KAHAPAN

I love traveling. Especially if it’s a grant, meaning it’s free. One of the most meaningful foreign trips I have had was in Bali, Denpasar Indonesia.

That was just a week ago. Although my experience from pre-departure up to my destination including my return to Philippines… well not that really great.

But my almost a week of stay in Indonesia was really meaningful.

First, pre-departure preparation is quite exasperating. The conveners both the Indonesian and Norwegian governments informed the participants from Asia of not needing a visa. I have my passport so that was it, supposedly. However three days for departure, the Indonesian Embassy in Manila informed me that I must secure a visa. A fellow participant Joe Torres was also informed but need not secure one. Since I am based in Zamboanga City, I have to secure it from Davao City where they have their Consulate office. Grrr!!!!

The conveners also informed the Asian participants that we are entitled of 1650 USD travel grant. Torres secured his own plane ticket including other expenses, well he can afford it.

On my part, the Consulate in Davao secured and prepared everything for me from domestic to foreign flights. Soehardi, a staff of one of the Consuls handed me a cash of 330 USD and totaling everything including my domestic trip its about 1,050 USD. I was hoping the remaining 600 USD could be released upon our arrival in Indonesia.

I don’t have enough cash in my pocket, probably enough to secure travel taxes but to think of sipping coffee while in transit, forget it.

Upon arrival in Bali, the conveners informed me everything has already been released to me by their consulate personnel. Where’s the remaining 600 USD? Well only the conveners and the Consulate office could explain. Sob…

Anyway along my journey, so many great and not so great experiences encountered. Its my first time to set foot in Indonesia, although I have had some research thru internet, but its different when you experienced it directly.

I also traveled light, a tote bag and a small HP notebook pouch and have my backpack checked-in. From Manila, we had almost about five hours flight to Singapore, a brief stop of 45 minutes to pick more passengers then bound for Jakarta for about 2 hours. It’s a smooth trip until I reached Jakarta airport for a domestic trip to Denpasar.

Whew! My horror begins. I have to retrieve my backpack and I was unaware that a domestic airport is quite far from Sukarno’s International Airport. Along the way I was dragging my backpack for reasons I realized its kind of getting heavy.

I talked to several airport personnel how to reach the domestic airport but all of them were speaking to me in Bahasa until I got pique off and told them “pardon me sir, I don’t understand anything you said because I am a Filipina.” “Oh Sorry madame, we thought you are Indonesian,” until they escorted me outside and instructed me to take a shuttle bus, a yellow one.

If a passenger is in transit, shuttle services are for free even if its takes more than a kilometer. Just like Rhai Domestic Airport which is about 2 kilometers away from international airport. But bus drivers will never lift a finger if a passenger is bringing in heavy luggage.

On the way, since I was sweating all over, the driver spoke to me again in Bahasa, and I was stunned looking at him trying to comprehend what he said. I just smiled, but he kept talking until some of the passengers were staring at me as if I have committed something bad. I asked a lady in red what the driver was saying and she said, “Oh we thought you are like us, the driver was asking how’s your trip abroad, what was your work and later he said, why most Indonesians when they already worked abroad already forgot own language, we are so sorry Babu.”

The lady in red explained to the driver, and there I saw him smiled at me and spoke in English, “you Filipina, sorry, sorry, your money is pesos, many many pesos bringing for Indonesians?” I told him I am a journalist in Philippines and that their government sponsored my trip to attend the Global Inter-Media Dialogue in Bali. While on the way, everything runs smoothly with the cordial and smiling faces of everyone realizing that I am not an Indonesian after all.

I THOUGHT I WAS IN MARKET

We reached the domestic airport and I realized as per information from the red lady who happens to be an employee of the Air Asia that they have almost 24 hours flights. My God! I thought I was at the market place seeing the bustling domestic airport.

People from all walks of life with the trolleys swarming the huge airport, some are already using the cold tiled floors as bedrooms probably their flights were delayed. Others are moving around selling the wares and my God its so noisy, I need to shout with a woman attending passengers for Lion Air.

My first time to see a domestic airport with people from all walks of life and people with different colors. Really there’s something beautiful in Bali. I have to fall in line like others to secure a ticket and for check-in procedures and those in charge of travel taxes and insurance are everywhere running after passengers. The whole stretch of the airport is housing all sorts of local airlines offering promos and it’s really a big competition. Finally when I was able to secure my ticket and proceeded to the departure terminal, that’s where I saw so many aircrafts. In Zamboanga City, you’ll get to see a handful of aircrafts for domestic flights.

