Kulet Returns
June 16, 2011
Pasukan na naman. Grade 1 na si Kulet. As usual, makulit pa rin. Lumala pa nga ata.
Isang araw:
Kulet: Mama, pwede po bang mag-baon ako sa school ng juice?
Nanay: Hindi pwede kasi hindi healthy yun. Tubig ang dapat na baon mo.
Makalipas ang isang linggo..
Kulet: Mama, may bagong rule na daw sa school, sabi ni teacher.
Nanay: Ano yun?
Kulet: Bawal na daw mag-baon ng tubig. Juice daw dapat ibaon.
Nanay: (nakataas ang kilay) Hindi ako naniniwala. Nag-meeting pa lang kami ni teacher mo at ang sabi, bawal na daw mag-baon ng juice sa school. Dapat daw tubig ang baon ninyo.
Kulet: E bago ngang rule eh!
——–
Isang araw, naliligo si Kulet:
Tatay: Anak, tulungan na kitang maligo ha? di mo kasi nalilinis yung sa likod mo eh.
Kulet: Papa, my life is my own. Pabayaan mo ako. Kaya ko ang buhay ko.
——–
Nanalo sa pa-raffle ng isang mall ang tatay ni Kulet. Eectric fan ang prize. Nung kukunin na ang prize, sumama si Kulet.
May-ari ng mall: Eto na po ang prize ninyo…
Kulet: (malakas ang boses) Bakit ba ganyan ang napanalunan mo, Papa? Ang pangit-pangit naman nyan!
Nanay (sabay tingin sa may-ari ng mall na nakasimangot na):Anak, wag kang maingay. Nakakahiya.
Habang papalayo sina Kulet, hinawakan ni Kulet ang mga trophy na naka-display sa tindahan.
Nanay: Anak, wag mong pakikialaman ang mga yan. Baka masira mo yan, wala tayong pambayad.
Kulet: Peke naman yan eh!
Nanay (nakatingin sa may-ari ng mall na masama na ang tingin kay Kulet): Tumahimik ka Kulet, tumahimik ka!
Tatay: Wag mo na nga kasing kausapin para wag nang mag-ingay! (sabay dali-daling umalis ang pamilya)
———-
Para sa isang 7 years old, natural na malakas ang boses ni Kulet. Isang araw, habang nagsi-swimming ang pamilya sa isang resort, may nakita si Kulet sa pool na babaeng nagpa-kulay pula ng buhok.
Kulet (syempre within earshot ng babaeng pula ang buhok): Mama, sa totoong Pilipinas ba, talagang may Pilipinong kulay pula ang buhok?
Nanay: Tara na anak, ahon na tayo at parang giniginaw ka na…
Sino Niloloko Nyo?
February 4, 2011
photo from: abs-cbnglobal.com
I was listening to AM radio when Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was interviewed. Sabi nya, ang mga prosecutors ang nag-decide na pumayag sa plea bargaining agreement kasi mahina daw ang kaso. Wala daw silang mga pangalan ng contractors, walang details sa mga illegal contracts, etc.
P0&@%( I%@! Kung sobrang hina pala ng ebidensya ninyo at wala kayong mga pangalan at details ng mga illegal contracts, at pulos John Does lang mga pangalan ng mga contractors, bat pa ninyo pinalusot yun sa preliminary investigation? Wala ba kayong witnesses o ni isang document para suportahan ang charges ninyo? Dapat nun pa lang, dinismiss na ninyo for lack of probable cause! Kung ganun pala ang ebidensya ninyo, ano ang naging basis ng resolution at nag-recommend ang investigating prosecutor na i-file yun sa korte? At ano naman ang basis ng reviewing prosecutor at nakalusot din yun sa kanya? At ano pa rin ang ginagawa ng Ombudsman at nakalusot din yun sa kanya? At kung ganun kahina ang ebidensya ninyo, paanong nagkaroon ang korte ng finding of probable cause? Ibig mong sabihin, bobo ang mga prosecutors ninyo at bobo rin ang korte kung saan naka-file ang kaso? At wala ba kayong investigators para mag-research at malaman ang mga details na kailangan ninyo? Ano ang ginagawa ng malaking budget ninyo? At ano ang ginawa ninyo sa malaking budget ninyo? Ibig mong sabihin, hindi marunong mag-research ang mga imbestigador ninyo? Panay ang training ninyo sa mga imbestigador ninyo, tapos ala naman palang alam! E kung ganun, dapat i-dissolve na lang ang opisina ninyo! Wala pala kayong silbi!
