My main goal during my stay here in Sitio Tagbobo is to concrete the flooring of our ground floor. Besides the dust it accumulates on some surfaces, a bit of mud can also gather in the ground floor's toilet, the stairs going up, and even on the second floor. It's like sweeping intensely and removing dust has to be a daily routine just to prevent it from looking abandoned for years.

We started by dumping additional earth, followed by distributing it to the necessary areas, and then tamping it down. This task was halted because of the rain. Leveling the ground shouldn't be interrupted just because of the rain, which is true. However, the road to our home has become so muddy that even my four-wheel-drive vehicle has difficulty getting through. What more for the trucks delivering cubic meters of sand and gravel, bags of cement, and steel? Most definitely, they won't drop them at our house but at the nearest passable location, about 200 meters away. That means I'll have to hire laborers to carry the materials to our house, adding costs to the projected budget, which we can't risk since our budget is limited.

This is why I postponed leveling the ground because it's not feasible at this time. Instead, I carried out other important tasks.

Anyway, the floor concreting can wait, the budget will be saved, and when the road to our home becomes passable, I will certainly resume this task. For now, it will remain as it is, but definitely not for long.

I might not be credible enough to use such a title, for I know it isn't just me who knows me. While I gradually eliminated those undesirable behaviors, only two out of an immeasurable number of people know: just me and God. Yes, my family and friends might have noticed, but wrongs aren't easily forgotten, and good deeds often become nostalgic memories. No one seems to care until they realize they existed, and I have no complaints about that. God is my witness, and I couldn't ask for more.

Rust, to depict the deteriorating social media influencers. Image grab from FUZE

The internet, I'd say,  has to be one of the best human inventions. It has made information accessible to almost everyone, delivered not by a crow in ancient times or by snail mail in the 20th century, but through a complex series of 1s and 0s. Yes! Just 1s and 0s! It might not seem like much, but a single mistake can ruin everything!

Speaking of mistakes, in my opinion, it's also a mistake to grant these so-called influencers access to the internet. Not everyone though, we can probably sort them out. But only those who are comparable to the kind of scenes where we restrict kids from seeing or hearing during only-for-adults scenes in movies. But we are all kids on the internet because most of the time, we kid. *cringe*

Nevertheless, don't these influencers feel ashamed or have they lost touch with reality? Many people, including myself, have probably gone through that period in our lives, but for grown adults, some with kids, it's mindblowing. Growing up and growing old are definitely not the same and they don’t always align. There are funny, sarcastic, inspirational, motivational, and educational contents, but also content that makes you wonder how they aren’t embarrassed at all.

One example is what I call the "Diwata Pares Phenomena." Vloggers try to get unconsented collaborations, and when refused, they'd resort to playing the victim and slander the person. This can happen in real life, but airing it on social media is something I don't agree with. I firmly believe that personal issues should be handled privately. 

Then there's the "Battle of CEOs." I expected big businessmen with international brands, but then I found out they were CEOs of beauty products. Not that I belittle their business, I don't even have one, but having fought over the product effectiveness through TikTok entries and even hosted a concert, that was crazy! 

Lastly, some of these so-called influencers create content by breaking the law, and while we think justice is served, it’s actually part of their plan. As I've heard, to gain views and keep the money flowing in. That’s just pathetic, I mean it, in the true sense of the word. 

What’s their goal? Entertainment? Does it need to be so extreme that there's not a single portion of it which we can get a lesson from? Surely they've shown the consequences but we can also learn these outside social media where one can ponder and maybe, just maybe, consider living a life with moral integrity. If these influencers keep sprouting, we'll completely devalue human dignity, which is already happening. 

We hate perverts, yet we share adult content. We hate disrespect, yet we share hateful content. We hate narcissists, yet we share self-praising content. We hate disorder, yet we share anti-moral content. The worst part is, it’s not just the content creators who perpetuate obscenity, but also their naive followers. 

CONFLICTS

Because of my inability to take initiative, my father and I used to quarrel much of the time. He expected highly of me, but as someone who spent years bossing around and then sitting eight hours a day talking to random strangers, I lost touch with the reality of doing things on my own. I was torn between returning to the city to live out on my own and remaining in the village to teach myself to live a simple life—the latter prevailed.

FAITH

If my memory serves me well, my religious life ceased to exist around 2012 when I was assigned to work in Pikit, North Cotabato. This lasted until the first or second quarter of 2021, nearly a decade. I still went to church, but only during Christmas and New Year. During my stay in Sitio Tagbobo, my parents attended Sunday Worship, and although I didn’t feel obliged, I went along with them until it changed me. Reviving my faith one step at a time must have made my father proud, as he recommended I get more involved in church activities.

