My Forgettable Stint as a “Journalist”
I worked briefly (for a month) for an online news site before I flew to South Korea to work as an English teacher in 2013. The name of the said news site was The Vincent Times (www.vincenttimes.com). In 2015, when I tried to access their website I could no longer find it. I don’t know if they closed shop or they only changed name and web address. The name of the person who contacted me and offered me the job was Codie Vince. I don’t know if that is his real name. He said he was from New Zealand where his news organization was also based.
At that time, I was really looking for a writing job on-line because I wanted to test my mettle as a writer and, of course, earn extra income as well.
In 2011, I gave up a writing job at Academia-Research (academia-research.com) because I don’t like the scheme of needing to bid against fellow writers to get a paid writing job with the one asking for the lowest price getting it. What I thought when I joined them and had to undergo the rigorous process of passing their exams and needing to submit a sample article which should pass their standards was I would be given writing assignments by them and be receiving remunerations for my outputs.
So, when I received an offer from Mr. Vince, I accepted it. In the subject line of the e-mail (above) it says that the position offered was as a journalist. I said to myself, “Wow! Should I take this I’ll become a journalist.”
I noticed the mistakes he committed in his first two emails but I just ignored thinking that he was just careless.
I responded to his email.
He answered all my questions and in his next email explained to me everything that I needed to do.
We exchanged some more emails before I finally started writing my first article for “The Vincent Times.”
It was so unfortunate that that time I was at the threshold of making a big career move – literally speaking. The university here in South Korea where I applied for a teaching job hired me. I had to resign from my job (as School Principal) and from the Philippines I flew to this country on the 2nd of March, 2013. I could not focus much on my writing weeks before I left (and even a few weeks immediately after I started working here). I had to do a lot of paperwork for my next job and had to ensure also that everything would be in order before I left the school where I was still working then.
When I accepted the job offered, I was able to produce only five articles after one week (instead of ten) and I informed Mr. Codie that I would stop writing. He seemed to be satisfied with my outputs that he allowed me to write just five articles per week.
I wrote a total of seventeen articles for “The Vincent Times.” The last one was on February 26, 2013 – one week before I left for South Korea. I informed him that I would be busy that week so I would not be able to submit articles until I get settled in my new work place.
I wanted to write for them again but the adjustment that I had to make when I started working in South Korea – new job and new environment – had my plate full. It took a couple of months before I could go back to serious writing.
After my first week in South Korea, I tried to contact Mr. Vince through email and Skype. I did not get any response. I tried several times more thereafter but it puzzled me why he wasn’t responding.
I wrote another email telling Mr. Codie that had he actually unofficially fired me and I would no longer be writing for his online news site then at least he should pay me for the articles I have written for “The Vincent Times.”
I did not get any response also.
Actually, after my 10th article, I inquired as to when will I get paid. In response, he sent me the email on the left.
I don’t usually demand to be given the salary an employer promised me. I know it is something that they know when to give. That’s what honorable people do – honor their obligations at the time they ought to. It was an email coming from a concerned individual asking me if Mr. Vince paid me for the articles I have written that made me worried. That person claimed that the founder of the “The Vincent Times” did not pay him a single cent for his works. After reading Mr. Vince’s response, I decided to trust him for he seemed to me a decent and honest man. I also did what was expected of me – write five articles every week.
Another week passed, I wrote five more articles but my salary remained unpaid. I decided to send him another email and here was his response.
After that I sent him details of my bank account and requested him to just transfer that amount there if he’s having difficulty with PayPal. I should be getting I guess around 100 US dollars. Not much but it feels good to receive a certain amount as a reward for your hard work.
I wrote two more articles after that. I thought he would pay me at least before I fly to South Korea. That was wishful thinking.
Whatever happened to Mr. Codie and his “The Vincent Times” and why he did not pay me for my services remain a mystery to me.
It was just a small amount of money and I am not running after it but what I really would like to know is why Mr. Codie did what he did and am I the only one victimized by him.
Another question is “Are there other news sites (and similar organizations) like “The Vincent Times” victimizing writers asking them to write and promising them pay which they would never give?”
My brief stint as a news writer was indeed frustrating because I thought I was dealing with a decent and honest person. I was duped by Codie Vince. Dealing with him and his news organization is forgettable. However, I consider as unforgettable my experience those nights that I had to finish those articles because I gained so much experience as a writer and learned more about my capabilities as a person. I may have not received the salary that was promised but the boost it gave to my self-confidence is simply priceless.
You can read here the articles I wrote for the now defunct “The Vincent Times.”
Bakit Espesyal Ang Unang Araw Ko Sa South Korea
Madaling araw ng ikalawa ng Marso taong 2013 nang ako’y umalis ng Pilipinas sakay ng Asiana Airlines. Bandang alas-otso na ng umaga nang ito’y lumapag sa Pusan International Airport. Kasabay ko noon si G. Kenn Lachenal. Pareho kaming patungo sa South Korea upang magturo ng English sa Gyeoungju University.
