Cory: I am ... sorry

I was at Podium on that momentous event. And hearing the words addressed to the Convicted-Plunderer no less than by the Icon-of-Democracy herself, I wished I were at a different place.

I’ve just had a business meeting with one of my suppliers from Holland at Dome Restaurant at the ground floor of Podium. I was at the escalator on way to the second floor to meet my son who was already dining at Banana Leaf. As I reached the second floor and was about to step out of the escalator, I was jolted by the very uncomfortable situation I suddenly found myself in. A throng of people swarmed before me, dozens of cameras clicked and flashed, and I noticed public figures like Senator Ernesto Maceda, former Ambassador to the U.N. Lauro Baja and Senator Franklin Drilon offering handshakes.

Were those offers of handshake for me? Have I suddenly become a celebrity?

I made my one-million-dollar-smile ready for the appreciating crowd and cameras, put extra effort to come up with a twinkle in my eyes, and secretly wiped my hands on the sides of my pants, ready to return and acknowledge the offers of hand. You could hear my thoughts aloud like you’re in a THX moviehouse: Yes, I was a celebrity!

Now there was one last thing to do: I looked around – half of it to confirm that the much undeserved attention was indeed for me and the other half to recognize and show appreciation for the same attention that I was suddenly being showered with.

And then I saw him. Just at my back, one step below me at the escalator was a man dressed in a black suit, his hair meticulously prepped with pompadour – the ousted president, the Convicted-Plunderer himself.

The event turned out to be the launching of Jose de Venetia’s book written by Brett Decker titled “Global Filipino: The Authorized Biography of Jose de Venecia, Jr., the Visionary Five-Time Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines” -- a rather lengthy title for a biography of a relatively short man and which as Erap himself complained, was as kilometric and as nakakasakit ng ulo as JDV’s speeches. It was a star-studded event. I immediately recognized Tita Cory in red dress, Gina de Venecia also in red dress, Sen. Ernesto Maceda, Former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, Cong. Ronaldo Zamora, Former Sen. Francisco Tatad and former Ambassador to U.N. Lauro Baja. Of course, the subject of the biography, JDV himself, was the picture of a most gracious host dutifully announcing the presence of his guests before the throng of crowd.

“Kiko!” a familiar voice yelled. The voice was from a lawyer-friend, a neighbor in my condominium community. He was, like the other heavyweight guests, in a dark suit.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m one of Erap’s lawyers,” he proudly declared. “Come, join us,” he said.

And so, I found myself listening to politicians’ speeches, got to elbow and pressed hands with some of them, even got to make beso-beso with one of the missus… and felt tremendously sorry for the nation after.

My take on Tita Cory’s mea culpa:

I can understand she regrets the fact that it was GMA who succeeded Erap but I can never agree with her that we should regret Edsa Dos, too. I can agree that GMA is more corrupt than Erap but that doesn’t mean Erap wasn’t corrupt either. In fact, we see GMA as more corrupt now only because GMA is already on her eighth year as president; Erap only had three years. None of these to mean Erap didn't deserve to be ousted. On the other hand, all of these to mean GMA deserves to be ousted, too. A more corrupt president does not exculpate the sins of another corrupt president.

Did Erap do wrong things to this country? Yes. Did he use the presidency for his personal interests and vices -- the midnight Cabinet, ‘jueteng,’ womanizing, mansions? Yes. Did he deserve to be ousted in Edsa Dos? Definitely yes!

Is GMA corrupt, too? By all accounts, yes. Is she using the presidency for her personal interests – NBN-ZTE deal, Fertilizer scam, Hello Garci, bribery of public officials, attempt on the life of Jun Lozada, etc.? Yes. But does that mean we should now regret Edsa Dos, that we ousted Erap?

Hell, no! That only means we should oust GMA, too! Edsa Dos and ousting Erap was the right thing to do. And so we did. Ousting GMA is now the right thing to do, too. And so we should!

Now let me share with you what I felt during the launching of JDV’s book itself. I was watching JDV and Erap, former bitter presidential rivals, lock arms, almost like lovers. Former Vice-President Tito Guingona who snowballed the impeachment against Erap through his “I accuse” speech was in a jovial banter with Erap himself. Senator Ernesto Maceda was lovey-dovey with former Senator Francisco Tatad. And of course, on top of these, Tita Cory, one of the leaders of Edsa Dos that ousted Erap, was making beso-beso with Erap himself.

My God, I prayed, these people are playing with my country, turning it into a circus for the amusement of the elite. God help the Philippines!