Lolokohin lang naman ninyo kami, at least gawin naman ninyong kapani-paniwala! Mga leche kayo! Tamaan sana kayo kaagad ng karma ninyo!
Notes on a Rainy Monday Morning
January 10, 2011 
image from coolfreeimages.net
Sundays are supposed to be a day for relaxation. You devote time to enjoy yourself with your family and friends. It is also a day devoted to God. My sundays are typical. I cook lunch, try to do some chores, nap, go to church, or go shopping. I love my sundays. The one thing I hate about it is that when I go to bed on a Sunday, I wake up on a Monday (although I thank God I still wake up the next day).While I don’t hate Mondays, I still wish that it does not come. My Mondays is like being in a mid-distance marathon. You have to start the ground running. Mondays and Tuesdays are busy days for me, having to attend a lot of hearings on those days. Things start getting slower on Wednesdays as there are only a few cases set for hearings, and my work week is almost at a standstill on Fridays. I wish my Mondays are like my Wednesdays and ithe work week stays that way until Friday.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
January 1, 2011
Just Tiis
December 21, 2010
Para sa Isang Pusang Gala
November 12, 2010
Hindi ko alam kung paano ito sasabihin sayo, pero sasabihin ko pa rin the best way I know how- thru this blog. Hindi ako ma-dramang tao. Ayoko ng eksena, ayokong ngumangawa at ayokong naglulupasay. Pero nalulungkot ako at naiisip mong malapit na ang oras na ikaw ay umalis.
Di kita haharangan. Di ko rin ipagpapalit ang kung anu-ano para lang magtagal ka pa. Naniniwala kasi ako na kung sa tingin mo, malapit na ang oras para umalis, e di sige. Hindi ko mapipigilan ang isang bagay na di ko hawak.Siguro, sa isang banda, maganda na rin. At least wala na ang kaba, ang takot, ang sakit nararamdaman mo.
Pero bago ka umalis, gusto kong maiparating sa iyo na nalulungkot nga ako. Hindi tayo close. Di tayo nagka-usap at di rin tayo nagkita. Dahil sa iyo, at na-engganyo ako sa mga kwento mo, naisip ko na ayos din naman pala ang may blog. Kaya ikaw ang dapat sisihin bakit mayroong www.biyay.i.ph. Maraming salamat sa iyo. Bato ako pero dahit sa iyo, natuto ako (kahit konti) na makipag-interact sa mga commenters ko. Sabagay, iilan lang naman kayo. heheh.
Mami-miss kita at ang blog mo. Mami-miss ko ang mga kwento mo. Dami mong naka-away online pero never kitang nakitang bastos ang inasal. Mami-miss ko rin ang pag-paliwanag mo accounting and economic terms. Bobo kasi ako sa ganyan pero dahil sa paliwanag mo, naintindihan ko kahit sandali. Mami-miss ko din ang news updates at mga chismis mo. Andito ako sa Pinas pero mas nauuna ka sa akin sa mga balita. Di ko na rin kailangan manood ng mga laban ni Manny kasi live blogging ang ginagawa mo. Sisilipin ko na lang sa blog mo at alam ko na agad kung panalo o talo. Hahanapin ko ito pag wala ka na.
Sinabi mo na parang roller coaster ang buhay mo. Marami kasing ups and downs. Pero ganyan talaga kasi ang buhay. Kaya interesting kasi may ups and downs. Kung wala ang mga iyon, boring di ba? Ang tanong, nag-enjoy ka ba? Sana. Mukha namang naging masaya ka eh. At natutuwa naman ako na positive pa rin ang tingin mo sa mga bagay-bagay. Isa pa yun sa mga hinahangaan ko sa iyo.
