My First Divisoria Trip: 20 kilos of dried fish for relief ops, bleeding toes, opportunistic taxi drivers, and prostitution

I did not come to work because I woke up with a fever.  I had been running on a fever since Wednesday.  Lucky for me, my temperature cooled down at around noontime.  While I was checking my e-mails, I received a text message from a classmate, Faith Laperal.  The text reads: “Pwede ka mag-undertime later?” I replied: “I didn’t come to work at all. May pupuntahan ba tayo?”  She said that we will go to Divisoria to buy tuyo for our relief operations on Sunday.  By the way, instead of just feeding people with arroz caldo, we decided to give them a complete meal - complete with desert and storytelling.  I told Faith, who is an Administrative Officer at the Department of Labor and Employment, to invite Regie  Mendoza as well.  Faith, Regie, and I had been classmates in undergrad.  Until now, we are classmates in UP Law.  Faith, Regie, and I decided to meet up at the 7/11 store beside the Quiapo Church before we head to Divisoria.

When we were already in Quiapo, we decided to look for tuyo in the nearby market first.  Unfortunately, only small time tuyo vendors were there.  We need to buy 20 kilograms of tuyo for our relief operations. We decided to head for Divisoria.  While walking to the place where we can get a ride, one said “Let’s go to Port Area na lang to buy tuyo. ‘Yung bagong huli!” Of course it was said in jest, tuyo or dried fish, as the name suggests, is not freshly caught.

We rode the jeep until Divisoria. We walked a little more until the Divisoria Mall.  We asked were the tuyo stalls are.  The stalls were about to close.  We were lucky to get there on time.  We were looking for Salinas tuyo, but there were none.  We found this dried fish all the way from Bacolod.  I forgot what they were called.  It starts with the letter ‘T.” Faith asked if the dried fish would break out once cooked, the vendor answered in the negative.  Then Regie said: “Kuya, implied warranty yan ha. Isosoli namin pag naghiwa-hiwalay. Nagse-sales (Sales Law subject) ako ngayon!” 

Dried fish sells at 160 per kilo. We bought a boxful of tuyo weighing 20 kilos. You do the math.  Regie, Faith, and I carried the wooden box of tuyo alternately.  We were discussing whether to ride a pedicab to a place we can get a taxi.  We walked a few meters until we decided to take a pedicab until Binondo Church.  Regie said we can get a taxi from there. We had to stop walking as Regie’s toes were bleeding, literally.  He needs medical attention so he has to go home right away.  The trike driver suggested we get off soon as there were already cabs passing by.  However, Faith and I maintained that he brings us to Binondo Church.  While riding the trike, Faith told me that she and Ate Raj, a classmate from UP Law who works as a Technical Consultant at the Office of the President in Malacanang, had a harrowing experience with a pedicab driver in Divisoria.  The driver told them that a ride would cost only 20 pesos.  However, when they were about to get off, the driver said that it would cost them 70 pesos.  Of course Ate Raj was a bit enraged.  She got enraged more when the driver said 70 pesos each.  Ate Raj was about to call the attention of a group of men nearby to ask the usual fare, but the driver suddenly grabbed (more…)

Joke Time! (readers’ discretion is advised!)

The following were sent to me via text by friends.  I do not know who holds copyright to these, so I just posted them without verification.

“Pepeng, I know you are wet and fast to come, but I don’t think I wanna pack for you!”

- civic group volunteer

“PAG-ASA announced that super typhoon Pepeng’s scope is so huge.  Therefore, PAG-ASA gave a new name for the typhoon - PEPENG MALAKI.”

Please don’t take this seriously.  Neither take this as insensitivity. Let’s take a break for a while, then back to work thereafter. Have a safe weekend!

xoxo,

PGB

Cristine Reyes back to work despite trauma

Actress Cristine Reyes has gone back to work despite her traumatic experience last Saturday when she was trapped on their rooftop at the height of tropical storm Ondoy with some members of her family in Provident Village, Marikina City.

Cristine has started shooting for her upcoming movie, Ang Darling Kong Aswang, Vic Sotto as her new leading man.

In an interview with her mother network’s news agency, Cristine said she’s much better now, but expressed fear about (more…)

Send Rhian Ramos a birthday gift through donations!

Stairway to Heaven star Rhian Ramos will be celebrating her birthday this Saturday.  Instead of giving her conventional gifts, why not send your donations directly to her.  She tweeted me that she, along with friends, will be personally pack your donations in GMA Artist Center and distribute them in Marikina City for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.  This is truly a very altruistic move on Rhian’s part. Instead of celebrating her birthday with a party, she chose to share her blessing with typhoon victims.

To send Rhian a wonderful birthday gift, send your donations to (more…)

Pichay’s extravagance is liable for damages under Art. 25 of the Civil Code

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said that while most celebrations have been cancelled to donate to victims of Ondoy, the move of LWUA to proceed with its anniversary is the “height of insensitivity.”

The celebration, complete with a live band, was held at the LWUA main office in Katipunan Avenue, Balara, Quezon City, which was one of the worst hit by Ondoy floods.  What were in the menu during that party was published in the Malaya newspaper.

In attendance to the said posh event was no less than Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.  Her Excellency was joined by her cabinet members Silvestre Bello, Eduardo Ermita, and Gabriel Claudio.

Since the said extravagance was made during a state of calamity, damages can be sought against those who organized the party.

The applicable provision in the Civil Code reads in toto: “Art. 25. Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency (more…)