FISHING

The main source of food in the village is fishing, which I finally learned how to do, albeit limited to casting nets. I’m still incapable of even the simplest tasks like "panginhas" (picking edible shells and trapped fish during low tide) and "panulo" (the same as panginhas but at night). I also learned how to properly paddle a boat and drive a pump boat. I’m not an expert, but I know how to.

DEATH

In November 2021, my father passed away. At the time, my mother, my two nephews, and I were in the village, while he was in our home in Davao City. It was a shocking revelation, and one of my regrets was that we were on bad terms the last time we were together. However, I don’t loathe myself for that because I know I can make things right for him. Now that he’s in Purgatory, it’s the best opportunity for me to help him.

ELECTION

Although I didn’t work in the local administration, I now serve the Church as a Lay Minister, elected in October 2022—something my father would have been proud of as the first person who believed in me. I wouldn’t want to lose this role because who I’ve become is ultimately part of God’s plan. Of course, it’s not just faith but also works, as faith without works is dead.

COPRA

If fishing is the main source of food in the village, copra production is the main source of income. Although I had tried it before, I did it again, not as a visitor but as a local. From gathering the coconuts to cracking them open, lifting, delivering, and realizing our hard labors weren’t well compensated.

EDUCATION

Because of the post-COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, my nephew, Brean, had to be homeschooled, and we both stayed in the village while the rest were in the city. It was challenging taking care of a child—preparing food, teaching, protecting, and being a good example.

RETURN

In the last quarter of 2023, we returned to Davao City due to important matters that couldn’t be handled in Sitio Tagbobo. Although I’m away, my heart stays there, and I am certain I will live the rest of my life in Sitio Tagbobo.

PS: Ugh! I wish I could've shared them in detail but I'm battling to get this written while I still have them.

When my sister, Ate Apol, gave birth to her youngest child, Manoy, in April 2024 in UAE, the original plan was to return to the Philippines and leave Manoy under our care since her work responsibilities prevented her from fully supervising her newborn son. However, things were not as easy as expected. Throughout the process, we felt like we were on a roller coaster, experiencing excitement, disappointment, despair, and joy. This is a developing story.

Her husband, Kuya Bert, needed to provide a Special Power of Attorney granting my sister full authority to handle the process. When we submitted another request with it, it was rejected again without clear instructions on how to proceed. Later on we figured out that the Special Power of Attorney had to be Apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and then attested by the UAE Embassy in the Philippines in Manila. Fortunately, LBC could handle this task, though it would take a couple of weeks to return to us, leading us to...

Manoy was born in the first week of April, and we only figured out what to do by mid-May. For my sister, who has to return to work in the first week of June, the original plan of returning home with Manoy is no longer considered. Instead, my mother and her daughter will visit her and hopefully take Manoy with them after their vacation. While this may sound like a good solution, it leads us to... 

Since Ashly is a minor, a Travel Clearance from DSWD must be secured to allow my mother to take her to UAE. However, the DSWD couldn't provide a Travel Clearance because Ashly holds an active resident visa in UAE, and the accompanying adult is her grandmother. Instead, they gave us a printed copy of a Memorandum related to Administrative Order No. 12. Initially, there was relief, but the travel agency in UAE hired by my sister insisted that a Travel Clearance was mandatory since the minor is not accompanied by a parent. Despite explaining everything to the DSWD on our second visit, they maintained that a Travel Clearance wasn't necessary. Fortunately, the Philippine Immigration, UAE Embassy, and Philippine Airline all confirmed that the DSWD's decision was correct, providing real relief. However, this led to...

There's a rule in UAE that if an expat stays abroad for more than 180 days, their resident visa will be automatically nullified, requiring either an extension (such as new entry permit) or an exemption. When my sister inquired about Ashly's resident visa status, it was still active. Given our past experiences, we decided to take action based on the rule. Applying for an exemption might be possible for Ashly since her Occupational Therapy concludes on June 5, though their flight is scheduled for June 4. This is already being handled between us and the therapy center. At this moment, I'm waiting for my request from the therapy center, which they assured will be provided, and that's it for now.

