MY REACTION TO THE HFC NEWSLETTER

Allow me to share my thoughts and opinions regarding the first edition of the much awaited HFC newsletter. Noticeable is the unique and straightforward presentation; one could easily tell that a new and fresh crop of people are behind the instigation of the first ever Newsletter for the year, it's totally different from the more formal layout of the same paper last year (I am a fan of the former editor).

Admittedly, my interest was easily drawn to read the last and the most important part of the print which says President's corner, for like anybody else, I was "dying" to know what our beloved Madam has to say about the Ka Sito issue.

Again this is my view, subject to my personal knowledge and limited to my understanding of the issue and anything is debatable here.

To summarize the President's statement in four points:

• To promote PEACE and UNITY
  
• MR. JOSEL GOMEZ is not KA SITO
  
• Invitation for KA SITO to a dialogue
  
• Invitation for the HFC members to the Family Day and Cultural Night
  

I might have missed some other points but they are less relevant, for consideration purposes.

TO PROMOTE PEACE and UNITY

• Our President's effort to unite us and preserve the good relationship amongst us Filipinos in Hull and neighboring places is quite exceptional . We welcomed new members into our community and as a result the HFC population increased and up to now, is still growing.
  
• A job well done for our first Lady President.
  

MR. JOSEL GOMEZ is not KA SITO

• Maybe because of the mere resemblance to the name "SITO", his name crop up instantly to peoples mind and the fact that he has been very vocal against joining our organization mainly because of his differences with the previous administration, whatever it is, it's not our business to know.
  
• To exactly repost this statements, "It would be appreciated if my good name won't be affiliated to any doing of Hull Filipino Community", and "I could still remember that it was HFC group that destroyed my good name…" with the complimentary close and signature line:
  

Respectfully yours,

Josel Gomez

Founder of The Hull Filipino Community

He sent this to people by email on 28^th November 2008 at 7:53 in the morning. For people who think, and by common sense, this could be an incriminating circumstance to conclude that he is the same person hiding behind KA SITO barely four months later.

• As our President declared, "after careful analysis and serious dialogue, MR. JOSEL GOMEZ is not KA SITO". I personally believed that her statement is true on the technical aspect that Mr. Gomez could not have the capability to fabricate a letter of such magnitude base on the careful examination of his previous letters/emails to the HFC community.
  
• BUT, In my opinion, the declaration doesn't make him off the hook nor clear him as nothing to do with the KA SITO affair because the President only came as far as declaring MR. GOMEZ as not KA SITO, her careful analysis and sincere dialogue, did not rule him out as innocent and not guilty, she did not report if MR GOMEZ is holding/not holding any information or knowledge about KA SITO, if he knew KA SITO or if he worked with KA SITO.
  
• The real KA SITO is still out there, and to get to him we might need the help of MR. GOMEZ himself if he is willing and if he holds anything that could help identify KA SITO. MR GOMEZ could be the hero that we've been praying for to solve this impasse.
  

INVITATION for KA SITO to a DIALOGUE

To KA SITO, this is a kind and just gesture made by the President. It will give you the chance to show your side of the coin, you could be a gifted and maybe a principled man in your own right who happens to be on the opposite end of the road. We are all Filipinos so why not settle these things the Filipino way, "Areglo" na lang para matapos na. We will even owe it to you if you come out, state your case and spill the beans. Spare us the expense of hiring a solicitor and court order just to compel KC communications to reveal your real identity and get you to pay back all these expenses plus damages later on, for maligning and trying to destroy the entity which is the Hull Filipino Community.

Time is not on your side KA SITO, so please come out and have a dialogue with the President. You may opt to keep it in private, and maybe people will respect that. Who knows, you and your family could be celebrating with us in the forthcoming Family Day and Cultural Night and most importantly, we will welcome you to our fold because after all we are all Filipinos and with your gift, together we can do great things for the community in building a better future.

INVITATION for the HFC members to the FAMILY DAY and CULTURAL NIGHT

"There will be a Family Day and Cultural Night on the 13^th of June. The value of events like this, for those taking part, cannot be underestimated. They provide important social outlet for people like us, living stressful lives. They combat social isolation, encourage acquaintance, friendship and unification. I am inviting everyone to come, and have fun! MABUHAY TAYONG LAHAT! - Mrs. Evangeline "Ate Eva" C. Rodrigo, President HFC".

As part of our President's unwavering effort to bring unity and peace to our community, holding this event, would draw us Filipinos closer together and remind us that together we can make our stay in Hull worthwhile and worth living even if we are intellectuals with differing views and of diverse backgrounds, we can come together to celebrate as one family under this initiative.

Cheers to the President and long live Hull Filipino Community.

"Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin".- Proverbs 10:14

CLARIFICATION ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER

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.

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

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.