Titas de Bacolod

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Saturday, March 06, 2021

Reposting from 2015 : The Little Boy With A Big Heart

Warning : Do not read this without tissue paper or a handkerchief in your hand!

Throughout the last half of 2015 I have been thinking of how to put down in writing this incident which surely had to be chronicled. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Now, Christmas has arrived and has set the stage for me to tell the story.

I followed this from July 7 when I read it on Ricky Monfort's Facebook wall. On that day, Ricky posted that a tragedy had struck their family in the United States. His Tito Freddie and Tita Maryanne's family, including their grandchildren, were off to visit their Uncle Errol, one hour away from Seattle, Washington.

On the way, the rented van they were riding on was rear-ended and the crash seriously injured their 8-year-old grandson Owen. Despite several hours of trying to revive him, Owen did not make it.

As the 8-year-old Owen expired, his parents made the decision of donating his organs. Owen's heart and liver came in time for two needing recipients. It could be no less than a miracle for those who were to receive them.

In life, Owen was a boy with a big, big heart. Last year, while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, a St. Jude's Hospital commercial came on and his mother, Tami, made a comment that she needed to donate. Owen turned to his mom and asked, "How much are you going to donate, Mommy?". His mom said $20. Owen said, "I will donate $20 too"!

What a generous boy! Thus, it comes as no surprise that even in his passing, Owen gave of himself that others may live.

Owen's mom wrote this a few days after Owen's passing:

"No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."

At 9:24pm on July 5th, our precious sweet beautiful boy Owen earned his wings and became an angel up in Heaven. Last night, we hugged and kissed him for the last time...until we meet again. To honor his kind, giving and generous soul, Harold and I made the difficult decision to donate his organs. Our amazing little hero saved 2 lives last night with his heart and liver. To save another family from feeling the pain and sadness that we feel is what we needed to start our healing journey.

We are overwhelmed and full of gratitude with the outpouring of love and support from our community. We appreciate all of your phone calls, texts, Facebook posts and messages. We are amazed at the generosity and selflessness of each and every one of you.

We are so proud of our son for everything that he has accomplished in his 8 years of life. We are so blessed and honored to have been chosen to be his parents. Our Gracie Goose, who came out of this tragic accident unscathed, has become such a brave little girl and our "saving grace."

Owen,
Mommy, Daddy and Gracie love you so very much. We will miss you like nobody could imagine. Rest in peace my sweet baby boy. Until we meet again...

This story was originally posted in December 23, 2015. Today, a little over five years after the original post and in the light of the current worldwide pandemic, Owen still speaks to us. May the example of Owen prod us to be generous in these challenging times!

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

Titas de Bacolod is Back!

Art, Blog

Behind the Scenes with Ivy Visitacion

Titas de Bacolod is back! All the writings of Tita Ivy Visitacion will also be republished here.

Meet The Man Who Helped Marcos Bring Negros Island To Its Knees
Negros Island was in a woeful state at the eve of the snap elections in 1986. Negros as a word was synonymous to "Crisis" in those days. For the longest time, the sugar industry, romanticized by the well-heeled landowners of Negros and Iloilo, was the prima donna of Philippine ......Read More

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Sunday, September 06, 2020

The Manila Files : How a Doctor boosts her family's Immune System

Blog, Manila

Dr. Giselle Mary Lazaro-Maceda

Being bombarded daily with the news about how COVID 19 infections being on the rise can be a source of stress in itself. As Metro Manila and other parts of the country have transitioned again into stricter quarantine status, it is of greater importance to those in areas where more cases are on the rise to be in the best of health.

I asked around how the doctors are keeping themselves in the best of health, and I have come across the unique way one doctor has made the effort to be in the best of health not just for herself but for her entire family.

Meet Dr. Giselle Mary Lazaro-Maceda, a Dermatologist who holds her clinic at the Makati Medical Center, and a member of the Philippine Board of Dermatology. Finding a better way of keeping vitality up is by using the mobile service for IV drips by the Reviv Wellness Van. Pinoydoctor.com caught up with her and the family doing a different type of bonding exercise which was basically spending time together while doing the Ultraviv recovery IV therapy by Reviv PH.

