I started writing online in 2005 during the peak of the social networking site (the one that started it all), Friendster.  One and a half years later, just out of the blue (and reflecting what I’ve been going through at that moment), I deleted that Friendster account. In that same period, which was in 2007, I rediscovered and joined Multiply.  It became my online journal for the past five years.

It came as a surprise, no, a shock to receive the news that effective December 1, 2012, Multiply will be removing its social networking features (blogs, reviews, photo-sharing etc.) to give way to their business plan of fully concentrating on marketplace online selling, or ecommerce, which has now become their niche.

The news, or the bad news to put it more accurately, actually gave me anxiety attack.  Should I also say, indescribable sadness?  For it felt like somebody broke up with me.  I mean, five years of writing, pouring my heart out in Multiply is no joke!  So it is hard right now to pack my bags and just leave as if nothing happened.

I might, however, just delete many of the articles I wrote there while a few very special ones I will save so it would be easy for me to clean up the contents in that site.  There are things that I have to let go to give way to new memories and experiences to come.

Jeez, this really feels like breaking up with a boyfriend of five years.  And I will have to start all over again.

WordPress is now my new home, a new beginning.  Though it is painful to leave Multiply due to sudden change, I brought with me some of the good memories of my stay there.  Here, in this new home, I posted some of my favorite posts from that old home, “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account. Just check out the previous posts or check out the Uncategorized category of this blog.

Since I graduated from college in 1999, I’ve been employed in eleven different companies already — and that’s only in the span of 12 years.

I’ve been to a bank, to a publishing company, to an information technology company, to a restaurant business, to an academic institution, to a BPO, again in a publishing company, to a retail company, to a financial institution, to a cement company, to an electrical company.  I know the feeling of being a contractual, of losing a job due to an end in probationary contract, and of resigning from a job.  I’ve worked for bosses in different shapes and forms, from heaven-sent bosses to bosses from hell.

If you’re wondering where I stayed the longest and for how long, that would be in the academic institution where I lasted for four years, followed by almost three years in a financial institution, then two years in… okay, to cut the long story short, my shortest stay in a company was six days.

There is this common misconception that job hoppers have serious psychological problems. The common accusations:  emotionally unstable, difficulty adjusting to new circumstances, immaturity, inability to fit in a group, too idealistic, weak, and so on and so forth.  If you are a Human Resource practitioner and this is immediately your way of thinking because this is what was taught to you in your masteral class, or what was written in your psychology book, then I would have to say that you are quite ignorant about a lot of things.

Though it is true that some have difficulty coping with the pressures and stress in the office which is why people leave their jobs, it is also true that bad companies, bad management exist causing people to leave their jobs.  And what makes you think that those who’ve been working in a company, let’s say, for more than ten years, twenty years are perfectly happy and contented where they are, or, well-adjusted people.  I interviewed some longtime employees and I’ve asked them what made them stay that long in the company.  Most of them said it’s because they already have families to support. If they leave and be a new employee again in a company that offers a higher pay, there is no guarantee that they will be regularized after six months.  So they stay where they are, where they feel they are more secured. For those who aren’t married, though they’ve entertained thoughts about applying in another company they would back out the last minute because they dread adjusting to a new environment, to new colleagues. Because again, they dread that uncertainty, that tension of doubt like what if they wouldn’t be regularized?  What if the next company could be worse?  A long number of years in a company is not a sure sign that that person is an emotionally-stable, secure person. They could be resistant to change.

My point is, people stay in their jobs for a host of other reasons and people leave for a host of other reasons.

So for those who might be having difficulty adjusting to their jobs as new employees, I dedicate this article for you.  Because like you, I am again a new employee.  I worked for the private sector for (almost) 12 years and right now, just this year, I’ve made a big jump to government service so it’s another big adjustment for me. But whether you’re in a private office or in a government office, people you will work with are all the same.  Nag-iiba lang ang mukha, haha!

Being new in a company is the most awkward, uncomfortable stage to be in. People will look at you differently and treat you differently.  The workplace is called a jungle — an unfriendly jungle at that — for a reason. So here are my tips in surviving the workplace:

• Be the first to reach out.  Be nice.  If they aren’t nice to you, then take comfort with the fact that you’ve done your best to reach out to them then just let them be.  They must be coping with a problem or an issue or an insecurity or something.
• Seek out allies.  Yes, as a new employee, it is essential to find a few friends in the office that you can trust.  People who would be willing to help you as you adjust in your new environment.
• Focus on your job.  You are there in the office to work.  Not to be involved in gossips and useless chattering.  Sometimes you will be tempted to participate in such talks for it is human nature but then again, at the end of the day, amid all the conflicts and trials, you must remember that you are there to work.  There are annoyances that you do not need to take personally.
• Listen more.  There is this common advice that as a new employee you have to be more pakitang-gilas than everybody else around.  I don’t buy this. Displaying my knowledge ascendancy over old employees can be tricky and dangerous.  In your first six months as a new employee, be humble.  It is tempting to show to everyone that you are smart, that you want to prove something to your boss but for now, as a new employee, it is much better to be more of a student, listening more, observing more, sticking to instructions given to you, and asking questions, no matter how stupid, to get to know more about your job.  Take advantage of your first six months because it is the period of learning.  You still have a lot to learn in your new job even if you’ve had previous work experiences.
• If you’re a subject of gossip and ridicule, ignore them.  I’m like a guy, when someone provokes me, I quickly retaliate.  I fight back. So learn from my mistake.  When you get angry or get emotional, you are letting the other person putting you down win the game. Just ignore them.  Pretend they don’t exist.  Just focus on your job.  Do well with your job. Believe in the law of karma.  Yes, makakarma din sila!
• If a boss is giving you an unfair treatment and you tell him nicely to stop it and he won’t stop, report him to somebody higher than him.  The purpose here is letting somebody with an authority know that you are being mistreated as a new employee, especially if you are low ranking.  Do not hesitate to ask for help.
• Be angry when necessary.  I don’t buy this conventional advice that if you feel something is wrong or if someone is mistreating you, you have to tell them nicely about it, without being emotional or getting angry at them.  But sometimes it doesn’t work that way. Sometimes you have to do the untried and untested and forget about the conventional wisdom of the wise people or what the bestselling books would say (thanks to Robert Greene).  Some people can be mean and abusive. You have to show them that you don’t like what they’re doing to you even if it means showing your ferociousness, even if it means being judged by other people in return.  The workplace is a jungle filled with different kinds of animals and beasts.  And predators are lurking everywhere out to get you or eat you alive.  So show what kind of animal you are and fight back! Showing anger is not that bad.  For it makes the other person be conscious about his wrongdoing.
• Do not mind co-workers who are bullying you.  Since they’re just rank-and-file employees just as you, their bullying are easy to deal with (although sometimes there is this temptation to punch them in their faces).  Remember what Winnie Monsod said:  “Behind a bully is a coward.”  Naniniwala ako dito.  And if I may add, they are not just cowards, but also miserable.  So cool ka lang and again, someday, makakarma din sila.  Let the universe take care of it.  Or much better, pray for them.  If you ever have the misfortune to find yourself working in a department where people are hostile, less understanding, less compassionate, judgmental, or whatever, don’t feel bad about it.  Take advantage of your situation.  You will learn something from the kind of situation you are in right now.  For this will teach you about patience, showing goodness despite the indignities, and intestinal fortitude.  You will learn more about human relations in this kind of environment.  Ang importante, sumesweldo ka at maayos kang nagtatrabaho.  Tandaan mo ‘yan!
• Keep going.  It’s a tough world I know especially if you are a new employee.  And no matter how pleasant or nice you are, there will be people who will not like your presence.  Remember that some people will like you and some won’t.  But don’t let it stop you from doing your job efficiently and effectively. If you make a mistake, correct it then keep going.  If you messed up, learn something from it then keep going.

____________

Written on July 29, 2012- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account 

I am 33 years old.  33 is a very significant number.  Because this is the same age when Jesus Christ died on the cross.

