OUR local artists must be so glad.
Why so? No less than the Laus Group of Companies (LGC) has continued to throw full support to their various undertakings.
Even LGC top honcho Paul “Concon” Laus is so much into it. He has been posting on social media, inviting everyone to visit art displays at automobile dealerships. And that is such a nice gesture and move as many among car enthusiasts are also art lovers.
I am not saying this because I am part of this paper and that it is owned by the LGC. I am saying this because I have once experienced how hard it is to be pushing for the interests of artists.
Me and my good friend Dodjie Aguinaldo have founded the Sining Mabalacat not too long ago. We have had good backing from the former administration of Mabalacat City government at the onset. Sustainability was another thing as we lacked a solid patron especially among elected officials, particularly in the City Council. Savior was June Magbalot who gave his all out support. But he can only do so much as one of the many Department Heads. I am still trying to recall who was it among the members of the City Council who have helped institutionalize the endeavors to help artists and moved for preservation of some works.
But more than government backing, support from private sector is key to art preservation as well as for livelihood of our artists and their families. I am not a painter or a sculptor myself, but I know the need to have artists’ work preserved for the ages (that includes our writings and articles).
LGC has always been at the forefront of arts and culture. Mam Tess Laus is a main figure in Giant Lantern Festival that makes Pampanga with its Christmas cheers. Last year, despite pandemic, the LGC led business enterprises and groups in helping permeate optimism through Christmas lights and displays in and around its corporate headquarters in the capital San Fernando city.
Efforts like this do not only help artists themselves but also countless people who get glimmer of hope despite trying times.
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What is it with PLDT customer service (and agents)? I personally experienced being disturbed by them on a landline account that I already told them is no longer associated with me.
But the thing is they kept calling me. On October 26 (while writing a column piece), another agent called to remind me that I have to settle an account which was assigned to me when I was still connected with Clark Development Corp. It was an account of the staff house I used to occupy inside Clark Freeport.
Few days before that, somebody called me too and I did not only oblige taking it. I went to as far as giving the phone number of an administrative staff in CDC who can help arrange payments and transfers. In fact, they did call that staff and were already told about that some changes and settlement papers of the account have been put into effect. They were told of that info on the same day they called me (which I think was Friday, October 22).
Between October 22 and October 26, I also got many missed calls from same number (02-8000-0007) over the weekend. Did I intentionally ignore? No, I was resting on a Saturday and Sunday, just in case PLDT callers did not know that is what weekend is for. The call, presumably was all about that same concern they had.
Come to think of it, that caller agent from Oct. 22 and that of Oct 26 did not communicate well and hardly processed what info I gave to aid the first caller (never mind the favor of giving them a name and a number to call). Is this how communication with subscribers and “recorded conversation” at PLDT is turning out to be? I don’t think Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan would be happy with agents and callers who cannot get their acts together.
Has it gone worse? To think about how easy it is for them to be talking to each other with all their communication facilities at their fingertips. Classic case of left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
I would understand that if we were still living in caves.