HAVE YOU SEEN IT?

A FATHER PAYLOADER FEEDING HIS BABY DUMP TRUCK

A YOUNGER PLUG BROTHER TRYING TO STOP THE TEARS OF HIS CRYING FAUCET SISTER.

A FAN THAT STAND TO BE CORRECTED.

A FOGGING MACHINE THAT WOULD NOT STOP SMOKING.

A COMPASS WITNESS THAT ALWAYS POINTS THE NORTH AS GUILTY.

A CORRECTION FLUID THAT ALWAYS  COVERS THE MISTAKES OF THE TYPEWRITER.

A SPEAKER WITH 50 WATTS AND 80 OMS IN HIS SPEECH.

A CORRECTIONAL CHARGE WITH CODDLING HARDENED  CRIMINALS.

THE UNION OF TWO STEEL HEARTED BARS OFFICIATED BY A PIOUS WELDING MACHINE.

AYON SA ISANG ESTUDYANTE

'BUTI PA ANG BAON LAGING NAIISIP,

   ANG HOMEWORK, ASSIGNMENT AT PROJECTS,  HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG TELEPONO HINI-"HELLO",

   ANG TITSER AT PRINCIPAL, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG DJ SA RADYO PINAPAKINGGAN,

   ANG PAYO NG MAGULANG AT TITSER, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG CELLPHONE LAGING HAWAK,

   ANG LIBRO AT NOTEBOOK, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG RELO TINITINGNAN,

  ANG KAPAKANAN NG IBA HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG CANTEEN ALAM KUNG SAAN,

  ANG LIBRARY, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG CALCULATOR MARUNONG SA MATH,

  MARAMI SA ESTUDYANTE, HINDI.

'BUTI PA ANG KANTA MADALING IMEMORYA,

   ANG MGA BATAS AT PATAKARAN, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG KISAME TINITINGALA,

   KARAMIHAN NG NASA PODER AT NAMUMUNO, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG MGA ARTISTA INIIDOLO,

  KARAMIHAN NG NASA GOBYERNO, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG FACEBOOK LAGING NAA-UPDATE,

  ANG KAALAMAN SA IMPORMASYON, HINDI

'BUTI PA ANG NAGBABASA NITO AT MARUNONG,

  ANG HINDI (HINDI MARUNONG MAGBASA!)

(DAGDAGAN NYO NA LANG PAGKATAPOS N'YONG BASAHIN!)

A CRY, A SMILE AND A SIGH

      Many years back my grandmother told me that in a man's  life he cry, smile and sigh. "And believe me", she said, "nobody teaches a man to cry, to smile and to sigh.  A baby comes into this world by announcing his presence with a cry, only there are no tears in his eyes in his first cry.  As he grows up he still cry; he cries when he is hungry and cries when he is discontented.  When he is in pain or in desolation, he cries. Only this time when he cry, there are tears in his eyes.  As a grown up man he still cry. When he failed to realize his dreams or reach his goal, in frustration, he cry.  Most of all, a man cries and shed tears when he lost someone dear to his life and whom he loves so much.  In deep sorrow even in his sleep, a man cry.

      Wonder of wonders, a baby smile.  He smiles when he is happy and contented.  He smiles knowing that he is showered with love and affections.  Growing up to be a man, he still smile.  He smile when he understands, smile when he appreciates and most of all he smile knowing that he succeeded.  A man, when he is happy, even in his dream, he smile.

      Not when still a baby but as a grown up that a man sigh.  A man sighs when he is inspired and sighs when he admires.  A man's sigh is an expression of his longings, words of love and inspirations that his lips failed to say.  Believe me, a man so deeply in love always heave a sigh.

      A sigh of a man may sometimes have deeper meaning.  A sigh is a sign of man's agony, of his frustrations, pain and suffering - all alone for himself and in silence.

      A man came into this world with a cry, brighten this world with his smile and silently leave this world with his last breath in a sound of a sigh.

MY FOURTH AND LAST TRY

       A few years back, on April 14, 1993, my wife of almost ten years succumb to cancer. She left me our four children; Yentl Mae 9, Dimple 7, Jaycee-R 6 and Jun-jun 2 years old then.

      For the next two years we lived an unhappy and incomplete lives, having no one to tend our home when I am in office and the three kids in school, more so to take care of Jun-jun - the youngest who was often left alone at home and being just taken care of our relatives and neighbors.  Then, one day it dawned on me that what we need is a mother for us to be able to lead normal lives as a family.  The decision was hard for the children and me.  The choice for a mother was harder and how to approach the right woman was the hardiest.

