February 19, 2025
I had a busy day yesterday, and at 1:40 a.m. I couldn’t sleep because my adrenaline was still in high gear. I was tired but not sleepy. If I stand up, go down to the kitchen, I will end up opening the refrigerator and eating all kinds of junk food.
So I will just share with you some of the recent stories about our household maids and drivers. Ku-kwentuhan ko na lang kayo ng mga buhay-buhay dito sa paligid ko. I haven’t been blogging for so many reasons. Pero tonight, I will share some of the things happening around us:
1. Miss Antinola went on-leave for 4 days for physical preparation before her new online bf arrives. Nagpakulay ng buhok, baka naligo ng todo-todo, mani-pedi. The guy was expected to arrive in Manila from Brazil (???) at 8:30 pm but Antinols was only able to reach him by phone at 11:30 pm. Apparently, she waited at the house of her nephew in Paranaque and ready to run to the airport as soon as the guy calls. But he didn’t. When Antonia spoke to him, she asked why he didn’t call her right away because they’ve been waiting. The guy yelled at her over the phone “What’s your problem?” He said he was starving, etc etc.
Antonia answered back “why no problem? You said 8:30 and it’s already 11:30 and no call…….” I felt her frustration, even it happened to me, I would be pissed off. Ang hirap mag-intay kung hindi mo alam kung ano ba talaga.
Her nephew who is a Mechanical Engineer and has a good sense of what Antonia could be getting into, stopped her and deleted the online account. So the next day, Antonia was back here, feeling like a wilted flower. She had sipon so I stopped her from doing any work around here and told her to confine herself in the maids room. Kaso, it’s been several days, and the other maids told me, wala naman na daw sipon, she was hanging around in the maids room, panay lang ang hanap ng boyfriend sa app. In the middle of the night she would be talking to a foreigner kasi panay ang English nya. Napikon ako so I told her to take a two week leave, “magpagaling ka muna sa inyo.”
I understand her desire to find a foreigner who will generously provide for her. I do not want to be a dream killer but her age is not on her side. She is pretty but she is turning 70 this year. Where on earth can you find a handsome, educated, with money, guy who would like a new wife who he will take care of physically. She should have started looking when she was 50 I am sure meron pa syang makikita. When I ws 50 years old, I didn’t have wrinkles yet. But at 70, nakupo, baka I myself will have trouble looking at myself in the mirror.
The reality is, men look for fun and a sexy body. Yung meron pang laman-laman na pwede nilang pisil-pisilin. Kung buto-buto na, what is the value to them? Yung old men want someone to take care of them, eh bakit naman sila kukuha ng bagong asawa na kasing tanda nila? Alagain pa. Kaya nga nila iniwan yung dati nilang asawa kasi matanda na. Tapos papalitan ng mas matanda pa? There is no sense in doing that.
Younger people certainly are better looking kasi unat na unat pa ang mga balat nila. There is beauty in youth. Kahit pangit, lalabas na mas maganda kung ikumpara mo sa mga senior citizens na.
And the guys she finds online are obviously scammers. But she can’t see that. She has become obsessed finding a kind and generous prince among the millions of scammers online.
I still hope she’ll be happier someday. She is lonely. I can’t say I am wishing her to find the right guy, but I wish her contentment.
Napagalitan sya ni Edmund nung isang beses kasi naririnig na puro I love you, I miss you nasa kitchen.
“Hoy Antonia, itigal mo nga yan.”
I also called her attention one time I came home. She was cooking with her right hand, and holding her phone up with her left. May kausap sya naka video call.
2. A very good driver hardly comes along from our many years of experience. Once a while, meron. I had one, Joselito. He was recommended by Sgt. P. He’s been an executive driver to a bank president for 5 years. The bank’s policy was to replace the president’s drivers and body guards every five years. Finished contract. Joselito said his former boss goes to the casino three times a week and stays there until 2 am. The other days, he was out partying. He goes to the office daw at 11 am.
It is definitely bad to have a bank president going to the casino on a regular basis and laging puyat and reports for work at 11 am.
Joselito, soon found a job as an executive driver of a Japanese family. But tragedy struck his family, he had to go home to the province of Bohol when their neighborhood burned down, including the house he had built. Naubos daw lahat ng gamit nila. He had to go home to find a place to stay for his family. He managed to build a small kubo for them before he came back to Manila. His Japanese employer didn’t want to accept him anymore because they had found a replacement.
So he landed here. He was very professional, respectful, and best of all, he knew the way around Metro Manila. When he was the one driving, I didn’t have to say ikaliwa mo, ikanan, diretso. Ano ba, lampas na tayo, etc. He didn’t find it hard to navigate through the tiny, and narrow streets. He didn’t have difficulty making a u-turn in blocked raods due to construction. Isang kabig lang, ayos na kami, unlike Sgt. P, dyos ko po. Joselito made my days less stress-free. Then one morning, he grimaced in paid. Merong galstones. We offered to help him by shouldering the medical expenses of removing the galstones, pero sobra syang nerbyoso, ayaw nyang pa-opera. His wife told him to go back home, uminom ng mga tea from mga dahon-dahon.
We are worried about his condition but we can’t force him to undergo treatment.
However, mukhang drama lang lahat because Sgt. P found out Joselito was already working for a VIP politician.
3. Prior to Joselito, Sgt. Mat worked as my driver for two weeks. I haven’t left the garage yet and sobrang drained na energy ko sa kanya. Before we reach the subdivision gate, I feel kuluntoy na. Grabe, ikaliwa, ikanan, mag-menor ka, huwag ka gumitna, mag stay ka sa lane. He worked as a driver-bodyguard of a pogo official. Grabe, he weaves through traffic and stays on the yellow line, para no vehicle can stay on the left or right. He was very nice and respectful. Even if I was already screaming at him from frustration, he remained patient. I was so happy when he found a job as bodyguard of a governor running for re-election. He was given P10,000 more, and the best part was that the place was 15 minutes from his residence. He could come home everyday. Eh dito, stay in sya.
Ang mga politico, kayang magpa sweldo ng 12 – 25 bodyguards. Some high level, trained body guards get P40,000 to P50,000 a month. Let’s compute:
At P40,000 each x 12 guys na lang, that’s P480,000 plus 13th month pay, extra yung food allowance, tapos they still eat while waiting at the employer’s house, bonus, SSS, Philhealth, etc. And they consume water, electricity. Imagine the expenses. Many politicians are the wealthiest people around, and also the businessmen doing government contracts in partnership with these politicians.
Many politicians tried recruiting Sgt. P kasi nga election na naman, barilan, patayan. Siguro this year alone, tatlong kasamahan na nya ang na-ambush. Pagnatalo ang kandidato, wala na rin silang trabaho, except some big time politicians who operate cash-producing businesses.
5. I went to Amir Sali’s shop in Valle Verde 2 to drop off a set of fabrics that were given to me.
Upon reaching the guard-gated subdivision, I told my driver, sabihin mo “Amir Sali”. Driver B rolled down his window and told the guard “Aling Siony”. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. I yelled “Ah mir Sali!”.
Driver B corrected himself, but I knew he wasn’t sure. He told the guard Aning Sioly. Wala, hindi naman na improve, ganun pa rin ang tunog.
I leaned to the left and rolled down my window, “Guard, kay Amir Sali.”
Yung daughter nya ha, 45 years old meron ng apo. Dalawa na. Do the math.