Di pa ako tapos sa iyo. Marami pa akong gustong itanong. Mrami ka pang dapat i-kwento. Sana nga may himala. Maraming salamat muli.
To Piolo, With Love
October 20, 2010
Dear Papa Piolo,
I have never tried to hide the fact that I have a HUGE crush on you. You rock my world, Papi. One smoldering glance from you and I am like a halo-halo left in the sweltering heat of summer. One smile from those sweet, sweet lips and I would swoon like Mariel to Robin. Or like Jamby with a dying billionaire-relative, or like Kris when faced with a single, handsome basketbolista. Or like … you get the point. I would do anything for you— except make the BIG switch.
I tried to switch Papi, I really did. For a while, it was great. But after sometime, it became a nightmare. I had a bad case of hair fall and my dandruff–if it was gold, I would be digging a gold mine every week.I had to make a change and fast.
I found it here, Papi. I found Human Heart Nature’s shampoo and conditioner line.
images from: humanheartnature.com
Oh Papi, for the first time in years, I was very happy! The conditioners felt luxurious and it felt like a treat everytime I used it. The shampoo strengthened my hair strands. Sure, I still had my little problem, but Papi, it became minimal, almost negligible. And it felt great! It was a great burden off my shoulders!
They are not limited to shampoos and conditioners either. They have a host of other personal care products. One great thing about their products is that they are ORGANIC. Philippine made too. And as it sources most of the ingredients locally, it benefits farmers’ communities. Many if not most, of it’s employees are beneficiaries of Gawad Kalinga and they are given fair wages. Not only does Human Nature’s products keep my hair and scalp clean, they also clean my social conscience. The only thing it doesn’t clean is my pocket. Isn’t that wonderful, Papi?
So Papi, I am sorry if I am hurting your feelings by telling you this. I love you but please, please don’t make me change back. As far as I am concerned, this is non-negotiable. Mwah!
Love,
Biyay
P.S. Human Heart Nature also has organic massage oils. Want me to give you a long massage one of these days? It will be my pleasure 
image source: piolopascual.net
Just Another Day in Court
Highway Robbers
September 11, 2010Less than a week after THE hostage incident at the Quirino grandstand, I was standing at the international departure area of the NAIA 2, with a cart in tow, waiting for a cab. Since it was already night time, there a few other people doing the same and there were few cabs in sight.
A cab drove up, and two Korean girls, maybe in their 20s, stepped out. They went to the back of the cab to get their luggage, the driver accompanying them. I wasn’t really minding them as we were looking at other cabs. After about 5 minutes however, the girls were still standing by the cab. It seems that the driver is asking for an extra amount and the girls were refusing to pay an extra Php 500. The security guards who were were nearby, merely observed them. Two women, Filipinas, were already inside the cab, waiting for the driver to finish what he’s doing. When it became apparent to my companion that the driver was asking for an amount bigger than what was in the meter, my friend, in a loud voice, said: “Yan ang hirap sa iba nating mga kababayan, porke’t dayuhan, sinasamantalahan“. The driver, hearing my friend, shouted: “wag kayong makiki-alam dito mam at nag-baggage pa ako dito.” I took notice of the luggage the Koreans had with them. Each of them had a standard-sized luggage and that was all. Heck, even the stick thin Koreans had no problem lifting the luggage-it was that light. I shouted out to the driver: “Hoy, bawal yang ginagawa mo! Nakakahiya!” It was at this point that the security guards decided to intervene and the Filipina passengers-in-waiting became impatient and got out of the cab. The driver, not wanting to lose his passengers, decided to leave the Koreans alone. As he was driving out however, he had some last words to the Koreans: “After this, I will no longer accept Korean passengers. Pak you!”. I never felt so much shame for a fellow Filipino.
What is it with taxi drivers anyway? What makes them think they can charge an arm and a leg if you are coming from an airport? A group beside me was being charged with a flat fee of Php 700 when their destination is just Paranaque- a stone’s throw from the airport. Another was asking that we pay double and then some, than what was in the meter. And at that, you have no assurance that their meter is properly calibrated. It’s like you were being robbed- only that it’s with your consent.