A first of its kind in the Philippines, the mobile Wellness Van of Reviv PH brings the various IV drips in the product line of the global IV brand Reviv. This is perfect given the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine Status (MECQ) of Metro Manila wherein the general public is encouraged to stay at home.

Thus the IV service comes to one's doorstep. With REVIV Philippines' Mobile Wellness Van, Dr. Giselle Mary Lazaro-Maceda and family opted for Ultraviv, which provides the body with a helping hand to aid recovery from ailments such as common colds, seasonal allergies.

For those wondering how this works, arrangements are made for the Wellness Van of Reviv Philippines to come over and provide the Ultraviv IV. Appointments are set beforehand with the use of a digital questionnaire. Information supplied would had to be verified first by Reviv's doctor and as soon as this is clear, the appointment is scheduled for the van to make its way to the residence.

Wellness Van arrives thirty minutes before the appointment.

Safety protocols are in place and the staff come in full PPE suits.

On the day of the appointment, the Wellness Van comes over for the IV drip. Safety protocols are very thorough with the staff (both registered nurses) administering the process. The Ultraviv is kept in a special cooler all throughout the time from compounding. And of course, a Facetime consult with Reviv's Doctor through their iPad and other vitals as blood pressure are taken.

The Wellness Van of Reviv Philippines is available to service even beyond Metro Manila

You may contact them via Mobile Phone on Globe, or message them here.

0917-567-3848
0917-887-3848

Facebook Page : Reviv Philippines

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Rogue Metrobank VP Not A Real Lopez - Lopezes of Bacolod and Iloilo

Blog, Business

Over the usual Sunday Ilonggo family lunches in Bacolod, Iloilo, and the villages in Makati, the topic for the day was the rogue trader VP of Metrobank who was arrested last July 18 and charged for defrauding Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) in a scandal that sent the lender’s shares tumbling on Friday. Negrense fashion, the question was, "Sin-o ina sya ya nga Lopez?" (Which Lopez branch or clan is she from?).

Oh we know how it usually is. Mere acquaintance is accelerated into friendship (or enmity) based on the family you hail from. So the Lopezes in the villages were quick to reply that the person in the spotlight is not really the Lopez but as we call it, "tapik". Madam VP is a Lopez by affinity.

That being said, many netizens are wondering why an executive earning 250k per month could not be content with what she was getting. For us in Bacolod and Iloilo, suffice it to say that she was living up to being a Lopez.

As of the latest news, the "tapik" has kept mum on who else may be involved in defrauding Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank).

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Post:

How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Easily Spoiled

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Ego and Greed : Metrobank Incident Exemplifies How The Filipina's Moral Fiber Has Eroded

Blog, Manila

When the news broke out in the press last week about the Metrobank executive who was arrested and charged for defrauding Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) in a scandal that sent the lender’s shares tumbling on Friday, there was a mix of reactions among the public. Some were alarmed, while others were already desensitized given the string of incidents in the banking sector beginning with the RCBC money laundering scandal last year and the two latest glitches with BPI and BDO. For those who knew about it before the news hit the press, the coffee shop talk left most of the Titas shaking their heads in despondence.

When I first heard of it, my mind was brought back to 1992 when the spectacular collapse of Barings Bank, the United Kingdom's oldest merchant bank, was brought about by the rogue trader, Nick Leeson, because of his fraudulent, unauthorized speculative trading for which he was sentenced to prison. During that time, the headline of TIME Magazine stated "EGO and GREED : The inside story of a 28-year old trader who blew a billion dollars, broke a bank and stunned the world".

It is not quite difficult to explain how a 28-year old single, male, expat in Singapore, in the days following the popularity of Michael Douglas' performance in the movie, "Wall Street", as Gordon Gekko could get entangled in the collapse of Barings. Ego and Greed in operation is obvious.

What is a bit disturbing is how Ego and Greed has creeped into the moral fiber of the Filipina. Liken it to fiendish and frenzied cancer cells which attack what's healthy in one's body, Ego and Greed no longer know any gender. It also knows no race.

