hey big spender

(this column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s midweek and we’re in to the fourth day of the Misa De Gallo. As to the attendance in the mass, no question about it, kumbaga it’s always "box office" (oops, sorry about the term, it’s so pink). It always makes me wonder what is it about this mass which makes people wake up and fill the cathedral early in the morning, come rain or shine, err, shining stars. A friend told me that for many it boils down to one word: wish. That one’s wish is supposedly granted if one is able to attend all nine masses. So, from the looks of it, it’s either many believers had their wishes granted thus they kept coming back all these years; or maybe one was not able to complete the nine masses for the past so many years and thus the desire to do it again and again. Seriously, whatever is one’s intention in going to this mass, it’s nice to note that we have this tradition wherein many make it an obligation to rise early and be with the faithful to worship and prepare for the birth of the Savior, that birth which in turn is also a time for many to be into what they do the best – seasonal generosity.

There is another familiar activity in Calbayog that happens in December, it’s the annual Light-a-Tree project (which we fondly refer to as Christmas Street café). The project is aimed at raising funds for the various humanitarian programs of the Rotary Club of Calbayog. They do it by renting out food stalls to local entrepreneurs for the whole month of December.

Just in case you’d like to know, the stall owners around the tree raked it in during the last weekend, and thus the title for today, what with the lowest earning for the night pegged at 15K. Well, nothing beats the timing: it was a Friday, sweldo time and many received their bonuses on that day. Some ATM machines in the city even had to hang for some time coz of heavy withdrawals. It makes me dizzy considering the money that circulated in the area that night; or should I say that was spent on beer, sinugba and chichirya. Well, it’s that time of the year. And considering the aim of the project, it was money well spent, in a way.

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Awardees. Last December 11, 2007, thirteen Barangay Health Workers (BHW) from Calbayog received the Loyalty Service Award from the Department of Health (RO8). The award was given during the simultaneous awarding at the DPWH Convention Center in Candajug, Leyte.

The Awardees from Calbayog were: Anita Allequir, Norma Aquiliño, Teresita Balero, Dolores Cayunda, Aurea Concon, Dominga Jumaday, Concepcion Maribojoc, Sofia Monteron, Flaviana Yu, Gloria Arnaiz, Ana Gorgonia, Beatriz Merencillo and Angela Omila.

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Two years ago the Philippines hosted the Southeast Asian Games. Among the issues that made it to the news at that time was the noise (read: protests) made by Thailand (so far the only country that made noise).

It made me write this paragraph in my column two years ago: “Now for the lighter side. So the Philippines topped the medal tally in the recent SEA Games. So, far it’s the Thais (or at least some of their officials) who made a fuzz about the Philippines making it to the top. A case of sore losers? C’mon, wait for the next games when you have the hometown advantage. But come to think of it, the Thai Olympic Committee president was all praises for the Philippine hosting.”

Fast forward 2007. No need to mention about how the Thais rigged the recent SEA games.

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Also two years ago, I had a short chat with CSWDO’s Vir Tomnob regarding the MDG deliberations in Hanoi, Vietnam which, as expected, the Filipinos monopolized, well, almost. An Indonesian delegate commented: “We and the Philippines are both presidential but you are more intelligent than us. If you (the Filipinos) can only cut your corruption by 30% you will move forward”.

Fast forward 2007. Transparency international comes out with that controversial survey result on the world’s most corrupt nations.

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Let me leave you with something to smile about this week. FUNERAL PROCESSION:

A woman was leaving a convenience store with her morning coffee when she noticed a most unusual funeral procession approaching the nearby cemetery.

A long black hearse was followed by a second long black hearse about 50 feet behind the first one. Behind the second hearse was a solitary woman walking a pit bull on a leash. Behind her, a short distance back, about 200 women were walking single file.

The woman couldn't stand her curiosity. She respectfully approached the woman walking the dog and said, "I am so sorry for your loss, I know now is a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this. Whose funeral is it?"

"My husband's"

"What happened to him?"

The woman replied, "My dog attacked and killed him."

She inquired further, "Well, who is in the second hearse?"

The woman answered, "My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my husband when the dog turned on her."

A poignant and thoughtful moment of silence passed between the two women.

"Can I borrow the dog?"

"Get in the line."

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Have a nice week everyone! Ciao!