really materializes. Mas maganda talaga kung on the go na lang.


I have an outstanding invitation from a family friend based in Jubail. I really have to go there since I haven’t seen them in years. The two kids have grown up so fast and they really have to meet their uncle. I haven’t been a good uncle to them. I forgot their birthdays and owe them gifts. So, inshallah, I’ll meet them this Hajj holiday.

I’m also excited by the cleansing diet regimen that my cousin gave me. I hope I’ll keep my promise that I’ll go through another cleansing diet. Last Eid Al Fitr, I did go through with the cleansing diet but it only lasted 3 days. My cousin from the Q.C. told me that for it to be successful, I would have to do it in 7 straight days. I just hope that I can resist temptation (sa food lang naman).

Tuta ng mga Kano

Tuta ng mga Kano! That’s what you’d always hear from the leftist and militants every time they’re on the streets condemning the present regime (actually, the previous regime too.. and the future regimes to come). In a way, there’s a reality to that accusation. Sino ba namang president ng Pilipinas ang hindi naging tuta ng mga kano? Lahat naman sila naging tuta ng kano. The thing is, if you’re the setting president of the Philippines, you don’t have a choice but to be America’s tuta. Whether you like it or not, you’ll bow down to US pressure. Or else, US will impose economic sanctions and you don’t want that if you’re a leader because your people will suffer. And if your people suffer from the economic embargo, you’ll be very unpopular and it could lead to a political crisis. The worst thing that could happen is that if CIA and the US State Department will come up with a coup plans to oust you from power. America had been funding coup plots not only in the Philippines but to several countries. The State Department has a budget for that, bringing down regimes that they don’t like, e.g. Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, several states in the Balkan to name the few. Even Erap Estrada’s ouster was a brainchild of the US. In fact, I really believe that whatever is happening to our country is one way or another influence by the US.


Yeah right, I love Hillary and can’t promise you guys that I’ll hate her, because I won’t. Political pundits are buzzing about the real reason of Clinton’s visit to our country. We Filipinos are even accused as being stupid when we praised and adulate her instated of letting her explain the reason behind her visit. Political pundits are saying that we should demand an explanation of the real US agenda in Mindanao.

As you guys all know too well, our country maybe poor, poverty stricken and calamity devastated but we’re strategically located. We’re in the heart of Asia, in fact, we’re the true Asia in the real sense of the word (not Malaysia). We’re very accessible to China and US could very well use us as fueling station if and when a war of US and China takes place. The sad thing is, we’ll also be the Ground Zero of the possible war. We Filipinos should know better, if we’re not allied to the US during the World War 2, we wouldn’t have suffered casualties from the war. Japanese killed us like animals but Uncle Sam couldn’t even pay the pensions of the millions of our veterans. We should never be the Tuta of Kano. But do we really have a choice? We’re not as oil rich as Venezuela. My personal hero Hugo Chavez can throw all the rhetoric he wants against the US because Venezuela has oil. Oil made US respect Venezuela. US would only bow down to us if we’re rich.

That is precisely the reason why the IMF and the World Bank was created to make the poor nations became poorer. Their so called economic experts would force the poor countries like us to yield to their whims (of course, with the blessings of America and the west). If we’re poor, they can easily control us. We’re still bounded by the US whether we like it or not. The presidentiables could say what they’re for or against but in the end, when they’re elected to the office, they’ll still be Tuta ng Kano.

Who’s it gonna be?

Political pundits are now cashing on survey results to validate their claims that the certain Presidential aspirant is indeed leading in the polls. I really do not believe in surveys because surveys are primarily sponsored by a certain individuals or organization. Aside from that, surveys do not represent the whole segment of society. In fact, most of the survey’s sample sizes are only limited to 1,000 respondents and are mostly conducted in Metro Manila, or are only limited to highly urbanized cities in the country. In short, they do not speak for the whole country. The margins of errors in the surveys are not mentioned.

Political strategists of would of course, promote their candidates. In the case of LP, they’re already feeding people with false information that Noynoy Aquino is indeed the leading candidate. I once heard JPE saying that the noise about Noynoy is farce since there was not even mention of Noynoy in his provincial sorties. I would have to say that Manny Villar is the most visible presidential candidate of them all. I was in the Philippines last August and September and I tell you, he’s been everywhere. He was in Davao, Cagayan de Oro and any part of the Philippines. He even sponsored some of the wowowee shows in the provinces. Bayani Fernando’s tarpaulin can also be found everywhere. When I was in Bukidnon, I was surprised to see his tarpaulin near Musuan Peak (Central Mindanao University) in Valencia, Bukidnon.

Manny’s Villar’s NP has the resources and could launch a grass root campaign. Gibo’s Lakas-Kampi also has the resources and its members are the incumbents in their respective LGUs. Noynoy Aquino’s LP presence is only in the highly urbanized cities and could hardly support a grassroots campaign. Erap Estrada will never be taken seriously since there’s a big possibility that his candidacy will be questioned.

So, who’s it gonna be? Well, it’s too early to say. The serious bets did not even file their candidacy yet. We still have 6 months before the presidential election. We will still hear the usual bickering and name calling from the candidates. It’s still up to us people to choose so we have to choose wisely.

There’s Manny in Politics

I always had a hard time writing the correct spelling of Pacquiao, Manny’s family name. So to save myself from trouble, I often write Pakyaw instead. I wasn’t anymore surprised when I heard Manny Villar’s announcement that Many Pacquiao is NPs bet for the House seat in Sarangani Province. Manny once run for a House seat in Gen San but was defeated by a corrupt incumbent.


I would prefer that Manny remains apolitical. He’s already achieved so much. In fact, the name Manny Pacquiao is synonymous to fame and fortune. There are 101 ways to serve people than being a politician. Politics is dirty and if he’s not careful, it will only destroy his name. He could affiliate himself to several charitable organizations and NGOs. If he’s not satisfied with the programs of NGOs, he could establish his own foundation.

However, we could also not question Manny’s sincerity in his desire to serve our country. One thing’s for sure, Manny will never be corrupt.

Davao

Davao City is the largest, the greenest and the cleanest City in the Philippines. You can’t smoke and you can’t throw your garbage anywhere. It’s fair to say that it’s the city with the most disciplined people. The city did not just become what it is today overnight. It’s all because of the effort and the leadership of Mayor Duterte. In Davao, people of sinister characters are unheard of. Drug dealers and petty criminals just disappear without a trace. If they did appear, they’ll be soak in their own blood or are already dead. Killings are blamed on the Davao Death Squad which is just an allegation since nobody can really prove its existence.