So as a 33 year-old and still alive, this is the best time of my life that I shouldn’t take for granted.  I’m gonna take all my chances to experience what life has to offer.  I’m gonna try everything once.  I’m gonna tackle the world based on my own style.  I will live my own life. I will continue to march to the beat of my own drum.  No matter what people say, I will continue to do what I love most doing, enjoying the most simple of things like reading  (if you can’t afford to travel, reading books is always the best alternative), writing (to release my demons), watching movies (I’m almost complete with my collection of my top 20 favorite movies in CDs and DVDs), and cleaning our house (my only form of exercise where it is more gratifying because there are changes in my surroundings).  Writing right now makes me happy.  However, there is tremendous pressure that I have to face everyday as a 33 year-old single person.  Sometimes it takes away the happiness I am feeling.  They are forcing me to fit into a mold that they think is “ideal” and “admirable.”

33, based on society’s standards, is a marrying age.  At my age, I should be giving birth to babies already.  If not, I should be a single mom taking care of a son or a daughter.  Based on society’s standards, mas acceptable ang mga single mom than when you’re single and a virgin.

Based on society’s standards, 30 or 31 is the deadline or the latest age that a person should marry.  ‘Pag lagpas ka na sa kalendaryo, hindi ka “in” daw.  Or perhaps, you’re just a selfish kind of person who doesn’t want responsibilities, who doesn’t want to share.  Or maybe, nobody wants you.

Well, I beg to differ.

Being single doesn’t mean being unwanted or unworthy.  I think the opposite is more true and I’d rather not go into details to prove it.  There are risks and rewards of being single just as much as there are risks and rewards of being married.   And I think it is unfair to say that only single persons have selfish reasons.  Married people also got selfish reasons why they got married.  Selfish reasons like:

“I don’t want to live alone.”
— Married or not, we all go through life alone.  You don’t get it?  Remember the time you fought with your husband or wife?  What did you feel?  Didn’t you feel so alone?  And it’s okay!  Because your husband or your wife is not you.  Because your husband or your wife got problems of his/her own that you may not easily understand initially.  Our friends and loved ones will not always be there to support us.  Regardless of whether you are single or married, remember that the best friend you can have is yourself.  Get marry because you’d like to spend the rest of your life with this person and not because you are lonely or this is what society dictates.

“I want my children to take care of me when I am already old.”
— Hindi pa naipanganganak yung bata may mabigat na syang responsibilidad na haharapin.  Tsk, tsk.  We don’t own our children.  It is only our responsibility to guide them, reprimand them in the right direction and set them free when they want to pursue their own dreams where you are not part of.  Let them be there for you on their own free will and not because you forced it because you don’t want to be embarrassed with what other parents like yourself would say.

“I want people to stop making fun of me because I’m single.”
— People will always have an opinion about other people.  And they will never stop dishing out their own opinions, their own prejudices about another person.  It is human nature.  Even if you’re married, the next issue that people will pester you about is when are you having a baby.  A family is not called a family if there is no kid in the house.  This is an added pressure to a new couple.  And when this couple finally produced a baby to this world then grew up to be a cute little boy or a girl, the next issue that people will pester you about is when are you going to have your next baby. Your panganay is now ten years old and their usual question is when are you going to have your next baby.  A child must have a brother or a sister, they say.  You thought they were right so after nine months, you had your second baby.   Then all your children grew up to be responsible adults.  But one of them turned out to be gay.  Then the next issue that people will pester you about is calling your attention that your son is gay.  You must be a very bad parent to produce a gay son.  See? Opinions of people are endless!  People will always criticize you no matter what.  Just do what you think is right for you.

 “I want to be socially-accepted.”
—  Yeah right.  Being married is acceptable while being single is abnormal.

For me, regardless of whether you are single or married, what is important is that we love.  I know of a professor who has remained single in his 40s because he would rather devote his remaining free time taking care of a sick parent.  Another doesn’t have time for romance because she is assuming the role of her parents, working hard to pay for her siblings’ education.  The third simply doesn’t want to be married.  He is already happy where he is, living his own life without giving a damn to what others say.  Some would question his sexual preference.  Maybe he is gay.  But he’s not.  He just feels he is a much better person if he stays single than married.  Of course there are a host of other reasons.

But these single people are continued to be judged and questioned about their choices.  Some married people would wonder how single people are able to live without meeting that basic biological need called sex. Well, it is none of your business what we do behind closed doors.  Besides, I heard some married people don’t experience sex with their own partners.  No more seduction existing between two married people.  On the outside, you are trying to show to the world that you are happily married.  Inside, you and your husband or your wife don’t even sit down to have a good conversation to talk about anything under the sun. So which do you think is the worse?

It’s interesting.  And I have empirical evidences to prove this.  You can get an inside scoop about what is happening in the marriage of a person based on how he/she reacts or treats single people.  Happy married people will give you inspiration, hope, and guidance.  That it is okay to be single so make the most out of it.  Unhappy married people make fun of the single people. Because they are so problematic and insecure with their own marriage, they try to conceal it by putting down a single person, provoking that single person to doubt himself/herself, pairing him/her off with anyone they could think of, making them feel that they are “unlucky” if they don’t get married.

I have a sister who is now 42 and still single.  I think she gets the most strong reactions from relatives and colleagues and her college friends’ parents for remaining single.  Everybody would be in a state of shock learning that my sister still doesn’t have a husband at her age, or even kids born out of wedlock (which for them is more acceptable), when the rest of her college barkada now have children of their own.  She would just deal with them calmly, sometimes just laughing it off.

Well I don’t.  That is why I don’t attend college reunions.

A friend once told me a long time ago that if she would end up a spinster, she hopes she is living somewhere abroad, in a foreign place where “being single” doesn’t really matter.  Anywhere but here, she said.  I also dream of a place where answering a question of whether you’re single or married does not elicit strong reactions or ridicule.  These days, whenever I say I’m single, reactions are overwhelming.  Somebody in the office once literally cornered me if I’ve had a boyfriend, if there are suitors, why I don’t have a boyfriend right now when I  had worked in Makati where there are so many good-looking guys.  It is impossible, she said.  “If you haven’t found a boyfriend there, what more here.”  And her silliest question of all, “Nagkakagusto ka naman sa lalaki?” She said I’m pretty and it would be a waste if I don’t put it to good use. When I opened my payroll account and a bank teller saw my application form, the bank teller was surprised to discover that I am not yet married.  She is also 33, with two kids.  She said with my good looks I can breed good-looking children.  She was teasing me endlessly and I just had to laugh.  Seriously, she said, she hopes I’ll be married one day because it would be a waste if I stay single.  An old colleague who is 62 and happy to be single also doesn’t want me to end up like her.  A male married colleague also feels the same way.  That it is strange that I am not married.

First off, I don’t look for a boyfriend whenever I change jobs.  Second, beauty is subjective.  Their words maybe “encouraging” but I know that they were just initial reactions because at this point they like me or there is this positive vibe we feel for one another.  I had an office friend who, out of her anger to our lady boss, told me:  “Hmph, kaya di nakapag-asawa dahil pangit na mukha, pangit pa ugali.  Buti nga sa kanya,”  not the exact words but something to that effect.  So now I wonder what if I disappointed these same people one day.  Would they still say the same thing?  So whenever someone say I’m pretty, I just let it pass in one ear and out the other.  Even without them saying it, I consider myself beautiful in my own way as a single person.  And having a man beside me to validate that is unnecessary.  I am a girl because God made me this way and I have a purpose, a role to fulfill.  I wasn’t born to be a girl just to be married, have kids, be a grandmother then die.  It is just one of my options.

If I end up single for the rest of my life, I could enroll myself at the Home for the Aged if I’m still alive at 70.  Come to think of it, I am not even sure if I will live that long.  Today a mosquito will bite me.  Tomorrow I’ll be dead at 33 because of dengue. You never can tell.  Tomorrow hasn’t come so I just want to relish and enjoy what I have now.  So why worry about not being married?

