Sleeping and Laughing with the enemy

There's not enough to be said on the inhuman carnage in Maguindanao! The barbarous act defies even crude civilized conventions. Even the wild, Wild West offers dignity in battle. The countdown before pulling and triggering a gun in a duel is enough evidence. The public's outrage generated enormous information, whether legitimate or not, on its consequences, causes and travesties over popular and social media. But let’s look at the often overlooked but very telling details of an impending whitewash. One is the meeting between a government emissary and the Ampatuans to get their cooperation a day after the massacre. Geez, talking of coddling the enemy. In police parlance, a suspect that has been accused of a crime within 24 hours is still considered in the bounds of a 'hot pursuit,' meaning he can be arrested even without a warrant. But the government even has the gall to give them the benefit of the doubt and begged for their cooperation even with all the concrete evidences coming out. What bothers me most are the photos of the meeting showing the emissary, an unheralded Jesus Dureza, seemingly smiling and having fun in the company of the Ampatuans, Senior, Junior and Zaldy at the latter's mansion at that (See photo at left courtesy of ABS-CBN News.com). (See related story on GMA News TV: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/178135/dureza-gets-scolding-from-wife-over-photos-with-ampatuans). 

I think this is the most telling evidence to cover-up if not minimize the impact of the crimes’ consequences to the Ampatuans.

Another would be Dureza's story on the ground fire the chopper, where he and Ampatuan Jr. rode on, received during their flight to General Santos City to turn over the latter to the equally unremarkable DOJ Secretary Agnes Devanadera. What made the story outrageous and suspicious was his extra effort to pick up a bullet shell and showing it to media as proof of the assault which they found absolutely idiotic. Imagine a bullet shell instead of the projectile hitting the chopper? What seems to be Dureza's strategy to generate empathy for Ampatuan Jr. backfired on him tenfold. The outrageous story quickly spread like wildfire in social media circles. 

Correlate these observations with other popular circumstances such as the suspect without a handcuff, the sugarcoated and carefully planned statements from public officials, the general sentiments of a whitewash, the authorities continued shunning of the other principal suspects and you’ll have a grand scale, orchestrated coverup in the offing. The greatest tragedy of this is not so much on the carnage itself but why it had to happen in the first place and why do the devils still freely roam the earth when they should be burning in hell where they rightfully belong. In all of these, I wish we would realize how far we’ve gone back to the dark ages if not to the dinosaur epoch.

And I also hope the alleged tape used to record the atrocious acts divulges itself a little later with the 20 or so eyewitnesses to give time for the public outcry to percolate into a boiling rampage. In this scenario, the mob might just take justice into their own hands and mutilate the barbarians and the co-conspirators, much as what they’ve done to the hapless and innocent victims.

Exquisite Cuisine in Paradise (Tanglad Bistro launch at Nurture Spa Village)

It was an ordinary day for me. Ordinary in the sense that I’m my own busy self. Paper works, online works, remote & virtual conferences, texting and phone calls consist my daily existence. I’m in a 'virtual bubble' as some techies might call it. Except that this day was also an exciting day. My wife and I will attend and cover the official launch of Tanglad Bistro and Tan'aw Bar in Nurture Spa Village, a known wellness haven in Tagaytay. The spa partnered with renowned wedding caterer Josiah's Catering to expertly handle their food and beverage. It was a smooth drive going up to Tagaytay. The roads were less obstructed probably because of the off-peak hours. I thought we were going to be late since we were still in Silang at 4 p.m., the start of the launch ceremony.

It was half past four when we got there. It was no surprise that the program has just started. I was with my wife Karen, our gregarious kid Darco and his Yaya Tina and I can sense in their body language that they're looking forward to it. We were met by the very accommodating and perpetually smiling receptionists of Nurture. I have to take my hats off to the owners' of this popular destination spa, Cathy and Mike Turvill, for training them well. Their friendly & gracious personas rubbed off on the staff. 

The dining set up in the pavilion was quite appealing and the motif was elegant and conforms to the nighttime mood. This gives me the impression that Josiah’s really knows its business. It reminded me of similar banquets found only in five star hotels. What made it unique was an outdoor massage area tucked in one corner of the pavilion. I saw people having their backs and heads treated with soothing strokes from health therapists. Nurture's health therapists are known for their knowledge and expertise. Cathy told me they undergo extensive training and have to imbibe a 'nurturing' and 'healing' attitude to be accepted in this elite group. We met the ever gracious Mike who was busy entertaining other guests.

