Bothered, hope it’s not yet too late

I can see myself on the face of my aunt, the older sister of my mother. She became the mirror of my family’s sufferings in the past and even now. We were penniless. I could still remember the hard reality of poverty we had undergone. I could still picture myself 20 years ago. We have to survive the food my father was able to provide for us. I have two siblings.

My father is a palay farmer while my mother has no work, then. He is still a palay farmer until now. We live with what my father can produce. As we all knew farmers in the Philippines live in dire poverty. I don’t know how we survived and how they made both ends met for us. I knew that my father had one harvest annually; we enjoyed two harvest seasons during the time the irrigation project of National Irrigation Agency (NIA) was functioning. It had helped us somehow.

We learned to live and satisfy our stomach with a pinch of salt, target, as our sud-an (viand); learned to consume a piece of roasted chicken drumstick or breast in three meals. We are not ashamed of our experience. Amidst being impoverished, we never missed one meal in a day for my father always had a stock of palay enough to last come next harvest time and we learned to eat without lavish food laid on our table; a two or three drops of toyo (soy sauce) on a plate of rice was already a meal for the family. I could say, we never been hungry, though, we have not eaten cookies and cakes then. Believe kami sa parents namin and we are very grateful to them.

In those times, we had our Aunt Lourdes besides us, helping us, one way or another. She doesn’t have a child so, in a way, we became her poster children. Now, she is sick and barely eats food, according to my mother. I know this is now the time for me to give back.

I had noticed that she had no permanent source of income for the past years. This is, perhaps, the reason of her being susceptible to illness. She needs more nourishment specially that she’s more than 60 years old now. But proper nourishment is out of the issue when you have good income.

I’m praying and hopeful that she regains her health. I am planning to give her a sari-sari store or a livelihood project to sustain her daily needs. Hope this is not yet too late.

Hooked by Capt. Hook, the Pirate

I still hear stories or claims that I got pirated by my present company from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). While being offered more financial rewards, as always associated to employee’s piracy, sounds music to our ears, I was not being offered such rewards by any company, which is too big and difficult to refuse.

I did apply and work my ass to get the position I am occupying at present. There were no Padrenos or political sponsors. This is what I love about our company and DTI – no politics within the organization. With no politics, corruption is out of the story. Moreover, DTI is considered “a department of choice”.  My company is one of the attached agencies to DTI.

Why did I jump from the mother company to an attached government financial institution?

It was all about the issue of “tenure”. While I enjoyed all the benefits earned by a regular DTI employee, we don’t have job security for we were bounded by a contract; a work contract renewable annually, which was shortened in 2006 to six months because of the rationalization program of the government. The rationalization program aims to streamline government offices to make them more efficient and productive.

My contract was also restricted by the term of the special government program, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), which DTI also implements and it’s program extension was due to end in 2008. My mind was always boggled then by the scenario of CARP not being extended for the second time after its expiration. We knew for a fact that it’s has been extended by congress to five more years.

It was in late 2005 that I started to worry about my future income. The image of CARP not being extended puts my future ianging in the balance. I couldn’t even have long-term plans then for I always believe that long-term plans should be funded by long-term sources of income. I longed for a permanent job and I couldn’t get it from DTI since they started implementing the rationalization program and that means a stop in filling in permanent positions in the department. Before rationalization was in placed, I did try to apply for permanent positions in the provincial and regional office but I was not so fortunate. So I wonder why they are saying I was pirated from them (wondering lang). I actually did apply also in January 2007 for TIDA position when I was told that they were hiring already.

Knowing that no government agencies were hiring due to the rationalization program I opted to try my luck in the private sector. Anyways, my first job was from the private entity. Destiny had stricken its magic and I was taken back to civil service in late 2007; still to similar family who values and prioritizes services to businesses – micro, small and medium alike.

I can say the position I have now is really meant for me knowing the circumstances I went through. I was able to pass the preliminary exam but was not able to come for the job interview in Davao City. I was living in Cebu City then. So I searched for any job hiring in Cebu. When I was about to accept the offer of car distribution company that gives up to 14th month of salaries a year, the 15^th month is still to be deliberated by the directors, I received a call from my present company for an interview , this time in Cebu. I came to the appointment but was not expecting to be hired. In most cases, you’ll get a notice week or two after the interview. On my way home I already set my mind on the car company’s job offer on the following day. Unexpectedly, I received a call from my present area manager, two hours after the interview, and was asking me if I can report for work in Davao on Monday.