Mind you, Zamboanga airport is international in service category for Sandakan flights. In Rhai Airport, you’ll have choices of time because every hour they offer flights. Finally we flew to Denpasar and its about an hour and a half flight.

I need to go to an exchange booth to secure Rupiah since I have about a hundred dollars. Just imagine if you have about 300 USD, you are already a millionaire in Indonesia. Per dollar rate to Rupiah is 9,000 so I was able to secure 90,000 rupiah. Its good that when I was in Singapore airport, I managed to exchange my P5,000 to a stewardess so at least I still have more than a hundred dollars. In the end, I realized that I was a millionaire here in Bali.

MY
ABSENCE IN BLOGGING

For
more than three months I failed to update my blogs.

I
was and I am so pre-occupied that I missed writing down my thoughts and
feelings.

I
became so lazy especially that simple uploading at Friendster takes me forever.

Friendster
claims they are regularly conducting maintenance but I am wondering why
uploading is dragging for a long time.

So
I decided to open a new account for social networking at Wordpress and one from
my own hotmail account at Live Space.

My
account at Wordpress is basically more personal and domesticated while that at
Live Space is more on my published news articles.

Again
if uploading and posting take so long, my habitual laziness comes in.

My
apology to my friends…

They
have been waiting for my responses to their messages and comments.

Just
logging on to Friendster is like nightmare.

Probably
my local area connection is becoming sluggish or maybe the website itself is
going down for good.

Please
feel free to browse my other pages on social networking.

These
are my accounts:

www.scatterthoughts.wordpress.com

www.facebook.com

www.julie-alipala.spaces.live.com

http://scatterthoughts.wordpress.com/

ORDINARY BUT BEAUTIFUL

I was tired beating deadlines for my paper and television
report. I was also under pressure by a politician who wanted to publish his
statement or anything that he uttered as it is without considering the powers
of gatekeepers. So I decided to keep off from my usual tasks.

Got my video-camera, went out just outside my house
searching for extra ordinary subjects either for video or still shots.

My son Kenjo enjoys cycling as our pet dog Kokey is
pursuing him around. My two other nephews climbing our guava tree as its
branches are heavy with fruits. Kenjo
wants to climb too but I forbid him so he decided to go to my mother’s mango
tree where its small branches are also loaded with fruits.

I took some shots of them until I saw a black bee, as if
trying to tell me to get away from his way, so I decided to move back.

I discovered that this black bee is building some sort of
hive at our window.

It’s a good video footage for me where a bee is working his
way in a circular motion creating a wonderful hive.

Bugs do create perfect circle. If Kenjo finds out bugs
make better and perfect circle he will surely compare my work with the bugs.
One time I recalled that Kenjo requested me to produce different shapes for his
assignment but ended up arguing about perfect circle. So what he did was to use
a coin to show how circle looks like.

Anyway, after taking footage of the bug I move around for
another subject to capture and ended up taking photos of all the sparrows
hovering our Indian and guava trees.

Buying out my time, I asked my son to accompany me around
our backyard so I can also teach him how to capture certain images.

We went first to my mother’s storage area, actually its
an unfinished small house and I discovered a unique flowering shrub.

I remember my sister in law brought a soft shrubby plant
from Lamitan and she told me its blooms are more like a rose.

She’s right I thought it was a rose in a wrong shrub. It’s
orange but very beautiful. The shrub itself is like Alugbati a watery soft type
but also thorny.

A good video footage and still photos made my day quite
better.

At the end of the day as I was uploading all the files to
my computer I realized that all I have encountered everyday as very ordinary
came out as one of the most beautiful images I got.

US soldiers apologize for closing Sulu hospital
            
            By Julie   Alipala
            Mindanao Bureau
            First Posted 16:47:00 12/31/2007
            
            

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — US soldiers in Sulu have apologized
for ordering health officials to shut down the government-run hospital
in Panamao town during night time, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said
Monday.

Earlier, Dr. Silak Lakkian, chief of the Panamao district hospital,
said US forces led by a Master Sergeant Ronburg have threatened to
shoot anybody seen at the hospital premises after 6 p.m.

"I take back those words and I am apologizing, it’s unfortunate but
it was not really the real intention. Our real intention was to protect
the people but reception (how locals took the order), we were just
misunderstood," Tan quoted Major Eric Walker as saying during a "face
to face confrontation" with Lakkian on Sunday morning.

Walker is commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) Sulu Forward Base based in Camp Teodulo Bautista in Jolo.

