Meralco bill doubled the past month

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Protest against MERALCO electricity price hike. Join Facebook page.

powerIt was my daughter who first made me aware of Chuvaness Meralco bill for one month worth PHP 41,902.95 pesos. Poor Cecille has lost sleep and energy to do anything and trying to make sense of this. I too was perplexed when my usual bill of 8,000 pesos suddenly hit close to 15,000 pesos. Thinking it was my two girls airconditioning consumption, I advised them that our electricity bill was just too much. I thought it was that grounded lamp outside the gate.

Really, why does it have to be double that amount? Couldn’t there have been some way for us to slowly absorb the cost?

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Pia Cayetano, a mom, a senator, a triathlete

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pia-cayetano4“I can’t believe Tita Pia is now Senator Pia”, my two daughters exclaimed in awe after we told them that she had won the senatorial race in 2004. My girls knew their Tita Pia and played with her toddlers way back the time my husband and her then husband started a law office in the mid 90’s. Pia was there to hold my hand during the wake of my son who took time to talk to me, who took the trouble to order me a grief recovery book from the states. There are not many who know how to console a bereaved but like her brother Alan (who was there with me by the hospital bed with Luijoe), she truly showed compassion and sincerity.

When Pia won in 2004, I knew she was going to accomplish a lot. Even if she trailed in the surveys at the start of the campaign, I was confident she’d top it and she did. Health is her advocacy . I asked her “what motivated you to focus on Health?”

I am a lawyer as a profession . I believed no matter the training, emotions and background dictate the path. I talked about the loss of my son and my father due to severe illnesses. I was thankful we had the means to keep them happy and healthy. I was mindful of the fact of the work that my dad had done. There was much to be done. When I ran in 2004, I ran in the campaign of health. I lost my father and my son in my speech. Advisers told me to change my speech. I have nothing else to talk about. I talk about my background. I am a lawyer. I graduated with honors. That is where my competence and qualification come in. What is my passion? What do I have to offer? I want to do something with health care. I still talk that way.

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How my son inspired me to start a grief support advocacy

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““My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?”

I can easily relate to one of the last words of a dying Christ.

Who has not, at some dark hour, cried out to the heavens in anguish and pain and wondered if indeed we have been cursed and abandoned by God ?

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Image taken from Luijoe’s prayer book

The image of a dying Jesus Christ , a sorrowful Mother Mary and a comforting John never fails to bring me tears as poignant memories of my son drift into my mind. I wrote this story when I first started this blog 4 years ago and I think it is worth sharing again.

Being a “cafeteria Catholic” my religious faith was at best mediocre. Luijoe, my innocent and religious 6 year old son often chastised me for not praying hard enough . I felt like a terrible mother who led a ho-hum religious existence. Gosh, we learn so much from our children , don’t we? It is Good Friday , one of my treasured memories that remind me of my son. The image of the dying Jesus when he blurted out ” “Woman, behold thy son, Behold thy mother” struck a chord in my son’s heart.
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Love one another, as I have loved you

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If there is one commandment in the Gospel that challenges me is “Love one another, as I have loved you.” We can come to Holy Thursday prepared by our reflection on how difficult it is to love some people, either because we recoil at their “smelly-ness” or because we find them unattractive or unable to love us in return.

I cannot remember how many times it was difficult to love my husband at his worst moments but I did anyway for better or for worse. Perhaps because he loved me in return.

How does one love someone who gets pleasure in maligning the good name of a person?

I am sad how malicious and vicious black propaganda is needed to propel oneself to the presidency in this coming elections. How can I love such supporters?
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On Manny Villar’s brother, black propaganda & negative campaigning

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I am so sick of the negative campaigning and black propaganda. The latest is in reference to Manny Villar‘s ad where he says ““Nakaranas na ba kayong … mamatayan ng kapatid dahil wala kang pera pangpagamot” (Have you experienced losing a brother because you did not have the money to provide him proper medical care)? Manny Villar asked in his ““PANATA(Advocacy)” TV commercial. Villar and referred to his younger brother Danny who passed away on October 1962. In the same commercial, Villar’s 1962 photo with his younger brother was shown.

The writer claims that ““Villar was not really poor as he claimed. Really, is it hard to imagine that he was once poor? I am sure you all have read the allegations , accusations or whatever you call it…BLACK PROPAGANDA.

Manny Villar has this to say on the question of “Ginagamit ba ang kapatid”

Ginagamit ang kapatid?

Ngayon me mga grupo na nagtatakang guluhin at siraan ako na hindi daw kami mahirap dati. Nais kong ulitin noong araw, ako po ay ipinanganak…kaming lahat na magkakapatid, dun kami sa 500 Sta Maria, Moriones St, kanto, at dun po kami, 9 kami na isang banig, isang kulambo. Nagtitinda kami ng nanay ko ng hipon.

Sa sobrang sikip naming, nangutang ang tatay ko, nagpatayo ng bahay…pinapalabas ngayon na kami’y hindi mahirap. Hindi naman tama yon. Hindi kami wholesaler, hindi kami broker. Nagsimula kami, nagtitingi kami ng hipon, yan po ay paulit-ulit kong sasabihin.

Yung kapatid ko na namatay ng cancer, yan po ay dala din ng kahirapan, hindi namin — kung saan-saan lang namin dinadala. Nung mamamatay na ang kapatid ko ay napilitan kaming dalhin sa ospital. Nangutang kami ng pera, at sa charity pa.

Maliwanag na nag-iimbento na naman ng mga akusasyon sa akin. Sobra naman ang ginagawa sa akin. Hindi maiaalis sa akin na mahirap ako noong dati.

Ang tatay ko mismo, 9 din silang magkakapatid na pawang mahihirap din. Kaya nagtataka ako kung paanong pati ito ay pinag-iinteresan nila. Siguro para ma-justify kung bakit haciendero ang kanilang kandidato bilang pangulo.

He says more in a press conference.

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A daughter is life’s greatest gift to me

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lauren-and-meMy beautiful girl turned 24 years old, three days ago and I didn’t get to share it with you. I should have written about it but I was too preoccupied with my surgery the following day. Every time I go to the hospital, I always prepare a notebook that lists passwords and the location of important documents. You never know, right? I first discovered this round lump on my right shoulder when I was in Boracay. I was told it was lipoma but that it was deeply embedded on my muscle. Doctors said I can choose to wait for the operation but I didn’t want to prolong the date for fear the lipoma would grow bigger and encroach on my nerves thus causing me pain.
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Family conversation at the dinner table

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paulene-swiss-chocolatesI feel guilty whenever I am away from home. Even if the girls are all grown up, I am just so used to being a stay-at-home mom working at the comfort of my bedroom. As election day nears, I find myself out of the house more often than I ever had in my married life.

Food never fails to bring us together. Last friday, I brought in extra food from a Yehey interview with Erwin Genuino, a Makati mayoral candidate. I sent an SMS to everyone “I am on my way home. Bringing food from Sentro.” It was 9:00 PM and to my surprise, everyone was home on a friday night. Getting the family together for dinner can be difficult especially with adult kids with an active social life.
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My presidential candidate

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It is two months before May 10, 2010, the Election day. The Day we vote for a president and the rest of the national and local posts.

I made a choice.

I have chosen my presidential candidate.

I want my candidate to win.

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to openly support our presidential candidate (not here online). The past month, we began discussing our choices, analyzing and researching on the nine presidential candidates. I am blessed and privileged to have interviewed seven presidential candidates and attended three presidential forums. It has given me an opportunity to understand their platforms, the issues and over-all impression of the presidential candidates. I know their strengths and weaknesses but there can be only one President.
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Yasmin Busran Lao on gender equality

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“Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental to the global mission of the United Nations to achieve equal rights and dignity for all… But equality for women and girls is also an economic and social imperative. Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals — peace, security, sustainable development — stand in jeopardy.”

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How appropriate is it that the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – which is observed worldwide on 8 March – is “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All”.

I am reminded of my interview with senatorial candidate Yasmin Busran Lao last January. The interview nearly didn’t take place. Yasmin wanted just one blogger for this interview. She wasn’t sure how bloggers did interviews. I assured her that I will be fair that I will just let her do the talking. Shy at first, she warmed up as I asked her to narrate her story, the reasons for running as a senator.

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She mused ““I have been doing it anyway. I have been advocating for women seizing the center of power and reframing politics ..and how can I go to the community of women and talk about women’s political participation when I was given the opportunity and I say ““No”? What message will she give to the women if she said ““no”? When the opportunity came, Yasmin (otherwise known as Yas) felt she needed to walk the talk.”
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