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When I started this blog, I promised myself I won’t be using it in politics. Rather, I wanted it to be as far from this aspect of my life as I can. Maybe, I just wanted to prove to myself that I can live a life away from the mob so to speak, in my own little world. But what I am about to share now is so big, I really cannot help but blog about it.
As a lot of those who check out my blog know, my father is running for Governor of the Province of Camarines Sur, yes – against that wakeboardin’ dude – self-proclaimed John Lloyd Cruz look-alike (its really making me retch as I write this…) – L-Ray Villafuerte.
Admittedly, it is an uphill climb for my Dad, our family and our supporters. I had so many doubts when my Dad started exploring this path after the end of his three year term as Congressman started looming in the horizon. There were so many objections and oppositions from within and without, especially since his major supporter in this endeavour was someone the family does not trust.
I prayed and prayed because things are just so confusing. I wanted God to do his work and clear out the dust and show us the truth and what we are supposed to do.
As expected, with much faith, the answer came in the last three days of last week. The major supporter finally shed his chameleon clothes and showed his true self. Blood is thicker than water after all. People indeed can change their minds according to what is convenient to them. Principles can be compromised despite of all the people that will be affected.
Our family braced for the expected. It was my Dad’s birthday last Saturday and despite preparing for a thousand people, we were afraid that the people we were expecting to arrive might not come. But God is good – coz they did, amazingly despite coming from far away places. They pledged their support for my Dad. It was a good feeling seeing all these people come and tell my Dad “Sir, walang iwanan!”
Nakakataba ng puso and my heart is only so full of gratitude. At this point, if we lose, the fact that the people of Camarines Sur has seen how wily this political family is, and their supporters have also felt how little this family think of them, we have already served our purpose.
Now, we are still with the administration, as my Dad had been since 2001. He is supporting Gibo Teodoro and it will stay that way. Clear, clean, transparent. No more, no less. That is who my Dad is. That is how our family is.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
PRISAA or First PRISA
Today is a great surprise!
I attended a meeting of the Bicol Foundation on Higher Education (BFHE) this afternoon. We hosted the meeting again of this organization of higher education institutions in the Bicol Region. Being a quarterly meeting of the organization it was attended by the officers and board of directors only.
Our agenda list was long. The BFHE is the Regional Association on Higher Education Institutions of the RAHEI of the Bicol Region and being such, we discussed how we will go about with the CHED directed Academic and Cultural Competitions related to the CHED National Games. In a nutshell, if SCUAA, LCUAA, and PRISAA is now going to join together for the CHED National Games (unified!), the RAHEIs and the NAHEIs are in charge of the academic and cultural competition portion of the games.
The discussion regarding Bicol Region's participation was quite long so I will not bore anyone reading this with the details, but something really blew me away.
Apparently, the PRISAA national organization has transformed itself into a party-list organization calling itself First PRISA. I don't know how this happened. A lot of things are still fuzzy. But suffice it to say, that whatever is happening, the guys behind First PRISA are using the PRISAA organization to build a network of members throughout the country. Remember that it is part of COMELEC accreditation requirements that a party-list organization have nationwide membership and representation to be classified as such.
Although it seems clear that PRISAA is a different entity from First PRISA, there is no doubt that the people they have listed as their regional representatives are the same regional presidents of the local PRISAA. This is weird and crazy especially for us PRISAA member schools who were never informed of this development.
Honestly, as a President of a University, and a paying member of PRISAA, I cannot help but think about the possibility of First PRISA using PRISAA funds to further their cause without the consent of its general membership.
Right now, we -- along with several other member schools -- are thinking of withdrawing our membership from PRISAA, lest we be used for the political interest of others without our knowledge or consent.
Actually, what I really feel so bad about is how this exhibits how the PRISAA National Officers see their members. They see us as minions rather than equals or partners to attain the goals of PRISAA.
I will blog some more about this as soon as I get more information. But, still this thing stinks like after-flood garbage in Marikina.
I attended a meeting of the Bicol Foundation on Higher Education (BFHE) this afternoon. We hosted the meeting again of this organization of higher education institutions in the Bicol Region. Being a quarterly meeting of the organization it was attended by the officers and board of directors only.
Our agenda list was long. The BFHE is the Regional Association on Higher Education Institutions of the RAHEI of the Bicol Region and being such, we discussed how we will go about with the CHED directed Academic and Cultural Competitions related to the CHED National Games. In a nutshell, if SCUAA, LCUAA, and PRISAA is now going to join together for the CHED National Games (unified!), the RAHEIs and the NAHEIs are in charge of the academic and cultural competition portion of the games.
The discussion regarding Bicol Region's participation was quite long so I will not bore anyone reading this with the details, but something really blew me away.
Apparently, the PRISAA national organization has transformed itself into a party-list organization calling itself First PRISA. I don't know how this happened. A lot of things are still fuzzy. But suffice it to say, that whatever is happening, the guys behind First PRISA are using the PRISAA organization to build a network of members throughout the country. Remember that it is part of COMELEC accreditation requirements that a party-list organization have nationwide membership and representation to be classified as such.
Although it seems clear that PRISAA is a different entity from First PRISA, there is no doubt that the people they have listed as their regional representatives are the same regional presidents of the local PRISAA. This is weird and crazy especially for us PRISAA member schools who were never informed of this development.
Honestly, as a President of a University, and a paying member of PRISAA, I cannot help but think about the possibility of First PRISA using PRISAA funds to further their cause without the consent of its general membership.
Right now, we -- along with several other member schools -- are thinking of withdrawing our membership from PRISAA, lest we be used for the political interest of others without our knowledge or consent.
Actually, what I really feel so bad about is how this exhibits how the PRISAA National Officers see their members. They see us as minions rather than equals or partners to attain the goals of PRISAA.
I will blog some more about this as soon as I get more information. But, still this thing stinks like after-flood garbage in Marikina.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Hopeful
Last week, I was informed that Col. Tomasito Clet, the COP of Iriga City for several years now was transferred to Naga City.
I felt mixed emotions. I felt really sad that Col. Clet left our beloved Iriga. He really made such great difference in our City with his team up with our Mayor Madel A. Gazmen. Crime in Iriga is almost zero and during Col. Clet's tenure he was able to make important and substantial drug busts that paralyzed, if not completely eradicated the proliferation of drugs in our City.
In a way, I also feel HOPEFUL, because at last Naga City will have a Chief of Police that is known for his integrity and being an action man. He is a man of results, and is very humble. I think he came to Naga just in time.
You see, about a month ago, there was an attempted break-in and robbery at my store in General Luna Street, just a stone's throw away from the Naga City Police Headquarters.