Tan said he set the meeting — attended also by other government
officials — after the incident, which was reported by the Philippine
Daily Inquirer, reached him.

The Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net, reported on the
November 30 closure order issued to Lakkian and staffers of the Panamao
district hospital but US officials denied there was such an order.

"I didn’t know how factual all that was and where you are getting
that information and I just wondered who your sources were," Lieutenant
Commander Melissa Scheurmann, public affairs officer of the Joint
Special Operation Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP) based here, said
Monday.

Scheurmann denied having a Ronburg in their list of US personnel in Sulu.

"I don’t know specifically who that is (Ronburg) it’s almost a
blunder at that point and I don’t know who gave you that name and how
you got that name," she said.

Tan, who told the Inquirer by phone that he considered the order
rude, confirmed that Ronburg is one of the five US servicemen assigned
in Panamao.

"We should not let it pass," he said.

Tan said during the meeting, he told Walker and two other American
military officials that they are not authorized to impose rules in Sulu.

"You don’t have the right to impose (rules) to any of our personnel
here, you don’t have any authority and if you have anything to impart,
inform the AFP and the AFP will deal with us," he said.

Tan said during the meeting, Walker insisted that there was a simple
misunderstanding between the hospital staffers and the US personnel.

He said Walker explained to Lakkian that the intention to shut down
the hospitala’s operation after 6 p.m. was for the protection of the
hospital workers.

"He said the military was then on red alert. But they did not
specify up to when the hospital should cease operating at night. When
the red alert status was lifted, the hospital staff was not properly
informed," Tan said.

"And the reception was not that good on the part of the hospital
staff kasi yung pagkakasabi was ‘we are going to shoot anybody who
comes after 6 p.m.,’" Tan added.

Lakkian said it was easy for US forces to shoot just anybody after 6 p.m. because the hospital was adjacent to their camp.

Tan said during the meeting, Walker gave assurance that the hospital can resume full operation starting Monday.

But for others, a simple apology was not enough.

Akbayan Representative Etta Rosales said a diplomatic protest is in
order because of the "outright intrusion of these foreign soldiers into
our internal affairs."

Rosales said while US Ambassador Kristie Kenney is known for her
goodwill, some of her countrymen are committing violations that are
"inhuman in nature."

She said she will write a letter, urging the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a diplomatic protest.

Millete Mendoza, formerly of Tabang Mindanaw and a volunteer
humanitarian worker in Sulu, also joined Rosales’ call for a diplomatic
protest.

"We should file a diplomatic protest, this issue should not be
allowed to die, we must all condemn it on the grounds of humanitarian
and sovereignty," Mendoza said.

Dr. Manar Saliddin, chair of the Jaga (Watch) Human Rights group in Basilan, said the incident should also be investigated.

"It’s a blatant violation of our rights as medical personnel, we are
here to serve the people anytime of the day, this must be protested by
all legal means locally and abroad," Saliddin, a dentist by profession,
said.

Edgar Araojo, a political science professor at the Western Mindanao
State University here, said the actuation of the American forces was
like "witnessing the timeless truism of the cliché that he who rides a
tiger ends up as its lunch."

Talk of US intervention prompts Sulu meetings
            
            
            Philippine Daily Inquirer
            First Posted 04:22:00 12/31/2007

ZAMBOANGA
CITY — A US military spokesperson denied reports that American
soldiers in Panamao town in Sulu province have been preventing health
workers from operating the district hospital there at night.

Dr. Silak Lakkian, Panamao District Hospital chief, earlier said the
American soldiers — led by a M/Sgt. Ronburg — have started
implementing the order on Nov. 30 without offering any reason.

She said a team of soldiers barged into the hospital, which is some
45 kilometers from here, on Nov. 30 and told the chief nurse to close
it not later than 6 p.m.

Threats

Lakkian said the American soldiers had threatened to shoot anybody seen inside the hospital’s premises after that time.

But Lt. Commander Melissa Scheurmann, the public affairs officer of
the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines based in this city,
denied the report.

“All those (pieces of) information are pure allegations and that allegation is not true,” she said.

She said Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan has ordered an investigation of the report.

Scheurmann also said she still has to look into reports quoting a soldier named M/Sgt. Ronburg.

“Personally, I don’t know, I still have to look into that and that name is unfamiliar,” she said.

Summoned

On Saturday, Hadja Jainab Abdulmajid, Sulu disaster coordinator,
said Governor Tan has called on Lakkian and a certain Major Walker for
a meeting.

