I am literally crying while writing this article about Kevin Villanueva. What a persistent young man who succeeded in obtaining a college degree! His mother took her own life when he was 10 years old while his father passed away four years ago. Instead of losing himself to depression, he took the unfortunate events to his advantage and fueled his desire to finish his studies. Kudos to his maternal aunts who never left him and provided him with love and support!
I was once a college student and my only regret was not realizing my full potential. Instead of focusing on my studies, I got myself a boyfriend and my time was divided between being a diligent student and a loving girlfriend. I have no idea if Kevin is into a relationship; I am talking about my own experience as a college student who could have avoided having a relationship in favor of pursuing better grades. It is every parents’ pride to see nice grades from their kids, right?
I reacted to a telecomm commercial about a college girl wishing that she has enough money left for gimmick. It’s okay to go on a gimmick once in a while but when it becomes a habit, ang kapal ha! Sabagay, only well-off kids could have extra cash for gimmick but when you’re just an ordinary kid who’s living on a small allowance, kalabisan na ang gumimik! I guess Kevin had no time for gimmicks and instead used his free time to earn money by working on his aunt’s dance studio.
“If your parents give you a chance to study, please study because this is hard-earned money!” This is what my mother used to tell me every time I would go back to Baguio after a semestral break. Now I realize how RIGHT she was when I started earning my own money two weeks after college. This is what Kevin missed in college because he needed to support himself financially to be able to live his daily life. Good thing, his relatives and friends were there to give him the unconditional support he badly needed then.
Kevin’s story is about an orphaned boy who made it through college. Life threw him lemons and he made them into lemonade. It’s all about his positive attitude about life’s challenges that made the difference.
When I was younger, I found it hard to say “I’m sorry” and “Thank you.” It was not inculcated in my system to voice out what I really meant to say. I was better off writing my thoughts than sharing it or expressing it.
In 1994, I had a rift with a boardmate and I felt bad about it after realizing that it was my fault. Being young and unexpressive, we had a long-standing rift for nearly two decades. Had it happened today when it’s easier to reach out to somebody through text messaging or Facebook, I could have said sorry to him and we could both move on and bury the hatchet. But it was 1994 and months later, we were no longer staying in the same boarding house so there was no chance for apologies.
I could have written him a letter of apology and send it to his school address but I was too proud to stoop to that level of humility. As I grew older (and wiser), I realize that it’s never okay to hurt someone’s feelings and pretend as if nothing happened; somebody has to take accountability and ask for forgiveness.
Last year, before I gave birth to Robi, I searched him through Facebook and sent him a short message. I just wanted to check if he could still remember me after 17 years. I forgot about that message and I was surprised to receive his reply a year later.
We talked about our family and work. I was careful about bringing up the topic of what I did nearly two decades ago. I was afraid to spoil the fun of finding an old friend. After some days of communicating, he mentioned about what I did to him and how it affected his life then. I told him that I was really sorry for the things that I did and I never did for him. It was a sincere apology and he accepted it. I felt good about accepting my mistake and being forgiven by the person that I offended 18 years ago.
It’s never too late to say sorry about an incident that caused someone else’s pain and agony.
It’s never too late to express your gratitude for the people that helped you become who you are right now.
It’s never too late to say you love the people that matters most to you.
I have two young boys aged 3 and 1 and they share a nanny. The nanny focuses more on Robi (1 yr. old) since Adi (3 yrs. old) doesn’t need super close supervision. But I am particular about Adi’s whereabouts even if the toddler is just playing with the other kids at the compound. My son is trusting and friendly; the exact opposite of me when I was his age. I always remind the nanny to look after Adi and to always watch after him.
These child snatchers are worse than cellphone or bag snatchers. A child’s value to his/her parents is simply PRICELESS. There’s a scary urban legend about a syndicate who is responsible for abducting small kids to sell them or kill them for their organs. This makes me a paranoid mother who scrutinizes every unfamiliar face in the neighborhood. Pakialam ba nila! If they have only good intentions, they wouldn’t feel offended.
