A Weekend in Boracay

Found here are pictures from our recent trip to Boracay Island.

I spent the weekend there together with my officemates Mae, Ching and Rein.

It was a welcome break from our stressful jobs.

We had to break free sometimes.

From the Sea to the Mountain and Back

Thursday, September 20, 2007

The waves were high and the waters were rough while the cargo ships and the ferry boats swayed with the rise and fall of the sea. The wind was blowing really hard and the dock was wet all over by the endless drizzle.

The city of Ormoc, a four and a half hour ride by boat, welcomed me at dawn. I was scheduled to visit the National Power Corporation today. This government-owned company is located high upon the mountains of Leyte, 30 minutes from the city of Ormoc. One of my dealers was about to join in the bidding process and so I planned this trip together with the dealer rep. We already arranged for a vehicle would take us to the power plant site.

At 8.15am, an AUV picked us up from Pongo’s Hotel. Coursing through the city, we passed by a long concrete bridge that spanned from one ‘rip rapped’ bank to the other. I couldn’t help but notice how wide and high the reinforced banks were. I also saw a section of an old bridge that was no long used.

The driver explained that the old bridge was destroyed during the flash flood that hit the city in 1991 at the height of typhoon Uring. The city then decided to deepen and broaden the riverbanks so as not to let the tragedy happen again. Eventually, the bridge was replaced with a new and longer span.

A few minutes after we passed by the bridge, the view changed from concrete to green. The road toward the power plant revealed vast parcels of sugarcane plantation. Ormoc is basically agricultural and that some of its fine products are the Queen pineapples and of course, sugar.

A few minutes more, the scenery turned from agricultural green to deep virginal forest. As the AUV began its ascent to the Kananga highlands , I became aware that Leyte still had vast areas of unmolested forest. I looked up and at the sides and saw how tall and huge the trees were. The trees seemed to engulf the road and their extensive canopies seem to form arches on top of the roadway. Even the sides of the road were completely covered in moss, ferns and trees.

I couldn’t help but wonder why the flash flood happened in Ormoc. Maybe not all of Leyte’s mountains were covered with trees. Higher still in the mountains of Leyte, I saw white smoke spewing continuously through the forest. The smoke went up and joined the white fog that crowned the mountain top.

Near the zenith of the mountain nestled a huge complex of buildings that were also at some point engulfed by the white smoke. I asked the driver if it was the NAPOCOR that we would be visiting. He said that it was the PNOC, NAPOCOR is at the other side of the mountain. In my mind, I assumed that the power plant is still a bit far.

True enough, we spent 15 minutes more as we took the rocky, wet and winding road to the geothermal power plant. The power plants in Kanangan and Tongonan are located in one of the largest wet steam geothermal fields with over 700 MW or 37% share of the world production. Power from the wet steam is being supplied to Luzon and nearby islands.

As we enter the power plant complex, I saw 3 huge smoke stacks with individual cooling towers. Seeing these and some other unit operation machines remind me of how it was when I was still working as a production personnel. Our visit lasted for just 2 hours. It was raining so hard when we got out of the administration building. We waited a bit for the rain to subside. Then we’re back into the wet rocky winding road once more.

We reached Ormoc City before noon. In terms of land area, Ormoc is the largest city in Eastern Visayas, second only to Catbalogan, Samar. Ormoc is at the western section of the island of Leyte and is designated as a first class city due to its income and revenues.

After lunch, I decided to walk the streets of this city and try to familiarize the place that lost thousands of Ormocanons in the 1991 deluge.

From the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Across the City Hall of Ormoc

To the old spanish bridge beside Hotel Don Felipe

And on to the centennial park

 

Where the veterans memorial stood high

In front of the superdome where Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres once held their wedding reception

Then to the pier where I would be taking off for a ride back to Cebu.

Or so I thought…. 

Heavenly Thanks on a Karansa

Sunday, September 16, 2007, 6.30am 

I just set foot in Pier 4. With a traveling bag in one hand and a package full of Cheding’s nuts and boxes of Vjandeps in the other, I scanned the parking spaces for Dad and my ZeeWee. I was a bit tired from my trip in Cagayan de Oro. I’m grateful though that I was able to accomplish what I needed to do during my short visit. I bumped into Dad before I even saw him.

