Snippets

The people around me, with all their angst, and in all their complicated glory, were messengers of the wisdom I need in this life. Here are some of what they said:

"Know where your treasures are and you'll know where you should be."
- R

"Deciding becomes easier when you understand, and you only understand when you accept"
- T

"You should not compare our my friendship with him with my friendship with you"
- B

"The limitations other people put on you are easier to overcome than the limitations you put on yourself"
- R

"It is not necessary"
- D

to be continued ...

Paul

Our age and intelligence gap nor his position did not make him less of a friend. I was 20 years old then, he was 33 I think.

He worked for NEDA, became the Regional Development Council Secretary when TRO was president, already teaching at UP and doing consultancy work for development projects. He was already drafting the City MasterPlan study by that time. And I was still in third year college.

He was already named. "The King of Engineers" in CIT and was already specializing in urban planning. Me, I just finished organizing our third year prom.

I needed to know about the proposal to transfer UP to Consolacion. It was an issue that I believe I could tackle during my candidacy for chairperson in the Student Council. My former boyfriend, Karlon, knew him. So I asked to be introduced so I could ask for details about the proposal. He is making the feasibility study for the move.

He readily accepted me as a friend. Maybe because he is close with Karlon and Karlon was close to me. But I realized that he becomes an excited kid ready to experiment, ready to explain when asked what he does, his opinion on things and his stand on issues.

That's why a simple text message about the proposed coal power plant in SRP already prompted him to call and explain for 10 minutes. We always had discussions like that. Imma will simply roll her eyes when we start talking about issues and development. She knows it's difficult to stop Paul .

And since that meeting in his office and lunch at Shakey's, we became more than an acquaintance and exchanged more than hellos.

And even when I was ugly and depressed during my pregnancy, he made me feel that it should not matter. That being Student Council chairperson and being pregnant while single should not worry me.

He lost touch for almost two years before Karlon and I invited him for a small talk about my political plans. The talk was only short but he took it to heart.

That's why he took me in during the 2001 campaign. Made me involved in war room activities and made sure I meet the right people. It was him who introduced me to Rene.

It was also him who suggested bringing me in the team for Mike Rama's first Sinulog as the Chairperson.

That is why even if Rene does not like him and Sir Gabby complains about how he does things, I take his side and explains things to them.

I am sad coz I think he misunderstands my friendship with Rene and Sir Gabby. I think he thinks I side with them in his conflicts with them.

But I still decide to remain loyal to Paul even if Mama tells me that Paul does not know that I still am. I just tell her that virtue ceases to be a virtue when it is conditional.

No matter where life will take him, I will always be a good friend to Paul.

Parts Rene - not needing but still helping

I do not see him often. Since accepting a consultancy contract with the Asian Foundation, he is often out of town to other LGU's. And he has to go to Bulacan and Butuan monthly to honor his contracts there too. And he has weekend trips to Ozamis for his girlfriend.

We just keep in touch through email and text.

I do not also want to pester him anymore of requests, he has enough in his mind already. I go straight to his staff. So when I needed the precinct maps and the CVL from Comelec for my analysis in voting trends, I simply texted Harold for it. I've been informed that they're busy with resource mapping in other areas to prioritize my request. I didn't insist.

But I was surprised yesterday when he just texted me to ask if I already received the data I needed. When I told him that the data are not yet with me, he instructed Harold and Emar to take care of it immediately and asked me to give a blank CD for the data. I promised I'd hand the CD today.

Perhaps maybe because he know me well enough to know I forget easily (I forgot to greet him on his birthday even if I have a birthday alarm), he even called me up early morning today to remind me not to forget the CD.

I'll get the data tonight, just in time for my self-imposed deadline.

I believe he does not need me, not yet anyway. So that's why his help is all the more touching these days.

Parts Rene

Brilliance will not put you in an ivory tower. Your arrogance will. That is what I found out when I got to know Rene. Very very brilliant guy, almost a genius. But never did he make me feel that I was not worthy of his company.

And ever since I met him in 2001, he has been my Parts Rene ever since. He knows me inside out even if I do not reveal much to him at first. Very perceptive guy. I need not even explain things to him. He knows and he understands. Parts Rene has been and still is my favorite movie companion, my librarian, philosopher and mentor, and agent, manager and marketer.

He could appreciate the simplest animation and the most profound stories. And we usually cap our movie dates with long discussions over coffee about the movie we saw. He provides me with premier tickets he got as a freebie from sponsors.