We Filipinos are fond in complaining and we love to violate laws. We always have excuses for everything that we do. The irresponsible media loves to criticize but doesn’t help in nation building. Everyone protects their own interests. The poor will remain forever poor while the oligarchs become richer. Criminals thrive and ostentatiously display their wealth. Militants will always be in the streets of EDSA to protest, that’s what they’re good at, protesting. The hypocrites in the Catholic Church (Bishops, Priest and Nuns) have their own agendas like destabilizing our volatile country.

Our country really needs a leader like Mayor Duterte of Davao. His no nonsense style of leadership and the discipline made Davao what it is today. Our country needs somebody like him who can straighten up the Filipino people.

To hell with the Militants!

I’m sure all of you, like me, love to hate the militants particularly the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, LFS, Gabiela, KMU, Akbayan and the Migrante. All they do is criticize but couldn’t offer any solutions to the national problems that we Filipinos encounter. In fact, they’re existence is primarily to create problems and destabilize our fragile nation. They’re only good in one thing actually, burning the posters and effigies of PGMA and Uncle Sam. In the absence of national issues that they could ride into, last week, they again, rallied with clenched fist against the US and Hillary Clinton. As with the usual, they ended their protests against the Americans by burning the flags and posters of Uncle Sam.
I’m not so fond of the United States but I like the American people in general. I’ve met so many of them in Aramco and any other social gatherings and they’re cool and nice people. They’re not as reserved, stuck up and cold people like the Europeans. When we were stricken by the killer typhoon Ondoy, Americans were there to help the evacuation and relief distribution. I’ve never heard anyone from Bayan, LFS, KMU, Akbayan or Migrante helping those who were caught up with the storm. Wala naman silang ginawa sa kanilang kapwa. Magaling lang silang mag rally at mag sunog ng effigies. Kung dinonate na lang kaya nila ang perang pinagawa nila ng effigies na iyan sa mga biktima ng bagyo, eh di nakatulong pa sila. I couldn’t imagine the enormous amount of money that they spent for those effigies. These people should be put to jail! Tingnan mo noong panahon ni Makoy, walang nagrarally kasi lahat takot. Kaya lahat disiplinado! We really have to overhaul our political system. It was the 1987 Constitution or Cory’s constitution that institutionalized these dissidents. They should never be allowed to seat at our Congress. Mas bagay sa kanila sa kulungan!
The angry voices and clenched fists that you witness when Hillary Clinton visited our country is just a pretence concealed as patriotism daw!

Manny’s nth victory

Well, marami na naman ang nanalo sa tayaan. Filipinos always see an opportunity to make money. Good luck sa mga nanalo at bad luck sa mga natalo. There are people who condemn the gambling that go with the boxing fight but they never realized that the promoters staged the boxing to gamble. I am not against the gamblers as long as they can support their lifestyles. As you are well aware, most of the gamblers are the poor and vulnerable people. They always believe in the game of chance. Kahit na wala ng makain, they’d still bet. I once spoke to a close friend of mine who is a habitual gambler. He told me that gambling is addictive. It’s the only thing that comes to your mind. You’ll go crazy if you can’t gamble. It’s really a psychological disorder.


Kung hindi naman nagsusugal nagbibinta naman ng CD or DVD of the fight. In fact, mamayang gabi if you go to Al Khobar, entrepreneurial pinoys there will be selling the CD of the fight. There will also be people like me who would buy them.

Manny’s victory is an income generating opportunity for most our fellow kabayan. Ingat lang mga kabayan kasi betting (gambling) and selling pirated CDs are illegal activities. Nasa huli ang pagsisisi.

Pose dito, Pose dyaan

Pose dito, Pose dyan. OFWs based here in the Eastern Province can now enjoy taking pictures without restrictions. Nobody would ever think that about a decade ago, you just can’t do this kind of stuff here. There was even a time when phones with cameras are banned here in the Kingdom of the Sands. Things have improved here. Besides, we’re at the Eastern Province, authorities here are not as strict as they are in Riyadh.
Going back to taking pictures, the primary purpose in taking photos now is to upload it into the social networking sites (such as Friendster, Facebook or Myspace) and blogs. Nowadays, you just don’t upload your photos raw. You need a little retouching and air brushing. People with darker skin become lighter. Si taba nagiging slim and sexy. Yong maitim ang mga lips dahil sa kaka yosi nagkakaroon ng red and kissable lips. Grabe, you could hardly recognize your friends and family members because of the extensive photoshops and touch ups done to their photos.
Do you know that in Korea, kids go to professional studios just to have their photos taken? Some of them have beauty, daring, sexy and supermodel themes. It only shows how culture change and evolve because of technology. I love taking pictures and being in the picture. I admit I’m also guilty of touch up and air brushings. It feels great to look good even in the pictures.

Hillary visits the Philippines

I’ve always been a fan of Hillary Clinton. I was so distraught when she lost her bid for the presidency at the Democratic Party primaries. Even when she’d moved on, I still could not. Nevertheless, I am very happy for her. Her current role as America’s diplomatic czar suits her well. She’s the only redeeming figure in the now unpopular Obama administration. Obama as you all know, is ALL TALK. Probably, he’s the best ORATOR of our times. He’s intelligent, right, but he could not deliver. He could not close a deal. That’s the point of Hillary during the preliminaries! Obama could not close a deal.

Hillary the ever diplomatic woman would of course, wouldn’t say a word against the Obamas. She will just perform her duties as the Secretary of State. After all, that portfolio is the most visible and most sought after portfolio in the American politics.

My close friends are asking about my fascination with the Clintons. I would usually shrug off their questions without really addressing it. The funny thing is, I really don’t know. Hillary radiates something that I couldn’t explain. She has this larger than life persona and she’s strong. Maybe, I just admire her because she’s a strong woman.

I’ve watched the coverage of Hillary’s visit to the evacuation center in Manila. The mood there is filled with excitement as children meet Hillary Rodham Clinton in person. She’s like a movie star and people there were all fascinated. We’ve been visited before by diplomats and royalties but we’re never like this. Hillary can make an ordinary visit extraordinary. Did we really care about the purpose of her visit? I guess we don’t. For us, her visit is enough because for once, it made us special, it warmed our hearts.