I immediately took photos of the highlights of the place. It was captivating and enchanting as ever since we visited two months ago. The lighting effects generally sprinkled the whole area with a soft, warm glow, an excellent setting for couples whispering sweet nothings to each other. The garden area aptly called 'Hardin ni Eba' was close to paradise itself. With an infinity pool and carefully planned landscape, the place is perfect for romantic, moonlight dinner dates and dreamy 'walks in the park.' The Tan'aw Bar, named so because of its overlooking view, is a great hangout for friends and barkadas on a night out. Boyet Versoza, other half of Jet and one of Josiah's founders, said the bar offers a variety of wines and spirits. "We also have our patented, in-house cocktail mixes on top of our varied bar menu," he added.

The Wedding pavilion was renovated to accommodate more people, thereby making it a first-rate wedding and event venue, considering the other impressive elements. Of course, Nurture, aside from being a vacation getaway, rose to prominence due to its wellness and de-stressing spa services meant to holistically heal mind, body and spirit.

It now offers Joyful Health programs, spa packages with both pampering and wellbeing components, that were specially designed with Dr.  Samuel Dizon, a respected medical expert on alternative medicine. I would say the food was a feast for the senses.

Just by looking at the inviting and elegantly laid out dishes would make one drool. My wife told me in jest she doesn't mind going for third servings with this kind of food. Fresh Versoza, Josiah's amiable general manager, informed this blogger that Tanglad's menu concept was essentially inspired by the Tanglad or Lemon Grass plant, a herb used primarily as a spice in most Asian cuisines. She said most of the dishes and drinks are infused with Tanglad as a vital ingredient.

After casual chit chats with some of the guests and taking snapshots of the food and settings, it's time to savor the delicious aroma and partake of the feast. Firstly, I was attracted by the spicy sardine in a crusty square puff which looks delectable. I enjoyed how the strong and flavorful sardine complimented the crunchiness and almost tasteless bread base. I was also very pleased with the tasty pasta, the herbs and spices lipsmackingly explode with the cheese. I relished with gusto the combinations I made in the salad bar. I was impressed with how fresh the greens were. I didn’t find any trace of spoiled part on the lettuce and the olives were plump and juicy. Kudos to Josiah’s head chef Jasper Versoza, whom I kidded about his look-a-like celebrity chef, for a job well done.

Karen also tried the Bio Meridian Scanner (BMS), another one of the spa's latest offerings. This non-invasive, non-intrusive computerized check up scans your meridian points and gives in less than 20 minutes an overall assessment of you health and wellbeing. The test yielded some surprising results. Karen's current ailments were diagnosed properly by the well-trained nursing staff.

Needless to say, it was a fulfilling night for me and my family. My son Darco enjoyed the fresh air and the wide expanse of grass to play on and our yaya loved the fine cuisine. And oh did I say we didn’t go home emptyhanded? Charming Fae Gumabon, Josiah’s marketing manager, handed us with native baskets of goodies. Inside were Amu’in Aromatherapy items, gift certificates from Nurture and Tanglad Bistro and a press kit.

Tanglad Bistro and Tan’aw bar is located inside Nurture Spa Village at Pulong Sagingan, Barangay Maitim Second West Tagaytay City. Call (046) 4830804-05, 0920-9505724, 0918-888SPA or visit www.nurture.com.ph,‘Nurture Spa’ Facebook account and www.nurturespa.multiply.com. The spa also sells Nurture gift certificates and Amu’in Aromatherapy products, just asked the receptionist or call the numbers above. While Josiah’s Catering can be reached at (02) 93421-63, 93492-52, 93492-53 and 94170-32. Their website is www.josiahcatering.com.

By Paolo Angelo Florenda

Clan wars and Warlordism in Mindanao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA6OQolVRyE 

Here's a foreign documentary that encapsulates how guns, goons and warlordism prevails in Mindanao. A time to reflect on the very real and present danger befalling our Filipino brothers there in light of the Maguindanao carnage.

By Paolo Angelo Florenda

Uplifting and Inspirational, two vital elements for good news

(from Pinoyambisyoso.com)

I want to start my new blog in a positive light. Just watched the interview on TV of Efren Penaflorida, the CNN Hero of the Year awardee. For such a huge feat, the MAN  is an epitome of humbleness, humility and modesty. The words he carefully blurted out were full of sincerity to help Filipinos help themselves. And since he is a Filipino and a common man, I literally tingled with pride and joy! You see, the humongous success of a simple and average joe makes hopeless people feel hopeful and gives the downtrodden something to be happy about even for a while. This is the power of positivism in awe inspiring and uplifting  news stories.

NICE OF YOU TO DROP BY!

Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting my blog! You'll be seeing more of my views, comments, insinuations, recommendations and shoutouts on anything about Public Relations, Marketing and the emergent new media called the "INTERNET" which is changing the way we live. Occassionally, I will delve into mundane topics and issues such as world and local politics, relationships, family matters, showbiz, business and life in general. I would be very glad if you will regularly read my blog from now on. Rest assured, you will leave a better man after reading my posts.