Spreading the Christmas cheers

It is tempting to write about martial law extension, the Dengvaxia scare, and other current events but in keeping with the Christmas spirit, may I choose to pass up on these issues for now.

That also means taking an indefinite break from listening to any of President Rodrigo Duterte’s speeches. The 72-year-old leader seems constantly irate. But you can’t take the style away from the man if he chooses to be in a mode to always have to fight for something. Yet at some point, there’s a limit to one’s tolerance for his smug, dismissive, and expletive-ridden tirades.

While we can avoid listening to our leaders speak, there’s something we cannot seem to avoid this Christmas season –the traffic jams. As I wrote this, people in the office were projecting a “carmageddon” happening later in the day –a serious traffic jam on the evening of the 15th day of the month (payday) falling on a Friday, and during Christmas party season.

The first Christmas party I attended this year happened Friday last week and I was able to avoid getting delayed by the usual heavy traffic by going to the venue an hour earlier. The traffic-dodging smartphone app Waze also helped me get around traffic.

Ride-hailing apps like Angkas would also have been very useful this season against traffic jams standing between the commuter and a relaxing dinner party with friends or family. But the LTFRB, citing a 53-year-old law, RA 4136, has clamped down on Angkas motorcyles. Of course, we understand that it is now up to Congress to urgently amend the law to keep up with the demands of the times.

In the words of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña during the LTFRB dialogue with Angkas drivers earlier this week: The law should serve the people, not the other way around. Osmeña has duly earned the admiration of netizens and commuters for his vocal support to Angkas and other ride-hailing apps like Uber and Grab. “This mayor gets it,” says one netizen.

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The second Christmas gathering I attended happened last Wednesday during the Thanksgiving Mass for The FREEMAN. It was a joyous occasion meeting up with my FREEMAN colleagues and listening to our chairman Sir Dodong Gullas give a speech. It was made especially meaningful by the beautiful homily of Monsignor Joe Tajanlangit. He reminded us never to forget to keep Jesus Christ at the center of our Christmas celebrations, because “Christmas without Christ is X-mas.”

When I met Monsignor Tajanlangit, I was pleasantly surprised by his recollection of the days when I was still a small boy in tow with my mother during those spiritual celebrations with family and close-knit friends like my late Tita Tuding Abines.

In the evening of that day, I had two Christmas parties to catch. Because of the traffic, I only managed to attend one. With the many Christmas gatherings we are invited to this season, it cannot be ignored that these occasions revolve around good food. In our culture and tradition, food is what brings us Filipinos together.

Oftentimes, however, by good food we mean those delicious dishes that are usually high in cholesterol. In Cebu, a party is not complete without a sinfully-delicious serving of lechon. I hope we all remember to keep things in moderation this season, especially when it comes to the food we eat.

Then there is also the culture of giving and grace that comes with the Christmas season. Many of us take this time to reach out to our fellow Filipinos left in the margins of the economy. I hope you are still generous to carolers and underprivileged visitors who have come from afar asking for a share of your blessings.

There are also many of us who declare a ceasefire with our actual or perceived enemies, or take a break from office and personal politics. In the law profession, we call the month of December a rock-bottom season for litigation or court hearings. Nobody wants to pick or chase a quarrel this season.

The consensus seems to be: Don’t be a Grinch this season. It’s time to celebrate Christmas.