The Batchoyan does it's yearly tradition. Ladies and gentle batchoys, here is this year's christmas Cantata! Merry Christmas everyone!
And this one from my future 'bana' chos lang! pabay-i lang bala ko. hehehehe
and of course, something from Las Islas Filipinas!
Merry Merry Christmas Batchoy Denizens! Love and light!
Love,
Luis Batchoy
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
This Selective Amnesia Thing
I know, I know, I know! I forgot again, and I have no excuses! Maybe I just got lost in the thick of it all, or maybe I haven't been thinking of it as much as I used to. Nevertheless, a milestone is a milestone, so, late as it may seem, let me greet us!
HAPPY 3RD Year Anniversary to us Batchoy Denizens!
The Batchoyan turns three!!!
Three friggin' years! So much has happened! So many things have changed and yet, so many things remain the same. Some people have come and gone and we have taken all the good with the bad. When I back read sometimes, I sigh. How much of me have I revealed to you? Too much, and yet, it feels like none at all. Some entries make me smile as they used to, and some could even make me smile wider than it used to. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I thank all of you for journeying with me - ups, downs, sides and every which way.
I admit it gets harder and harder to churn out entries lately. Maybe it's going back to law school. Maybe it's the other things that occupy my mind. Or maybe, just maybe, its because it feels like there's no one there anymore. The batchoy turns cold without a word from you guys. Show me some lovin and hit that comment button. I know you are still out there because Feedjit says so, but you know, it gives me more reasons to fight the 'tamad' modes!
So now, since its our third year, instead of you giving me a gift, let me give you a gift. It comes in threes, so I need you to click on that comment button and tell me three things you'd like me to write about. I will choose three commentors and will write all three things you ask of me. You know what it's like. 3 wishes. Genie thinggie! Sounds like fun right? SO go! Make the Batchoy Boi happy! Fire away with the comments!
Happy Third everyone! You know what they say. Third time's the Charm!
HAPPY 3RD Year Anniversary to us Batchoy Denizens!
The Batchoyan turns three!!!
Three friggin' years! So much has happened! So many things have changed and yet, so many things remain the same. Some people have come and gone and we have taken all the good with the bad. When I back read sometimes, I sigh. How much of me have I revealed to you? Too much, and yet, it feels like none at all. Some entries make me smile as they used to, and some could even make me smile wider than it used to. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I thank all of you for journeying with me - ups, downs, sides and every which way.
I admit it gets harder and harder to churn out entries lately. Maybe it's going back to law school. Maybe it's the other things that occupy my mind. Or maybe, just maybe, its because it feels like there's no one there anymore. The batchoy turns cold without a word from you guys. Show me some lovin and hit that comment button. I know you are still out there because Feedjit says so, but you know, it gives me more reasons to fight the 'tamad' modes!
So now, since its our third year, instead of you giving me a gift, let me give you a gift. It comes in threes, so I need you to click on that comment button and tell me three things you'd like me to write about. I will choose three commentors and will write all three things you ask of me. You know what it's like. 3 wishes. Genie thinggie! Sounds like fun right? SO go! Make the Batchoy Boi happy! Fire away with the comments!
Happy Third everyone! You know what they say. Third time's the Charm!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ten Sperm Things
In an article I recently read from shared links on my News Feed in Facebook, this stood out.
Read here
Senator Enrile expressed his concern as such:
“And the question that bothers me is… Is the sperm alive? Is the ovum of the woman alive? I have consulted doctors and the answer is yes.
The sperm of a man cannot fertilize any egg, not the egg of a whale, or a lizard, or a bird, or a fish, but only the egg of a woman. And neither can the egg of a woman be fertilized by any other sperm except the sperm of a man, so that these two elements must be together to create life. But each one of them has life. There is no question about that because they have mobility: They move; they develop.”
The sperm of a man cannot fertilize any egg, not the egg of a whale, or a lizard, or a bird, or a fish, but only the egg of a woman. And neither can the egg of a woman be fertilized by any other sperm except the sperm of a man, so that these two elements must be together to create life. But each one of them has life. There is no question about that because they have mobility: They move; they develop.”
