“Tikug” Mats Started my Advocacy in Manila but Nurtured it as a Student in NDTC

“Tikug” Mats Started My Advocacy in Manila

But Nurtured it as a Student in NDTC

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

After my stint in Tablas station (Romblon) with an initial job as Ticket/Freight Clerk of Philippine Airlines in early ‘80s, I was transferred to the Tours and Promotions Division in Manila. For practical and economic reasons, I stayed in a boarding house along Airport Road in Baclaran, as our office was at the old Domestic Airport (today, Terminal 4). During the time, what is now as ASEANA City, was yet, a body of water – Manila Bay, from the seawall of which the famed sunset could be clearly viewed. From late afternoon to early evening, I and some of my co-boarders would spend time at the seawall killing time. We would observe some people dragging their belongings in plastic and tattered shoulder bags while strolling along the boulevard, some were with their family. Before we would go back to the boarding house, we observed them spreading blankets on the grassy ground on which they rested for the night.

 

The scenes of elderly people and children sleeping on the ground without mat made me restless for several days. When I went back alone one early evening at around 6pm, I strolled up to the portion of the boulevard in front of the Aristocrat Restaurant in Ermita. I saw the same scenes – people lying on spread cloths and blankets on the grass.

 

When Boy Loquias, a new PAL recruit who was undergoing training at the PAL Training Center at the Gate 1 of Nichols Air Base joined us at the boarding house, I was glad upon learning that he was from Bohol which afforded me the opportunity to speak in Cebuano more often. When I brought him to the then, Dewey Boulevard, he was amazed to find the boulevard sleepers. Jokingly, he said that we better join them rather than spend for the boarding house. Honestly, however, he confided that something must be done to help them and asked, “asa ang SWA?” (“where is SWA?”, for which he meant Department of Social Welfare or DSW). When I mentioned giving them cheap “tikug” mat from Mindanao, he agreed. During the time, a piece of said mat was priced between 40-50pesos at the Islamic Center in Quiapo, unlike today that a single-sized costs between 120-150pesos. “Tikug” mats which are colorfully dyed are made in Cotabato.

 

From then on, I scrimped on my personal needs to save for mats. When Boy Loquias learned about my plan, he gave me part of his training allowance. Another co-boarder, Sammy, who was a member of the combo that performed at the Ugnayan Beer House, across our boarding house, also contributed. Initially, we were able to purchase 2 dozens of mats for which I was able to get a discount. It was not enough. I raised another amount from my saved per diem allowance, as my job then, required me to travel a lot. I also refused to accept the contribution of Boy whose allowance was just enough for his needs, especially, from Sammy who had two kids left with his wife in Naga City.

 

My visits to the Islamic Center in Quiapo for purchases of “tikug” mats led to my side trips to “Avenida” known for prostitutes who could be seen prowling the avenue for prospective customers, from early afternoon to early morning, the following day. I was staggered by what I observed and experienced at the Avenida. Daringly-dressed women openly made proposals while holding my hand but which I gently refused. On early mornings, not yet 7AM, thickly-rouged and obviously ageing prostitutes would ask an amount for a cup of coffee in exchange for sexual favor. From such encounters, I was able to strike friendship with many of them that developed into trust which became my passport to their dwellings in the slum along the banks of Reina Regente River. There, I met snatchers, swindlers, sex peddlers and their families. As pre-planned, I did not give them my real identity for my own safety. What they knew was that I was a job-seeker from the province and my thick Cebuano accent helped a lot, as many of them were also Bisaya.

 

Events oozing with colorful adventures made my curiosity stronger that led me farther to Arranque, Divisoria, Pritil, Malabon, Bagong Bayan (Dasmariἧas, Cavite), Tala Leprosarium, and Baseco Compound where I was able let out my pent up desire to share. It also led me to three other guys who had the same desire and with whom blessings were shared with those dwelling along the bank of Pasig River and Recto yearly, from the last week of November to the first week of December.

 

My advocacy was nurtured while I was a student of Notre Dame of Tacurong (NDTC) and nobody, even my family and closest friends knew about it, not even my colleagues in PAL later on, except Boy Loquias who was assigned at Tablas after his training, and where he raised his family. It was only when I shared my “adventures” on facebook due to the prodding of some friends, though with much hesitation, that they came to know about them. I just consoled myself with the thought that my sharing such adventures would, hopefully, make others realize that one need not be rich to be able to share blessings with others…and, that they can do the same, if they wish.

 

Pride and the Debacles of de Lima

Pride and the Debacles of de Lima

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

The hatred of Duterte against de Lima could be traced back to the time when he was yet the mayor of Davao City, while de Lima was the Head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The animosity between the two was anchored on the issue of extra-judicial killing cases of drug personalities against Duterte. De Lima strappingly threatened to bring Duterte to court to which the latter dared the former with equal tenacity. The threat of de Lima just became more pronounced when she became the Secretary of Justice. All of these happened during the administration of Pnoy Aquino during which nothing came out of the threat of de Lima to bring Duterte to court.

 

Unfortunately for de Lima, the guy that she hates to the bone became President. And, although, she won the last seat of the Senate, it was overcast with many questions and doubts. Her winning was purportedly part of the design of the past administration to have a stalwart Liberal representative in the Senate, and there’s no better choice than de Lima who has an intense hatred against Duterte who has plans to run after the shenanigans under the past administration.

 

With arrogance and pride, de Lima continued to threaten the new President, and this time, she warned that she will be his obstacle in the Senate, virtually, his pain in the neck. As an ignorant neophyte in the Senate, she thought that she has the control of the House, and that the Congress is at her command.  She forgot that at the House, she belongs to the Minority, while at the Congress, there was a massive change of color from yellow to red, right on the first day of Duterte’s first day in Malacaἧan.