And things like these are not limited to the NAIA terminals. Once they get wind that you are from out of town, the meter shoots up. I like the Davao taxi drivers as they only charge you with what is in the meter. If you have a change of Php 10.00, they give it to you. When I was in Puerto Princesa, the tricycle drivers were also fair-giving us the correct change-even though we were obviously tourists. The lone tricycle driver who did not give us our correct fare was, I am ashamed to say, a Bicolano. In Legaspi City, the tricycle drivers charge an exorbitant amount for a short ride. The same with the tricycle drivers in Sorsogon if they see you alighting from a Manila bus.
I understand that they may be doing that because they are poor and that they have a boundary to meet, but being poor doesn’t and shouldn’t give one the right to cheat others.
UP’s Beach House
August 9, 2010When I was still a college student, one of my favorite places to eat is at the Beach House in UP DIliman, behind the Main Library. It was a small shack and it was open from around 9 am til 3pm or when the food runs out. It was very popular with the students, especially those who can barely afford or are fed up (ha!) with the food at the CASAA or other bland canteen food. The best seller: pork barbeque.
By around 10:00 in the morning, one can already get a whiff of the pork barbeque cooking as one heads towards the library. The aroma of meat cooking over coals was seductive and irresistible, calling out to the students. If one could bottle it and sell it as a perfume, one is set for life 
. I often had to eat lunch before 11 am as it would be impossible to get a table after that. When one is able to secure a table (and chairs too) one has a choice: eat inside where it is cramped and hot, or eat outside, among the trees. Should you prefer al fresco dining, beware of falling twigs or bird poop. Despite the obvious hazards, lots of students eat there. It was the best barbeque I know back then.It was so good that there really is no need for a dipping sauce for it, but I really liked dipping it in a toyo-mansi sauce with siling labuyo and lots of black pepper.
Years passed and I’ve tasted some barbeques which could give Beach House a run for their money. I yearned to go back, but I was not sure if Beach House was still open. Fortunately, I read on Facebook that the place is still there. So when I had work at Quezon City, I decided to drop by there for some nostalgia. I went on there on a weekday, past noon. There were only a few students as it was a Wednesday (there are only a few classes on wednesdays and saturdays). These are what I ordered, my favorites from years back:
pork barbeque
itlog na maalat with kamatis
minatamis na saging
After the late lunch and a post-dessert dessert of dirty ice cream, I thought about my lunch. I’ve indeed have better and cheaper barbeque (the one beside my place in QC has bigger slices and is cheaper at 16 pesos- Beach House barbeque is sold at 25pesos), but what I just had for lunch was not merely barbeque, salted egg and minatamis na saging. What I had was a chance to go back and relive my memories. And that is priceless.
Why I Don’t Like Kiko Pangilinan
July 26, 2010
Before 2006, the Philippine Revised Penal Code exempts children below 9 years old from criminal liability. This is because the law considers children within this age range to have no discernment or the ability to know the consequences of their unlawful acts. This means that if minors aged below 9 years old committeed a crime, you cannot charge them before the courts. Under the same law, children above 9 years old and up to 15 years old, have no criminal liability UNLESS they were acting with discernment. This means that minors within that age range can be charged in court for a crime if it can be seen from the circumstances that they were aware that what they did was wrong.
All these changed in 2006. Under the sponsorship of the esteemed Senator Francis Pangilinan, the Congress came out with Republic Act No. 9344 which stunned legal practitioners in the country, and generally shook the Philippine legal system. The said law became known as the “Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006″.
What is wrong with this and why did it cause so much furor? Plenty. The law basically is full of holes and creates processes for which the established government agencies has little- if none- resources to answer. For example, the law says minors cannot be detained together with adults but in most provinces, there are no detention facilities for minors. Hence, there is no choice but to place the minors in the same detention facility with adults.
But the most radical of its provisions is Sec. 6 which states:
SEC. 6. Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility. - A child fifteen (15) years of age or under at the time of the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability. However, the child shall be subjected to an intervention program pursuant to Section 20 of this Act.
A child above fifteen (15) years but below eighteen (18) years of age shall likewise be exempt from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program, unless he/she has acted with discernment, in which case, such child shall be subjected to the appropriate proceedings in accordance with this Act.