Very noble then, is the good Senator's intention to protect the 'dignity' of this 'living' organism. As such, here are some conjectures that can normally be arrived at, granting that the sperm, indeed, is a living sentient being.
1. The sperm has feelings and emotions, thus, it is a must for it to be protected and nurtured.
Yes, dear Batchoy denizens, naturally, if the sperm is alive, it is then capable of emotions. Much like we protect plants and animals, we must also protect the sperm, as a living entity. We must make sure it is nurtured and protected.
2. The sperm then, being alive and being a 'future person,' it must be afforded legal personality.
- Never mind that the Civil Code has a different definition of legal personality and when it should be considered in existence. After all, it could easily be revised and replaced with legislative intent for the same purposes. Being a living organism, it must be given full rights. Voting rights, Civil Rights. It must be allowed to be registered and vote, it must be allowed to acquire properties, to be subject of testamentary capacity, to be able to go to school, to be able to earn a decent living, to be secure in its house, papers and personal effects. It may also be elected into office then, or appointed to government service!
3. It must be a subject of a Senate or House Inquiry in aid of legislation.
- Now that the sad state of the Sperm has come into light, it is imperative that our Senate bring an inquiry to improve the status of the Sperm, which has remained in the dark for so long a time. We must conduct extensive study and research and inquire into the sad state of the sperm before the brilliant Senator has discovered it's 'existence.' After all we should be committed to the development and welfare of the least of our brothers and sisters, and every living being! We must invite a 'spokesperm' or a 'represpermative' to shed light to this condition!
4. Associations and NGO's must be formed for the welfare of the Sperm.
- We then must come together and fight for the welfare of the sperm. It should be considered marginalized and hence, we should do our part in protecting the sperm from abuses. We must form associations and People's Organizations for the welfare of the sperm!
5. It should organize, together with other sperm, under one banner, and run for office as a marginalized group under the party list system.
- It is provided for under the party list system, that representation is afforded to the marginalized sector of society, and as such, the sperm and their kind should also be afforded with the same privilege! VOTE FOR SPERM in the next elections!
6. It must have its own religion.
- If it is alive and is to be a future person in itself, then it must care for its soul, and as such, it must have a faith of it's own. Preferably, Catholic!
Further in the debate for the RH Bill, the good Senator also said:
“Well, if the man wants to satisfy himself by manipulating himself alone, if it is only for pleasure, then it interferes with the production of life. That is my belief. That is a matter of faith to me.”
Therefore -
7. Everything that is a matter of faith for a member of the Senate should be given high credence.
- Never mind the doctrine of separation of Church and State! If the Senator feels like legalizing cannibalism, then it should be, because it is a matter of faith! Speaking of cannibalism;
8. Since the sperm is a living entity, the swallowing of it in any form, sexual or otherwise, is considered cannibalism.
-So too is the 'interfering' with the production of life when a woman ovulates every month and has her discharges. It interfered with the meeting of the sperm and the egg and the ovulating woman should be charged accordingly for preventing or failing to cause the production of life. Hence, it should be a law that every egg should be fertilized to produce life, and the ovulating woman should do everything to cause such a union!
9. Therefore, the sperm should be a subject of a UN Convention!
- Knowing now that the sperm is a living organism, it should not only be protected locally, but should be a subject of International importance, hence a summit should be called, and a protocol or a UN Convention on the protection of the same should be pushed. NOW!
And lastly!
10. For purposes of gender equality, the same matters should be undertaken for the egg cells!
- Of course, the feminine counterpart must be equally protected!
Ain't that brilliant? Now, please, give the good Senator an Honoris Causa Degree in Medicine and Theology!
Here is the brilliant Senator! Champion of the Sperm's cause!
ONE SPERM!
Images Courtesy of Google Images
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Plus One
Although I am still in the heavens, there are some earthly matters to take care of, and so I need to somehow come down from my clouds of bliss. To start with, there are the schedules to fix. The midterms exams are coming up and I need to calendar my trip to Manila to make the most of my time there. There are the plane tickets to book, and of course, the attire for the Ceremony. Well, the attire is being taken care of, as tomorrow, my good friend will join me in scouring the city for a suitable ensemble. One more question remains unanswered: who then should be my Palanca 'plus one?'