We had break-ins before, but they just got a cd player worth about P3,000.00 and about P1,000.00 in cash. It was in 2006. My stay-in tinderas reported to me that sometimes, they would hear someone attempting to break-in the store but since my husband installed three door locks those who attempted to do so -- with my tinderas in the store were not successful.
Fast forward to about a month ago... my husband was woken up at about 3:00AM by a call from our Store Manager. She told him that someone tried to break in the store. The small door (service entrance) of the store was destroyed save for a lock at the top of the door that kept it to the doorjamb. Apparently, the man attempting to break-in used a crowbar to destroy the door.
What was really scary was the fact that I have two tinderas who sleep in the store. One tindera was in shock and just stayed in a corner. My other tindera got a knife and attempted to hit the hand of the robber everytime it tries to hold the door and push it. In fact, my tindera claims that he was able to hit the man's hand several times and was sure that it must have left a wound. So what does this mean? The man knows there are people inside the store yet he insisted to break-in. I was sure that if he was successful, he will kill my tinderas.
It was a good thing that my store manager was just living in a boarding house near the store. My tinderas called her up at the start when they heard that someone was trying to knockdown the door. My store manager immediately dropped by the station before proceeding to the store. When the police and my manager arrived the roober was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he left when a police mobile left the station just before the police and my manager arrived at the store.
I am just so disappointed that Naga City, which has been lauded by several award giving bodies for good governance and being the best... a world-class city, cannot even solve the criminality proliferating in the urban center. That whole lane of laundry shops, ukay-ukay stores, beauty salons along general luna st., near Barlin St., very, very near --- literally a stones throw away from the Naga City Police Headquarters have been plagued by robbers, thieves, holdapers and other criminals for years now. Aside from our store, the Tad's Laundry Shop was also broken in last month, for the second time ha! Even the Menasec Drugstore which is within the compound of the police station was robbed. I mean... is this world-class? Utang na loob naman!
Last SONA, the economist Solita Monsod said of GMA's speech, that it is true that the economy of the Philippines is doing good but it is regrettable that the Filipino poor does not feel the benefits of this good economy.
Like Naga, it might be true that Jessie Robredo is the best Mayor the City of Naga will ever have with great governance policies, but it is regrettable that a simple problem like peace and order cannot be solved.
I dream of a day when I can once again walk the streets of Naga without being afraid that my bag or my celphone will be snatched away from me or no longer see elementary school age kids sniffing rugby at the Barlin Statue, right in front of the Naga City Police Station. I am always HOPEFUL.
I felt mixed emotions. I felt really sad that Col. Clet left our beloved Iriga. He really made such great difference in our City with his team up with our Mayor Madel A. Gazmen. Crime in Iriga is almost zero and during Col. Clet's tenure he was able to make important and substantial drug busts that paralyzed, if not completely eradicated the proliferation of drugs in our City.
In a way, I also feel HOPEFUL, because at last Naga City will have a Chief of Police that is known for his integrity and being an action man. He is a man of results, and is very humble. I think he came to Naga just in time.
You see, about a month ago, there was an attempted break-in and robbery at my store in General Luna Street, just a stone's throw away from the Naga City Police Headquarters.
We had break-ins before, but they just got a cd player worth about P3,000.00 and about P1,000.00 in cash. It was in 2006. My stay-in tinderas reported to me that sometimes, they would hear someone attempting to break-in the store but since my husband installed three door locks those who attempted to do so -- with my tinderas in the store were not successful.
Fast forward to about a month ago... my husband was woken up at about 3:00AM by a call from our Store Manager. She told him that someone tried to break in the store. The small door (service entrance) of the store was destroyed save for a lock at the top of the door that kept it to the doorjamb. Apparently, the man attempting to break-in used a crowbar to destroy the door.
What was really scary was the fact that I have two tinderas who sleep in the store. One tindera was in shock and just stayed in a corner. My other tindera got a knife and attempted to hit the hand of the robber everytime it tries to hold the door and push it. In fact, my tindera claims that he was able to hit the man's hand several times and was sure that it must have left a wound. So what does this mean? The man knows there are people inside the store yet he insisted to break-in. I was sure that if he was successful, he will kill my tinderas.
It was a good thing that my store manager was just living in a boarding house near the store. My tinderas called her up at the start when they heard that someone was trying to knockdown the door. My store manager immediately dropped by the station before proceeding to the store. When the police and my manager arrived the roober was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he left when a police mobile left the station just before the police and my manager arrived at the store.
I am just so disappointed that Naga City, which has been lauded by several award giving bodies for good governance and being the best... a world-class city, cannot even solve the criminality proliferating in the urban center. That whole lane of laundry shops, ukay-ukay stores, beauty salons along general luna st., near Barlin St., very, very near --- literally a stones throw away from the Naga City Police Headquarters have been plagued by robbers, thieves, holdapers and other criminals for years now. Aside from our store, the Tad's Laundry Shop was also broken in last month, for the second time ha! Even the Menasec Drugstore which is within the compound of the police station was robbed. I mean... is this world-class? Utang na loob naman!
Last SONA, the economist Solita Monsod said of GMA's speech, that it is true that the economy of the Philippines is doing good but it is regrettable that the Filipino poor does not feel the benefits of this good economy.
Like Naga, it might be true that Jessie Robredo is the best Mayor the City of Naga will ever have with great governance policies, but it is regrettable that a simple problem like peace and order cannot be solved.
I dream of a day when I can once again walk the streets of Naga without being afraid that my bag or my celphone will be snatched away from me or no longer see elementary school age kids sniffing rugby at the Barlin Statue, right in front of the Naga City Police Station. I am always HOPEFUL.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
A New Project
My Dad and Mom has a house in Bonifacio Village, Quezon City. My parents allowed me and my family to live in the house whenever we are in Manila.
Recently, when we got back the house from unscrupulous caretakers -- this one deserves another post -- my husband and I decided that we cannot continue to use the house without making the necessary maintenance repairs. Our previous caretakers left the house damaged, not to mentioned robbed. We had to fix the electricals and the plumbing. The roof was leaking and the gutters busted.
But as we started planning our repairs, we thought, why not start a small business with it. Since we have always been sending students to Manila for their OJT and they had to pay exhorbitant fees for their accomodations, why not fix the house to accomodate about 15 to 20 people and have our students stay in the house for a cheaper fee. My husband liked the idea so we immediately told my Dad who was very supportive of the project.
Now, we are well on the way of the repairs. We have transformed the lanai at the back portion of the house into a big hall that can have 5 bunk beds. The two rooms we have we have also repaired. I am really excited but I know it is still a long way to having the house accept its first guests.