I am single because it is my choice.  I have fears.  I turned into a green-eyed monster when I got into a relationship before.  It was a period of my life na nakakabaliw!  I sometimes wish my heart is made of stone, not feeling anything, not feeling attraction for anybody.  Pero sabi nila if you experience no fears with the one you have now, with your love interest, you will never be afraid of commitment.  If you are not afraid, then he or she is the right person.  My being single could also be circumstantial.  Maybe God’s rejection is His protection. Maybe He wants to save me from the fate of an abusive marriage that He would rather see me as a single and happy person than be married but miserable. (And being happy doesn’t mean literally being happy, jolly, vibrant person all the time.  It is going through all the motions of life, taking it all in, being comfortable to be sad at times, angry at times, insecure at times and learning from it.)  Maybe, I have a mission in life that I can only do if I stay single.  Or maybe, I’m not married because I haven’t met the one He wants me to meet.  And He wants the both of us to grow up separately as better persons before we meet and fall in love.  Or maybe He wants to teach me to love myself first which is the greatest love of all before I can love another.  I do believe that God works in mysterious ways.  And that everything happens for a reason.

Congratulations and best wishes to those who chose to get married.  May seduction never stop between the two of you.  As for me, as a single person, I continue to be inspired and in love.  Just doing those stuff I love to do puts me in an “in love” state.  I do think about the what-ifs.  Like what if I do get married?  Who would that guy be?  Will I turn out to be a good wife, a good mother?   But right now, or perhaps for the rest of my life, not having a wedding ring wrapped around my finger is okay.

____________

Written on April 29, 2012- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account 

Well, I am.  To me, it is not the answer to our problems in education.

In an article by Perla Aragon-Choudhury entitled “Who’s afraid of ‘K to 12’?” she wrote about the K to 12 Basic Education National Summit that was held at Miriam College where “top educators sought to answer frequently asked questions on the new elementary and secondary curricula that would mean additional years of study.”

“Education Secretary Armin Luistro, FSC, said education was No. 1 in the President’s campaign agenda,” the article said.  “He pointed out that those who were able to pay for 14 years of schooling before university were getting into the best schools and getting the best jobs after graduation.

“On the question of whether K-12 was here to stay, Luistro said:  ‘My best answer is understandable to those with the Catholic faith.  K-12 is like the reign of God.  It is here but not yet here.  We have an opportunity and what we feel are the most critical answers at this point.  They are neither rigid nor perfect.’”

On the question of cost, the article said:  “Education Undersecretary for Finance Francis Varela assured summit participants both government and private schools could fund K-12.  Valera said the government intended to address both classroom and teacher requirements in two years.  But Varela also stressed that the benefits of the new program far outweighed costs.  Among other things, the additional years of schooling would increase the earning potential of the graduate.

Varela said:  “Students who complete senior high school and then work will have better income opportunities and higher income streams – the cost (of) delayed employment will be offset by these higher income streams.  The additional two years of high school also meant a reduction in cost of schooling for graduates who would seek employment afterwards, as the additional years would be free.  Those graduates would have to pay if they enrolled in two years of college or post-secondary education.  For those seeking college degrees, it was expected the two additional high school years would mean higher tertiary education completion rates.”

I’m confused. What again is the K+12 program?

This news report by Tarra Quismundo entitled “K+12 program ‘absolutely essential,’ says expert” in Philippine Daily Inquirer gave me a straightforward explanation about this K+12 program (Kindergarten plus 12 years):

“The flagship education program of the Aquino administration, the K+12 basic education reform plan aims to improve the quality of Filipino high school graduates by adding two years of senior high school to the current 10-year education curriculum.

“The two additional years in high school are envisioned to serve as a specialization period for high school students, whether in vocational skills, music, the arts or sports.  This would give high school graduates the option to pursue jobs with a basic education diploma or proceed to college.

“The program aims to make Philippine education at par with the rest of the world, with 12 years of basic schooling already global standard.  According to the DepEd, only the Philippines, Angola and Djibouti have a 10-year basis schooling cycle.  Officials said the two-year shortcoming had proven problematic in the accreditation of Philippine graduates when applying for postgraduate courses and employment overseas.”

I was educated in Balara Elementary School, a public elementary school in Quezon City.  During high school, I studied in one of the cheapest private schools in Quezon City, the Roosevelt Memorial High School.  I was also an “Iskolar ng Bayan” when I studied at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.   I am also a non-practicing licensed teacher and I had my practicum in two public high schools in Quezon City, in Ramon Magsaysay High School and in New Era High School. And I would like to oppose this K+12 program.

It is obvious that DepEd has remained blind to the present state of both our public and private schools today.  What was it again?  They said the government and private schools will fund the K+12 program?  Did you know that many private schools also got funding problems of their own and now here you are telling us that they will help with the funding? Are you aware that some private school teachers are now moving to public schools for financial security?

You said once the additional two years in high school is implemented, you will address both classroom and teacher requirements within that two years.  The poor state of our educational system due to lack of classrooms and teachers has been a problem for a long, long time.  You should have solved that a long time ago before you implement anything that is grand or extraordinary.

And please lang, stop telling me about the budget process, about the increasing education budget, about the 2.2 percent increase of the GDP, because I don’t believe all those things unless I see it.  To see is to believe.

If you say there is a budget for education, that our education has improved, bakit bulok pa din ang pasilidad ng mga public schools?  Ng mga state universities?  Di nyo ba nakikita na kadiri ang mga banyo sa public school? Eto pa, ang baba ng sahod ng mga guro.  Nagkakanda-paos sa pagtuturo, nagkakanda-kuba kagagawa ng visual aids at pagchecheck ng papers.  Kaya yung iba imbis na magturo ay nagtitinda na lang ng kung anu-ano sa estudyante.  Yung iba hindi nagtuturo, puro reporting ang ipinagagawa sa estudyante.  There are many teachers but only a few educators.   And now you wonder why we have low quality of graduates?

What did you say? 14 years of schooling and getting the best jobs after graduation?  Alam nyo ba na maraming may trabaho na gutom pa din?  Na kahit may trabaho ay gutom pa din at nagtitiis dahil hindi sapat ang sinisweldo?  Na pumapasok sa opisina nila na ang dala lang ay pamasahe?  Na kahit may trabaho ay walang ipon? Isang kahig, isang tuka.  Kaya yung iba napipilitan humalik sa pwet ng iba para maka-good shot sa boss, ma-promote.  Saka wala ka ngang makitang matinong trabaho dito eh.

Dahil gusto nyo sa abroad kami maghanap.  Syempre dagdag kita sa inyo yan.  Swerte-swertihan ang paghahanap ng trabaho dito, hindi lang nakabase sa kung ano natapos mo o kung may extra two years ka sa high school.  At dahil sa hirap ng buhay, may mga employer na sasamantalahin ang pagkakataon. Maliit ang ibibigay sa ‘yong sweldo.  So tanggapin mo na kaysa wala kang trabaho.  So walang magawa si pobre at tinanggap ang offer dahil mahirap nga maghanap ng trabaho.  At itong si abusadong employer ipagpapatuloy ang kanyang kasakiman sa mundong ibabaw, marami pang ibibiktima, uutuin, lolokohin para hindi mabawasan ang kanilang kita.  So ano itong sinasabi ninyo na mas maganda ang oportunidad ng mga taong matagal nag-aral sa high school?  Yung iba nga may masters degree na hirap makahanap ng work.  Graduate ng UP hirap makahanap ng work.

Wala naman yan sa haba ng panahon sa eskwelahan.  Nasa kalidad ng pagtuturo yan, nasa kakayahan o motibasyon ng tao kung kaya nyang magpa-aral o mag-aral.  Libre nga ang extra two years mo sa high school, ang tanong pa rin, kamusta naman ang kalidad ng pagtuturo? At sino magtuturo sa additional two years na yan eh KULANG NGA ANG TEACHERS!  KULANG ANG CLASSROOMS, nasa kalsada na nag-aaral yung iba.  Yung iba pinagsisiksikan ang animnapu at mahigit pang estudyante sa isang classroom.  Tapos dadagdagan mo pa ng dalawang taon?

You said that the two-year shortcoming had proven problematic in the accreditation of Philippine graduates when applying for postgraduate courses and employment overseas?  I don’t think it is about the so-called “two-year shortcoming.”  It is about the different culture and policies of other countries and just because we do not have similar policies as them does not mean our 10-year education curriculum is wrong.  I really don’t think so.   Natural, you have to follow the different policy of another country and not because four years lang inilagi mo sa high school.  Maybe to a few but not all.  Our 10-year education curriculum was set up according to our needs and capacity as a nation.  Forget about global standard.