In laymen's term, the Palanca plus one is the special guest that would accompany an awardee to the ceremonies. Each awardee is given the privilege of bringing along only one guest for the awards night. My first Palanca experience was actually as a 'plus one' of a then significant other, who won an award a year or so ahead of me. When it was my turn to win, we were no longer exactly us. In the years that I have been joining the competition, I might have promised some 'then-significant' others to have the singular distinction of joining me in one of the most splendid night in the life of a writer like me. Too bad however, that the liaisons with these 'then-significant others' did not last us long enough to see me achieve this distinction.
My first 'plus one' was very very special in another way. As loyal denizens would know, I went with my 'almost-wife-sans-the-sex-and-marriage' super girl Charmita. We had a blast then and it was a most wonderful evening. I am not complaining but at a time like this, it is but natural for a sentimental poet to feel the pangs of longing for that special 'plus one' for the night. You know what I'm saying.
This year finds me un-partnered and very much single too, so there is no automatic 'plus one' to share this big triumph with. It would be a very very tricky thing to do to be asking someone from my writer's group to join me that night. Aside from the obvious expenses involved, I do not want to be accused of having 'favorites.' Besides, its not like we can just pick anyone just like that. Every Palanca Award Winner's circle of friends would understand the gravity of being asked to be an awardee's plus one. It's as if you have been shared that distinction of the win too. So now the dilemma. Who to ask to be my plus one?
Hmmmm....
Well you see, it might be plain fantasy or day dreaming, but you know, I also merely day dreamed and fantasized about my Palanca moment, but I must have done something right and someone up there must like me a lot to make it come true. So, you see? You can never can tell says Ara Mina. So let's see the viability. Here goes:
I was thinking, ever since the moment I first saw the raw talents of this person I wanted to ask him to be my plus one. Being a disciple of the arts himself, I know he would understand the immensity of the situation and would perhaps be honored to be my plus one. More so, when I saw him in one of the movies, I was convinced he had to be my next plus one. I have to take him to the Awards Night with me, and wearing this... exactly this!
Then again, maybe he won't be admitted to the Rigodon Ballroom because of strict implementation of the dress code, and I am afraid of the rumors that he is given to a little violence. So, ahmmm... maybe not. Maybe I need someone gentler.
So I thought maybe he should be my plus one. I do not watch much TV so I didn't know him from Adam. Not until recently when I saw him in a Cinemalaya entry. Well, probably, if I was in Eugene Domingo's place and I was asked for a role in a movie with him as producer, I would in fact say the same things:
"Full frontal nudity, check!"
"Death-defying stunts, check!"
"Sex scene with actual penetration, check na check!"
Maybe even if he asks me to swim in a septic tank, I would have been convinced by his sweet smile! And maybe, I would have even said this while floating in shit: "I'm just a boy, floating in front of another boy, asking him to loourve him in return!"
Well, I know he looks the part and the clothes would not be a problem, but you know, the Barong Tagalog is kinda dated. Something more 'cultural'. Maybe, he should be my guest. Yes, him!
Fine that's a long shot I know, and my little crush with him was not even enough to make me vote for him during the last elections. Not to mention the many envious baklitas in the Awards Night that might mob me should I be seen with the guys above. Well, I need some one to defend me. Alam mo na! Baka kalmutin ako ng mga lola nyo sa Palanca. They might bitch-slap me and scratch my delicate Ilonggo skin! I need a hero! So, ok fine! That settles it! He should be my Palanca plus one!
Pramis, wala na talaga akong choice! Baka sya na lang talaga! Napipilitan na talaga ako eh. Hehehe. Hayaan nyo na akong mangarap ano ba!
My my my! Who should it be then? Help me out guys!
Credits:
All Photos grabbed from Google images
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
By popular demand
The batchoy boi is ecstatic! Once again, a parcel came in August!
Oh yes, indeed! I will be at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Hotel, Manila on September 1, 2011!
