Ang Piping Saksi

Nakakapagtaka.  Mapapa-isip ka. Ano motibo? Bakit na lang bigla-bigla, mayroon isang lupon ng nag-rereklamo laban sa isang tao.

Ang mga reklamo, mas panis pa sa pansit na inihain noong huling pasko. Bakit kamo? Saan ka naman nakakita ng isang nag reklamo na dalawang taon na ang nakaraan ng sinasabi niyang insidente?

Saan ka nakakita ng nag reklamo na mayroon din naman siyang pag-uudyok doon sa kanyang nirereklamo?   Beh…di kaya “provocation” tawag dun?

Saan ka nakita ng nagreklamo na pumayag sa isang “one-night stand”, pero, nang binigyan ng “good night kiss”  kinalaunan eh….”below the belt” na daw?

Saan ka nakakita ng nagreklamo, tatlong taon na nakaraan ng nag te-text sila ng kahalayan eh alam naman nilang parehong “joke-joke” lang. Pero pag dating ng kasalukuyang taon eh saka siya nabastusan na.  Tagal naman umepekto ‘te.

Saan ka nakakita ng nagreklamo ng pangigipit  eh yung reklamador mismo nag-bigay ng “multiple-choice questions ” kung ano gusto pang-hahalay ang gawin sa kanya?

Malikot daw ang kamay…mabilis dumapo sa mga balikat, baywang, at likod.  ‘Te, sa tingin mo magagawa yan sa harap ng dalawamput-apat na tao? Bakit walang testigo?

Mahirap mag-salita. Minorya lang ang boses ko at walang binesa ang opinion ko sa usaping ito.  Pede sanang lumuban ang inireklamo tungkol sa mga akusasyon na ito. Tama lang naman diba? Para malaman na kung ano talaga ang tototo! Pero ginipit ninyo siya upang siya ay “kusang magbitiw” sa tungkulin sa pangakong makuha ang huling sahod at “clearance”. 

Ate, baka balikan kayo ng “constructive dismissal” sa Department of Labor dahil hindi ninyo binigyan ng “due process”.  Hindi na lumaban ang inireklamo. Hindi ninyo siya pinadaan sa tamang proseso. Eh ang daming butas sa mga testimonya ng mga nagrereklamo. 

Sa labanang ito, isa lang ang tiyak - walang panalo dito, puro talunan.

Sa inireklamo, hindi na niya maipagtatangol ang kanyang sarili. Sira na ang kanyang pangalan at karera sa Pabrika ng Posporo.  Sa mga nagreklamo, hindi ninyo masasabing nakamit ninyo ang hustisya.  Lagi nang may duda sa inyong bersyon ng storya, kasi hindi ninyo pinabayaan maka-sagot ang inireklamo.

Sana, sa mga nag-reklamo, wala sa inyong pinilit lang na mag-salita laban sa inireklamo. Sana ang pag re-reklamo ninyo ay bunga ng tunay na kamuhian sa mga pangayayari.  Pero mga ‘te, kataka-taka ang “timing”ng inyong mga reklamo. Sabi ko nga, panis na ang inihain ninyong mga akusasyon. 

Mayroong aalis pero ang daming tanong at haka-haka kung ano ang tunay na mga pangyayari  sa kanyang paglisan.    

Just Tiis

Alas siete y media na ng gabi. Oo, maulan, pero kanina pa naming umaga umuulan. Eh Bakit ganun? Photnamang trapik yan, talo pa bisperas ng pasko, ang lhufet!!!

Naibaba ko na ang dalawa kong pasehero. Solo flyt na ako sa biyahe pero halos dalawang oras na ako nag bibiyahe. Anak ng matabang garapata! Eh nasa Tagaytay na dapat ako sa ganitong kahabang oras na paglalakbay  Pero hindi, labing 16 na kilometro lang ang tatakbuhin ko mula sa pabrika ng posporo hanggang bahay. Pakiramdam ko eh parang pumasok at umuwi na ako ng dalawang ulit!