You also said the additional two years will serve as a specialization period for high school students whether in vocational skills, music, the arts or sports.  Do you really mean it?  Eh ang baba nga ng tingin ng mga kumpanya sa mga graduate ng vocational eh.  Our musicians, our artists, and our athletes here do not get any support from the government, sariling kayod sila, minsan namamalimos pa sa isang senador to get his support so now you’re telling me that?!  Eh sinasamba nyo nga dito mga lawyers and doctors, mga negosyante, mga Chinese businessmen or the so-called business tycoons.

And I would have to agree with the College Editors Guild of the Philippines when they said that:

“The Department of Education’s K+12 program may diminish – rather than boost – the qualifications of the graduates.  The objective of K+12 is to produce semi-skilled workers as cheap labor for the multinational corporations to exploit.  With the inequities in terms of economic status, majority of the people are most willing to enter into jobs no matter how dangerous or short-lived. K+12 is an overrated solution to the poor state of Philippine education.”

Saka bakit ganun, pag Reproductive Health bill, or Divorce bill, you are totally against it because of so-called moral grounds.  Because you said we do not need to be just like the rest of the world. And now that you’re promoting K+12, sinasabi nyo naman ngayon na kailangan makisama tayo with the rest of the world.

Can’t we do something first about the facilities, about the classrooms, not just in public schools in Metro Manila but also in far away provinces?  There is also a problem with the quality of our textbooks?  These basic problems in our educational system are yet to be solved and they’re already stinking, like a pile of garbage, because of long neglect.  Then here you are implementing K+12 program adding two years to high school.  Ano ba naman yan.

Please, let us  implement solutions one step a time.  Start with the basics.  Don’t just imitate other nations just because everyone is doing it.  May pera naman tayo, I mean, tingnan mo nga, ang dami-dami nating senador at congressmen na sineswelduhan.  May trabaho man o wala ang pobreng mamamayan, nagbabayad tayo ng taxes para mapaswelduhan sila.  Bakit di natin sila bawasan at yung sweldo nila idagdag sa budget ng edukasyon?  Bakit di natin i-demolish ang DepEd na may secretary na, may sangkatutak na undersecretaries pa na ating siniswelduhan pero sa matagal na panahon ay wala namang ginagawa?

For me, K+12 is just an additional problem to our already sick educational system that only caters to the elite. K+12 is just focused on getting more taxes by our government.

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Written on February 8, 2012- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account

As far back as I can recall, this is the first time that I experienced the month of December as a summer during the day (it felt like hell is here on earth with its scorching heat) and rainy season during the night (when it rains, it really pours – heavily!). Also for the first time, an angry typhoon – Typhoon Sendong –  visited our country in December, during Christmas season, and of all places, in Northern Mindanao where typhoons, according to news, rarely happens.

Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that “Tropical Storm ‘Sendong,’ which slashed across Northern Mindanao over the weekend, might as well have been called ‘Ondoy 2.’  The only differences were that Ondoy struck Luzon, mainly Metro Manila, while Sendong hit Northern Mindanao, principally Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities, and while Ondoy swirled in daytime, Sendong roared in the wee hours of the morning, when almost everybody was sleeping.”

Furthermore, it said, “The deforestration of watersheds in Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon, which feed into the major rivers of Northern Mindanao, worsened the effects of heavy rains, Presidential Adviser on Environment Nereus Acosta said.  Deforestration, in turn, was caused primarily by illegal logging.  Mining, both large-scale and small-scale, also contributed to deforestration, according to Acosta.  Rapid urbanization has reduced the capacity of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan to hold water, reducing the area for water runoff and causing the siltation of the Cagayan River.”

Television is filled with news and updates about Typhoon Sendong’s victims – both dead and alive – showing them in their most pitiful and gruesome state.  In a newspaper, I saw this picture of a mother carrying her dead child.  There was also this picture of pile of dead bodies no longer identifiable because of the mud that enveloped them.  Typical to Filipinos, some still managed to smile and laugh about it as if they’re talking about a funny story that they survived the typhoon when interviewed by reporters.  Some were calling out the president for help, to help them rebuild their house.  Scenes like these can easily move me, make me cry, but for the first time in my life, I am kind of detached.  The only thing that I see is that Typhoon Sendong came there to reveal the dark side of Mindanao – irresponsible mining and deforestration.  Irresponsible mining and deforestration.  Irresponsible mining and deforestration have been existing there for we don’t know how long!  And the people there in Mindanao are reaping what they have sown, like what we experienced during Ondoy here in Luzon.  Instead of feeling sympathy for the victims, I am more angry at our local government, at DENR, at ourselves. What is going on with me?  Am I turning into an uncaring human being, becoming a preachy “pro-environment” person, not feeling anything when I saw people crying over what they have lost – their loved ones, their house, their only source of income – and finding themselves starting all over again from nothing?  I don’t feel happy about it and I don’t feel sad about it either.  Anger is more like it – at our local government, at DENR, at ourselves.

Though I know that President P-Noy is an easy target for blame during tragedies such as this, for the longest time, I don’t understand why it’s always on the president, what the hell does the governor, congressman do to help in their province? Aren’t they suppose to represent the president, to act in behalf of the president, because the way I understand it, that is the reason why their positions exist, why they were elected?  They are not just there to invent laws that aren’t being passed or if passed, not being followed because nobody knows that it exist anyway. Sure, I see them giving relief goods when tragedy strikes but I wonder, what the hell are they doing everyday, eight hours a day or more when there is no big problem like this?  Do they set goals on how to keep their people safe from flashfloods and NOT JUST DESTROY AND REBUILD THE ROADS? Are the villagers aware or know the name of their governor or their congressman in their province, do they get to see these public officials?

It appears to me that they only act on the spot, when something happens, but not before something bad happen.  The problem with both our national and local governments, they don’t have contingency plans.  The problem with our government is BUREAUCRACY. And because of bureaucracy, even if some mayors work hard to attend to the needs of their constituents by requesting emergency tools and financial aid or everything else that they found lacking in their community before disaster strikes, their efforts would be useless if it would take the national government to respond, because requests have to pass through the Department of Budget or whichever authorizing government body to pass that request that oftentimes results to months, years before the requesting party get to know the answer.  And once you receive the answer, it turns out to be a NO, the request was disapproved.  What’s making them so busy, anyway?  I mean, they don’t have to work so hard when it comes to generating income because the private companies, particularly the working class, the ordinary employees are doing it for them by means of the taxes that are being deducted from their low salaries.  They just wait for their budget to arrive and all they have to do is act vigilantly on what is required of them as part of the government, as public servants, especially those people with high positions and getting so many perks.

What does DENR do to protect and conserve our environment?  I always pass through East Avenue as I commute to go to my destination and everyday, you could see vehicles producing black, thick smoke from their engines – the smoke belchers – and they are everywhere.  There are so many government agencies there, particularly DENR, and my oh my they have a huge building but what the hell are they doing?  Obviously, none.  They keep on releasing ordinances but it is not being implemented.  They keep on reporting statistics of deaths resulting from typhoons or illegal logging on certain places, so now, after getting that information, what do they do about it?  None!  According to them, they give notices to the local government.  As if serving notices equates with “doing something about it.”

And what do we do as a citizen to protect and conserve our environment?  When I ride a jeep, there’s a fellow passenger who would tell her child to throw his garbage out the window.  Jeez, I wanted to strangle that parent for teaching a wrong thing to her child.  You know what, I see this everyday, particularly the open burning of garbage done by my neighbors because garbage collector visits our place only once a week, sometimes they forget to even visit us at all!  Just the simple act of throwing or disposing properly our garbage we cannot do.