To make the story short, I did accept the job for, one thing, it’s a government service and, for another, it’s an attached agency of the department I had known and worked with before.

Perfect Gelato Experience

I first heard of Gelatissimo from a sunday feature of a local magazine. What intrigues me is the contents of the products; 90-97% fat free depending on the flavor and has 25% air content. Ice cream has 70-75% air content. You’ll agree, of course, that it sounds so YUMMY!

I planned to visit the establishment last June but I was kinda hesitant because I had cough/cold that time. Ice cream is a no-no to people suffering from cold/cough and gelato, the product of Gelatissimo, is an Italian ice cream. So I made a commitment to try its product in my next visit to Terraces at Ayala - Cebu. I didn’t know then that SM City-Cebu has already a branch.

Finally, last Sunday, I made it a date to try gelato. I was amazed by variety of flavors the store offers - chocolate, vanilla, fruit, spirit and energy drink flavors. It seems a dilemma choosing what to try since you can’t have all the flavors at one setting. Add to it the fact that I’ll be counting months for my next visit to Cebu. The store personnel, however, will let you sample all flavors. I chose chocolate, raspberry, baileys in cream and tiramisu. The fruit flavors actually retains the sour taste of the fruits. The baileys in cream was superb, you’ll have a kick, I’m sure, if you consume three scoops of it. I’ll try snicker and mint flavors next time.

Expect to pay around P95 for one scoop, P150 for two scoops and P180 for 3 scoops. Don’t mind the price because it’s not the usual ice cream and I guarantee you get your money’s worth. I love it because it’s more richier, creamier and flavorful than ice cream. It doesn’t feel much colder in your mouth than licking an ice cream. And the quality? Every scoop of gelato comes from a freshly made batch created in the store.

Molave

I was in Molave last week. Molave is a first class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur. It has 45,082 people in 8,470 households, according to the 2000 Census with 25 barangays under its umbrella. The name Molave was coined from a hardwood that used to abound there.

You can reach Molave via Ozamiz City or Pagadian City when you are coming from Cagayan de Oro City. I always take the Ozamiz Route for reason of convenience and security. But it doesn’t mean there is a security risk in taking the Pagadian City route. It is only a one and half hour bus ride from Ozamiz City.

This was already my second visit to the municipality. I stayed for two nights (P600.00/night) at RJYM Pension House when I went there last March. The place was nestled just a few meters from the national highway and is nearest to the municipal hall and church.

I, however, stayed at Molave Guest House last week. It was more convenient for it’s located along the highway. The facilities were superb; it was at par with best hotels in the cities. I wasn’t expecting such facility in this part of Zamboanga del Sur. My room has twin large beds, a large cabinet and hot & cold shower at P600.00 per night only. Breakfast is not included

They don’t have a restaurant or canteen but a five-minute ride on a trisikad to the public market is not bad. Trisikad is their primary mode of transport around the poblacion. Their public market is also a host of gastronomic wonders. I do take my breakfast and dinner there, particularly at Boholana which has offering of hot soups and various lutong-bahay foods that will surely satisfying your cravings. i don’t mind my lunch coz i’m being treated by my client. You could also try BBQ for dinner. Makeshift BBQ stalls are line the national highway in front of the municipal hall every night. You can also find balot vendors at the site.

Why I was in Molave?

I had to conduct sub-borrower validation of our partner institution, Paglaum MPC, who holds a branch office there. But the borrowers to be validated were not all from Molave. I still have to travel to as far as the municipality of Dumingag which is known for its stricter implementation of no-smoking around the municipality. People there that disciplined similar to Davao City. We have to visit also borrowers in the farthest barangays of the municipalities of Mahayag and Tambulig, all in the province of Zamboanga del Sur.

It was in these travels that I discovered and envied people there. They have a working irrigation system, which my own barangay doesn’t have. With there vast area of fertile lands, I noticed that they have to improvised. They have introduced to the people the concept of mobile mill, a moving gilingan of palay place atop a big farm cart.