      The first try was to my office mate, she was six years younger than I am. "Would you like to be a mother to my children?" I asked her.  "No!", was her immediate reply, "your kids are naughty", she added without batting an eyelash.  I failed on my first try. A month passed, another try. The second offer was to my former college schoolmate. She was two years my junior.  "Would you like to be a mother to my children?" I asked her.  She replied; "You know Jun, I've got a crush on you since we were in high school and I was frustrated when you did not even glanced in my direction.  I am so happy now that you did, but I am sorry, I don't like to take care of the children not my own."  I failed for the second time.  Three months passed, enough time for me  to heal the pain of two failures.  The third try was to a lovely lady, a neighbor, seventeen years younger my age.  "Would you like to be a mother to my children?, I asked her.  She looked at me, smiled and replied, "I want to be honest with you, I always dreamed of marrying someone like you, a responsible father and a good provider to his family but I never dreamed to be a second wife, much more to be a second mother to someone's else kids. I'm sorry".  I failed for the third time.

      After the third try, realization hit me.  Nobody wants to be a mother to my children, is there something wrong with my kids?  Maybe its because of me.  Maybe I'm too old to remarry.  Maybe somebody wants to be a mother to my kids but would not want to be a wife to someone my age.  Don't give up hope, was my own resolve.  One last try and then no more.  A beautiful lady, a third degree cousin on my father's side.  I'm 41, she is 22 - nineteen years younger.  I told her, "You know you are lovely and I am attracted to you, but I don't want to marry you because we are cousins, what I want is a mother to my kids, would you by any chance, want to be a mother to my children?"  She turned her back to me and was quite for a while but which seemed an eternity for me.  Then she turned to face me and uttered the words that exploded like a bomb in my ears - and which reverberated in my senses even up to this day. She said, " I never did admire you nor liked you though we are cousins, but since the day your children lost their mother, I've been dreaming of the day that I will be a mother to these lovely, wonderful and smart kids."

      That was seven years ago, today, we are living our normal lives as one big happy family with Vivian my young and beautiful wife and mother to my five smart kids. (She gave birth to Mark Dave the following year)

      I succeeded after my fourth and last try!

Notes:  I have written this story on December 9, 2002  and just kept in my files  until today when I decided to post it in my blog.

           Vivian and I parted ways in April 2003 for so many reasons. Mark Dave lives with me and visits her mama at General Santos City once in a while.  Yen-yen turned 26 years  old last May 3 and had graduated from the Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU), Koronadal City in March 2006 with a Degree of BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE);  Dimple will turn 24 years old this coming September 29 and had graduated from NDMU in 2008 with a degree of AB MassCom, major in broadcasting; Jaycee-R will turn 23 years old this coming November 17 and had graduated from NDMU in 2009 with a degree of BS in Industrial Engineering (IE); Jun-jun turned 20 years old last May 13 and will be graduating this year at NDMU with a degree of BS in Information Technology (IT); Mark Dave turned 14 years old last February 9 and is in third year high school at the Notre  Dame of Tacurong College High School Department, Tacurong City.

      

                                                                        

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HISTORY OF TACURONG "KAMPILAN" JAYCEES

The year 2010 marks the 23rd year of existence of Tacurong "Kampilan" Jaycees and the 57th year of existence of the Jaycee Movement in Tacurong.  It was in the year 1953 when JC Ricardo "Totoy" Santos the then Regional Vice President for Mindanao of the Philippine Jaycees came to organize the young men of Tacurong for the Jaycee Movement. The organization formed the nucleus of the first leadership organization in Tacurong which came to be known as the "Tacurong Chapter of the Philippine Jaycees.  The chapter was formally recognized and chartered on August 12, 1954 with Dr. Tony Velasco as its Charter President.  On its chartering and induction rites came no less than the Philippine Jaycees National President Jaime Ferrer - who was at the time the Undersecretary of the Agriculture Department, with him was businessman Louie Araneta. Among those who attended and graced the occasion were prominent community leaders, heads of religious and civic organizations and respected pillars of the pioneering settlers from the four points of the then Cotabato Empire.

The Tacurong Jaycees lived up to the expectations of Jaycee leadership in both the local, national and international levels.  They jaycees spearheaded and participated in various fields of community civic/leadership activities and endeavours, notable among which was the making of the first major thoroughfare in Tacurong which was made possible through the manual labor of the jaycees. Today, the said thoroughfare still bear the name in their honor, the "Jaycee Avenue" of Tacurong City. 

The Tacurong Jaycees active participationduring the late 50's Rat campaign earned them the most coveted title of "the Most Outstanding Jaycee Chapter of the Philippine Jaycees."  Foremost among the achievements of Tacurong Jaycees was during the Vietnam War when the Philippine Jaycees sent a Medical Mission to Vietnam  with JC Dr. Tony Velasco of Tacurong Chapter as the first Jaycee volunteer to the said mission.  The success of the Jaycee Medical Mission to the Vietnam War earned the Philippine Jaycees an  International Jaycee Award as "THE MOST OUTSTANDING JAYCEE CHAPTER IN THE WORLD" with full recognition of Tacurong Chapter as the principal contributing  chapter in garnering said award.