Yes, dear denizens. The Board of Judges for this year's Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards have found my entry meritorious enough to win the First Prize in the Filipino Poetry for Children category!
Oh yes, and I will be getting one of those ginormous 'plate-like' medals too! It's kinda ironic how, months before, even years before this happy day, I have always dreamed and fantasized of how it would feel to receive that Palanca 'pinggan' but when the letter finally came and I now actually stand to get one for myself, I seem to not believe I actually won one! I would jokingly tell my friends that my lone certificate from the Palanca Awards 2008 for my 3rd Prize win in the Hiligaynon Short Story category is already lonely on my wall and could use some company. Now, here it is - with a pinggan at that!
Much as I could not describe the incredible feeling the first time I won the Palanca, same goes with this one. It's true what they say that each award brings a thrill of its own. Perhaps I will never ever get used to this feeling - this exhilaration! Now before I get away with myself, let me get to the point of this blogpost. When I shared the news on my Facebook account, my ever supportive friends flooded me with congratulations and well wishes. This added to the sweetness of the triumph, even more than the award itself. One recurring request is for a copy of the winning piece. The entry is a collection of 10 poems for children. I am sure that it will appear on the Palanca website shortly, and since they have publishing consent, I'm afraid there will be 'technicalities' if I jump the gun and publish them online. So, to satisfy my loyal reading public and hordes of fans (Chos lang!) I'd like to give you the title poem of the collection. I believe it has already appeared in its unedited form somewhere in this blog, so let me repost it. Here goes:
AKO ANG BIDA
Ako ang bida.
Ako ang pinakamaganda.
Bago lagi ang damit ko at sapatos.
Sa akin ay wala nang nakakaungos.
Ako ang bida.
Ako ang laging nangunguna.
Mga gamit ko ay mamahalin.
Wala nang tatalo sa akin.
Ako ang bida.
Kinaiinggitan ng iba,
Sikat at pinaguusapan,
Sa buong paaralan.
Liban na lang pag may miting ang PTA
O di kaya ay tuwing Family Day.
Dahil si Nanay, sa ibang bansa nagtatrabaho
Hayun, si Yaya, sinasapawan ang byuti ko.
Thank you so much to all my friends, family and supporters who believed, prayed, wished and hoped with me. This victory is as much yours as it is mine! I love you guys! Oh, and yes, see you in Manila and let he coffee flow! The Batchoy boils over!
Monday, July 18, 2011
To the fragile heart of yours
Dear Brokenhearted friend,
I know this is a VERY difficult time. I know your pain. I have been there myself a couple of times, and not so very long ago. To be very honest with you, I do not know what to do. Not any better than the time it was my own heart that got broken. Well, actually, my heart is being broken too - by your tears. You see, that is the one thing I can not bear to see - the sight of someone in tears over some stupid uncertainty of loving and the loss it brought when the dreaming ends. What do I say? That there is hope? That somehow, soon enough, the person who broke your heart would come to terms and to proper senses? Really? You wanna hear that? Or do I tell you that you are strong and you can weather this one out? Come on! Haven't you heard that from me enough times already? Will it really make you feel better? Will it really ease the pain? Oh, right! The pain! The excruciating, boundless, incomparable pain! That! Trust me, I know the feeling so well. In fact, when I see your pain escape through your eyes, I feel my own broken heart. I still feel the scars there. Healed up, yes, but then again, the scars still hurt every now and then, especially on long lonely and cold moonlit nights, and when it rains. The scars in fact sometimes do open up with the slightest provocation! Remember that pain, dear. Relish. These are the moments that make you realize how alive you are! The greater the pain, they say, the greater the affirmation of your capacity to love. Blah blah blah, right? All you want right now is for everything to be fine again. To be once more back in those arms you longed to hold you. Really? So, have you thought of other arms out there? Other embraces? Oh, yeah, right, coming from me, that should be hearsay. I know, right! I haven't found those arms myself. Oh, but the journey - the wonderful journey. :)
And so you pick up the pieces. The problem with picking up the pieces, aside from obviously not knowing where and how to start, is the tears that come unbidden. It clouds your vision so you don't see really well, and some pieces are just too sharp. They prick and cut you, and then you bleed all over again. Yes, the pain! Well, you can leave the pieces for a little while, but not too long. Left alone, the pieces might not adhere all too well. We don't want that much gap when piecing them together do we? Oh, and some pieces are too small, they get blown away, so the sooner you get to them, the better chances of piecing them together without so much missing. Well, okay, fine, there will be missing pieces no matter how diligently you scour for them. Yes, you will never be the same. These things change you.