The parking spaces were taken be the city cabs and ZeeWee was a little bit hidden from the queues of taxis. It’s a good thing that it didn’t rain that time though I noticed the gray sullen skies and the sun not visible from my sight.

Dad drove me home. We had to rush back to Consolacion because my mom and my sister Ellen were making themselves ready for a trip up north. The family has decided to attend the Sunday mass at the Benedictine Monastery in Carmen, Cebu.

The little town of Carmen is just an hour drive from our place. Just like Simala, Sibonga, this town has its pilgrim site for devout Catholics and Christian believers. At 7am, we were already on the road. Mom had taken her biya-hilo pill and had started her duties as the nagging navigator.

For this trip, we invited our Little RockStar Diva and her family. My little niece was not 100% fine because she got colds and her eyes were always wet.  We had to visit the Monastery for the same reason why we visited the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist. We went there to say our prayers and to give thanks to the heavens for letting my sister pass the nursing board exams.

We picked up Ellen’s boyfriend in Lilo-an and headed up north. Going to Carmen, we passed by some old churches, old houses and abandoned factories.

At some point, Dad pointed to us the road that took them to the mountain resort in Danao City. My parents remembered the old dirt road. Of course who would not? It was the same road that nearly got them killed. They met an accident there some 15 years ago. We thanked the heavens for the second chance.

We even passed by Danao’s General Hospital. I told Dad that one of these days, I’m going to visit that hospital and probe for a possible sales opportunity. I was informed by my dealer that this hospital has little potential. They had advised me not to waste any time in this hospital because there’s nothing more to the worn-out medical center and to the empty hospital beds. It was this same hospital that mom, dad, Ellen, Little RockStar Diva’s mom, Karen and Lester were brought in after the vehicle lost its brakes and crashed on a hill side.

A few kilometers from Danao City, we took the left corner of the road which led us to the Benedictine Monastery. Unlike the road leading to Marian Hills of Sibonga, the road to Carmen’s pilgrim site was paved and asphalted.  The site is about 3 kilometers from the highway. Going up, we passed by a cold spring, a big orchard and farm of a known pawnshop owner and rows of huge trees that protected the paved road from the rays of the sun.

By 8:30am, we reached the Monastery where the Lady of Manaoag was housed. It was just in time for the Sunday morning mass. The church may not be as beautiful as the church in Simala but the place is equally solemn and holy. We took off our footwear and filled out one of the pews as the opening rites were administered by a Dravidian priest and two others.

We were just in time for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist when the rain began to pour outside and drown the silence and the sermon of the monk. At the course of the holy rite, we said our thanks and expressed our happiness and appreciation of my sister Ellen’s triumph in the board exams. After the mass, we waited for the rain to stop before we visited the site of Our Lady of Manaoag.

The solemn house was just adjacent to the church. A huge image of the Holy Child and a flight of stairs with angels at the sides can be found in between. My family decided to take pictures. We brought along a digital camera but we were lucky enough to bring a pair of drained and uncharged batteries. We had no choice but to take pictures using our mobile phones.

A little past 10 am, we left the place and headed back to the highway. From Carmen, we passed by the City of Danao. Heavy traffic and drizzle greeted us. It’s the city’s fiesta and the patron Sto. Tomas de Villanueva may have showered the people with blessings from the heavens. Danao was about to start it’s Karansa, their thanksgiving parade.

Near the city’s old Spanish church, we saw festive floats and contigents eagerly waiting for the parade to start while some in colorful costumes practiced their steps without end. Vehicles began to fill up the road leading to the City proper. Danao City is one of the places in Cebu that is flocked by people by the thousands during fiesta. We witnessed how long the traffic was. The traffic extended as far as the town of Lilo-an.

