Ang Kaibigan kong Nahimasmasan at Nagbago nang Masupalpal Ko

ANG KAIBIGAN KONG NAHIMASMASAN

AT NAGBAGO NANG MASUPALPAL KO

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Nagkaroon ako ng isang kaibigan dahil sa pagsusulat ko sa internet. Follower ko siya nang mahigit isang taon na ngayon pero ibang sites ko ang binubuksan, wala kasing facebook dahil “wa klas” (walang class) daw itong site. Mayaman kasi kaya matapobre. Pero nang sabihan ko siyang tatlong grupo ang kakonek ko sa facebook, tulad ng mga kababayan at dating classmates, mga kasama dati sa PAL at mga kaibigan nila, at mga taga-ibang bansa na nakakonekta sa pamamagitan ng email ko, tumahimik siya…yan ang una kong pagsupalpal sa kanya.

 

Ang pangalawa kong pagsupalpal ay nang murahin niya ang driver niyang mas nakakatanda sa amin, sa harap ko pa. Na-late lang ng ilang minuto ang driver na tumae muna dahil sa naramdamang LBM, nagalit na ang kaibigan ko kahit pa sinabihan ko siyang hindi naman kami nagmamadali. Nakakausap ko ang driver at naidaing niya na hindi lang siya ang madalas bulyawan kundi pati ang misis at mga pamangkin nito. Nagulat ako dahil bukod sa maganda ay mabait pa ang misis na mas bata sa kaibigan ko ng 20 taon. Ang mga pamangkin naman ay masisipag at seryoso sa pag-aaral. Pinagyayabang pa niya na “napulot” lang daw niya sa isang night club noon ang kanyang misis na nagbigay sa kanya ng 4 na magagandang anak, puro babae at matatalino pa.

 

Nang magkaroon ako ng pagkakataon ay kinausap ko siya nang masinsinan. Malakas ang loob ko dahil madalas siyang komunsulta sa akin tungkol sa mga tauhan niya sa negosyo. Higit sa lahat ay ako rin ang gumawa ng mga kailangang dokumento para makapag-apply siya ng negosyo, mula sa pagkaroon ng pangalan nito hanggang sa incorporation. Diretsahan ko siyang sinabihang baguhin ang ugali niya at pabiro ko pang dinugtungan na huwag niyang gayahin ang pagmumura ko. Medyo kinabahan siya nang sabihan kong may mga nangyayaring mismong mga kadugong inaapi ay pumapapatay sa nang-aapi kapag sila ay napuno na. At dahil uso ang kinapping, sinabihan ko siyang baka “ibenta” siya ng mga taong inaalipusta niya, sa sindikato ng mga kidnapper. Lalo siyang nabahala nang sabihan ko siyang artistahin ang misis niya at sa edad na wala pang 30 taon ay baka layasan siya! Ang kaibigan ko kasi ay halos 50 taon na at ang mukha ay yong sinasabing nanay lang ang makakapagyabang….pero ubod ng yaman naman.

 

Nang sumunod na punta ko sa kanya dahil sa kanyang pakiusap ay nauna ako sa bahay nila. Naipit siya sa trapik mula sa Makati kung saan ang office niya na ayaw kong puntahan dahil sa trapik kaya sa ancestral house nila ako pumupunta sa Pasay. Ang sumalubong sa akin ay ang driver at pinagyabang ang bagong Seiko diver’s watch na ibinigay sa kanya ng kaibigan ko. Habang nagkakape ako, ang misis naman ay nagkuwento na maglilibot daw ang buong pamilya sa ASEAN countries bago magbagong taon at uuwi kalagitnaan na ng Enero…kasama ang dalawang pamangkin niya. Maiiwan ang driver at pamilya nito upang may bantay sa bahay pero pwede nilang gamitin ang van sa pamamasyal. Desisyon daw ng mister niya ang lahat.

 

Nang dumating ang kaibigan ko, halos naubos ko na ang pangalawang mug ng kape. Nagmadali itong nagbihis ng damit pangkalye- puruntong shorts, ukay na t-shirt na bigay ko noon, walang relos at singsing at naka-tsinelas. Samahan ko daw siya sa gumagawa ng mg kariton sa Bambang at Baseco. Sumakay kami sa LRT-Libertad, bumaba sa Recto at nag-commute na papunta sa dalawang destinasyon. Mula sa Bambang ay pumunta pa kami sa F. Torres, malapit sa Arranque, at dahil hindi pa kami nakapananghali, kumain kami sa puwesto ng lola ni “Pango” ang nai-blog ko noon kaya nakilala din niya. Isinama ko siya sa Lawton kung saan kami nagpahinga ng mga kasama ko (“gang of four”), at nagpilit pang pumunta kami sa Luneta upang hanapin ang manikurista na nai-blog ko rin na nakita namin sa tambayan ng mga seaman at may inaasikasong kostumer.