So, what now? After what? Six, seven years? Honestly, I don't have any idea. When my heart got blasted too, after ten years with that shmuck, I got lost too. Does it matter how long really? Well maybe, the longer it took, the harder it will be to be over. I cannot vouch for that. See, I'm a sucker for these things. Even my brief stints hurt as much as the longer ones. That's just me. So let me tell you a secret. You might not need the information now, but trust me, you will find it fun when you get to look back. It was nice being lost. :)
Maybe next time, I will be able to tell you about the wonderful art of falling out of love. You see, it completes the process sometimes. We never can say how we loved well if we do not see how well we fall out of love. After all, we only get one shot at that love which would last us a lifetime. Only one love that would never end. Well, sometimes we don't get a shot at it at all, but that's not my point. Maybe, next time, we can talk of how it is to rediscover yourself after the break up, but not now. You need time to linger - to indulge. Maybe, there will be no next time. See, I can only do so much and sooner or later, I really have to be not there. Friendship is a combination of being there, so that our friends would feel our support, and not being there, so that our friends would know that we are confident enough with their own strengths. Sometimes we need to be left alone, and I believe it is during these times that we are left alone that we grow much.
This is getting to be a long boring drone, and to end it, I can only let you borrow my own mantra for heartbreaks like these. "This, too, shall pass!" Not much of an incantation or a mantra right, but it has worked, tested and proven. This, too, shall pass, my friend. I am quite confident you will be okay in the end. As long as I can, meanwhile, you have my ears. You have my shoulders to cry on, and you have my hugs to at least tide you through. Just a spoonful of sugar, says Mary Poppins, helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way. Oh, and yes, Kahlil Gibran was sooo right! So love shall crown you, so shall it crucify you. I love you friend. Please be okay soon.
Hugs and Kisses
Luis
Photo Credits: All pictures grabbed from google images
I know this is a VERY difficult time. I know your pain. I have been there myself a couple of times, and not so very long ago. To be very honest with you, I do not know what to do. Not any better than the time it was my own heart that got broken. Well, actually, my heart is being broken too - by your tears. You see, that is the one thing I can not bear to see - the sight of someone in tears over some stupid uncertainty of loving and the loss it brought when the dreaming ends. What do I say? That there is hope? That somehow, soon enough, the person who broke your heart would come to terms and to proper senses? Really? You wanna hear that? Or do I tell you that you are strong and you can weather this one out? Come on! Haven't you heard that from me enough times already? Will it really make you feel better? Will it really ease the pain? Oh, right! The pain! The excruciating, boundless, incomparable pain! That! Trust me, I know the feeling so well. In fact, when I see your pain escape through your eyes, I feel my own broken heart. I still feel the scars there. Healed up, yes, but then again, the scars still hurt every now and then, especially on long lonely and cold moonlit nights, and when it rains. The scars in fact sometimes do open up with the slightest provocation! Remember that pain, dear. Relish. These are the moments that make you realize how alive you are! The greater the pain, they say, the greater the affirmation of your capacity to love. Blah blah blah, right? All you want right now is for everything to be fine again. To be once more back in those arms you longed to hold you. Really? So, have you thought of other arms out there? Other embraces? Oh, yeah, right, coming from me, that should be hearsay. I know, right! I haven't found those arms myself. Oh, but the journey - the wonderful journey. :)
And so you pick up the pieces. The problem with picking up the pieces, aside from obviously not knowing where and how to start, is the tears that come unbidden. It clouds your vision so you don't see really well, and some pieces are just too sharp. They prick and cut you, and then you bleed all over again. Yes, the pain! Well, you can leave the pieces for a little while, but not too long. Left alone, the pieces might not adhere all too well. We don't want that much gap when piecing them together do we? Oh, and some pieces are too small, they get blown away, so the sooner you get to them, the better chances of piecing them together without so much missing. Well, okay, fine, there will be missing pieces no matter how diligently you scour for them. Yes, you will never be the same. These things change you.