The Gacias Clan Blog

I am starting a blog for the Gacias Clan. Visit gaciasclan.blogspot.com.

On Jesus' prayer in the name of Jesus

"Bless the President so she will have forbearance, good health, the tolerance to lead this nation up to 2010, and perhaps, who knows, even beyond," thus prayed Press Secretary Jesus Dureza.

O Christ Jesus, if You can’t listen to me, please DON’T listen to Your tokayo, too. He was just being humorous as he openly admits. Just listen to the hearts of all the Filipinos. Let his president NOT extend a millisecond more in Malacanang. Amen.

On Philosophical Pessimism

“Man’s life is limited to one hundred years. Night takes up half of these; one half of the remainder is absorbed by infancy and old age; the rest is passed in the midst of the sicknesses, separations and adversities which accompany life, in serving others and giving oneself up to similar occupations. Where is one to find happiness in a life that is like the foam that the agitation of the waves produces in the sea?”

These words, taken from the verses of Bhartrihari, somehow capsulizes what philosophical pessimism speaks of: life is suffering and happiness is but a dream. As Voltaire, this favorite of fortune and nature, said: “ I have been experiencing it for eighty years. I do not know of anything to do except resign myself to it, and remember that flies are born to be eaten up by the spider and men to be eaten up by grief.”

It can be said therefore that pessimism is nothing but the pathetic confirmation of the evil of this world, a desperate cry of anguish of the tortured soul.

But there definitely is dignity in the face of suffering. And this dignity lies in the acceptance of the absurdity of the sisiphusian task – a confidence in the face of the absurd end to an absurd existence. This implies that humanity will fulfill its destiny not by its own simple disappearance, but by a complete surrender of individuality to the cosmic process, so that this process can reach its aim which is the freeing of the world. It is only by a complete submission to life and its suffering, and not by a cowardly renunciation and surrender, that one will be able to contribute to the cosmic process.

But this ignores and fails to mention that there can be a higher dignity beyond man’s desperate heroic act in the face of absurdity, that there can be something nobler than the acceptance of suffering. What can be nobler than the acceptance of suffering? This we believe is succinctly expressed by the Stoics when they proclaimed that our real happiness consists in virtue and that the realization of this happiness is beyond human strength. Also, Plato, who admitted that terrestrial existence is essentially imperfect and the pleasures of this world sheer absences of pain nonetheless admitted the World of Ideas which we can reach by our own efforts, enlightened by Reason. In the same manner, Christianity which at all times preaches the “vanity” of terrestrial joys, likewise speaks of heaven and of the eternal beatitude which is in heaven reserved for man.

Moreover, we observe that the contention that the essence of life is suffering is contrary to experience. This is because in spite of the unquestionable miseries which are inherent to terrestrial life, the majority of mortals decidedly prefer existence to non-existence. Nature does not recommend pessimism.

The fear of death, a senseless, irrational but for man more dreadful than all suffering, is only the counterpart of the will to live.

Bury me

BURY ME

Wilt thou letteth me see thee before I die
and kisseth thee before I fly?
Though the fee is worth so high
doubteth I thou wilt cry.

So long my dearest
my life is cooleth now and weary
blank fate is in my ride
cause the Reaper of Life is nigh.

I remember now the sign of years
seen in naked fears
though troubles seem unfair
still and yet, who would care...?

Wilt thou letteth me cry before I die?
... But saith he:
"Let the dead bury their dead!"

Bushisms

As Erap was for the Filipinos, George W. Bush is for the Americans. Erap had his “Eraptions,” Bush has his “Bushisms.” Thus, while large corners of the world are still euphoric over the presidential victory of Obama, there will be some people feeling slightly deflated to see Bush step down as US president. Just as there will always be some Filipinos who would feel aggrieved to see the downfall of the movie star who became the most stupid president of the Philippines, as he is often dubbed by the media and civil society groups, there are also some people -- Americans as well as non-Americans -- who feel aggrieved over the nearing exit of Bush.

Just as Erap has provided us with endless amusement as a result of his faux pas or “Eraptions,” Bush, too, has provided us with his “Bushisms.” You say the Filipinos were crazy and deserved what they got for voting Erap into the highest office in the land? Well, the Americans had Bush. And he got to rule the most powerful nation on earth for eight years.