Inilipat ko ang tala-pihitan ng radio mula sa porgramang “Boys Night Out” papunta sa AM frequency ng DZMM.  Super Shit ang balita! Nag-gigirian pala ang kampo ng mga Arroyo at mga taga Bureau of Immigration sa paliparan ng NAIA.  Nag pupumilit umalis ng bansa ang dating Panggulo at kanyang asawa papuntang Singapore.  Eh ang siste, may “Hold Departure Order” na ipinatutupad ang mga tao ng Kalihim ng Hustisya!   Ayaw payagang umalis ng bansa ang dating Panggulo.  Ang kampo naman ng mga Arroyo, may kopya ng isang “Temporary Restraining Order”  na ibinigay di umano ng Supreme Court kung saan pinapayagan bumiyahe ang dating Panggulo at ang kanyang mga alapores.

Okinawa-Japan!!!! Kaya naman pala nagka buhol-buhol ang trapik! Eh lahat ng tao eh nag kukumahog umuwi kasi baka mag kagulo. At nasan ang mga magigiting na taga-pagayos ng trapiko? Wala lahat. Ang laking bulsyiet talaga.  Lahat ata ng mg Alagad ng Batas eh pupuntang NAIA!!

Parang nakikinig ka sa isang radio-drama. Sino ang nagwagi? Wala! Hindi naka biyahe ang dating Panggulo at ang mga alapores.  Nag mukhang “TANGA” ang Kalihim ng Hustisya.  Si Juan Dela Cruz, naipit sa buhol-buhol na trapik, ubos ang oras, ubos ang gasolina!

Lahat ba ng kautusan ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman ay tama?? Hindi rin noh!!! Lalo na at papayagan mong maka puga ang mga sinasabing responsable sa pinaka malaking pandaraya ng eleksyon sa huling dekada!!! Hindi mo ba man lang isa-alang-alang ang posibleng responsibilidad na maaring matakasan ng dating Panggulo pag ito ay hindi na bumalik sa bansa? Dahil ba hindi pa binabasahan ng demanda ang dating Panngulo eh walang magagawa ang gobyerno?  Napaka ganda ba ng “track record” ng dating Panggulo? Eh hindi ba sabit-sabit ang Panggulo, ang kanyang Asawa, at mga kasama sa gobyerno  sa lahat ng malalaking raket na naibulalas sa madlang Pilipinas?

Mukha daw kawawa ang dating Panggulo kagabi sa NAIA. Tanginangsyiet!!! Lahat po ng pag-arte eh napag-aaralan.  Lalo na ang mga pulitiko na buong buhay nila ay sanay sa harap ng kamera.

Maaring may natapakang mga karapatang pang-tao kagabi.  Kahit ako, aminado dun. Pero pag hustisya naman ang nakamit para sa karamihan, kahit masakit ang nangyari eh ok na yung tiniis kong trapik kagabi..

Justice maybe a slow grind here in my beloved Pilipinas. But Justice is still a biyatch and it bites real bad when it does!

SNAFU’s

SNAFU is an acronym believed to have originated in World II from the US Army.  It stands for : Situation Normal, All Fucked Up.

I guess the previous week can accurately be described as SNAFU! Tell me about it. One heartbreak after another, fuck-ups seem to crop in every direction.

1^st SNAFU : After celebrating a solid year of standing bravely on the wall to protect the interest of the Match Factory, team Charlie-India-Alpha personnel are relieved from active duty. Isn’t it ironic that your team’s birthday is also their death anniversary? A cosmic joke slapped in our faces.  For what reasons? I don’t care to know, because soldiers aren’t paid to think, we’re paid to follow orders. With that said, I play with hand that is given to me.  Will this tragic change affect the Match Factory? Most definitely, yes.  I am just waiting for the Sierra to hit the fan and we’ll see who won’t be ducking for cover when it does. Meanwhile, the former team-members return to their mother units but the fire in them will never be put out.  

