kong pobre ka

Poverty is a major concern in all levels of society both locally and internationally.  Different types of poverty require different means to address them and they all need to be tackled simultaneously. But can one really talk about it when you’ve never felt the pains of real hunger? Often times i ask myself am i really aware of the real truth? i doubted myself if im living real or was it all in my wide imagination. Survey shows that many are dying of disease and starvation each and every day. As I often read and watch on TV many of them habitually blame their poverty in the government. That it was because of the unfair justice we have, but was it really the government who made their lives miserable or was it because of the poor choices they've made in life? Although i didn't mean to say or put aside that the government isn't part of how good or bad we live but don't you think it was the government alone? I wasn't born with a silver spoon nor did my mom and aboeji nor aboeji's aboji or mom's mom either. But they strive hard and we strive hard to have a great or better future. I grew up watching mom and aboeji live for work and only come home on weekend. I seldom saw mom and aboeji resting when I was young. Thus, I conclude that laziness or just plain foolishness is one of the reason why they’re living like that and no one to blame but themselves.

Being part of the planning department our office often provides information and data on the different aspects, situations, and conditions of poverty. We have this system that calculates them electronically. All we have to do is to hire evaluators, provide them with the gadgets that would certainly help them get accurate information and transfer them in our machine. And if we’re not satisfied with the result we do it firsthand. Thus, our department often provides an accurate look of the poverty situation in our respective backyards and also, and more importantly, we map out appropriate, concrete, and timely interventions to alleviate the plight of our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

Yesterday we facilitated poverty reduction action planning workshop for 2014 bottom-up budgeting. Yes, although it is only 2013 we have to submit to the national government the anti poverty programs and projects we foresee beneficial for the next year. Poverty programs is just a portion of the real annual budget. The early initiation of the bottom-up planning process will ensure that the needs of the poor constituents will be adequately funded in the 2014 budget. Something like that I wont tell you much about that because it is a high profile project. :) what had happened yesterday is what we are rushing today for final submission next week. we've been at the site at 7:30 and the workshop started before 8:00. we are strict on time and we never failed to do it every workshops. and it has been our signature that no matter how tough the activity was we make sure to take all the lighter part so that our participants will not be bored to death and us too. so to make the workshop that easy our team leader ask the question if you have 28 million today what are you going to do with the anti poverty program? that questions rocks and we really think about it.

as far as the workshop go we choose every projects that are foreseen to give positive results. we do consolidation and randomly checked if it is within the budget cap. And luckily after long deliberations we've come up with outstanding result. 

the crazy me wont tell you the outstanding results of course but will give you crazy details of what can be their final choice if this budget thing wasn't for the poor but for our own consumption. imagine all 28 million like that! how are you going to spend them all?  the following pictures will tell you their answers and here are my top pick.

I bet shes going to enroll in modeling :) and audition to america's next top model!

roxy and tita lala will have hair rebond and braces with gold!

i bet they're going on a cruise for life!

as for me im going to build a house of cakes and choclates! and choco chips too! all 28 million 

Killua: kuya wishky what are you going to do with the 28 million? 
wishky: cant you see im listing all the things i am going to buy! 

killua: tita eden what are you going to do with the 28 million?

tita eden: my eyes  hurts seeing all the things i listed over here! Killua: max what are you going to do with the money?

Max: of course i'll spend it with you and we will buy plenty of lipstick! all 28 million of them!

killua: Madam what are you going to do with the 28 million?

Madam pening: my head hurts now! should i build a house?

tita lala will buy 50 touch screen laptop for us and 50 iphone 5 too!

i need to find my inner peace first before i decide!

the participants during deliberations and carefully listening to tita joy's instructions :)

we should prioritize this and that mode!

the CSOs.....charlie said here we have to use it wisely. tito ma said diffidently thats why im checking on the BUB menu! 

lets decide what perfume are we going to buy! wishky enumerates them!

lets buy roses for our girls :)

killua: tita joy what are you going to do with the 28 million? 
tita joy:  my calculator is crazy and its not functioning well! i should buy calculator then!

team leader decide what should we do and not to do :)

Killua: hey doc what are you looking at the folder?

Doctor: im hiding it from you so that you will not replicate the things im going to buy.

this are the stores that arrange flowers and choclates lets call them all and order thousands of roses then!

Jesse: finally we've come to our final choices which do you think is best?