I’ve complained about our garbage problem, back in 2010, where I had to take a leave of absence from work to go from person to person, from barangay captain (here, I was told we only have one garbage truck for all barangays) to the homeowners association (here, I was told that they plan to request from the mayor one garbage truck exclusive only to our subdivision) to the governor (here, I saw so many others like me falling in line to send a letter to the governor – one was asking for a tuition fee assistance, another was asking for medical assistance and you can just imagine what others were requesting – that I feared my letter would be ignored), just for the sake of disturbing them in their complacency, to let them know the garbage problem in my place which, as I was to discover, they already knew long before I did.  Well, they did something about it if I would call it that way.  After sending a letter to the Office of the Governor, a month later they sent notices to Office of the Mayor, to concerned persons or institutions informing them about a complaint filed by a concerned citizen (that’s me).  I knew about this because I was sent copies of the notice letters (with my complaint letter attached to it) received by those offices that should act upon my request.  As a result – none, there was no result.  I cannot depend on my neighbors even if some of them have the same sentiment as mine because they’re too lazy they would rather mind their own problems that are enough to burden them.  I stopped making demands when I’m losing my finances already due to travelling and absences.

Bata pa lang ako, panahon pa ni Heherson Alvarez as DENR secretary, naririnig ko na yang problema sa illegal logging and deforestration.  Noong pinapalabas pa sa TV yung National Geographic in the ’80s, it mentioned the  Philippines – if my memory serves me right – as the number one (if not the only) country in Asia with endangered forests, and today, it appears that nothing much has changed, still the same fact.  Today, many have died in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro after experiencing the wrath of man-made Typhoon Sendong. The trees from the forests could have saved them, but these people no longer have enough trees, instead, huge logs from cut-down trees were found floating over strong waves of mud and floodwater from the mountains down to their condemned communities, hitting unsuspecting victims that killed them on the spot, destroying more properties, drowning the animals (luckily, some of them survived), bringing more danger to already dangerous places.

“The logging families in Mindanao, who became filthy rich from the massacred forests, are responsible for the deaths of almost a thousand people who perished in floods.  Their blood is on their hands,” says PDI columnist Neal Cruz.

“It might have been war, what we saw in Cagayan de Oro, and it was,” says Conrado de Quiros.  “We have been at war for a long time now, and these are its effects.  We have been at war for a long time now, and the casualties are mounting.  We have been at war for a long time now:  With Nature.  It is a war we cannot win.  It is a war that is sealing our doom.”

I must say that because of our complacency and ignorance – if not ignorance, ARROGANCE – I just wish those who are irresponsible and numb – the smoke belchers, the people who burn and throw their garbage everywhere, illegal loggers, mining companies, lazy governors and congressmen, even some of the locals who could possibly be the ones cutting those trees — will be the only ones to be directly affected.  To experience losing everything from flashfloods so they would realize their wrongdoings.  I am bad I know and it is just unfortunate that this is impossible. Because we are all part of the human race, everyone is under no mercy. Nature doesn’t care if you’ve been good or bad.  When tragedy happens, as humans who got no superpower, we can only despair and we are free to blame our God, to blame our neighbor, to blame our lazy politicians, to blame our president to let out our grief. Nobody gets strike by lightning for doing that.

The Philippines is known to be a rich country because of its natural resources (this explains why we are being granted loans by foreign entities like World Bank, why we have increasing debts) but we ourselves are destroying it. We complain that we are poor but what we don’t realize is that it is us who are making ourselves poor by just sitting pretty, thinking that typhoons will just come and go anyway.  We Filipinos are resilient people, we would tell proudly to others.  “This, too, shall pass,” we often say.  But being mere creatures, we are powerless to the things that Mother Nature can do – like earthquakes, tsunamis, like signal no. 3 typhoons.  We never learn from our tragedies.  Because we never learn, the lessons from Mother Nature are repetitively being taught to us. Just observe: rainy days during summer and summer days during rainy season.  Not to mention, a typhoon during December.  What do you think is the message?  If you cannot guess, still blaming God for the floods, for the death of your loved ones, the lesson will be repeated until we drill the lesson into our heads that our environment is just as important as the air we breathe. Reminding me of that favorite TV series I watched as a kid, I feel like we are living now in a “Twilight Zone,” where the turn of weather events causing calamities and deaths are getting more and more weird each time, getting more and more abnormal each time, causing confusion and distress and mystery, scared to guess what the ending of the odd story will be.  And I’m getting afraid of the years to come, of many typhoons to come.

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Written on December 22, 2011- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account

I’m not an MBA graduate and I don’t have a business of my own either.  I don’t have friends by the names of John Gokongwei, Lucio Tan, or Henry Sy.  I’ve never been out of the country to attend expensive seminars and workshops.  By looking back at my experiences in ten different companies, after getting to know different bosses and people in all shapes and sizes (good and bad), I’d like to think I now have the right to answer the question that is oftentimes being asked in so many business conferences, workshops, and management meetings: what is the key to a successful business?

My answer:  the key to a successful business depends greatly on how you take care of your employees.

It is tough finding a good employer these days.  Not all employers provide a good basic pay and benefits.  Not all employers provide a good working environment and trainings.  Big companies are now laying off personnels.  Some of them, after decades of being a giant in their industry, have closed down.  Contractualization still exist.  Majority of people are employed by small-to-medium sized businesses.  The economic crisis, which has always been there even before Jesus Christ was born, only made things worse.  It could knock you down by its strong wave of challenges and chaos, it could force you to change direction, and if you don’t know how to paddle your own boat, you’d be in great trouble.  Having an impressive company website, or having store branches all over the country, or having a long list of clients is not always equivalent to being a good company. These days, things are not always what they seem.

Everyone is afraid.  The pressure is high.  Employees decide to just stick to the jobs they hate no matter what for resigning could mean suicide.  They have a family to feed.  They don’t have enough money.  There are bills to pay.  Wise men say, “Don’t resign until you find another job.”

It’s true.  It’s not that easy.  Being unemployed is actually tougher than staying in a job you hate.  I know because I’ve been there.  That is why many employers take advantage of this situation.

They offer a low basic pay.  To the unlucky ones, they receive salaries that are way below the minimum rate (the minimum rate itself is not even fair, so inhuman).  But since you haven’t had a job the past six months you accept it, thinking positive that it is better to have a job than none at all.  Some employers would demand from their employees to work 6 days a week, 10 hours a day, with overtime but no overtime pay.  They show no appreciation with the good  efforts you’ve done because to them, “I am paying you so it is your job to perform well.”  No thank you.  They would even make you feel like you owe them your employment so they act rudely and condescendingly towards you whenever they feel like it.  If you complain, some braggart boss would tell you, “Well, if you don’t like the policy here, the door is wide open.”

Because they are aware that it is a tough world out there for the unemployed, some employers do not mind screaming at you, the employed one, and humiliating you in front of other people. That is why they exploit you and don’t want to give you a salary increase. (Which made me think:  what if it is so easy to replace an employer and in just one day you could get a new job already.  I am sure abusive employers would be non-existent because they’d be so afraid that all their employees would boycott them and there is a guarantee that their best employee can leave them anytime.)

But what they didn’t realize is that each time they hurt their people, they are also hurting the business.  Good, exceptional employees who are there to keep the business running smoothly will file for resignation for the bad treatment.  Employees who stay would only do what is required of them instead of going the extra mile for the company.  Employees would have a low self-esteem or worse could turn into an office bully because they are living miserably working for an abusive, ungrateful boss like you.  By not letting them feel that their contributions, big or small, are important to the company, employees would be less motivated to come to work or to perform excellently at work which could result to low productivity, hurting the business more.

I’ve met a boss who is friendly and very engaging when dealing with his business contacts.  He makes it a point to send them gifts during their birthdays.  In social functions, he is a pleasant person to be around.  A gentleman.  He seems like the nicest person that you’ll ever meet.  He reaches out to shake the hand of a new acquaintance.  He laughs like a hyena.  To his business contacts, he seems like a great guy.

To his own employees, he is a different person.  He ignores them.  When an employee greeted him a happy birthday, he did not even bother to smile.  He would walk the office corridor treating employees like they are invisible. He doesn’t show appreciation if an employee did a good job for he doesn’t give a damn.  He doesn’t wanna reach out to his own employees.  He wants you to change his flight schedule the last minute as if he owns the airline.  He will let the world knows if you committed a mistake, that you’re a moron if you didn’t do what he asked of you at a snap of a finger.  Somebody told me that some executives, so as not to be abused by employees, do the opposite of kindness and generosity to prevent people from ever crossing the line of authority.  By being cold, indifferent, nasty, and only talking to a subordinate if he wants something to be done, people would think twice to complain or ask for his help.

