Just F*ck*ng Watch! (echoseras)

I guess it has always been a petpeeve of mine – unnecessary noise and people talking in the cinema. Before moviehouses started playing those ads in the beginnning of the movie asking the audience to put their phones on silent mode, I was already doing it. I get annoyed at phones ringing and message tone beeping in the middle of a movie. If that call couldn’t wait a couple of hours, you shouldn’t have bothered to watch a movie. Attend to it!

What is even more annoying are people talking in the movie house – once the movie has started. I mean, I chat especially during trailers and I do give side comments every now and then. But to speak, to speak and have a conversation with your seatmate as if you rented the whole cinema to yourselves is quite disrespectful -and I should say quite cheap as well.

And I specifically remembered how annoying speaking in the cinema can get while I watched the last Harry Potter movie. It totally ruined my “emote” for the last HP movie, kainis. (so warning, if you haven’t seen HP you might not be able to relate or there might be some spoilers here). By the way, the echoserang malakas ng boses here shall be aptly called – DEMENTOR!

 A note to all moviegoers – unless you rented the place to youself/yourselves – please refrain from speaking because:

1) It’s a movie house not a RADIO program!

Don’t freakin tell your seatmate and thus a huge part of the whole cinema what is going on, we see it too you know.

DEMENTOR: Hala, mao na ni, galakaw na sila sa sulod Hogwarts (this it, they are walking in hogwarts)

DEMENTOR: Ay,ay! Grabe na sila ug away (..I can’t seem to translate this. hahaha)

We see it! Puny*ta! Mukhang di naman bulag ang katabi mo so wag mong idescribe ang nangyayari. The last time I checked the movie house still had a BIG SCREEN, so everyone can see it. 

2)If you didn’t get what just happened, don’t speak your ignorance aloud

Severus Snape just died and with his tears,Harry got to Dumbledore’s office to view his memory

DEMENTOR: Ay mao na na katong tubig (oh that’s it, the water thing) – Yes, she meant the pensieve for those of us who know better.

DEMENTOR: Ay, nahimo mang plato na diay (oh, it looks like a plate now)

DEMENTOR: Hala! Nilupad (ugh, its flying) – The whole movie, series, book is about wizards and magic, ofcourse things will and can naturally fly, appear or disappear you moron! 

While watching the memory of Snape.Toward the part where Dumbledore asked Snape if he has already developed a sense of care for Harry despite hating his dad. And Snape in a way revealed that he had ALWAYS loved Lily Potter.

DEMENTOR: Ha?!? (Super surprised) Siya diay ang Papa ni Harry! – Papatulan ko pa ba ito? I swear I wanted to grab the straw from my drink, point it at her and scream – Stupefy! 

3) We also want to know what happens next

One of the most important speaking scenes in HP7 Part2 was when Harry had a conversation with Dumbledore after Voldemort tried to killed him in the forbidden forest. So we need and wanted to listen well. But ofcourse, our darn Death Eater of a companion just had to speak so loudly.

DEMENTOR: So asa naman sila, sa Heaven na (Where are they, in heaven). Kay patay na gud si Dumbledore (because Dumbledore is dead) Unsa nay nahitabo? Unsa na ang sunod ana? (So what happens next?)

Ah gusto din namin malaman. If you would freakin shut up we would hear it and maybe you’ll know! Gaga! (At this point, my equally maldita friend finally gave them a 3 second stare sending Avada Kedavra signals! Ako I have already made a “shhhh” sound 3x before the staring ha, and I was murmuring – Just freakin watch lady – di sila sensitive!)

DEMENTOR: Ay saba na ta kaayo (Ay, I think we are too noisy) – Naman? Ngayon mo lang napansin? Atsaka di KAYO maingay – IKAW lang, IKAW lang kasi oo lang naman at hindi sinasagot ng katabi mo noh.Wag mo sila idamay sa ka-cheapan mo.

They kept silent for about 3-4 mins lang!

4) Wag kang All Knowing! Kasi mali ka.. Akala mo lang Tama ka, pero Mali-Mali-Mali

At the scene in the forbidden forest where Harry discovers the resurrection stone inside the snitch

DEMENTOR: Oh, mao na. Mao na na ang Quidditch (yes, yes that’s the quidditch) – her friends don’t respond. Mao na lagi na tong quidditch, katong sa dula nila (Really, that’s the quidditch)  

Hindi miss, snitch lang yan, yung buong laro yun. Nagmamagaling ka kasi. And this was just one of her feeling alam ang Harry Potter comments throughout the movie ha – kalurkey!

So seriously people, Don’t be a DEMENTOR in the movie house. Speak softly if you must, but only a few words. People paid to watch and listen to the movie, not to their seatmates. Di tuloy ako nakapag-emote sa panunuod ko! Mga leche kayo! Now I feel I must watch it again. Dahil dala ng inis namin sa inyo, tawang-tawa kami sa katangahan niyo!  

