Who’s Gonna be the Next President of the Philippines in 2010?

Whew, so there’s another new feature to WordPress and I like to try it now. Just in case I would have a need of it in the future. Although I’m not the kind of person who believes in percentages, I am the one who wants to know what those percentages think.

In testing the new poll feature, I made a very simple poll on who’s the BIG NEXT in the Philippines. Yes, I know, I know. Election day may be nearer in US but hey, Philippines is my country (although who’s going to be the next US prex will have some effect in our little homey country too) Plus, I want to know what others think about who they think will be the one who’s gonna think for dear Philippines…

Here’s a test of suffrage. And just for the heck of it, you can add a name of who you think will BE the ONE but state a reason too. Okay? Alright!

The Bank and the Buried

It’s been two weeks now that I’d been getting help from melatonin to induce myself to sleep. And now I know why.

No, not why melatonin induces me to sleep but why I can’t seem to fall asleep even when I’m all spent mentally and physically.

Quite hard to believe the reason maybe, but now that I have at least an iota why would make me even more sleepless. But at least, I won’t be nursing “kaba” and “kutob” as if someone’s preying on me.

I come from a town that few people know and fewer still have been to. Long years ago, it had been “famous” for a spring resort and bowling lanes but something close to mismanagement had send it to finally stop operations. Now, the place is one big jungle of weeds and wild-others.

Sitting beside the erstwhile resort is a rural bank that has seen two managements in a period of almost four decades. There is another rural bank established a decade ago and is the breakaway of the 4-decade old one.

If you are running a business (let’s say, a bank), you need to let people know what services you are offering. And if you are a bank, and for goodness sake, wants to alleviate the people’s economic status (which, in this little town of ours, a fifth municipality at that), extending loans would surely sell like hotcakes.

In a town where most folks depended on their rice paddies, small-scale livestocks and piggeries, and with little (even tiny) effort from the municipal government to at least give programs benefitting the townsfolk, the income they get were just not enough to feed their own families, even send their children to school and so worst, couldn’t cover the interest. But still, a small few could paying only the interest and the penalty, the principal loan untouched for decades.

Our long standing debt of 20 years had been covered and paid by two land titles. No, we aren’t fully paid yet. Come July, we have another payment due which my two siblings and I share. A good thing that there are three of us sharing to pay the INTEREST. But what of others?

You see, years passed, interests and penalty accumulated, my poor townsfolk suddenly can’t keep up with the payments. Seeing more of its interests and shrugging the town’s plight, the bank said “let’s organize the debtors by barangay, and call them “Fund Group” with the goal to “help” collect and remind each other to settle their dues.”

The bank also laid a rule that “for every debtor who pays or renews their loan (regardless of the terms), 1% of the loan principal is added and set aside to be called “Fund 1”. The “Fund 1” is the bank’s guarantee should any member of the group defaults from payment. The bank shall collect this and keep this “safe”.’

The thing is, the fund fees from the time it was started up to the time when the bank changed management, was unaccounted. The townsfolk were asking then, “where is our fund?” And so the bank, in all its lingo and language game told them to start another. So the “Fund 2” came into being.

The funds, they were assured, are just guarantees, and a member can borrow from the Fund. The share of the member shall also be returned once the loan is fully settled. The Fund is safe. But where is it if it’s not earning interest for the member? Safe, as in safe in the bank’s vault? Maybe. In the first place, the Fund goes straight to the bank.

Here’s more. A member can only renew a loan after getting the signature of the Group’s 3 authorized signatories. Without the signatures, a debtor cannot renew the loan. With the signatures, the signatories are bound as co-makers.

So why can’t I sleep?

For two weeks now, the bank has been vigilant in taking its interest at hand. Debtors are beginning to lose possessions. “Na-sheriff” is now a common word in our hapless town.

My parents are worried. My mom is one of the authorized signatories making her a co-maker for the loans she has co-signed. Already, one of the co-maker signatory has been given a “sheriff” notice.

The group already sought an audience with the bank’s president. Out of the country, they say.

Now, my parents are devastated. We can barely pay our loan. How on earth does the bank expects us to help pay for the loan my mom co-made?

In the first place, the “Fund Group” was the bank’s idea. The authorized signatories from the “Fund Group” was the bank’s idea, too. Members had been begging off for the thankless duty of being in the group but the bank said no.

Now, the legal battle is yet to be started. The group of debtors said, why hire a lawyer when they cannot eat three meals a day?

The legal battle is yet to be started. With the self-pitiable attitude, the town has already lost.

Regular melatonin for me.

Lasing Philosophy

Tutal lasing ako ngayon, pagusapan natin ang katotohanan sa likod ng mga usapang lasing.

Pero bago iyon, isang backgrounder muna.

Ano ang pilosopiya?

