Envious of Stanley

Saturday night and a glass of beer on our hands with ample sticks of isaw (chicken intestines) hot off the grill from our neighbor. Renz, Stanley and I had been talking about everything that had transpired over the week - work, people we met and what’s not.

Before sipping another glass of beer, Renz said to Stanley, “You are a lucky bastard! A different girl every night, WTF!” Stan usually brings his girlfriend to our boarding house, a different girl almost every night. He also had a steady number of girls; three women to be exact and all in in their early twenties.

After I down my second glass, he had already been flirting with a 19-year old Shaina Magdayao beauty. It’s actually the teenager who’s flirting with him. This man with a beer-belly surely knew how to get women; younger pussies.

Men would be envious of him but for me and Renz, this is a totally different story. While it’s tempting to have different woman in your bed and we admit that said idea will make men salivates, it’s not a good situation to have had once you already found a girl whom to marry or when you are already married. But many women don’t understand this.

Women tend to stereotype men. Women usually see your past and blame you for it. What the man’s negative past had to do with his present? A man is willing to change once he met the right girl. I and Renz, had always been blamed for our past. Stan who had fathered three children and has different ladies at present, still has two young ladies who accepted him for what he was and what he is now. These ladies believe that Stan is a good man amids all these.

We tried to convince Stan to change for he had already found these two ladies who never left him even in the lowest days in his life. We had seen it and all he had to do is make a decision to whom to marry. 

Before we had consumed the whole case of beer, Renz relayed his predicament. He told us that he had difficulty in convincing his wife regarding his whereabouts every time they talk on the phone. He had this problem when his children were no longer living with him. Renz’s wife is working in Hongkong and his children are in Valencia City. One time his wife called and asked where he was. He told her that he’s at his rented home but his wife did not believe him for it was too quiet. His wife had further accused him that he had asked the people around to keep silent. This same goes if we are noisy at the boarding house, she won’t still believe that Renz is with us. What solution can you give him? Nothing! He’s always caught in the middle like me. We can only just give a big burst of a fucking laugh.

I and Renz may have different situation but it only reflects one logical thing. The ladies we have don’t trust us even they have said in multitude ways that they love us. You can trust a person even you don’t love that person. But can you love without trusting? Hell, no!

I had made a conviction to myself never to say lie to a girl because I know in the first place that they would not believe us. There is no need to lie. Ladies think that all men are born liars, anyway. And because of this perception on men that I have a hard times with my current relationship. She keeps on telling me that I am a big lie as if my whole system is programmed to produce lies only.  You say something, she believes the other way. You tried to do well but she took it as a bribe. Do you have a solution to this?

So fortunate is Stanley because, at least, he knows he had already a material wife. He only had to stop his being a womanizer and be responsible or man enough. It is unfortunate for Renz and me because we got an untrusting partner.

With the last glass of beer in our hands, we tossed to our future and had gone to sleep.

A travel with risk of terrorist attack

I made a very difficult decision last friday. Emphasis on the word difficult because the decision was a matter of life and death. 

I travel to Misamis Occidental last week to conduct audit on two partner financial institutions of the company where I am presently connected. The original travel itinerary was to leave Ozamiz City at around 2:00 PM or 3:00 PM per approved travel order. This is actually the best time to travel from Ozamiz City back to Cagayan de Oro City for you still see daylight while passing the province of Lanao del Norte. I don’t mean that this is the only time when Lanao del Norte is safe. We can’t really tell or predict when bandits who cross this part of Mindanao will sow danger to commuters.

Like I said, I’m scheduled to depart from Ozamiz City at those times but was delayed to 6:20PM. The reasons for the delay? We were able to finish the validation of sub-borrowers at around 3:00PM. Aside from the validation, I still have to meet with the officers of Mikro Finaning at their Ozamiz Branch to get additional documents for their accreditation with us. The Mikro Financing thing was not included in the approved itinerary. But I have to do it to save on cost. It’s bad for business to schedule another trip just to validate the sales record of this institution. Besides, whose company is not saving on cost today?

Suspension of Superferry fleet is alarming

I was scheduled to visit Cebu and had decided to take a ferry, instead of taking an airplane, last week. Plane tickets are now cheaper these days but have to book it in advance, say two weeks before the schedule flights. With low airline ticket prices comes also the no-check-in-baggage policy of airlines. Boat fares are few bucks lower than airline fares.

I am from Cagayan de Oro City and the best way to sail to Cebu is by taking the Cebu Ferries and Superferry, operated by the Aboitiz Shipping Company,  or  by Gothong Shipping Lines. I hate TransAsia Shipping Lines. I tell you in my other entry here why my hatred.