He introduced me to LOTR even before the first movie got hyped. Explained his passion for it and for dungeons and dragons. He gave me books and for those he wants to keep for himself, loaned them to me indefinitely.

He got me interested in a lot of things: geography, GIS, systems analysis and planning, cartoon characters, Egypt, everything under the sun and beyond it, far beyond it. He was interested in astronomy too. He is very much in love with the world, the universe and everything that they have to offer. He's also one of the wisest I know.

He's exactly the guy who can sustain the interest of a person who practically thrives in variety like me.

He taught me about social epidemics through the book, The Tipping Point. Got me interested in the Templars, through Focult's Pendulum. Even remembered me when he was in San Diego when he bought me the book, The Da Vinci Code. Loaned me the book, 24 Habits of Good Leaders when I needed it most. Helped me learn how to be intelligent enough to be stupid when necessary by pointing out key lessons in the book Jingo. He was confident of my abilities to understand and remain interested in the complex theories and information on astronomy, geology and Egyptology when he excitedly referred the book Fingerprints of the Gods to me. He always make sure that I get copies of books from Asia Foundation too. And he probably gave half as many books to Dindin. You see, he has also grown to love my son. And he's a good friend to Andy too.

And don't ever think that he only got me the really serious reading materials, he was the one who introduced my husband and me to FHM, Hustler, Maxxim and GQ.

Even though he was not completely supportive of my decision to run for public office, he made sure I had the right connections to make me it easy for me. I don't know what he told Sir Gabby exactly but it was enough for Sir Gabby to warm up to me immediately, trust me fully and became some sort of a father for me.

He was with me in the middle of the night at the height of the counting to make sure things were ok. Although I don't tell him to and I never really wanted him to, he explains my conflicts with my fellow barangay officials to the higher ups so that I would not get railroaded by false gossips against me.

He even trusted me enough to give me the key to his office. Allows me to use his resources unlimitedly. It is because of this that I get to learn from him unselfishness.

He made me believe that I was more scientific than I think I was, that I was capable of doing more. When I asked him what I could contribute to the team composed of middle-aged, successful, intelligent guys who I think can cover all bases already, he simply said, "passion and idealism."

I've let him see the worse part me, the really lazy, unfocused part. Even gave him a progress report simpy stating, "I did not find the internal motivation to start the project," but he did not give up on me.

He still gives me proposals and still includes me in the loop. He makes sure I get to do visible jobs and never misses an oppoprtunity to show me off and broadcast what I can do. He first did this when he introduced me to Minnie. I didn't how much he knows of me until then. Marketed me so much to Minnie, she has to outshine me by stating, "Minnie..., Harvard, Kennedy School of Government," when she shook my hand.

He introduced me and got me to be friends with The Street Strategist, my favorite business column writer in college.

But most of all, he inspires me, always knows what to say at the right moment.

When I was really down and depressed, he told me, "the best thing about being too down in the dumps and nobody believes in you, is that you will surprise everybody when you do things well again." I know he was speaking from experience.

He always tries to be there for me. That's why I also try to be there for him, even if it means getting up at 2:00 AM, getting out of the house and meeting him for lumi at chowking to hear him grieve over his current losses: his girlfriend and his iPaq. Doing that is nothing much compared to what he has done and what he is for me.

I'm very grateful for the guy. But he just tells me to pay it forward. Very very good person indeed.

Mr. Driver

We find an angel in unexpected places in unexpected circurstances.

My son's first bag for school is a small blue inexpensive backpack. He never changed it, even if we bought him a better looking, more expensive Spiderman bag. The blue bag is more than a year old already, very dirty, and bursting at the seams. But even if we are just at home, he still wears it.

Imagine my surprise last night, when I was already in my panties and old shirt without a bra when we got a call from Nong Roger, our neighbor, telling us that a taxi driver went back to the basketball court looking for a petite woman with a husband and an English-speaking kid.

The driver is returning Dindin's bag. We did not notice we left it at the taxi.

So I grab my pants and jacket, took P20 from my wallet and went out.

I know P20 is probably not enough for a reward especially that Dindin loves that bag so much, but I don't have much to spare.

But I thought maybe a very big, appreciative THANK YOU with the warmest smile will tell the driver what his gesture means to us.

But when I turned right outside our gate to dash to the basketball court, I saw my very slow father bringing the bag already. The driver was gone.

You see, our phone has an extension at our store. My father was there when Angelo picked up the phone and heard the conversation. He took the initiative of getting the bag.