If this is what he thinks or some top executives believe to be an effective management style, how come your accounting manager, and later, your HR manager, attempted to steal money from you.  How come, despite your iron fist-style of management, a certain rank-and-file wasn’t afraid to withdraw money from the company’s bank account without your knowing?  How come you continue to meet mediocre workers despite the fear that you elicit from them, only hurting further your company, your finances?  How come there is a high rate of absenteeism, tardiness among your employees?  Don’t you think there could be something wrong in you?  That you’re taking it too far.  If you keep your old ways of doing things, acting like you’re a God and treating your employees as slaves, you know what, I wouldn’t doubt if your business remain the way it is, still trying to solve ancient problems.  Because you treat people like things, manipulating them, taking them for granted when they are not useful to you at the moment.

If you’ve been maltreated before, or you have experienced injustice in the past which made you the kind of boss you are now, move on!  Don’t you think it is a good reason for you to change your ways because you know exactly how it feels to be underestimated, to be taken for granted by your own employer.  Obviously, bad experience only made you revengeful, desiring to put misery in other people’s lives for you to feel better, to prove to yourself that you are superior.

I am not yet a boss, and I don’t know if I would like to be one.  But after several years of having worked in different companies, the most important lesson I learned that the key to a successful business is very basic:  it depends greatly on how you take care of your employees.
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Written on September 10, 2011- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account 

Demonic!  Blasphemous!  Anti-Christ!

These are the words that could perfectly sum up the reactions of many people, especially the Catholics, who are deeply offended and angered with Mideo M. Cruz’s art exhibit entitled “Polytheism” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

I saw it myself when I watched XXX, a TV program in ABS-CBN that exposes abuse and corrupt practices in Philippine society.  They get their weekly exposé from concerned citizens who are courageous enough to report the wrongdoings of a particular person or institution and XXX is there to help solve the problem by bringing it to  concerned agencies or people for their awareness and immediate action. Indeed, it was in this show that I discovered the shocking and offensive art work of Cruz which displayed very twisted images of Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary decorated with physical representation of Mickey Mouse, a penis, and hanging condoms.  I don’t consider myself religious but it was difficult for me to stomach the product of the said artist’s imagination.  Trying to justify what I saw, I thought maybe he is an atheist, or a Satanist.

Officers of the CCP do not find anything wrong with Cruz’s work. They do have a point when they said that CCP is not a church.  That it is an institution that provides venue for unknown artists and free spirits who wish to display their creativity and self-expression.  Cruz said he knew that his art work is subject for public scrutiny.  He has his own intention of creating it (“They are symbols of ‘patriarchy’ and repression of women”) but it was also his intention to let the viewer be the judge and interpret it according to his/her own wishes, since everyone got different perspectives and he doesn’t wanna impose his way of thinking on them.

But, what was he thinking?! This is a predominantly Catholic country, why would he do such an obvious act that would surely, absolutely, definitely elicit angry protests from Catholic religious groups.  This is a country where Catholic preachers like the bishops and priests would impose to everyone to go ahead, breed and produce more children despite the constantly growing poverty and condemn couples who separate because of domestic violence.  This is a predominantly Catholic country where corrupt and greedy politicians, killers, rapists, smugglers, abusive and despicable employers and leaders are very rampant, where great problem in illiteracy exists, where so many endangered species and forests are just waiting for their extinction.  In this predominantly Catholic country, because of what he did, he will be condemned and forever unforgiven.  He could be killed!  Executed!  Ostracized!

As expected, and naturally so, some Catholic loyalists who met with the officials of CCP, attended also by the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and Cruz, expressed their rage in protest for the disrespect of their faith and they made sure that Cruz and everyone there feel their anguish.  Their anger turned to shouts.  They condemn CCP for allowing such “blasphemous” art exhibit.  That it is not a work of a Filipino, it is the work of a demon!

“We cannot please everyone,” was all that I could remember Cruz said to defend himself.

He seems like a good person when he speaks, mukha namang matino.  But why, oh, why must he do that?  Does his pieces of art work a manifestation of deep-seated emotions regarding the Catholic faith, regarding his discontentment for our country?  Is that his outcry for change, his rebellion to things that he could not accept?  Does his art work his SCREAM for freedom?

My brother said Cruz’s work really does offend since those religious images are sacred and symbols of the Roman Catholic faith.  But if you’re open-minded, my brother said, you reflect and try to understand the meaning of the artist’s work, you try to uncover the reason of the artist for creating it?  If you think about it, if the artist is really demonic, if you are an evil person, you wouldn’t do it in an obvious way like what Cruz did (here, I am getting his point).  Remember Satan?  He is the god of deception.  He doesn’t commit an evil through obvious acts. He does it in subtle ways, by showing goodness to deceive.  If you want to find demonic people they are found in the church!

He’s right.  Then I remember the book I read two years ago called “People of the Lie” written by M. Scott Peck.  In Chapter 2 entitled “Toward a Psychology of Evil,” he wrote:

We become evil by attempting to hide from ourselves.  The wickedness of the evil is not committed directly, but indirectly as a part of this cover-up process.  Evil originates not in the absence of guilt but in the effort to escape it.  

It often happens, then, that the evil may be recognized by its very disguise.  The lie can be perceived before the misdeed it is designed to hide – the cover-up before the fact.  We see the smile that hides the hatred, the smooth and oily manner that masks the fury, the velvet glove that covers the fist.  Because they are such experts at disguise, it is seldom possible to pinpoint the maliciousness of the evil.  The disguise is usually impenetrable. But what we can catch  are glimpses of “The uncanny game of hide-and-seek in the obscurity of the soul, in which it, the single human soul, evades itself, avoids itself, hides from itself.”

Since the primary motive of the evil is disguise, one of the places evil people are most likely to be found is within the church.  What better way to conceal one’s evil from oneself, as well as from others, than to be a deacon or some other highly visible form of Christian within our culture?  In India I would suppose that the evil would demonstrate a similar tendency to be ‘good’ Hindus or ‘good’ Moslems.  I do not mean to imply that the evil are anything other than a small minority among the religious or that the religious motives of most people are in any way spurious.  I mean only that evil people tend to gravitate towards piety for the disguise and concealment it can offer them.

Utterly dedicated to preserving their self-image of perfection, they are unceasingly engaged in the effort to maintain the appearance of moral purity.  They worry about this a great deal.  They are acutely sensitive to social norms and what others might think of them.  They dress well, go to work on time, pay their taxes, and outwardly seem to live lives that are above reproach.

The words ‘image’, ‘appearance’, and ‘outwardly’ are crucial to understanding the morality of the evil.  While they seem to lack any motivation to be good, they intensely desire to appear good.  Their ‘goodness’ is all on a level of pretense.  It is, in effect, a lie.  This is why they are the ‘people of the lie.’

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Written on August 8, 2011- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account

They set the standards that other noontime variety shows attempted to meet (or surpass) but failed.  They do not largely rely on celebrities, big stars in order to be successful.  Aside from the prizes at stake, they provide comic relief to uplift the lives of its studio and television audience.  Looking at all the hosts making a fool of themselves (or maybe, simply being who they are: eccentric), one would think they have the easiest job in the world.  While some regard them as saviors for helping them improve their lives financially, materially,  or emotionally, there are others who look down on them, labeling them as “bakya,” “baduy,” “pang-jologs,” so on and so forth.

It is a game show which has a heart to make people happy but to make it work, to endlessly think of different ways to satisfy the fickle-minded audience can be a really tough and demanding job.  Not to mention, routinary (like an office job) for they have to do it from Monday to Saturday and there is also the challenge of working with different personalities or co-hosts who could be as competitive or difficult to work with, or dealing with bosses who expect highly from them.  Even hosting itself can be a chore.  One of the hosts thought he would leave it after 15 years so he could do other things.  I don’t know what happened but he remains very much a part of it after 31 years and still counting, and everyone loves him.  They call him “Bossing,” also known as Vic Sotto. Now that I mentioned this, of course, I am talking about Eat Bulaga!

