Seize the day

Surprising are the results of the recent Social Weather Stations survey, conducted over three days during the last week of November, measuring voter support for the presidential candidates.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte topped the polls at 38 percent while previous front-runner Sen. Grace Poe tied with Vice President Jejomar Binay at 21 percent. Former interior secretary Mar Roxas was fourth at 15 percent, while Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago trailed at 4 percent.

This is indeed disconcerting since Duterte—who has courted loads of controversy with his provocative remarks and checkered history as a local executive—has been but briefly in the public eye, after he finally decided to throw his hat into the ring.

An election observer says succinctly that the choice of Duterte is the way for the “disgruntled youth who are poor and jobless” to express not just their unhappiness with the way things are, but also their desire for a quick-acting, decisive, no-holds-barred leader.

Duterte may have courted the criticism of social betters like church leaders, educators, officials and parents, but his blunt talk, his tough stance against criminality, even his braggadocio when talking of women and relationships seem to be working on the aspirations of the frustrated youth.

Have things gotten so bad our people are willing to place their bets on a candidate of doubtful emotional maturity and statesmanship?

Whatever, supporters of the trailing candidates—especially the people behind Roxas who enjoys the support of the administration—need to rethink their strategies. Maybe what our young voters are looking for is someone who is decisive—or at least sounds decisive—and offers answers to all our many problems. Seizing the day, and the popular sentiment, seems to be the winning formula for now.

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’Tis the season for giving—and for recognizing folks who go out of their way to provide good service without need for extra attention or even a tip!

My sister Chona Cruz and husband Willy, who were here recently to attend the wedding of our niece Crissy Tan Cardoso to her chef-husband Cary Roy, asked me for a favor recently. They wanted to call attention to the fine service they received in the course of their almost two-week stay in the country recently, along with their daughter Cesi and grandson Theo, and their son Alan (another son, Rico, had to stay behind in San Diego due to work commitments).

So here goes:

First there is the airport porter they only know by his nickname “Mang Jony.” He was randomly selected as they departed for San Diego from Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and only later discovered that he had been named “Porter of the Year” for returning over $4,800 cash to an OFW who inadvertently left his carry-on bag at the terminal. In recognition of Mang Jony’s exemplary act of honesty, his two children were given full government scholarships as a reward. (Vice President Binay allegedly facilitated this, Mang Jony said.) My sister remembers him because, in her own words “he went out of his way to help us (two retirees) and even made sure the airline people helped us load our luggage onto the check-in counter, since he had to leave as his shift was over.”

Mang Jony’s honesty and helpfulness should prove to be an effective counter-balance to all the stories about porters, X-ray technicians and security people conniving for the “talaba” scam. Not everyone at the Naia is a scoundrel, it turns out!

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Two other folks likewise made Chona and Willy’s brief stay here not just memorable but also, traffic notwithstanding, free from aggravation.

They would like to cite the branch manager of the Bank of the Philippine Islands branch in Benpres building, Ortigas. Prescila Calzado, known to most everyone as “Ma’am Echie” (I also deal with her as the couple’s local representative), is also an assistant vice president of BPI. But her high position has not stopped her from serving clients not just with efficiency but also with warm personal relations. “She understands that your bank is not only where you keep your money but more importantly your trust,” writes my sister. “Refreshing,” is how my sister described how Ma’am Echie and her staff wear red every Friday “to celebrate the season of service,” observing how she views her staff as one big family. Chona adds that it’s “very rare in the banking business to find someone who cares not only about your finances, but makes you feel special no matter how big or small the transaction.”

Lastly, there’s the management and staff of what the Cruz grandson Theo described as his “home in Manila.” Having stayed at Acacia Hotel in Alabang several times in the last few years, the Cruzes have plenty to say about their stays in the hotel.

“The warm welcome we receive is part of the hotel’s character, so much so that Theo is remembered throughout the times we stayed there (they even have a picture of Theo in their staff bulletin board).” This spirit my sister attributes to the leadership of Bobby Horrigan who, despite his Western-sounding name, is very much Filipino. “Bobby’s philosophy is that it’s ‘service that matters’ so that his hotel management style/philosophy is that if you treat your employees like family, they will in turn treat their clients the same way.”

By some coincidence, Horrigan turned out to be one of the “ninong” or godfathers of Crissy and Cary at their Tagaytay wedding, having mentored Crissy in her first job after graduation from Enderun College. It’s truly a small world, and thanks to folks like Mang Jony, Ma’am Echie and Bobby, the warmth of home will always follow us Filipinos wherever we go.