I asked and prayed to God if it would be wise to reply to your 5-page, my better friends say, not-so-friendly-letter. I guess after some time, God just wants me to openly talk and share about how everything works in the Council and in the dorm and at the same time because it might be too surprising that in the many things and requirements we do just before Finals, someone still have had ‘much’ time to care to write such a long letter, so I would care to use this blog to care for such an effort (tawa muna, Age). Then again, I just sincerely appreciate you for making this opportunity one of the most precious because I could somehow defend the people who all these times served you without saying ill to anyone and to explain for us to fully understand. Thank you, thank you. I hope this would not worsen the case but somehow shed light on your confusions. (English majors, please correct my grammar, wahhhh!!!)
My dear, every decision in the Council is well-thought of, laid to you as based on the things agreed upon by friends from the Council. You may not see it, but your friends and dormmates in the Council do every effort to still ask you, the other residents and the Management before we finally decide especially on things that concern us. We need to know some suggestions and reactions from the residents, that’s why sometimes our decisions were also hanging. Of course po, we recognize that this is a must. If we have ignored this fact, do you think we would care to go room-to-room just to ask your preference for the date of the Semi-Formal Dinner?... when some might think we could just immediately say ‘Hey, we are moving the Semi-Formal Dinner on this date just because we want this thing…., we don’t want that thing…”
If sometimes we have to veer away from some of the residents’ wants and needs, it is of course with, I hope, justifiable and understandable reasons. In the case of the Semi-Formal Dinner, these would be the reasons behind.
1. Our concessionaire after learning about the results from last week’s GA, did not agree to cater for us because all of their staff are in Kalayaan Residence Hall, as opposed to what we have said in GA that half of their staff will stay with us and the rest would be in Kalay. We asked if it would be possible that this could be done, but Ma’am Co chose Kalay because they have more than 500 residents there and that their dinner is pegged at P200 per person. Ma’am Co explained that she would be renting two different sets of table skirts, clothing (I don’t know these stuff) and manpower just to be able to pull off both events simultaneously. Of course she has qualms on this because that would be not so much of a good thing for them as a business establishment.
2. Questions why Erlinda’s is our caterer? It is because our accumulated payment which would amount to P40,500 could already pay for the 270 residents and 30 esteemed guests including our Manongs and Manangs who are also invited as our way of again thanking them for everything they’ve done for us. Plus in that amount, table and table cloths will already be provided by Erlinda’s. I hope you feel how much we asked them to actually allow these tables to be included already in the package.
3. There are other options aside from Erlinda’s as a way of respecting the DATE most of the residents during the GA have voted. However, this caterer, Amah’s Kitchen’s package is pegged at P45,000 only for food, not including the tables and other decorations. For those who are in this thing, you would probably assume that caterers already have tables and chairs to go with their food. Yes, there are caterers with complete sets of such things, but the lowest package if this would be the case is at P60,000 as was based on “Queen’s” (please help me remember the caterer, nakikita niyo ba ‘yun ‘yung umiikot sa campus dati na truck), our caterer last year. That P60,000 would already be so much ‘bongga’. Again, for those who are not aware po (last year, because of the income from the Food Sale and the Aquabest Contract payments, we were able to get such caterer) and even afforded a chocolate fountain which amounts to P5,000 – but then, I don’t want to compare). What I am trying to say here is that the Council this year have made every effort not to ask all the fund from the residents because we know how hard LIFE is right now and we may only add burden to our parents if all our activities’ expenses would be paid for by the residents. Let me ‘segway’ (tama ba? hihi), the Javapalooza tickets for those who might probably be asking why we gave it to you, I hope you got the point why these are only two (2) tickets as compared to three (3) P30 per ticket last year. I hope that you’re in consonant with the Council Council’s heart to introduce Ilang to other people; we want us to invite our friends and not you solely paying for the tickets. (May mga magsasabi na namang ‘kung gusto niyo kaming mag-invite ng friends, bakit hindi na lang libre?’, please ask this to anyone who organizes events with bands, mobile, sounds, videos, food and you’ll definitely receive a wonderful SMILE for why…) We hope that as we help each other gather many people in Ilang, it would be not that hard to invite sponsors for future events, as you can see, sponsors giving in to Ilang events are rare. I hope that that is your heart, too. We could have just asked everyone to sell as many tickets but we respect that some might not be able to attend and invite friends that’s why there are only two, enough for your boyfriend, bestfriend or two close friends whom you could entertain.
Going back, as with the financial report which will soon be released by YCHEL dear, it is totally impossible now for the Council to cover the P15,000 just for the food and tables and/or Amah’s Kitchen’s maybe P5,000 rental for tables and chairs. Plus, I hope throughout the year, we have already realized that there are also outside expenses other than these. Whoever I guess would give in to P40,000 for food for 300 persons with tables would already be ridiculous knowing that in our province, one of my friends’ mom profits up to P25,000 already in P100 person for catering, and this is not formal type. Erlinda’s consolation would be that they would not be renting another set of tablewares as I have said for they will use them for their other event.
