by Dr. Ferdinand Dela Cruz
I am responding to the newsletter below. Our dear president has quoted:
"I am very much aware of the Ka Sito issue; also, I’m aware most of us identified Mr. Josel Gomez as Ka Sito. After careful analysis, and sincere dialogue, I would like to tell everyone, Josel is not Ka Sito. This conclusion was agreed by the former President Ferdinand dela Cruz, and some of our technically (computer) intellectual kababayans. Hence, his application for membership was accepted according to the HFC constitution. All, if not most of the accusations remain as they are unless proven.
I can confirm that the president has discussed this matter to me. According to her, she asked Josel if he is Ka Sito but then he strongly denied. My response was: there may be no direct evidence indicating Josel as Ka Sito but I have not agreed on any conclusion on this matter. I am leaving it to the administration and to the proper authority if the need may arise.
As to his application, my opinion is: For as long as a Filipino in Hull would follow the proper way of filling in the proper form, paying the fees and dues, and would comply with our constitution and bylaws especially Article II sections 1 and 3, then there would be no reason to deny the application. Josel's application though, is a bit different from a normal application. It has to be discussed by the present officers and weigh the pro's and con's of him being a member. Therefore it is upto the present administration to decide on this matter.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
ANNOUNCEMENT: TO ALL HFC MEMBERS.
What: OPEN FORUM/DISCUSSION
When: Sunday 1:00pm May 10, 2009
Where: QUAKER MEETING HOUSE(CONFIRMED)
Bean street (near Rawling Center)
Agenda: All issues regarding the HFC.
from: The Office of the President
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
My Personal Recollection of TODD
My Personal Recollection of Todd
I was introduced to Todd a little over 5 years ago at a photo shop at Hessle Road. He was this person who gives you this first impression of being very confident yet would come across as kind of boastful and arrogant. I remember very well his words of advice to me and a friend who were then newcomers in Hull…”mag-ingat kayo sa pagpili ng mga kaibigan niyo”. That was quite a strong advice from someone you have met for the first time, but he must have meant well, so we just nodded in agreement. Then he went on to say that he was the first Filipino nurse who came to this side of the country and the first ever to have acquired a mortgage. These achievements were something to be proud of in those days when everyone of us were just beginning to established ourselves financially and socially in Hull.
I do not know Todd that much to be able to give a clear testimony of the life he had but I have heard a lot about him, like we all do. Todd had always been a very private person. He exists in his own private world and goes about his business without any bother to anyone. On the very few occasions that I had a matter of fact conversations with him are those times wherein he brought patients to our ward from A&E and he never ceases to amuse me and we always end up having a good laugh. Once he came to our ward to hand over a patient to the nurse in charge who happened to be in a bad mood and was making our shift unbearable. It was such a relief to see Todd then, for here is someone I could whinge to and Todd simply said “ hayaan mo akong bahala””. The nurse in charge heard us speaking in our language and was not at all impressed. About ten minutes after Todd left, our nurse in charge had a phone call from the A&E charge nurse who told her off leaving her speechless and near to tears. Whatever Todd said to his A&E charge nurse, I will never know but I was glad. One should know better than to mess with Todd for he has his way of getting back at you.
Though we often times hear negative remarks said about Todd, I never really had any problems with him. I was having my car MOT’d on the day he was going to have his oath taking and because I did not have anywhere to go whilst waiting, I went with another friend to witnessed Todd take his oath of Allegiance to the Queen. How could I forget that day when he showed up in full “regalia” – very impressive, actually he was wearing this denim suit with the UK flag printed on his jacket and the US flag printed on his trousers ( or was it the other way around) and they were not just small prints, they were boldly printed right across his attire. Todd had style and he sure knows how to make a grand entrance …not very many people could get away with that. He treated us to lunch after. He must have felt so proud then because, for yet again he was the first to acquire a British passport amongst the original Filipino nurses in Hull.
I have not seen a lot of him since then apart from few occasions on the ward but I still hear about him mostly things like he was in a fight because he was drunk or he was assaulted. It was sad to hear these stories because Todd to me is a good person. I think that he was one if not the most misinterpreted person amongst us. He projected this personality that made us want to think twice before we want to be associated with this guy. He is the sort of person who seems to invite trouble without any intentions, one who happens to be in the right place at the wrong time. He was always getting into some kind of argument when he over indulges in his favourite drink…or at least that is what we think and hear. But has anyone of us really stop to think that we probably did not give him the chance to show us who the real Todd is, because for many of us who are quick to judge, he was this idiosyncratic character who seem to always be associated with some kind of trouble and because Todd is someone who prefers to keep to himself ,we tend to deduce our own characterizations of the person based on what we see or hear.
