Quotes in real life

“When I do good no one remembers. When I do bad no one forgets.”

I sincerely felt bad for Manny Pangilinan who has done much for basketball and especially for Gilas Pilipinas, to end up having to apologize for what was the blunder of his executives or business associates. What I found tragic, disturbing and already unacceptable is the prevailing culture around MVP where his people would let their leader take the bullet on their behalf.

The first occasion was when a speechwriter fed MVP plagiarized material and sent him through a storm of criticism and a parting of ways with Ateneo University. Then as now, MVP took the hits. Once again we find Pangilinan facing the “Inquisition” while his minions mutter idiocies about how the public misinterpreted the program, the publicity materials, etc. His people should have stepped up and taken the bullet. Perhaps, the players themselves ought to speak up for a change. Maybe MVP has a penchant for pain or is too much of a saint to let others take the fall, I don’t know, but even cats they say have only 9 lives. He should start cleaning up his circle.

In the mean time, I for one would like to express my appreciation for what MVP has done for basketball and for Gilas Pilipinas. It has been a long time since we had something to be proud of in basketball and MVP deserves a break if not your applause.

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“Never air your dirty laundry in public.”

As I listened briefly to the Senate inquiry on the DAP, I could not believe what I heard. Honestly? I could only take so much bullshit. Not only was it not an inquiry, it was a public presentation aided by legislation. They went beyond airing dirty laundry, some of the Senators were actually laundering the dirty linen we call DAP in full view of the public. I can understand that some of them might want to help clear up things, but that should have been left to Secretary Butch Abad. What happened was some of them were actually leading the witness. One would even have us believe that he was critical in his questioning but was in fact giving a convincing performance as an actor.

Considering that there is still a “live” case before the Supreme Court, one would think that the Senate would have had enough sense to defer the matter until a more opportune time particularly since several of them allegedly received funds or benefitted indirectly through the political goodwill generated by the DAP funds. But then again what can we expect from a Congress that is in a politically and constitutionally adulterous relationship with the executive branch. 

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Whenever my wife Karen wants me to drive or accompany her she always throws the line: “You never know, you might find good material for your column.” That’s what happened when I accompanied her to the LTO (Pasig) office near Barrio Kapitolyo.

We meant to go the day before but learned there was a long line of people in front of the cashier that caused such a delay. Why? Because an official at the LTO main office thought 2 cashiers and register were too many so they pulled out one. So at peak moments the line grows long, the process takes longer and because the LTO does not believe in “noon time breaks,” the cashier has to literally eat on the job. So we went the following day at 7:45 and already there were 5 people ahead of us.

The first requirement was to have a “medical check-up” at the Halili Medical clinic that is a tenant/investor of the LTO. We sat waiting outside on one plastic bench with a small roof over our heads, puddles of water and “lumot” on our feet. All these years as an “investor” and they can’t even provide decent facilities. LTO was open before 8 a.m. but the clinic opened much later because they had to set up their equipment. Applicants had their Eye-Ear-BP checked in a tiny room in front of everybody else. Medical exams are supposed to be a private and confidential matter! Then we waited for 30 minutes until the doctor arrived. It is totally disrespectful for a paid professional to make people who had to take half a day off with no pay, to wait for her. When the doctor arrived she simply ticked off on the findings and information that had been gathered by assistants earlier.

In contrast, the organic LTO personnel have consistently been pleasant, helpful, even covering up for the shortcomings of “investors.” The only LTO flaw in the license renewal was when a defective cable delayed the photo imaging and a build up at the cashier took longer than expected. Perhaps the new LTO chief would consider being pro-public instead of pro-investor to improve the LTO’s over-all image.                                 

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“Some people come in your life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.” — Mother Teresa

When typhoon Glenda ripped through our mini farm, my sister Marissa Altamirano immediately posted photos of the damage. Soon I received offers to help from friends; Sam Liuson of Wheel Gallery got busy finding a bulldozer and volunteers, Dominic Sytin of United Auctioneers sent over an electric welding generator while his brother Rommel of Foton trucks sent a unit full of tarps for the piggery. The bulldozer was unnecessary but everything else came in real handy.

In all the times I’ve volunteered to help typhoon victims never did it occur to me that one day I would be at the receiving end of such goodwill. What’s interesting to note is that when it comes to helping others, you often find the same people who are in your list of “volunteers” as well as your list of good and real friends. For them it’s a way of life. God bless them all.

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