2nd SNAFU : I was waiting for Wish Lanterns to fly up into the night sky for the “11-11-11” celebration with a pair of buddies.  The shaved-ice on the Blue-Hawaiian-brew cooled down our throats after a harrowing week at the Match Factory. Two hours into the countdown, we get a forwarded SMS.  The lighting of the Wish Lanterns which was estimated to have attracted about a 3,000 people was cancelled.  Foxtrot Alpha!  What the hell gives? It turned out that the organizer, a certain Banchetto was slapped with a local-government order not to release the lanterns in the interest of public safety.  Yeah right, talk about a wasted Friday night.  Here’s a double “Foxtrot Yankee” for the Banchetto folks who caused this fiasco. It is no wonder that the Pasig City Government kicked you out from Emerald Avenue.  You only know how to cook, serve food and leave a lot of trash in your path. 

3rd SNAFU : Since I did not have Pay for View, I listened to the AM Radio Broadcast of the Pacquiao-Marquez fight.  The pinoy ringside announcers did a splendid job of describing the action in the ring. All that one has to do was close their eyes and imagine the  blows given and taken from the two warriors.  From the account of the radio commentators, the fighting pride of the Philippines lost to a counter-puncher.  Was it a surprise? No of course not. The Champ was scouted time and time again. They already found the antidote if an opponent wanted to stay standing after 12 rounds of boxing. The solution? Counterpunch and back-pedal.  It frustrated the Champ and rendered his lighting-fast hand speed ineffective.  Then the decision was announced as I was preparing to go to Cartimar and buy a bike-helmet. The fighting pride of the Philippines won!  What the hell happened?  Well, that may have been from the point of view of the judges but I believe it was another Foxtrot Alpha decision influenced by the promoters. 

Day of the Dead

November 02, 2011 - All Souls Day. It is actually the “Day of the Dead”.

A perfect time to reflect on the mystery of life. Is there anything more mysterious than life? I don’t think so.  Yep, the moment we are born and given the gift of life, there is only one thing certain.  That certainty is called “Death” or the Omega.  It is the end of our existence in this plane. You have to wonder on that great mystery which makes us all equal in the eyes of our maker. 

What makes it mysterious is the unknown after our life in this plane ends.  Do our bodies just rot and return to elemental carbon after five years? Is there a transition of the “soul”, “spirit”, “ chi” into a different plane? Whatever your belief system is, there is always the promise of an afterlife.  Even the uneducated tribes who live in the remote mountains have a basic belief of reincarnation.  I truly pity those educated ones who do not have any faith at all.  For them, death  means the end, with no further continuation of a higher awareness. Are they just being realistic? No, they are just being naïve. How can people of different races, cultures and locations have a common belief system in the afterlife and the atheists simply snub this? Go figure.

Should one be afraid of death.  Definitely not. It will come. The only question is – when? The earlier we realize that, the easier it is for us to embrace it.  In my younger days, our religious instructors drilled us regarding the “exercise for a happy death”.  It first sounded morbid and our parents showed a lot of concern. Eventually, this was accepted by both the students and parents.  I was taught to learn about the two sides of forgiveness. Forgiving others and asking for forgiveness in return. Only when you have forgiven in your heart can you accept the invitation from the Angel of Mercy whole heartedly. Remember, forgiveness doesn’t have to happen face-to-face with those you have offended.  It is in your heart that you must learn how to forgive and ask forgiveness in return. It doesn’t matter if forgiveness is granted to you or not. What matters is that you asked for forgiveness and in return you have forgiven in your heart.

Do I fear death? No, not at all. I am however horrified with the thought that I have not yet put in order all the things for my family. I am horrified in disappointing my family for not giving them enough of my time. Oh well, while I am still part of the “walking-dead”( really, that is all just what we are..)I might as well try to do everything to make things better for the family.  Do we do things differently? No, just remember your “exercise for a happy-death” and the next hunting trip to the Tumana would be just fine.