I am saddened by this because for me, I feel that although he had that ready smile on his face each time, deep inside him must be a lonely soul longing to belong and be understood. A person who simply wants to be accepted for what he is and not be misjudged by his actions. A person who has so much to give but was not given the opportunity to share. A person who is simply trying to be himself
I last saw Todd on Friday midnight when I went to visit him in ICU after I was told by the Outreach Nurse that she does not think he will make it. I was talking to Todd knowing that he could hear me, telling him to get better and give life another chance. The ICU nurse looked up as if saying there was no hope (but we Filipinos do not give up hope easily, we are survivors and until he breathes his last there will always be hope). One thing however that strikes me that night was how calm and serene Todd’s face was and whether it was the swelling of his face that did it, I do not know but I would like to believe that Todd had finally found peace at last. Todd you will be greatly missed but will be fondly remembered by those whose life you have touched.
Please don’t get me wrong but once again Todd has achieved being first in everything – but he has left a valuable lesson in us all and that is to value life and the people we love.
It was very heart-warming to see the Filipinos gathering together, filling up the ICU visitor’s room to see Todd. It makes me feel that whatever arguments, misconceptions, misunderstandings that happen amongst the Filipinos, we remain united to support our kababayan in times of need. Mabuhay tayong lahat. Let us all be there when he is finally laid to rest.
Addendum:
How well do you know Todd ?…maybe not a lot, as we all know he was such a private person…but I if one tries to read between the lines or look beyond what the eyes could see, you will be surprise at what you could discover.
I first went to the novena prayer meeting for Todd on Wednesday. As we were waiting for people to arrive, I was chatting with Todd’s sister, Pat who mentioned that Todd always kept a diary for years. I did not mean to pry on Todd’s personal affairs but I was so amazed to hear that Todd of all people would keep a diary. Anyway let us just say that my curiosity took the better of me and I ask Pat if I could have a look at them to which Pat kindly agreed. I quickly scanned thru the pages and found that Todd’s handwriting was such that you would immediately think that he is so artistically inclined. It was so neat and precise giving you the impression that there is more to this guy than meets the eye. What impressed me most is that it was a detailed description of his day to day activities from paying his bills to meeting his mates to cleaning his house. He was such an organized person which puts me to shame really because I am not even half as organized as he is. But what really caught my attention was that out of the very few pages that I have quickly glanced at, I came across several entries which states that he had just gone to church and on one entry it says he just said his novena prayers. I was greatly touched, truly humbled and felt really ashamed of myself that once I too was guilty of misjudging this person, once I too have stereotyped his character only to find out that he had more depth that many of us. Todd was a very spiritual person and it warms my heart to think that if ever he appeared to have had a lonely existence on earth, he probably is now enjoying the happy rewards of heaven. That just proves to show that we should never judge a book by its cover or that appearances could be deceiving…for the true beauty of a person lies within his soul. Thanks to Todd, sometimes experiences like this makes us stop to recollect and appreciate the more meaningful values in life.
I wrote this article on the day that I heard Todd passed away. It was my way of expressing the emotions I felt for a lost friend and it was such an honour for me to share this to Todd’s family and friends. I do not know Todd personally like I said and how I came to write this about him ,I will never know…but sometimes I would like to believe that maybe it was him using me as an instrument to get his message through.
I was introduced to Todd a little over 5 years ago at a photo shop at Hessle Road. He was this person who gives you this first impression of being very confident yet would come across as kind of boastful and arrogant. I remember very well his words of advice to me and a friend who were then newcomers in Hull…”mag-ingat kayo sa pagpili ng mga kaibigan niyo”. That was quite a strong advice from someone you have met for the first time, but he must have meant well, so we just nodded in agreement. Then he went on to say that he was the first Filipino nurse who came to this side of the country and the first ever to have acquired a mortgage. These achievements were something to be proud of in those days when everyone of us were just beginning to established ourselves financially and socially in Hull.
I do not know Todd that much to be able to give a clear testimony of the life he had but I have heard a lot about him, like we all do. Todd had always been a very private person. He exists in his own private world and goes about his business without any bother to anyone. On the very few occasions that I had a matter of fact conversations with him are those times wherein he brought patients to our ward from A&E and he never ceases to amuse me and we always end up having a good laugh. Once he came to our ward to hand over a patient to the nurse in charge who happened to be in a bad mood and was making our shift unbearable. It was such a relief to see Todd then, for here is someone I could whinge to and Todd simply said “ hayaan mo akong bahala””. The nurse in charge heard us speaking in our language and was not at all impressed. About ten minutes after Todd left, our nurse in charge had a phone call from the A&E charge nurse who told her off leaving her speechless and near to tears. Whatever Todd said to his A&E charge nurse, I will never know but I was glad. One should know better than to mess with Todd for he has his way of getting back at you.