Huwaaatttt?? Si Edu???

Huwaaatttt?? Si Edu??? That’s my initial reaction when I learned that Gibo selected Edu Manzano as his running mate. I thought at first that he’s running under Erap’s Pwersa ng Masa ticket. It never occurred to me that it’s going to be Edu. I thought that Gibo’s going to give the Veep position to Lakas stalwarts like Bayani Fernando or Hermogenes Ebdani but he never did.

I believe that Edu will have a tough time in campaigning against the overly ambitious Plastic Queen ‘LOREN LEGARDA’. She’d topped two senatorial races in the past. Manny Villar also anointed her as his running mate so she has the machinery. Lakas however, had the grass root support base. That’s where most of the votes would come from.

It’s too early to predict whether he’s going to win. I don’t believe in surveys so we may have to wait for the 2010 election. Win or lose, he still has a TV career to go back to.

Scrap the Oil Deregulation Law

Deregulation laws are legislated so that the market will determine the price of basic goods, commodities and services. The deregulation law in the telecommunication sector paved the way to successful business ventures and new players / telecom providers in the country. The consumers benefited to improved services and competitive prices. The law worked well in the telecoms sector and it helped catapult Philippines as the SMS capital of the world (self proclaimed).


This is not true with the oil deregulation law. The greedy politicians particularly the Congress (which is composed of the Senate and the House of Representative) succumb to the bribery of the huge oil companies. Oil companies would say that their prices are based on the world market. They pocketed so much because once the prices of oil in the world market increases, oil companies in the Philippines couldn’t wait to increase their prices as well. They did not consider that the inventory that they are selling was purchased a month back. When the oil prices are down, they are so slow to roll back their prices. The Energy Minister once discovered in an audit that oil companies profited even when the price of the oil was so high last year. Our congress could not repeal this law as money from the oil companies is too tempting to refuse.

Sabi nga nila, ‘If you’re in the payola of the oil firms, you’ll do what they say, you’ll even lick their asses if they tell you to do it.’ Now that it’s election season, not one of our legislator would even dare to raise the abuses that oil firms make to the consumers.

The series of disasters that struck the country forced PGMA to issue Executive Order 839 otherwise known as the Temporary Price Control mechanism in response to the calamities. Big businesses who in one way or the other have interest in the major oil companies were the first to react and condemn PGMA. These people are a bunch of heartless individuals. They never realized that in times of calamities, the victims and the poor are the first to experience the effects of the overpricing of basic commodities. They have so many claims like the price control would only lessen the inventories of the big oil companies that could also lead to hoarding. Big businessmen would never listen to the rationale behind the price control.

Sa totoo lang, PGMA is in a very difficult situation. If she won’t issue an Executive Order for price control, may mga militante na naman na magra rally sa Edsa condemning her (as always naman). Now that she issued the EO, may mga big businessmen na naman na pinupuna naman siya. Ano na lang gagawin nya? We Filipinos pa naman are quick to criticize but we’re not contributing to the society.

Erap, disuniting the opposition

There’s a saying that says ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen’. That’s the reason why Erap in 2001 stepped down and give way to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency. He can’t bear the pressure that he had to quit. I can’t understand the logic of Erap’s stepping down. He may be a minority president but he was after all a duly elected one. The Supreme Court was very quick to issue a ruling that the presidency was vacant and it legalized PMAs installation as the country’s second woman president.

Have you ever wondered why Erap never set foot in a real jail? He was detained at the Veteran’s Hospital and his Mansion in Tanay Rizal but not in Munti like any other criminals. Erap was then subjected to a dramatic trial at the Sandiganbayan that lasted years until his conviction. Just days after he was convicted he was given a conditional pardon.
I’ve heard rhetoric from Erap’s family against the Arroyo’s but they were never harsh. Jinggoy, Erap’s son even formed an alliance with the majority of the Administration party at the senate. Erap was even blamed why the UNO did not win at the 2004 elections and the 2007 mid-term elections. When he declared his candidacy for the presidency, many people believed that it was done to disunite the opposition rather than unite it. With several presidentiables from the opposition, the chance of winning is very slim.

I’ve always have a hunch that Erap is doing PGMA and her allies a favor. Erap may criticize the present administration in the media but deep inside they have a deal. The fact that PGMA gave Erap a conditional pardon says it all. Nothing is impossible in the Philippine politics. Deals are done under the table. What our irresponsible media is feasting right now as a major news item is in fact, nothing but a charade.

Ang Aga Aga

I instructed our driver today to get the NC2.1 Questionnaire and Answer sheets that I borrowed from the Recruitment Department of one of our Operating Companies. When he reached the Industrial City, he was told by the Recruitment Officer (a Filipino) that the documents I borrowed are not ready. Our driver was busy with other tasks so I told him to come back some other time. Five minutes after, I got a call from our driver and I spoke to the Recruitment Officer and he says that he’s sending the documents. Two minutes later, I also received an email that says that the documents are with our driver. I just thanked him in my reply and I thought it would end there.
Thirty minutes later I received this email:

“Umagang umaga pini-pressure ako ng Driver niyo. Masyadong nagmamadali eh may kausap akong employee re dependents processing. Pina-uupo ko muna at tatapusin ko pa ang kasong kausap ko ng maharap ko siya ng maayos eh aalis na agad….
Honestly, na inis ako kase umagang-umaga at ang daming gagawin at my meeting ako ng 9am and to think na wala naman kayong pasabi na pick apin yang items na hinihingi niyo……
Hay buhay….”

I called our driver right after I received the Recruitment Officer’s email and asked him the full story. It turned out that he really did not do anything at all. He just said that if the documents are not ready, he’ll come back some other time. Our driver could have invented an alibi just to cover his ass. I however believe that if the driver made a scene, he should have scolded the driver. Why would the Recruitment Officer let his day turn bad just because our driver’s mistake? If the driver displayed a diva attitude, it doesn’t follow that I’m a diva too! In Filipino, kung mataray ang driver namin, hindi ibig sabihin mataray din kami.
I was told that the Recruitment Officer is BITTER because he wasn’t able to achieve his dream of becoming a Recruitment Manager. He’s the classic victim of ‘Life’s a bitch syndrome’. They call it life’s a bitch syndrome because this person realized that ‘Life’s a bitch and he became one’.
Oo nga, yeah right, ang aga aga kaya I told myself not to be affected. The negative energy will really bring you down and I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t want to ruin my day because of him. Ayaw kong maging bitter sa buhay ko. If I we cross our path in Al Khobar in the near future, I’ll just display my POKER and nonchalant FACE! Anyways, I only please one person in the entire company, my boss! Kasi at the end of the day, it’s my boss who will give me raise and promotion. They can say and do whatever they want and it won’t change a thing.