Aaminin kong sabog ako noong panahong iyon, hindi sa droga, kundi sa napakadaming isipin tungkol sa mga mahal ko sa buhay at pangamba sa panibagong hamon na pinili kong harapin.
Labag sa kalooban kong lisanin ang mga mahal ko sa buhay, ngunit kaylangan. Ayaw ko rin sanang talikuran ang paraaalang pinaglikuran ko bilang Principal ng halos isang taon. Subalit ayaw na ayaw kong nagpapadaig sa aking emoyson, ayaw kong hindi gawin ang isang desisyon dahil nagpatalo ako sa mga emosyon. Pinag-isipan kong mabuti ang aking pag-punta sa South Korea upang magturo. Hindi ito biglaang desisyon. Bahagi ito ng mga plano ko. Isa itong balak na dumating na ang panahon upang isakatuparan at hindi ko papayagan ang mga emosyon ko upang ako’y pigilan.
Hindi ang pagnanais na makatanggap ng mas malaking sahod ang pangunahing dahilan kaya ako nagbalak mangibang bansa. Malaki ang sahod na tinatanggap ko bilang Principal noong panahong iyon. Malaking magpasahod sa mga principal nila ang mga Pakistani employers ko. Bukod pa nga sa may kinikita ako bilang academic consultant sa isang technical school at part-time teacher sa isang kolehiyo. Sapat ang kinikita ko sa Pilipinas kung tutuusin. Nakapagpatayo nga ako ng bahay. Ang problema – hindi na ako komportable sa loob ng aking “comfort zone.”
Nakaramdam kasi ako noon ng matinding pagkaumay sa pagsu-supervise ng mga guro’t empleyado. Parang walang pagbabago – wala ng hamon. May kulang… kulang na gusto kong hanapin. Hindi nakatulong na may ilang personal na problema akong dapat ayusin. Napakalinaw na kaylangan ko ng isang napakalaking pagbabago sa aking buhay kung nais kong manatili ang aking katinuan. Kinaylangan kong mangibang bayan para sa isang panibagong panimula.
Pakiramdam ko noo’y nasa isang deadend ako at batid kong merong mundo sa likod ng mga deadends. Iyon ang gusto kong puntahan… lakbayin.
Ang sabi nga ni Jake Sully, ang main character sa pelikulang “Avatar,” “Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move.” At katulad din ni Jake, may pangamba man ay sigurado ako sa aking gagawin bago ako tumalon upang makipagbuno at mapaamo ang sariling kong “Toruk.”
Dalawang bagay ang baon ko ng magpunta ako sa South Korea – tiwala sa sarili at pananalig sa Diyos. Laging ito ang kumbinasyong ginagamit kong panangga sa lahat ng pagsubok at panungkit sa ano mang inaasam kong makamit.
Ang tiwala ko sa sarili at pananalig sa Diyos ay parang sandwich. Meron itong palaman – sipag at tiyaga.
Hindi swerte ang hanap ko sa bansang pinuntahan, hindi ako naniniwala sa swerte. Naniniwala ako na “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.” Ang pakay ko ay sumulat dito ng bagong kabanata sa aking buhay – bagong yugto sa tadhanang naniniwala akong ako ang dapat gumuhit. Batid kong dapat lang na doblehin ko ang aking sipag at tiyaga.
Unang byahe ko iyon palabas ng bansa at mabuti na lamang na nakasabay ko si G. Lachenal. Bukod na sa matulungin ay sanay siyang bumiyahe sa labas ng bansa. Kaya medyo kampante ako. Sa Gyeoungju University nga din s’ya pupunta kaya nakakatiyak na akong hindi ako maliligaw.
Nang makarating kami sa Pusan International Airport ay nagulantang ako sa lamig. Nanuot ito sa suot kong jacket. Buong akala ko ay dahil tapos na ang winter at noo’y papasok na ang spring ay parang sa Baguio na lang ang lamig. Mabuti na lang at ang nasakyan naming bus papuntang Gyeoungju-si ay nakaandar ang heater. Antok na antok ma’y hindi ko magawang matulog sa biyahe dahil tinitignan ko ang bawat lugar na madaanan. Lahat ay bago sa aking paningin. Wika ko sa sarili’y, “Heto na ako sa South Korea.”
Matapos ang halos dalawang oras na biyahe ay nakarating kami sa Gyeoungju-si. Ang sumalubong sa amin ay G. Mark Celis. Siya ang naghatid sa amin sa apartment na aming titirhan, si G. Lachenal sa “white house,” ako nama’y sa “blue house.” Hindi sa Washington D.C. at Seoul ang “white house” at “blue house” na nabanggit ko. Iyon lang ang tawag sa mga apartments na provided ng Gyeoungju University para sa mga professors nila na galing ng ibang bansa. Kulay iyon ng pintura ng apartment. Meron din “yellow house” at “green house.”
