Friday, October 03, 2008 Pangan: Utang na loob By Benjie Pangan At close range
THIS prominent Filipino trait of yore is fast fading from our norm of conduct and so are palabra de honor and delicadeza, the last one, at times, being buried by doses of cerveza.
The cabeza of the family, or il capo di tutti capi, if you may, holds sway and the rod over the members of the family. Or used to be, as now he is often consigned to the home for the aged, or worse, he is passed off as discardable vegetable and thrown to relatives for a pittance.
Too bad, too sad, but not too long ago, this balding scrap of a man was the toast of the town and watering holes as he dished out money from his pockets and wallet (ATM was not in fashion then), all for the sake of pakikisama, another good trait of Pinoys, by the way.
In various ways, we owe someone a debt of gratitude but have we ever thought of returning the favor?
What about palabra de honor or one's word of honor? It is difficult to admit that only a few of us make good a pledge or a promise to do, not to do, to give or to deliver. Most often, we shrug off non-fulfillment of a pledge by rationalizing that the intended pledgee would understand or he will not make a big deal out of the non-performance.
And delicadeza? Not on your life, one politician would say, this after his caper (and extra marital affairs) had been discovered and the coffers of his political office raided and bled dry by him and his cohorts. Have we ever heard of a disgraced government official say his Mea Culpa or tender his irrevocable resignation in favor of a more deserving appointee?
Most of us engage friends in tete-a-tete over buckets of beer and pulutan, and if the latter is nonexistent, then a whistle subs for it after gulps of the intoxicating substance.
Walang pulutan? E, di sipol na lang. We spend hours of light banter and animated dialogues with old friends and newfound ones, all in the spirit of pakikisama. After all, camaraderie is contagious.
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What is this I heard that the Chief of Staff of Angeles City Mayor Francis "Blueboy" Nepomuceno is aloof and unapproachable and does not return calls or reply to text messages and is, reportedly, selective in attending to callers of the good mayor? Well...
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Sabotage, anyone? Poor China milk and dairy products. Everyone now wants no piece of these banned items. Funny, but a few months ago, when melamine was unknown for its bad effects, we scrambled for China-made products for their being cheap and available despite the confusing labels written in Chinese characters only very few understand.
And now, the contamination. How many saboteurs did play to disgrace the once-vaunted Chinese produce and price or push them out of the volatile and competitive market? Now, almost everyone is cautious and wary of products "Made in China" Ni hao? Hao shiao?
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A big event courtesy of PWWA. The 16th International Conference and Exhibition with the theme: "Water and Environment, a National Security Concern" will open on October 6 to 9, 2008 at the Boracay Regency Beach Resort and Convention Center Station 2, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan.
This event, organized by the Philippine Water Works Association (PWWA) headed by President Romy Calara and hosted by the Malay Water District and Region 6 Association of Water Districts, will be a good chance for our local experts to meet and interact with international water industry practitioners.
The officials and some staff of the Angeles City Water District led by Board chair Edgar Lopez and, of course, GM Romy will lend a hand in the conduct of the four-day affair and also will play host to local media personalities invited like Bong Lacson, this writer and others, and will probably be billeted at Alta Vista Resourt and Hotel in Boracay, of course.
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I'd say thanks to the staff of the Department of Tourism Sub office at Marlim Mansion, Balibago for being accommodating like Roselle, Nelson, Peter, Nikkie and others. I had to get some data for a paper I will be completing for a nephew, a Tourism senior at AUF.