Charlie: of course we will buy a high tech speed boat equip with GPS!

finalization of everything mode :)

killua: team leader are you done?
Team Leader: yah right were going to spend everything for calculator because mine isn't  functioning either!

team leader: madam, we decided to spend the 28 million for calculator so that we will have a  concrete accounting from now on.

madam: ok we will buy then! i will just make a call to the suppliers:)

tito ramon did scrutinize every details of the things we wanted to buy for the 28 million! and check too if we have included all his wishlist :) 

tita joy and team leader are happy that they're going to have a thousands of calculator!

finally we will be able to build a house of cakes and choclates :) and choco chips too!

examining all the submitted priorities mode:)

happy with the results mode :)

should we change or not?

final deliberations of submitted wishlist  mode:)

happy for the approved wishlists :)

depend your wishlist mode ;)

PSDS: madam id like you to know that killus is not listening to me!
ate joy:  killua are you sleeping and why are you not listening?
killua: im not sleeping! i am listening! you just dont know but i am :)

tita joy isn't have enough space?

we are all going to cruise!

thats the smiles of bone tired and half dead kids :) i mean kids not adults :) lets call it a day!

team leader had a very long day but thanks for the hard work and congratulations team leader!

this is the final expression of how to use 28 million!

certified temple run addict

look at that hahahaha i thought he was already sleeping then i found out he's still playing temple run.! crazy kid! still playing at 2:00 am :) i wonder what time is he going to wake up tomorrow! 

happy birthday in heaven

it has been three years since my aboeji return to heaven and i am missing him badly. aboeji has been really good to me and to my brother and mom too. aboeji provide me everything i needed at school and even at home and made sure that me and my brother will surely have a great future. 

learning that he will no longer be with us for the rest of our life no matter how tough all the days we've been through  we continue to live with the values aboeji taught us. although i didnt exactly learned the things he wanted me to learn (a female should learn) at least somehow im trying my best to do it and in no time i will make it too. (aboeji i learned how to cook rice and dukbokki!) (well at least aboeji accepted the fact before he went home to heaven that his first and second born are females:)) i learned from mom that aboeji wanted a son!

i know that more than any traditional offerings, our prayers will make everything for the soul of  our beloved aboeji. indeed prayers matter most. if i did not pray everyday i dont know how to understand and accept this truth. thus, it is difficult to be strong, independent, open-minded and principled when you are hurt.

we miss you aboeji! saranghe! 

feast of Santo Niño de Cebú

according to wikipedia:) The Santo Niño de Cebú (Spanish: Holy Child of Cebu) is a celebrated Roman Catholic religious vested statue of the Child Jesus venerated by many Filipino Catholics who believe it to be miraculous. Claiming to be the oldest religious image in the Philippines, the statue was originally given in 1521 as a baptismal gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan via Antonio Pigafetta, who physically handed it to Lady Humamay, the principal wife of Rajah Humabon, along with a statue of the Our Lady of Guidance and a surviving bust statue of Ecce Homo. The statue is clothed in its distinctive and expensive red manto, and bears regalia that include a gold crown, globus cruciger, and scepter. Much for the details you can find it here.

it has been a tradition way back since i was a child that every third sunday of january we commemorate the feast day of Santo Niño. 

Nine years ago we were asked to donate the replica to our new parish and to make it more beautiful our family pledge to decorate and donate flowers during procession. and the picture above shows how our parish looks like.

my brother being an active youth leader participated in all our parish activities. he was in-charge of the games, the program, poster making and all other activities relative to the feast of santo niño.  

Decorations are being done by the MBGs. all we have to do is to bring flowers, prepare snacks and make sure that the generator is loaded with gas. 

ati-atihan is one of the highlight of the activity. i find it more interesting than poster making but this year i didnt get the chance to watch it because i wake up late and i feel lazy!

since this is a feast of santo niño we bring along Kleo with us. so he can be with his fellow image. kleo has been with our family so many years ago and we love him so much. we did pray to him everyday. kleo is the one wearing a red polo shirt and holding mickey mouse and lollipops. he was been blessed.

the feast of santo niño is also a feast for children. all churchgoers bring a lot of candies and lollipops too. we threw in some thousand pieces of choclates my brother and i bought at the supermarket. this is our way of sharing what we really have.

what i like most in our parish are the decorated glass and ceiling and the altar too. i find it very unique as if we were somewhere in europe. that's why a lot of couples choose our church to be their wedding place. in 2009 doña consuelo chito madrigal donated this church in our place. 

this is how are parish look like outside.

this is mom and i favorite spot in the church. we used to sit here for five years now. mom said why i didnt wear read when everybody are wearing red. i told her mom i dont feel like wearing one.

some of my kins who we loved the most.

a solemn high mass is being conducted here.

while waiting for the final blessing and candy shower!

we pose for our family picture.

we called it knights of the altar pose!

traditional procession of the image.

ati-atihan dancers :)

santo niño image at night. lucky it didnt rain :)

during the procession :)

the young ones!

with the little ones :)

we really had a great time!  Viva Pit Senyor!