Bago umalis si G. Celis ay tiniyak n’yang maayos ang unit na magsisilbi kong tirahan at ipinakilala din n’ya sa akin ang isa pang Pinoy na professor din sa Gyeongju University – si Dr. Randy Tolentino, nakatira rin sa “blue house.”
Pumasok na ako sa aking kwarto at doon ko unang naramdaman ang pakiramdam ng literal na nag-iisa, malayo sa mga mahal sa buhay at nasa isang lugar na hindi ko kabisado. Nakatayo lamang ako, hindi ko malaman kung ano ang una kong gagawin.
Nang medyo mahimasmasan ako’y binuksan ko ang aking maleta at unti-unti inayos ang mga dala kong gamit.
Tahimik ang paligid, wala akong marinig kundi ang mga sarili kong yabag at kaluskos. Nakakapanibago. Wala ang nakasanayan kong tahol ng mga aso, tilaok at putak ng mga manok, maingay na tambutso ng motor at ang malakas na stereo ng mga kapitbahay ko sa Pilipinas.
Matapos kong ayusin ang mga damit at gamit ko’y bigla nanamang naramdaman ko ang sobrang lamig at nagsimula na rin akong makaramdam ng gutom. Walang laman ang refrigerator na nandoon. Nakakapanibago talaga. Sanay akong kapag kumalam ang sikmura ko, buksan ko lang ang refrigerator at solve ang problema ko. Malinis ang maliit kong lamesa. Sa ibabaw nito’y walang tray na may lamang prutas. May gas stove kaya lang wala naman akong lulutuin. Wala na nga ako sa Pilipinas. Pinagtyagaan ko na lang ang biscuit na ipinabaon sa akin ng aking butihing may.bahay
Naalala ko na kaylangan ko nga palang tawagan ang aking mga mahal sa buhay sa Pilipinas upang ibalitang nakarating ako ng malualhati sa South Korea. Nang kuhanin ko ang aking cellphone ay noon ko pa lamang na-realize na hindi ko nga pala na-activate ang aking sim na roaming. Pakiramdam ko’y napakatanga ko, napamura ako ng hindi oras. Hindi ako makakatawag, ang cellphone ko’y magagamit ko lamang na parang music player.
Aaminin kong sa pagkakataong iyon ay inatake ako ng matinding kalungkutan. Gutom pa rin ako kahit naubos ko na halos ang baon kong biscuit. Nanginginig sa lamig. Nabibingi sa katahimikan – nagiisa’t walang makausap. Nangangamba rin ako na na baka nagaalala na nang masyado ang mga mahal ko sa buhay na naghihintay ng balita mula sa akin.
Sa pagkakataoong iyon ay naramdaman ko ang totoong kahulugan ng HOMESICK. Iyon eh matapos lamang ang ilang oras pagkalapag ko sa South Korea.
Pero sa kalagitnaan ng kalungkutang iyon ay napatingala ako sa langit at naala-ala kong ang pagtungo ko sa bansang ito’y naidulog ko na sa panalangin ng maraming beses. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero sa pagkakaalam ko’y wala akong panalanging hindi n’ya dininig kaya. Ginawan ko nga iyon ng tula sa English. Anim na pantig lang…
HE answers.
Just wait.
Have faith!
Hihiga na sana ako upang lunurin na lang sa tulog ang gutom ko’t kalungkutan nang makarinig ako ng mga katok sa aking pintuan. Si Dr. Tolentino. Pumasok s’ya at nakipagkwnentuhan sa akin. Taga Iloilo siya. Hayun, at least may kausap na ako. Habang kami’y nag-uusap ay tinignan niya ang lutuan ko’t itinuro kung paano iyon i-operate. Maaring napansin n’yang giniginaw ako kaya’t itinuro din n’ya kung papaano gamitin ang floor heater. Medyo na-relax ako sa pagtulong na ginagawa n’ya noon. Binuklat n’ya ang mga drawer sa bandang kusina at doo’y nakakita s’ya ng ilang de-lata na hindi pa naman expired na maaaring sadyang iniwan ng dating nakatira doon. Umalis siya sandali at pagbalik ay may bitbit siyang ilang balot ng noodles at mga 3-in-1 coffee.
Nagulat ako sa generosity na ipinakita ni Dr. Tolentino na kalauna’y tinawag ko na lamang na sir Randy. Animo’y matagal na n’ya akong kakilala. Umalis ulit s’ya sandali at nang pagbalik niya’y sinabing, “Halika na brod, nakaluto na girlfriend ko, kain tayo.” Sumunod ako sa kanyang unit. Nagulat ako pero hindi na ako nagpakipot pa, hindi dahil sa talagang ako’y gutom sa pagkakataong iyon kundi dama ko ang sinseridad ng imbitasyon n’ya at nakakahiyang tanggihan.
