ASBAG
Edgar A. Basares Jr.

I am working in the transport industry being an HR Manager of a private bus company based in Dasmarinas, Cavite. Our units traverse the Navotas – Palapala (Dasmarinas) route from 4:00 am to 2:00 am seven days a week. Caviteños knew us well, residents of Dasmarinas in particular, from being the only transport group granted the Permit to operate along said route – to their convenience, and also because of the times they have to transfer when our buses are stuck in the middle of the road due to engine failure and other technical problems and the times they have to open the windows because of malfunctioning aircon system – to their irritation.

I am handling 278 employees 95% of which are males 82% are drivers and conductors. I live inside the garage, a one hectare property where I also hold office. All employees are covered with Personal Accident Insurance, drivers and conductors received one of the highest commission in the industry, along side these is a pabahay project, scholarship for their deserving kids, medical assistance which extends to the family members, bonuses and allowances for drivers and conductors.

Because I live inside the garage, on several occasions I have been roused from bed at 1:00 am to break a fight between employees carrying lead pipes and fan knives. Many a times, I have to rush an employee to a hospital either bleeding from a fight or suffering from impatso and attend to his needs. On one occasion again ran like hell to a hospital 14 kilometers away at 12 midnight because we had the misfortune of having a passenger who just came from caesarean delivery and was suffering from post CRS trauma, and I have to babysit her. All problems of our employees land on my desk, from their arrears with the availed housing loan, to damages incurred by a nearby bar where our employees have had a fight after a drinking spree, to demands for financial support from B2 while trying to pacify B1 at the other room.

In general, my job is to pick up their loose diapers and expect not even a word of thank or a note of appreciation.

And the prevailing norms and traits; employees swear as fast as they chew food, brags on their sexcapades as if only they knew how, they refuses to be controlled and resist all forms of authority and would often challenge you to a fight once you impose disciplinary actions. I have one applicant who threatened to kill me if I do not approve his application. I did not, and sent him home and the last I heard of is his scratching his head and trying to figure out what hit him while I continue to function in my duties and responsibilities.

We call it ASBAG. It is their lingo for ARROGANCE. They would bluff the hell out of you and if you stammer you’re dead. It emanates from the culture of the road they assimilate every day; on how they would bluff their way out from traffic violations, false promises of seats available to entice passengers to come in, and the swerving and crisscrossing on the street to get passengers ahead of other drivers. When they disembark they continue to carry in them such trait and values. It’s a way of life for them.

I am expected to create miracles yet I’m no saint and far from being one. At the end of each day I am dog tired yet could not sleep, mentally fatigued and exhausted but still alert for any eventuality whether inside the garage or on the road.

Of all my jobs before this is the least rewarding in terms of salary. The temptation to abandon ship and transfer remains a daily option. Yet I continue to hold on.

To me the dilemma is between financial rewards as fruits of my industry, dedication and initiative – which I can never have in this company inasmuch as I am not a kapuso neither am I a kapamilya, versus the joy and contentment of work brought about by the trust and confidence of my boss – which I may not have in another company.

My everyday routine is a challenge. You solve a problem today but it will resurrect again tomorrow maybe with a different face but it is the same dog. It is a vicious cycle exhausting and tiring. In general whenever we tend to move forward we also shoot our best foot ahead.

Yet the biggest challenge and what continues to motivate me in this job is how to make these people understand how the law operates. That it is not designed to restrain them but merely to regulate. And that the regulation is necessary for the common good. The challenge is a tall mountain to climb, but like all mountains it can be climbed. Reaching its summit is not my immediate goal rather an inch by inch improvement serves as my consolation. The problems would forever be there, in a never-ending cycle but looking around with the progress we made towards maturity gives me the strength to go on.

And oh by the way, if ever you meet me don’t call me manager, ‘ger would be just fine since there is no money.

Happy Birthday Kit!

sa 17 na lang daw padi an irinuman hehehe 

Happy Birthday Jet!

Celebrated my bday in beautiful White Beach Sandbar in Camiguin Island with lots of grilled fish, Soju (korean wine) and a bit of kimchi :-) Then had a blast going whitewater rafting




















so much fun to swim here in the sandbar















and get drenched rafting along cagayan river

Minutes of the Corporate Meeting held at Tyrone's Residence in Doña Maria Luisa Park on May 21, 2006

In attendance:

Tyrone S. Tan, Rinofel Q. Coronel, Junnel M Relativo, Jason L. Balbedina, Edgar A. Basares Jr., Henri Arnulfo E. Deri, Eric G. Gojar, Domingo M. Lee III, and Faustino E. Taclan Jr.

The meeting started around 11:00 pm, with Tan presiding. At the outset, Tan broached the idea of the class taking on outreach programs, programs aimed at helping the more needy sectors of our society and programs that would contribute in the progress of our nation, as a way of giving back to the society and, at the same time, doing our part in nation-building.

The idea caught on and everyone agreed to raise funds through business ventures not only to finance the outreach projects but also to generate income for the individual members of the class. In furtherance of this objective, the group agreed on the following:

1. Form a corporation that will go into big business ventures like real estate development.

2. For the corporate identity, the following names (chosen by way of votation) will be submitted to the SEC for approval:

a) Maelstrom Trading Corporation (7 votes),

b) Maelstrom Incorporated (6 votes),

c) Maelstrom 86 Trading Corporation (5 votes),

d) Maelstrom Ventures Incorporated (5 votes), and

e) OLPS ’86 Corporation (5 votes).

3. The Corporation will have:

INVESTORS (the members who will take care of the financial requirements) and

INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS (those who will compose the administrative staff).

A member may choose to be both.