Aside from the OJT students, we can also have the house for rent for families who are staying in Manila to fetch a balikbayan relative or for families who are in Manila to attend an event like a wedding or a birthday.
I just hope I am on the right track. Keep your fingers crossed. I will keep you all posted.
PS: The rates are P500.00 per person per night. It includes breakfast and one set of toiletries. Kabayan charges similar fees but without toiletries and no towel. We will start hopefully by September. For interested parties please just comment on this post and leave your email. I will contact you.
Recently, when we got back the house from unscrupulous caretakers -- this one deserves another post -- my husband and I decided that we cannot continue to use the house without making the necessary maintenance repairs. Our previous caretakers left the house damaged, not to mentioned robbed. We had to fix the electricals and the plumbing. The roof was leaking and the gutters busted.
But as we started planning our repairs, we thought, why not start a small business with it. Since we have always been sending students to Manila for their OJT and they had to pay exhorbitant fees for their accomodations, why not fix the house to accomodate about 15 to 20 people and have our students stay in the house for a cheaper fee. My husband liked the idea so we immediately told my Dad who was very supportive of the project.
Now, we are well on the way of the repairs. We have transformed the lanai at the back portion of the house into a big hall that can have 5 bunk beds. The two rooms we have we have also repaired. I am really excited but I know it is still a long way to having the house accept its first guests.
Aside from the OJT students, we can also have the house for rent for families who are staying in Manila to fetch a balikbayan relative or for families who are in Manila to attend an event like a wedding or a birthday.
I just hope I am on the right track. Keep your fingers crossed. I will keep you all posted.
PS: The rates are P500.00 per person per night. It includes breakfast and one set of toiletries. Kabayan charges similar fees but without toiletries and no towel. We will start hopefully by September. For interested parties please just comment on this post and leave your email. I will contact you.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
An Opinion Article purporting to be a straight News Article
I just got hold of the June 25, 2009 edition of the Bicol Mail yesterday and I was surprised to read an article entitled "BACS to shun military parade" on its first page which I believe is full of malicious statements that does not sit very well with me.
I am a graduate in Mass Comm in UP Diliman major in Journalism. I am not trying to be an expert since I have not practiced my journalism profession for about 13 years now, but I think the article has violated basic tenets of ethical journalism.
I will discuss each violation academically.
First, the article's author is not mentioned. It is quite basic in journalism that straight news should always be accompanied by the article's writer. The reason for this is that the public is informed as to who is writing the article. It is a straight news article, printed on the front page of the newspaper. In national broadsheets, even opinion articles have the name of the writer printed below the title of the article, sometimes after the article. It is also notable that all the articles in the front page has writers to attribute the article to.
Second, the article is full of opinionated comments by the unknown writer. It starts,
"Whether ignorant of or trying to grab the spotlight out of the on-going dialogue between the Archdiocese of Caceres and the city government of Naga, Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J., president of both the Ateneo de Naga University and the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) last June 19 issued a statement..." (italics and emphasis mine)
Right at the start of the article conclusions are already drawn from the facts when a straight news article should only contain the facts. Conclusions and opinions should be made by the reader. It is the responsibility of the straight news writer or reporter to only report facts and let the public be the judge in the issues being presented. This article seems to be full of bias right at the very start of the story practically conditioning the reader to think ill of Fr. Joel Tabora.
Third, the article also features a comment made by an alleged ROTC Commandant. Well, that is all right and anonimity of the one making the statement is also allowed. However, it is followed by a paragraph that states:
"Conspicuously not represented in the Tabora statement is the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary which is a BACS member and has its own military training as part of the curriculum."
What does this mean? That the ROTC Commandant is from the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary? Or that the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary is against the BACS statement not being conspicuously represented? Or is it just that, a statement that the HRMS is not represented in the BACS statement?
Finally, the last paragraph in the article says:
"Meanwhile, a paragraph in the Tabora statement elicited both jeers and laughter from those who got hold of the copy. A paragraph in the Tabora statement says: "In the same meeting, the BACS schools expressed strong disapproval to rumored plans to maintain a beauty pageant within the nine days of the Novena (underscoring ours)," to which a keen observeer quipped: " Ini talaga si Fr. Tabora, mahilig magtubod sa tsismis!" (This Fr. Tabora is fond of believing rumors. - translation mine)
I can't believe Bicol Mail which I have always thought to be unbiased and a bastion of truth could come out with such an article. I hope the editorial board of Bicol Mail can do something about this. I also hope that young journalism students should also learn from this.
To read the full news article go to - http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2009/june25/xshun.html
To read the full BACS statement go to - http://www.adnu.edu.ph/NewsAndEvents/06232009b.asp
for FR. Joel's June 27 statement, follow-up to the original BACS statement go to -
http://www.naga.gov.ph/forum/index.php?topic=4048.new
I am a graduate in Mass Comm in UP Diliman major in Journalism. I am not trying to be an expert since I have not practiced my journalism profession for about 13 years now, but I think the article has violated basic tenets of ethical journalism.
I will discuss each violation academically.
First, the article's author is not mentioned. It is quite basic in journalism that straight news should always be accompanied by the article's writer. The reason for this is that the public is informed as to who is writing the article. It is a straight news article, printed on the front page of the newspaper. In national broadsheets, even opinion articles have the name of the writer printed below the title of the article, sometimes after the article. It is also notable that all the articles in the front page has writers to attribute the article to.
Second, the article is full of opinionated comments by the unknown writer. It starts,
"Whether ignorant of or trying to grab the spotlight out of the on-going dialogue between the Archdiocese of Caceres and the city government of Naga, Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J., president of both the Ateneo de Naga University and the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) last June 19 issued a statement..." (italics and emphasis mine)
Right at the start of the article conclusions are already drawn from the facts when a straight news article should only contain the facts. Conclusions and opinions should be made by the reader. It is the responsibility of the straight news writer or reporter to only report facts and let the public be the judge in the issues being presented. This article seems to be full of bias right at the very start of the story practically conditioning the reader to think ill of Fr. Joel Tabora.
Third, the article also features a comment made by an alleged ROTC Commandant. Well, that is all right and anonimity of the one making the statement is also allowed. However, it is followed by a paragraph that states:
"Conspicuously not represented in the Tabora statement is the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary which is a BACS member and has its own military training as part of the curriculum."
What does this mean? That the ROTC Commandant is from the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary? Or that the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary is against the BACS statement not being conspicuously represented? Or is it just that, a statement that the HRMS is not represented in the BACS statement?
