I always say that I enjoyed college and learned everything I needed to know when I was just halfway through it. Some of the best times of my college years were spent with the closest friends I’ve incidentally earned when I joined the debate team and they all graduated before I even reached junior year. Four of them went to different law schools, one was finishing her Intarmed degree and the last, the craziest of them all, pursued her master’s in Germany.
During my freshman year, I was the only person who applied for the debate team from my batch. Being the youngest when I got in, it was not my intention to gain friends from this org and my sole reason for joining is to have a legitimate excuse to travel (clever don’t you think). This is why until now, I am still amazed at how my friendship with my debate mentors and teammates flourished without me noticing it. They made such huge impact in my life that I included them in the acknowledgment part of my thesis.
Despite the different lives we lead now, we make it a point to meet up for dinner at least once a year, most of the time when Pressia, the crazy one, is home. And I enjoy it immensely every time even if we talk about and laugh at the same things every year. I know great friendships were forged because none of us is the least embarrassed when we talk about the weirdos we dated, the misadventures we got ourselves into be it in Malate after debate training or in some hotel lobby in Greece during a tournament and the countless times we f*ck up a debate round. Around these people, I am not ashamed to show how much I know about things nor am I bothered how they will judge me if I tell them my darkest secrets. I don’t know if it’s because of our training as debaters, but their open-mindedness and straightforwardness will either comfort you or shock you.
Last night when we all met up for our annual dinner, it just seemed like it was only yesterday when we were having coffee at Alda’s (the best pizza and pasta place in Ermita) or bashing each other at the AS lobby. To this day, they still look at me as the little one, smiling knowingly when they interrogate my boyfriend and broadcasting my improprieties like we are the only people around. Sometimes I have to remind them that I am no longer seventeen.
I feel really blessed that when I first met them, I didn’t get the condescending eyes freshies usually get from their upperclass men. I am thankful that up to this time, despite the ATTY, DR or MA attached to their names, I need not text twice when I want to see them.
This morning Inquirer Money reports that the worst is probably over for the Philippine debt. While investors in Philippine debt papers are nervous of the possibility of a wider political turmoil, it was also reported that 4 out of 10 regional traders chose Philippine bonds among major Asian issuers.
The Philippine peso also climbed to a three-week high (P55.60 as of 18 July closing), attributed primarily to the strong inflows from overseas Filipino workers. It was also said that the weekend rally, “Gathering for Peace, Unity through the Rule of Law”, in support of the President also helped lift the peso.
Further, the Inquirer news reported that the latest data brought the balance-of-payment (BOP) to a surplus of $1.981 billion for the first half of the year compared to the $70 million for the same period last year. The BSP (Philippine Central Bank) also forecasts a BOP surplus this year of $852 million compared with a deficit of $280 million last year. Our other numbers are also good with May exports growth of 1.1% year-on-year and January to May exports growth of 4% year-on-year. Foreign portfolio investments, on the other hand, showed an inflow of $1.878 billion from January to July 9 from the $146.3 million for the same period last year.
It must be true that the Philippine economy is indeed resilient. Despite the good beating our economy seems to get from all the political uncertainty our country is faced with, some good news still manage to come our way. We must have been doing something right which may explain why the gods are still on our side.
If Escudero, Estrada, Pimentel and Binay have nothing better to offer me with their rabid desire to have the presidency vacated, then I can’t just parrot their call for the President to resign. The same goes with Purisima, Dinky, Drilon and yes even to Cory. While I have high regard for these people, I think it is irresponsible that you ask me to join your call when really, no viable alternative (person or system) is in place.
I am not absolving the President in any way. She has committed a grave mistake, a blunder she actually acknowledged. But I believe that plucking her out and merely replacing her with another rotten banana is something I don’t deserve. Every time someone from the opposition speaks, I see vested interest looming in the horizon.
What we have turned into as a nation is not dangerous, it’s terrifying. Just when nations, big and small, are coming together and working out to have a common charter, our country is trapped in this warp zone where the enemy is ourselves. We have officials, elected in fact, who accuse other people of violating the Constitution but who are the first to disregard the Constitution when their own interests are at stake. We are a democracy, where trial by publicity is the norm and adventurism hardly resembles its origin.
I would like to believe that doing what is right is always easy. It should not require too much thinking, justifying, weighing, fighting with oneself. But if you live in a country where choices, good ones at that are scarce to zilch, doing the right thing would often leave you with nothing.
I was particularly aghast by an article I read in the Philippine Star last week. The columnist wrote things she thought were amusing about the Philippine-famous househelp.
The columnist said that maids are a necessary evil. She enumerated how she lives a carefree (more of an irresponsible life I think) life because she has another human being to clean up after her. She can have crispy pata at nine in the evening, throw a party and make a mess and have the place look like nothing happened within 30 minutes and pass the burden of raising children. She also shared how home appliances get broken because of the maids’ ignorance. The entire article, which the columnist says is dedicated to “chimminy aa” (how politically correct), essentially made fun of maids and yayas with true stories to further showcase their ineptness.
The article might actually be funny. There are people who may really find the anecdotes in the article entertaining. And there are some people who won’t. I have to say I am guilty of making fun of other people, models, celebrities, politicians. But there is something about making fun of househelp that disgusts me. I just don’t see it right. The reason might be because I find it unjust to mock people who the society already looks down to. Whether we admit it or not, there is a stigma attached to househelp and making fun of them exacerbates this stigma.
I believe it’s bad enough that we have someone right in our very homes who gets paid to do the dirty things for us. Flaunting it makes it worse.