4. For practicality’s sake, YES, we have chosen this concessionaire because we can’t anymore ask the residents to add money because it might be too much.
5. As with the date, of course, it would be too impossible for all of us to be free in a certain schedule simply because we all have different schedules. We’ve been trying to fit the schedules – the caterer, the residents, those who want to go home on Saturday, those who have exams on Saturday – but we simply can’t make EACH one AGREE on a particular date, so we chose the date on FRIDAY over those who might not be able to pay MORE than the required amount. Now, I am personally asking you and begging you to be more open about this for, yes, if you may have important reason why you basically hated us for asking the residents another date other than you want and other people who needed to wake up early on Saturday, I know there is still a space left in your heart for some changes. I hope it would give justice to reiterate that four of the House Council Members would probably miss our Worship Service at Film Center in VCF on that particular night, FRIDAY because we’ve made way for the many who might be unable to pay more than the amount than those who might be able to review already starting now that I am writing this letter and just enjoy the time on Friday. We, in the Council have never promised that the time you’ll spend in these events would replace your precious time with your academics just before your exam or to whoever you would be with in this particular time (uy, nang-issue pa daw), but we sure feel privileged to have you come and join the other residents on this particular night. We sure will honor everyone’s desire to be excellent in academics just as our very heart’s desire to honor God through our academics, not just on this night but on the years to come. Lest I may not say enough that I personally wanted it on a Saturday so that I could be with my good friends and just enjoy the end of the week seeing God in that Friday Youth Service, but then, much important is again not thinking of my self first.
6. Although this last point might not be that much relevant to you if you are not resident last year, I would like to air this. Last year, we did not ask the residents as to their choice of the date, the House Council decided for the date of the Formal Dinner simply because if there are things needed to be accomplished asap, the Council knew what need to be set first, blah…blah, blah… Because we don’t want that to happen and we don’t want that residents might not be able to come or not really give their best shot in this day, we asked everyone for the date even if we know it would be too impossible to get the majority given the attendance during the GA. We recognized the fact that there are exams on a Saturday but as we have seen with the course of the events, we find it just right to let changes be because of certain reasons mentioned already.
7. We have made a deal that our dates, because we know we want them to be part of that special night, we lowered the price for them (kasi alam namin yang mga lalaking yan, bihira lang ang sila ang magbayad, ang sad no?, tayo pa rin kaya ‘yan, kaya we want na iminimize na lang rin ang prize for the dates which is now P150). If you still want po to lower the price of the food, wala na po kaming magagawa… salamat pos a pang-unawa.
Maybe I don’t need to go further to show how much the Council has tried so much not to think of our personal interests and things alone. To think that we have plotted this or some sort of made this according to our own will and interest is a more than hurtful. Again, my dear, please don’t misinterpret that I don’t understand your situation, choosing a less priority (which is your dormitory, to the one close to your heart, your academics). And as you probably know, everyone of us is having exams and papers and other responsibilities outside, but I assure you, if we know who and what are our priorities, we would not on that particular night.
Again my dear, if you have an exam or an important thing to do before Saturday and you see that you might not be able to finish it and your attendance to the Semi-Formal Dinner might be an intervention to that activity you’ll be doing, I would really appreciate it my dears if you would be able to go to my room and let us pray for it. Know that if you are secured about who you please, God will be in control of everything, of your life, of your finances, of the requirements, of your exams, of your future.
If you may, let me encourage you words from the Bible,
“Commit everything you do to the Lord, trust Him and He will help you.” Psalm 37:5
If you could trust me, and be humble enough to talk to me about this, my ears would always be open for your questions, confusions and reactions, suggestions. Thank you, thank you dear so much. Sabi nga ni Kris sa interview niya, you have “succeeded in hurting me.” Pero sabi ko naman, hahaha, na-inlove po ako kay James (connect??!!)…
P.S. (I just pasted it from my computer today and medyo kulang pa po siya...)
P.S. Hindi ko pa po nahahawakan ang unang letter, kaya nabigla po ako sa pangalawang letter, pero kailangan ko po talaga mag-overnight...
P.S. Yung result po ng survey ay ipopost ko po ngayon at bibilangin ko po ngayong gabi pagkat nasa overnight po uli ako..dun ko po sa friend ko i-upload ha??)
(P.S. ngayon ko lang po nalaman kay Megan na kayo po pala ‘yun, so hindi ko nabago kung plural or singular siya and thank you po for posting the newest letter, we truly appreciate such an issue at this moment, hehehehe, wala pa kaming moments of fame....hihihihihih…joke)
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