Thriller Tuesday in Cebu

My company went to the CPDRC (Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center) during the second day of our Sales Kickoff, and (warning, bad pun coming) it was an arresting experince! (Haha sabi sa inyo really bad pun eh)

I watched the You Tube video online before, but it's different seeing these guys perform live in person - ibang level! We all thought that we'd be in for another day of running around Cebu doing different physical activities like the day before, but we were in for an experience not quite like any other. I usually make it a point to watch a play or a show whenever I travel (ala Mamma Mia in Shanghai, NANTA in Seoul), and this really a great surprise from the organizers for our Cebu trip - no otap-factory visits or anything like that for us! :P

The warden, Byron Garcia, who conceptualized and implemented the whole dancing routine said that DPC was the first corporate visitor of the penitentiary, and he told us how he came up with the project, having no experience in prison management when his sister (Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia) placed him in charge of the CPDRC. His vision was that he wanted the prisoners to do something instead of just laying idly in the prison or engaging in gang violence/drug-dealing, which was what was happening before he came along. He said he thought about dancing when he saw the prisoners marching. It's a really terrific and brilliant idea, given that Filipinos are super talented and loveeee to perform, and they now spend 4 hours a day practicing their routines for their guests. :)

We went to the viewing deck after the warden's introduction, and I thought the inmates were just going to perform three or four songs, but it turned out to be a concert that lasted more than an hour! From our vantage point, you could see and sense the raw energy and joy radiating from the inmates as they danced nonstop to oldie songs and the newer pop hits. And I really enjoyed how the gay inmates wore girl costumes and bigay na bigay talaga, I love love love their energy and passion in performing, and the ones who give it their all really get noticed by the audience.

We were also lucky that we were allowed to go down and take pictures with the inmates after their performance. I didn't feel scared at all, and I felt kind of starstruck asking for a photo with the guy from Thriller (he was convicted for drug dealing pala), and asking a few questions about how life is in prison. Some seemed genuinely happy and at peace to serve their sentences here, but of course freedom is also something that they want and eventually aspire for.

I have a lot of corny and sentimental realizations after this trip, but I'll spare you the gory details. I guess my key take out point lang is that life is a gift, and that life can be really, really wonderful and amazing - if you choose it to be. Every moment is a moment of choice :)

God bless everyone! :)


p.s. videos uploaded here!

Dauis, Bohol 2008 - The Ayala Project

This is how I spent my five days in Bohol last May.

Titos Ortigas, one of my professors from AIM asked me if I was interested in working on a community development tourism project in Bohol. He saw the work I did for KulTours (http://kultours.multiply.com) and offered me to join his consulting team and work on a marketing plan for Dauis Church.

Being gloriously unemployed (til Friday that is) and never having been to Bohol, I gamely agreed.

Dauis Church is one of the four Marian churches in Bohol, and known for it's "magical" well by the altar. The project was to under the Ayala Foundation and see if was feasible and sustainable to set up a regular dinner theater show for tourists at the Church backyard by the water.




I love the site! The Foundation has already built two decks, one under a huge acacia tree with capiz shell lanterns hung up, and it was really pretty at night. The area around the church needs a lot of work, so we had to interview tourists there in all the resorts (I went to 12!) to see if it would be worth it to pour more investments to the site.


I just submitted my marketing study to Sir Titos and I hope that the project will push through - it's a great opportunity to get the local parish community involved and create jobs, plus it's a new thing that tourists can do in Bohol, after a day of touring the chocolate hills and staring at tarsiers.


I wasn't able to tour around most of the trip, but I'll definitely go back to Bohol - it's nice, peaceful and quiet, kind of like Boracay 10 years ago and with much more stuff to see. and I want to finally learn how to dive, see the fireflies at night, and of course take all the requisite touristy shots in the standard countryside tours.

Anawangin Cove, Zambales

I thought that I was pretty good at Philippine geography, getting 90+ marks for Civics in my report card all throughout grade school.

I also thought that I knew most of the remarkable "must go's" in the Philippines, having a dad who brought us to Friday's in Boracay when the island was generator-powered, or would book a12-hour bus ride to Cagayan Valley on a whim.


Eh! (ala buzzer sound)

I hate being wrong, but in this case I don't mind being absolutely fantastically mistaken on both counts, especially after having gone on an overnight camping trip to Anawangin Cove. I'm a city girl at heart, but I do love going out of town once in a while to just stare at trees and the sky and not be hassled by anything remotely connected to technology or stress.


Anawangin is truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, and up to now I'm still amazed that I've never even heard of the place until I was invited to go there by one of my friends.