Mainit ang mga inihaing pagkain, ngunit mas higit ang init ng pagaasikasong ipinakita sa akin nina sir Randy at ng kasintahan n’yang si Nikki na taga-China. Susubo na sana ako nang biglang nagdasal muna si sir Randy bilang pasasalamat, lumalalim at tumataas ang pagtingin ko sa kanya sa nakita kong iyon. Sa unang subo ko ay nangilid ang luha ko sa kabutihang loob na nasaksihan ko sa kanila at sa kung gaano sumagot ng panalangin ang Panginoon. Nang napatingin sa akin ang magkasintahan ay pasimple kong sinabi na sinisipon yata ako kaya ako naluluha.
Pagkakain ay inihatid ako ni sir Randy sa aking unit, may bitbit pa s’yang ilang lutong pagkain. Sabi ko’y, “Sobra-sobra na ito bro!” Ngumiti siya’t sinabing aalis silang magkasintahan papuntang Daejon at gusto lang n’yang matiyak na may kakainin ako hanggang kinabukasan. Tapos bumalik s’ya sa kanyang unit at kumuha ng kasirola, kawali ang pakuluan ng tubig, pati ilang coffee sticks. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko sa kanya noon, gusto ko s’yang yakapin sa pagtulong na ginagawa n’ya.
Hindi doon natapos ang pagtulong sa akin ni sir Randy. Nang malaman n’yang hindi ko magamit ang SIM ko na roaming ay ipinahiram nya sa akin ang isa n’yang smart phone at ang kanyang i-pod bago sila umalis at iniwang bukas ang kanyang wifi sa kwarto upang makagamit ako ng internet.
Wala na akong masabi sa pagkakataong iyon. Gasgas na paulit-ulit na “thank you” na sinasabi ko. Gusto ko sana s’yang yakapin pero nagmamadali s’yang umalis. Nang makalabasa siya ng unit ko’y napapikit na lamang ako at tahimik na nagpasalamat sa Kanya. Hindi naman ako mabait na tao. Mahina ako’t makasalanan. Mapagpala’t mapagmahal lamang talaga ang Panginoon sa mga tumatawag sa Kanya.
Napakapalad ko na sa unang araw ko pa lamang sa South Korea ay nakatagpo ako ng mga kaybigang katulad nina Randy at Nikki. Higit pa sila sa kaybigan – sila’y mga kapatid kong nanggaling sa ibang sinapupunan. Sila ang dahilan kung bakit espesyal ang unang araw ko sa South Korea.
Sina Randy at Nikki ay mga patotoo na napakabuti ng Panginoon.
The Jokers in the Academe
I have been a teacher since 1988. It has been a long journey full of ups and downs and filled with joys and sorrows. I don’t regret anything that I have undergone as a teacher and proudly I could l say that I triumphed over all the difficulties and pains because I wouldn’t last this long in the academe if not.
I worked in eight different schools in the Philippines, in six as a full-timer and in two as a part-timer. Here in South Korea, where I am teaching now is my second university. I stayed a year in the first one and now I’m on my way to completing my fifth year where I transferred.
Go back to the previous paragraph and count the number of academic institutions where I worked.
How many?
Two short of a dozen.
In those schools, I met different kinds of students, administrators, and – teachers, the best and the worst.
This essay deals with teachers I refer to as “jokers in the academe.” The experience I had with them taught me to have a great deal of patience. There were times though that I lost that patience and locked horns with them. Actually, I wrote this essay right after a verbal tussle with a joker.
Yes, you need to be patient when you encounter the jokers among your colleagues. These jokers aren’t funny at all. They are annoying.
I am not saying that I am a perfect teacher. I still have lots to improve. At least I have been trying my best to conform with the existing and evolving professional standards set for teachers.
Most importantly, I am not a joker. I would never be.
Who might these jokers be?
One of those that I classify as jokers are the “super dependents.”
The “super dependents” are teachers who will not solve their own problems. They expect their colleagues to do that for them. They are the ones who hate exerting extra effort to find a solution to whatever bugs them. Their sense of entitlement is so strong that they think that it is the duty of people around them to help them get out of a difficult situation.
What these jokers consider as problems are not problems to begin with.
For example – the school requiring teachers to apply a new technology in the classroom. That for them is a contentious issue. They would try to dip their hands deep into their bag of reasons to justify their non-compliance.
You would hear the lamest of excuses like “My training as an educator did not include applying those technology.”
Really!?
Another excuse, lame also, “It’s labor-intensive.”
They want things to be given to them on a silver platter. They would never walk the extra mile.
They are like square pegs in round holes. No amount of explanation would make them buy the idea that being a 21st century teacher teaching 21st century learners would require the learning of 21st century skills.
These jokers don’t understand that part of their responsibility as educators – if they really consider themselves as educators – is to retool and retrain if necessary in order to cope with the demands of what has become a technology-driven pedagogy used by 21st century teachers.
They should not subscribe to the idea that “old dogs can’t learn new tricks” because they are not dogs. They’re human beings who are supposed to be rational.
Are they?