 

Habang nag-aabang kami ng jeep na masasakyan papunta sa Libertad, Pasay, nagpasalamat siya sa mg “pamasko” ko sa kanya. Nagturo lang ako sa itaas bilang sagot at nag-high five kami, sabay tawa, pero napansin kong nagpahid siya ng mga mata. Alam kong mababasa niya ito dahil ipinaalam ko sa kanya upang maging inspirasyon siya ng ibang matapobre na hindi pa nagbabago.

 

(Ang salitang “matapobre” ay hango sa salitang Kastila. Ang “mata” ay death at ang “pobre” ay poor, kaya para sa akin ang taong matapobre ay pumapatay ng mahihirap, sa pamamagitan ng pag-apak ng kanilang pagkatao.)

May Isang Mandaraya…teacher pa!

MAY ISANG MANDARAYA

….TEACHER PA!

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Ano pa nga ba at sa panahon ngayon

May mga pandarayang nangyayari

Sa lahat na halos ng pagkakataon;

Malakas ang loob ng mga gumagawa

Mukha’y makapal at matatapang pa

Pati ang konsiyensiya’y di alintana.

 

Paano kaya kung teacher ang gagawa?

Katulad ng nangyari sa isang bayan

Na maunlad, tahimik at mapayapa;

Nagpatimpalak, ginanap upang matuwa

Mga estudyante sa isang eskwelahan

At ang mga hurado ay mga maestra.

 

Nguni’t ng masaklap ay nakalusot pala

Ang isang hurado ng contest na ito

Dahil ang isang kasali ay nephew niya!

Itong teacher itinuloy pa ang  paghusga

Ganoong pinag-uusapan na ang isyu

Na kapalmuks siya at walang hiya talaga!

 

Dahil sa pangyayari, ano pang tiwala

Ang maipapakita sa mga teacher natin

Na dapat sana ay pagmamalasakitan?

Paano pa silang sundin ng mga kabataan

Kung katarantaduha’y ipinapakita nila

Kaya’t sila’y nililibak, sa halip na tularan?

 

ANG RESULTA….NANALO ANG PAMANGKIN NIYA!

 

A Surprise Visit to NDTC Molders of Youth…Ms. Norma Rafael and Mr. Morito Parcon (Davao City)

A Surprise Visit to NDTC Molders of Youth

…Ms. Norma Rafael and Mr. Morito Parcon (Davao City)

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

It was an unholy hour in the morning of Thursday, around 7AM when I trudged my way toward the gate of Ruby Subdivision to search for the home of the noted teachers of Notre Dame of Tacurong, the former Norma Rafael and Morito Parcon, but now lovey dovey partners for life. I took a tri-sikad (foot-pedaled pedicab) whose driver fortunately knew them, as Mr Parcon also served as a president of the homeowners association. When I knocked at their gate, it was their eldest, Toto, who answered my call and told me that his parents were attending that day’s Mass. I learned that they never miss a single Mass every day of the week.

 

The imposing Mt. Apo at 10,311 feet above sea level, practically loomed behind their home at the western dead-end portion of their “village”. The medicinal herbs that practically surround their home were a delight to the eyes. Due to the abundance of turmeric, they have ventured into packing of its powder form in capsules which at Php6 each could be considered the cheapest in the market. But one has to knock at their gate to make a purchase as their “business” is home-based and was originally intended to “kill” boredom and time to keep Mr. Parcon busy after having been hospitalized for a long time.

 

Our talk dwelt on the good old days in Notre Dame of Tacurong when Mr. Parcon was teaching Political Science in college while Ms. Norma Rafael was molding young girls at the former Girls Department which was under the administration of the Dominican Sisters (Order of Preachers). The college and Boys High School departments were, on the other hand, under the wings of the Oblate priests (Oblates of Mary Immaculate) with the assistance of the Oblates of Notre Dame (OND) Sisters.

