Minsan

Minsan sa may Kalayaan tayo'y nagkatagpuan
May mga sariling gimik at kaya-kanyang hangad sa buhay
Sa ilalim ng iisang bubong
Mga sekretong ibinubulong
Kahit na anong mangyari
Kahit na saan ka man patungo

Ngunit ngayon kay bilis maglaho ng kahapon
Sana'y huwag kalimutan ang ating mga pinagsamahan
At kung sakaling gipitin ay laging iisipin
Na minsan tayo ay naging
Tunay na magkaibigan
Minsan ay parang wala nang bukas sa buhay natin
Inuman sa magdamag na para bang tayo'y mauubusan
Sa ilalim ng bilog na buwan
Mga tiyan nati'y walang laman
Ngunit kahit na walang pera
Ang bawat gabi'y anong saya

Minsan ay hindi ko na alam ang nangyayari
Kahit na anong gawin
Lahat ng bagay ay merong hangganan
Dahil ngayon tayo ay nilimot ng kahapon
Di na mapipilitang buhayin ang ating pinagsamahan
Ngunit kung sakaling mapadaan baka
Ikaw ay aking tawagan
Dahil minsan tayo ay naging
Tunay na magkaibigan...

[Eraserheads will be having another reunion concert this March 2009! and I am hoping the group will savor once again the friendship they used to have. How about a group hug? ]

An Excuse to See a Movie Star

Someone I know, a student from Holy Name University in Tagbilaran, invited me to watch Uyayi (whatever that means) at MetroCentre Hotel. It’s supposed to be a concert with Chinchin Gutierrez for an environmental cause.

I read somewhere that Chinchin is an environmental blah-blah advocate and that she is a movie actress. But I never heard or read about her singing career. Concerts are supposed to have singers and not actors or else that would be theater, correct me if I am wrong. But it did not interest me at all.

I ask him instead, how come an environmental awareness activity such as this concert, is done in a hotel where just by sitting there would already cause harm to the environment? The air-conditioner would be in full blast I’m sure. The seat covers would be washed with detergents and other chemicals to make it spunky new. With hundreds of people attending, the environmental impact surely would be a noticeable chunk in the climate change. Is this a good excuse for seeing a movie star? Or a hands down environmental watch to hmmm… well- watch and see if such cause is really relevant?

He told me he was not talking about environments, it is a cultural and tourism thing since the sponsors are the tourism students of Holy Name University and the provincial government of Bohol. I snapped back at him because I saw the ad and their come-on was a bad promotional strategy telling people about watching this and helping an environmental cause when in fact it has nothing to do with it. Why can’t they just tell the people that the funds will be used for some gallivanting around to a tourist destination? Well- this is creativity in the making on the positive side. They could be our future politicians. He told me he is going back at me. I am afraid he would be bringing the whole batch of tourism students from that university.

Anyways, if their cause is real, they could have done it at Plaza Rizal right under the trees. One carbon footprint less, di ba? And while the guests are paying P400, they can also give the non-paying bystanders (read: public) a chance to watch and listen, misinformation education no matter, giving their cause a justifiable place to go. That would have been a good promotional ploy.

But then again, I am not their marketing specialist.

I hope the proceeds of this “concert” will truly benefit the environment. Which environment if I may ask?

(Yeah, I am such a bitch.)

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.

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