Super Jasper

He has fire in his soul and grace in his heart. He always win, he barely lose.

Every time I am sad and confused, I send him random emoticons at 12AM, 1AM or even 3AM. He would immediately respond . After several exchanges of messages, I felt the compassion. I fell asleep. For me, that’s his one of the many powers. He is better than any relaxant available in the market. His potency to make people happy is 100%.

When God showered the Earth with positivism and energy, I will bet that he acquired it all. His aura is something Earth’s available dictionary can’t define. It is a heaven-bestowed gift that only he can conjure.

If you are unhappy, displeased, and about to surrender— I beg you to hold your horses. Meet Jasper. He will uplift your spirit. He will electrocute you with the barest energy of life. He will add meaning to your existence; he will make you strong using your own faculties.

When he starts to smile and to dance, you will surely see the rotation of Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. He has the ability to send you outside this unfair world and in return, he will create a perfect, ideal world for you.

When I first met him two years ago year, I knew that he is special. I expected great things from him  The dedication oozing from his skin was palpable–real and inspirational. His mere presence makes things and events more positive and lively.

Stronger than any force of evil–he stands tall and confident.

For the record, he is one of my favorites not because he is white, tall, can speak eloquently, smart and energetic but because he is the living Synecdoche of hope and light that our world needs today. Jasper seeks to defibrillate hearts that are already callous and sclerotic, to empower hands that are already timid and weak, and to rewire frozen neurons and synapses because of despair and tribulations.

Jasper won’t hurt you.

He is the best of Philippine Airlines.

Since Philippine Airlines has launched its new philosophy of being the “Heart of the Filipino”, I never had the chance to completely comprehend it. For me, a “Filipino heart” is formed by distinct strands of compassion, hospitality and love. Honestly, I never felt the perfect experience not until my last three flights last week. A flight attendant perfectly embodies the real meaning of “Heart of the Filipino”.

His name is Vincent as stated on his nameplate. I had the chance to witness his unbelievable power three times in a row. In one of my trip, I was very angry because the flight was delayed for almost one and a half hour. I want to shout out loud that could reach the control tower of NAIA from Cotabato but when I entered the plane, it was different.

Vincent stands at the door–confident.  He gave his unique Filipino smile to each guest. That same powerful smile appeased the agitated passengers. I returned the warm gesture, he smiled back and he assisted me to my section. The moment after I fastened my seat-belt, he smiled again.

He won. I was pacified. Everyone from rows 1-15 experienced serenity inside the plane. At that moment, I understood that the heart of the Filipino is reflected in every genuine smile. He nailed it. Vincent perfected the art of smiling. His smile could stop time, could make you feel that you are a Million Miler,  could make you experience that you are the Queen of the Universe.

I want to say to the captain, “Hey Captain, let’s depart tomorrow.”

He also possesses the essential element of sensitivity. He could easily ascertain if someone is suffering from discomfort. He assesses the situation and he renders the appropriate intervention. Afterwards, he returns to evaluate. He will never leave you even you are sitting along the Economy Class. His attention never changes from the head up to the tail of the plane. He is compassionate, his technique undoubtedly comes from a deeper origin—his heart.

When snacks are being distributed and you happened to be sleeping, don’t worry because he will respect you. He will not disturb you, instead he will look at you as if you are Snow White.  He won’t ask you coffee, tea or water. He will not force you to wake up and receive the Banana Bread Slice. He will open the tray and will place your food for you to enjoy once you are awake. Then he will return with a smile and asks you for your choice of drinks. He will never leave you hungry, thirsty or sleepy.

His comforting words will kiss and caress you.

Just like with other flights, the time for deplaning will come—sad. The relationship ends after a passenger leaves the plane. But Vincent is not one of those who easily terminate the relationship. He ends the experience with a smile composed of 99% happiness and wishes of safety and inspiration. He hides the remaining 1% for you to feel that you need to return to discover and to experience over and over and over again. He knows how to connect.

With all of these, I can say that Vincent has the heart of a Filipino, a perfect personification of Philippine Airlines Philosophy and Values of highest costumer service. He made me so proud because he had shown the best of the Philippines and the distinct brand of service marked by heartfelt warmth and hospitality. He is one of a kind, a total mixture of passion, dedication and service. Philippine Airlines must be proud of him.

#Mutya

Mutya slams House for “cannibalistic” death Penalty bill.

I am Mutya, I am pro-life.

Setting aside party colors, I would like to manifest my total objection to the re-imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines. It seems that the majority of the House are in hurry to pass the “devilish” bill. Killing our own people is not the solution. If you are losing your hopes, if you are pressured to approve this inhumane measure because of political reasons—–please do not do it.

Killing our fellow Filipinos is cannibalistic and the government should not participate on this. It is not your business, not your mandate, and not even your calling. You are elected to represent the Filipino people across economic background, color and religion, thus you should dismiss bills which threatened our liberty and even they are part of the minority.

Death Penalty is anti-poor. Please check the records. The rich who could afford expert counsel were released alive, like a happy Maya, while the poor who have no access to competent defense suffered the capital punishment of death.

Open your eyes, the Supreme Court said that 7 out of 10 death penalty cases in the past have judicial error. Our criminal justice system is far from perfect. Sad to say, it could even be swayed by money. The blind-folded Lady Justice sometimes is not fair and just. We can’t let the lives of our fellowmen be played under the influence of dirty money and political connections.

Death Penalty is irreversible, thus we don’t have any chance to correct any wrong. Furthermore, it also prevents a person from contemplating and learning from his past mistakes. As a nation, we should aim for restorative justice. Killing a criminal will not heal the victims. It further opens the wound perpetually without closure. Before a person becomes a criminal, he is a human being and as a human being, we are believed to be innately good especially when given the right circumstances. The rise of criminality is the result of poor governance and widespread corruption that results to poverty.

Honorable Representatives of the people, let’s remember the cases of Fernando Galera, a 26 years old, fish vendor, innocent but sentenced to death because he can’t afford to pay competent lawyers, Richard Ong, 33 years old, innocent who was sentenced to death in 1994.  He was tortured and confessed something which he didn’t do. Hideshi Suzuki, 38, Japanese man sentenced to death in 1994 because of marijuana trafficking. He claimed that the marijuana was planted on him by a police officer. (M. Fajardo, Death Penalty in the Philippines).

Clearly, we are not ready for death penalty. We should dismiss this measure and focus on solutions that matter. Let us prevent evil forces from using Death Penalty to silence its critics and from erasing the poor from the crust of the Philippines.

The state has no right to kill a person without granting him the full protection of the laws. No person shall be deprived of life!

#Mutya