Eat Bulaga is a show that I literally grew up with.  I felt like I grew up together with Tito, Vic, and Joey’s children:  Ciara Sotto, Danica and Oyo Boy Sotto, Jocas and Jaco de Leon, Cheenee and Keempee de Leon. I think it is only right to include Aiza Seguerra here who was a contestant of Little Miss Philippines when she was 4 years old and was later adopted by the show.  She was a witty, cute, charming little girl hosting a special segment daily with Coney Reyes.  She also popularized a unique dance move during the Bulagaan portion.  I don’t think there is nothing to deny that Aiza, during those days, made a big contribution to Eat Bulaga‘s long-standing success.  Then she grew up, and pursued the next thing that she does best:  singing.  Even if she already left and occasionally guesting on the show, it is no wonder how Eat Bulaga still treats her as part of the family.

There was a time Aiza’s career was in a limbo, she lost her popularity just because she grew up, because she wasn’t pretty when she grew up, but Eat Bulaga has never left her side, welcoming her anytime to the show. I also haven’t forgotten that day when teary-eyed Coney Reyes said goodbye to the show (and showbiz) and got to sing Diana Ross’ It’s my turn (it was actually a theme song of Coney’s drama anthology, Coney Reyes on Camera, shown every Saturday after Eat Bulaga).  She was pregnant that time and the father of her child is Vic Sotto.   Until that day, I didn’t know they had a love affair. They didn’t marry but they are both okay now, everyone involved is okay now. In fact, Vic’s children with former wife Dina Bonnevie, with former co-star Angela Luz, and with former co-host Coney Reyes all appeared on the show (by VTR) during his birthday last April.

Eat Bulaga made me a witness to see the then newbie host Toni Gonzaga looking nervous and hesitant to eat shrimps, a seafood, during a challenge.  Yes, shrimps.  A very much alive shrimps which were twisting and turning as Toni held it nervously with her two fingers. It took her awhile, looking like she was gonna back out, that I remember Joey shouting at her, prodding her to eat it.  So for the first time, Toni swallowed – if my memory serves me right – not just one but three live shrimps!  She even tried to remove the head.  Looking at Toni now, a popular TV host and actress and talent of ABS-CBN, I think her being able to swallow those live shrimps on national television taught her a tough lesson about what it takes to be a host, or how far a person can go just to provide joy and entertainment to the audience.

When asked by YES! Magazine how it was to be part of the longest-running noontime variety show on Philippine television, Toni gave a lively answer:  “The best experience! Kung gusto mong mag-host, napakasuwerte mo na makapasok ka sa Eat Bulaga. Because of the discipline, the camaraderie, the professionalism.  Akala mo, parang bale-wala lang.  Akala ko no’ng una, parang fun-fun lang.  Pero hindi.  Mahihiya ka sa sarili mo kung papasok kang hindi ka prepared.  Hindi pwedeng napag-iiwanan ka.”

The parang-bale-wala-lang that Toni could be referring to is the very natural na-parang-nasa-bahay-lang kind of hosting by the main hosts, Tito, Vic, and Joey.  Sometimes, you would see Joey de Leon sipping a cup of coffee while hosting.  Vic Sotto, at times, would appear and work in the show looking like he just gone out of his bed.  The co-hosts could not escape imbibing this for you will see Anjo Yllana one time eating his lunch on the show.  Definitely, this is not your typical noontime variety show.

Despite these seemingly relaxed and unconventional ways of the hosts (which I like, nonetheless), they still give their best to make the show productive and enjoyable to the audience.  The funny banterings, the practical jokes, the bloopers, the side comments, they are all unscripted, natural na natural.  Not a day is the same as the other but expect a wacky, crazy, funny moments as time goes by as a result of putting these crazy, creative people together on the show:  Terri Onor, Allan K., Gladys Guevarra, K Brosas, Janno Gibbs (or the late Janno Gibbs kasi daw palaging late dumating sa show), Jimmy Santos (the longest-staying co-host), Pauline Luna (yes, she can do comedy, too!), Ruby Rodriguez (the fattest host but can dance really, really well like the Sex Bomb dancers), Michael V., Francis Magalona, Anjo Yllana, Toni Rose Gayda (yes, she is always a part of Eat Bulaga even if she is the “now-you-see-her-now-you-don’t” kind of co-host.  She can be really funny, too, believe it or not), Julia Clarete, Pia Guanio (who has this image of being “sosyal” or classy but after seven years of being on the show, she imbibed the “craziness” of the people around her, becoming a joker at times), Paolo Ballesteros, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Ryan Agoncillo (a typical serious host but since he joined Eat Bulaga became a funnyman himself, I won’t ever forget his “shembot” dance together with other co-hosts), Iza Calzado, and so many others that I now forgot due to the show’s long history.  Oh wait, how could I forget:  the Brazilian beauties Ariana Barouk and Daiana Meneses, they added color and light moments to the show, too! Let me not forget, the Sex Bomb Dancers, the EB Babes, and the Boom Boom Pow Boys.  Did you know that Lani Mercado used to be part of the show, too?  Though some of them are gone, I guess it is only nice to say that once an Eat Bulaga is always an Eat Bulaga.

From the time it was aired on RPN 9, until it transferred to ABS-CBN Channel 2, and at present, in GMA 7,  I’d like to believe that where Eat Bulaga is, it brings with it good luck to its home station. I think ABS-CBN became the biggest network that it is today because of Eat Bulaga which is exactly what is happening to GMA 7 right now.  Since GMA 7 extended for another five years their contract with TAPE Inc., the producer of Eat Bulaga,  Kapatid network TV5 just had to content themselves hiring Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon to host separately its game shows to easily gain audience.

If there is one message that watching Eat Bulaga always reminds me, it is this:  MGA MALALAKAS LANG ANG LOOB ANG YUMAYAMAN.

There is another word for this:  “kapal ng mukha” or thick-faced. There are so many talented people in hiding out there and for some of them to come out for the first time to join the dance and singing competitions in Eat Bulaga, and as a result of their courage to do so, they became a hundred thousand pesos richer or more!  Millionaires, some of them became millionaires by simply joining the fun games and stuff.  A contestant does not need to be a graduate from one of the top reputable schools.  Kailangan lang lakas ng loob o kapal ng mukha. Because of their bravery to face the cameras where anything could happen, because of their willingness to take risks by joining the contests, they became blessed financially, also rich in experience which could help them in their future careers.  Like Alice Dixson, Camille Pratts, Jessa Zaragoza, Rachelle Ann Go, Gladys Reyes, Michael V., Precious Lara Quigaman, and Jericho Rosales, just to name a few, who are now well-known showbiz personalities today.  Yes, they were once contestants of Eat Bulaga.

While some people are there for the money, others watch it to simply enjoy the show.  Believing that laughter is the best medicine, watching Eat Bulaga is one of my remedies when I am feeling sick before I take any drug or medicine. It works most of the time.  All the current games in the show are fun to watch, like the PNV or Pambato ng Videoke, like the ‘Kaw na, the best ka! but my favorite of them all is that portion of Paolo, Jose, and Wally called “All for Juan, Juan for All, Bayanihan of the Pipol” where they get to visit the house of the selected lucky individual of the day who will get cash prize and gift packs (at times, appliances) from sponsors. They do this per barangay, they even went all the way to Ilocos!

It’s crazy watching it, seeing them interviewing the owner of the house, including his/her family, about their background, about their current condition, about the house, about the food they had for lunch, etc. and because those guys are really funny, you will laugh so hard as if you’re the happiest person in the world.  If you’re not the type who easily laughs, it is impossible not to see yourself smiling silly as you watch them.  There were touching moments, too, so from laughing out loud, there is this sudden falling of tears making my eyes red.  If you’re not the type who easily gets emotional, it is impossible that you wouldn’t be affected with some feeling, like, as if, somebody pulled your heartstrings.

Most of the time, when things get too dramatic (and to prevent that “paawa” effect of that certain individual which can be annoying), Jose, Wally, & Paolo lighten it up with their funny antics and gimmickry to distract the individual’s “acting”, or what I mean to say is, to balance the scenario. It is good that Bossing Vic is there to send feedback and instructions to the three co-hosts through their earphones, to generally manage the scene and couldn’t be heard by the chosen individual. Anyway, Jose, Wally, & Paolo are such gifted artists, so spontaneous, so witty, so funny, at times, very naughty! Even Vic himself couldn’t contain his laughter.