Anyway, let’s talk about dogs.
They bark, right?
Some of the jokers in the academe are like dogs. They bark a lot.
I call them the “barkers.”
These jokers bark about their disagreement with school policies and what they perceive as incompetence among the “people upstairs.” They are the eternal fault-finders who see nothing but negative in the organization. They live to seek the “tiny black in an ocean of white.” For them nothing is right, everything is wrong.
They complain day and night, except when they go to the ATM machine during payday.
Do they deserve their pay? Are they doing their job? Only them and their students could tell.
Yes, there are times that they have valid reasons to disagree. But what is frustrating is that they bark up the wrong tree. They don’t address their concerns to the right people at the right place and at the right time. They grandstand during meetings wasting their colleagues’ precious time. They force them to listen to their misguided eloquence. Sometimes they also write long unsolicited e-mails where they express their grievances. They don’t understand that not everybody in the organization share their opinion about the policies and the school administrators.
The funny thing is these jokers just bark but they don’t bite.
They do nothing about their complaints except bark about them. But when the administrators responsible in implementing the policies they disagree with are present in meetings, they are very quiet, silent in one corner of the room wagging their tails.
These jokers curse the school and their administrators at every opportunity they have. They tell everybody that the school where they work is the worst place to be. Yet at the end of the school year they (let me use these words again) wag their tails as they sign their names on the dotted lines for a contract extension.
Dogs bark. They also eat their own vomits.
The last category of jokers in my list are those who applied (and luckily got hired) as teachers even if they are not qualified and trained for the profession.
They are the ones I call the “pretenders.”
Yeah, they pretend to be teachers.
These jokers applied as teachers because there are no other jobs available. They are very fortunate (and the students unfortunate) that there are schools willing to hire them even if they are not qualified to be teachers.
Among these jokers are English teachers who thought that they could be English teachers because they can speak the language. I have emphasized in one of my essays that it doesn’t mean that when you know something you can already teach it. “If you know it, you can teach it” is a fallacy.
Knowing a subject matter is different from knowing how to teach it. The former is only one of the many requirements for the latter.
“Real teachers,” those not pretending to be teachers, know what it takes to be a teacher. Teaching is not parroting the contents of the book. It’s not delivering a monologue in front of the students.
Teachers need to choose the best strategy to use in the class from a variety of strategies available. They have to set objectives and test if those objectives are met. They need to differentiate the levels of their students and identify the corresponding techniques and activities suitable for those levels.
“Real teachers” know what philosophy would inform whatever they do and say in the class. They know which sociological, psychological, historical and legal foundations upon which they would base all their decisions as teachers.
It means that the job of a teacher is so complicated that not just anybody should be allowed to teach. And when a school commits the mistake of hiring applicants who are not trained to be teachers, expect them to become the jokers in the academe.
In the academe, most of those who complain a lot – those who create a lot of troubles – are the ones who are not really trained to become teachers. These jokers are the ones who seemed to be lost in the wilderness not knowing what to do and how to do things related to the job of a teacher. They are the ones who would blame others when they encounter difficulties and can’t figure out how to deal with them.
The common trait among these jokers is that they want everything given to them in a silver platter. You need to explain to them in detail (and repetitively) how to perform tasks that teachers are supposedly trained to do. Sometimes they would even require their colleagues to do things for them. They would not bother learning how to do it themselves.
Beware of the jokers in the academe. They’re not funny.
These jokers could be many or but a few in schools everywhere.
There was a voice within that kept telling me not to mind the jokers in the academe. I did so, but not for long. It became too difficult for me to hold my horses when I heard the “non-performing” barkers whined and whinged so persistently. It’s so difficult to just turn a blind eye (and a deaf ear) to the things they are doing (and saying) all the time. I had to say my piece – through this essay.
What’s dangerous is that they are contagious. They contaminate the working environment. They have the ability to flip the organizational climate, from positive to negative.
So, beware of the jokers. Avoid them like a plague.
These whining and crying babies are not cute. Don’t babysit them.
Perpekto Ka Ba?
Kahit walang kwenta pilit pinapansin
Walang kabagay-bagay ay pupunahin
Kaunting kibot ika’y may sasabihin
Animo’y perpekto ka’t ubod ng galing
Mala-artista ba ang tindig mo’t hubog
Kaya’t mahilig kang mamintas at bumatikos
Ikaw ba’y sobrang matino’t maaayos
Kaya’t pinapansin bawat maling kilos
At ikaw man ng ganda’y nabiyayaan
Ang mamintas ay hindi mo karapatan
Nuknukan ka man ng talino at yaman
Dangal ng kapwa’y hindi pwedeng yapakan
H’wag ipagyabang talino mo’t yaman
Kursong tinapos h’wag ipangalandakan
Ganda mong taglay sanay h’wag ipagyabang
Dahil sa pagtanda mo’y kukupas din yan
Tandaang kukupas ganda’t kakisigan
Pagtanda’y ‘di mapipigil ng iyong yaman
Matalino ka man at sikat na paham
Ika’y babalik sa abong pinanggalingan
Bisyo
Hindi ako naninigarilyo.