We have just celebrated the 2013 Santa Cena in our locale. It was my most emotional Santa Cena since I became a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo in 2009. The minister’s text about the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ made me cry a river!
In the first place, Jesus was accused of a crime that was obviously a planted one. If you were accused of something bad that you did not commit, your initial reaction would probably be to attack your accuser or to sue him of libel. But Jesus accepted his fate and kept his promise of saving us from our sins. What goodness have we done to deserve such act of kindness from Jesus?
The political system during the Roman Empire was a great disadvantage to Jesus. Pontius Pilate, the ONLY person who could have saved him, washed his hands to avoid any involvement in Jesus’s case. Isn’t it the same to what is happening in our current political systems when some politicians simply do not have the BALLS to stand up for what is right and condemn anything that is wrong? To add insult to injury, the criminal Barabas was released instead of Jesus Christ. It must be a case of vote-buying, heh? Again, what goodness have we done to deserve such act of kindness from Jesus?
Jesus was no John Cena to endure all the paddling. He was beaten from head to toe. Literally, “mata nya lang ang walang latay!” Did he curse those who beat him? Nah! Those bastards were not happy to see him still standing after the paddling, they placed a crown made of thorns! Blood was oozing over his face, the bastards were rejoicing at the sight. Have you eaten a crab? Have you experienced being pricked by it? Ansakit di ba? What goodness have we done to deserve such act of kindness from Jesus?
They were not contented, they ASKED Jesus to walk his way to Golgotha with that heavy cross. When Peter saw him, he denied him not once, not twice but thrice! Ouchhh! Parang kailan lang, they were together preaching but now his good friend was denying him. What goodness have we done to deserve such act of kindness from Jesus?
Joseph (the strong muscular one) helped him carry his cross not out of pity but out of fear. It was a temporary relief for Jesus Christ to have someone carry his load. But Joseph helped him because the guards obliged him to do so. There is no difference to us when we just go to church just because the minister would send a deacon to us if we missed a worship. Are we really going to church to hear God’s message through our minister or is it because we don’t want to offend our spouse or the minister for missing a worship? Are we physically, mentally and emotionally present during our times of worship? What goodness have we done to deserve such act of kindess from Jesus?
Finally, Jesus was nailed on the cross. Are you afraid of getting flu shots because of the injection? Heck, it’s just a tiny piece of metal! It’s nothing as compared to the nails used on Jesus. Jesus was being ridiculed from the time he was presented to Pontius Pilate up to the time he was nailed on the cross.
“I thirst.”
What did they give? Mineral water? Soda? Juice? Nah! They gave him water from the sponge dipped in vinegar. Yuck! Chris was dying na nga, ganun pa ibibigay? Tell me how barbaric these people were. Mabuti pa ang sini-silya elektrika, pwedeng humiling ng lechon, ano! Again, what have we done to deserve Christ’s sufferings for us?
Jesus died on the cross. On the third day, he was resurrected. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus redeemed the world. But what have we done to acknowledge all his sacrifices? Ah, meron naman.
We go to church but are never serious about the gospel.
We are too proud and won’t admit our sins.
We lust after money, power and our neighbor’s wife/husband.
We betray our friends.
We kill the unborn.
We cheat the people.
We hate the poor.
We hate each other.
We don’t care about each other.
Etc…etc…
What goodness have we done to deserve Jesus’s act of kindness for all of us?
Cavite is on the spotlight nowadays not because of some good news but because of the alarming incidents of robbery with murder allegedly committed by members of the Budol Budol gang. What is more nerve-wracking is that the victims are senior citizens! Yes, helpless senior citizens who are in the twilight of their life. The gang takes advantage of the victims physical helplessness and memory deterioration to push through with their evil plans.
Particular targets are senior citizens who are alone in the market or grocery and wearing jewelries or carrying cash. We are not talking about victimizing senior citizens with diamond earrings and 24-K gold bracelets in here; the gang takes whatever valuable piece of jewelry the victim has. We are not talking here about bags of money because even market or grocery money are being targetted.