Finally, the last paragraph in the article says:
"Meanwhile, a paragraph in the Tabora statement elicited both jeers and laughter from those who got hold of the copy. A paragraph in the Tabora statement says: "In the same meeting, the BACS schools expressed strong disapproval to rumored plans to maintain a beauty pageant within the nine days of the Novena (underscoring ours)," to which a keen observeer quipped: " Ini talaga si Fr. Tabora, mahilig magtubod sa tsismis!" (This Fr. Tabora is fond of believing rumors. - translation mine)
I can't believe Bicol Mail which I have always thought to be unbiased and a bastion of truth could come out with such an article. I hope the editorial board of Bicol Mail can do something about this. I also hope that young journalism students should also learn from this.
To read the full news article go to - http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2009/june25/xshun.html
To read the full BACS statement go to - http://www.adnu.edu.ph/NewsAndEvents/06232009b.asp
for FR. Joel's June 27 statement, follow-up to the original BACS statement go to -
http://www.naga.gov.ph/forum/index.php?topic=4048.new
Saturday, June 27, 2009
TURNING 33
This post was written last June 21, 2009.
Tomorrow, June 22, 2009, I will be turning 33 years old.
I had always dreaded this age.
I was always told that great men and women die at 33 years old.
Alexander the Great died at 33 after conquering the world.
Jesus Christ died at 33 after preaching the Gospel.
I am 33.
I am not afraid of death. I think I am prepared for it.
What I am afraid of is dying when I have not accomplished anything yet.
A long stay in Manila made me think about my life and I decided to make an inventory of everything that I have done in my 33 years of living, but that was difficult.
How can I define my achievements as my own?
I decided instead to just take stock of what I have learned in my 33 years of life.
1. In whatever you do, always ask for God’s guidance. I have never achieved anything without approval from above. Everything I have, I asked first from God through prayers. Sometimes I am confident, sometimes not… but what is important is that as you pray you also work for the fulfilment of your requests.
2. In everything you do, there is no substitute for great preparation. May it be as simple as brushing your teeth or as difficult as taking the Bar Exams for Lawyers. It always pays to have prepared for anything you do. Remember what they said about luck… luck is nothing but the meeting of good preparation with great opportunity.
3. It is always important to have a vision. Having a vision will enable you to be grounded and focused on your daily tasks and makes you do it properly and excellently. People who have no vision and therefore no focus tend to be more “kalat” in their thinking. I am not an organized person. But, in my few accomplishments in life, I have learned that having a vision of your end goal is a big key to success. And I do mean vision, imagine yourself in the ideal situation that you want.
For example, when I took the Bar, I imagined myself during the first Sunday of the Bar. I do not want to be nervous, so I knew I had to study well. I did not want small irritants like health concerns to bug me so I prepared my Backpack for D-Day to include every conceivable solution for any mishap (vomiting, headache, tummy ache, hunger, period, etc…) That is why I had such a big backpack on the day of the exam, as if I was going to climb Mt. Everest.
The same thing happened when I got pregnant. I played the day that I will give birth, a thousand times in my mind thinking about what I need, who I need to call, what to do, etc… I was able to give birth with the least of worries. I was previously so afraid to give birth, but thinking about it in my mind helped to psyche myself for the Big Day.
4. Always, always be humble. It pays to remember that you are but an actor in this play called life. Do not assume that the world revolves around you. It is wrong… wrong… wrong… Even if it seems true or you feel that it is true. Don’t believe it. People around you have lives of their own, families of their own, their own dreams to fulfil. You are not the messiah. Even if you helped every person in the world, it does not make them less of a person than you are that enables you to control them. They are people in their own right.
5. Be grateful. It always helps to thank people who helped you in your everyday life. If you are grateful, you also become humble. However, if you helped people, don’t expect them to give back. If they do, then thank them, if not, just let it go. They have no responsibility to give back especially if the help they received was voluntary. Just let it go. It is okay for other people to be ungrateful, as long as it is not you. Kaya kung hindi naman bukal sa loob mong tumulong, huwag ka na tumulong, sasama lang ang loob mo kung di man lang nagpasalamat ang tinulungan mo. If you want to help, just help.
6. Respect other people. When you respect other people, you become more emphathetic, more humane and become more caring and compassionate. When you respect them, they will respect you also. I do not only mean respecting your parents, or your boss. I mean respecting their things, privacy, their space, especially their lives. If you respect other people, they will leave you alone. Remember, respect is the key to tolerance and tolerance begets peace.
7. When you arrive at problems, always think… is this really my problem or someone elses? If it is someone else’s, you are not compelled to solve it. Sometimes, people have the tendency to displace their problems and limitations on other people and it becomes our own. It burdens us and makes us less of who we are. I am an eldest daughter. I went through life always thinking about my brothers, my family and all their concerns. So Filipino! But, then, I realized, are my concern about them really “my concerns” or am I just treating my whole family like a baby and making them dependent upon me? I realized, I had to start teaching my siblings to decide on their own and not make them so dependent on me. I realized I had to teach them to solve their own problems. In Filipino: “Huwag mo problemahin ang hindi mo naman problema.”
8. The last one that I always practice daily without fail is: if it doesn’t kill you, just let it slide. As we go along our daily lives, people will hurt us and make us feel lesser than who we are. Other people react to these irritants, but for me, as long as it does not create damage that will kill me, my family or my reputation, I just let it go. If it is constructive, I welcome it, but if purely designed to destroy my work and my reputation, I just let it be. I am confident in my work. I let it speak for me. If some people would decide to malign me, then go ahead. My next successful work will speak for me. This gives me peace of mind and allows me to focus on my work and being in the service of my fellowmen. I will always remember a saying I once read somewhere, “if people speak ill of you, then live in a manner that no one will believe them.”
So far, that’s it. Eight important lessons. Actually, I would suggest you also listen to “Sunscreen” by Baz Luhrmann. When my husband and I first heard it during the late 90s and early 2000s, we tried to follow every advice. It was really a treasure. I hope you do listen to it. Just google it.
In about 36 minutes, I will turn 33 years old. Happy. Contented. Living the life I wanted. And I only have God to thank for this meaningful life.
Thank you.
Tomorrow, June 22, 2009, I will be turning 33 years old.
I had always dreaded this age.
I was always told that great men and women die at 33 years old.
Alexander the Great died at 33 after conquering the world.
Jesus Christ died at 33 after preaching the Gospel.
I am 33.
I am not afraid of death. I think I am prepared for it.
What I am afraid of is dying when I have not accomplished anything yet.
A long stay in Manila made me think about my life and I decided to make an inventory of everything that I have done in my 33 years of living, but that was difficult.