Thanks, Pure and Simple

I always thank people in any way I can. It’s the least that I can do for people who went out of their way to help me. I’ve learned to give thanks to people when I first work at the food service industry at the age of 17. In the food service industry, crews may be robotic because it’s the store’s policy to say thank you. However, there are people who work there that really mean what they say. I am thankful that I did not outgrow my habit of saying thank you.

Thank you is a gift of gratitude. If somebody ‘thank you’ for what you did, you should acknowledge it since you deserve it. There are people who would say ‘It’s nothing .. It’s no big deal’. Those are dismissive remarks that could potentially hurt the person giving thanks. He could say ‘thanking you’ is a big deal to me but not to you?

Saying thank you is free of charge. I assure you, you’d feel better once you’re used to saying thank you. Give thanks to God for the abundance of grace you receive. Give thanks to people who clean your house, wash your dishes and collect your garbage. Give thanks to your family and the people who love you. Gratitude will make you happier.

Morbid Thoughts

“Hindi ninyo lang guid ko pag pa mahjongan kung hindi kalagon ko guid kamo”. Those are the words I said to my family when death was mentioned in one of our conversations. I live far away from my family and I only get to see them during my annual vacation. I’ve always been open to the possibility that I may die here in the Kingdom of the Sands. I’ve witnessed several friends, other people who died from several causes.


That’s the reason why I told my Mom that she should religiously pay for my SSS premium so that when, ‘KNOCK ON WOOD’, something might happen to me, she’ll get a pension from the SSS.

I hate the Filipino culture of embalming the dead and display them to mourners for viewing. Most of the dead are displayed for at least 7 days before burying them. My sister said that 7 days is enough for viewing since it also buys them time to construct the ‘Nitso’ or concrete where you put the coffin. I also hate the fact that the neighbors would then construct tents, put on tables and chairs outside the house of the dead and start gambling. I don’t believe that those people are there to condole. They’re there to gamble and drink coffee. Of course, there are genuine people who means well.

I am more interested in cremation than the traditional Filipino burial. A news report recently featured cremation. The cost of cremation is only Php. 12,000.00 a lot less than the embalming and procuring coffin. Did you know that coffins could are priced as high as Php. 100,000.00? It’s one of the reasons why pre-need funeral plans like St. Peter’s is thriving. If you consider the price, cremation is a lot less expensive even if you buy a high-end urn for the ashes, the cost is still comparably lower. However, funeral parlors wouldn’t like this since it doesn’t cost much and it’s not good for their business. Cremation may be the answer to the overcrowded cemeteries in the major cities in our country.

All Souls Day ‘Fiesta Minatay’

Ilonggos celebrate ‘Fiesta Minatay’ on the 1st of November while most of the Bisaya and Mindanaoans celebrate it on the 2nd Day of November. A priest at the University of San Agustin once said that the actual celebration should really be on the 2nd day of November as it’s the feast of all Souls.


The original intention of the celebration was to pay homage to our dear departed ones. Marketing people though, knows better than everyone else. For them, it’s the time to sell candles, scary costumes and of course, candies for the trick or treat.

Our family does celebrate the occasion but not as grand as other families do. We visit our dead as often as once a week so when the ‘Fiesta Minatay’ comes, we just lit a candle and pray. For people like us who have Chinese blood, we believe that the living should take good care of their ancestors. It’s not surprising why the Chinese people are successful in all fields. It’s because of their love for their ancestors and in return, their ancestors take good care of them.

Visiting the graves of our family members who left the earth long ago is our culture. The new generation just added color to the celebration. However, the essence of the celebration is still there, paying homage to our dearly departed family member.

Elect Lee Kuan Yew

We often hear calls to elect leaders like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. However, it is easier said than done in the Philippines. The Filipino people may elect a leader with the qualities of ‘Lee Kuan Yew’ but once he is in the office, they’ll throw whatever garbage and baseless accusations they have towards him. He would have to face several coup de etat, marching priests and nuns, demonstrations in EDSA and character assassination from the opposition. If he survives the office, he’ll leave a broken man.


A leader who mirrors Lee Kuan Yew would have to face hurdles in order to push for reforms. He’ll suffer a great deal of headache if he decides to push through with his agenda of changing the whole political system. The hurdles are the militant organization, priests and nuns, obstructionist oppositions and Filipino people who don’t want change. He would have to suffer low approval rating from the questionable SWS Survey and any other survey firms paid for by the opposing party.

But the most difficult of his entire task is to change his people’s perception. He has to instill discipline and follow the rule of law to his people.

Having given all the uphill battles that the would be ‘Lee Kuan Yew’ will face, it’s time we ask ourselves if we are really ready to elect a leader like him. Electing a leader like ‘Lee Kuan Yew’ means giving away some of our freedom, which are mostly unreasonable. Are we ready to be subjected to be disciplined? Are we ready to put our acts together? Are we ready for the tough love? If we agree to all the questions, it means we’re ready to elect a leader like Lee Kuan Yew.

Letter from LBC Express

As I’ve said, it took awhile before I decided to write an email regarding the illegal acts of MAKATI EXPRESS in Al Khobar. They’re committing illegal acts because they’re using the LBC Brand without permission. They’re also misleading our fellow OFWs who are clueless that MAKATI EXPRESS is not in any ways connected with LBC.

Well, here’s an email I received from Team LBCs Customer Service Department in reply to my previous email to them.

From: Customercare@lbcexpress.com [mailto:Customercare@lbcexpress.com]

Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 10:35 PM

To: #####@gmail.com



LBC EXPRESS, INC.



Dear Mr. Ilonggo sa Desyerto,



Good day!

This is to acknowledge receipt of your email.



We would like to thank and appreciate you for your concern about the image of LBC. We wish to inform you that we will send a copy of your email to our LBC Marketing Department to conduct proper investigation about this incident. This is to avoid misleading our OFW's by using the name of LBC in the business of the said Makati Express which is not an official partner of our company.