So, what now? After what? Six, seven years? Honestly, I don't have any idea. When my heart got blasted too, after ten years with that shmuck, I got lost too. Does it matter how long really? Well maybe, the longer it took, the harder it will be to be over. I cannot vouch for that. See, I'm a sucker for these things. Even my brief stints hurt as much as the longer ones. That's just me. So let me tell you a secret. You might not need the information now, but trust me, you will find it fun when you get to look back. It was nice being lost. :)
Maybe next time, I will be able to tell you about the wonderful art of falling out of love. You see, it completes the process sometimes. We never can say how we loved well if we do not see how well we fall out of love. After all, we only get one shot at that love which would last us a lifetime. Only one love that would never end. Well, sometimes we don't get a shot at it at all, but that's not my point. Maybe, next time, we can talk of how it is to rediscover yourself after the break up, but not now. You need time to linger - to indulge. Maybe, there will be no next time. See, I can only do so much and sooner or later, I really have to be not there. Friendship is a combination of being there, so that our friends would feel our support, and not being there, so that our friends would know that we are confident enough with their own strengths. Sometimes we need to be left alone, and I believe it is during these times that we are left alone that we grow much.
This is getting to be a long boring drone, and to end it, I can only let you borrow my own mantra for heartbreaks like these. "This, too, shall pass!" Not much of an incantation or a mantra right, but it has worked, tested and proven. This, too, shall pass, my friend. I am quite confident you will be okay in the end. As long as I can, meanwhile, you have my ears. You have my shoulders to cry on, and you have my hugs to at least tide you through. Just a spoonful of sugar, says Mary Poppins, helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way. Oh, and yes, Kahlil Gibran was sooo right! So love shall crown you, so shall it crucify you. I love you friend. Please be okay soon.
Hugs and Kisses
Luis
Photo Credits: All pictures grabbed from google images
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Refuse Medical Attention
Today was quite a day!
It started out with the happy occasion of my parent's 44th wedding anniversary. Most of the family got together in good spirits for a celebratory lunch. The (grand)kids were also there. When lunch winded down, it was too late and I was too lazy already to go to my next class at 1:00PM, so I decided to stay with my sister at the grill. She had some drinks with some of the boys and I had coffee from nearby Starbucks. Around 6PM, my friend texted me. He was offering me his month old Nokia C6 for only 7,500. I was reluctant for two reasons. One, I just recently upgraded to a Nokia 5800, which I got for 5,000, and secondly, I was waiting in the wings for a cheaper (almost free) deal with another friend for an N7. He said he was kinda pressed to sell his unit because he will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow, and funds were low. I haggled with him, and offered a trade in, which is the usual case. He said he'd get my 5800 for 2,500. I asked him to lower the price to 7,000 and to increase the swao value of my phone to 3,500. Which brings it evens. I'd just add 3,500 for the upgrade. He said, we had a deal at 4,000. Since he was a trusted friend and had good deals previously, plus it was his birthday, I agreed. I asked my older sister if she had cash with her and she agreed to give me the 4,000 I was asking. Perfect. And so we decided to meet at our usual coffee haunt and the exchange took place. So now I have a spanking upgraded unit.
As expected, most of the usual retinue of friends were there at the coffee shop. One of them was a good friend Jarrah, with whom I had a little strain with, days back. No big deal really, just a bit of a crease and I was ready to smooth it over with today. She was asking if we could go grab dinner at Parajan, a local Tapsilog joint. The closest one was along Iznart street, near the YMCA Building. Since Mike, another friend, had a car, we three drove there after my mug of coffee.