At Lilo-an, while the Little RockStar Diva’s dad pulled over to buy lechon, the rest of us visited my lolo’s grave at the Manila Memorial. We brought along a pair of candles and a bunch of red roses and placed them on Pio’s headstone.

It began to rain once more. We said our prayers and bade grandpa good bye. We reached home before lunch time.  Basically, it was a day of giving thanks.

Working on a Saturday

Saturday, August 15, 2007 

Still here at the City of Golden Friendship. My ferry boat to Cebu would leave at 8pm yet and so I have to stay here in Cagayan de Oro City until its time for me to proceed to Puntod for my ride home.

I came from a meeting with my dealer’s branch office here in the city. We discussed about the present status of the accounts that we visited in Iligan City and also we finalized the plans of projects for the next business year. I had to meet them today primarily for the pending projects and secondarily for the scheduling of the next client visits.

For the month of September, I decided to focus on this particular dealer because of their poor sales performance this year. There’s a dire need for me to be familiar with the business in the area and how the dealer representatives handle their jobs as well as to probe other opportunities to sell our products.

I was a bit surprised that I allowed myself to work on a weekend. Our company directive was very clear that we only report from Monday to Friday and yet here I am, toiling under the Mindanao sun while the rest of my officemates are still in their beds. Perhaps they will never leave their respective abodes today.

Work on a weekend was one major factor why I left my previous jobs. When I used to work in the oleo-chemical plant, we had half-day work on Saturday. In my immediate past job, I only had Sundays as rest days which put me in always, at the losing end.

But here I am, in my casual business attire in the City of Golden Friendship. Life in sales and marketing can never be defined by time and day. This I fully realized now, considering that I had a lot of catching up to do and where actions plans are needed to be executed. My life as a technical salesperson is being shaped by the urgency of need and the skills of managing my time and resources.

And even in the midst of adverse condition, a salesperson must learn to consider his safety and health before he ever decides to travel. Having considered this aspect of my job and upon knowing the outcome of my decision to proceed with this business travel, I somehow felt fulfilled and happy that my decision was more than okay. Even though I left Cebu on a very rainy night, I arrived in the City of Golden Friendship on a fine sun shiny day.

At some points in our lives, we all need to take risks and to take our chances. Making decisions often than not is coupled with taking risks. As we generate decision, we also prepare ourselves to face its effects or consequences. Life is always like this. Risks and decisions mixed with cause and effect serve as the backbone of our existence.

In a little while, I will start my journey back to Cebu. With a new moon looming above Puntod’s horizon, I’ll be taking my chances to come home and arrive safely at the crack of dawn.

Ticket to Ride

September 14, 2007  8:30pm 

Right now, I’m off the coast of Cebu. I’m aboard an inter-island vessel of Cebu Ferries that would take me to the City of Golden Friendship – Cagayan de Oro. I have no other choice but to take this trip because my dealer is in the verge of losing yet another client in northern Mindanao.

By Friday, I have to visit the client along with my dealer’s technical representative. I decided to travel by ferry boat because at present, there’s no other chartered flight from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro City other than the daily flight of a smaller airline with a small propeller-engine aircraft.  I would not risk my life riding such a tiny flying vessel with a weird air conditioning unit and a dripping ceiling. I should remember. It was that type of aircraft which took me to Caticlan and it scared the hell out of me.

The second flag carrier has yet to start its Cebu-Cagayan de Oro flight. It would have been less of a hassle if this option is already available. If this was available, I could be in CDO in just 45 minutes. But then, I do not have the luck in the world.

Just a few days ago, I had the chance to request for a plane ticket when I was in the head office in Makati for an important meeting. The ticket was for this particular trip. When I got back in Cebu, I was told by the office assistant that the ticket was already available except that the ticket could not be sent in time for my scheduled flight. And I was set to leave for Mindanao the next day. I had the ticket cancelled.

There’s nothing else to do about it. Besides, the said ticket would cost me a lot of time flying from Cebu to Manila then Manila to Cagayan de Oro. I had changed my Mindanao schedule. I pushed it for next week or so I thought.  I said to myself that I would never ever ride a boat again. But with all the luck in the world, I’m here now cruising towards the shores of Misamis Oriental. And I had a hell of a grand time trying to secure a ticket.

