Mom for 27 Years

It wasn't easy for us. I was a single mom for over a decade. I was lucky though because I had Mom and Dad who were always there for us. And now Miggy is 27 years old. It's been a long arduous journey for us. It was just the two of us, then Jay joined our little family, tumultuous years when I moved to Singapore and eventually we decided to all live in Singapore. The hardest part was when Miggy decided to go back home after his studies. Being empty nesters was the worst thing ever. 

Good thing I took a break and was able to be with Miggy. What we didn't know was we'd be apart for almost two years because of the pandemic. And that's probably what broke me. Miggy has always been and will always be my powerhouse. He is the miracle that keeps me going. 

I guess other moms can easily understand what I mean. We carry our child for 9 months and would protect them with our life. What I realized when we became empty nesters, I cannot live without Miggy. Being apart for two years was more than enough time for him to be free (haha). I cried when I finally got to hug him after quarantine. 

My Mom played a huge part when Miggy was growing up. He was always with her when I was at work. She was the doting lola and there were times he'd prefer to be her because I was the disciplinarian. I must say he is the favorite apo because he's the one who she sees all the time (everyone else is abroad). 

Through the years my Mommy skills have grown and developed. We're now on a different path since he's already an adult. He takes care of me now more than I take care of him. One thing will never change though, our bond and love for each other. 

Love you forever Miggy. Thank you for making me a mom. 

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

Our Generation's Battle

I've been trying to write for any hour already, but it's hard when you are overcome with emotion. Since I woke up I've been listening to campaign songs. I started getting teary eyed when I watched the theater flashmobs posted by Audie Gemora. What we have been experiencing the past few months only happened because all of us obviously want real change and a better Philippines. 

Artwork by Robert Alejandro

I got home late last night from a meetup with friends. I immediately watched the speeches made by Senator Kiko Pangilinan and VP Leni Robredo at the Naga Grand Rally. I must say it's one of the best speeches they have done. 

VP Leni gave her speech in Bicolnon. It was different from all the other speeches she's given because this one was more heartfelt and personal. She spoke about Sec. Jesse Robredo and how got into politics after his death. She was comfortable talking about what her family went through and the odds she faced when she ran for congress. The speech resonated well with me because she showed how an ordinary person who has a genuine heart can topple down dynasties and wrongdoing by doing the right thing through hardwork. It reminded me that there is nothing wrong with our system, the problem lies in the people that are sitting in power. 

Today is the last day to campaign. There are already many people in Makati for the miting de avance. Yesterday, I saw a group of people doing house-to-house. I got teary eyed seeing how they were doing it. May God bless and protect all volunteers working hard to campaign for a better future for all of us. 

The future is in our hands. Please make sure to check if your precinct is in the same location. A number of precincts in my barangay was moved and there's a lot of confusion on the exact location. The address Comelec placed is full of houses and there's no clarification yet. And when you vote, make sure to keep an eye on your ballot until it's properly fed into the ballot box. If you can, make sure that the teachers tear in half unused ballots at the end of the voting day. How I wish I was able-bodied and could still be a poll-watcher. 

Take care everyone. We'll be #TeamBahay later for the MDA. 

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

The Pink Movement Brought Out Our Best

It seems just like yesterday when VP Leni Robredo announced that she was running for president. I was overjoyed because I prayed hard for it. I immediately changed my blog colors after the announcement to show my support. It's the first time I've openly supported a candidate since former Senate President Jovito Salonga ran. I was either part of PPCRV or prohibited at work.

A lot of people were hesitant about VP Leni in the beginning. There was a lot of criticism about her chosen color and campaign slogan. She won people over with her track record, integrity and good character. She was simply herself and that convinced people to admire her, even fall in love with her. 

VP Leni shared during her campaign in 2016 how she campaigned for a seat in Congress for the first time. A friend gave her a portable speaker and she'd go house to house.  She had no money to feed supporters and they would just buy bread from the bakery. Her sorties were small, done by family. Her sincerity shown through and she won by landslide.

It's unprecedented to run as an independent for president. People started supporting her by making their own campaign materials. Artists like Robert Alejandro made designs, allowing anyone to use it. Sorties turned into grand rallies organized by volunteers. More and more people showed up and supported house-to-house. Senator Franklin Drilon in a recent interview said he hasn't seen anything like this since the lead up to the EDSA Revolution in 1986. 

I would have also been out there to campaign if my health allowed me. What I couldn't do physically I made up for it by contributing where I can and praying. I'm equally as stressed as everyone else haha. The best thing about this election is seeing how Filipinos still love their country. It brought out the best in us. What that tells me is there is hope.

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

Revenge of the Fifth: Be Vigilant

The fact that our country is on the precipice of peril is really alarming. That disinformation and proliferation of fake news is a contributor to it is depressing. A neighbor sent me a reminded this morning to be vigilant when I vote next week. The message sent information about how cheating can happen. 