How can I define my achievements as my own?
I decided instead to just take stock of what I have learned in my 33 years of life.
1. In whatever you do, always ask for God’s guidance. I have never achieved anything without approval from above. Everything I have, I asked first from God through prayers. Sometimes I am confident, sometimes not… but what is important is that as you pray you also work for the fulfilment of your requests.
2. In everything you do, there is no substitute for great preparation. May it be as simple as brushing your teeth or as difficult as taking the Bar Exams for Lawyers. It always pays to have prepared for anything you do. Remember what they said about luck… luck is nothing but the meeting of good preparation with great opportunity.
3. It is always important to have a vision. Having a vision will enable you to be grounded and focused on your daily tasks and makes you do it properly and excellently. People who have no vision and therefore no focus tend to be more “kalat” in their thinking. I am not an organized person. But, in my few accomplishments in life, I have learned that having a vision of your end goal is a big key to success. And I do mean vision, imagine yourself in the ideal situation that you want.
For example, when I took the Bar, I imagined myself during the first Sunday of the Bar. I do not want to be nervous, so I knew I had to study well. I did not want small irritants like health concerns to bug me so I prepared my Backpack for D-Day to include every conceivable solution for any mishap (vomiting, headache, tummy ache, hunger, period, etc…) That is why I had such a big backpack on the day of the exam, as if I was going to climb Mt. Everest.
The same thing happened when I got pregnant. I played the day that I will give birth, a thousand times in my mind thinking about what I need, who I need to call, what to do, etc… I was able to give birth with the least of worries. I was previously so afraid to give birth, but thinking about it in my mind helped to psyche myself for the Big Day.
4. Always, always be humble. It pays to remember that you are but an actor in this play called life. Do not assume that the world revolves around you. It is wrong… wrong… wrong… Even if it seems true or you feel that it is true. Don’t believe it. People around you have lives of their own, families of their own, their own dreams to fulfil. You are not the messiah. Even if you helped every person in the world, it does not make them less of a person than you are that enables you to control them. They are people in their own right.
5. Be grateful. It always helps to thank people who helped you in your everyday life. If you are grateful, you also become humble. However, if you helped people, don’t expect them to give back. If they do, then thank them, if not, just let it go. They have no responsibility to give back especially if the help they received was voluntary. Just let it go. It is okay for other people to be ungrateful, as long as it is not you. Kaya kung hindi naman bukal sa loob mong tumulong, huwag ka na tumulong, sasama lang ang loob mo kung di man lang nagpasalamat ang tinulungan mo. If you want to help, just help.
6. Respect other people. When you respect other people, you become more emphathetic, more humane and become more caring and compassionate. When you respect them, they will respect you also. I do not only mean respecting your parents, or your boss. I mean respecting their things, privacy, their space, especially their lives. If you respect other people, they will leave you alone. Remember, respect is the key to tolerance and tolerance begets peace.
7. When you arrive at problems, always think… is this really my problem or someone elses? If it is someone else’s, you are not compelled to solve it. Sometimes, people have the tendency to displace their problems and limitations on other people and it becomes our own. It burdens us and makes us less of who we are. I am an eldest daughter. I went through life always thinking about my brothers, my family and all their concerns. So Filipino! But, then, I realized, are my concern about them really “my concerns” or am I just treating my whole family like a baby and making them dependent upon me? I realized, I had to start teaching my siblings to decide on their own and not make them so dependent on me. I realized I had to teach them to solve their own problems. In Filipino: “Huwag mo problemahin ang hindi mo naman problema.”
8. The last one that I always practice daily without fail is: if it doesn’t kill you, just let it slide. As we go along our daily lives, people will hurt us and make us feel lesser than who we are. Other people react to these irritants, but for me, as long as it does not create damage that will kill me, my family or my reputation, I just let it go. If it is constructive, I welcome it, but if purely designed to destroy my work and my reputation, I just let it be. I am confident in my work. I let it speak for me. If some people would decide to malign me, then go ahead. My next successful work will speak for me. This gives me peace of mind and allows me to focus on my work and being in the service of my fellowmen. I will always remember a saying I once read somewhere, “if people speak ill of you, then live in a manner that no one will believe them.”
So far, that’s it. Eight important lessons. Actually, I would suggest you also listen to “Sunscreen” by Baz Luhrmann. When my husband and I first heard it during the late 90s and early 2000s, we tried to follow every advice. It was really a treasure. I hope you do listen to it. Just google it.
In about 36 minutes, I will turn 33 years old. Happy. Contented. Living the life I wanted. And I only have God to thank for this meaningful life.
Thank you.
OF DEVOTION AND PARADES
OF DEVOTION AND PARADES
By: Atty. Remelisa G. Alfelor-Moraleda
University President
University of Northeastern Philippines
Iriga City
Last June 22, 2009, which was incidentally my birthday, the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) came out with a statement saying that, after reflecting on the issue, they decided that all their member-institutions will no longer participate in this year’s Penafrancia Fiesta Military Parade Competition.
I have to say that this did not surprise me at all. I have been getting varied reactions from most of these Catholic schools regarding the said Competition in the past years and I believe that it is about time that they came out with a statement that reverberated to every corner of the Bicol Region, and commenced the debate raging now about the separation of the church and the state.
The University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) already arrived at the same decision way back academic year 2007-2008. We don’t have to elaborate on the circumstances on why or how we were able to reach this decision. However, in this article, I will instead outline on how a school, sectarian or otherwise, may be able to discern their position on this matter.
Our University has joined this event for many years already since the 1980s. In fact, our contingent has always been one of the most awaited features of the Parade. Observers, devotees and guests from everywhere in the Bicol Region lauded our participation, whether we brought home the bacon or not. And why not? The University has always given its all in providing the best performance in this competition.
For years, we have always participated with a passion of a Manny Pacquiao training for his next boxing bout. We had always taken this competition seriously. Getting the best trainors, reasonably spending as much as we can, confident that our preparation is enough to come out with a performance that is worthy of our reputation.
However, as in any endeavor, one comes to a point where one re-examines why we participate in an event that seems to have already paled in meaning. We carefully deliberated on our reasons why we should participate and tested it against our reasons why we should not.
Regrettably, we arrived at a decision that announced to us that there is no relevant purpose anymore in continuing to participate in this event.
How did we arrive at this conclusion?
