Take it or Leave it!
ADVICE NI TITA LITS Isabelita Manalastas-Watanabe Dear Tita Lits: Sino po iboboto ninyo this coming May 2022 elections? Rosarito Sakae, Nagoya Dear Rosarito: This is the shortest ever question I have received in my many years of writing this advice column in Jeepney Press! Your question is actually, the most difficult question I had to respond to. My answer to you cannot be in only one sentence or a few words (like naming my personal
choice). I have an office in Sakae, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken. I do remember that during the last presidential election, at least one of my senior staff, originally from Mindanao, understandably was for our current President Rodrigo Duterte (Du30). I recall that there was one Filipino organization in Nagoya (or Gunma? - can’t recall) whose members were die-hard Du30 supporters. They wanted him to win as they sincerely believed that he is the answer to our country’s many problems and woes. They raised funds voluntarily for Du30, and wrote to our Nagoya office for a donation. My senior staff communicated with our Tokyo HO if a donation can kindly be approved. The Tokyo HO President’s advice was to stay neutral and not openly support any candidate. When Du30 won the election and visited Japan during the early year/s of his presidency, I was one of the hundreds of Filipinos/OFWs who queued up for a standing only, full-capacity venue for the opportunity to meet in person our arguably one of the most-admired Presidents (during at least his first year in power). I was seated almost in the front row with some friends. OFWs cheered and clapped when he arrived with a big number of top ranking Philippine officials. That was how popular our President was. But this is not what I wanted to really focus on.
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The President arrived around 2 hours late for the meeting. To ensure that the audience will not get bored, or worse, leave (as some came from very far prefectures outside of Tokyo), the organizer/s decided to show an official video about the Philippines. People became quieter and focused their
attention on the video. When in one portion, our Vice President Leni Lobredo appeared/talked, suddenly there was some big noise. I looked back at the audience as I thought they were cheering for our VP. But no! I realized they were booing her! I was really surprised and shocked, to say the least, at how we Filipinos can be so rude, and so disrespectful of our top government officials, and to our second highest ranking official at that! I lost my cool at this lack of courtesy of my co-OFWs, and told a friend seated next to me, that I could not take this, and I would like to walk out of the room. You know what my friend said? “Do you want your company to lose its clients?” I sat down. This year’s Presidential election is, for me, a most interesting one. I have lived in Japan for around 35 years or so already, and I am not very much updated on what is happening in our country. Most of the “news” I get, I receive from my several viber groups (our family clan’s viber; a Jokers Group; Southern California Pusong UPSE; Pusong UPSE community; UP Econ ’74; JASHS 1970 Group; UPSEAA Community; etc.) and many individual friends, with different “colors” – red, pink, green, etc. I am writing this Tita Lits column right now in Baguio, where I am staying and doing my telework, before I fly back to Tokyo on April 19. Last night, Sunday, March 27, I had dinner with family and a friend, at Banana Leaf restaurant inside SM Baguio. It was the last day of the Panagbenga 2022 Festival, with the theme “Let Hope Bloom”. Beautiful theme, destroyed by a sudden big noise and shouting just outside of the restaurant after the finale (fireworks) of the festival was over. I had some problem with my right hip and could not stand up right away (senior na senior na kasi!) to see what is the noise about. I told my friend it may be a terrorist attack, or a bomb threat so we should rush out of the restaurant. Other customers at the restaurant also looked surprised and concerned. I told my friend to check, and maybe take a photograph of what is happening. She came back after a few seconds, saying it was a shouting match between BBM
March - April 2022