Here are 25 of my favorite Bushisms:

25. "I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House." --George W. Bush, referring to White House chef Cristeta Comerford while meeting with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Washington, D.C., June 24, 2008

24. "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 26, 2008

23. "Your eminence, you're looking good." --George W. Bush to Pope Benedict XVI, using the title for Catholic cardinals, rather than addressing him as "your holiness," Rome, June 13, 2008

22. "Thank you, your Holiness. Awesome speech." --George W. Bush, to Pope Benedict, Washington, D.C., April 15, 2008

21. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

20. "So long as I'm the president, my measure of success is victory -- and success." --George W. Bush, on Iraq, Washington, D.C., April 17, 2008

19. "Let me start off by saying that in 2000 I said, 'Vote for me. I'm an agent of change.' In 2004, I said, 'I'm not interested in change --I want to continue as president.' Every candidate has got to say 'change.' That's what the American people expect." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., March 5, 2008

18. "This thaw -- took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." --George W. Bush, on liquidity in the markets, Alexandria, La., Oct. 20, 2008

17. "There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk -- that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras -- it got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments." --George W. Bush, speaking at a private fundraiser, Houston, Texas, July 18, 2008

16. "Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." --George W. Bush, Charlottesville, Va., July 4, 2008

15. "I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands." --George W. Bush, on how he can contribute to the Middle East peace process, Washington, D.C., Jan. 4, 2008

14. “Those who enter the country illegally violate the law." - Nov. 28, 2005

13. "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." - Dec. 19, 2000

12. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." - Aug. 30, 2000

11. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." - Jan. 3, 2000

10. "I was proud the other day when both Republicans and Democrats stood with me in the Rose Garden to announce their support for a clear statement of purpose: you disarm, or we will." - Oct. 5, 2002

9. "I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." - May 25, 2004

8. "I understand small business growth. I was one." - Feb. 19, 2000

7. "I just want you to know that when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." - June 18, 2002

6. "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." - Sept. 17, 2002

5. "The truth of that matter is, if you listen carefully, Saddam would still be in power if he were the president of the United States, and the world would be a lot better off." - Oct. 8, 2004

4. “I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - Sept. 29, 2000

3. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." - Jan. 27, 2000

1. "They misunderestimated me." - Nov. 6, 2000

For more Bushisms, check the Political Humour Website.

My Soul's Days, My Saint's Days

I have had the rare opportunity of observing All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in a very special way this year. The week leading to these two special days and the days thereafter became my saint’s days and my soul’s days.

All Saints’ Day, since the early days of monasticism, has always been a special day allotted by the Church to commemorate, honor, and emulate the holy lives of all saints. Transcending this tradition, however, is the Church’s admonition that all of us are actually called to be saints. It is therefore more of a challenge, especially in this age of extreme materialism, moral relativism and skepticism, to rise against sinfulness and return to the fold of truth, goodness, and light.

All Souls’ Day, on the other hand, is also a special day especially calendared by the Church for us to remember and pray for our departed brethren. More than remembering our departed loved ones, however, is the challenge for all of us to also remember that we are all endowed with our own souls which we must all cleanse and prepare for our ultimate re-union with our Creator.

November 1 therefore is the day we are all especially challenged to become saints. And November 2 is the day we are all especially challenged to prepare our souls for this same sainthood.

Prayer, especially the Eucharist, is always the best food for the soul. Personally, however, I find a number of balms that somehow caress and rejuvenate a tired and weary soul: nature, art, poetry, music, memories – both good and bad, my bonsais, a couple of hobbies, and most especially, love and my family. These, and the most precious time spent with them, make up my soul’s days. They, too, are my natural path to “sainthood,” if with God’s grace, I may ever attain that final goal.

Indeed, the past days have been my soul’s days and saint’s days.

One week before the two special occasions, I flew to Bicol to renew and re-strengthen my ties with my roots. I visited my ailing Papa and Mama, laughed and reminisced memories with my only brother and only sister, drank and sang with several relatives and friends, laughed with my 101-year-old Lolo and gazed for the first time at the 101-year-old face of romantic love in his eyes and the lady who’s currently the object of his heart. I am just awed at the love that beats inside a 101-year-old body.

After 26 years, I have had the chance to visit and pray at our family mausoleum for only the third time. I guided Edward, a distant cousin, in cleaning the place, lighted candles and took photos of the tombstones thereat for the family tree I have been working on for years. For the first time, too, I visited and prayed at the tombs of some friends whose wasted lives have recently been added to the growing list of victims of extrajudicial killings that now hover above and cast a shadow of death in this seemingly doomed country.

Back in Manila in the last day of October, I suddenly found myself enjoying a traffic-free drive along EDSA. There are only two days in a year when driving around Manila thoroughfares would be considered a pleasure: All Souls’ Day and Good Friday. Both are occasions for prayer and soul-cleansing. Both are great occasions to pray while driving. It is that rarest moment when you feel pleasure while praying.

