By Ben Contreras
SHOULD the signing of the Sin Tax Bill matter to me? Of course not! The reason is simple. I don’t drink and was able to quit smoking almost 15 years ago.
Drinking has always been not my cup of tea. I was drawn to it once upon a time to drown my “sorrows and pains” kuno! Somehow, it ended abruptly when I met my wife.
My curiosity about tobacco started at the age of 15 or 16. Smoking discreetly and away from the crowd and oftentimes inside movie houses, the smell of tobacco in different flavors attracted me. When I joined Ajinomoto in 1969, smoking became a vice.
Maybe smoking is really bad for our health. But try convincing one who is still hooked on it. Smoking is a habit, a right and a choice. Enjoy it if you’re still on it. Stop when your health says so. I did in 1998, a day before the elections. I was coughing blood. Then it occurred to me, that’s it! I threw away the remaining sticks and my lighter without second thoughtS.
Withdrawal! What’s that supposed to mean? I never got to understand its meaning. After a few months, the experience of waking up in the middle of the night to catch a few breaths is gone and gone forever.
What Jay Valleser wrote about the vanishing cigarettes and drinks from their shelves are all true. Because the price increase is substantial, businessmen are tempted to hoard for more profit. It is but natural in business. And when the pockets are beginning to complain, then the time to consider reducing its consumption, if not totally quit, becomes an option. It’s your call, really.
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I am now tempted to erase my friend “Erap” of the RTA from the list of the Three Musketeers. I do not need to explain why. He knows what I mean and he knows what he has not done and failed to do. Sorry, my friend. Like I said, if you are not prepared to cross swords with the “lord,” you are bound to fail.
Valerio, et. al, will continue to suffer the injustice imposed by the “lord” with the collaboration of his minions.
Karma, I could hear your footsteps!
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Days before the new year, a friend made a surprise call to me.“Nakauna man ka nako sa duyanan, gusto unta ko makig-estorya kanimo, pero sa January na.”
I was taken aback at first by what he meant by that. Then, thinking of “duyanan” (cradle), he must have meant that I am older.
Noel wanted to talk to me privately. “Maybe we can have lunch or dinner together, my treat,” he said. Curiosity, curiosity! What could it be about!
It’s been a week. I haven’t heard from him again, yet!
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My Kacy bought her mother a gift last Christmas but nothing for me. Oh, it broke my heart! But there’s wisdom in it! Last night, she bought me a pair of Crocs. Considering her salary, it must have cost her a fortune. But that amount was reserved for my “duyanan” day. Thanks, baby. I love you!
Thank you, Lord for another year. I submit my fate to Thy will!