MAID C - the living proof

She is one woman who cannot live long without a man. And she's leaving again. A few years back she left because she got pregnant by an employee of a neighbor's who had this lock shop. She gave birth, came back when her son was a little over a year and after staying with me for over a year, she's leaving again.

Across the street is a rice store she frequents to buy small stuff. And she fell in love, I guess. Or in lust? Her sister, Maid A, saw pills in her possession. No, therefore, she is not pregnant. She just wants to settle down. The man said he'd marry her in her province in Cotabato. She's leaving as soon as her replacement comes.

So now she acts like she doesn't care. She takes a while to call, she does things rough- shodly.For her child's sake, I hope the man will treat her right. For her sake I hope the man treats her child right. But does she care?

When she came back she said she'd work hard for her child. Weeks back, when she showed me her child's picture and my son looked at it and asked what her child's name was, she looked like she would cry. Then now this.

She just has to have a man in her life. The father's child had left her in the lurch, refusing to marry her and taking on another girl soon after. Isn't she scared to suffer the same fate?

She trusts this new man she says, because he gives her money to keep. Money, I fear, that he may not even own. He mans a store that isn't inventoried by the owner, I heard. So who's to say?

Reminds me of a blogger's maid whom the blogger loved. She left the blogger and went back to her husband or lover and together they were caught by the arm of the law in the province, not for something she did but for something he had done. Oh well...

I feel so insulted... sabay tawa

A few minutes ago, I went to Rustan's. After the cashier totaled my purchases, I handed her, through the maid, my credit card. She gave the charge slip to the maid and asked, "Sinong pipirma?"I wonder what she really thought the answer would be. Just because I can't walk doesn't mean I can't write. She asked in such an unsmiling manner at that. Do I write her name? It's Vilma P. (family name rhymes with her star for all seasons namesake's family name, it's the same as Bernard Bonnin's siga character but with the additional letter m)

A few days ago my husband said his cousin also challenged "Can she sign this?" referring to some legal papers that required my marital consent. Apparently, it wasn't a friendly legal paper hence the haughtiness. Isn't he scared of karma? Just kidding, but really.

Stephen Hawking cannot walk, much less talk properly,but look where he is, look at what he has done. Beethoven was deaf but can one argue against the beauty, the magnificence, even, of his compositions?

Duh...

The Tagging Game in the World Wide Web

Write your name and fill in the following with words that begin with your first name: thing you find in the bathroom, occupation, color, etc.

That was fun, if difficult. I just enjoyed myself thinking of things and was hard put to think of answers sometimes. I think that thing in the bathroom which begins with M I left blank.

BUT
List 25 things about yourself, I want to know you better.... I got this twice in facebook and was harder put to think of what to write. twenty-five things about myself, seriously? Of course I know I can come up with something but for everyone to read? I don't think so. To bare my soul to people I know is fine, but to some in her list whom I don't know? I don't think so. Especially if there's someone in her list whose relative I don't like. I certainly don't think so.

So there. I'll just ignore the request. The 2 requests. Ask me specific questions, I might answer... if we're good friends.

SM Supermarket Cubao

A few seconds ago, got a call from this lady who spoke in tagalog. "Ma'am sa SM Supermarket pa eto." Did I win a raffle, I wondered. Then she went on "Gusto ko lang kayo i-inform open na ho kami dito sa Cubao. 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Nakapunta na po ba kayo rito?" I said "hindi."

Sige po, she ended the conversation.

Call Center calls and other domestic concerns

I was having lunch when the phone rang. "Ma'am PLDT po. Natanggap niyo na ho ang bill niyo nung January 7?" I said "yes". The voice proceeded to ask, "Na settle niyo na ho?"

I get such calls intermittently but they manage to annoy me each time. I wonder --

do they call to ask really because they want to know if I got the bill or not or to really know if I've settled my bill? What would they do if I said no? Maybe next time I should say no, so I'll find out.

&&&&&&&&&&

This is not my lucky day. A few minutes later, "Pwedeng makausap si Ma'am _____(my name)?" I said "Ano yun?" Then the voice said "si ma'am ____ na ba eto? Kasi ma'am affiliate namin ang Citibank. Ang balance niyo ganito. Baka gusto niyo i-convert Ma'am _____ para sa March na po kayo Ma'am ______ magbayad." I asked "may interest yan?" He answered "di ba ma'am ______ ang sa Citibank ganito ang interest, Ma'am ______? etc." WHen I told him I had paid already you could hear his disappointment. It's so irksome pati the frequency by which he calls my name.

***********
Maid A comes in, holding the recipe I told Maid B to give her for cooking for dinner. Maid A says "wala na onions at cleanser at lemon." I said "o pabili ka." Then she said "Insect spray pa." I was incredulous. Only two weeks ago we bought a big can. I asked, "ubos na?" She said "meron pa pero hindi nakakapatay ng lamok." I asked "paano mo alam?" She said "marami pa ring lamok." Then I said "eh sayang naman yun." She said "eh ginagamit naman eh."

My head is spinning...

lack of full disclosure

Is that a Philippine thing? Is it in our nature to conceal? For what reasons?

When a fire or an explosion hits Makati or elsewhere, and it happens in a commercial area, the exact location isn't revealed immediately, if at all. Why? SHouldn't public interest be utmost? So people will avoid the place where there's a fire, for example.