Though we often times hear negative remarks said about Todd, I never really had any problems with him. I was having my car MOT’d on the day he was going to have his oath taking and because I did not have anywhere to go whilst waiting, I went with another friend to witnessed Todd take his oath of Allegiance to the Queen. How could I forget that day when he showed up in full “regalia” – very impressive, actually he was wearing this denim suit with the UK flag printed on his jacket and the US flag printed on his trousers ( or was it the other way around) and they were not just small prints, they were boldly printed right across his attire. Todd had style and he sure knows how to make a grand entrance …not very many people could get away with that. He treated us to lunch after. He must have felt so proud then because, for yet again he was the first to acquire a British passport amongst the original Filipino nurses in Hull.
I have not seen a lot of him since then apart from few occasions on the ward but I still hear about him mostly things like he was in a fight because he was drunk or he was assaulted. It was sad to hear these stories because Todd to me is a good person. I think that he was one if not the most misinterpreted person amongst us. He projected this personality that made us want to think twice before we want to be associated with this guy. He is the sort of person who seems to invite trouble without any intentions, one who happens to be in the right place at the wrong time. He was always getting into some kind of argument when he over indulges in his favourite drink…or at least that is what we think and hear. But has anyone of us really stop to think that we probably did not give him the chance to show us who the real Todd is, because for many of us who are quick to judge, he was this idiosyncratic character who seem to always be associated with some kind of trouble and because Todd is someone who prefers to keep to himself ,we tend to deduce our own characterizations of the person based on what we see or hear.
I am saddened by this because for me, I feel that although he had that ready smile on his face each time, deep inside him must be a lonely soul longing to belong and be understood. A person who simply wants to be accepted for what he is and not be misjudged by his actions. A person who has so much to give but was not given the opportunity to share. A person who is simply trying to be himself
I last saw Todd on Friday midnight when I went to visit him in ICU after I was told by the Outreach Nurse that she does not think he will make it. I was talking to Todd knowing that he could hear me, telling him to get better and give life another chance. The ICU nurse looked up as if saying there was no hope (but we Filipinos do not give up hope easily, we are survivors and until he breathes his last there will always be hope). One thing however that strikes me that night was how calm and serene Todd’s face was and whether it was the swelling of his face that did it, I do not know but I would like to believe that Todd had finally found peace at last. Todd you will be greatly missed but will be fondly remembered by those whose life you have touched.
Please don’t get me wrong but once again Todd has achieved being first in everything – but he has left a valuable lesson in us all and that is to value life and the people we love.
It was very heart-warming to see the Filipinos gathering together, filling up the ICU visitor’s room to see Todd. It makes me feel that whatever arguments, misconceptions, misunderstandings that happen amongst the Filipinos, we remain united to support our kababayan in times of need. Mabuhay tayong lahat. Let us all be there when he is finally laid to rest.
Addendum:
How well do you know Todd ?…maybe not a lot, as we all know he was such a private person…but I if one tries to read between the lines or look beyond what the eyes could see, you will be surprise at what you could discover.
I first went to the novena prayer meeting for Todd on Wednesday. As we were waiting for people to arrive, I was chatting with Todd’s sister, Pat who mentioned that Todd always kept a diary for years. I did not mean to pry on Todd’s personal affairs but I was so amazed to hear that Todd of all people would keep a diary. Anyway let us just say that my curiosity took the better of me and I ask Pat if I could have a look at them to which Pat kindly agreed. I quickly scanned thru the pages and found that Todd’s handwriting was such that you would immediately think that he is so artistically inclined. It was so neat and precise giving you the impression that there is more to this guy than meets the eye. What impressed me most is that it was a detailed description of his day to day activities from paying his bills to meeting his mates to cleaning his house. He was such an organized person which puts me to shame really because I am not even half as organized as he is. But what really caught my attention was that out of the very few pages that I have quickly glanced at, I came across several entries which states that he had just gone to church and on one entry it says he just said his novena prayers. I was greatly touched, truly humbled and felt really ashamed of myself that once I too was guilty of misjudging this person, once I too have stereotyped his character only to find out that he had more depth that many of us. Todd was a very spiritual person and it warms my heart to think that if ever he appeared to have had a lonely existence on earth, he probably is now enjoying the happy rewards of heaven. That just proves to show that we should never judge a book by its cover or that appearances could be deceiving…for the true beauty of a person lies within his soul. Thanks to Todd, sometimes experiences like this makes us stop to recollect and appreciate the more meaningful values in life.
I wrote this article on the day that I heard Todd passed away. It was my way of expressing the emotions I felt for a lost friend and it was such an honour for me to share this to Todd’s family and friends. I do not know Todd personally like I said and how I came to write this about him ,I will never know…but sometimes I would like to believe that maybe it was him using me as an instrument to get his message through.
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