I rushed to a mall in Talisay and looked for a Superferry outlet. They posted a ferry schedule and I saw that there’s a Wednesday trip to Cagayan de Oro City. When it was my turn at the counter, the clerk informed me that the Wednesday schedule would only be effective starting September 17 yet. I drove back to the city and proceeded to another mall and got myself a Trans-Asia ticket. Having learned my lessons from my previous trips, I secured my return ride by getting a Cebu Ferries ticket as well.

Given only at most 5 hours, I decided to go home to pack and prepare myself for the trip. On the way home, the heavens decided to pour the rain on Cebu to flood its streets and to cause heavy traffic. The heavy downpour coupled with lightning had caused a complete blackout. When I got home, the house was pitch dark and hot. In darkness, I prepared the things I needed to bring for the trip.

Dad came home and volunteered to drive me to the pier. The rain had stopped but I was worried that it would be raining in Cagayan de Oro. I told Dad that I needed to pass by a mall to buy myself le petit parapluie. Besides, I figured that I was just too early for boarding time. In 20 minutes, I managed to get myself a black umbrella, brella, ella ella e e.

At the ferry terminal, I looked into my ticket and thought that it was to be my first time to try a Trans-Asia vessel. I was informed by my dealer rep that the said passenger line is known for its delays and engine trouble. Its reputation was more like the flag carrier of years past but only worse. It passed my mind that I should have taken a Cebu Ferries vessel instead.

At the pre-departure area of the Trans-Asia vessel, the clock read 7:30pm. I must have waited over an hour and that passengers began to fill the benches of the room. An announcement was heard in the hall, saying ‘that due to the experienced black-out, the company regrets to inform everyone that boarding will be delayed. Passengers are advised to stay for further announcement.’

I called up Dad and informed him of my dilemma. Dad told me that he and mom were very much worried about the travel and had asked me if I could just postpone it to another day. My parents were worried because the weather was not so good lately and the rains have caused so much inconvenience in Cebu. They thought that Cagayan de Oro would be experiencing the same.

Upon hearing the announcement, I decided to leave the area and proceeded to the Cebu Ferries Terminal which was just adjacent to the Trans-Asia building. I got myself another ticket with barely 15 minutes before the ship would leave the dock.  In haste, I completely forgot to have my Trans-Asia ticket refunded.

After settling in my accommodation in M/V Dona Rita Sr., I informed my parents, my petit ami and my dealer that I would be arriving in the City of Golden Friendship at the crack of dawn. It’s one of the tough times that I ever experienced.

And so, the going has gotten tough but then the tough got himself going.

Awkward Last Day of August

My brother Lester is in the hospital right now. He has been suffering from a recurring fever for the past 4 days which made him miss the school intramurals. Santiago and Felma were listless last night and they grew wary of the possibility that there might be something wrong with Lester’s health condition. He was admitted last night at the Community Medical Center. Dad spent the night to watch over Lester while mom requested to be picked up from the hospital at 10.30pm.

I was with my dealers at their resto-grill in Talisay City when dad called me up and informed me that they’re on their way to the hospital.  I decided to leave the grill and drove back to the city to drop my dealers in uptown Cebu and proceeded to Jones Avenue.

At the hospital, I waited for mom to come out of the building because visitors were no longer allowed to get in. According to the guard, a patient is only allowed to have one watcher and it’s a company policy not to allow visitors beyond 8pm. After 10 minutes of arguing with the lowly guard, Mom emerged from the building. It was almost 11.30 pm when we got home. Only 30 minutes shy of another month.

The last day of August had been a little odd for me. It was my first time to see a certain boss got mad over another businessman. This boss was not from my company but from some dealer’s sub-dealer who gets items from us and sells them to government accounts. This person was fuming and I saw his face grew red with rage as he talked to the businessman about a certain schedule that was not properly observed.

The other businessman is my dealer from Zamboanga City who happened to visit Cebu to trouble-shoot some machines for this flaming-red boss. Both the businessman and I were shocked by the way this boss conducted himself. I did not see it coming.