Today this came to mind after I listened to Winnie Monsod decrying Ched and the Professional Regulatory Commission's failure to make public the list of schools that have zero passing rates in the board and bar exams. Winnie pities the parents, she said, who spend precious money to send their children to schools not knowing about the school's poor performance in the professional licensure exams. Sad.

Wonder why the topic was discussed? There's a proposal somewhere that college schooling be lengthened another year. Winnie said, No. Basic education should instead be improved. I couldn't agree more.

Yesterday, I was tutoring this grade 5 boy. Gave him a world problem where the dividend consisted of 3 digits, the divisor of 2. he didn't know how to do it. Ayan, kasi nasanay sa calculator.

Philip Pestano - Memorial by Fr. Reuter, SJ

(Doy, just in case you don't have this....)

--- On Mon, 2/2/09, Christopher Peabody wrote:

From: Christopher Peabody
Subject: Philip Pestano Memorial by Fr. James Reuter, SJ
To: "Chris Peabody"
Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 4:42 PM

I thought you might appreciate this.
Also visit http://www.phillippestano.com/ for more information

Philip Pestano Memorial by Fr. James Reuter, SJ

Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:41 AM

Subject: Philip Pestano Memorial by Fr. James Reuter, S.J.

Philip Pestano Memorial

Justice at 3 A.M.

by Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J.

*Note: This is the e-mail prayer brigade initiated by Fr. Reuter for Phillip.

Phillip Andrew A. Pestaño graduated from the Ateneo de Manila High School in 1989, entered the Philippine Military Academy, and became an Ensign in the Philippine Navy in 1993. He was assigned as cargo master, on a Navy ship.

He discovered that the cargo being loaded onto his vessel included logs that were cut down illegally, were carried to the ship illegally, and were destined to be sold, illegally. Then there were 50 sacks of flour, which were not flour, but shabu - worth billions. Literally, billions. And there were military weapons which were destined for sale to the Abu Sayyaf.

He felt that he could not approve this cargo. Superior officers came to him and said: "Please! Be reasonable! This is big business. It involves many important people. Approve this cargo." But Phillip could not, in conscience, sign approval.

Then his parents received two phone calls, saying: "Get your son off that ship! He is going to be killed!" When Phillip was given leave at home, his family begged him not to go back. Their efforts at persuasion continued until his last night at home, when Phillip was already in bed.

His father came to him and said: "Please, son, resign your commission. Give up your m ilitary career. Don't go back. We want you alive.. If you go back to that ship, it will be the end of you!" But Phillip said to his father: "Kawawa ang bayan!" And he went back to the ship.

The scheduled trip was very brief - from Cavite to Roxas Boulevard - it usually took only 45 minutes. But on September 27, 1995 , it took one hour and a half. When the ship arrived at Roxas Boulevard, Ensign Pestaño was dead.

The body was in his stateroom, with a pistol, and a letter saying that he was committing suicide. The family realized at once that the letter was forged. They tried desperately for justice, carrying the case right up to the Senate.

The Senatorial Investigation Committee examined all the evidence, carefully. Then they issued an official statement, saying among other things: Ensign Phillip Pestaño did not commit suicide. He was murdered. He was shot through the head, somewhere outside of his stateroom, and the body was carried to his room and placed in the bed.

The crime was committed by more than one person. In spite of these findings, by the Senate, the family could not get justice. The case is still recorded, by the Navy, as suicide. For 12 years they have been knocking at the doors of those in power, to no avail. Now they realize that they should knock on the door of HIM who said: "Knock, and it shall be opened to you. Ask and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find."

So they are asking all of the friends of Phillip from the Ateneo, from the PMA, friends of the family - including the girl he was engaged to marry - to say this prayer:

"LORD, we know that Phillip is safe with YOU, and will be safe forever, because he gave up his life, as YOU gave up YOUR life - for justice. If it is YOUR will, please let the truth be known of his heroic courage and strength and love of country. Let justice be rendered here on earth. But if it is not YOUR will that justice be rendered here, give each of us the grace to live and die as he did - following in YOUR footsteps. And at the last judgment, LORD, when all that is hidden will be known, let Phillip be seen as he really is - a brave young man who gave his life for honesty, truth, and justice."

* * *

Phillip Pestaño died at the age of 24. He was scheduled to be married in January of 1996, four months after he was murdered.

He was a martyr. A martyr is one who dies for the faith or for a Christian virtue. Phillip died for a Christian virtue - justice. It is not likely that he will ever be canonized, but he takes his place among the Unknown Saints.

Some military men are killed in battle. They are given a hero's burial. But Phillip died for a much deeper cause - he was trying to preserve the integrity of our Armed Forces. He died out of loyalty to the Philippines, in an effort to keep the oath that he made when he graduated from the Military Academy.

Graft and corruption are the curse of this nation. But when they take root in the heart of our Armed Forces, they threaten our existence as an independent, democratic country.

The family of Phillip Pestaño is doing the right thing. They are turning to GOD. They are praying that justice will be administered here, in our country, in our day. But if this is not GOD's will, then let us at least try to preserve the ideal of integrity in every mind and heart and soul.

Let's forward this message to every freedom-loving Pinoy in our list. Thank you.