On regular days, only Cebu Ferries and TransAsia have a travel schedule from Cagayan de Oro City to Cebu on/every Thursday night. I was expecting, last Thursday, that Cebu Ferries is still sailing on that night. Sadly, Maritime Industry Aurthority (MARINA ) suspended it, together with other SuperFerry schedules, after Superferry 9 sunk the other week off the coast of Zamboanga City. Airlines is my other option but unfortunately the ticket price was already pegged at almost P2,000.00 or more. In short, I took a boat - TransAsia China, during that time its airconditioning units bugged down and my accomodation had to be downgraded.

I could easily deduce the reason of MARINA in suspending Cebu Ferries and Superferries operations pending their examination or evaluation. Obviously the reason is passengers’ safety. I am not against securing or ensuring safety of life because it must always be given first  priority in whatever dealings of business. 

The suspension of the operation of the Aboitiz Company-run shipping lines had a great impact on the local economy. Delays in the transportation of farm produce can be expected. This is actually comes second to the safety of the riding public.

I, however, don’t understand the reason of “safety of passengers” as basis for suspension. There is  no need to suspend all the ships under the company’s fleet just because one of its cargo-passenger vessels had met an accident at sea. What would be the connection of the other vessels to the tragedy? I would understand, perhaps, if the suspension is based on the premise that it’s to penalize the owners of the ships for their neglect. But was the sea tragedy or mishap of Superferry 9 caused by neglect of the owners? I can safety say that Superferry 9’s captain and crew can be held most responsible than the owners. It’s the captain and the crews’ call to set sail on that evening, not of the ship’s owners. It was the Philippine Coast Guards’ call to let or not to let the vessel sails. 

In my opinion, it’s the government regulatory agency or the MARINA’s responsibility to ensure that all sea vessels are seaworthy. Actually, it’s them who inspect and examine all the vessels and who issues certificate of compliance for safe sea travel.  And I wonder, why the decision to suspend all the vessels under the Aboitiz Company? I am not defending Aboitiz. I am only curious and worried by this decision of the MARINA. 

For me, MARINA’s decision manifested sheer sign of dereliction of their duties. Their decision means that they were not able to ascertain the safety of other vessels under the fleet even they have already issued certification of their seaworthiness; so the need to inspect them now.

For me, this situation is VERY ALARMING!

This prompts us to ask another question, how’s the safety of other vessels, which had secured also their safety certification? MARINA should also re-check or re-inspect or re-evaluate them to assuage our concern and fear.

For me, the suspension of Sulpicio Lines is just enough for it traded the lives of their passengers in quest for more money/profit.

For me, the suspension of other sea vessels who are not seaworthy, whoever and however powerful their owners are, is acceptable than suspending the whole fleet with seaworthiness certificate just because one of its vessels encountered an accident.

Drug Test: Why require when you can cheat it

With the many road accidents (incidents) these days, mostly caused by drivers under-the-influence, people start to worry now. The nightly news report always bombard us with gruesome road mishap of many kind. This can be attributed to many drivers, licensed drivers to be exact, who are not fit to drive. Not fit to drive, because many of them have not even attended a seminar on road safety. Many of them have learned the trade from their experience, which can be honed better with the help of seminars on road safety.

The recent report on drivers caught-in-the-act using illegal drugs gets the attention of authorities. They ask for answer on how these drug-addict drivers  were able to secure a driver’s license. Before a person can get a license, they will be required to pass a drug test. The suspect had the answer, he told reporters that he abstained from illegal drugs for three months prior to his taking the drug test. As expected, the drug test result is negative.

While I am in favor of having drivers  getting license subjected to a drug test, I am against the method of Drug Testing Center in examining urine for traces of illegal drugs. As I observed, this drug test thing is useless for the stated reason above. Dirvers who are into illegal drugs can actually do away from it.

To illustrate my point, I’ll bring you back to the Hayden Kho Sex Scandal cum Katrina Halili Drug Scandal. Katrina was accused by Kho’s mother as a drug addict.  To prove that Katrina is not into drugs, she  subjected herself to a drug test, at the office of PDEA which Hayden Kho also undergone. Hayden Kho, a doctor by profession, however, told the panel doing the investigation that the drug testing method using urine as sample is ineffective. He suggested the use of hair  as a better sample  to get traces of illegal drugs even up to 6 years back.

So why should we subject people getting license or people getting employed with the same method of drug testing? This only keeps drug testing companies richier or in business every weekdays with services that are good as garbage. This only worsen the long line of people getting license at Land Transportation Office (LTO), which in turn keeps the fixers thriving.

Authorities or lawmakers should, perhaps, come up with a law that requies drug test using hair sample, instead of urine, of people subjected to this kind of test. In this method, we are assured that drug-addicts can’t get a license and employment. In this way, we could somehow address this ill of our society.