General Interest Monette Adeva Maglaya
"Lack of money is the root of all evil. "—George Bernard Shaw
Many immigrants do not realize until it is too late that they have become addicted to the use of credit cards to the point that after just a few years, they seek credit card counselling and in a worst case scenario, bankruptcy relief protection. They have unwittingly entered credit card hell with collection agencies hounding them and recording all sorts of negative entries into their credit history.
Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.
—Louis Pasteur
(This is a redux of a previous article. The specifics still hold true.)
These are the dog days when sluggishness, inactivity and uncertainty reign—a holding pattern that could test the patience of Job.
The great immigration debate of our time has been shelved for next year. With so many problems the country faces, foremost among which is the economy, immigration has been placed in the back burner. But when the time comes, the polarity of public opinions about immigrants will be sharply defined in the halls of Congress as well as the hubbub on the internet and loudly on podcasts, radio and television airwaves. It has always been a love-hate relationship. In between are those who barely tolerate immigrants but will remain quiet for fear of being labeled "racist" even if they grudgingly, quietly acknowledge themselves to be the progeny of earlier immigrants who have been blessed with the slightly better fortune of having ancestors who gave them a headstart several generations ago.
"The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over." —Aesop
If the news from the mainstream media about the economic climate is to be believed, it seems that there are faint but encouraging signs that the worst of the recessionary storm is over. Economic indicators are trending up a notch. Real estate bargains are being snatched up and the inventory of houses for sale, previously about a year’s worth is now down to just about 6 month’s worth with real estate investors and those who waited for this kind of market are having a ball with foreclosures and bargain basement-priced properties. All good news, right?
I would treat all that with a grain of salt and some caution. We’re not out of the woods yet. The problem is not so much the credibility of media or the tremendous pressure it collectively bears in further depressing an already dreary state of affairs if it churned out news of doom and gloom but in the fairy tale, magic wand, Polyanna approach to a serious situation that affects millions of ordinary people.
Gone are the slow, ponderous boats to Calapan that seemed more like floating coffins decades ago. Gone is the mixture of smells—of sweat, salt spray, gasoline and livestock —which would make me throw up when the swells were big. Of course, it didn’t help that I made it worse. Progress has caught up with the place somewhat. Now, for half the length of a Disney movie, you can get there from Batangas pier which has bus routes coming from Plaza Lawton and Cubao. The Aboitiz-owned Super Cat hydrofoil boats with theater style seating and airconditioning, that ply the shark-infested, tricky waters between the two ports of Batangas City and Calapan have made it easy to island hop. Fast, efficient and affordable, the sleek boats skim the surface in no time flat, particularly during good weather when these can run with the tide. These have become a boon to Mindoro that now connects Luzon to the Visayas region by sea and land, via buses that ran in tandem regularly plying the length of the Mindoro highway corridor.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
— Robert Frost
(Continued from last week …)
Every place I have ever been to is made significant by the images and thoughts I have of people, places and experiences that still live on in my memory. For Mindoro, it’s memories of my father, this place called Naujan and sizzling hot summer days.
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