I never did get to see the driver again. I do not even remember his face. But I hope that the universe will give him back tenfold the kindness he showed to us by returning Dindin's bag.

Now Dindin can say he has met an angel. My son's angel is my angel too.

Aileen

At the stage when most of us were worrying about pimples, boyfriends and gossip, the more enlightened of us was already reading Andrew Matthews. I first thought she was immune to boys and to backbiting. She really couldn't care less.

She first became an angel to me when I complained to her over and over about my father. I did not realize how much I was talking about him to her. And she said this very profound thing that was almost a slap on my face, "You know, for someone who hates her father so much, you do admire him so much." I hated my father less after that. Spared me trips to the shrink. My papa has to thank her for that.

She became my partner in crime when she became the director of this high school play and I became the stage manager. She was perceptive of my laziness. But was respectful too of my "brilliance". Hehehehehe. She complimented me so much, I never did bury my passion for theater, despite how impractical it seems.

She was also the one who accompanied me to trips to bible studies and worships. Found my first taste of true spirituality after that. I know Farrah was envious of her because of the emotional ties Aileen and I had during that time. Farrah wrote me a letter once saying, "since I do not know you as well as I do anymore and I don't expect to know what makes you feel better, but I know you're in good company...."

She gave me a chance to prove myself in college. She took the challenge of directing a play again with me. And even sat beside me when I cried my heart out when the second play we planned did not get enough support.

I never did tell her, but I think, deep down inside she feels that, for me, she has become my second best friend, nonjudgmental and supportive.

We lost touch after college. But I could never forget the handmade card she gave me when I graduated. Big, but was full of everything she had to say. I think she wanted to say more. She help me found myself again after that. She said she always believed I was strong. I still have that card. And it still moves me everytime I read it.

Found her again. I can't exactly remember how we got to see each other again. I remember her responding to this email of mine with questions about me. I still have that email. I remember that coffee date we had at Bo's. I still remember where we sat. I still remember my dinner with her at Dessert Factory. And how open I was to her then. I could still remember assuring here tha I do not feel like a victim under the circumstances that I was in. She simply said, "You don't sound and look like a victim to me, Em."

I still remember the book she gave me. The Og Mandino book that she got from RSO. I still have that book. I still remember her message.

I still remember having dinner with her at Persian Palate and talking about being young and childlike. We could almost not believe ourselves over the coincidence. It looks like circumstances gave us another opportunity to work on our passions again. Apparently, she and a common friend was already planning to stage "The Little Prince" and out of the blue, I remembered the story too, even before she could utter a word about it.

Aileen was the one who showed me tolerance, acceptance, understanding and calmness. Never did I remember her being mean against anybody. And she always had the right questions to ask me to help me be introspective.

And months from now, I will never see her everyday again. But I know, when one of us needs the other again, the universe will find a way for us to find each other again. And that won't be like as if we parted.

Sir Mike

Mike has a huge reason to hate my family. My uncle gave his uncle the shame of a lifetime by sending a sheriff to their residence right after my uncle won the mandamus case. He not only held a grudge against my uncle, he took it against my mother too. He blocked my mother's appointment to a higher position, even had shouting matches with her. They "bullshited" each other, Mama tells me. Good thing my father was too useful for him to be dispensed with.

And then comes the British. Papa does not know how to express himself him well, much more to a foreign national. And the communication gap caused a lot of conflict. And another round of legal battle ensues. And once again, my uncle finds himself in the same courtroom with another Rama.

That is why I was never warm to him. Especially that he scolded me for being late in an interview to a leadership search. The nerve.

I did not really hate him. I just decided not to trust him. He has, after all, many reasons to want to destroy anybody from our family.

So I decided to avoid him anyway I can. And them comes the elections.

Having the luck to be assigned in the War Room (thanks to Paul, but that's another posting), I was at the base everyday.

When Mike saw me with Paul, he immediately addresses the people in the room, "si Remoroza baya ni,". Huh? I didn't know what that meant. So what if Remoroza ko? What has he been telling people? And I did not dare ask Paul. And that was the last we saw each other. Until Sinulog 2003.

For the simple reason that nobody can confidently tell him around what time the mardi gras would end, he decided to get a "systems analyst." I didn't know why Paul thinks I could solve the problem. But then he contacted me, gave me the resources, a "buck stop" as he calls him and the authority. I later learned it was also Nagiel who suggested to bring me into the team (Nagiel gets another post).