Thank you once again and we hope to be of service to you in the future.

Respectfully Yours,



Jenny D. Villanueva

Customer Associate

LBC Express, Inc.

General Aviation Center, Domestic Airport Compound

Domestic Road, Pasay City 1300, Philippines

Courier & Remittance : 858-5999

PRC / Express Assistance : 854-4848

Flowers Express : 855-0000

Express Regalo : + 18774425544

Australia Cargo & Remit : + 1300522000

EMail Address: customercare@lbcexpress.com

URL: http://www.lbcexpress.com

Patisserie Jareer in Al Khobar

The weather is much tolerable than before so I decided that I won’t take a cab anymore. Well, not exactly, occasionally I do take the cab. I did it for the past four (4) weeks with my officemate and it’s great. My officemate and I would take a leisurely walk from Silver Tower to downtown Al Khobar that would last for about an hour. The great thing in walking is that you’d get to see a lot of shops and meet a lot of people. We have discovered a small pastry shop called ‘Patisserie Jareer’ at the King Abdulaziz Road. The Kabayans (Nestor and Jun) who work there told us that they have several branches in Riyadh and the branch here in King Abdulaziz Road is their first venture in the Eastern Province. I am fond of the cakes and desserts of Saaddideen but nothing can compare to the cakes, petit pours and desserts of ‘Patisserie Jareer’. You’d forget your name once you get to eat their cakes.

I’ve attached some of the photos I’d taken from Patisserie Jareer. I have to warn you that the photos does not justify the beauty and taste of their sweets.

The overly ambitious Loren

My respect for Loren Legarda was totally wiped out when she showed her true political color during the 2004 Presidential Elections. She knows that she won’t get the nod of the ruling coalition for her nomination to the VP position so she bolted out and declared her candidacy with the FPJ group. She lost to Noli de Castro, her former colleague at the ABS CBN. She then filed an electoral protest against Noli but lost. She knows that she lost but publicly declared that she’s dropping her electoral protest in order to run for the Senate at the 2007 mid-term elections


Her KAPLASTIKAN made her a TRAPO. I still could not forget the way she cried when the majority of the Senators voted not to open the envelope during Erap’s impeachment proceeding. She was instrumental to Erap’s downfall yet her ambition forced her to sell herself to Erap just to get Erap’s blessings. She then became a PGMA harshest critic, an obstructionist opposition senator who loves to grandstand. I could also not forget that she dumped her husband, former Batangas Governor Leviste when the Ex-Governor’s name was tarnished by a murder case. She doesn’t want anything to do with people that couldn’t help her, even if it means dumping her own husband.

About 3-4 months ago, she declared her presidency at the Maldives. Although surveys are really unreliable especially in the Philippines, she’s not topping the surveys. That’s the reason why she slid down to the Vice Presidency through her own party NPC. I just hope that Gibo would not take her as his running mate. Gibo is better off without her.

Sleeping Pilots

There’s a heated argument about the two pilots in a US major airline who were apparently sleeping during the flight. US TV networks were first to point fingers and accuse the two pilots of negligence. It’s a little alarming because there were over a hundred passengers on board during that flight. However, news should never be exaggerated just to gain audience share. Nowadays, the airline technology is advanced and airplanes have auto pilot control. If the pressure or the plane drops from its altitude, an alarm will be triggered and that would wake up the pilots from deep slumber.


Things like these only get to be on the news because of the absence of good stories.

Goodbye Gen

After almost 10 months of abandoning my Friendster account, I finally found time to update my profile and pictures. It was also there that I learned that on Sunday, 18 October 2009, Genalyn Rodriguez – Basa of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, passed away after battling abdominal cancer for almost a year. Gen’s baby brother Ryan posted a shout out saying that he’ll miss her Ate and that he’s praying that his Ate’s soul is with her Creator. There’s something weird with Ryan’s shout out so I rushed and called him on his mobile phone. He confirmed that indeed, his Ate Gen passed away. The line got cut off so I called Raul, Gen’s younger brother who happens to be my classmate at the Sun Yat Sen High School. The mobile phone was answered by Raul’s wife Rosette. Raul was already in Iloilo preparing for Gen’s burial.


I decided to wait for another day before calling Raul. Raul’s one of my best buddy back in my High School days. We were classmates for 4 years. We use to call him ALOG since he came from Manila and could barely speak Hiligaynon. He was our Corps Commander at the C.A.T. Raul’s been a good friend to me. We parted ways after graduating High School. Ryan was only 5 or 6 years old and was at a Kindergarten at that time.

About two years ago, Gen initiated a contact with me through the help of the social networking site Friendster. She was kind enough to introduce herself saying that she’s Raul’s elder sister and that she’s a dentist in Riyadh. I added her, Raul and then Ryan to my list of friends. Early last year Ryan got a job offer here in Dammam. The last time that I spoke to Gen, she told me that she underwent an operation back home. She only said that she’s been having problems with her ovaries and that she may not be able to bear a child. I never really thought that it was cancer and that serious because she came back to Riyadh right after the operation.

According to Raul, Gen adopted a baby early this year. About two months ago, she went back to the Philippines for a routine check up in Manila. It was there that the doctors found out that her cancer relapsed. The tumor already spread in her intestines and its squeezing her internal organs. They were told that she’ll not live longer so they decided to bring her back to Iloilo. Raul said that Gen fought for another 2 weeks before finally succumbing to cancer.

It was sad losing somebody who is a gentle soul. I pray that she’s happy wherever she may be. To Gen, God bless your soul. May you rest in peace. Gen’s body will be laid to rest in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo on Tuesday, 27 October 2009.

‘Don’t waste water’

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that staying in the shower for more than 3 minutes is not a revolutionary act and must be condemned. It’s Chavez way of saying to his people (Venezuelans) to conserve water. The Venezuelan leader also says that he himself does not stay in the shower for more than 3 minutes and he doesn’t smell.

Water is a precious resource yet we (people) tend to ignore its relevance until we encounter drought. You won’t know the value of water unless you’re in the drought devastated Africa and in the arid lands of the Middle East. Venezuela is specifically vulnerable to polluted water supply because of its oil industry. It also suffers deforestation that affects its watersheds. The current global warming that contributed to erratic weather disturbances and droughts does not only affect Venezuela but practically all the countries around the world.

