Is Freedom an Illusion?

Piso, pambili ng kausap…at ang mga pilosopong kausap

Piso, pambili ng kausap
…at ang mga pilosopong kausap
Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ipokrito ako kung sasabihin kong sa lahat ng oras ay kaya kong kontrolin ang sarili ko kung ang kausap ko ay pilosopo kahit na pinipilit kong ibalik sa ayos ang aming pag-uusap, tuwing ito ay madiskaril dahil sa kanyang pamimilosopo. Ang ganitong sitwasyon ay nadadanasan ko lalo na kung ang kausap ko ay walang balak na magbago ng ugali o talaga lang makitid ang isip.

Halimbawa na lang ay ang isa kong kumpare noon sa Paraῆaque, na tamad na ay lasenggo pa. Naisip ko tuloy na kaya niya ako kinuhang ninong ng kanyang anak ay upang may mautangan siya palagi na siya ngang ginawa hanggang sa matauhan ako. Tuwi na lang may sasabihin akong magpapahiwatig ng kanyang mga pagkakamali, mayroon din siyang sagot na baluktot.

Nang minsang sinabihan ko siyang nangangailangan ng tauhan ang isang intsik na kaibigan ko upang magbantay sa bodega nito, sinabihan niya akong may pilay siya sa balikat, na alam ko namang hindi totoo. Nang mapansin kong dalawa sa mga anak niyang magkasunod ay sukob sa isang taon, pinayuhan kong maghinay-hinay sa pagbuntis sa asawa niyang may sakit na hika at mahina ang puso, subalit sinagot ako nang “lasing kasi ako, pare” o di kaya’y, “kaysa iba naman ang mabuntis ko, pare”.

Nang payuhan ko namang sanayin ang mga anak niya sa mga gulay at isda na masustansiya na ay mura pa, hindi tulad ng hot dog at instant noodles, ibinato ang sisi sa kumare ko na hindi daw marunong magluto. At, nang sabihan ko na bawasan na ang pagto-tong its niya, lalo na at wala naman siyang regular na trabaho, sinagot ako ng “paminsan-minsan lang pare”.

Lahat nang iyon ay kinaya ko pang pagtimpihan, subalit hindi ako nakapagpigil nang minsang nakihalo siya sa isang seryosong pakikipag-usap ko sa isang grupo na pinapayuhan ko tungkol sa mga halamang gamot at pagtitipid. Panay ang patawa niya sa pamamagitan ng pagsingit ng mga walang kabuluhang bagay, kaya inabutan ko siya ng piso. Nang tanungin niya ako kung para saan yon, sabi ko, gamitin niya sa pagbili ng kausap. Napahiya siya at natauhan. Hindi ko na muna siya kinibo dahil mas importante noon ang ginagawa kong pakikibahagi ng kaalaman tungkol sa mga nabanggit na paksa.

Para sa akin, hindi masama ang maging tapat o prangka sa isang tao kung kailangan upang matauhan siya. Isa sa paniniwala ko ay ang pangangailangan natin ng ibang tao upang magsabi sa atin ng mga mali nating gawi na hindi natin napapansin. Inaamin ko na ilang beses na ring nangyari sa akin ang pagpuna ng iba dahil sa maikli kong pasensiya, na taggap ko naman. Palagi kasi akong nagmamadali na akala ko ay tama sa lahat ng pagkakataon, at ang masama ay hindi ko agad napansin na naapektuhan pala ang iba na inakala kong mabagal sa pagkilos.

Sa isang banda naman, may mga pa-pilosopo tayong sinasabi kung minsan dahil sa hangarin nating magpatawa. Subalit, mahalaga ang “timing” at paggamit ng tamang patawa na aangkop sa pinag-uusapan para hindi ma-out of tune, wika nga. Kaya kung sa tingin natin ay talagang seryoso ang pinag-uusapan, iwasan ang magpatawa upang hindi mabigyan ng piso.

Fun and Fulfillment in Switching Jobs…just don’t be choosy

Fun and Fulfillment in Switching Jobs
…just don’t be choosy
By Apolinario Villalobos

This is about enjoying any kind of job that comes our way. I am sharing my actual experiences which may not apply to new snooty graduates, especially, those from exclusive schools and universities, who expect managerial position in their first job.

Contractualization is a big labor issue today as it smacks of exploitation. It practically douses the job applicant’s quest for job security. While all labor groups are moving heaven and earth to convince the government and employers to scrap it, those looking for jobs, in the meantime should not sulk, but instead, try to make do with any job that they may find, albeit, temporarily. They should console themselves with the thought that somehow, the stint could fill the space on their bio-data that asks for work experience.

I earned my first salary as a laborer in a home-based “factory” where I washed empty bottles to be filled with soy sauce and vinegar. When I was in first year college, I was a working student (today, student assistant), assigned to clean eight rooms and a playground. While in third year college, I was hired as a contract employee by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. I did the various jobs wholeheartedly – with fun. They became my strong foundation when I was hired by an airline company, as they prepared me physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I did not think twice when I was told that my assignment as a ticketing/freight clerk was in the far-flung Tablas island of Romblon. My colleagues in the batch of new hires were assigned either in Davao, Manila, Legazpi and Zamboanga. I did no stay in Tablas for long because I was relocated to Manila to edit our department’s black and white travel magazine. From that job, I moved on to do field sales. Much later, I was moved to another job, this time administrative management in nature, assisting the Vice President of the whole Philippines and Guam Region.

I accepted all assignments without complaint, not even scared despite my limited course which was Bachelor of Arts in English and History. I just enjoyed what I was doing and did my best in learning whatever was necessary to enhance my performance every time a new assignment was given. After leaving the company, I switched again to other jobs to keep me going. I developed operations and training manuals, packaged tours for travel agents, did editing and translation, composed poems posthaste for special occasions, wrote speeches, and accepted commitments as resource person in tourism seminars.

But the ultimate joy I feel is in doing a special kind of “field work” – in slums that some people fear to visit. Proudly, I can say that those I meet in these places which for some are God-forsaken, made me realize more, that indeed, life is like a book filled with diverse and colorful stories of struggle. I am not asking others to do the last mentioned that I am doing, though.
Each one of us has a different kind of advocacy in life which we can enjoy if we treat it as a continuing process and just have fun in what we do.