A Heartwarming Station ID That Touches the Soul

This newly released station ID of ABS-CBN reminds all of us that the Christmas season is not only a time for giving, but rather a time for thanking – thanking God Almighty for the people whom He blessed us with. We need not look far because the people around us, the people whom we live with in our homes, our family, our loved ones, are first and foremost the blessings that we have to be thankful for.

Let’s say “Thank you.” to our spouses, our kids, our parents, our friends, our families, for having been a part of our lives, who saw us through the toughest times, who shared our joys, who gave us a pat on the shoulder whenever we feel that the battle is all uphill and one more step towards our goal seems too difficult to muster, who made us laugh, who simply makes us feel loved.

In the same vein, let us be a blessing to others. We need not be millionaires to be able to give. It is not only the tangible things that we can share in the strictest sense, but we can wholeheartedly give a smile, a few minutes of our time, or a simple text message that will make somebody feel good for having been remembered.

This Christmas season, let us not get tired of saying, “Thank you!” 🙂

Enjoy! 🙂

Had a Good Time With Mom at Ouranios Flower Shop!

Mom and I were looking for the perfect bouquet for a friend when we got to pass by a nice and quaint flower shop – Ouranios Flower Shop, located near Lopez-Jaena St., fronting Mandaue Foam building). At that precise moment, we were already headed north, hoping to find a good flower shop there. Well, we were just thankful that we happened to find Ouranios.

Without thinking twice, we alighted from the jeepney and proceeded to the shop. It has a nice and warm atmosphere, highlighting the love for flowers of the owner – Ms. Maymay Vasquez. She is a nice and vibrant lady who never fails to accommodate customers. Her smile is a genuine one, making you feel good being in that store.

Ms. Vasquez has a lot of lovely flowers on the shelf, and if you are fascinated with flowers, you will be overwhelmed at the array of choices right before your eyes. Since I am not very familiar with flower names, but only know how to appreciate beauty, I can say that indeed Ouranios’ flowers were truly beautiful. There are pink, white, yellow, green, purple, red, and orange blooms. There are flowers whose petals are a combination of various colors. Such beauty in a single place!!!

My mom was the one who narrated to Ms. Vasquez what we needed. She was the one who knew the preferences of our friend, and Ms. Vasquez was quick to provide the right combination of flowers for the perfect birthday bouquet.

I have also noticed that the store has various vases and baskets, and I’m pretty sure that you can request the good lady to do the arrangement in one of them. Of course, it must be more costly compared to a bouquet, but then, Ms. Vasquez can provide a very nice arrangement that fits your budget.

Anyway, we had a good time at Ouranios, and our friend loved the pink and purple bouquet. They are actually showcasing their flower arrangements on their website – www.ouraniosflowershop.com You can simply call Ouranios and provide them with the code number of the arrangement that you have chosen on the website.

When it Comes to Bacolod Pasalubong Nothing Beats BongBong’s

It has been a busy 2013 for all of us here and I am just so happy that it’s now 2014! In fact, the first week of January is always a time for reunions and family gatherings. Our relatives in Manila invited us to come and visit them but since we’ve got a lot on our hands at the moment, we were not able to acquiesce to the invitation.

So, in exchange, we had to give in to their request, and that is, to send them a large box of BongBong’s delicacies. They always say that no other Bacolod pasalubong specialty can compare to BongBong’s Piaya and Barquillos.

Well, I do agree with them on that. I mean, I’ve tasted various offerings of different pasalubong centers here in Bacolod and I always end up saying that the products of BongBong’s have this distinct taste that could not be replicated elsewhere.

Anyway, it was actually a good thing that our location is near several branches of BongBong’s. So we went to the Singcang Branch, which I believe was the very first pasalubong store of BongBong’s.

In our rush, we were no longer able to take pictures, so I had to just borrow some pics from BongBong’s. I hope they don’t get mad at me. 🙂

This is the best pic I can find of BongBong’s Singcang Branch.

My husband and I traversed through the aisles and grabbed all the treats that they requested. Yes, then actually emailed us a list of the goodies that they wanted to find inside the BongBong’s pasalubong box.

The aisles are wide so it’s very easy to shop for pasalubong here.

And, at the top of the list was…. BongBong’s Ube Piaya.

One of my favorites too. 🙂

The second one was the Cheese Tart.

This is a favorite of my eldest.

Third was the Caramel Tart.

This is yummy but if you’re diabetic better not grab a bite, it’s addictive.

Fourth was the Pastillas de Mangga.

My husband’s fave.

Fifth was the Bite-Sized Barquillos. (They actually wanted to have all the flavors.)

Perfect for kids.