I was in the car tinkering with my new phone and as we neared the place, we saw a clump of people gathered at our side of the road. Then we saw two people lying sprawled on the pavements! There was a vehicular accident, and a motorcycle lay some inches away. Instinctively, I scanned for rescue team, Emergency Crew or Red Cross Volunteers but none were in sight. Instinctively, my Medic training kicked in. I got out of the car and assessed the situation to determine what sort of help I could extend. I saw that both men were conscious, though one peed in his pants, and the other was clutching his chest. There was a little blood but I saw there was no need for CPR or any of that emergency care stuff. There were no Emergency Crew in sight, and someone flagged a vacant jeep so both of them could be brought to the nearest public hospital, which was in La Paz district.
I did what little I could to help by making sure they were properly lifted and carried to avoid aggravating any injury that they might have sustained. Since both were conscious, we were able to carefully lift them and got them on the jeep. Since I was mainly the one lifting/carrying both of them, one at a time, I also got into the jeep together with one tanod official to get them to the hospital. The owner of the karaoke joint nearby also followed in his motorbike as he was the one facilitating earlier.
As we arrived, one other ambulance was in the process of unloading a patient. We immediately asked for a stretcher, but it was the waiting time that was stretched instead. We told them we were concerned citizens bringing the victims for medical attention. N0 stretcher were being brought out. After almost an hour, somebody in a red shirt said the ER was fully packed and there were no beds. If we insist, the only place for them would be on the floor. He then suggested we take the two guys elsewhere. It not being our call since after all, upon bringing them in for medical attention, our job is done, and since both victims were conscious, we left it to them to decide. A few minutes later, another ambulance from a nearby town came and the patient was tended to. At first there were reporters doing bit in the hospital who tried making heads or tails of the whole thing, reporting live for the radio.Some half an hour more, a TV Camera and a reporter came and took footages, trying their best to interview the victims. A colleague from the same station I used to work at managed to get a few words from me, which wasn't that much because I really did not know what happened. My only concern was to bring them to the hospital for emergency care. Just like magic, a few more minutes later after the camera started rolling, a stretcher appeared, with a lone orderly. Finally the guy clutching his chest complaining of pain there and hardness of breathing was brought in. The other guy who was ambulatory by then got down the jeep on his own and walked in too.
I am just amazed at how almost blatantly the other hospital employee told us we could not be accommodated, suggesting we take these victims to a different hospital, lying through his teeth about being full and there being no stretchers available. I hated the fact that had these guys been in a more critical condition, the long wait could have been fatal. I hate the fact too, that the hospital, being a public hospital could refuse to admit these guys who were obviously in need of emergency medical attention, just because no folks (read: paying parties) were with them. I also hate it that the News Camera was still needed as some sort of scare-factor before they took out the friggin stretcher and admit these two guys, who most likely are still in the state of shock! Whatever happened to public service, the good samaritan law, and even the oaths that these hospital people swore by?
Finally, when they already got in, I saw a text message from Mike saying they followed me and was there at the parking lot waiting for me. We ended up buying pork barbecue and isaw in front of the hospital in lieu of the supposed Parajan dinner. We ended up taking our dinner and drove to the San Rafael access road and ate our dinner by the side street gutters.
It was one hell of a day, and if you have still not guessed which hospital it was with all the clues then ok, let me tell you. It was at the WVSU-Don Benito Hospital. Whew!
It started out with the happy occasion of my parent's 44th wedding anniversary. Most of the family got together in good spirits for a celebratory lunch. The (grand)kids were also there. When lunch winded down, it was too late and I was too lazy already to go to my next class at 1:00PM, so I decided to stay with my sister at the grill. She had some drinks with some of the boys and I had coffee from nearby Starbucks. Around 6PM, my friend texted me. He was offering me his month old Nokia C6 for only 7,500. I was reluctant for two reasons. One, I just recently upgraded to a Nokia 5800, which I got for 5,000, and secondly, I was waiting in the wings for a cheaper (almost free) deal with another friend for an N7. He said he was kinda pressed to sell his unit because he will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow, and funds were low. I haggled with him, and offered a trade in, which is the usual case. He said he'd get my 5800 for 2,500. I asked him to lower the price to 7,000 and to increase the swao value of my phone to 3,500. Which brings it evens. I'd just add 3,500 for the upgrade. He said, we had a deal at 4,000. Since he was a trusted friend and had good deals previously, plus it was his birthday, I agreed. I asked my older sister if she had cash with her and she agreed to give me the 4,000 I was asking. Perfect. And so we decided to meet at our usual coffee haunt and the exchange took place. So now I have a spanking upgraded unit.