1. The first argument that is always used by the organizers of this event is that the Penafrancia Military Parade Competition is an expression of our devotion to Our Lady of Penafrancia. We can not argue with this statement. An expression of devotion is relative to the person who is expressing that devotion. It is subjective and is not capable of an objective examination. However, is it not a better expression to participate instead in the Translacion which is a truly religious activity? This is the time allotted by the Church to focus on the devotion to Ina and the start of her 9-day Novena. Ina is the star of this show and as a University that encourages such a devotion, this is a better way to drive the point rather than let them participate in a Military Parade and off-tangently hope that they drop by the Church also on their own.
The University has already done this in the past several years. We have organized our students to participate in the Translacion with great success. After the activity, we encourage their teachers to discuss their experience in class and truly this has been a more effective way than attending the Military Parade, which to our mind just grazes the target of providing avenues of expression of our devotion to Ina.
2. There is also the argument that the Penafrancia Military Parade is an effective medium to market and promote our school. Actually, we have anchored our involvement in the competition in this argument, every year, to justify our participation. We have studied this as part of drafting the marketing plan for our school, however, we found out that it is more cost effective to do our marketing more directly through ads in tri-media. We have implemented this and true to our study, statistics show that advertising in tri-media is more effective than participating in this event. Definitely, this argument does not hold water.
3. It has also been argued that the Penafrancia Military Parade Competition promotes inter-school camaraderie. To be honest about it, there is no inter-school camaraderie that happens among student-participants. The students are trained to be focused on the competition and do not have time to interact with student-participants of other schools. Besides, this is more effectively fulfilled by other activities such as participation in the PRISAA, Tertiary and Secondary Schools Press Conference Competition and other academic and related activities, not in the Penafrancia Military Parade.
4. It has also been argued that the Military Parade Competition instills discipline and meaning to military training. Well, to be frank about it, the discipline that they say this competition instills is supposed to be already innate in the participating school and just expressed in the competition. If a school contigent does not have discipline in their school, it will always show in their performance in the competition. Again, this argument does not hold water.
On our part, we have also several reasons that point out a stronger argument against not joining the competition.
1. Participation in the competition is getting more expensive every year. For our participation in the 2006 competition alone, we had to spend around more than P400,000.00, almost half a million for trainors, uniforms, make-up, allowances, transportation on the day itself, meals and other incidental expenses. For the uniforms alone, we had to spend more than P100,000.00 for the band alone. It should be noted that majorettes and band members are scholars of the school and therefore cannot afford to buy their uniforms on their own. The University spends for it. This does not include the revenues that are lost in scholarship programs for the band and majorettes. This also runs into the hundreds of thousands.
For the ROTC and CAT participants, we also have to spend for their meals and transportation on the day itself. The parents only shell out for the uniforms of their participant-children. Some parents save money by borrowing uniforms or renting it from others at a much lesser fee than providing their children with new ones. They also have to give their children allowances to defray expenses that they may incur while in Naga. The competition therefore also means more expenses for parents who are already burdened by the high cost of quality education.
Truly, participation in the parade has become impractical for us in the University of Northeastern Philippines, for our students and for our parents. Of course, as an institution, we can still afford it, but should we continue to spend onerously for an event, the objective of which can already be fulfilled effectively by other activities at a lesser cost?
2. Preparation for the competition has been physically draining for our students and our school. When we were still participating, preparation starts in May when we start drafting our operational plans for the year. Training starts in July. Student-participants train every day in the afternoons after class, increasing to a frantic crescendo as the competition draws near. Our majorettes and band members miss classes in the last two weeks before the parade as we let them focus on the competition. Therefore, they had to work harder than their classmates when they get back to their classes after the competition. Is this sacrifice worth it? We are compromising the academic performance of these students in order to perform our best in the competition. Is this fair?
3. There is also a problem of coming up with the right number of students to participate in the military competition. After the passage of the NSTP law which makes military training voluntary for students, there is a patent decrease of students choosing military training for their NSTP requirement. We had to make military training a requirement for our Criminology program as part of their curriculum to be assured of the numbers needed to come up with a contingent for the parade competition. This should also be addressed by the organizers of the event, something which until now, they have ignored.
4. Lastly, although admittedly we have no proof or evidence of this argument, we still want to express that we have great doubts in the carrying out of the rules of the competition. Through the years, although there seems to be great effort in addressing the concerns of the schools in terms of having a fair and just competition, still the issues prevail and continue to hound the organizers of the event. Our school cannot continue to subject itself to a competition whose organizers are suffering from a reputation of bias and lack of integrity. I regret having to say this, but this is the view of most of the school authorities in the University and we cannot discount this. Of course, I acknowledge that this is a subjective opinion, but like in any democratic country, we expect that our opinion also be respected. This is why we have declared and maintained that unless and until there is a revamp in the organizers of the event, we will continue to forego participation in the Penafrancia Military Parade Competition.
These being our sentiments, our institution proposes therefore the following recommendations:
1. On the issue of economic factors, we suggest that the LGU also defray some expenses of the participant schools by giving a mobilization fund that can somehow ease the burden of the participant schools. For example, maybe covering the transportation expenses or the meals of the participants would be a great help. It is should be noted that some schools ask the parents to defray the cost of transportation and meals. In our case, our school spends for it. We can take the case of the City of Legazpi which gives a token assistance of P10,000.00 to at least defray the cost of transportation everytime we are invited for a competition in their city. I hope the City of Naga considers this recommendation and follow the example of the City of Legazpi.
2. On the issue of the dwindling numbers of students participating in the ROTC program, the organizers can decrease the number of required warm bodies to come up with a contingent. I really do not know how they will do this, but maybe they can also promote the ROTC program in the schools.
3. On the issue of the integrity of the organizers, it is also necessary for the City to evaluate the performance of the organization carrying out this event. Is there a need for change? I also urge the City to conduct a consultation participated in by the schools to get their opinion regarding this issue.
Having said all these, we would like it to be clear that our school is not against military parade competitions. In fact, we have been conducting military parade competitions for several decades already during our Activation Day celebrations. However, we are one with the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools in saying that the military parade should not be conducted within the 9-day Novena to Our Lady of Penafrancia. We should focus more on Ina and on our faith and not in endeavours that actually has even the capability of eroding our faith to Ina.
We would also like to clarify that our school is not calling for a complete boycott of this competition by other schools, but rather a call to re-evaluate our purpose for participating in this event. I just hope that this article be able to aid the schools in reaching a decision that is just for all concerned.
With that, I still say, Happy Penafrancia Fiesta to all of us and may we just continue to respect each other’s opinion as what is expected in a free and democratic country.
By: Atty. Remelisa G. Alfelor-Moraleda
University President
University of Northeastern Philippines
Iriga City
Last June 22, 2009, which was incidentally my birthday, the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) came out with a statement saying that, after reflecting on the issue, they decided that all their member-institutions will no longer participate in this year’s Penafrancia Fiesta Military Parade Competition.