UPDATE: It’s currently 4:33 AM, and all three of us—Ate Apol, Kuya Bert, and I—are still awake. The therapy center was able to provide a copy of the Evaluation Report and Certificate of Enrollment, which Ate Apol already submitted to the office she visited yesterday morning. However, it returned feedback asking for additional documents that we've already sorted out. Now we have to wait for the result of the request, but I’m positive that it’ll get approved, and Ashly will be granted entry, God willing. If only the feedback had been sent earlier, we wouldn’t have to stay up this late. However, we’ve been working on this for a month now, and we cannot miss any opportunities at this point. Whenever there’s a glimmer of hope, we race towards it like bugs to a light.

Yesterday, my brother-in-law, Kuya Bert, together with his sons, my beloved nephews Brean and Brent, was supposed to join a Parish Run for a Cause 2024 hosted by San Pedro Poveda Parish in Catalunan Pequeno, Davao City. The call time was 3 AM, which was challenging for me because I'm not a morning person. Some days I wake up early, and other days I wake up late, with the latter being more frequent. However, Kuya Bert thought it would be better to get there by 5 AM because that’s when the actual race would start, and the hours before that would be mostly announcements and Zumba to warm up. I wanted to be there from the start, but since Kuya Bert was in charge, I didn’t argue about it.

I woke up at 4 AM, and we left at quarter to 5 AM, but we had to stop at his friend's house to pick up his custom-made long sleeves because he was also taking an oath as a Lay Minister later that day. Unfortunately, after almost 20 minutes, his friend still seemed to be asleep. We got to the venue ten minutes past 5 AM. Just as we entered the gate, the participants started running. He said it was the 5K run, which gave me some relief because we were in the 3K run, which was supposed to start afterward.

He went inside to register and later came back to us saying that the participants who had started running when we arrived were actually in the 3K run, which meant we had missed our chance. I could see the disappointment on Brean's face, but I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t surprised because we had already missed the first half of the event, so missing the last half wasn’t too much to handle. Just like Murphy's Law states, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong," and that’s exactly what happened.

This is why I'm so time-conscious. I'm so conscious of time that I prefer to arrive at an event half an hour or sometimes even an hour early so I won't miss anything. Nevertheless, it should be a lesson for us, especially for the kids, that it’s not just about the importance of the event; what’s important is to be there before it starts and to stay until it ends.

The month of January is dedicated to the Feast of the Child Jesus for us Catholics, commonly known as Sr. Santo Niño, one of the most venerated images in our Church. It first arrived on our shores 500 years ago, and its devotion continues to flourish today.

However, our obsession and desire to take advantage of what others believe to be the most effective lead to our faith being tainted with fanaticism, particularly the devotion to unapproved images of Sr. Santo Niño, which brings us closer to idolatry.

While there are many approved images of Sr. Santo Niño, the following are definitely unapproved:

Santo Niñong Palaboy - The original iconographer stated it was created "for better effect and to reflect the poverty it originally represents." This was based on false claims of the image speaking to a group of street kids, which were later confirmed to be lies.

Santo Niño de la Suerte - It is said to attract financial luck, similar to the image of Buddha sitting with gold coins at its side.

Welcoming Santo Niño - Similar to Santo Niño de la Suerte, but purportedly attracts all kinds of luck.

Santo Niñong Hubad - This recent fake version of Santo Niño, sold mostly in thumb size for easy carrying, is said to be a lucky charm. It even comes with an Oracion (Latin for "prayer").

I know some people who have enshrined one of these unapproved images of Sr. Santo Niño. While they may be innocent, some might say, "ang importante naa tay pagtuo," which contradicts the seriousness one should have about their faith.

Resources are available to delve deeper and understand better. It is said in the Word of God, "faith without works is dead." If we've worked hard to achieve whatever we have, may we also invest the same energy in working on our faith.

Naa tay "pagtuo" dili unta masagulan ug "tuo-tuo" aron dili ta mahimong "uto-uto."

To my fellow Catholics, it's going to be 2024 in the next few hours, just a gentle reminder that we should refrain from embracing "lucky charms" like the longstanding Chinese tradition of using "round objects" as we embark on the New Year.

While the saying "Walay mawala kung imong tuohan" might justify this practice, consider this: If you were God, possessing everything, merciful, generous, loving, dispenser of grace, and orchestrating perfect plans, would a hint of doubt about your actions will make you happy?

Our Church has been bombarded with lots of controversies and attacks from other sects and some individuals, let's not be the reason to fuel their naively ignorance all because we are, in first place, naively ignorant.

As the Word of God continues to guide us in this journey called life, we should've realized by now that richness isn't solely about our material possessions but about the significance of our actions during our lifetime.