Futek. Apat (hmm, aktwali higit pa…) na taon ko ring binuno ang pag-aaral nito. For the blogging moment, I’ll confine the definition of philosophy to this: It is that which seems to be what you think and want to think it is although not exactly.

That settled, let’s go to my topic.

Ano ba ang Pilosopiya ng Lasing?

To put it in context, mahirap ang topic na ito. Parang Epistemology. It’s begging the question. Una, sa Epistemology kasi, pinagaaralan ang “knowledge”. At para masagot mo kung ano ang “knowledge” kailangang gamitan mo ng… knowledge. Ano ba ang nalalaman mo sa “knowledge”… mag-isip isip, isa dalawa tatlo… Saan mo kukuhanin ang sagot? Alin ba ang nagpoproseso para masagot ang tanong na ito? At ikalawa, paano mo sasagutin ang una?

Parang ganito. Hindi ko maaaring tanungin si PGMA kung ano ang tingin nya sa nakaupong presidente ng Pilipinas. It’s begging the question.

Kaya tama ba na para malaman ko kung ano ang Pilosopiya ng Lasing, kailangang kumausap ako ng lasing? O maglasing ako?

Again, to level off, when I mean drunk, as in dead drunk. Oo, yung papatay ka na pero hindi mo pa alam. Yung nagsasabi ka na ng mga katotohanan na hindi mo masasabi kung rasyonal ka.

Next term, rationality. Bawat semestre sa kolehiyo, lumalabas ang terminong ito. In layman, rasyonal ka pag nangingibabaw ang tamang pag-iisip, desisyon, aksyon o husay higit sa anuman–hindi emosyon, hindi puso, hindi puson.

With these in mind, masasabi ba nating may pilosopiya ang lasing? Na ang lasing, pag nangusap, totoo lahat? Na ang tunay na kulay ng isang tao ay lumalabas kapag nalalasing?

Ibig bang sabihin non, pag hindi ako malasing, wala akong tunay na kulay?

Ano ba ang dapat inumin para malasing ng husto? Yun bang kaya kong sumigaw na hindi ko iniisip na makakaeskandalo ako. Na kaya kong humambalos ng dos por dos na hindi ko na iisiping baka wala siyang insurance? Na magagawa kong murahin lahat ng nandaya sa akin sa piko, teks, at shatong?

Lasing kasi siya nang tanungin nya ko. Kaso hindi ako lasing noon. Kaya ang sagot ko, “tanungin mo ko pag wala ka ng impluwesiya ng espiritu ng alak.”

Kaso hindi na siya nagtanong ulit.

Natanong ko nga si Jaja 2. Ang sagot sa akin, “Tanga ka? E hindi na nga siya lasing!”

Futek talaga.

Room 221

nagkakaroon lang ako ng pagkakataon ng mahaba-habang panoorin sa tv ‘pag umuuwi ako ng bulacan ng weekends. doon, sarili ko ang remote ng dvd at tv. hehe. hindi naman sa selfish ako. may sarili naman kasing tv si ama sa kwarto at si inang naman, hindi mahilig manood, unless, bubble gang o mga gag shows ang palabas. o di ba, iba ang trip ng aking madir?

ang downside nga lang, hindi ako makarelate sa mga teleseryeng pinaguusapan sa opis. nung minsan, pinagkukwentuhan nila si kamandag. sabi ko, si richard gomez yun, di ba? ennnnggg. ang nasa isip ko pala, si tuklaw. haha!

dati din, halos araw-araw akong nagbabasa ng dyaryo. updated nga ako sa current events. pati sa mga current off-the-record events. pero ngayon, manakanakang balita na lang. mga snippets na lang ng headlines mula sa rss feeds ko sa inq7.net ang nababasa ko.

niweiz, noong sabado, nakinood ako ng tv at nakibasa ng dyaryo sa room 221 ng cardinal santos memorial medical center. libre kasi ang dyaryo dun at tv kung naka-check in ka. i mean, included sa bill.

napunta pala ako dun kasi may sakit si deen. naka-confine. pero that saturday, wala na siyang dextrose at di na rin naka-oxygen. actually, ang term ni atenggot, ginagawa na lang hotel ni deen ang cardinal. punta daw ako para masawata ko ang likot ng aking beybibeybihan. pero syempre, nakilaro lang ako. at nakitapdance kaming tatlo (ako, si deen at ang kuya ni deen na si yno) kay mumble. ipinalabas kasi ang happy feet sa cable habang nandoon ako sa room 221. tapos, nanood ng blue’s clues sa laptop ang magkapatid kaya nagkaroon ako ng time na magbasa ng dyaryo.