If I go on, this post would be quite lengthy…. 🙂

So anyway, we grabbed two packs of each, and what was supposedly to be initially ONE large pasalubong box of BongBong’s turned out to be TWO large boxes. If you were in our shoes, you would have done the same thing especially if the last clause in the email reads “And everything else, especially Napoleones… The kids love them! xoxo…..”

So after going to JRS Express to send the two, ahem… LARGE boxes, we had to go back to BongBong’s to buy a pack of Ube Piaya and Yema, which our kids wanted us to bring home for them. Can we refuse them? Nah… 🙂

When our relatives received the package, we got a lot of text messages, saying that they really enjoyed the package we’ve sent. We were so happy that we completely forgot about the one box that became two boxes. 🙂

Now this is one of the best ways to start 2014!

Thanks BongBong’s!

I Share the Grief of the Kirams

Are you planning to make the “negotiations” between the Philippine government and MILF your legacy? Well if this is the case, I am not so enthusiastic about the prospect of living my next 10 years in a country who compromised the blood of approximately 250 Muslim Filipinos just for the sake of achieving a “peace” agreement with the MILF. I thought we are a country that does not tolerate terrorist activities, and for a while, I had the impression that the MILF falls under that category.

Then why are we so keen on getting them into the fold when that “peace” that we are hoping for is something that is still hanging in the air. It is still uncertain until there is an apparent, clear and convincing evidence that these MILF will indeed come to peaceful terms with the Philippines.

While we are hoping for such an event, something real and timely is happening – our fellow Filipino Muslim brothers are there reclaiming something that rightfully belongs to not only them, but the Philippines. As FELLOW FILIPINOS, they are the ones whom the good government is supposed to protect and not something such as “negotiations” or a “broker” at present which can be considered uncertain.

Come to think of it, China protects its fellow Chinese more than we do with our own Filipino brothers. Even though that they don’t have a valid claim over Spratly’s and their “historical” basis is merely something drawn on the table, yet the full force of their government backs the attempts of their armed forces to secure Spratly’s. In fact, I haven’t heard their premier or their military commander saying something to their soldiers stationed at the islands that they are trying to claim (which I may emphasize, they don’t even have ANY RIGHT to), to “return home as soon as possible… If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way.”

But for us, it is way so different. Here we have a valid claim over Sabah as evidenced by the “rentals” that Malaysia is paying to the Sultanate, which only shows a recognition of Malaysia of the rightful ownership of the Sultanate of Sulu over Sabah, and real and solid historical accounts prove it so, yet when approximately 250 fellow Filipino Muslims go there to secure the area, without firing a single shot that would constitute an act of engagement against Malaysians, civilian or otherwise, we try so hard to appease Malaysia and tell our brothers that, “The right thing to do now would be to order your followers to return home as soon as possible… If you choose not to cooperate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm’s way.” http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65749/sulu-sultan-defies-aquino

With such statements coming from the government of the Philippines, we are the one giving teeth to Malaysia to initiate aggression against our Muslim brothers. Just recently, Malaysian security arrests Kiram relative in Tanduao, Sabah. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65607/malaysian-security-arrests-kiram-relative-in-tanduao-sabah. If Malaysia had been that eager to put a stop to what they considered as “aggression” from the part of the 250 Filipino Muslims who went to Sabah to secure one town, then they should have made such an arrest at the onset of their occupation of said town. Why just now? Isn’t it perhaps that they have come to ascertain that the Philippine government would not be doing anything in case they(the Malaysians) would take action against our Filipino brothers, who time and again, are willing to shed blood for the sake of the Philippines? The painful thing is, this relative of Kiram who was arrested was not even among the Filipinos who came from the Philippines. He was actually born and raised there, and what could be his violation now? That he happened to be a relative of the Kirams? I didn’t know that being blood relatives with anybody makes you automatically a criminal. Now that is an absurd thing to do which is in its proper sense is already a violation of human rights! And what will we do about it? Well most likely, with the way things are going, we won’t be doing anything about it. After all, it is only one single life (and probably 250 more) and our officials, whether or not something bad will happen to our brothers in Sabah, they will remain in the comforts of their homes or palaces, whatever you would like to call them.

Why is it so easy for us to give away what rightfully belongs to us? When our naval forces, the Gregorio del Pilar….. made a stand against Chinese forces, what did we say, go back to the Philippines…. Back at that time, I thought that I had already seen hope and that the Philippines now has the teeth to stand firm and to impose our sovereignty and that we ceased to be the passive nation that we have been. But I thought wrong.

Now, the same thing is happening all over again in Sabah. We have a group of Filipinos here who are reclaiming something that not only belongs to them, but belongs to our country, and we AGAIN TELL THEM TO GO BACK!