4. Tan, Relativo, Taclan, Coronel, Balbedina, Lee, and Gojar compose the Board of Directors.

Tan was elected Chairman of the Board;

Relativo, Corporate Secretary; and

Taclan, Treasurer.

Since everyone was in the dark on what the other positions were in a corporation, it was agreed that Balbedina, Lee, Gojar, and Coronel, in this order, would fill up such positions, if any, after Relativo has read up on corporate positions.

5. Members of the class who didn’t make it to the Cebu reunion would be sent letter-offers to join the corporation for its first venture alone since the offer of membership to each member of the batch stands for a lifetime. In a general assembly slated for June 17, 2006 at the OLPS, the members will be asked to give their final answers in writing to the offer of membership. Each member who has not joined the corporation is given the leverage to join in the succeeding ventures.

6. The group pegged the paid-up capital at ___ million, with Tan pledging to take care of the balance if the individual share capitals do not add up to that amount.

Relativo has committed P___, 000.00;

Taclan, P___, 000.00;

Coronel, P___, 000.00;

Balbedina, P___, 000.00;

Lee, P___, 000.00;

Gojar, P___, 000.00; and

Tan, P___, 000.00.

Tan’s share capital will decrease as pledges from classmates who didn’t attend the Cebu reunion but who would like to be part of the endeavour start coming in.

Priority of investment is enjoyed by classmates who have not made it big in life (meaning, Erwin, Kit, and Nono will not only be asked to step aside in favour of a “poorer” classmate if there is a shortage of investor slots but also be discouraged from putting too much money should no one else decide to invest in the ventures.)

7. Profit-sharing will be based on share capital.

8. The Treasurer should open a bank account at UCPB Sorsogon immediately upon arrival from Cebu. The board of directors will each have to deposit the 10% of their pledged share capital within this week. The remainder has to be in on the first week of July. Failure to give the total amount would mean forfeiture of the 10 % in favour of the Corporation.

9. Balbedina’s been appointed manager, with Deri and Basares as members of his staff. Upon arrival in Sorsogon, they will immediately get down to work: having the corporation registered, getting the business permits, scouting for prime lots, setting up the office, writing the sales pitch, etc.

The meeting adjourned at 1:30 am the following day, May 22, 2006.

May 18, 2006

Standing beside the ticket booth in Pilar, Sorsogon, shortly after learning that the 4-pm last trip of the fastcraft going to Masbate had gone two hours ahead of schedule. Athletes coming from the recently-concluded Palarong Pambansa in Naga City had descended upon Pilar and taken most of the seats of the fastcraft. 

May 19, 2006

Inquiring from the guard about the day's schedules at the Ferry Terminal in Matnog. 

Allen, Samar

Getting our luggage into the LTO Service Vehicles for the long haul from Allen to Ormoc City. We were very lucky to bump into Mr. Edgar Cabase, Assistant Regional Director of LTO, inside the ferry boat from Matnog. With his officemates, he was transporting from Manila 3 brand-new Adventure Vans to Cebu. We hitched a ride, an 8-hour very bumpy ride to Ormoc City. 

Trip to Cebu from Ormoc

On the ship that left Ormoc at 12 midnight. We stayed up until around 2 pm at the bow of the ship and went back inside only to find that people lay asleep on our Economy beds. Fortunately, we were able to find vacant seats inside the Jetseaters Room and slept there.

May 20, 2006

Finally, we arrived in Cebu. Here we are at the corner of the road leading to Pier 4 where we disembarked. 

The Karate Kid flew in from Manila on a rescheduled flight. He missed his flight the previous night getting Yayes a plane reservation. They spent the night drinking at the Baywalk until it was time for Yayes to check in at the Airport around 3:30 am 

Collins arrives from a seminar in General Santos City

Collins arrived around 1 pm. 

Breaktime

This room had Collins, Rino, Tivo (in green shirt) and Eric while Yayes, Jason, Henri and I occupied the other room on the fourth floor coming down of Tyrone's house. Tyrone had the rooms ( and the CR betwen the two) constructed for the reunion. 

at the Living Room

Lazing around at the Living Room, waiting for everyone to get dressed up for a visit to a stand-up comedy bar downtown. We had to abandon the idea and went instead to a place of quiet, the Mountainside. 

Fear Factor

Tivo is holding on for dear life as Rino keeps on pulling at the hanging bridge, an attraction at the Mountainside (located on, well, the side of a mountain) where you get a panoramic view of Cebu. 

Nightcap

The drink at the rooftop capped our first day, Rino's second. Sorry, can't show the frustration written on the face of Tivo for failing to get a "local talent." Maricris should get the award for the "defensive player of the year award" 

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Taking breakfast. Maricris is a great cook. 

On the rented boat still docked at the Boyla Resort, one of the many that dot the shoreline of Mactan Island, waiting for Tyrone to return with his SCUBA diving gear before we set sail. We had to cancel the scheduled two-day trip to Bohol in favor of Island Hopping to allow our tired bodies to recover from the punishing trip to Cebu. 

At the Playground of the Subdivision

After dinner, the group took a walk, mostly downhill, around the subdivision and rested at the playground. (Before dinner, Tyrone, Collins, Tivo, Eric and Jason played a bruising basketball game. Collins was forced to retire (Jason subbed for him) after taking an elbow in the jaw from Junnel.) 

The Theology Instructor from University of St. Agustin takes the floor

Collins giving a lecture on Interfaith Dialogue. An animated religious debate ensued that ended around 11 pm 

Corporate Meeting

Tyrone presided over the organizational meeting of the Corporation. This was one time when the spirit of fun was a little suppressed and everyone turned serious.