“Andito sila ngayon, gusto kasi ni governor na magkaroon ng
harap-harapan na usapan at ma-thresh out itong problema (They’re here
now because the governor wants a face-to-face meeting and for this
problem to be threshed out),” Abdulmajid said.

“She is consistent in her position. In fact, she again mentioned the
name of Ronburg and reported it to his superior, Major Walker,
especially the shoot-to-kill order,” Abdulmajid said, adding that it
was unlikely for Lakkian to invent stories.

“Lakkian is one of the respected health officials in the province,” Abdulmajid said.

Embassy words

Rebecca Thompson, spokesperson of the US Embassy in Manila, said
“the US government has had no role in any discussions or decision about
the opening hours of the Panamao District Hospital.”

“US soldiers have not been involved in keeping the hospital closed
or open,” Thompson said in a text message to the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Lakkian said she was really surprised about the order.

“I thought these Americans are here for humanitarian purposes. Our
hospital caters to all the indigents in the town who cannot afford the
transportation expense to the Sulu Provincial Hospital,” she said.

Lakkian said they found that the American soldiers were serious when
they tried to turn off the generator set in the evening of Dec. 2.

She said she got a call from Ronburg asking her to turn off the generator.

American orders

“My two staffers were instructed by phone to get through the kitchen
door to the genset with their left hands on their heads. After they
were able to put off the genset, they were instructed to get back
immediately,” Lakkian, who was at the hospital at that time, said.

Lakkian said in the morning, she immediately went to Panamao Mayor Abdugafur Abdurajak “because I could not bear it anymore.”

“It is useless to stay here because we cannot do anything,” she said.

As of Friday evening, the hospital remained closed at night as staffers are afraid to defy the order, Lakkian said. Julie S. Alipala with reports from Ed General, Inquirer Mindanao

Windang ako, na praning pa nang mag cover ako ng hearing ni
convicted felon Romeo Jalosjos sa Hall of Justice nuong Biyernes December 28,
2007.

Paano kasi may isang reporter na umastang public relations
officer ni Jalosjos, kung hindi ko lang siya kilala baka napagkamalan ko pa
siyang PIO ng mga Jalosjoses.

Since Jalosjos was brought to

Zamboanga

City

last December 23, magiging ingrata ako kung di ko aamining nakapag-established
ako ng good rapport sa prominenteng pamilyang ito.

Ang totoo diyan sila ang nagbibigay ng mga impormasyon pati
ang mga hakbang na kanilang ginagawa upang patuloy na malagay sa pahayagan ang
nasabing convicted rapist.

Mapa-positibo o negatibo, bukas ang pamilyang Jalosjos sa
anumang interview. Sabi nga ng ilang kamag-anak tulad ni Sir Bella at Sir
Fernandez, gustong-gusto raw ni Jalosjos ang makisalamuha sa media, lalung lalo
na sa mga nagsusulat sa pahayagan.

Para sa akin, ang pahayagan kasi nasusulat lahat na hindi
kinukunsidera ang oras, di katulad ng telebisyon na kailangang mong sumunod sa
time requirement na minuter news maliban na lang kung isasalang ka ng live at
ang primary source.

Nang ma-incarcerate si Jalosjos sa San Ramon Prison and
Penal Farm Colony, bukas pa rin siya sa anumang interview pero may caution na
tulad nang iwasang magtanong laban sa gobyerno.

Pero nang magsampa sila ng kasong petition of Writ of Habeas
Corpus, siyempre tightlipped na dun si Jalosjos, baka kasi ma subjudice ang
kaso.

At lahat nang reporters mapa radio, television o pahayagan
ay nakaka-alam sa ganitong policy or rules.

Anyway balik tayo dun sa reporter na nauwing public
relations officer.

Ganito po ang nangyari:

We were all covering inside the sala of Presiding Judge
Jesus Carbon. After about four hours of first hearing, we were all trying to
catch up with a few quotes or sound bytes from the former solon.

Habulan, siksikan, eksenahan hanggang siyempre naka pwesto
ang nasabing reporter sa tabi ng dating kongresista.

Rumatsada na ito ng mga tanong regarding health of Jalosjos.
Go! Pagbigyan si reporter kasi naman nagpasko siyang kumo-cover ke Jalosjos and
she deserves the break.

Matapos niyang makunan ng pahayag si Jalosjos we thought it
was her end of interview and she was just moving around with Jalosjos as part
of video requirement, suporta sa kwento.