For a while back, we have preserved the Filipinas image as a God-fearing, selfless, caring, and motherly person who would uphold what's right and cascade such values to the next generation. Sadly, the news about individuals such as Janet Napoles, a businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund Scam, and the former Jupiter St-Makati branch manager of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) linked to the $81-million Bangladeshi bank heist in 2016 is a big blow to obliterate that image.

In the case of the the 54-year-old Metrobank executive, Marivic Lopez, reported to own the Menage chain of salons, it is somewhat unthinkable how one could not be satisfied with a 250k monthly salary plus merely a year's run until retirement.

Here in Bacolod (and in Iloilo), the talk over this Sunday's lunch will surely be, "Sin-o ina sya ya nga Lopez?" (Which Lopez branch or clan is she from?).

As of the latest news, Ms. Lopez has kept mum on who else may be involved in defrauding Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank).

Such a sad day when Ego and Greed take over.

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Post:

How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Easily Spoiled

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Saturday, April 01, 2017

Jeepney Transformation : Bacolod City Will Soon Have Hummers for Jeepneys

Bacolod, Negros

Hummer Jeepney : A new kind of Jeepney

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines - In line with the move to phase out old and environmentally-unfriendly jeepneys, a new kind of jeepney will roll out in Bacolod City.

Known for its world famous MassKara Festival and delectable chicken inasal, Bacolod, the City of Smiles will be known for another first - the use of Hummers as public transport.

The Filipino Jeepney has for many years been a symbol of Filipino ingenuity being the most popular means of public transportation in the country.

Originally made from U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II and improvised and refitted through Filipino resourcefulness, the jeepney will take on a new shape this year when ingenuity meets the legendary decadence of Negros Island.

Bacolod City will be the first city in the Philippines to see the rollout of the new generation of jeepneys using GM Hummers as its platform. The project is spearheaded by a visionary from Bacolod who requests to be made anonymous at this time.

The visionary sugar farmer relates, "There is really nothing new about this except the new platform using Hummers. Jeepneys are here to stay. The "Humjeep" project is faithful to the original intentions of the of the jeepney, and that is to convert a military transport vehicle into a form of public conveyance". He adds, "My close friends who know this project tell me I'm nuts, but I tell them that you're the ones who don't know what legacy is all about. Years from now, tourists in the Philippines will go to Bacolod just to ride one of the five Hummer jeepneys I'll be deploying".

"Love it or hate it, the Jeepney will never go away. All that's needed is a new platform for which the Hummer is perfect. The fact that the Hummer was also a military vehicle adds to the novelty".

A look at the current "Humjeep" hidden in a Negros gamefarm shows that it has been modified by eliminating the rear side doors and creating a single rear door which is typical of regular jeepneys.

The Bacolod-based visionary adds, "For the additional Humjeeps, we will be sourcing two more from Port Irene and we are eyeing to buy Piolo Pascual's H3 and Angel Locsin's H2."

Soon, riding a jeepney will really be more fun in Bacolod.

Visual peg of the interiors of the Bacolod "Humjeep" project (source : PDI)

Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Post:

Ego and Greed : Metrobank Incident Exemplifies How The Filipina's Moral Fiber Has Eroded

Sunday, September 11, 2016

I'm Excited About Saravia Blue Crab at the 31st Negros Trade Fair

Food, Manila

The one time when crab mentality is good and is advocated. Saravia blue crab sells crab meat in different variants- claw meat, cocktail claw fingers, special, super lump, and jumbo! All will be available at the Silay Export booth on Sept.14-18 at the Negros Trade Fair!

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Post:

How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Easily Spoiled

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The Photo Which Launched Ten Thousand Feeding Programs

Art, Issues

There are three events which led to my writing of this piece. Two are in the future, and one just happened over the weekend.

Just a few days ago, we celebrated National Heroes' Day. Often, we think of heroes as someone who valiantly fought a war or stood up against tyranny. For us Titas, Joan of Arc is the default icon that comes to mind as we grew up in schools who took pride in their order stemming from Europe. Inasmuch as there are the Filipina heroines such as Gabriela Silang, nothing comes quite close to the romanticism of being burnt at the stake.

With Joan of Arc as a mental peg, I am drawn to think of our modern day Joans. These were the many women of Negros Island during the Marcos years who took their valiant stand not just against tyranny but against the onslaught of widespread hunger in the political volcano that was Negros.