All Saints Day

Surely, you would remember All Saint’s Day this year because of the crazy weather.  In the morning of November 01, 2011 the blazing sun was displaying its might, forcing the people to pull out their umbrellas and find temporary relief under their man-made shade.  But the irony of the day is that the weather suddenly decided to go south and showered the land with cold pellets of rain. Again, it forced the people to pull out their umbrellas to avoid getting drenched in the rain. One tool, different functionalities, you just have to love it.

Since I could not visit my relative’s graves due to a conflict in schedule, I lit up three candles at home near the foot of our elevated staircase. The first candle, I dedicated to my maternal grandparents, Gonzalo and Rosario, who passed away in their 80’s.  The second candle, I dedicated to my paternal grandparents, Isidro and Enriqueta who passed away in their 90’s. 

The last candle I dedicated to Danielle, my first nephew who was delivered into the world as “stillbirth”.  Stillbirth is tragic death of a baby inside a mother’s womb that reportedly occurs in 1 out of 160 pregnancies.  He would have been 17 years old by now and probably a college sophomore.  I was supposedly his Godfather. We buried Danielle a day after he was taken from his mother womb.  He had a dark patch of hair and weighed about 7.5 lbs. He had my brother’s smile.

I prayed the Rosary in silence for them(… oh yes I still pray even if you think I should burn in Hell.) I also prayed that they pray for us who are still living in this crazy world.  While I was praying, I reflected on how powerful the strength of prayers are from those souls who are already in heaven.  I prayed for guidance, a little strength, and courage to face each day. 

I also prayed to those departed to heal the hearts of the people I have wronged in the past. May their prayers uplift the hearts of the people I have fucked-up.  I may have had a good reason ,or none at all, for fucking them up when I did.  Perhaps I was pissed drunk, angry or simply crazy when I did it, but its no excuse.  I have still crossed them.  The departed ones  know how I regret making those fucking-awful choices. Choices which will hound me till the rest of my days as my penance.

If you have watched “Game of Thrones” there is a warrior who prays only to one god. He prays to the “god of death”.  And his daily prayer to the god of death—- “NOT TODAY MY GOD, NOT TODAY”….  I admit it’s a bit different as to what my belief system is, but hey, you’ve got to respect the guy’s faith! Am sure none of us wants to meet his maker yet, at least not today.

Kandila

I kicked-off the day with the normal breakfast briefing with my two team leaders. We discussed operational issues encountered from the previous day at the Match Factory. I had to break the bad news that our team was again tasked to head another endeavor in behalf of the whole Match Factory.  While me ‘Hill and I  were joking about having brain-tumors because of intermittent headaches I noticed Anne had visible bruises on her arms. I asked her where she got those and she could not recall.  Perhaps it was a sign of Leukemia I kidded her.  She nodded in approval and said cancer probably ran in our match-factory.

We further explored the options when we die. We joked about the type of coffins,attire, and music we’d like played during our wake.  ‘Hill simply said he prefers to be wrapped in a straw mat(banig)  and thrown into the river for the fishes to consume. Anne was quite sure she wanted a wake before being laid to rest. I prefer to be cremated and put in a columbarium immediately. No wake, no after-party. Am sure my loved ones would understand that I would not want them to be grieving anymore. 

Why should anyone grieve? Am sure my passing would not be noticed. The world would continue to go on.  As for me, I will be living in a different plane, which is a part of my belief-system. I don’t exactly know how hot or cold it would be, nor do I have an inkling of how long I will be staying there. If the length of stay in this plane is an act of contrition for the sins I have done, then ten-thousand years would seem like only yesterday.  Yes, I fucked up a lot, even up to this day.  Some of them were really borne out of bad choices.

So as we wrapped up our breakfast meeting with these morbid thoughts, I ponder what the next few days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day would bring.  Hopefully more Zombies to kill.