The exemption from criminal liability herein established does not include exemption from civil liability, which shall be enforced in accordance with existing laws.
Basically, the new law says that children below 15 years old cannot be charged before the courts for their criminal acts. This also means that children above 15 and below 18 can be held criminally liable IF and only if, they are found to be acting with discernment.
Discernment has been said by the Supreme Court in one case to be the “mental capacity to understand the difference between right and wrong”. If a minor waited after dark and when the victim was alone before he raped her, and after having raped her, warned her not to tell anyone of what happened, the minor can be said to have been acting with discernment.
In the light of today’s technology and the modern times, can we still say that minors from the age of 13-15 have no discernment? If a 14 year old urchin grabs your ipod as you are walking in the street, can you say that he did not know that taking away someone’s property is bad? Do you think that a 14-year old boy would not be aware that engaging in sex at his age is forbidden? Do you think that his sex hormones have not yet started kicking in? What do you think would happen if he gives in to his urges and decides to play “house” with a 10 year old girl? Suppose a criminal syndicate decides to use these kids to sell drugs for them? Because of RA 9344, the minor cannot be held criminally liable.
And herein lies the problem for me. I believe that most kids these days are savvy and well-informed enough to know the difference between right and wrong. It is generally taught to us in childhood that it is wrong to hurt someone else or to take away someone’s property. We are taught that drugs are bad and that we should stay away from them. Yet, under the law, despite knowing that certain acts are wrong, minors who commit them can not be made liable for their actions.
I believe that the old law was too harsh on minors. However, I also believe that RA 9344 is too lax with them. In 2006, I attended a lecture where one of the resource person is someone from an NGO which batted for the amendment of the Revised Penal Code, with regard to the criminal liability of minors. He said that what they were pushing for was for the raising of the age of exemption from criminal liability from 9 years old to 12. They were surprised when the good Senator Pangilinan raised it to 15 years old.
And so, because of this law, Senator Pangilinan will not be getting my vote anytime soon.
Hanubayan?!
July 1, 2010Di ko namalayan, muntik na pala akong mawalan ng trabaho kahapon. Sa sobrang kagustuhan kasi ng Lolo nyo ng pagbabago, gusto pa idamay ang trabaho ko. Buti na lang, may job security ako. Kaya si Lolo, supalpal. Backtrack bigla.
Ewan ko ba. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung sobrang mayabang lang talaga si Lolo na feeling nya, kaya nyang gawin lahat ng gusto nya, matigas ang ulo, or talagang igno sya. Either way, nakakahiya. Kung bakit ba naman kasi, hindi magtanong muna sa mga taong nakakaalam bago gumawa ng hakbang.Nagmukha tuloy tanga si Lolo.
Lolo, ayaw ko mang magbigay ng unsolicited advise, pwede ba kung may hakbang kang iniisip gawin, pag-isipan mo muna ng paulit-ulit? At pwede ba, magtanong ka naman sa mga nakakaalam. Ok lang sana na tanga ka basta inaamin mong tanga ka at willing ka matuto. Pero kung tanga ka na nga at feeling mo super galing ka, malaking problema yan. Wag masyado makinig sa mga sipsep.
Mangga Ba Kamo?
June 22, 2010Sa tabi ng bahay namin, may isang puno ng mangga. Hindi piko, hindi rin carabao. At mas lalong hindi indian. Mistiso ito. Sosyal. Pear mango daw tawag dun. Yung lasa, hindi mo maintindihan. Parang pili na ewan. Medyo maasim sya. Pero masarap na pagka-asim. Mabuhok (fibrous) kapag hinog na.
Nung mga nakalipas na taon, madalang ito mamunga. Maswerte na kung makakuha ka ng tatlong bunga sa isang season. Pano kasi, laging inuulan ang mga bulaklak. Naglalaglagan tuloy. Kundi naman, nauunahan kami ng mga paniki. Kung swertehin ka naman at makakuha, sobrang asim naman. Until now.
Ngayong summer, bongga ang mangga naming sosyal. Ang dami ng bunga! Siguro dahil na rin sa mainit. Eto sya:
Sabi nila, ang punong hitik sa bunga, yun ang binabato. Di pwedeng batuhin aka bumalik sa amin ang bato. Toink! aya sinungkit na lang namin.