So I did Sinulog. Pretty low tech. But at least I got the job done. At least Sir Mike would not be at my back anymore. I don't want to
work for him again. Kinda weird between us.

And Tommy has to get a stroke, or whatever it is that he got. And Mike had to take over, and had to get a team, a "core group" as he calls it, to help him, "ensure that [he's] doing things according to [Tommy's] plans." And Rene had to pull me in again. At least I get to spend two nights at Costabella, all expenses paid, for a legislative and executive strategic planning achochocho chuva. So ok. This is not so bad. And I get to hear how stupid other people are. Or how egoistic. "I know how this should work... blah blah blah blah... coz I've seen it at blah blah blah blah blah.

And he tells me, "see you at the next Sinulog." Ah ok.

Ricky went ballistic when Mike tells him "get Remoroza" and Ricky does not know how to find "Remoroza" and he has to deal with "where's Remoroza" in the next meeting. And Judith has to be the one to find me through the barangay. And the barangay does not know who "Remoroza" is yet. And they say, si "Sesbreño" ba. Hehehehehe. I enjoy having multiple personalities.

So I ended up doing two more Sinulog's. Kinda fun. I get to see him scold Joy. Hehehehehe.

So why does Sir Mike (he's Sir Mike to me now) merit a space, a long post, in my "angel" blog? Because our repeated encounters tell me that I am meant to work with this man. And that maybe I have a lot to learn from him.

And he finally saw me beyond being my father's daughter or Raul's niece. And he later defended me on so many things. Though he got Joy to scold me when Rodnie had to squeal to the media why I, a non-government personnel, am surpervising summer jobers and am allegedly using them for "political reasons," he still took care of me. He defended me against that bayot Fidel. And tells people to "deal" with my problems with the City. He gave me more summer job slots than he gave anybody and always prioritized my requests. He takes my calls even when he is on vacation with his children in Thailand. He takes the opportunity to broadcast to the people what I do best. He gives me free tickets. And still understands me even if I do not actually want to see him when he calls for a meeting. And oh, yeah, he contributed to my campaign just when I needed the money most.

A nice development to a fued, isn't it.

Gems

Every once in awhile, God (Allah, the universe, the cosmos,or whoever or whatever you want to call it) sends you people to guide you in the path that you are destined to follow.

Yes, I believe in destiny, but I also believe in freewill. And I firmly believe that a path is laid out for you already. But it is still up to you if you want to follow that path or not.

This blog is meant for the people who I believe have been the angels in my life, people who mattered so much and who contributed so much to my growth and development. They are gems.

Tito Chito

My Tito Chito

Santa Claus was real to me. He came in the form of a big big guy, as Santa Claus should be; twice my age but with the heart of a child.

I met Tito Chito when I was still trying to sell the services of a boutique hotel and its bar when I worked for it as a PR and Marketing In-charge. He was a member of one of the richest Rotary Club here in Cebu (and also the most snobbish) and I was at their meeting talking to them about the advantages of our discount card.

He came up to me and asked where we had our cards made. Since I did not yet know by then, I gave him my business card and asked him to call me the next day to get the name and the contact information.

And he did call me and I gave the information he needed. Since it was part of my job to be nice, I was extra friendly to him over the phone. I did not realize that moment made him remember me well.

When I took a different job working for a business incubator in the new Ayala subsidiary, Tito Chito found me again and did not hesitate to broadcast my "talents" to the IT world. He took me under his wings and took me to every meeting he attended with the big guns of the industry. I still believe it was because of him that I got elected as a board member of Cyberpromdi.

It was because of him that I got to go inside the office of the Cebu and Investment Promotions Center and meet Joel Yu, "Tommy's lapdog," as he calls him. It was also because of him that I found myself in the loop in the dealings with CEDFIT and CebuisIT preparations. I met a lot of people through Tito Chito.

Though our dealings with each other were mostly business, he was Tito Chito for me. His son was the barkada of my batchmate, Kyra. Since Kyra calls him Tito. I thought I should also. But that had more meaning when our friendship progressed. He became some sort of a mentor for me and to a certain degree he also took care of me.

He was the one who gave me my readable copy of The Art of War. He said it was for those engaged in business and politics. I needed it daw. He gave it to me before I first ran for public office and before he left for Australia. Now I know why, he just wanted to make sure that I know how to fight my way in this world especially that he would not be there anymore to shelter me. He made sure I always have the ammunition.

I hope he's fighting well too.