Stop being a Dementor to other people especially to me, because the next time – I swear di ako magpipigil at sisigawan talaga kita ng “Shut the Hell Up” or para magulat ka talaga at matulala – Stupefy! Expecto Patronum!

 

 

SUVs, the Bishops and the Poor

Huwhat?!! The Bishops will return the vehicles they got from the PCSO. So what will happen to the poor in the uplands? Who will visit them and preach to them to make sure their faith is in tact and they remain faithful to the Catholic church? How can the priests reach them now; help the sick and the elderly and the marginalized? Kawawa naman the poor, baka their souls will not be saved.

Earlier today, I was listening (via livestream) to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the PCSO “donation” of vans to the 7 Bishops. To be honest I was prompted to listen because I heard Sen.Miriam Santiago was delivering a speech that lectures PCSO. Speech+Sen.Santiago has convinced me enough to listen. 

Soon after her speech though, the bishops were allowed to give their own opening statement/s before the committee. Archbishop Quevedo of Cotabato City read the first statement and I believe he was the perfect choice to do so. He had the voice, tone and manner of reading. He didn’t seem mighty proud but not pitiful – “paawa” as well. He spoke of the work of the church for the poor and how in their desire to extend help and do their work, they have looked for ways and assistance to various institutions. He reiterated sadness and guilt over the pain that this issue has caused the Catholic community. The seven (7) of them (who received the expensive vehicles) are sorry for this and that they have prepared the cars outside the Senate for its return to PCSO. Irregardless of the outcome of the inquiry – they are returning the vehicles. At this point, I was actually saddened and I had the faces of the many priests and Catholic workers in my head – those who work in the mountains and how hard it is to travel and reach the marginalized whom this government has forgotten. No I didn’t exactly feel for the 7 Bishops, especially not about their brand new SUVs but I understood what they meant about reaching the most far flung of areas – because that is MY JOB and a task of many others who work for the environment and the marginalized.

photo courtesy of Bicol Today

But naman Bishops! Don’t you repeat the excuse over and over again. Napa hinga ako ng malalim  when Bishop de Dios and yet the other bishops sighted their work for the poor as the reason (excuse) behind their asking for luxurious cars.

(update: as of 645PM: I caught the news and a couple of the vans are not brand new and not luxurious at all. One was a L200. That I can really accept and in a way feel for whichever Bishop owned it.)

Kainis kayo! While I feel for and understand the many missionaries – priests and religious workers included – who must travel in the roughest roads and often times risk their lives in riding extended motorcycles (habal-habal) or walk for hours – How Dare You constantly use the poor as an excuse to request for a luxurious SUV?!  As if the work for the poor cannot happen without such vehicle. Mas mabilis kaya makarating ang motor sa area kesa sa malaking sasakyan. 

Fine, matanda ka na. But a BRAND NEW CAR? A Brand New Car up in the mountains?!

I work in the mountains and I do field work  – sa FOREST and I mean FO-REST. You don’t bring a MONTERO up the mountains and across the river – much more a Brand New One! Ano ka nagpapakidnap? (look at me, look me, shiny new car. I have money!) Tsaka bakit mo bubugbugin ang sasakyan na bago sa super lubak-lubak na daan gayung a second hand 4×4 can do a better job? Why choose a 4×4 that only few of your people can ride in – space of Montero is small. Buy a Tamarraw instead or a L200 or a KIA similar to that so you can bring more goods and things up in the area and more people can ride down in the main city. 

Marginalized na nga sila to begin with, di na nga nakaka-access to some of the most basic goods and services -gagawin mo pa silang major excuse sa iyong mga kaprichohan. Pasalamat ka’t wala silang TV o Cable at iba walang kuryente  at di nila napanuod ang mga excuses mo at “paggamit” mo sa kanila. Tapos once a month mo lang naman sila nabibisita (minsan its not your fault coz of the many communities I understand). Parang sinabi mo na pag wala ang mga sasakyan mo ay di mo na sila mapupuntahan, pwede naman magCommute! At pano kaya dati, mas mahirap ang daan eh naaabot naman sila ng ibang pari, ngayon pa kaya? 

While the work for them is hard and can be easier with assistance from other people and organizations, lack of funds and other resources should never hinder one to do the work. Much more, doing good work doesn’t give you the excuse not to look into the money you accepted – dirty money or corrupted money can never be made good even if it used to help others. Remember, may PINAGNAKAWAN pa din nun, may Nadehado.

And Father naman, driving a 7 year old car is not such a bad thing -sana pampaayos na lang dun ang hiningi niyo (sa kahit sino ha, not just from PCSO). O kaya naglobby ka sa DPWH ng better roads, mas long term at sustainable yun. Di man kaya i aspalto o i cemento ang mga daan ng 1.6M, kaya nung ayusin ang lubak-lubak na daan to better farm-market roads.

I am a Catholic who will be willing to accept a lapse in judgement because we are all humans.  I am willing to forgive Just don’t give excuses anymore – much more use others, those who have already been oppressed and marginalized as your excuse. That is not “bishoply”, not even priestly, not Christian, not at all.