#laagnitantong

Today is my last day at work with the USAID-Philippine Water Revolving Fund (PWRF) Support Program. I have been with the program for almost 2 years. I started as a STTA (short-term technical assistant) in August to December 2009. Then the Program hired me as a regular consultant since then. I love working with the team, most especially my coaches Ms. Doreen and Ms. Alma. I will remember them and keep their influence in me forever. The PWRF-SP family is always good at blowing a party. Of course, they won't let me leave without a despedida party on June 27. My 30-day resignation notice will end on June 30. The last week of June was basically cleaning my desk and turning over all my business stuffs, finished or unfinished. By June 29, I issued a personal advisory to everyone I worked with in the program. It read as follows: Hello Everyone! This is to inform you that starting July 1, 2011 I am no longer connected with USAID-Philippine Water Revolving Fund Support Progra...

I woke up late this morning and hence I headed for the office late. As a result, the traffic in Quezon City Circle and the stretch of East Avenue trapped me. Even though I paid for my whole way to Ortigas Center, I climbed down the bus along GMA-Timog Avenue to instead ride the MRT train. I believed this is the fastest way to reach the office before 10:00am. True enough, I climbed down the MRT-Ortigas Station at 9:00am and walked my way brickly around Quadix and ADB Avenues. When I reached the Garnet Road, I noticed my sling-bodybag widely open and found my wallet and my two cellular phones gone. I went back traversing the avenues I have walked hoping that I accidentally opened the bag and the stuffs simply fell off. When I reached EDSA, I was truly convinced that I was pickpocketed. I calmed myself down and prayed. I offered to God that everything happened for a reason, no matter how unfathomable. I headed back to the office to make a call for BDO bank to cut or freeze my AMEX cre...

I always travel alone; seldom with friends. This bangkok trip is the second after Singapore in August last year that I went overseas on tour with friends. I tugged along Dupong (we travelled together in Hongkong, Macau, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur), Nang Lolong and Nanan. I always travel with my own itinerary. This time however is different. Instead of me as the tour guide, we availed of an affordable tour package; a travel agency in Surigao has arranged for our hotel and food accomodations and some daytours. Manila is our point of departure, so the three of them flew from Surigao a day before the trip. As a pre-celebration, we had a dinner at Big Buddha, Greenbelt 3 Makati sponsored by Mr. & Mrs Jun and Ruth Go. It was wild dinner party attended by other Surigaonon friends who married, worked and lived in Metro Manila - Patine, Ruby and Tonch, Nanan and Johnny, Nang Lolong, Dupong, Nang Jackie and me. June 10, 2011 I reported...

I already have served my resignation letter. I already have furnished copies to my colleagues in the program. I was grateful I have finally bid goodbye. However, the feeling of leaving got heavier when the words and messages keep pouring in. Ms. Alma Porciuncula Dear Cris, It is with a heavy heart that I bid you a temporary good-bye as a colleage in PWRFSP, although i do hope we will continue to see ecah other as friends. You have done great work (with little mentoring on my part) and put our utility reform effort in the LGU and Coop maps. We were lucky to have found you and luckier still that you stayed with us through the crucial periods of the utility reform effort. We would not have gone as far as we did without you. Thank you for the dedication and hard work. Good luck with your next adventure. I'd like to think you are on loan to them and that we could work again sometime in the future. God bless, Alma (my chief) Ms. Doreen Erfe Dear Cris, It has been likewise a ve...

I stayed until evening in the office the day that I wrote my resignation. I waited for my boss to go home so that I can start writing the letter and slip it through her table. Since the letter is dated June 1, I can not serve it to her that night before the said date. I have been drawing up many ways of saying the word goodbye and on how to tell her personally. My colleagues have hints of my separation and they have been inquiring when will I tell my boss about it. That's my chief, Ms. Alma, third in line from me at the front. My boss and I were scheduled to travel together on June 1 to Bohol (Jagna and Alburquerque) for some business matters, so I made up my mind to tell her on our way back to Manila. I decided not to confront her before this date fearing that I might ruin her zeal of doing our business together. Well, I believe she's so professional to act such, but I just have to avoid such from happening. Who knows? That evening of May 31, she asked me what am I doing ...