Why can’t we tell the Malaysian government that, “Okay, we’ll resolve this peaceably, we’ll talk about it, we’ll come to an agreement with the Kirams on how to sort this thing out, just don’t harm the Filipinos who are there in Sabah.” Why can’t we say that? Even that statement will be comforting enough to know that the government does care about the welfare of those 250 Filipinos.

Another thing is, when the Kirams wrote the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), asking for the latter to send a peacekeeping force to Sabah, and when the UNCHR asked for clarifications from the Philippines with regards to the claim of the Kirams over Sabah, the Philippine government said that there is no need to send a peacekeeping force as they will be settling the dispute among themselves.

What is really ironic is that, we are howling in protest when China wanted to settle the Spratly’s dispute among Aseans because OUR STAND is to have it decided by one of the bodies of the United Nations. So why then is there an apparent reversal of this much-favored method in settling international disputes in the case of Malaysia? Why won’t our government allow the Sabah Issue to be heard by an international body?

Until now, I haven’t read any news of the Philippine government, Malaysia and the Kirams sitting down to discuss how to settle this Sabah crisis. I thought they would be settling the dispute among themselves? When will any meeting be held, if the Philippine government intends on having one?

When will we stop being so passive?

Take a look at what the Japanese Prime Minister did in relation to the standoff between Japan and China over the Senkaku islands: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/17/china-japan-dangerous-standoff

“The Senkaku dispute has been close to the boil for months. The prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, took the decision to buy the islands to head off a more destabilising but popular proposal not only to acquire them but also to begin their active development. China’s reaction, including unleashing mass protests, sending ships to the area and threatening trade sanctions, was harsh but not unusual.

Under pressure from nationalist opinion, Noda has taken a surprisingly inflexible public position: “There can be no doubt that the Senkaku islands are part of Japanese territory, both under international law and from a historical point of view. The Senkakus are under the effective control of our nation, and there is no territorial issue with any country over the islands,” he told the Yomiuri Shimbun in July. He is now calling on China to return to “calm” dialogue, without offering any concessions.”

That is what standing up for what is RIGHFULLY theirs really is.

What about the incident in Palau where Chinese fishermen were illegally fishing, apparently encroaching in Palua territory? The latter fired shots at them killing 25 Chinese, and in fact, they detained some of the Chinese fishermen. So what happened next? Did China send its naval forces to bombard the small Palau? No! What they did was to “Beijing on Thursday sent diplomats to meet with Chinese citizens detained in Palau for alleged illegal fishing, urging local authorities to handle the incident in a fair and proper way.” http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-04/06/content_14987587.htm

They sent diplomats to negotiate! In our case, if there are Chinese illegal fishermen in our area, we tell our naval forces who are doing their best to stand up for our country to “go back.” COME TO THINK OF IT PALAU IS APPROXIMATELY 459 SQ. KM. AND PHILIPPINES IS WHAT – A WHOPPING 300,000 SQ. KM! BUT IT SEEMS THAT PALAU IS MUCH STRONGER AND ABLE AT CONFRONTING CHINESE ACTS HEAD ON, MOST ESPECIALLY IF IT IS ALREADY IN RELATION TO THEIR SOVEREIGNTY! The fact is, they know how to stand for what rightfully belongs to them!

What about us? Did we at least convey any message that we will be protecting the 250 men who went to Sabah? DID WE AT LEAST SHOW SOME BACKBONE WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS AS A NATION?

There are myriads of examples out there and it will take me hours more to enumerate all of them……

I am still wishing for a better Philippines. You see, I voted for this administration. I campaigned to friends and relatives to vote for our President, because I thought that this time around, we will have somebody who truly cares and somebody who can really stand for the country who have been ravaged by a lot of politicians. I thought that since the President came from a wealthy family, and hopefully, wasn’t beholden to anybody, he can make a difference. But I thought wrong, and I am dismayed. I do laud the way that the economy has improved over the past years, but as a Filipino, who envisions a better Philippines, I am at present, saddened by the turn of events.

Among the presidents of the Philippines, it was only President Diosdado Macapagal who was willing and who was vent on reclaiming Sabah. President Marcos did try, but apparently, Ninoy Aquino spoiled that attempt to reclaim Sabah. After decades, the Kirams want to reclaim it, and now Pres. Noynoy Aquino tells them to go back. Need I say more?

Since even after several letters sent by the Kirams to our government asking for help and support in reclaiming Sabah, the government didn’t hear them out or even did ANYTHING about it, they took it upon themselves to do something, which our government was supposed to do in the first place.