The Medical Mission of the Philippine Jaycees to the Vietnam War had not only placed Tacurong Chapter on top of excellent leadership in the international Jaycee Movement but most of all it earned for the entire Filipino nation a place in the hearts of the Vietnamese people.  During the 1967 flood calamity which struck Cotabato Empire, the Vietnamese Government sent immediate assistance in the form of a clay-soil brick making machine and a cash money in the amount of Php 1,000.00 - a generous amount from a country ravaged by war at the time.  What is worth mentioning is that, said assistance was given to the Philippine Government through Tacurong Chapter of the Philippine Jaycees.  For whatever reason, the Vietnamese Government may have at the time in giving Tacurong Jaycees such honor, we could only surmise even up to this day that: in the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people, it was the Tacurong Jaycees  that they looked up to and owe much because of the Tacurong Jaycee volunteers of the Philippine Jaycees to the said medical mission. 

The year 1987 marked the rebirth of Tacurong Jaycees when JC Dr. Ernesto Matias, the then President of Isulan "Sultan Kudarat" Jaycees with JC Roger Almacen and JC Ram Malana initiated the organization and chartering on, May 2, 1987, of what came to be known as Tacurong "Kampilan" Jaycees.  The noble deeds and excellent leadership examples set forth by the Tacurong Jaycees served as the ideals and inspiration of Tacurong Kampilan Jaycees for many among its charter members became community leaders and excel in thier own rights.  JC Roncal Montilla, the Charter President became the Mayor of Tacurong for two terms and later on became the Representative of the Lone District of Sultan Kudarat; JC Lino Montilla is now serving his second term as Mayor of Tacurong City; JC Vir Paredes - City Councilor; JC Boning Enetorio - City Councilor; JC Jess Arcellana - City Councilor; JC Alex Roldan - Colonol PNP; JC Fred Canizares - Colonel PNP.  The rest of the charter members sre now successful in their fields of interests and businesses.

The rest is history in the making so to say, in the words of the then Jaycees National Senior Executive Vice President for Mindanao - JC Mark Chua, "Tacurong is practically ran by the jaycees, making Tacurong a Jaycee Country".

Researched and Posted by:

JC Jun Robles

Charter Member, External Affairs

Team Leader, Search & Rescue Team, Tacurong City

Battalion Commander, Civilian Volunteers Organization, Tacurong City

Battalion Sergeant Major, 1st Sultan Kudarat Ready Reserve Battalion

THE HONOR FOR MY FATHER

It is a Filipino tradition to be respectful especially to the women and the elders; to respect our parents, with the respect for our fathers as above anyone else in the family.  It is our culture to look up to our  fathers as the head of the family, as the guardian and protector, as the bread winner, as the adviser and in most cases as role models whose ways, characters and good deeds their children and grandchildren  should follow.  Today, like in the early days, the word of  the father is law to the family.  Since time immemorial, it is an unwritten law for us Filipinos to carry the family name of our fathers.  In the present time, still the name and family name and the good deeds of our fathers puts more weight when it comes to recognition and acceptance in the community. It has been a tried and tested method, to gain instant recognition, in many family, clan and community gatherings in the provinces to introduce oneself, say: I am  John. I am the eldest son of  Juan dela Cruz. (It holds true even in the present day political exercises in our country.)   

To personally take good care of our parents in their waning years is one of the ways to show our love, respect and gratitude for them.  To continue the good deeds of our fathers is one way of preserving their name and; doing more good deeds is one way of honoring them.

For me to show my love, respect and gratitude - (for rearing me up to what I am now and for entrusting me his name and family name), and to preserve the name of my father, I named my two sons in his honor. My father is Leonardo Robles, Sr., I am Leonardo Robles, Jr., my two sons are named: Leonardo Robles, III and Leonardo Robles, IV. 

(P.S.  My two sons had entered into a gentleman's agreement that when they get married someday and who ever had a baby boy first, the baby will be named as: Leonardo Robles, V.)

The Way To A Better World

I was in college then, when I first heard the song - I really don't know the title of the song even up to this day - I have heard it being sang by a lovely young lady while strumming a guitar.  What really caught my attention was not the singing lovely lady, but a line in her song which run this way; "May be you and I can do great things/we may not change the world in one day/but we still can change something/today in our small way."  

A simple message from a song but I firmly believe is what each and everyone of us should have done to change this world of ours into a better world!