The gang takes advantage of the victim’s deteriorating memory and acts as if they’ve known each other from somewhere. The victim, being old and having memory lapses, becomes trustful of the strangers and agrees to go with them.
Typical modus operandi of Budol Budol Gang as reported in the news:
1. The Balikbayan style- one member will approach the victim and pretend to be an old friend’s son or daughter. The Budol member will invite the victim to go to their house to get his pasalubong. If the Budol member is “kind” enough, he will just dupe the old victim with fake money (also known as switching of the victim’s real money vs. the Budol’s fake money or just bunch of papers) If the Budol member is evil enough, he will take the victim to an isolated area, rob him/her and then kill him/her.
2. Market/Grocery Lookout- A Budol member will follow an unsuspecting victim while looking for goods/food at the grocery or market. The Budol member will notify another member if the victim has large cash on his/her wallet or bag. Once done with the marketing or grocery and while waiting for a tricycle or taxi, another member, usually a middle-aged woman will approach the victim and pretend that they are old friends. The Budol member will take a hitch on the taxi while two or three members are waiting at strategic locations to join them at the street corner. The victim will then be taken to an isolated area and rob him/her and then kill him/her.
When I first heard the news about the Sabah “invasion” by Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, I did not take it seriously. The last time that I heard about the Sabah claim was in the 80’s when I was too young to involve myself into my country’s political and social issues.
I don’t remember any Philippine history books mentioning about the Kiram family though I know that for a time in our glorious past, sultans governed the southern part of the Philippines. Ordinary Filipinos are not even aware that the Sultanate of Sulu is still existing; so I guess nobody took Sultan Jamalul Kiram III’s Sabah “invasion” quite seriously.
In the first place, if our republic truly acknowledges the Sultanate of Sulu and/or the sultan, then a Philippine holiday in the honor of the previous sultan/s should have been declared. Beyond the title and the written acknowledgement of the sultanate, a holiday is a sort of reminder to the people about a person or event’s legacy just like the EDSA Revolution Day. The absence of substantial information about the Sultanate of Sulu on history books and the absence of commemorative activities about the past sultans on a national level simply say that our republic does not truly acknowledge modern-day royalties.
Princess Jacel, daughter of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, said that their family tried to communicate with Malacanang about their lease issue in Sabah. They tried to reach out to Malacanang not once, not twice but thrice but their efforts proved to be futile. Is it a proof that from the start of this issue, the Philippine government has surrendered all its sovereignty rights to Malaysia?
To make the matters more confusing, another sultan from the Kiram family is claiming that he is the real sultan and not Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. In the middle of this chaos, I learned that eight more personalities have been claiming to be the real sultan. Internally, there is disagreement within the Kiram family in the issue of who is the real sultan.
Sultan Jamalul Kiram’s desperate move to re-claim Sabah is probably his final straw to earn the attention of both governments: Malaysia and the Philippines. From what he said, his original intention was to ask for a bigger rental lease because the PhP70,000/year is not even enough to pay for an apartment in Manila. The Malaysian government is saying that this is not a rental fee but a sort of a yearly stipend for the permanent turn-over of Sabah to Malaysia.
Who fired the first shot? The bloodshed started when somebody fired the first shot. Prior to this, President Noynoy asked the sultan to leave Sabah but Sultan Jamalul Kiram III insisted that his royal army would stay in Sabah.
Many are saying that Malaysia is just reaping what it sowed when it supported the MNLF in Mindanao for 20 long years. True enough, according to Nur Misuari, founder of MNLF, some of his men are supporting Sultan Jamalul Kiram III’s army BUT without his knowledge and consent.
The people of Sabah are the most terrorized by this turn of events. The Filipinos in Sabah who have closer affiliation with the Sabahans than their fellow Filipinos from Luzon are also pushed in a lose-lose situation. In Sabah, they will face discrimination or wrath from the local people. Back home, they have the Abu Sayaff and MNLF to deal with.