at headline doon ang testimonya (and other nbn-related stories) ni lozada. matapos kong maghimutok, masuya, mafrustrate, manggalaiti at muli’t muling mawalan ng tiwala sa kanilang dapat na pinagtitiwalaan ng bawat pilipino ay ibinalik ko ang tuon sa tv. nagsawa ako sa mga commercials (marami na palang bago, hehehe).

hanggang ginabi na ko. actually, nagpagabi talaga ako. hinintay ko kasi ang sine totoo sa gma 7. at lalu akong nagngitngit sa gobyerno. ifineature kasi ulit ang “batang kalakal” at “engkuwentro”. parang binabalisong ang puso ko habang nanonood.

sino ba ang hindi? nagkakagulo sila sa kaituktukan dahil sa milyun-milyong komisyon at kontrata habang ang mga musmos e nagpipilit na kumita ng beinte pesos araw-araw at ang mga sundalo na kakarampot ang sweldo e nagbabakasakali sa kani-kanilang mga buhay.

naiinis ako. nayayamot. naiiyak. nawawalan ng pag-asa.

Ang Araw ng Eleksyon At Iba Pa

Nakakaaliw. Ang dami kong nakahalubilo ngayong araw na ‘to. Pakiramdam ko, isa akong hitchhiker–pumara, sumakay at nagbabay hanggang makarating sa huling destinasyon.

Barangay at SK elections ngayon. Nagamit ko na naman ang aking right to suffrage kahit tatlo’t kalahati lang ang kakilala sa mga aspirante. Ayon sa aking last update sa COMOLLECT, isa’t kalahati lang sa binoto ko ang pinalad (o minalas) na manalo.

Pagkatapos naming bumoto, kasabay na akong lumuwas ni Atenggot. Ibinaba nya ko sa Balintawak para doon naman sumakay ng taxi para sa aking next destination: Wedding MTV shoot ng aking bespren noong kolehiyo. Sa UP Lagoon kami nagshoot. Nakakamiss nga yung lugar kasi noong kapanahunan ko sa unibersidad, shortcut ko lang ang lagoon pag papunta ako ng gym mula AS. Haha! Masipag pa kasi akong maglakad noon.

After namin sa lagoon, dumiretso kami ng CHR para sa next location shoot. Kaso bumigay yung battery ng camera. Kaya pack-up muna. Sa Sabado, may call slip ulit ang mga bida.

Next stop, KFC Katips. Inilabas kasi ng bosing ko yung kanyang mga tsikiting. At dahil nasa vicinity naman, nakisawsaw na rin ako sa pagiging tsikiting. Sarap kayang kasama nung mga bata. Sila yung tipong mga bata na isip matanda. Feeling ko nga, nagmature ako ng tatlong porsyento habang nakikinig sa palitan nila ng kurukuro at alaskahan.

Matapos mabusog ng mga tsikiting, nagpunta kami ng Dangwa. Doon ko naman kasi imi-meet ang huli kong appointment for the day. Nakaugalian kasi namin for the past 4 years na tumanggap ng flower arrangements tuwing Undas. Kaya ako, kahit hindi na gaanong nag-aalok, may nakakaalala pa ring umorder sa kin.

Mahabang lakaran, siksikan at tawaran ang nangyari sa pasilyo ng Dos Castillas. Na natapos sa pagbababay namin sa harap ng Quiapo Church para naman sumakay ng jip pauwi.

At bago ko pa mabuksan ang pinto, isa pang kaulayaw ang nanghingi ng kuru-kuro sa selepono habang ang isa nama’y nagbanggit ng pagkalito.

Nakakaaliw ang araw ko. Sa sampung sakay-salin, limang beses akong nag-hello at nag-goodbye sa limang grupo ng tao. Sa loob ng wala pang dose oras, tatlong bagong mukha ang nakilala ko, anim na tsikiting ang nagpagunita na masarap ang buhay, pitong kaibigan ang muli kong nakahuntahan, at apat na matalik na kaibigan ang nagpaalala na kahit paano’y ako’y may halaga.

Hindi ko pa nabilang doon sina Ama at Inang, Ate at Ditse, Gugey at Janpot…

Hindi ko na rin binilang yung mga kababaryo kong nagkalat sa labas ng Mababang Paaralan ng Malibong Matanda na walang alam tanungin sa buhay ko kundi ang iniilagan kong mga katanungan–kung kailan daw ako mag-aasawa, kung may bf na ba ako, kung dalaga pa ba… Syempre, depende sa tanong ang sagot ko. Ang sabi ko, mag-aasawa ako pero pagkatapos na ng eleksyon, yung bf ko may gf na kaya hindi pwede, at futek, DALAGA AKO HINDI BINATA!

Buti na lang, all’s well that ends well. Bukas, balik trabaho. Wala ng nakakaaliw na sakay-salin. Pero tiyak, marami ulit na makakahalubilo. Sa Walong Patong kasi, ang isang tao, katumbas tatlo.