Flashback to 1985. Negros Island was a boiling cauldron of political unrest. The sugar planters were stuck in the doldrums and reeling from the systematic pillage of the sugar industry by Ferdinand Marcos and his college buddy, Roberto S. Benedicto - RSB as he was unfondly known. Insurgency as brought forth by the communist rebels was alive and well in the countryside and in the hinterlands of Negros. A massacre had just been perpetrated in the northern town of Escalante.

All over, the collateral damage were the children who hardly had anything to eat. Malnutrition was widespread. Many children, numbering over a hundred thousand Negros-wide were in critical or third-degree malnourished state. A third degree state is when a child weighs only 40% of the weight for their normal age.

It was an emergency situation which summoned the attention of various relief and aid organizations the world over. And meanwhile, the party went on in Malacanang. The first family must have been gleefully counting their gold bars. Yes, the same gold bars they brought to Hawaii, borne of the sweat of the sugar workers and more.

If social media were alive back then, people would be putting forth hashtags such as #prayfornegros and #savethenegroschildren. But there was no social media to bring this to the public. The government-controlled media back then could only publish what was beautiful and acceptable in praise of the Marcos regime.

Amidst that grim landscape, a photo leaked out. It was one photo among many by 1987 Pulitzer Prize Winner Kim Komenich. It was the iconic photo of Joel Abong, the son of a fisherman. His malnourished state and dire facial expression triggered the mobilization of a thousand feeding programs and sacrificial lunches. No, not a thousand, make that ten thousand. Leading the charge were the international agencies such as UNICEF and Oxfam. They were our heroes. They were the ones who literally stood on the top of the Ford Fieras and rented jeepneys with megaphone in hand putting order into the feeding sessions conducted.

Parallel to the international agencies' efforts were the numerous feeding programs put together by the housewives of the planters. They did not need any media to alert them of what was happening. They knew there was hunger. It was not just reported, it was felt first hand. Thirty one years on from those days which led up to the snap elections and EDSA revolution of 1986, I wish to take this moment to honor all the women of Negros who silently went out of their way and organized themselves to feed the poorest of the poor.

Beyond the feeding, these women of Negros took it one step further. Cottage industries were set up to somehow provide a means of livelihood for the women in the farms who no longer had any work in the canefields. Out of the hunger in the countryside, a chain reaction was set in motion. Feeding programs, cottage industries, and eventually, the showcase of the industries born out of adversity - what we know today as the Negros Trade Fair - the longest running provincial trade fair in the Philippines.

This happens in a few days time. The second of the three events I mentioned above will take place in the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati. It is a time of jubilation for the triumph over adversity - adversity which was epitomized by the photo of Joel Abong.

The last event I need to mention is that of the imminent burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos' remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Unlike the upcoming Negros Trade Fair, this is no time for jubilation. Words cannot describe how in one quick moment, the burial of FM at the Libingan ng mga Bayani immediately implies that we are all traitors for having ousted him.

There are those who say let us move on and allow him that burial for he is a president after all. I will not waste time and words to argue. Just look at the face of Joel Abong above. And then perhaps you could close your eyes and simultaneously imagine Imelda rocking the night away in her rooftop disco in Malacañang.

(Note : Joel Abong died six days after this photo was taken)

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Posts:

A Bankrupt Memory Bank

It has been 29 years since they were chased from the palace. Amid a stream of discoveries regarding the unexplained wealth, more than 70,000 imprisoned, poverty level at 42% and thousands tortured and “salvaged”. ......Read More

Negros : An Island of People With Super Short Memories

To see Imelda at the food court without the pomp and splendor normally attached to her wherever she goes brought up a myriad of emotions. I felt a bit sad seeing this. It reminded me of my Mama's last days. But I quickly snapped out of that sadness because I was reminded of the incident two years ago ......Read More

Meet The Man Who Helped Marcos Bring Negros Island To Its Knees

Negros Island was in a woeful state at the eve of the snap elections in 1986. Negros as a word was synonymous to "Crisis" in those days. For the longest time, the sugar industry, romanticized by the well-heeled landowners of Negros and Iloilo, was the prima donna of Philippine ......Read More

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Security Bank Reaches Out Regarding Faux Pas

Blog, Business

A post last week entitled "How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Spoiled" made the rounds of social media. In a nutshell, it had to do with Security Bank not matching up to what it promises in its advertising. The post talks about Tata, who entered Security Bank's main office to open an account but left in dismay because no able person was positioned strategically in the bank's Head Office Branch to entertain the query.