I have to say that this did not surprise me at all. I have been getting varied reactions from most of these Catholic schools regarding the said Competition in the past years and I believe that it is about time that they came out with a statement that reverberated to every corner of the Bicol Region, and commenced the debate raging now about the separation of the church and the state.
The University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) already arrived at the same decision way back academic year 2007-2008. We don’t have to elaborate on the circumstances on why or how we were able to reach this decision. However, in this article, I will instead outline on how a school, sectarian or otherwise, may be able to discern their position on this matter.
Our University has joined this event for many years already since the 1980s. In fact, our contingent has always been one of the most awaited features of the Parade. Observers, devotees and guests from everywhere in the Bicol Region lauded our participation, whether we brought home the bacon or not. And why not? The University has always given its all in providing the best performance in this competition.
For years, we have always participated with a passion of a Manny Pacquiao training for his next boxing bout. We had always taken this competition seriously. Getting the best trainors, reasonably spending as much as we can, confident that our preparation is enough to come out with a performance that is worthy of our reputation.
However, as in any endeavor, one comes to a point where one re-examines why we participate in an event that seems to have already paled in meaning. We carefully deliberated on our reasons why we should participate and tested it against our reasons why we should not.
Regrettably, we arrived at a decision that announced to us that there is no relevant purpose anymore in continuing to participate in this event.
How did we arrive at this conclusion?
1. The first argument that is always used by the organizers of this event is that the Penafrancia Military Parade Competition is an expression of our devotion to Our Lady of Penafrancia. We can not argue with this statement. An expression of devotion is relative to the person who is expressing that devotion. It is subjective and is not capable of an objective examination. However, is it not a better expression to participate instead in the Translacion which is a truly religious activity? This is the time allotted by the Church to focus on the devotion to Ina and the start of her 9-day Novena. Ina is the star of this show and as a University that encourages such a devotion, this is a better way to drive the point rather than let them participate in a Military Parade and off-tangently hope that they drop by the Church also on their own.
The University has already done this in the past several years. We have organized our students to participate in the Translacion with great success. After the activity, we encourage their teachers to discuss their experience in class and truly this has been a more effective way than attending the Military Parade, which to our mind just grazes the target of providing avenues of expression of our devotion to Ina.
2. There is also the argument that the Penafrancia Military Parade is an effective medium to market and promote our school. Actually, we have anchored our involvement in the competition in this argument, every year, to justify our participation. We have studied this as part of drafting the marketing plan for our school, however, we found out that it is more cost effective to do our marketing more directly through ads in tri-media. We have implemented this and true to our study, statistics show that advertising in tri-media is more effective than participating in this event. Definitely, this argument does not hold water.
3. It has also been argued that the Penafrancia Military Parade Competition promotes inter-school camaraderie. To be honest about it, there is no inter-school camaraderie that happens among student-participants. The students are trained to be focused on the competition and do not have time to interact with student-participants of other schools. Besides, this is more effectively fulfilled by other activities such as participation in the PRISAA, Tertiary and Secondary Schools Press Conference Competition and other academic and related activities, not in the Penafrancia Military Parade.
4. It has also been argued that the Military Parade Competition instills discipline and meaning to military training. Well, to be frank about it, the discipline that they say this competition instills is supposed to be already innate in the participating school and just expressed in the competition. If a school contigent does not have discipline in their school, it will always show in their performance in the competition. Again, this argument does not hold water.
On our part, we have also several reasons that point out a stronger argument against not joining the competition.
1. Participation in the competition is getting more expensive every year. For our participation in the 2006 competition alone, we had to spend around more than P400,000.00, almost half a million for trainors, uniforms, make-up, allowances, transportation on the day itself, meals and other incidental expenses. For the uniforms alone, we had to spend more than P100,000.00 for the band alone. It should be noted that majorettes and band members are scholars of the school and therefore cannot afford to buy their uniforms on their own. The University spends for it. This does not include the revenues that are lost in scholarship programs for the band and majorettes. This also runs into the hundreds of thousands.
For the ROTC and CAT participants, we also have to spend for their meals and transportation on the day itself. The parents only shell out for the uniforms of their participant-children. Some parents save money by borrowing uniforms or renting it from others at a much lesser fee than providing their children with new ones. They also have to give their children allowances to defray expenses that they may incur while in Naga. The competition therefore also means more expenses for parents who are already burdened by the high cost of quality education.
Truly, participation in the parade has become impractical for us in the University of Northeastern Philippines, for our students and for our parents. Of course, as an institution, we can still afford it, but should we continue to spend onerously for an event, the objective of which can already be fulfilled effectively by other activities at a lesser cost?
2. Preparation for the competition has been physically draining for our students and our school. When we were still participating, preparation starts in May when we start drafting our operational plans for the year. Training starts in July. Student-participants train every day in the afternoons after class, increasing to a frantic crescendo as the competition draws near. Our majorettes and band members miss classes in the last two weeks before the parade as we let them focus on the competition. Therefore, they had to work harder than their classmates when they get back to their classes after the competition. Is this sacrifice worth it? We are compromising the academic performance of these students in order to perform our best in the competition. Is this fair?
3. There is also a problem of coming up with the right number of students to participate in the military competition. After the passage of the NSTP law which makes military training voluntary for students, there is a patent decrease of students choosing military training for their NSTP requirement. We had to make military training a requirement for our Criminology program as part of their curriculum to be assured of the numbers needed to come up with a contingent for the parade competition. This should also be addressed by the organizers of the event, something which until now, they have ignored.
4. Lastly, although admittedly we have no proof or evidence of this argument, we still want to express that we have great doubts in the carrying out of the rules of the competition. Through the years, although there seems to be great effort in addressing the concerns of the schools in terms of having a fair and just competition, still the issues prevail and continue to hound the organizers of the event. Our school cannot continue to subject itself to a competition whose organizers are suffering from a reputation of bias and lack of integrity. I regret having to say this, but this is the view of most of the school authorities in the University and we cannot discount this. Of course, I acknowledge that this is a subjective opinion, but like in any democratic country, we expect that our opinion also be respected. This is why we have declared and maintained that unless and until there is a revamp in the organizers of the event, we will continue to forego participation in the Penafrancia Military Parade Competition.
