Chef ‘Mang Thomas’

The US Ambassador donned a chef’s jacket and played Chef “Mang Thomas” at the kitchen of his embassy residence in Makati the other night to raise funds for underprivileged children. Dubbed “Cooking for a Cause,” the cook-off and auction event hosted by Ambassador Harry Thomas pitted talented chefs against each other, with the gastronomic masterpieces auctioned off to guests. Ambassador Thomas himself showed off his culinary prowess, prompting us to kid him that he could very well move on to another career. The mother of Ambassador Thomas made sure her son knew how to cook his own meals, which came in very handy when he started to live independently. The US Ambassador is winding down his tour of duty in Manila and is scheduled to move on to his next assignment in July.

Proceeds of the auction will go to an advocacy program for children implemented by Creative Kids Studio (CKS) headed by interior designer Bambi Mañosa-Tanjutco. Bambi, who happens to be the daughter of National Artist for Architecture Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa, has done a lot of programs for children who are victims or at risk of abuse and violence with the help of Tukod Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Mañosa and Company, the architecture, design and planning firm of the Mañosa family. 

The high-impact programs of CKS utilize art to help heal the emotional scars of these abused children, among them victims of trafficking. Workshops conducted in underprivileged communities not only unearth the talent of children but more importantly, provide hope and motivation as the art sessions serve as therapy that help the children cope with challenging life experiences.

Bambi said the cook-off at Ambassador Thomas’ embassy residence is for the benefit of Sikat Sining, an informal art group formed by students from a high school located inside the Muntinlupa prison compound that will be coming out with artwork that would highlight the rights of the Filipino child. She’s confident the kids’ art group will act as a catalyst for change in their school and community composed of informal settlers who have been relocated by the government from the railroad tracks where they used to dwell.

OFW predators

Stories about Filipina overseas workers being used and abused by Philippine embassy personnel have been circulating for a long time, with victims reluctant to come out because of fear. Judging from the numerous emails we have received, people are not only angry, but thoroughly disgusted about allegations that Labor officials in the Middle East are operating a prostitution ring mostly victimizing runaway and distressed Filipina overseas workers.

It’s bad enough that these women have to leave home and endure the separation from their families just so they could find work, but now they are forced into sex slavery by the very authorities who take advantage of their sorry plight instead of serving as their lifeline in foreign countries. This kind of exploitation by predators is not only sickening but evil – and those who are found guilty should be hanged by their you-know-what!

Deadly roads

The onset of the rainy season has made the traffic even worse with floods making roads impassable in many places in Metro Manila, aggravated by vehicular accidents mostly caused by impatient and rude drivers who cut down others to get ahead. Not a day passes by without any report of fatal accidents involving buses, shuttles, taxis, trucks and jeepneys because of reckless drivers and poorly maintained vehicles. 

As a matter of fact, British traveler Archie Bowman emailed Spy Bits recounting his unpleasant experience during a trip via jeepney from Sagada to Bontoc, in the Mountain Province.  A lot of tourists, both local and foreign, flock to Sagada to visit the caves containing “hanging coffins” – an ancient funeral tradition among the Igorots. According to the Englishman, the jeep was crammed with passengers, heavily loaded with baggage on the roof, belching noxious clouds of smoke with four bald tires to boot. Another jeepney, he said, had one front wheel held on with only four nuts instead of six.

Why are these poorly maintained vehicles being allowed to transport people in very precarious roads? Those familiar with the Sagada-Bontoc-Banaue route say it is definitely dangerous especially during the rainy season because the winding roads are narrow and prone to landslides. If the vehicle falls into a ravine, it will take a long time for rescuers to reach victims because the area is isolated.

Other than the drivers, the operators should be held responsible for checking the mechanical condition of the vehicles before they are allowed to travel. Under the law, operators can be liable for deaths and damages even if the vehicle was just rented out by them and the driver is not their employee.   

Spy tidbit

Naming the second Hamilton class cutter BRP Ramon Alcaraz in honor of the Philippine Navy World War II hero has elicited a suggestion from one of our readers to name a smaller vessel patrolling the waters of Masinloc after Sgt. Marcos Eamilao, a Masinloqueño who was a member of the Q-112 Abra patrol torpedo boat crew skippered by then 3rd Lt. Ramon Alcaraz. This will boost the confidence of the Navy men knowing that they are “in good hands” with the vessel named after a bona fide war hero, Fernando Anluagui said.

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