It was right after lunch break when the incident happened. The office clerks had already settled and resumed with their works. The boss arrived and with a cold face. I shook his hands and introduced myself again. He seemed to remember me from our previous business meeting. I reminded him that I was his daughter’s classmate in high school.

At this time, the other businessman had already begun trouble-shooting the machine yet he was interrupted by the boss by asking why he’d laid his hands on it. I knew then that there was an angry tone to his voice. I stood up and moved to the nearest hallway and pretended to call somebody on the phone.

I heard loud voices at the meeting table and I was shocked to hear how angry the boss was. His clerks had stopped what they’re doing and stared at the table where the loud voices came. They were startled as well when their boss continued to talk in elevated accent and pounded on the meeting table without end.

The businessman, my dealer, was rather calm and had explained his side of the issue. It seemed like the boss was blinded by his fury and so he was not able to comprehend the origin of the conflict. His anger had caused him to forget that I, being a representative of the company that supplies items for him to sell, was present at that moment and I was able to witness how he handles conflict.

And it was a very awkward moment. Seeing two businessmen getting at each other’s throat and hearing them argue in huge angry tones was already enough to jump-start the last day of August. The argument lasted for about half an hour.

When we were about to leave, the boss asked me to stay for a few minutes and asked me about my purpose of visiting his office. I knew that he was still angry and pissed and so I decided not to remind him of his overdue accounts with my other dealer. To tell him about his unsettled bills may just be enough to pull off another pin from a grenade. I just don’t want him to explode in anger again. I just asked him about some concerns from previous transaction with him and a local government account.

Surprisingly, he had turned calm and I saw in his eyes how concerned he was that I got the chance to witness how he reprimanded the other businessman. I could sense that he realized the repercussions and the effect of the incident but I was too diplomatic about it. I asked him why he got so angry with this businessman, although I already knew why because some dealers told me so. He enumerated the reasons why. I was also surprised that he apologized to me about the whole thing.

We left his office and brought the businessman to my dealer in Talisay City. Half of my day was basically spent on the streets of Cebu. I was the designated driver and I took this businessman to some important client offices. From a free-standing laboratory near Fuente Osmeña to a veterinary clinic beside a cheesy hotel at F. Ramos Street, then to the office of the angry boss. ZeeWee must have traveled more than a hundred kilometers on that day.

We reached the dealer’s office a little past 2.30 pm. My dealer informed me that the angry boss called her up and had asked her to relay to me his message. The boss wanted to apologize to me about what happened in his office. He said that he was sorry that I get to see his bad side.

At the dealer’s office, I got a call from the head office, asking about the payment terms that I gave to my dealer who’s about to purchase another machine. After which the phone on the other end was handed to someone whom I haven’t met yet. It was the voice of the new consultant.

He used to work in the company but he resigned late last year to focus on his papers for immigration. But he was hired back to look into the concerns of the dealer management group where I presently belong. He called up because he wanted to have a meeting with me regarding concerns in my area. I was glad that he would be arranging my trip to Manila. The meeting was set on September 10.

I requested that he would get me tickets for September 6. I would want to be in the same flight with Dad. Santiago will be in Manila to conduct a company safety audit and I do want to have breakfast with him at the Richmonde Hotel. I’ve been craving for their bacon and their Filipino breakfast dishes.

Of course it made me happy because I’ll be seeing my petit ami once more. It has been a month and a half since. And I’ve been wishing the entire time to be with him again and to try to sit in one of his classes in UP Manila but I knew fully well that he would not allow it. 

The hours after office time was spent at my dealer’s Grill. It was odd because it suddenly rained so hard and Talisay City experienced power failure. When we got to the resto-grill, the place was pitch-dark. A few lighted candles were placed on the tables. But it’s a good thing that electricity was back after almost an hour.

The band has already arrived and they started to put up their instruments on the makeshift stage while the rest of us began ordering food. Then the band played on. We ‘cam-whored’ and enjoyed the last day of August.