Occasional travelogues tout their "secret" gems that turn out to be commercialized traps, but this place gives the words pure, hidden and untainted another level of meaning.



Our group of five (me, Den, Martin, Martin and Cessie) left the city at 1am and got to Pundaquit, Zambales at a little past four. We had P6 arroz caldo at a sari-sari store nearby (I'm not kidding, it was only P6 and it tasted really good) and started our climb with our machete-wielding (just in case tamaraws attack us) guide as soon as the sun begun to rise.We chose to took the long way of climbing up and down the mountain that separated the town and the cove, but you can also take a shorter boat ride directly to the beach.


After two hours of climbing up we reached the mountain peak and it rewarded us richly with a breathtaking view of a beach with clear waters on one end and pine trees on another side. Seeing this gave our group the energy to go down the mountain, occasionally taking short breaks and indulging in loads of pictures, dodging a wayward tamaraw peacefully grazing in the cogon grass.


Once you reach the beach, there's no cellphone signal or electricity, and you'll be grateful for it. Being away from the hustle and bustle of city life is integral to Anawangin's charm, on top of the fact that it has something for everybody. You can explore the mini-forest of pine trees, or sit in peace by a nearby lake, or just relax and take a nap by the beach. Time flies, as you are enamored and transported to a relaxing and laid back environment, where you are only left with your thoughts and good friends. We were lucky that the sky was clear and the moon was shining bright that evening, and slept under the stars, leaving our tents unoccupied.

Travelers used to five-star accommodations shouldn't expect any of the usual amenities - there's a poso where you can collect water to cook and clean up a bit, but washroom facilities are at a bare minimum. You'd quickly overlook all of these "inconveniences" and just enjoy and live in the present.



We went to Capones island the morning after to take a look at the lighthouse, but the waves were too high for us to dock on the right side of the island, so we just walked around and enjoyed the view and took photos from afar.



The trip ended with a sad realization and some hesitation of going back to reality, but definitely making a promise of returning someday. :D


See you there soon! :)



*Details:


- transpo expense: Gas money to Pundaquit
- boat fee to manong for bringing our packs to the campsite: 600
- boat fee from Anawangin to Capones to shore: 1200 per boat for 4 people
- camp fee: 50 per head
- bring your own water and food, they don't have a sari-sari store there, and I hope they never will,

I'm Not A Criminal And I Can Prove It - How I Got My NBI Clearance

I'm starting my new job next Friday, and one of the requirements before I get officially employed is that I have to pass my NBI clearance. I never had to get one before (back in the old big blue company and in our family business), so it was a "Whattt?" moment for me, as I usually try to keep my interaction with government institutions/personnel at a minimum.

Innocent, angelic looking me? A criminal? No way.

angel Angeli wahaha

But I know I can't go by face value alone on this one, so a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

My sole source of information was our family driver Ronald who said to go to the main NBI clearance branch in Carriedo, Manila since he got his there and "mabilis lang po doon, ma'am". You supposedly can get your clearance from the city government, but I've heard that the lines are longer and you'd have to go back for it after a week.

Being an impatient person by nature, I decided to go to Carriedo and get it over with while I still had free time, keeping in mind that it would be a new experience that I can share with other people who'd be curious how it actually goes, i.e. future jobhunters, or my mom at least :P

I'm terrible at Manila geography, but the NBI website (which I didn't have the foresight to check before going) states that the address as: Carriedo Plaza Building, cor. Estero Cegado and Sales St., Quiapo, Manila.

busy, rainy downtown Manila

You can't miss the huge green building when you get there. And the first sign that you're near is you'll be flocked by people selling you cedulas (community tax certificates) and other made-in-China trinkets.

glow in the dark stars for sale

Since I didn't research at all and can be unbelievably gullible sometimes, I deserved to have been mini-scammed by the lady who insisted that I wouldn't get my clearance if I didn't have a cedula (which I could buy from her, of course).

I only brought money and a few ID's with me, and being inexperienced/insecure/uncertain of what to do, I easily caved to her sales pitch and forked 15 pesos for a blank stamped cedula, which you absolutely DON'T need to have in getting your clearance. And I know it's only 15 bucks but I really feel bugged by the reality that some people would trick other people knowingly!

But life goes on and we move forward, or in this case, towards the escalator and past the stalls selling celfone cases and DVD players up to the main clearance center.

looks like Greenhills

There are 7 steps to getting your clearance, but you have to dodge all the fixers who stand near the entrance who shout "Miss, 300 lang, tapos na yan nang kalahating oras, di mo na kailangan bumalik next week." Trust me, ignore them! Because.... you can do it on your own in 30 minutes! How's that for self-reliance and *ahem* Philippine efficiency?