 

Duterte is right all the way when he said that if de Lima really deemed that he has violated human rights, she should have filed cases against him in court while she was still the Head of the CHR, and more especially, when she became the DOJ Secretary. But she did not, and instead, she kept on badmouthing him incessantly.

 

What de Lima could have done was gave Duterte a chance in eradicating the drug problem in the country. She could have offered her hand for cooperation and reconciliation for the sake of all Filipinos for whom all of them elected officials work. Obviously, her pride stood in the way. And, because of such pride, she is now in a quandary to prove that she did not benefit from the illegal drug transactions inside the Bilibid that overflowed on the streets and further involved even some government and Philippine National Police officials. Now, she has more problems that ballooned beyond her control, than she thought could be handled with a breeze during the good old days under Pnoy Aquino.

 

De Lima should have taken the handshake from Duterte during his proclamation as a cue for reconciliation, but she did not. Instead, the following day, she let out a barrage of threats. At the time, she was blind to the fact that she was going against a charismatic person who even claims that he won the presidency as part of his destiny. He may be accused of extra-judicial killings but nothing has been proven, yet. As a lawyer, de Lima’s eyes should be opened by this other fact, as under the justice system of any country, a person is innocent unless proven guilty in court.

 

De Lima was able to hurdle the first obstacle, that of immorality for living in with a married man by admitting, perhaps with a heavy heart, such fault. But what she could not undo are the tangles of other debacles in which her pride trapped her.

 

 

Dapat Nang Tanggalin si Aguirre bilang Kalihim ng DOJ

DAPAT NANG TANGGALIN SI AGUIRRE BILANG KALIHIM NG DOJ

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

KUNG SERYOSO ANG DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NA PATANGGALAN NG LISENSIYA SI DE LIMA DAPAT AY GAWIN NA AGAD DAHIL MATIBAY NAMAN ANG EBIDENSIYA LABAN SA KANYA SA KASONG IMORALIDAD. DAPAT AY PASUNDAN ITO NG PAGTANGGAL SA KANYA SA SENADO SA KAPAREHONG KASO. IPAHULI NA LANG ANG KASO TUNGKOL SA KONEKSIYON NIYA SA ILEGAL NA DROGA DAHIL SA MGA NAKAKALITONG TESTIMONYA, AT MALINAW NAMAN NA IBA ANG NASASAKLAW NITO.

 

KUNG HINDI AGAD MAGHAHAIN NG KASO BATAY SA IMORALIDAD LABAN KAY DE LIMA, SIGURADONG MALULUSAW LANG ITO KUNG HIHINTAYIN PANG MAGKAROON NG LINAW ANG KONEKSIYON NIYA SA ILEGAL NA DROGA SA LOOB NG BILIBID DAHIL SA NAKAKALITONG MGA TESTIMONYA NG MGA SAKSI AT SANGKOT, KAYA PATI ANG KONGRESO AT SENADO AY HALOS NAWALAN NG DIREKSIYON SA PAG-IMBESTIGA.

 

PAGPAPAKITA NG KAHINAAN NG DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE KUNG HINDI AGAD MA-DISBAR O MATANGGALAN NG LISENSIYA BILANG ABOGADO, AT SA PUWESTO NIYA SA SENADO SI DE LIMA.

 

NOON PA MAN AY NAKITAAN NA NG KAHINAAN ANG KALIHIM NG DOJ DAHIL ANG PALAGING PALUSOT NITO SA MGA TANONG KUNG BAKIT WALA PANG GINAGAWA ANG AHENSIYA AY GUSTO DAW NIYA NG “MATIBAY” NA EBIDENSIYA. ANONG “MATIBAY” NA EBIDENSIYA ANG HINIHINTAY NIYA PARA SA KASONG IMORALIDAD, GANOONG UMAMIN NA SI DE LIMA AT DAYAN NA MAGSIYOTA NGA SILA?

 

USAD PAGONG ANG KILOS NI AGUIRRE AT ANG ISANG PRUWEBA AY ANG KAWALAN NIYA NG KIBO SA KABILA NG MAHIGIT DALAWANG BUWAN NANG HINDI PAG-AKSYON NG AMLAC SA NIRE-REQUEST MULA SA KANILA NA RECORDS NG MGA SANGKOT SA DROGA NA INIIMBISTIGAHAN. KUNG HINDI PA KINULIT NG MEDIA AY HINDI NABISTO ANG KAHINAAN NIYA SA PAGKALAP NG MGA EBIDENSIYA KAYA WALA PALANG NANGYARI.

 

DAPAT SIYANG MAG-RESIGN O TANGGALIN DAHIL HINDI ANGKOP ANG KAHINAAN NIYA SA MABILIS NA PAGKILOS NG PRESIDENTE AT IBA PANG AHENSIYA. HUWAG NIYANG HINTAYING MATULAD SIYA KAY ROBREDO NA SINIBAK SA PAMAMAGITAN NG TEXT.

 

AT, ANG PINAKA-NAKAKABAHALA AY BAKA MATULAD ANG KASO NI DE LIMA AT ILEGAL NA DROGA SA KASO NG MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE NA INABOT NG SIYAM-SIYAM AT PAGPASA-PASA SA ILALIM NG IBA’T IBANG ADMINISTRASYON, KAYA HANGGANG NGAYON, ANG MGA BIKTIMA AY NAKANGANGA SA KAWALAN.