These being our sentiments, our institution proposes therefore the following recommendations:
1. On the issue of economic factors, we suggest that the LGU also defray some expenses of the participant schools by giving a mobilization fund that can somehow ease the burden of the participant schools. For example, maybe covering the transportation expenses or the meals of the participants would be a great help. It is should be noted that some schools ask the parents to defray the cost of transportation and meals. In our case, our school spends for it. We can take the case of the City of Legazpi which gives a token assistance of P10,000.00 to at least defray the cost of transportation everytime we are invited for a competition in their city. I hope the City of Naga considers this recommendation and follow the example of the City of Legazpi.
2. On the issue of the dwindling numbers of students participating in the ROTC program, the organizers can decrease the number of required warm bodies to come up with a contingent. I really do not know how they will do this, but maybe they can also promote the ROTC program in the schools.
3. On the issue of the integrity of the organizers, it is also necessary for the City to evaluate the performance of the organization carrying out this event. Is there a need for change? I also urge the City to conduct a consultation participated in by the schools to get their opinion regarding this issue.
Having said all these, we would like it to be clear that our school is not against military parade competitions. In fact, we have been conducting military parade competitions for several decades already during our Activation Day celebrations. However, we are one with the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools in saying that the military parade should not be conducted within the 9-day Novena to Our Lady of Penafrancia. We should focus more on Ina and on our faith and not in endeavours that actually has even the capability of eroding our faith to Ina.
We would also like to clarify that our school is not calling for a complete boycott of this competition by other schools, but rather a call to re-evaluate our purpose for participating in this event. I just hope that this article be able to aid the schools in reaching a decision that is just for all concerned.
With that, I still say, Happy Penafrancia Fiesta to all of us and may we just continue to respect each other’s opinion as what is expected in a free and democratic country.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Passing the Real Estate Broker's Exams
Last Saturday morning, I was surprised when my mobile phone was inundated by texts from several people congratulating me on passing the Licensure Examn for Real Estate Brokers which I took last May 31, 2009 at the University ng Makati, JP Rizal, Makati City.
I couln't believe my great fortune. I had been on this quest since the late 1990s, taking the exam... I think twice on the prodding of my mother who has always been my booster in taking all sorts of exams for all sorts of reasons.
Previously, I did not pass it. The simple reason being that I did not study or prepare for it before thinking that attending the seminar is enough. Well... after my experience with taking the Bar Exams to which I passed on the first try, I have come to this exam more prepared and more studious than before.
My recent journey towards this goal has been prodded by the fact that allegedly, this year is the last year that the exams will be managed by the DTI. Next year, it will be the PRC which will manage the examinations leading to maybe requiring a Bachelor's Degree for this exam. I had two reasons for taking it: one, is that this being the last year of DTI and therefore perceived to be more easier to take and if ever this becomes a regular Bachelor's Degree program, I can easily open the course in our school. Second, is for my Mom. My Mom had always wanted to make me take the exam. It really is not clear to me why but she has always encouraged me to take this exam right after college and even the Exam for Insurance Brokers. Maybe when we have the celebratory dinner, I would be able to get a better grasp of her reasons. Professional reasons is a bonus but certainly is only on the background.
Preparing for the exams was quite difficult. During the seminar-review I was always late. I missed important topics. During the study period of about three weeks, I was very busy being the start of the school year. However, I decided to dedicate the last week before the exams to diligent study.
As I have done during my Bar Exams, I played the day of the exams in my mind taking note of what I might need. Although this time, I was more confident and thus did not do the overkill that I was famous for. Therefore, I did not lug around about 20 kilos of stuff as I did during the bar. Besides this is just a four-hour exam on one Sunday. I don't have to be that prolific.
What I was worried about though, being the Secretary of the seminar-review class I was tasked to arrange the transportation and accomodations of my classmate. I was also able to do this, but I did not want to be bothered that much during my stay in Manila so I brought along Manay Nilda Brila, my executive secretary to help me. She was our punong abala in Manila. Anything that the group needed she provided. I would not have such a worry free exam prep if not for Manay Nilda.
I would also make mention of the wonderful people of Kabayan Hotel Pasay. They are the most positive people in the world. They never say no on any of our request. Only if it is truly unreasonable that they do. When you are surrounded by such positive people, your mind clears up to accomodate more information which is maybe why I passed this exam.
Truly, it is an experience to remember. I will be blogging some more on this in the coming days. For now, again... thank you to all who congratulated me. All for the greater glory of God!
I couln't believe my great fortune. I had been on this quest since the late 1990s, taking the exam... I think twice on the prodding of my mother who has always been my booster in taking all sorts of exams for all sorts of reasons.
Previously, I did not pass it. The simple reason being that I did not study or prepare for it before thinking that attending the seminar is enough. Well... after my experience with taking the Bar Exams to which I passed on the first try, I have come to this exam more prepared and more studious than before.
My recent journey towards this goal has been prodded by the fact that allegedly, this year is the last year that the exams will be managed by the DTI. Next year, it will be the PRC which will manage the examinations leading to maybe requiring a Bachelor's Degree for this exam. I had two reasons for taking it: one, is that this being the last year of DTI and therefore perceived to be more easier to take and if ever this becomes a regular Bachelor's Degree program, I can easily open the course in our school. Second, is for my Mom. My Mom had always wanted to make me take the exam. It really is not clear to me why but she has always encouraged me to take this exam right after college and even the Exam for Insurance Brokers. Maybe when we have the celebratory dinner, I would be able to get a better grasp of her reasons. Professional reasons is a bonus but certainly is only on the background.
Preparing for the exams was quite difficult. During the seminar-review I was always late. I missed important topics. During the study period of about three weeks, I was very busy being the start of the school year. However, I decided to dedicate the last week before the exams to diligent study.
As I have done during my Bar Exams, I played the day of the exams in my mind taking note of what I might need. Although this time, I was more confident and thus did not do the overkill that I was famous for. Therefore, I did not lug around about 20 kilos of stuff as I did during the bar. Besides this is just a four-hour exam on one Sunday. I don't have to be that prolific.
What I was worried about though, being the Secretary of the seminar-review class I was tasked to arrange the transportation and accomodations of my classmate. I was also able to do this, but I did not want to be bothered that much during my stay in Manila so I brought along Manay Nilda Brila, my executive secretary to help me. She was our punong abala in Manila. Anything that the group needed she provided. I would not have such a worry free exam prep if not for Manay Nilda.
I would also make mention of the wonderful people of Kabayan Hotel Pasay. They are the most positive people in the world. They never say no on any of our request. Only if it is truly unreasonable that they do. When you are surrounded by such positive people, your mind clears up to accomodate more information which is maybe why I passed this exam.
Truly, it is an experience to remember. I will be blogging some more on this in the coming days. For now, again... thank you to all who congratulated me. All for the greater glory of God!
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