Unless you have a really common name or have the unfortunate circumstance of having the same name as someone who's been convicted before, 30 minutes is really doable, and the people there kind of help you out, if you ask nicely.

Step 1: Pay 20 bucks really fast to get your application form, fill it out, and have a 100php bill and three (3) 5-peso coins ready to get your OR from the ATM-looking machine.

There's a girl at the counter who'll snap at you if you don't give her exactly 20php asap, but she gives you a form with such efficiency that you'll forgive her and go on looking for a black ballpen (or buy one for 10php) to fill it out.

don't lose this stub!

NBI clearance application form

You go up one flight of stairs and see even more people, and eventually decide to pay the clearance fee using the automated machine rather than be the bazillionth person in the other line waiting on clerks manually writing receipts.

electronic receipt - transaction complete! woohoo!

Then you go up a flight of stairs for steps 2&3, Data Check (someone checks your form and tells you if you missed something) and Quick Search to see if you have a tukayo, which will inevitably make your wait a bit longer as you'd be interviewed and have to wait an extra couple of days.



My favorite photo while in the Quick Search line was seeing how entrepreneurial the counter staff were. You can't see it clearly, but they also sell water for 10 pesos if you're not into C2.


Step 4 was picture-taking, where you'd have to bend your knees a bit since the camera is pointed quite low and smile pretty and wide (but no insane criminal smiles please!)

Finger printing was the most fun and messiest step. I'm always fascinated when I put myself in the shoes of people like the "finger printers", who hold everyone's hands everyday, bend fingers and stick them to the huge stamp pad and press them one-by-one to your application form.

I wonder if these guys still hold hands with their wives after a long day's work?

messy fingers!

modern day finger-painting ! too bad you can't choose colors!

Step 6 and 7 are fairly simple - you just submit your form, and get the actual clearance straight after.


So that's it, I can officially prove that I'm a law abiding citizen, and a go on deciding what I'll wear on my first day back at work :)

--

For more info, you can check out the FAQ's on the NBI website, http://www.gov.ph/faqs/nbi.asp, and see answers to questions like to"I am a very busy person, but I need to renew my clearance. Can our messenger or relative do this for me?" which I will be surely be going back to for future renewals... once is more than enough :)

WhyNot? the Fourth - WhyNot? Change Pilipinas

WhyNot? Forum 4.0
April 26, 2008
Tropezz Bar, Greenbelt
Makati City

How time flies... this is the 4th edition of WhyNot? already and it's our first themed forum on good governance - quite appropriate given all our country's been going through. I'm also more interested in local politics now after reading and learning more about the US Democratic Party primaries - I'm impressed on how organized the campaigns are and are actually based on platforms rather than star power.

I'm looking forward to hearing Kiko Pangilinan's talk the most. I don't remember if I voted for him, since I previously held the perception that he just married Sharon to boost his votability (ops, wag magalit - previous perception nga), but he's one of the proponents of the Third Way, and he's not a party jumper, so we'll see :)

Gabe Mercado was supposed to speak at our third forum last January, but we overextended because of all the kickass speakers who went before him (I heart Mr. Pagsi!), so hearing him speak and give a comedic, intelligent voice will be refreshing from the usual politicking mudslinging, empty promises and bad grammar.

I'm psyched and hope to see you there!


For reservations, please e-mail your contact details and number of pax to whynotforum@gmail.com. Early bird rate of 250php will be given for reservations made before April 26, 2008.

1 hour, 47 minutes

Was really scared and worried the night before the run.
Thanks Drew and Tim for running with me.
Thank God for taking care of everyone who joined the race :)

Lapit na ng 42 km! But one step at a time to becoming a certified marathoner! Woohoo!

Tater Tot

One of my favorite things about working at Let's Go (www.letsgo.com.ph) is that I get to work with the best team, and meet and learn from successful entrepreneurs.

Carlo trusted me to conduct an interview with Annie Tanchonco last week when he was off planning his marriage proposal to his girlfriend (woohoo congrats :D), and I had a lot of fun during the interview!


Annie owns the popular snack bar Taters, and Chimara, which has the best wasabi soy chips on the planet! :) We talked for more than two hours, and I learned how she was doing taste tests with her children (lucky kids!) on what snacks to sell and serve, and how she jumped from designing dresses, trying out real estate, then landing into this yummy venture!

It was also cool to see how the video crew took and chose their shots, plus the number of takes it took before we finally got the whoosh, try taters!"closing shots. Plus got free gc's afterwards, woohoo! :) Lamon na!