Lalong hindi ako lasingero.
Sa sugal – hindi ako mahilig.
Hindi rin ako adik.
Iisa lang ang aking bisyo…
Ikaw!
Bakit hindi kita pagsawaan?
Hindi makalimutan.
Parang bisyo…
Kay hirap iwasan.
Para kang putahe ng ulam,
Na nang aking matikman –
Lalo akong nagutom.
Tubig na nang aking mainom,
Hindi natighaw
Ang aking uhaw.
Swabe kang magmahal.
Kung ika’y humalik –
Ubod ng tamis.
Kay higpit mong yumakap
Ang tama mo’y kay sarap.
Para kang alak,
Kay sarap mong tunggain.
Gustong-gusto kong sa iyo malasing.
Para kang sigarilyong kay sarap hithitin.
Para kang damo.
Kay tindi mong tumama.
Parang bato.
Delikado.
Mahal.
Bawal.
Okay lang na makulong.
Basta’t bisig mo ang rehas.
Susugal ako sa iyo.
Sige –
Hala!
Puso ko’y balasahin mo na.
Sigurista ka ba?
Ako?
Oo!
Walang katalo-talo!
Sino man kasi ang mahalin mo…
Tiyak panalo.
My Website – “Hardpen’s Portfolio”
Allow me to guide you through the highways and byways of this site.
The following are the main sections which are accessible by clicking on them directly or you may go to the home page and click on them in the navigation menu and tabs.
Home
About the Philippines
My Korean Stuffs
My Works in English
My Works In Filipino
Welcome
If you click on the section Home from here, you will be brought to the homepage of this website.
If you click directly on the other main sections (after Home) from this page you will be directed to an article introducing the section at the bottom of which are links to the subsections (or articles) beneath them.
On the left is the homepage of the website. The article that appears when you open it and the other two you’ll find should you scroll down are the latest of my blog posts.
If items are posted in the HOME section they are classified by WordPress as “blog posts.” All other items in the other sections (and the sections themselves) are called “pages.” That, I suppose, is only for the purpose of proper placement because technically all the “posts” can be transformed to “pages” if desired so. The first item in the NAVIGATION MENU, as you can see, is HOME. That is where all “blog posts” are displayed. All tabs north of HOME is where all “pages” are placed.
After posting a blog, I automatically create its “page version” and place it in a category where it belongs in the other sections.
Let me help you if you wish to explore the entirety of this website. The following are the links you can click from here. You can also access all of my works using the navigation bar.
I also provided an introductory page in each section and subsection. The introductory page for each section provides links to the subsections. There are also links to specific works provided in the introductory pages for the subsections.
I included the section About The Philippines for the essays I wrote (and will be writing) and other stuffs about my country – the Philippines. My intention for this is to make people from different parts of the world know more about us Filipinos and our country.
In the section My Korean Stuffs is where I share my experiences as a Filipino expat and as a teacher here in South Korea. The four subsections are Korean Adventures (essays/commentaries written in English), Kuwentong Kimchi (essays written in Filipino), “Kimchied” (articles chronicling my gastronomic journey here in South Korea), and Korean Dishes/Foods I Tried (videos and essays about the Korean dishes I have been eating here in this country).
The section My Works in Filipino contains the one-act plays, short stories, essays and poems (all in Filipino) which I have written through the years, mostly from 2013 onwards. The following are the sub sections: Dulang May Isang Yugto, Maikling Nobela, Maikling Kwento, Sanaysay and Tula. Clicking on these links brings you to the pages where you can see also links for the specific individual works.
Below you’ll see how a section is subdivided into subsections, and subsections into more subdivisions until the titles of specific works could be seen.
I have written a lot of poems in Filipino. Thus, you see here that Tula also has its own sub sections, namely, Apatang Taludtod, Bayan Muna, Heto Na Ang Jeep, Kwentulaan, Pagninilay, Pakwelang Taludturan, Sa Piling Ng Mga Hayop, Samu’t-sari, Tibok, Tinulang Jokes and Tinula Kong Kanta.
There are also several sub-sections for the section My Works in English . These are Commentaries, Dramatic Monologue (Declamation), Essays, My Research Works, Oratorical Pieces, Poems, Short Stories, and The Jungle Story – a collection of the anthropomorphized blogs I wrote (in another blogsite) when I got so frustrated with the leadership style of the school administrator where I used to work in the Philippines.
I love the sports of basketball and boxing. I included in the section My Works in English the subsection Sport Blog where I put together the articles I wrote about the said sports, including those that were published in a couple of sports websites.
Topics I discussed in my essays vary. So I also subdivided the section Essays into several subsections namely Changing Perspectives, Literature, Language and Movies, and Personal Essays. I also wrote essays on education and my experience as a teacher but I kept them in the section My Academic Essays beneath the section My Research Works.
