Story Behind the Shoes

     

     My friend went to the DFA at Macapagal Avenue to renew her passport. Outside the DFA office, she was greeted by two guys, one was trying to sell her a pen and another one trying to sell her a brown envelope. Both vendors were trying to convince her that both items were needed for her passport renewal. She managed to wriggle free from them despite their varied persuasion tactics.  Scott free! Or so she thought. 

     Just before entering the building, another person (official looking with matching ID) stopped her and pointed to her sandals. "There's a dresscode at the DFA, they won't allow you in if you're not wearing shoes," the man authoritatively said in Filipino. My friend looked at the long line inside the DFA and said "Oh no, where's the nearest place to buy shoes here?" The guy pointed at SM Mall of Asia, "there" he said, then whispered "...but there's a person there at the corner selling cheap shoes, pray he has your size." To make the story short, my friend was forced to buy a pair of plastic shoes for 100 pesos. 

     Relieved, she walked inside the DFA office, and sat down to wait for her number to be called. She then looked around and was surprised to see a lot of people there wearing slippers and sandals! Well, at least she didn't buy the 20-peso pen and brown envelope that went with the shoes.

Missing Robredo and his "Tsinelas" brand of Leadership

     Robredo was twice reelected by his constituents, who spoke fondly of their mayor as truly one of them, who told stories of his unaffected ways and how he walked around his city without the customary trappings of power in slippers often, and who recalled that just as often he rose with the sun and, finding the opportunity, would think nothing of taking hold of a broom and sweeping parts of a street clean. Then Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, in his tribute to Robredo, called it “tsinelas brand of leadership.” click here for the full article >>>