FPJ sa Likod Niyo !

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

My barber whined to fellow barber about the measly P253 daily minimum wage given to a worker at the non-agriculture sector in Region 1.

FPJ's tarpaulin in Alaminos City, Pangasinan

“It could hardly feed my family on it,” as he compared the pay in the Philippines to those overseas.
When I went to the branch of the Mainland Chinese owned chain of stores 168 Shopping Mall to buy a strainer for our sink, I asked an emaciated saleslady how much she is paid a day.
“P140 a day, sir!”
She added that she has to bring her meal because the management did not shoulder their lunch unlike many Filipino store owners.

Mangatarem, Pangasinan

How could this Chinese store run-around the law when it had been criticized by commentators of a radio station before when its owner maltreated a sales lady and the announcer expose the owner to pay its workers below the minimum wage law?
How could the government like the Bureau of Internal Revenue did not lift a finger when I exposed already on my column ( BIR should fine this Mainland Chinese Store that you accessed at https://northwatch.wordpress.com/…/ortigoza-bir-should-fin…/) a Chinese owned store that sells cheap commodities like those sold by 168 in not issuing a BIR sanctioned official receipts to customers who patronized it?
Paging the Department of Labour & Employment and the BIR to look in the fate of the sorry workers at these Chinese stores and the non issuance of the O.R by that store near Orchid’s Hotel.
Mga hinayupaks kayong mga Chinese Mainlander, hindi niyo pa na colonized ang Pilipinas ito na ang pinag-gagawa niyo sa amin!

***

Huge tarpaulins adorned today every towns and cities of the huge province of Pangasinan. 76th birthday pala ni action star Fernando Poe, Jr. Since he was born in San Carlos City, Pangasinan, his daughter Senator Maria Grace Poe, presidential survey’s trailblazer, is coming on August 26 to the province for campus tours.

7 Am noong mid 1980s habang kasakasama ko ang sexy na siyota ko sa Cotabato City, napatanung  ako: “Ano iyang haba ng pila ng mga tao na iyan, meron bang pa premyo diyan?”

“Walang pa- premyo, mga kapatid nating Muslim iyan nakapila na sila sa 10 Am na palabas na pelikula ni FPJ (acronym of Poe, Jr.),” ani niya.

That’s how popular FPJ to the masses when he was alive. My girlfriend, who was an avid Poe, Jr. fan, excitedly told me that the day before when she watched the flick of the action star, some Muslim brothers were screaming inside the movie house for Fernando Poe, Jr. to look at his back because flick villains Paquito Diaz and Max Alvarado were in a treacherous position in shooting him.

“Fernando sa likod mo!” those movie goers screamed so FPJ could defend himself in a make-believe story.

“Hinde lang sigaw, iba diyan kung minsan nagbabato pa ng granada doon sa telon (silver screen) para tulungan iyong binubug-bog na si Fernando Poe,” an eavesdropping conductor of Mintranco Bus butted in our conversation somewhere in Simway, Maguindanao (a Muslim rebels' hot bed).

***

 I watched the morning ABS-CBN TV regional news when it showed bags of baseball bats and gloves donated to public school pupils in Dagupan City by a Japanese Non Goverment Organization.

“Iyang baseball ay pinagkalu-ob ni Governor General William Howard Taft para mailayo ang mga Filipinos noong colonial period sa sabung,” a TV host said.

Mailayo sa sabung, baseball? Ha ha kaloka, este,kaloko!

Kasi mukhang hindi nagtagumpay ang mga Amerkano. Dumami naman ang sabungan sa Pinas at ang mga nagsu-sulputan na parang kabute na mga tupadahan (illegal cockpits at the villages).

The last time I heard about baseball ay noong 1992 ng nag world champion sa 46th Little League World Series in n South Williamsport, Pennsylvania ang mga bata galing sa Pinas.

Bata? Di ba mga pandak na matatanda iyon? Na ni expose pa ng Filipino journalists sa world class panloloko para maipanalo nila ang Pinas sa League World Series. Mabuti naman tinangalan kaagad sila ng title na dinaan nila sa hao-shiao.

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)