To close this sovereignty and proprietory rights issue, then perhaps both Malaysia and the Philippines could bring this case to the International Court of Justice. Somebody has to stand in between the two countries and good thing, the UN interceded to end the violence. The Kiram family must be united and decide on who is the rightful sultan of Sulu because it’s funny to be watching one branch of the family fighting for their cause while another branch is claiming that Sultan Jamalul Kiram III is not the real sultan.
I am fuming mad at my February billing statement for my Smart Postpaid. Here is the whole story:
January 31- I used my mobile internet to send an email between 6:00 to 6:30 PM and between 8:30 to 9:00 PM.The internet connection at our area was poor so I needed to resend the email at 8:30 PM.
February 2- It’s always been my habit to check my running balance. My cut-off is every 26th of the month. Since I used the mobile internet twice on January 31st, I was expecting to have a running balance of PhP 20 but to my surprise, my running balance was alreadt PhP345! I called up the customer service and demanded an explanation why my running balance went up to that figure when I only used the mobile internet for a total of 1 hour. The customer service advised me to wait for the February billing statement to settle the dispute. So I would have to wait for another three weeks to find out what really happened.
February 3- I checked the running balance and it amounted to PhP 388! I called up the customer service again to report what was happening to my phone. She asked me if there’s any possibility that the data roaming service was not turned off. I told her that I knew my phone’s features and of course, I wouldn’t call if it was my fault to have left it turned on. Again, she advised me to wait for my billing statement.
February 4 to February 27- I religiously checked my running balance for any charges. I found out that my running balance for the February cut-off was not automatically set back to zero so I called up the customer service representative again to report it.
March 2- The running balance for the month of March was unbelievably high at PhP 800 when it was just the 3rd day after my cut-off. I called up the customer service again to ask why the running balance has not yet set back to zero. She advised me to have a balance inquiry every now and then to see if the system has corrected the error. It was finally corrected on March 3.
March 4- I received the copy of my February billing statement (see picture above) and I was surprised to be charged for 38 internet usages that I NEVER USED! That was from 9:00 PM of January 31st up to 5PM of February 1st. I called up the customer service to demand for an explanation. He advised me to wait within 15 working days for their technical team to investigate my case.
WHY WOULD I BE CHARGED FOR AN INTERNET USAGE THAT I NEVER USED, ANYWAY?
First off, I have internet at the office. Smart bro, Smart mobile internet and Globe Tattoo internet connection do not have a strong signal in my area so I prefer to use internet at the office whenever I need to send emails.
Second, I am NOT a Facebook addict and the last time that I opened my FB was last December 2012. C’mon, enough of the FB emo’s but that’s another topic.=p
Third, I KNOW how to use my phone. Before I purchased it, I asked my agent how to turn off the packet data to avoid unnecessary internet charges.
Fourth, I reported the incident on February 2nd. The balance inquiry on February 1st DID not reflect the supposed internet usage on January 31 and February 1.
Fifth, I wouldn’t BOTHER to call up SMART’s customer service representative to report something like this. I just hate the LOOOONG phone commercial before I finally get to talk with their customer service rep.
Sixth, three hundred plus pesos maybe a SMALL amount but if I will tolerate this, there is a possibility that this incident will recur in the future. Ano kayo, sinuswerte????? The reason why I got a plan 349 from Smart is because I want to practice frugality for 2012 onwards, ano!
Anyways, the last customer service representative that I talked to this morning was the most accomodating and the most sympathetic. She advised to me wait withing 15 working days for their technical team to investigate. I HOPE that their investigation would turn out to my favor. After all, what’s my fault if their system is erroneous or not working? That’s the reason why telecoms have Technical Team, ano! So that they will upgrade what needs to be upgrade and correct system errors that need to be corrected.
My officemate advised me to elevate my concern to the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission). Wag muna kako because it’s too early to judge Smart. Who knows, their Technical Team would find out that what I’m reporting for one month now is true—that Smart have system error!
To my fellow subscribers, don’t just pay once the bill has been delivered to you. Scrutinize the billing statement and yes, report any inconsistencies to the customer service representative. It’s your right as a consumer to be heard. =)
The World of Second Chances 