I admire Hugo Chavez (For the record, I have always been a Chavez follower ever since) for heading the call to conserve water. I only wish that Filipinos could elect a leader similar to Chavez who knows how to discipline his people.

In Retrospect

The series of typhoons that devastated our nation is just God’s way of saying that we’re vulnerable creatures. We could die any moment, our properties and livelihoods destroyed. We may shed tears on the losses that we incurred but they’re just material things and we can earn it back. The greatest lost are the lives of our family members who were cut short.


In a way, the devastating events are a good start to contemplate on things. It teaches us that in this world, nothing lasts forever. Our status, rides (cars), cribs (mansions), money, and influence could just go on the drain when we least expect it. It’s a good time to start preparing our souls. We should always be ready to face our creator regardless of our religious upbringing.

We are a resilient nation. In time, with each other’s help, we’ll recover. This tragedy only proves that Filipinos could unite for the greater good. I just hope that by now our hypocrites at the Catholic Church (particularly the Bishops, Priest and Nuns) have realized their mistakes and repent. What they did was casting stones to our politicians, plotting instability and enriching themselves at the expense of the people. It’s time that they should be there to support the spiritual growth of their flock and totally stop politicking. As for our politicians, they should prioritize the common good over their selfishness. For us people, we should care for our nature more than anything in this world. The earth is the only place we live in. We should love it and treat it with respect. We’ve done horrible things to our home. Now, we are facing backlash of nature and we’re helpless.

Misleading Courier Service in Al Khobar

They’re misleading people! they’re bad and they know it. I was referring to Makati Express that uses LBC to entice people to use their services. I used Makati Express last year to send my cargo and the cargo was received on time without a glitch. I was so happy that this year I decided to use their services again. When my cargo was picked up from my flat, the courier guy assured me that LBC is gonna deliver my cargo. They also assured me that an air cargo would only take 20 days to deliver. My cargo was not delivered on time. It took them 35 days to deliver it. I followed up at the Makati Express and they told me that my cargo was routed to Cebu through a certain Ms. Mona. I asked Makati Express why they’re not sending my cargo through LBC, they just told me flatly that LBCs closed its Manila Operation. I waited for my shipment and was disappointed when it was delivered by a guy riding a commuter jeepney. Their counterpart doesn’t even have a delivery truck of their own. I ended up receiving shipments with broken bottles. My mother was so upset since it was the first time that our shipment was delivered using a commuter jeepney.

My sister said that I should not be upset since I received my shipment. She said that I should not make a big deal out of it. I would not be critical of their services if they (Makati Express) had informed me earlier that LBCs not delivering my shipment. Have I known earlier, I wouldn’t have sent my shipment through them! I would have an option to send my shipment to other courier services. I wouldn’t have expected and followed up at the LBC branch like an idiot. That was precisely the reason why the guy from Makati Express could not give me the LBC Airwaybill Number. It’s because they are not anymore sending their shipments through LBC.

If they are not misleading their customers, what do you call that? There are Filipinos out there who have no idea and thinks that their hard earned packages are in the good hands. Little did they know that Makati Express was just fooling them. I called Makati Express when I arrived from my vacation last month and I expressed my disappointment. There was no remorse from their end. They did not even apologize to me. It simply means that they don’t care just as long as they will continue their business.

I am attaching the photos that I took last Thursday just to prove that Makati Express is still using LBCs name.

Dirty Old Politics

Election season is fun because politicians become comedians. They’re calling each other names, not just names, but cruel and unimaginable names. I once thought that name calling can only be witnessed in the Philippines but its far worst in the States. There are politicians who would even buy an airtime just to say bad words against their opponent. Since the political culture in the Philippines is patterned from the States, we Filipinos do it better, and more colorful than our American cousins.


In the olden days, character demolitions are only done on the podium during political rallies. Sometimes, politicians would spark an ugly rumor against their opponents. The advent of new technology changes the ballgame. The internets’ file sharing and social networking sites such as you tube, face book and Friendster just added more drama to the already colorful political culture in the country. One of the best examples of the political gimmickry is the uploading of a video or a slideshows of the political opponents calling them as Trapos (Traditional Politicians) or other vile adjectives. The most common of all is the ‘SCANDALS’ a major candidate.

We’ll expect more of this kind of stuff in the coming election. However, we should not forget that the voters will still determine who wins in the election.

Extraordinary Donations

A week on and people are still suffering from the aftermath of the devastating flood. It hit not only the Metropolis but also the neighboring provinces particularly the Northern Luzon. Yesterday, I come across an article asking for extraordinary donations in the form of Condoms and Sanitary Napkins. Well, there are outpouring donations of canned goods, noodles and used clothing but (we) the donors never realized that the victims are also in need of sanitary pads. I think sanitary pads are one of the most important relief goods that should have been given for hygienic reasons. I don’t know what to think of when they mentioned condoms. It’s unbelievable since I don’t think people have time or a private place for sex at the evacuation centers. A welfare officer says that during the times of crisis, couples usually want the warmth of each other. If condoms are not available to them, they (couple) are at risk of unplanned pregnancies that would of course result to more misery.

The welfare officer is saying indirectly that Filipinos are really horny (Malibog) people. When ‘Libog’ sets in, we don’t care where we are just as long as we can release it. Not even an evacuation center can prevent us from copulating. Of course, the most ‘gas-gas’ justification for that is that ‘We’re Only Human’. That excuse brought us to where we are right now, 95 Million Filipinos.

In a way, the welfare officer is right and I agree with him/her 100%. It’s better to make the condoms available at the evacuation centers. If they have time, they could also introduce the Reproductive Health program of the government (if they have one, that is). It may curve our population growth, a little.

Acts of Men

In times of crisis, emergencies or tragedy, why do we always blame God? We call these tragedies as Acts of God. Is it because God could not defend himself? Is it because he is not a member of a political party that has no spokesperson? The hypocrites in the Philippine Church particularly the Bishops, Priests and Nuns are not God’s spokespersons. They will of course claim to be God’s people for their prey, the hopeless Filipino people who have nowhere to go.




We often hear Acts of God otherwise known as fortuitous event otherwise known as force majeure in our Insurance Agents. I’ve learned about these things when I was taking Business Law classes during my college days.



