“ISANG araw, nagmamaneho sa Cubao (beep beep beep, beep beep beep) / Aking nakita, babaeng saksakan ng ganda.”
Our gym group has done at least three reels to this song already, and one version was with Jollibee. There will be other songs and dances, so don’t fret if you can’t catch this trend.
My favorite joke now is for the gym to switch group exercise classes to TikTok sessions, since that’s what we do between classes. When a dance needs several takes until we’ve somehow nailed it, the next class coach has to wait. This may irritate gym-goers who go to the gym just for that class.
Hopefully, the endorphins gained through exercise banish that irritation to Siberia.
Do endorphins banish business permit woes to Siberia, too?
January 20 is the deadline for the payment of business permit taxes and fees. This is only the first month of the year, and here is the business owner paying taxes already. Business permits in January, real property tax in March, income tax in April.
But Cagayan de Oro’s business community requested for an extension of the business permit payment deadline from January 20 to March 31, and Mayor Klarex Uy has said “yes.” Hep hep hooray! With that new deadline, it’s now possible to pay for the business permit in full for the whole year instead of the quarterly option.
If only the money the government collects from us ended up in the right hands, then paying taxes would be as smooth as silk. But, as proven by the flood control project hearings and the pork barrel scam, the government doesn’t know how to police its own ranks. When it does try to audit its own people, the auditees tend to use wheelchairs and neck braces as proof of their illnesses — or they disappear. Or die.
No wonder the Pinoy now loves escaping the madness by spending weekends in mountain and beach resorts — which mushroomed during pandemic lockdowns when social distancing was best achieved by staying home, but better savored with a view or a tan.
Post-pandemic, the Pinoy has continued to savor weekend getaways; he has already memorized where to get the best sikwate and suman, the yummiest bulalo and pochero, and the strongest coffee. If he wants a selfie with a giant eagle, peacock, or lion this time, he already knows where to go.
Those who have “been there, done that” with every tourist spot have learned to just stay in one resort where they can swim, stare at the view, eat, sleep, walk, and smell the roses, orchids, anthuriums, and other flowers whose names they can’t pronounce.
The best mountain resort is the one with a restaurant serving the yummiest food, a beautiful overlooking view, comfy accommodations, a pool, and a well-tended garden — like The Malagana Fairways in Claveria, Misamis Oriental. The most relaxing R&R: swim, stare at mountains, eat, make-muni-muni, sleep, repeat.
With all the taxes to be paid starting this month until April, the Pinoy needs R&R the same way that I need to hug a piggy daily. To each their own when it comes to coping mechanisms.
Food, however, has to be chosen wisely to keep the body healthy. Following the new American dietary guidelines — the inverted Food Pyramid featuring animal-based products on top and carbs at the bottom — is the best antidote against the Philippines’ usual challenges.