You can read the story by clicking, "How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Spoiled".

In response to the blogpost, a comment came in by a certain Mark Bantigue, who is the E-Commerce head at SB. His reply to the post was:

Hi Titas of Bacolod,

My name is Mark Bantigue and I am the E-Commerce Head at Security Bank.
We just saw your post and are very sorry to hear your friend Tata had a mixed experience at our head office branch. We completely agree that her servicing officer should have immediately contacted our Wealth Management department and very surprised to hear that wasn’t the case.
At Security Bank, we are serious about customer service and believe it is everyone’s responsibility. Given the opportunity, I would like to learn more about her experience and hopefully make things right. Please pass on my contact details to Tata.

Best regards,

Mark Bantigue
E-Commerce Head
(02) 867 6788 x7093
mbantigue@securitybank.com.ph

Thank you, Mark Bantigue, for reaching out. Hijo, allow me to point out a few things. Tata did not have a mixed experience. She had a bad experience, period. I honestly think your group has to study the flow on how you receive walk-ins. The clients that you seek for which you spent millions on advertising to reach have a totally different mindset. One has only to walk out of your office and go to Standard Chartered to your left and HSBC to your right. Walk down Paseo to BDO and Citi. Do some research. See how it's done. Until then, maybe SB does not have any right to chase after HNWIs.

After her experience, none of us will follow for now. Unless of course you come out and say, "Yes, we have fixed the kinks and are ready to treat you better than the other banks". Go back to the drawing table. I'm sure your ad agencies will help you modify what you are touting as better service that we deserve. The heads of your ad agencies are clients of your competitor banks and they know what it really is like to be pampered by a real Relationship Manager.

Hold off your Vicki Belo ads please. We love Vicki Belo and it pains us to see her endorsing something that doesn't deliver. The ad agencies did a great job in delivering the message to us. The addition of Dra. Belo is superb. Only the product/service falls way short of what is promised in the advertising.

Lastly, thank you for providing your contact details. I don't think Tata will be contacting you though. To use your tagline and the words of Megan Young, She Deserves Better. Thus, she went down the road and took her business elsewhere.

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Post:

How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Easily Spoiled

Thursday, August 11, 2016

How An Endorsement By Vicki Belo Is Spoiled

Issues, Manila

Word has been out in the circle the EastWest bank is now taking over the retail banking business of Standard Chartered. This means saying goodbye to Priority Banking of Standard Chartered. Over at HSBC, they said that they would be closing down trust services and that clients would have to look for other banks to receive their instruments and investments. At Citi, they've also closed down their Alabang branch.

Tata said she was shopping around to look for a bank to take on what she's pulling out from Standard Chartered and HSBC. Her knee jerk reaction was try out Security Bank. She had two good reasons to try Security Bank. One of her friend's sons is a top executive there. Second, she was always an avid follower of Vicki Belo. So when all these ads started coming out two weeks ago with Vicki Belo and Megan Young endorsing Security Bank, it was just a matter of time before she would succumb to the advertising.

A few days ago, she visited the main office along Ayala Avenue. Who would not be familiar with Security Bank building when the Philippine Sugar Millers Association is perched on the upper floors of the same building.

Tata talked to one of the ladies among the desks which would be the equivalent of the new accounts counter. Lady was utterly clueless about referring a Relationship Manager. What?!!! This is what Megan Young was bragging about and she's utterly clueless. All she does is say, "Ma'am, can I get your number and I'll let the Wealth Management services call you?". Security Bank's Wealth Management is just a few floors upstairs. Least the girl could do was call for someone to come down, or escorted her upstairs.

The long and short of it, Tata left. She still believes and admires Vicki Belo. She just thinks Security Bank's offering doesn't match up to their advertising.

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Follow me on Twitter @TitasdeBacolod

Related Post:

Negros : An Island of People With Super Short Memories