The current tragedy in our country that brought about devastating effects to people and properties are in fact acts of men, not acts of God. They were acts of men because the carbon emissions of the developed and developing countries are the main causes of the Global Warming. The Global Warming on the other hand is the main culprit of the erratic weather disturbances that in turn caused disasters. The sad thing is that, developing countries that cause the Global Warming are not directly affected to weather disturbances. It’s always the third world countries who are the directly affected by these man-made calamities. Third world countries that mostly rely on agricultural industry are vulnerable to long drought and heavy rains that cause flooding.



Flooding are an act of men since the flood happens because of, lack of political will from our politicians that indirectly causes clogged drainage (because of shanty houses and garbage), illegal structures at the major waterways and flood drain.



Times are changing. The waters will recede in time, but it doesn’t mean that it will not happen again. It’s about time that we should own up to our mistakes and take responsibilities for our actions. It’s the only way that we could change and move forward as a nation.

Obama the Nobel Laureate

I was watching Al Jazeera yesterday when suddenly the anchor announced that Obama was named the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. I was so shocked in disbelief. I am not an Obama fan and my reaction would always be negative towards everything he does. The announcement of the Nobel Prize committee generated several comments and it looks like I am not the only one against it. The Noble committee says that they placed importance on Obama’s commitment towards peace.

The thing is, Obama is barely 9 months in the office and he and his administration had been criticized that they could only write good speeches and rhetoric but could not deliver. Obama in fact decided to increase the US troop deployment in Afghanistan. North Korea on the other hand is still not willing to rejoin the 6 nation talks while Iran could not give up their nuclear or whatever weapons of mass destructions they are hiding. To his credit however, his softening stand towards Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and even North Korea it’s quite opposite to the policies of George Bush, the world’s most hated man.

Past winners of Nobel Peace Prize such as Mohammed Younus of Bangladesh and Former US Vice President Al Gore both deserve to receive their awards because they were able to deliver. Obama on the other hand has not delivered anything except for his well delivered speeches. Even Obama himself admitted that it’s too premature for him receive such an award. If he’s really sincere on his proclamation, he should refuse the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize could also work against him in so many ways given the political climate in the States. This absurd decision and the selection process of the Nobel Prize committee will definitely hurt their credibility.

I’m JCs Ninong

Baptism is the most important of all the sacraments because it’s the first of the seven sacraments in Catholic faith. The Universal Church believes that baptism washes away and removes our original sin. It allows us to enter heaven. That is the reason why babies are baptized as soon as they are born.

As posted earlier, I was invited by my Kumpareng Bro to be the Ninong of his second son JC. I have to go through the seminar that the parish is giving for the would be Ninong. The seminar’s content is a review of the Theology 101 – Orientation to Christian living course that I took from the University of San Agustin. As Ninong, I was tasked to answer in the child’s behalf the profession of faith. Profession of faith otherwise known as the apostle’s creed will be recited by the priest during the baptism. The baptism revolves on symbolisms like the white garment that the child is wearing for purity. The Oil of Catechumens that symbolizes that the baptized child belongs to the God and heaven. The water symbolizes the washing away of the original sin. The Sacred Chrism symbolizes that when the child is anointed with it, he is now a Christian. The baptism candle stands for the light to the world of Christ.

I jokingly told Nonoy, a good friend and kumpare of mine that if ever we’re going to have a falling out, we should return our candles. Yong saulian ng kandila that usually happens when two of the kumpares would fight over something.

It’s good feeling to be invited to be a child’s godparent. I was so thankful that Kumpareng Bro and Kumareng Sis gave me the opportunity to be JCs Ninong. I promised them that I’m going to be the best Ninong in the world.

Flood, Tsunami and Earthquake

I attended a mass at the Aramco yesterday and noticed that in the reading of the prayer intentions, the priest mentioned the victims of the recent flooding in Manila. I was touched by the generosity of the parish but also questioned why the victims of the South Pacific Tsunami and the Indonesian Earthquake were not mentioned in the prayer intention.

Like Filipinos, the people of the South Pacific (particularly the Islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga) and Indonesia also suffered mass devastation and they also need our prayers and aid. Was Indonesia left out because it’s a Muslim country?

In times of disasters, we’re all equal. Death could come knocking to anybody’s door. Hunger could strike to everyone. I understand that the Filipino’s resources are exhausted. We’re at the point where we could only do so much. However, if we have nothing else to give, we can still pray. And prayer is the only thing that our brothers in Indonesia and the South Pacific are asking. Let’s not be selfish and include them in our prayers.

Rio de Janiero to host 2016 Olympics

Its official, Brazil’s Rio de Janiero won the rights to host the 2016 games. It’s going to be the first Olympic Games to be held in the South American Continent. Rio’s victory came as a surprise since other candidate cities such as Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago are tough competitors.

Rio’s candidacy focused in an argument stressing that previous games were never held in the South American continent. It was unlikely that Tokyo would be awarded the hosting since it was only recently that Beijing hosted the Games. The lukewarm reception of the Tokyo residents did not help its candidacy either. Although Madrid already build stadiums and sent their reigning monarch to campaign, it also did not help their candidacy for obvious reasons that London is hosting the 2012 games. As for Chicago, people there are campaigning for Rio to win fearing that the Olympic Games will only exacerbate the prices of the real estate in the City. Chicago’s defeat is a big slap on Obama’s face. It just shows that he is just a good talker but couldn’t close a deal.

The 2016 Olympics is going to be another exciting game. I hope that the Philippine Olympic Team would finally relent to the pressures of the public to drop their Olympic dreams altogether. There’s no chance that a Filipino athlete would be able to get an Olympic gold unless our sports governing bodies and our government gives full support for our athletes training.

Wanted: Jacqueline Bermejo

The good thing that always comes out in times of tragedy is the outpouring of love amongst people. We seldom see our people unite for a common cause. Politicians have in so many ways divided our already divided nation. For some reasons, disaster is the only thing that can unite us all.

I salute all the selfless and nameless policemen, soldiers and countless of volunteers who risk their lives just to help our fellow kabayan. I salute our fellow OFWs, Filipinos all over the world and the international community; they never failed to lend a helping hand in times like this. I have renewed admiration to the NGOs, especially the Philippine National Red Cross for their undying service to the Filipino people. I’ll always remember our extended families. They are always there to help us when we have nobody to turn to.

Disaster like this also brings out the worst of people. Some doesn’t have compassion and even go to the extent of criticizing the displaced and helpless victims of the calamity. I am talking about Jacqueline Bermejo, the bitch whose name is now synonymous to hypocrisy. She’s became infamous for displaying tasteless arrogance and hollier than thou attitude over the web.

