Last year, Dodong gave her mother a bunch of flowers as Mother’s day gift. She received it with a dry smile and a thank you. Relatives came that day last year and Dodong waited for her mother to say a word of appreciation, or a story about him. He wanted to hear ‘good words’ from his mother. Well, he thought like this because he had saved money for that special occasion. All his life he had been with his mother and had not thought of marrying and leaving her alone. All his life he dedicated to her, in servitude to her. She was the reason why he worked hard. But that day last year seemed like one of those ordinary days to his mother. The bunch of flowers was left alone on her table, unattended until the flowers and the ferns and the leaves wilted.

Then Mother’s day came again this year and they have a visitor who had not visited for a long time – her sister and her children. His sister brought three flowers for his mother. His mother’s eyes widened with glee and thanked her daughter with a bright smile for the flowers. After his sister left, “Oh, Dodong, how many years had your Ate forgotten to visit us?” his mother asked. “Four years,” he replied silently. “Four years, and it’s the first time after four years, and even before those four years, that she had given me flowers from her heart.”

“Given you flowers? How many? Three? What about the bunch of flowers I gave you last year? They did not come from the heart? How do you know if they come from the heart or not? What, are you blind, unfeeling? Have you not cared for me at all? Or noticed me and what I have been doing to you all these years? Every child of yours had left and I remained and you do not even see me!”

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“These pieces of décor are perfect!”

 “Oh, yea?”

 “Yea, where did you get them?”

 “I cannot remember.”

 (Telling herself silently.) “They are mute witnesses a long time ago.”

 “How come?”

 “Well… oh, I do remember now.  It’s from a special person.”

 “How special?” (smirks)

 (Telling herself silently again.)  “Very special that he deserved to be where he is now – the prison.”

 “Hey, you didn’t answer my question! You’re keeping a secret, babe.”

 “Ah, that.  Not really special.  I was only joking.  I want to see how you’d react.  Actually, I cannot remember who gave those to me.”

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We played sungka together when we were kids, my cousin and I. He is paraplegic and walked always with his wooden braces. He loves to challenge me with playing sungka and he never won. This had made him all the more wanting to play sungka so that he can beat me. We had fun that summer. I guess we jived together, him - a disabled boy and me - an insecure adolescent. But we jived and we tell each other stories about life and values. Nobody among our cousins want to talk to any of us. That had made us friends.

When I reminisce those times, I look back and smile. We still talk to each other and exchange SMS. We see each other once in a while. We remained friends. He had remained a friend despite his status quo> My cousin is now a prominent political figure.

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Someone was trying to capture a perfect pose for this little boy and he did not budge.  He knows that the photographer is trying to get a picture of him.  He is only three.  He did not mind at all if the camera is aimed at him.  Instead he stared.

Suddenly, “I have a car!” he blurted out of nowhere.  “Really?” replied the photographer.  “Where is your car now?” she continued asking.  “There, far away, ” the little boy answered.

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Credit card use is very common nowadays in the Philippines. Credit cards are actually very useful tool in making ends meet provided one is responsible in paying. But not this particular woman.

Olga became a casual in a company immediately after Mang Dodong approached the owner if he can accommodate another in one of the departments. Olga was very happy to have acquired a job. After a few months nearing one year, she was lured to apply for a credit card. She instantly had one after two weeks.

Discovering the joys of having a credit card, she entertained other cards and used it with gusto not thinking how she could be able to pay the accounts with her meager income. Her husband is a part time jeepney driver and could not even afford to provide enough decent meals for a day.

Olga later applied for credit loans and these in turn became bad credit loans. Now in the Philippines, there are no credible resources like Bad Credit Offers that can guide someone like her on how to fix her bad credit loans. Only a few of the banks offer reconstruction. Agents discourage it and even advise you to wait till you become a delinquent customer.

This particular situation is very common. I am sure that this will reach its toll very fast these coming years.

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