Pero pagkalabas namin sa Hall of Justice at habang
naghihintay ng sasakyan ang kampo ng kongresista akmang magtatanong na rin ang
local reporters nang biglang pumalahaw ang reporter.

“Media ha, bawal magtanong tungkol sa kaso ni Sir Jalosjos,
personal questions lang!”

Windang kami, lahat nagtinginan at medyo nabigla.

First time kaming naka-encounter na isang national
television reporter na umastang spokesperson ng isang convicted rapist.

Teka… malapit na akong umalma dun, pero ang tapik sa balikat
ng isang kasamang reporter nagpatiklop ng sungay ko nang panandalian.

I was thinking then who the hell is this and what nerve she
got to define rules on coverage with Jalosjos!!!

Sabi ng isang kasamahan, hayaan mo na siya, baka overwhelmed
lang siya sa coverage na ito.

Yet I insisted na hindi niya dapat tratuhin ng ganun ang
local reporters at hindi siya dapat umastang information officer ng isang
source lalung lalo na’t respetado ang pinanggalingan niyang network, especially
the provincial network na naka base sa Zamboanga City.

Some media friends told me “matapang yan.” Pwes wala puwang
ang tapang sa akin, pero hindi ko siya papatulan sa tapang, sa etiketa ko siya
bubutasan.

Marami na rin akong naranasan na nakakawindang na pamamaraan
ng coverage ng ilang television reporters.

Yung bang pag pinapanood mo sila sa television akala mo sila
na ang magagaling pero kapag nakasama mo sa trabaho, masahol pa sila sa ibang
nagpapanggap na journalists sa local level.

Pasalamat sila dahil may pangalan silang kakabit ng kanilang
imahe, pero kung ako sa kanila, hindi mahalaga ang imahe kung hindi naman
sinusunod sa tamang paraan ang “proper observance and practice of code of
ethics in journalism.”

It was supposed to be a good holiday for me and my son but I am stuck with Jalosjos story because Manila editors and my bureau chief in Davao hammered me for daily follow-ups that almost blew my top.

Saturday December 22 until Tuesday December 25 calendared as “Family Day” for me and my son.

Every Saturday is marketing for our weeklong consumption Sunday is scheduled for “lamierda” such as window shopping at the mall, go to a food chain, do some ukay-ukay at Santa Cruz or stay at home and watch cartoon films.

But December 23 we skipped movies or food chain and instead scheduled for buying gifts.

Unfortunately, while pre-occupied with the Kalinggalang Caluang, Sulu encounter, I have heard from a friend that former Representative Romeo Jalosjos a convicted rapist reportedly “escaped” from detention and on his way to Dapitan City.

Since Dapitan is not really my area of coverage, I decided to shelve the story and let other correspondents nearby cover it.

However late that night, a friend from the PNP a native of Zamboanga City informed me that there’s an arrest order for Jalosjos and inquiring if I want to cover it. I said “NO” because it’s almost holiday. He didn’t told me other details and I didn’t care to ask.

When I woke up early dawn, I received many SMS I didn’t open the file because I presumed it’s more of Christmas greetings.

But at 7am December 23 one of the editors in Manila called up asking for details about whereabouts of Jalosjos and if he’s already in Zamboanga City.

“What?!!!” The editor repeated the same question and that day I sensed that my Christmas break will not be a break after all.

Manila and Davao editors kept pounding me for details so I was forced to re-schedule my plans for the day including begging for my son’s understanding.

“Heller! Mama pangako mo lalakad tayo at mamimili ng regalo, heller!”

I promised him that we still have time in the afternoon but my son knew once I start to click my keypads, “makakaalis lang kayo ng kwarto kapag tapos na ang mga report ni Papa David,” and that’s at 6pm.

I made several calls from my contacts arranged my itineraries and started covering the Jalosjos until he arrived here around 11am.

I know the PNP wanted my presence in that coverage while I was also torn between Jalosjos and the awarding of rewards to a civilian informant for helping the military in their campaign against ASG.

Finally I just stick to PNP at Camp Batalla and I managed to get a close interview with Jalosjos. I was bringing my videocamera and those required to join the group were cameramen and photographers.

While inside the camp’s office I was the only journalist then so I took the opportunity to interview the re-incarcerated solon.

It was past 12noon when I finished the coverage then start with my story. Like what my earlier feared, “natapos nga sa Mama gabi na.”

I knew he felt bad but I promised him on December 24 we will allot the entire day for “lamierda.”