Jacque Bermejo was quoted in her facebook saying “buti n lng am hir in dubai! maybe so many sinners bak der! so yeah deserving wat hapend!” What the heck! Who the hell is she to judge people? I’ve seen her photos and she’s not even beautiful. In short, wala siyang karapatang magmaganda! I hope that Department of Foreign Affairs would strip her of her passport and Filipino nationality. The Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) should also ban her from entering our country. If she’s really proud of being in Dubai then, it’s better for her to be there forever!

If you want to contact her for whatever reasons, here are Jacque Bermejo’s contact details:
Tel: +971 4 4329633Fax: +971 4 4329632Mob: +971 50 3416640

Greatest Flood in the Metropolis

We can say that we Filipinos are used to or even immune to disasters, floods, volcanic eruptions, series of typhoon and any other natural disasters. But we never anticipated what had happened last weekend. The rain that caused the flooding destroyed everything our fellow Filipinos have worked for. That includes the destruction of their livelihood, houses and life’s worth.

Looking at the pictures of the flood is a humbling experience for me. The flooding only shows that people, regardless of their status in life are equal in the times of crisis. We human beings are vulnerable to the wrath of nature. The flood not only affected the poor and the lowly but the rich who lives in exclusive subdivisions as well. It also killed and displaced people in a massive scale.

Now that water has receded, the blame game starts to roll. So called so-so scientists blamed the flood on global warming. Opportunistic oppositionist politicians and irresponsible people in the media blamed it on Gloria. I say we have nobody to blame but ourselves that the flooding happened. It’s about time that we Filipinos should own up and take responsibility for our actions. It’s not bad to admit mistake because it’s the only way that we will reform and clean up our acts. We should not wait for a calamity as big as this to happen before we realize that the things we did in the past had brought this to us.

Below are the errors that people made that triggered the massive flood.

- The destruction of the trees and the absence of trees in the metropolis.
-Allowing buildings to rise and subdivisions to be made on areas that are prone to floods.
- Shanty houses of the squatters on the riverbeds that causes the rivers to overflow.
-The habit of throwing everything everywhere. That helps clog our rivers, drainages and sewers.

The list could go on and on but the reality is that, it wouldn’t have happened if we were kind to Mother Nature. Nature has no choice but to be cruel in order to be kind. We are experiencing this kind of stuff so that we could learn from it and change.

Eid Al Mubarak!

Everyone is busy buzzing around for the Eid Al Fitr Holidays. We’re lucky that our company declared a nine (9) day none working holiday. Since today is our last working day, people are on vacation mood. Everyone seems to be happy and that includes me.

I easily got bored so my primary concern now is how I will spend my 9 day break. This Thursday, I’ll be busy preparing for my friend’s birthday. Yeah right, I may not be the celebrator but I play an important part in his birthday, you know. On Friday, I’ll be in Aramco to attend a seminar for ‘would be Ninongs’. Yes, my future Kumpare Brother A invited me to be the godfather of his son John Christian. It may take awhile so I’ll be pretty occupied on that day. Some of my friends have planned to go to the Half Moon beach and then to Bahrain Bridge but it wasn’t decided yet.

Per previous experience, most of the outings that my friends made are spontaneous and unplanned. They’d just give me a call and wallah! However, should none of the plans push through, here are some of the things that I would definitely do.

-General Cleaning. Eid is the best time of the year to do general cleaning.

-Cleansing Diet. I usually schedule four (4) days to detoxify. Yes, no more soft drinks and unhealthy food.

-Meditate. It’s the best time to spend some time with yourself and reflect the things that happened to you in a year. Meditation may not necessarily involve religion. You just have to close your eyes, feel the nature around you. This is the best way to think clearly.

-Write to friends and family. I usually spend some time to write a lengthy letters to my friends and family that I’ve lost touch with.

-Watch Movie. This time, I’m gonna watch all the movies that my friend D downloaded from the internet. I’ve even purchased a media player / External Hard Drive for those movies yet I haven’t had the time to watch them.

Bukidnon’s sheer Beauty

When you ask people what they know about Bukidnon, the stereotypical reply would always be ‘Pineapple and Del Monte.’ Davco, a concessionaire of Dole Philippines recently set up pineapple and banana plantation in the land once owned by the Conjuanco’s. They practically removed all the coconut and replace them with pineapples. Bukidnon is not just about pineapples, Del Monte and Dole. People from the south particularly the sugarcane growers refused the label pineapple country for Bukidnon. Its fertile soil enables it to grow fresh fruits, vegetables, pineapples, banana, sugarcane, rubber tree and cupflower for export.

Bukidnon is also location of the world famous Monastery of Transfiguration run by the Benedictine Order. It’s pretty religious place since you can find Statues of any kind of Saints everywhere. Even the vegetable stall at the Arakan Valley has the statue of Senior Sto. Niño.

Did you know that there are true blue Ilonggos in Bukidnon? Most of them live either in BUSCO (Bukidnon Sugar Co) compound, Don Carlos or in Maramag. Some of them settled in the area during the late 50s and early 60s.

You can reach Bukidnon through Cagayan de Oro, Davao via BUDA (Bukidnon-Davao) Road and Cotabato. If you are in Cagayan de Oro, you can go to the Agorra Terminal and board Kibawe, Kadingilan or Tacurong. All of these routes will reach the southernmost towns of Bukidnon. If you are in Davao, you have to go to Ecoland Bus Terminal which is very adjacent to SM City Davao and board a Cagayan route. Davao is my favorite access point because a travel from Davao would only take 3 hours from Ecoland Terminal to Maramag (Bukidnon). I usually take the Iloilo-Davao flight that would only take 1 hour either through Cebu Pacific or Air Philippines.

If you travel to Cagayan de Oro, it would take you 4 hours to reach Maramag or Don Carlos. Aside from that, there’s no flight from Iloilo – Cagayan. One thing that delays the travel is the Mangima Road or popularly called as the bituka ng manok (zigzag road of Bukidnon). There are also several stops in several towns that add to the delay of your travel.

As an agricultural province, Bukidnon is very strict when it comes to hygiene that people coming to the province must step into the veterinary and sanitation check point. The one in the picture is the BUDA entry point.

When you see Bukidnon’s you’ll be amaze by its sheer beauty and swear that Baguio is over rated.