Disturbing

I went home early because I was not feeling well. Incessant cough and colds have been bothering me for a week now. Actually they attacked me in a day and will be gone tomorrow. Add fever anytime and I am sure I have the H1N1. Damn!

I took the jeep home and planning to drop by Robinson's to have my dinner. A rare treat to a sick mind and body. Nearing the jeepney stop at Robinson's I told the driver I would be going down. Naay manaug? (Somebody going down?) I almost shouted, Naa! (I am going down! as if telling him I am going to die now) when infact I already announced it before by telling him and knocking on the roof of the jeepney.

Ay milapas na ta nya naay CITOM (We already went through the stop sign and there is the traffic enforcer).

I took a deep breath.

But suddenly, in a middle of a busy Fuente-Osmeña Circle, he stopped, announcing- Pwede na pagdali lang labon way CITOM (You can go down now and make it fast while there is no traffic enforcer.)

What?

Nabuang ka manong? Ganina wa ko nimo gihunong sa jeepney stop unya karon nia tas tunga sa kalsada imo ko panaogon? (Are you crazy manong? You didn't stop at the jeepney stand and now you are letting me down in the middle of the street?)

I was really furious! Suddenly got a massive headache.

This driver wanted to bring me down- down as in dead. Crazy!

The Under-de-Saya-Undersecretary of Tourism: A Case of Powertripping

A security officer at the Parklane International Hotel in Escario went home furious.

He was reprimanded by an Undersecretary of the Department of Tourism, or to be specific, the wife of the undersecretary.

He was directing the traffic at the hotel entrance since Matt Monroe Jr., who is capitalizing his father’s name, was having a concert at the hotel. Who was that again? Matt Monroe JR? I know there was a singer with a name Matt Monroe. Anyways, that was not the issue.

My friend, the security officer, was directing traffic at the hotel entrance when this car stopped right in the middle of the lane. Being an officer assigned to direct the flow of traffic, he signaled the driver to go to the designated drop off area. Since the driver was not responding, the officer knocked on the window of the car only to be greeted by a snarling wife of a tiger. No, a wife of an UNDERsecretary of Tourism. With emphasis of course on the position of her undersecretary of a husband. Which the UNDER-de-saya-undersecretary confirmed. It was like, Hey do you know me? I am an Underscretary and you are a lowlife, how dare you stop me? Ehmm, how dare you stop my wife's whims?

The driver, being THE driver of the UNDERsecretary, asked the “offending” officer if he knew the person he was dealing with. At that moment he (the officer) knew.

Being in a hospitality establishment, the officer asked for apology of course. And looked on the other way despite the traffic buildup.

Maybe the wife of the UNDERsecretary was just too eager to see the concert? Or maybe she has no power at all so she took the smaller employee at a snarling point so she may be that powerful?

But excuse me, since when does an offending traffic violator, highlighting his position as a government employee in the Department of Tourism, be absolved?

Sad story.

.