As expected, most of the usual retinue of friends were there at the coffee shop. One of them was a good friend Jarrah, with whom I had a little strain with, days back. No big deal really, just a bit of a crease and I was ready to smooth it over with today. She was asking if we could go grab dinner at Parajan, a local Tapsilog joint. The closest one was along Iznart street, near the YMCA Building. Since Mike, another friend, had a car, we three drove there after my mug of coffee.
I was in the car tinkering with my new phone and as we neared the place, we saw a clump of people gathered at our side of the road. Then we saw two people lying sprawled on the pavements! There was a vehicular accident, and a motorcycle lay some inches away. Instinctively, I scanned for rescue team, Emergency Crew or Red Cross Volunteers but none were in sight. Instinctively, my Medic training kicked in. I got out of the car and assessed the situation to determine what sort of help I could extend. I saw that both men were conscious, though one peed in his pants, and the other was clutching his chest. There was a little blood but I saw there was no need for CPR or any of that emergency care stuff. There were no Emergency Crew in sight, and someone flagged a vacant jeep so both of them could be brought to the nearest public hospital, which was in La Paz district.
I did what little I could to help by making sure they were properly lifted and carried to avoid aggravating any injury that they might have sustained. Since both were conscious, we were able to carefully lift them and got them on the jeep. Since I was mainly the one lifting/carrying both of them, one at a time, I also got into the jeep together with one tanod official to get them to the hospital. The owner of the karaoke joint nearby also followed in his motorbike as he was the one facilitating earlier.
As we arrived, one other ambulance was in the process of unloading a patient. We immediately asked for a stretcher, but it was the waiting time that was stretched instead. We told them we were concerned citizens bringing the victims for medical attention. N0 stretcher were being brought out. After almost an hour, somebody in a red shirt said the ER was fully packed and there were no beds. If we insist, the only place for them would be on the floor. He then suggested we take the two guys elsewhere. It not being our call since after all, upon bringing them in for medical attention, our job is done, and since both victims were conscious, we left it to them to decide. A few minutes later, another ambulance from a nearby town came and the patient was tended to. At first there were reporters doing bit in the hospital who tried making heads or tails of the whole thing, reporting live for the radio.Some half an hour more, a TV Camera and a reporter came and took footages, trying their best to interview the victims. A colleague from the same station I used to work at managed to get a few words from me, which wasn't that much because I really did not know what happened. My only concern was to bring them to the hospital for emergency care. Just like magic, a few more minutes later after the camera started rolling, a stretcher appeared, with a lone orderly. Finally the guy clutching his chest complaining of pain there and hardness of breathing was brought in. The other guy who was ambulatory by then got down the jeep on his own and walked in too.
I am just amazed at how almost blatantly the other hospital employee told us we could not be accommodated, suggesting we take these victims to a different hospital, lying through his teeth about being full and there being no stretchers available. I hated the fact that had these guys been in a more critical condition, the long wait could have been fatal. I hate the fact too, that the hospital, being a public hospital could refuse to admit these guys who were obviously in need of emergency medical attention, just because no folks (read: paying parties) were with them. I also hate it that the News Camera was still needed as some sort of scare-factor before they took out the friggin stretcher and admit these two guys, who most likely are still in the state of shock! Whatever happened to public service, the good samaritan law, and even the oaths that these hospital people swore by?
Finally, when they already got in, I saw a text message from Mike saying they followed me and was there at the parking lot waiting for me. We ended up buying pork barbecue and isaw in front of the hospital in lieu of the supposed Parajan dinner. We ended up taking our dinner and drove to the San Rafael access road and ate our dinner by the side street gutters.
It was one hell of a day, and if you have still not guessed which hospital it was with all the clues then ok, let me tell you. It was at the WVSU-Don Benito Hospital. Whew!
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