There are still honest people in the country.
Last Sunday, we were on our way back to the island from Baguio City, where a delegation of about thirty from the Missionary Families of Christ (MFC) Catanduanes attended the World Couples’ Congress at the Baguio Convention Center.
As we waited at the designated gate at NAIA Terminal 3, I suddenly reached for my cellphone that I had placed in my jacket pocket and found nothing.
I remembered that I laid it down on the seat beside me at the waiting area one floor above while working to finish the Tribune.
The cellphone was ringing but nobody was answering. It was possible that someone already had it and it was already beyond reach.
But I hoped it was still there and, after climbing the long flight of stairs, came to the row of seats where a woman was seating.
When I asked her if she had found a cellphone at her seat, she said she did and put it in her bag in case someone came looking for it.
After I thanked her repeatedly for finding the phone and keeping it safe, I was on my way down when I remembered not asking for her name.
Whoever she is (she had a Visayan accent), I pray to God that her good deed would inspire others to do the same.
May she receive her blessings from the Almighty!
*****
Also on the same flight were the members of the Catanduanes team that competed in the Batang Pilipino Basketball League (BPBL) and ended with a 2-2 card, not good enough for the semifinals.
The Tribune hopes to provide the basketball-crazy fans of the Happy Island an account of how the team’s campaign went in the regionals and at the national eliminations, and from their point-of-view, get an inkling of what can be done so the next team could make it to the finals. But the fact that they made it hard for eventual champion Cebu showed their potential for greatness.
Baras Mayor Jose Paulo Teves III was also at the airport together with Vice Mayor Rico Tating, several sanggunian members and key departments, including my kumpadre Municipal Engineer Noe Teves.
Apparently, the good mayor invited the group to grace the opening of a new Carpel warehouse somewhere in Dasmarinas, Cavite.
The Barasnon officials are fortunate to have a chief executive as generous as Mayor Paolo, who spent his own money to pay for the group’s air fares, accommodation and a day at the mall for some shopping.
As they say, sana all!
*****
ANGER AND EXASPERATION. A young girl who was writing a paper for school came to her father and asked: “Dad, what is the difference between anger and exasperation?”
The father replied: “It is mostly a matter of degree. Let me show you what I mean.”
With that the father went to the telephone and dialed a number at random. To the man who answered the phone, he said: “Hello, is Melvin there?”
The man answered: “There is no one living here named Melvin. Why don’t you learn to look up numbers before you dial.”
“See,” said the father to his daughter. “That man was not a bit happy with our call. He was probably very busy with something and we annoyed him. Now watch.”
The father dialed the number again. “Hello, is Melvin there?” asked the father.
“Now look here!” came the heated reply. “You just called this number and I told you that there is no Melvin here! You’ve got a lot of guts calling again!”
The receiver slammed down hard. The father turned to his daughter and said: “You see, that was anger. Now I’ll show you what exasperation means.”
He dialed the same number, and when a violent voice roared: “Hello!”
The father calmly said: “Hello, this is Melvin. Have there been any calls for me?”