I was wrong as my bureau chief didn’t stop asking for more development even late at night and early morning of December 24.

We ended up skipping the groceries and gift buying, fortunately my son found another interest as my sister brought home some kind of toys for her son and Kenjo is in-charge taking care of the baby.

What we did was cooked what is inside the refrigerator and didn’t bother to wrap anything as part of our family tradition.

I slept quite late because my bureau chief still has so many questions “naku magpatulog ka naman,” was my message to my chief.

The next day, I knew my chief could already imagine the meeting of two eyebrows as he demanded for more updates about Jalosjos.

I told him if he was just around “nasabunutan na kita,” and he just laughed off my anger.

At least the wrapped gifts for my son and the Narnia film made him quite busy.

In the end I realized that my holiday is not a holiday and my Christmas is literally spent with Jalosjos…

I wanted to unwind after beating deadlines on the story of convicted rapist former Representative Romeo Jalosjos.

Its about 6pm… six more hours to go and its Christmas day. I went out to check how my son is attending to carolers. He is in-charge of giving coins in behalf of me.

Actually it used to be my task then but since Jalosjos is a big story, I am oblige to follow my editors’ order.

Anyway, when I went out of the house savoring my smoke and coffee, several kids in their loud shrilling voices sought permission "BUENAS!!! PUEDE MAN AGINALDO?!!!"

Before I could nod for approval they started singing "HEY JINGOL BEL! JINGOL BEL! JINGOL OL THE WAY, O WAS PAN DIDITS TURAY, IN DA WANDER SOFEN SAY HEY… WE LAP EN SING WE LAPAHA WE LAPAHA LALALA JINGOL OL DA WAY!"

It follows with another song "JOY TO THE WORD THE LORD IS CAM LETHER BERTING BERTING…"

Somewhere at the dark corner of our gate, my son Kenjo kept on murmuring (huh like mother) saying "bakit didits turay?  oy dahan dahan kayo kumanta, pano napunta si berting sa joy to the world?"

Actually the children were not really singing, they were all shouting. Since Kenjo wanted to correct the lyrics, he is among those shouting (at least correct yung lyrics although nagkakamali rin mga kanta.)

They were all racing against time. After one group of carolers, I guess I entertained about 10 groups in a matter of 35 minutes… everyone was in haste… I know they wanted to earn more this night cause its the last night for their caroling.

Unlike last year, I saw a lot of people moving around, some with gifts, the others with huge plastic bag of groceries beating time to buy something for Noche Buena.

I hardly see people around and the mood is quite different. There were less public utility like tricycle stopping over in front of our gate (as our gate has a lamppost so most of our neighbors prefer to alight near our residence for security reasons).

Last year most of the fences and doorstep were glittering with christmas lights but this time, only those rich neighbors with such grand decors, the rest is contented with blinking bulbs in their respective christmas trees.

But one thing I hated most is the neighbors insensitiveness when it comes to firecrackers. They are complaining about the high cost of commodities yet they keep burning their money by buying firecrackers.

I decided to leave the task to my son as I need to check the kitchen. We didnt prepare much this Christmas because most of the people we have had last Christmas are either abroad or spending Christmas with other families.

My brother Toto is now in Canada based on the last call he made three weeks ago, my other brother Jose is spending Christmas with his in laws in Lamitan along with my four nephews and nieces. My other brother Jimmy is in Riyadh.

Inside this compound, my mother celebrating Christmas together with sister Emma and her adopted 4 months old son Kijam in her own house.

My brother Joel is in another unit at the back with his wife and three kids. Although he is not so with Christmas celebration because he is Balik Islam.

Me and my son Kenjo the most loneliest probably in the compound, although my son’s voice enough to wake the entire community.

I just cooked a simple pasta with tuna and cheese, baked marinated prawns with garlic and fruit salad. In our table good for two people just slices of bread, fruits, pasta, prawns and salad. Of course brewed coffee is always present.

My son refused to sleep "baka hindi ko ma open yung mga gifts."

But I insisted since he’s been exhausted shouting together with the carolers.

Last year, Kenjo along with my nieces and nephews went from house to house caroling and he earned a share of P145.00.

I remember he donated the funds to the Kapuso Foundation after he saw in one of its campaign a little girl who wanted slippers.

The other savings he got from Godparents he also donated to Bantay Bata Foundation for another boy whom he called Tweety because of the hydrocephalus.

This year he missed the caroling since all my pamangkin experts in caroling were not around. He is complaining saying "walang  bigat ang alkansya ko ngayon."