One of my favorite episodes in All for Juan, Juan for All was about this one lucky individual, a male, wearing this sando that showed off his muscles, living with his only son (his wife is working abroad), working as a cook in a carinderia, who was just poker face and smiling only every once in a while as he gets to receive his money by installment (in-between the talk) from EB Dabarkads inside his one-room house located at the rooftop of another house.  The man even got to talk with his wife over the phone courtesy of Eat Bulaga.  His total cash prize, if I remember it correctly, was P40,000.  Jose, not seeing it coming, was surprised to see the macho guy being moved to tears upon receiving the last installment of the total cash prize, even trying to suppress it by covering his face with his one arm.  It’s not a million pesos, but the guy was simply overwhelmed with his surprise blessing. That’s how hard life is. On the other hand, there were also some lucky individuals that were just as funny and as crazy as the three co-hosts. Oh, it’s a long story!

Eat Bulaga started on July 30, 1979 and is turning 32 years old a few days from now.  Though their opening numbers these days have become less impressive unlike before (I don’t know if it’s caused by the hard times, a different creative head, or because there is lacking in great talents in GMA 7), I will never forget that long tradition when they had these well-conceptualized opening numbers (what I always looked forward to every Saturday) which I guarantee were as great as the opening numbers I saw in ASAP (the number one musical variety show in local TV).  I’d like to believe that even before ASAP first premiered on TV, Eat Bulaga is the pioneer in showcasing exceptional talents and enthralling theatrical performances, where dance groups and artists like Ogie Alcasid, Dingdong Avanzado, Carmina Villaroel, and so many others started their careers.

Like one of the winners, I would like to thank Eat Bulaga for brightening up my day.

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Written on July 10, 2011- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account

They seem attracted to each other. At first, there was no malice at all with their interactions. Everything was all about work, work, work, simply focusing on the task at hand. The girl found it cool to meet a guy who is very professional, very helpful, and willing to go the extra mile just to assist her, and perhaps, just like any of his client. The boy, on the other hand, found her cute and entertaining with the way the girl expresses her complaints, her being animated, her being inquisitive. It was all because of one problem that let these two strangers, a boy and a girl, meet.

Both of them have no idea if the other is already in a relationship so they keep their dealings in a professional way. After all, they’re only there to work. Being good employees that they are, and understanding their boundaries, they carried out their respective duties just fine. The boy found it awkward that there is something endearing about the girl while the girl was even more surprised that she’s having a crush on a guy she happens to see not just only once, twice but a couple of times regarding a problematic business transaction. So they keep this strange feeling to themselves (unknown to each other) thinking it will eventually die down sooner or later.

But.. they like each other. They really do. It becomes very obvious when the guy remembers in exact detail the time and the day the girl last visited, their last conversation, no matter how long that was. He never forgets to mention her name more than once when he is talking with her. It becomes obvious when the girl would give him a sweet smile in exchange for his kind gestures. She made him laugh a few times.

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Written on February 16, 2011- Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account

First time lahat.  First time to see Willie Nepomuceno in person, LIVE (until now I couldn’t believe I was inside the same venue with him), first time to be in Music Museum (liit lang pala ng venue), and first time to hang out with my sister in-law.  Out of my hard-earned income I really forced to set aside a budget for it just to see the show which was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. When you’re feeling miserable, pampering yourself — though sometimes expensive — seems to be the cure.  Going to church does help but when you’re feeling so down and out, you needed a person or thing that you could see, hold, or experience to help you understand things.  God knows how I was secretly screaming for His help.

It was Friday (yes, just yesterday) and decided not to go to work.  It was a very bad, scary week for me.  So I just stayed at home, to feel my misery even more inflicted by this wolf in sheep’s clothing — greedy, love for power and hungry for more, monstrously insecure being who masquerades through niceness, never speaking ill-will about anyone in the office. Only a brief moment since I woke up, out of the blue, I remembered this career counselor who has this weekly column in Philippine Daily Inquirer every Sunday.  I thought of writing to him. Digging through our piles of old newspapers, I stumbled upon this article about Willie Nepomuceno, dated April 12, 2010.  Then one thing just led to another, as if it was divine intervention, after reading the article, I knew I needed to go out and watch his show, even though the tickets were pricey: P1,030 for the balcony and P2,000 for the orchestra.  So I invited my “rich” brother (who is a balikbayan) and his wife to accompany me.

As fate would have it, we got the best seats.  We were assigned in the orchestra center seats, five rows away from the stage but near, nonetheless, to the stage. We no longer had to debate with the ticket person because the ones who were ahead of us took a “long” time negotiating, sometimes, debating regarding their preferred seats.  I was living like a “rich” person for that fleeting moment, feeling like God and His angels were sympathizing with me giving me, my brother, and his wife, three of the best seats inside the theatre. Wait, let me correct that. Any seat is the best seat when you’re inside the theatre.  Before the show, we dined in FlapJack which I found very expensive.  I ordered for chicken & pork tocino but it already costs my brother P285.  Hindi naman masarap.  Mas masarap pa yung luto sa Jollibee. Yes, through the kindness of my “rich” brother, he “sponsored” everything even if I was the one who did the inviting.  Also, before the show, along the way as we were about to climb the stairs leading to Music Museum, we chanced upon the man himself, Willie Nep, puffing his cigarette like an ordinary mortal outside the venue.  He was chatting with some men.

The show started at 8:30 pm. The real act didn’t come out right away because we, the audience, were first entertained by the music of old campaign jingles and one that I remember was this Mambo, mambo Magsaysay jingle, then later on the commercial jingles. I don’t know if it’s really a common practice before a show starts but there was a raffle. Again, as fate would have it, we were one of the lucky few who won in the raffle.  We didn’t get the items though ’cause the show was about to start any moment, the pathways were all blocked (there were cameras) and the way to go was the long way no shortcut and I didn’t wanna risk it. So I just hang on to my seat, anyway, the guy said, “For the shy ones, you can get your freebies right after the show.”  (We, still, didn’t get the items due to the congested (and long line) of people going out of the theatre after the show.)

The show was entitled “Presidentiables’ gut Talent”, a satire on our presidential candidates which made me laugh so hard (I was also glad hearing my older brother enjoying the night, actually di pa nagsasalita mga candidates he was giggling already).  Based on the reality TV show, Pilipinas Got Talent, hosted by Ai-Ai de las Alas, Kris Aquino, and Freddie Garcia which features the remarkable talents of Filipinos from all walks of life, “Presidentiables’ gut Talent” featured presidentiables in their never before seen talents.  The contestants:  Manny Villar, Gibo Teodoro, Dick Gordon, Joseph “Erap” Estrada, and Noynoy Aquino — all impersonated by, who else, Willie Nepomuceno.  Grabe, Willie is really one-of-a-kind even if others, the younger ones, have become more popular than him in doing impersonation.  The show was hosted by Kris Aquino who was impersonated by Willie’s daughter, Frida Nepomuceno.

For the first time, I watched Manny Villar became a rapper for one night.  Gibo who is known to be a pilot did a levitation in the competition. Erap, for his part, performed magic tricks, vanishing right in front of us, the audience, his vices — cigarette, beer, and women.  Dick Gordon, how could I forget, showed off his talent in ventriloquism where he introduced to us his puppet named “Bayani”.  Of course, Noynoy, showing off his David Copperfield way on how to punish PGMA in case he wins in the election. So who was the talentadong presidentiable that night? Of course, Willie Nepomuceno! Galing. Then things became serious when Kris Aquino aka Frida called to the stage Willie Nep, without the makeup, prosthetics, and wigs, who later expressed his sentiments about the coming election, which is no laughing matter. Didn’t know Willie Nep sings so to end his show, he sang his composition he collaborated with Louie Ocampo as a song for us, Filipinos, na sana daw kahit sino ang manalo, ang panalo ay ang taumbayan.  Then, as if to say goodbye, before leaving the room, he asked us to smile for one last moment.

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Written on April 17, 2010– Taken from my “Living well is the best revenge” Multiply account