Just like my poems in Filipino, the few poems I have written in English are also subdivided with the following assigned labels: Heartbeats, Quatrains, Random Thoughts, and Frames and Verses.
My website also features some of the studies I have completed including those that were presented in international conferences and published in international journals. You can find them in the subsection My Research Works under My Works in English. The said subsection is further subdivided into the following: As Main Author, As Corresponding Author, My Academic Essays, My Master’s Thesis, and My PhD Dissertation.
The items I have in the section Welcome, aside from this guide to my website, include my curriculum vitae and an answer to the question “Why do I write?”. There you can find also the poem I wrote about my names and pseudonyms.
Ang Hatol Ni Gng. De Villa Sa Sagutan Namin Ni Manuel
My friend Manuel O’chong and I playing scrabble in my office around 20 years ago…
ANG TANONG KO:
Sa paligid ay igala ang paningin
Mayroon bang nagbago sa bayan natin,
Asam na pag-unlad atin na bang narating,
Kapayapaang hangad atin bang angkin?
Tigilan na ang pagbulag-bulagan
Mata mo’y imulat sa katotohanan
Bayan nati’y lugmok sa kahirapan
‘Di makamit asam na kapayapaan
Ang tanong, “Sino ang dapat na sisihin?”
Sino ba ang hindi tumupad sa tungkulin?
Mga pinuno bang iniluklok natin,
O imaheng katitigan mo sa salamin?
Pinunong halal lang ba ang may tungkulin
Na paglingkuran ang inang-bayan natin?
Kung doon sa hapag mo’y walang pagkain
Sila nga lang ba ang dapat na sisihin?
Kaninong pinuno ka ba nasiyahan?
‘Di ba’t silang lahat ay iyong pinintasan?
Palaging may mali, palaging may kulang,
Kay hirap sundin ng iyong pamantayan.
Subalit kung ika’y aking tatanungin
May nagawa ka ba para sa bayan natin?
Sobra-sobra kung pinuno’y batikusin
Eh ikaw, “Ano ba ang kaya mong gawin?”
Para kasing kay talino mo’t kay galing
Eh ‘di sige mungkahi ko iyong sundin
Maging pinuno iyo kayang subukin
At problema ng bayan iyong lutasin
Kung hindi kaya aba’y manahimik ka!
H’wag ka nang makisawsaw sa pulitika!
Ang gawin mo sana’y maghanap-buhay ka
Ang itaguyod… sarili mo’t ang pamilya
Sa halip na pulitika ang atupagin
Buhay mo muna ang dapat na ayusin
Dahil kapag tagumpay… iyong narating
Maging ang bayan mo’y makikinabang din.
MANUEL:
Nang aking igala ang aking paningin,
Mga taong mahihirap akin ding napansin
May mga naghahalo ng semento at buhangin
Sa maghapon ang kinita sapat lang sa pagkain.
Trabaho sa construction di gawa ng tamad
Bawal ang mahina at kilos ay makupad
Pero minimum wage mababa at di sapat
Kung sila’y umangal isasagot ba ay sumbat?
Kung ika’y mayaman at sa buhay kuntento
Maganda ang hanap-buhay malaki ang sweldo
Sisisihin mo ba ang nasa laylayang mga tao
Kung sa Pamahalaan sila ay magreklamo?
AKO:
Kapalara’y h’wag iasa sa gobyerno,
Sariling tadhana’y iukit sa palad mo,
H’wag sisihin si Duterte o Aquino –
Kung walang kaning mailagay sa plato.
Kaunting kinikita mo’y pagkasyahin
Kung hindi sapat ano ang dapat gawin?
Dapat ka bang maghanap ng sisisihin,
O antas ng buhay pilit na baguhin?
Walang maghihirap kung walang tamad
Kapag batugan ka’y hindi ka uunlad.
Kaya’t kung sa buhay ay nais umangat
Magbanat ng buto at laging magsikap.
Hindi kasalanan ang maging mahirap,
Ang kasalanan ay ang hindi magsikap.
Swerte mo’y hindi nakaguhit sa palad
Perlas itong dapat ay sisirin sa dagat
MANUEL:
Kung ang paningin ay ating igagala
Hwag puro pataas ituon din sa ibaba
Upang ating makita ang pobre at mahihina
Sa opurtunidad sila nga ay wala…
Mga magsasakang kulang sa pinag- aralan
Maghapong gumagawa sa lupa ng mayayaman
Mga anak di makatuntong sa mataas na paaralan
Kaya tulad nila lumalaking mga mangmang…
Kung sila ba sa Pamunuan umangal at magreklamo
Hilinging anak nila’y tulungan ng Gobyerno
Sumbat ba ang isasagot? “Kasi mga tamad kayo!”
“Magtiis kayo mga ulol! Walang silbing Indio!”