Masarap yung medyo manibalang…
Hmm…san kaya masarap i-partner ito?
Kain na!
Sarap!
*para kay Lee, Cath at iba pang readers na nasa abroad.:D
Get Ready To Fall In Love at 0:50
June 17, 2010and at 1:27 and 2:56
and maybe at 2:16
but definitely at 0:50…
hay, Papi…!
A Letter to a Trapo
Dear Trapo,
I heard you over the radio today while I was in the shower. I was so surprised by your tirade that I had to pause from applying conditioner in my hair (an activity I have started to enjoy after switching to this new organic conditioner), and listen to what your were saying. You were complaining about the dismal educational system, the lack of books, the overcrowding at schools, and of students who graduate without learning how to read. Bsically, you were complaining about the same problems we have every opening of the school year.
Oh, you do have valid points. However, what surprised me was the gall you had in complaining. My dear trapo, have you ever stopped and thought whether or not you contributed to this mess? You who would insist- demand, rather- that your people be appointed to posts as teachers and educators even though they are miserably unqualified for the job? All because they are your voters/supporters/kamag-anak/inaanak? Aren’t you the one responsible for the hiring of thousands of incompetent teachers and several more government employees? A few years ago, you made a big to-do about the appointment of B in an important position, all because that certain person comes from another place? And that you were batting for the appointment of V, even though he lacks qualifications for the job?
Instead of complaining about the currently unsatisfactory educational system, why don’t you start doing something about it? Instead of sitting at your hands when you are supposed to be working, why not start buckling down to work? It’s not as if you don’t know your job, you should be able to do it by now with your eyes closed and your hands ties behind you. If you can’t, please do us a favor and stop running for office. Or at least, shut up.
Sincerely,
A disappointed voter
Random Food Pics
June 16, 2010I have mentioned before that Fruito King at the New Divisoria Mall is one of the favorite eating places ever. This is one of the reasons I keep coming back, aside from the chicken feet:
vegetarian dimsum
The roasted garlic really works well with the blandness of the taro. The downside in eating this is you can hardly open your mouth because of garlic breath. On the other hand, it could give you awesome bargaining powers.
One of my comfort foods coming from my law school days is from Shakeys. Years have passed and my palate has become more discriminating, but I will always have a special place in my heart and tummy for Shakey’s Bunch of Lunch. The pizza may be bland, the chicken and the potatoes too salty, but it will always be one of my favorites.
Bunch of Lunch
Another downside to living in a barriotic city is the lack of good eating places. One does get tired of at Jolibee, Chow King, Greenwich, fast food joints, and pancit places. Fortunately, somebody opened a sort of an Italian/Japanese joint here. The choices are very limited and the service is a little slow, but one thing I always enjoy there is the California maki.
It being summer, some friends and I had to have one day at the beach, no matter what. These are what we brought with us:
gulay na langka, angol, and inihaw na baboy
Sarap!
Problema na naman?
June 14, 2010
Busy Cooking
May 20, 2010
. I’ve been enjoying keeping in touch with old friends and cooking on Cafe World that I had no time nor ideas for blogging. Heck, I barely had time to work
Ayuno
April 1, 2010One of the hassles in living in a citified barrio, where every establishment closes at 7pm and the streets are deserted at 9pm, is finding “treats” you can find in Manila. During my latest trip to Manila, I was pleasantly shocked and surprised when I saw this at a supermarket:
Look how perfectly beautiful it is: the red coloring and the marbling. I have been dreaming about tasting this but was afraid of how much it would cost. When I saw this, I was immediately excited. I got one pack and when I got home, heated it a bit and ate it with some watermelons. Oh, the taste! Just a few slivers fill my mouth with its smoky goodness! The smoky flavor was intense! And it was not salty at all, not sweetish. I tried eating it from out of the package, but the flavor was not as intense as when it was heated. I tried eating it with some salad and it was just as good.
Best thing about it is that now I don’t have to go to Spain to get me some jamon serrano. It is available at a easily accesible supermarket. Next best thing about it is the price.