 

Mr. Morito Parcon could well be considered as the historian of our city, for coming out with an extensively-researched book on her political history that covered the days when Buluan served as the “Mother Town” until the administration of Jose Escribano, the controversial mayor who got involved in a murder case. It took Mr. Parcon some time and loads of patient interview of pioneer leaders and settlers who came from the Visayas and Luzon, as well as hectic days of poring over filed records of early local government offices.

 

We mentioned names of his other students, some of whom were Ruel Lucentales, who was an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the time of his death, Jaime Bides who was a tour planning officer of the Marsman Travel and Tours, and later a businessman and resource person on spiritual matters, Renato Hingco who was connected with the Department of the Budget and Management (DBM) and Felizardo Lazado who was also with the DSWD before occupying an important position in the Ministry of Human Settlements later on. On the side of the Girls’ Department, names such as, Esther Bagsic, Talama Makilala-Saavedra, Rodina Ballena-Marasigan, Virgie Paragas, Esther Bagsic, Elma Darjan-Bides who is the current Tacurong City Accountant, and many more were mentioned. It was a meeting of quick reminiscences to the delight of my former teachers who, I had to help recall important moments in the past. For the photo opportunities, I asked them to pose in front of the tall and thickly growing wild sugar cane, crawling medicinal herbs, as well as, big pomelo look-alike and cure-all “magic fruits”. Some photos were taken with their eldest son, Toto.

 

I am sharing this experience to give an idea to viewers that even a simple visit can make important people in our life very happy…they who helped us grow into responsible citizens of the country. That is why, I smiled when, Mr. Parcon proudly declared, “I made them all”, referring to us, his students. Indeed, he did his best and I can attest to that!

 

 

 

The Consistency of PAL-Davao in Maintaining the Airline’s High Quality of Service Standards

The Consistency of PAL- Davao in Maintaining

The Airline’s High Quality of Service Standards

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

Davao station of Philippine Airlines is considered as the hub of its operation in Mindanao and lately, its scope extends to the neighboring Asian countries. As I have worked with the said company for a little more than twenty years and left it during the early years of the new management’s take over, I can very well say that I have an idea of what had been and what are being done as regards the customer satisfaction which fortunately has been maintained due to the consistency of the airline’s high standards.

 

According to Mr. Vic Suarez, the new Head for Mindanao Sales Area, the airline will not compromise its high standard by scrimping on other aspects of operations as some sort of an offsetting, most especially, by offering low fares, except the seasonal promos. High quality of service can only be assured if there is enough manpower that can attend to the requirements of customers. As can be observed, all ticketing offices and the check-in counters at the airport terminals are adequately manned by equally vibrant personnel of Macro-Asia. Mr. Suarez is supported by Ma. Leana Sanga, Secretary; Edgardo Ramos, Staff Assistant; and Ricardo Ambrosio, Sr. Market Planning Analyst.

 

If international cuisine has its “fusion” dishes concocted based on different cultural influences, PAL has its “fusion service”. It is my own terminology and I came up with it in view of the harmonious co-operation of service providers and the held-over organic PAL employees. As in Manila, this unique and harmonious fusion of effort is also found in the operation of PAL in Davao. The ticketing office at the Davao airport is manned by the organic PAL employees, while the check- counters, load control, and the Mabuhay Lounge are manned by the young staff of Macro-Asia. Behind them, such as the Airport Service Manager, Ms. Ludy Bagares and the Customer Service Officers are all organic PAL employees. Helping them out in the overall operation is Excellent, the manpower agency that provided the aircraft cleaning crew, janitorial and porter service.

 

The Customer Service Officers who have spent a good number of years with PAL are Leonilo Abella, Ernie Adrias, Archie Batu, Karlo Respicio, Marlon Rosales, Allen Dizon, Art Migalben, and Anthony Paradela, with the last four mentioned also handling Cargo.

 

The Macro-Asia Supervisors are  Charlie Erojo, Erwin Tongco, Dennis Tiamson, Rommel Covarubias and June Dalisay. The Passenger Services Agents is Ruben Maglaya; and Cargo Service Agents, Ben Arcayan and Julbert Nolasco. The ramp area is handled by the Ramp Service Agents, Ruel Catao, Cyril Pollaris and Joel Montales, while the Ramp Equipment Repairman is Lambert Lazaro.

 

Ms. Bagares expressed that so far, their operation is smooth and without any hassle as the traditional and high PAL standards are maintained to ensure that the customers get the commensurate worth of what they paid for to reach their destination safely.