Kung ang Pamunuan sa mamamayan ay nangako
Kaya sila ay nahalal sa pwesto ay naupo
Pag mga tao ba’y umangal sa pangakong napako
Tama bang isagot mo’y, ” Di kayo ang mamuno!”
Sa bawat sulok ng Bansa ating mamamasdan
Mga pamilyang nagsisikap umahon sa kahirapan
Tyaga nila at punyagi tunay kong hinangaan
Kailanma’y di umasa sa manhid na Pamahalaan
Gayon ma’y wag umasang sila’y aking papurihan
Tungkulin nila ang tumulong at di magpayaman!.
AKO:
Pananaw kong tangan sa oportunidad –
Ito’y h’wag hintaying sa iyo igawad
Ikaw ang siyang dapat dito ay humanap
Ikaw ang magpagal, ikaw ang magsikap.
‘Di pwedeng idahilang tayo’y mahirap.
Ang linyang iyan ay luma na at gasgas!!!
Iya’y palusot ng mahihina’t tamad…
Ng mga taong sa diskarte ay salat.
Tama kang pamahalaa’y may tungkulin
Sistema ng gobyeno’y dapat ayusin.
Subalit kahangalan kung hihintayin
Na grasya at limos sa iyo’y darating.
Ang wika nga ni J.F.K., “H’wag tanungin
Kung ano ang bigay ng bayan sa atin
Bagkus ang atin dapat sanang isipin
Sa inang bayan ano ang alay natin.”
Mananatili… aking paninindigan
Kaya ng mahirap ang maging mayaman!
Sipag at tiyaga ang tanging kaylangan,
Tulong ninoman ay h’wag sanang asahan.
Masiyaha’t magkasya sa kakayanin.
Ang wala ka’y pwede mo namang hangarin,
Ngunit sa timbangan mo tagumpay sukatin,
H’wag panukat ng iba ang gagamitin.
MANUEL:
No Man Is An Island, yan ay kasabihan
Walang taong namumuhay ng mag-isa lamang
Kung mga pangarap mo’y pinagtagumpayan
Solo mo ba ang kredito kung kaya’t nakamtan?
Ang kapalaran ng bawat tao sa alinmang Bansa
Di lang siya ang umuugit at namamahala
Meron ding inaambag ang kanyang kapuwa
Buhay ba nya’y hindi hawak ng Dios na Dakila?
Di lahat ng nagsisiskap ay nagtatagumpay
Napakaraming masisipag ang bigo sa buhay
Merong sa pagsisikap sa pamilya ay nawalay
Babale- walain ba ang sa Dios na gabay?
Ang pamumuhay dito sa Bansang Pillipinas
Malaki ang impluwensya ng mga Mambabatas
Kung patakaran dito’y mainam at patas
Disin- sanay di dadami ang sa Bansa’y lumalayas!
Ang Gobyerno nating ayaw mong sisihin
Inaamin mong palpak at sa serbisyo’y bitin
Kung sa ating pagsisikap sila’y katuwang natin
Di ba’t ang asenso’y maalwang kakamtin?
Kung nais mo akong maniwala sa iyong kasipagan
Dito ka sa ating Bansa magtrabaho’t mamasukan
Pag sa iyong kikitain umunlad ka at yumaman
Sasaluduhan kita’t habang-buhay hahangaan!
Samantala mga batikos ko’y hindi ititigil
Sa pinuno ng Gobyernong palpak at inutil
Hindi yong komo mayaman na’t wala ng hilahil
Wala ka nang paki- alam sa kababayang nasisiil!
AKO:
Nasabi ko na ang dapat na sabihin
Ayaw ko nang ito’y uulit-ulitin.
Magkasalungat…paniniwala natin
Kung sino ang tama, mahirap sabihin
Palitan nati’y dito ko na tatapusin
Wala na kasi akong dapat sabihin.
Sa Diyos ang marubdob na panalangin,
Maraming tula pa ang iyong habiin.
MANUEL:
Kung gayo’y nasa kamay na ng ating Lakandiwa
Ang pagpapasiya kung sino ang tama
Kaya’t atin nang tawagan ang Gurong Makata
Liwayway Pineda De Villa ikaw na po ang bahala…
Ano man po ang iyong maging kahatulan
Ito po ay labis na pasasalamatan
Ang sa amin po na balitaktakan
Iyo pong tapusin at iyong tuldukan..
Salamat sa aking Bro na sa tula ay Pitmalu
Sa balagtasan ay ikaw ang tunay na Lodi ko!
GNG. DE VILLA:
Kayong dalawa totoong kapwa tama
Ang mga pananaw ay kahanga-hanga
At ang malasakit ninyo’y pambihira
Alam na nating nasa tao ang gawa
At buhat sa Diyos naman ang ay awa
Tayo’y binigyang buhay Niyang malaya
Pumili ng uri ng buhay na nasa
Sa pahintulot ng tunay na Lumikha
Kaya patas lamang ang kapwa makata
Damdamin at diwa’y dinaan sa tula!
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 