IGNORE SIGNAGE AT YOUR OWN PERIL

By Ace Alvarez

Since the 70s through even mid 2000s, the zoo keeper did his best to feed and tend to the animals at the zoo, regardless that he himself had a farm to attend to.

The zoo keeper has since retired from that role to devote his time fully to his own farm and flock.

Having been away for almost twelve years, the retired zoo keeper decided to visit the animals at the zoo again recently, bringing food stuff in a plastic bag.

He tried to feed the animals only to find his hand oozing with blood.

While trying to reach for his hankie to wrap his hand around with, the retired animal lover’s attention was drawn to the sign he has had always known was there, but simply ignored all those times: “DO NOT FEED ANIMALS”.

“Yes, they’re wild, as I’ve always known they were then. But I don’t regret having ignored the sign,” he thought.

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Taking Time for Children: A Recollection

By Ace Alvarez

Toronto, Ontario — Just like every young parent of today, Front Page Philippines TV Host Gie Alvarez and I have had a good chunk of time, too, spent on driving our children to their activities when ours were also young.

Top Photo: Pepito Rodriguez, Rosemarie Sonora and Len Alvarez in a scene in the video presentation, “My Son Was Into Drugs”, produced by Manila, Philippines’ Grace Media Services for the Dangerous Drugs Board of the Philippines.
Below: Len Alvarez with Marco Polo Garcia playing the lead role in the DDB video material cited in top photo. (A & G Photo Library/Click image to enlarge)

In the mid 80s, one activity for us was to drive our oldest child, Len, to her taping schedules.

In the photos here, Len was among the cast in the video documentary “My Son Was Into Drugs”, acting the role of the younger of the two children of parents portrayed by Pepito Rodriguez and Rosemarie Sonora. Some of you would recall, that Pepito and Rosemarie were part of what was known as Batch 66, launched by Dr. Jose Perez’s Sampaguita Pictures. They were in Philippine moviedom’s love triangle of the late 60s,  Pepito Rodriguez-Rosemarie Sonora-Ricky Belmonte.

Marco Polo Garcia was in the lead role of “My Son Was Into Drugs”. Marco Polo is the son of character actor, Boy Garcia and Lucita Soriano.

Len belonged to the 1st batch of children who acted in “Batibot” — the Filipino counterpart of popular TV program for children, “Sesame Street”. Gie juggled her time as a Writer-Producer-Radio Announcer for the government radio VOP (Voice of the Philippines), to occasional voice over talent for radio commercials and dramas, to her role as a mother of two young children and a wife. I must add, those were not easy tasks.

Gie would stay for hours on the set with our daughter during the latter’s taping.

” … but window shopping was not part of the deal.”

By Ace Alvarez

The following was inspired by the fatherly insights of my brother, Ramy Alvarez:

I asked my Brother, Ramy Alvarez, “… but there’s nothing wrong with window shopping?”

He said, “Yes, there’s nothing wrong with it, but window shopping was not part of the deal.”

My query — and my brother Ramy’s comment , emanated from a story he was telling me when I was 20 about my two nieces, Rose and Rlyn, who asked his permission back in ’73 if the two could go and watch a movie in Cubao (in Quezon City, The Philippines).

(Courtesy: Photobucket/Click image to enlarge)

He gave them his nod.

After the movie, Rose and Rlyn, went window shopping around the Araneta Commercial Center in Cubao.

When the two got home early evening that day, they told their dad, “We’re sorry, Dad. We owe you an apology.”

“Why?” What for?” their dad asked.

The two girls explained that after watching a movie, they went window shopping.

“… but there’s nothing wrong with window shopping?” I interrupted my brother’s story.

He replied in all his fatherly wisdom, “Yes, there’s nothing wrong with it, but window shopping was not part of the deal.”

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