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.
“Wag ka munang lumaki, Adi, wag kang magbago.
Sana’y habambuhay magkasama tayo….” ~Mc Donald’s old commercial
If I had you when I was in my early 20’s, I guess I wouldn’t be this emotional.
Young mothers tend to take their kids for granted (I should know).
But now that I’m in my mid-30’s, I am trying to seize each opportunity to be a good mother to you and your siblings because life is too short.
Your lola left us when she was just 56 years old.
I don’t wish to live that short but I’m insecure about how time flies in this world.
That is why I’m trying to be a good mother and at the same time, I am busy preparing for your future.
I love you and your siblings in my own unique and equal way.
I love your differences in personality and at times, these differences drive me crazy!
You are the life of the party; you got my bubbly character.
Your naughtiness is infectious; you laugh like a jester.
You love to dance; one thing that I am not good at.
You are a very sweet boy, I miss you every time I’m out of town.
You are a Jollibee fan and I’m a Mcdo mom.
Ten years from now, you and Robi will no longer appreciate our dinner at Jollibee.
You will be busy with your own young life.
Don’t grow up too fast, my little one
“I love you, Mahal.”
Two nights ago, I dreamed about an old acquaintance of mine. In that dream, we were supposed to be lovers and he was asking me why I married somebody else. Old acquaintance, Mr. X, and I never became an item though there was a little attraction that happened between us. Before that little attraction could elevate into something more serious, somebody came along the way and I forgot anything about Mr. X. In fact, we became part of the project team years later and the relationship was purely professional; we were not even talking unless it was work-related. To dream about him 12 years later is weird considering the fact that I never regarded him as one of my “prospects” during my “pre-sell-by-date” years.
Dream 2:
To dream about an old lover that I’m trying to erase from my life is even weirder. In that dream, I was back to being 17 years old but I was wearing 2013 clothes. I was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans and I was carrying some books when he happened to walk in front of me. He acknowledged my presence but he didn’t approach me or smiled at me. He was wearing all black and he was back to being 17 years old, too but he was sporting a 90’s style. On the contrary, I was wearing my current hairstyle and I was surprised to see him acting cold towards me.
Awakened.
The feeling was heavy and his appearance on my dream seemed so real. Do I still love him? I’m very sure that I have zero feelings for him. Is he in trouble? I don’t know. Nobody is telling me about him. What if he’s actually in trouble? What if (God forbid) he’s dying or he has died? Would I go to the funeral? Would his wife let me see him for the last time?
Drama drama. I just hope the all black attire does not mean anything negative.
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. =)
He maybe charming, he maybe dashing
Don’t fall too hard for him
You’re only a teen
You don’t know a thing
His sincerity maybe unquestionable
His love for you maybe immeasurable
But he’s only a teen just like you
Love takes time to develop and it doesn’t happen out of the blue
The time you spent together maybe so real
Your love affair could be surreal
But listen, it’s just your hormones ticking
Don’t be deceived; you’ve got to be thinking!
Life is not all about chocolates and roses
Adults do take care of bills and expenses
Don’t rush yourself in things that you’ll regret later
Focus on school, wouldn’t it be much better?
Don’t be like me, my sweet little girl
Treat yourself like a diamond or a most precious pearl
Don’t rush yourself on love, believe me, it’s just puppy love
Compose yourself and ask from guidance Above
Poverty is a disease and a hungry stomach knows no logic or morality. Yun ngang maipit ka sa traffic habang gutom na gutom ka, mabubulyawan mo kung may sisingit sa yo samantalang most likely, nakakain ka naman three hours ago, eto pa kayang mga tao na ito na since December pa gutom? It maybe true that some leftist groups provoked the people to attack the DSWD office in Davao City but if these people were not hungry enough and had their full trust on the DSWD officers enough, they wouldn’t be swayed that easily.
We admired the Japanese for being disciplined and honest in facing the 2011 tsunami disaster. We commended them for leaving alone the vendo machines even if there were opportunities ransack them. We were flabbergasted with their sense of morality, discipline and camaraderie. But how different are we from them when it comes to facing adversities?
The Japanese knew that help would come along the way. Their relief distribution system is much more organized and on time. If we are to believe the feedbacks from the people in Davao, the same cannot be said about the relief distribution system there.
These people would not take the opportunity to harm or ransack the DSWD office had they were fed enough. A father or mother would not take things sitting down if they see their children crying because of hunger. A LOT of aid was given for these people; DSWD’s slow distribution system of relief goods was the rootcause of the problem.
One may wonder how come these people are so dependent on relief goods when they could have bounced back from the calamity after two months. Let us not be quick to judge these people. Typhoon Pablo probably washed away their source of livelihood aside from their abode. Some of them are probably stuck in the helpless situation and getting a relief good is their temporary heaven.
I know that giving them relief goods is not meant to last a lifetime and rebuilding their lives must originate from the victims. But for the meantime that these people are still in shock and in poverty, let us give them the love, understanding and help that they need.
The World of Second Chances 