Consider what Sabah can contribute to the Philippines on the overall:

• Sabah exports petroleum and palm oil.
• 1,000,000 barrels of oil a day costing about $70,000,000 A DAY. Wouldn’t the Philippines want to have these sources?
• They have more than 2,800,000 tourists each year (as of 2012)

And now, after being neglected by the government for more than 5 decades and counting, with a letter from the sultanate of Sulu to Pres. Aquino getting lost and considered seemingly unimportant, http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/366817/whats-inside-kirams-lost-letter-to-aquino, they decided to reclaim it as their own, the government even condemns them for doing so.

RECLAIMING SABAH WOULD NOT ONLY BENEFIT THE KIRAMS BUT THE ENTIRE PHILIPPINES!

In fact, I am saddened by the news that 12 FILIPINOS (whether they are Muslims or not, I don’t care, what matters to me is they are FILIPINOS!) died in the attack started off by the Malaysian forces against them. The group of Abimuddin wasn’t the one who initially fired the shot, they were taken aback and were not prepared, shot at, prompting them to return fire.

I would like to believe that had the Philippine government expressed any sort of “protection” for the Filipinos is Sabah, it could have been enough to deter Malaysians from attacking them.  

Which brings me to this point….

Who are we really protecting? OUR INTERESTS AS A NATION OR THAT OF THE MALAYSIANS? Can’t we at least for a change, show what Filipinos are truly made of. We were once a strong and feared nation but this status dwindled and became almost close to nil… What happened?

I do hope that I’ll have many years more so that I may see the day when the map of the Philippines will be redrawn with Sabah being a part of it. This means that Filipinos would have to choose who the next President and Senators will be. They should have, first and foremost, the heart of a Patriot. I hope somebody who does will stand up and run for the Presidency.

To my fellow Filipinos, let’s not be passive and let us show the world that we are a strong nation, and that no nation can simply take what rightfully belongs to us and get away with it.

This, my fellows, is my dream for the Philippines.

 

 

Restituto Cruz and the Pasay City General Hospital

Restituto Cruz, a former officer-in-charge of the Social Welfare and Development department of Pasay City, died three days after he sustained head injuries from a bad fall while trying to do his duty as a good citizen of the Philippines.

He was riding a jeepney, which was southbound along EDSA, when two robbers coming from the same jeepney, snatched a woman’s handbag and jumped off. Cruz also jumped off the jeepney in an attempt to chase the robbers, but unfortunately hit his head on the pavement. (Seldom can you find people who care.)

Cruz, still half-conscious, was able to rise and walked to the Pasay City General Hospital, which is a PUBLIC HOSPITAL. According to reports, the hospital didn’t attend to him (for about 4 hours) because he was not able to provide any down payment and that they were not able to recognize him as the former head of DSWD. (Now I just found out that you need to be recognized by at least one of the nurses or personnel in a hospital, and that you would need to have cash with you all the time, to be given the proper medical care…. Tsk tsk tsk.. So sad….)

Since he was not attended to, he decided to go to the San De Dios Hospital (a private hospital), which prompted him to request for an ambulance that would bring him to the latter. Again, the ambulance took much longer than what was necessary, according to the reports.

When Cruz was finally taken to the De Dios Hospital, it was only then that he received the proper medical care…. (Let me reiterate, that’s about 4 hours after sustaining a head injury.)

To cut the long story short, Cruz ended up in a coma and died 3 days after.

Some doctors said that if Cruz had been given immediate medical care after the fall, he wouldn’t have died.

A very sad story indeed.

According to reports again, the Pasay General Hospital denied about not having attended to Cruz…. Hmmm… I find this rather peculiar. If Cruz was attended to at the Pasay General Hospital, then there should have been no reason for him to transfer to another hospital to seek treatment for the injuries he sustained. He should have been confined or treated right then and there considering that he figured in a very nasty fall causing a head injury.

According to BetterHealth, head injuries can be serious and would require URGENT medical attention, because a hard blow to the head can injure the brain even if there wouldn’t be any signs of trauma on the scalp or the face.

Can you say that letting somebody wait for about 4 hours with a head injury, urgent? Personally, I don’t think so. This drives me to wonder if anybody in that hospital knew about the “urgent” treatment that is needed to any form of head injury or they simply didn’t care.

From the very essence of being a “public hospital”, it was supposed to have been the one that will serve the “public” (regardless of how much down payment you can or cannot afford). How come the private hospital was the one that afforded Cruz the treatment that he needed?

The irony of it all was that, when Cruz was the officer-in-charge of the Social Welfare and Development department of Pasay City, he was there to serve the public. And, even though when he was no longer working for the government, he still lived up to his duty as a good citizen of this country, based on his heroic act of attempting to chase robbers who snatched the handbag of a woman not even related to him.

But when he was the one in need, nobody even bothered to give him the necessary first-aid treatment….

Was it a case of INCOMPETENCE of our “public” hospitals or simply a HUGE INDIFFERENCE? You be the judge.