BE VIGILANT. Don't take your eyes off your ballot until it is safely inside the ballot box. Make sure no one marks it or makes a tear on it. If your ballot is compromised, your vote will be invalidated. Also make sure to use the pen that Comelec provides to shade your votes. The machine will only read votes made with the Comelec pen. It's already 2022, you'd think the technology would be better for automated elections. 

But BE VIGILANT to ensure that your vote counts.

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

May the Fourth Be with You

It's Star Wars day once again! My Yoda collection is still in storage boxes.  Fixing our home is moving so slow. I want them to have a nice display case. I have loved Yoda since I first saw him on screen when Star Wars first came out. I liked his gentle nature and he's just so cute.

I like Yoda now because he's full of wisdom! Here's one quote that's so apt right now -

Election day is just a few days away. May we choose the best candidate that will serve the whole country and not just a few families. Knowledge and understanding our history is key. 

May the force be with all of us. 

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

The Reality of a Bad Political Climate

I came across several tweets yesterday from BPO employees sharing the thoughts of their foreign bosses. They said they would consider moving their contracts to India if the dictator's son wins. It's a good discussion point because it's important to understand how the economy is affected by politics. 

I went through three Philippine Presidents while working for a foreign company. It didn't have a local office in the Philippines when I was hired as the country representative. My main job was to prove the need to have a local office. I had counterparts in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Pakistan who had the same task. 

I did everything I could to "prepare the market". I wore many hats, business development, marketing, community management, sales and I also did work for engineering and product. I was laser focused though on getting an office opened because I knew it would potentially bring a lot of jobs and get budget to run programs. For many years I did not have any budget to run programs. 

I watched enviously as Thailand and Malaysia opened their offices (Singapore was organized by my manager). No matter how much good work I did, the political climate just negated all my arguments. The president at that time was GMA and she didn't have a good reputation internationally. I also had to be very careful working with government. 

PNoy's win opened the floodgates for me. A year after he took power my goal to open the Philippine office was granted. The Philippines was also included in product launches. The Philippines was also the only emerging market included in the Chrome launch. We were the only market to launch YouTube with a program with the president (YouTube World View with PNoy and RTVMalacanang). I got a lot of support also for crisis response and other projects. 

My job as country rep ended when the office was opened. I didn't want to do sales so I had to look for another job and fate brought me to Singapore. I continued to work on projects for the Philippines. The ones I started slowly dwindled when DU30 took over. I tried to work on it, but the political climate was once again bad. My programs for the Philippines once again did not get budgets. I had to be creative and pushy to get support for the programs I was running for the Philippines. 

That's the reality of working for a foreign company. I really had a hard time getting funding for my projects for the Philippines when the political climate wasn't good. No matter how you prepare your market to be viable, decisions are influenced by the political situation. So yes, BPOs can easily move their business to other countries if the next president isn't politically respected internationally. 

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

It's Unthinkable

I did not want to entertain "what if" thoughts. It's unthinkable and dangerous to think about losing. The moment of truth is just a week away. It is exciting and scary. We don't really know what will happen. I am hopeful though that the people's campaign wins for all of us to benefit. 

The biggest fear I have is for all the atrocities of the previous regime to come back. We've seen this happen in the last 36 years. Graft and corruption, plunder, extrajudicial killings, torture fake news, illegal arrests and many more bad things have been happening. 

Those things are still happening because the perpetrators are still in the system. I realized that Enrile's participation in the 1986 EDSA Revolution was all a farce. Did he stay back to ensure that eventually the Marcoses can regain power? 

If you look back at what happened post EDSA, President Cory's term was marred with many coup attempts. President Ramos had to contend with the power crisis. Then things went downhill when Erap won, got ousted for plunder, replaced by GMA whose was subsequently charged with plunder but cleared a month after DU30 took power. Progress was only made during PNoy's time. Remember he left 1 trillion budget for the next president. And DU30? He's leaving us with 13 trillion debt and we're still paying for the debt Marcos left. 

I was too young to join the EDSA Revolution in 1986. I was able to go to EDSA Dos and was there when GMA was inaugurated. We were all hopeful. We fought for it. We wanted things to get better. Then Oakwood and the Manila Pen rebellion happened. Impeachment complaints were filed 4 times, but the opposition only had 28 seats so it did not flourish. Then she pardoned Estrada. 

We deserve so much more than these people who have been abusing their power. I remember during PNoy's time the opposition was very outspoken. It wasn't a perfect presidency, but progress was made. Then budget secretary Butch Abad worked on fiscal transparency, but was later on charged by the Duterte administration. In our country they persecute you if you serve the people the right way. That's why I worry for James. 

Many avoid politics, but looking at our history the only way to get out of this countrywide hell is to choose the right leaders from top to bottom and hold them accountable. Let's learn from our neighbors who have gone through similar circumstances. It is our duty as citizens to ensure that these elected officials follow through with their promises. 

So think about it, you decide what kind of future you want. Do you want progress or do want things to get worse?

Your reading homework:

Why are Sri Lankas protesting in the streets?

General Ver's daughter reckons with her father and the legacy of martial law

Imee Marcos in London

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely