Showing posts with label virtues. Show all posts

Anna…ang eleganteng food vendor sa Roxas Boulevard

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Masasabi kong elegante si Anna dahil sa sinasabi sa Ingles na “regal bearing” niya habang nagtitinda ng kape, kendi, at mumurahing sandwich sa isang bahagi ng Roxas Boulevard. Lalo akong nagulat nang walang pangingimi niyang sabihin na ang inabot niya ay Grade One. Hindi na siya nakapagpatuloy ng pag-aaral dahil tumulong siya sa kanyang mga magulang. Isa siyang Tausug, taga-Jolo at ang asawa naman niya ay isang Samal na nagtatrabaho bilang part-time security guard, ibig sabihin, ay “on standby” para magrelyibo o pumalit sa umabsent o aabsent na guwardiya. Lumalabas ang likas na talino ni Anna sa mga sinasabi niya habang nag-usap kami.

Una ko siyang napansin nang lumapit siya sa ilang bikers na nagpapahinga at omorder sa kanya ng sigarilyo. Lalong napaaliwalas ng hindi nawawalang ngiti ang likas niyang ganda na pilit lumulutang kahit pinapawisan siya. Kapansin-pansin ang maraming bikers na nagpapahinga at may isang umamin na matagal na nilang suki si Anna sa kabila ng kakaunti nitong paninda dahil mabait daw. Ikinuwento ni Anna na ang ginagamit niyang maliit na kariton ay regalo sa kanya ng isa niyang suking biker.

Dahil ang pinag-usapan namin ay tungkol sa buhay-buhay, ini-share niya na sa kabila ng maliit nilang kita, ay napapag-aral pa nilang mag-asa ang dalawa nilang anak…isa sa college at isa sa high school, samantalang ang panganay nila ay may sarili nang pamilya. Nakatulong ng malaki ang mura nilang upa sa bahay kasama ang kuryente at tubig, sa halagang Php2,500, dahil mabait daw ang may-ari. Sa San Andres Bukid sila nakatira na mararating sa loob ng ilang oras na lakaran mula sa Roxas Boulevard. Hindi din daw maiiwasang magalaw niya ang bahagi ng puhunan niya upang magamit kung may emergency, subalit kahit kaunti lang ang paninda ay pinipilit niyang pumunta sa Roxas Boulevard upang magtinda tulad nang Linggong yon nang mag-usap kami.

Sa mga Muslim Filipino, ang mga Tausug, tulad ng mga Maranao ay kilala bilang mangangalakal. Sila yong mga dumadayo sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Pilipinas na karamihan ay nagtitinda sa palengke at bangketa kahit kakaunti ang kalakal. Mapapansin din na kahit sa iisang bilao lang nakalatag ang mga paninda, ang nagtitinda ay maayos ang bihis. Sa murang edad sila ay sinasanay na sa ganitong uri ng pagkikitaan kaya may mapapansing mga tin-edyer pa lang ay may mga sarili nang puwesto. Matiyaga sila kahit ang kinikita sa maghapon ay barya-barya. Ayon na rin kay Anna, ang gusto nila ay kumita ng maayos upang magkaroon ng tahimik na pamumuhay, dahil ayaw nila ng gulo kaya sila pumunta sa Maynila.

Tayo Ba Ito?

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Lahat tayo ay may kakulangan at hindi magandang katangian. Ang mga kakulangan ay hindi dapat ikahiya pero dapat ay bukas ang ating isip upang matanggap natin kung ano man ang dapat na pampuno. Ang hindi magandang katangian natin ay hindi natin nakikita kung minsan, kaya kailangan natin ng ibang tao upang magsilbing salamin na siyang magpapamukha sa atin kung ano ang mga ito, at kung mangyari man, dapat ay handa rin nating tanggapin ang katotohanan.

May ibang nagpipilit na sila ay tama kahit na saan mang anggulo tingnan ang kanilang ginawa, ay talagang mali. Kadalasan ay epekto ito ng hangin ng kayabangang nagpapalobo sa kanilang ulo dahil umasenso halimbawa, sa trabaho kaya nadagdagan ang kita. Tingin nila sa sarili nila, sila ay nasa pedestal na, nakatingin sa ibang tao sa ibaba. Dahil sa kanilang mataas na puwesto, umiral ang tinatawag na superiority complex. Sila ang mga taong ayaw magpatalo.

Hindi masama ang maging maingat sa pamimili sa palengke upang makapag-uwi ng talagang sariwang pagkain, at kung susuwertihin naman, ay mura pa. Subali’t ang iba ay walang pakundangan o konsiderasyon dahil kahit maseselang prutas o gulay ay hindi pinapatawad sa kanilang pagpisil na nagpapalamog sa mga ito, kaya kawawa ang tindera. Meron namang iba na hindi nagkasya sa pagpisil lang, dahil dinadagdagan pa ng pamimintas sa mga kalakal, ganoong wala naman palang intensiyong bumili. Tulad ng isang babae na nakarma dahil sa ugali niyang nabanggit ko. Ang dalawang abokadong hinog na kanyang pinisil ay hindi niya binili at lumipat siya sa bunton ng mga lansones at doon ay pumisil uli, at hindi pa nagkasya, sininghot ang isang bungkos…na hindi niya alam ay may mga langgam kaya shoot na shoot ang ilan sa kanyang ilong! Umalis na lang ako sa tabi niya dahil halos pumutok ang dibdib ko sa pagpigil ng halakhak!

Kung kumain ang iba sa restaurant ay nagtitira ng iisang kutsarang kanin at ganoon din sa ulam na kung minsan ay inaayos pa ng maige sa isang tabi ng pinggan, sabay tingin sa paligid kung may nakakita. Para bang ipinagmamalaki pa na mayaman sila kaya ugali na nilang magtira ng pagkain sa pinggan, dahil kaya naman nila. May iba naman, oorder ng pagkain at pagkatapos tikman ay hindi na gagalawin – ugaling mayaman pa rin. Bakit kaya may mga taong ganito kayabang? May kasama ako noon sa opisina na ganito ang ugali. Nang minsang isinama niya ako sa kanila, nalaman kong sa isang kwartong maliit lang pala nakatira ang kanyang pamilya, sa lugar ng mga iskwater. Dahil kaibigan ko naman, pinayuhan ko siya na magbago ng ugali, na ibig sabihin ay huwag magyabang sa pag-aksaya ng pagkain dahil kinakapos din pala sila…..nagpasalamat ako dahil nakinig naman.

Kasama sa ating kultura ay ang tinatawag na “Filipino time” na hindi maganda ang epekto sa ating imahe dahil tungkol ito sa kawalan ng respeto sa oras. Ang isang halimbawa ay hindi pagtupad sa itinakdang usapan dahil dumating nang sobrang late. Ang lumipas na oras ay hindi na naibabalik, dahil ang pag-usad ng panahon na kinapapalooban nito ay diretso, walang balikan. Kahit anong talino ng tao, kung hindi naman siya maagap dahil makupad sa pagkilos, ay matatalo ng taong palaging nauuna sa oras. Ilang beses na itong napatunayan lalo na sa paghanap ng trabaho. Ang isa pang sitwasyon ay ang pagpunta sa airport, na dahil sa tiwala ng ibang walang sagabal sa pagpunta sa airport ay nakalimutan ang mga hindi inaasahang trapik o disgrasya sa lansangan na maaaring magresulta sa pagka-miss nila ng flight….kaya habang nakanganga sa harap ng saradong check-in counter ay abut-abot ang pagsisisi.

Ito naman ang madalas mapuna sa mga taong religious daw. Kapag nagkikita sa lugar ng sambahan kung Linggo, nagpapa-istaran sila sa ganda ng damit na suot at burluloy sa mga braso, leeg at tenga, kulay ng kuko, pati sapin sa mga paa. Ibig sabihin, una sa kanilang intensiyon sa pagpunta sa sambahan ay upang mapuna ang ayos nila, at ang pagsamba sa Diyos na nagiging pangalawa na lamang.

Ang isa sa mga ugali na hindi nakakapagdulot ng maganda sa pamilya ay ang ugali mismo ng ibang mga magulang na ayaw “mamaluktot kahit maiksi ang kumot”. Sila ang mga taong, kahit naghihikahos na ay mas gusto pa rin ang mga mamahaling bagay kaysa mga mura na kaya nila. Ang ganitong ugali ay nakikita at nagagaya ng mga anak. Para sa kanila ay hindi na baleng malubog sila sa utang, huwag lang makita ng kapitbahay na naghihirap sila. Ang hindi nila naiisip ay dinadamay nila sa kanilang problema ang mga taong nagpapautang sa kanila, dahil wala silang pakialam kung sa itinakdang panahon ay wala silang pambayad, kaya ang kawawang nagpautang ay naiwang naghihinagpis dahil walang masingil!

Sa panahon ngayon hindi na talaga maiwasang may makahalubilo tayong mga taong taliwas sa inaasahang kabutihan ang mga asal. Guilty rin ako, pero, kung may natumbok din akong iba, please lang, huwag nang magmaang-mangan…magbago na tayo!

Never Mistake Laziness for Patience

By Apolinario Villalobos

The cleverness of some people enable them to assume a patient image, though, in reality is actually one of indolence or laziness. The alibi is usually, their being patient in awaiting good result for certain undertaking. And, it is just that…doing nothing but wait, instead of being productive in doing other things while waiting.

The country is practically flooded with graduates every year. The number bloats with the years because only a very significant number of past graduates consists the lucky applicants to land jobs. Worse, the “patient” graduates always reason out that they are waiting for the calls of companies to which they submitted their resumes. Rather than try other companies they opt to sit it out in the company of their buddies imbibing bottles of beer, or confine themselves at home with eyes glued to the TV set.

When opportunities come knocking, ambitious job-seekers reject them as they strongly believe that they deserve more than the offered wage, because they finished their degrees in high-end universities. They refuse to work their way up the corporate ladder, by acquiring knowledge from starter positions as clerks. These ambitious university graduates want a managerial job right away!

When after years of patiently waiting passed them by without results, they wake up one morning to the reality that competition in seeking job has become stiffer…and they blame the government for their being jobless! They blame the government for not creating jobs for them, when all the while, jobs are scattered around, but these indolent do not want to dirty their hands up, by taking courses leading to research, office administration, sales, business management, etc. – all white collar jobs. On the other hand, the information technology and mechanical courses which are what the present time needs are never even given a side glance.

Politeness Can Go A Distance

At No Cost

By Apolinario Villalobos

Many idealistic people find it hard to be polite most of the time. These are the people with high standards when it comes to attitude. In their desire to let other people act like them, they become brutally frank and rude. I am one of them.

I admit my fault of being impolite sometimes, otherwise, I will not be truthful in this shared view. I cannot share what I do not know or practice or experience. And, I admit that rudeness has been part of my character as a person. A close friend told me about this and I believed him, so I had been trying to change my ways, ever since.  Before, I had been enthusiastically desirous that others do what is “universally” accepted as the right thing to do. In the process, I forgot what I preached sometimes that no two persons are alike, even twins. And that, expectations then, differ on the kind of a person being dealt with. Perhaps, that could be the reason why Mr. Webster came up with the words, “good”, “better”, and “best” in his dictionary.

The only way to recognize and acknowledge the fact on personal differences is by being polite which takes a lot of practice for some people to assimilate in their system. One nice thing about having finally assimilated politeness, is the development of tolerance in our person. And by being tolerant, we avoid becoming judgmental. Politeness triggers so many goodness that a person can ask for. It can go a distance at no cost at all. I tried and proved it to be just right, that is why I am sharing it with viewers who I hope…can tolerate my insistence.

A Laudable Experience

With Philippine Savings Bank

…a lesson on virtues 

By Apolinario Villalobos

This is not a paid advertisement. My interest in the bank is limited in my meager savings with one of its branches. This share concerns how customers should be treated professionally and with compassion. 

On November 19, 2014 at about two in the afternoon, I went to the bank’s branch in Imus beside Mercury Drugs and Iglesia ni Kristo to lodge a complaint about a notice that I received from their Internal Audit Group. My wait was worth the very warm and highly professional attention that I got from the Bank Officer Joram C. Villanueva and his colleauges, Catherine Bautista and Ivy Marcial. After listening to my story, Mr. Villanueva immediately sent a report to the Head Office, explaining to me the expected actions that the concerned office should do. Most importantly, I was made to expect a call from the Head Office about the matter which I took for granted as I presumed that my case was an isolated and petty one. I even presumed that for sure, it would take days before something could be done about my complaint. I was wrong.

The following day, at the moment the PSB-Imus opened, I again conferred with Mr. Villanueva and asked him to fax a formal “complaint” to the head office in addition to the report that he already sent the day before, and which he did right away. Despite what I was told about the expected action from their end, by Mr. Villanueva, I still left a reminder about my own expectation based on my just faxed letter.

When arrived home at about noontime, the messenger of the courier service agency, and who was part of my complaint arrived and after some enlightening exchange of explanations, the misunderstanding was patched up. All the while, the complaint handling machinery of PSB had been burning cellphone airwaves in calling concerned parties to gather information that will give light to what I have filed. I realized this when, in just a few minutes after the messenger of the courier service agency left, Ms. Royce Bagamaspad, of the Service Quality Department called me up. After formally introducing herself, she said, “I am sorry, sir”.

The “I am sorry, sir” that came out from the lips of Ms. Bagamaspad touched me, practically drenching me with cold water, that dissipated my dissatisfaction and irritability felt the day before. Her approach was such that she “personally” assumed whatever fault there was in their service, while at the same time, talking with sincerity as an employee of the bank. She listened to my story and gave me all the opportunities to bring out suggestions which I did. At the end, it was I who became apologetic for being rude while talking to their Customer Service representative the day before.

While I was talking to Ms. Bagamaspad, the Imus branch Bank Officer, Mr. Joram Villanueva, was on the other hand, trying to get in touch with me to inform about the email of the courier service agency on the same matter. He failed to talk to me as I was burning my line talking with Ms. Bagamaspad.  Mr. Villanueva, instead sent me a text message to ask for anything that I would like to relay to the courier agency. I replied that there’s no more problem with the agency’s messenger who came back to apologize. Just like his colleagues at the Head Office, Mr. Villanueva was also monitoring the flow of communications at his end. I emphasized, though, that I did not want the messenger suspended or fired.

A few more minutes after sending my reply to the text message of Mr. Villanueva, my cellphone again rang and this time, Ms. Lina Arambulo, of the Internal Audit Group was on the line. She was again very apologetic after introducing herself to me. She told me that they are doing everything to satisfy my request which was part of the complaint that I lodged. After talking to Ms. Arambulo, I was relieved to realize that my small fund is in the good hands of hardworking and diligent bankers.

A little later, Ms. Bagamaspad called again to inform about some details to further soothe my feelings. It was only when I asked her to bide her time, did I know that she was about to take her late lunch…and it was almost three in the afternoon! Obviously, she failed to take her lunch on time as a result of her determination in coordinating with parties concerned as regards my case… an admirable extra mile of effort, indeed.

My point here is, nowadays when the world is practically polluted with brashness, it is very difficult for us to steadfastly maintain our composure while exerting much effort in upholding whatever virtues we still have in our person. It is very difficult for us to maintain a sweet smile in front of somebody with a frown and whose boiling temper shows in his flushed face. It is not easy to sound nice or maintain a “smiling voice” over the phone while talking to an irate person whose sentences are punctuated with unsavory ranting. It is very difficult for us to remain cool, while listening to somebody who just wanted to be heard by all means. Still, we may waver in our effort to show compassion for others, much more strangers, while enduring wiggling knees and grumbling guts due to the onset of hunger.

In whatever situation, the patience, temperance, compassion and any other virtues are spelled the same. The difference is in the way they are expressed. And, my experience at the hands of Mr. Joram Villanueva, Ms. Ivy Marcial, Ms. Catherine Bautista, Ms. Royce Bagamaspad, and Ms. Lina Arambulo, will never be forgotten. Since I consider my life as a journey of continuous learning, the PSBankers I mentioned have become part of it, for having left a deep impression of something to be learned about virtues that they have humbly manifested.

With the adage that “the customer is always right”, comes the fact that it is only during instances of this assertion that the golden attitude of employees with strong virtues sparkle.

My advice then is, let us be generous with appreciation to those who go an extra mile in their effort to please us. The appreciation can strengthen and inspire them more in their effort to have a share in sustaining civility in this world.