And so, I decided to extend the pleasure. My family in tow, I maneuvered the car towards one of the nearest retreat forests I knew. Destination: Caylabne Bay Resort.

There are at least four reasons I like Caylabne. One, I love driving along the winding road that leads to the place. There is always something therapeutic, almost mystical, in driving along the winding road that seems to be tenderly hugging the sides of the mountain and gazing at centuries-old trees that seem to beckon at your every turn. Two, it is the only place I know where hawks are still observed swiftly gliding in the blue sky in search for preys. Different species of birds play among the savage branches unperturbed. Personally, the magnificent sight brings happy memories of my early childhood. Three, it is one of the very few places I know that boast both of a lush forest and a beach resort. And four, I adore the Spanish villas built in the place.

Herewith are a few of the photos I took during those days of my soul.

Ah, I wish to echo Sri Chinmoy’s words in his Eternity’s Vision-Reality Song:

Beloved Lord Supreme,
Do You approve of
My self-transcendence song?

"My son, not only do I approve
But it is I who will
Sing in you,
Sing through you
My Eternity's Vision-Reality Song."

Floating Red-Orange Yellow Bells Water Wheels The Guparya Fortress, Water & Rock Serenity 1 Serenity 2 Waterlily Goddess Byabya

Condo Unit for Rent

Here's a condominium unit I am leasing out. It measures 57.5 square meters, has two bedrooms, two toilets and baths, a kitchen, a loft and a dining and receiving area. The unit is furnished with a sofa, a dining table, one queen-sized and one single-sized beds, an aircon, two stand fans, and other household necessities.

Condominium amenities include a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a three-level underground parking and a 24-hour very strict, no-nonsense security. The building has its own 7/11 outlet, a branch of Allied Bank, ATM machines, a spa center, a KTV, and a restaurant cum bar that features exotic animals that include talking parrots and a twenty-feet-long boa constrictor.

Its best selling point, however, is its location, its accessibility. The condo unit is in Xavierhills Condominium located along corner Gilmore and N. Domingo Streets in Quezon City. It's just a block away from Gilmore LRT Station, Broadway Centrum, Gilmore IT Center, and St. Paul University, Q.C. It's a mere five-minute ride from St. Luke's Hospital, Xavier School, Immaculate Conception Academy, Greenhills Shopping Center and Cubao. Joel Torre's Manukan Grille and Mt. Carmel Church are both at a walking distance. You can have the day's newspaper, your laundry, water, and meals delivered right at your doorstep. Plus, a number of our local celebrities live in the place and you get to elbow with them right in the elevators.

The unit itself is dressed with wooden and antique interiors. My fascination with antiques definitely reveals itself in the unit's setup. A few mementos I gathered from my travels, both in the different parts of the country and abroad, would find their way in said condo unit. There's that old baul I brought from Ilocos, the lampshades from East Germany, the tiny bronze jars from India, the wooden mask from Sagada, the image of St. Joseph and the child Jesus carved from a Molave driftwood, the driftwood narra table from my hometown in Bicol, and yes, the Mona Lisa cross-stitched by my doting Mama before she has had her stroke that left her hands, well, incapable of doing more cross-stiches. And oh, I also have some golf clubs in the unit which any golf aficionado would be free to use. Just ask me to swing with you, buddy, and you'll be surprised I'm so easy to please and am actually so cheap. You might just find yourself spending free board and lodging in my unit for a couple of days. Hehehe.

A catch though: the condo unit is for transients only. You see, I've had a very bad experience renting it out for longer contracts. But you know, it's perfect for your balikbayan friends and relatives. It's perfect for your visiting friends and relatives from the provinces, too. And it would be perfect for those who would come to Manila for conferences or seminars.

My rate: Php 500 per pax per day for four pax and above or Php 2,000 per day for three pax and below.

I hope you'll find it reasonable. And if you don't, well, I always enjoy talking to people who know how to haggle.

Contact me through this blog or drop me a line at balangaw98@yahoo.com.

Other services offered by Theotokos Int'l. Ents.

Theotokos International Enterprises holds office in Intramuros, Manila. It also has a marketing office located at AF Pasig Cold Storage Plant along Shaw Boulevard Extension, Pasig City.


Other Services

The company, through its subsidiary, Easyway Customs Brokerage, also offers services in the following areas:

• Customs brokerage
• Trucking
• Import-export consultancy
• Indentation

The compnay has all the facilities and prides itself with proven and tested expertise in securing the immediate release and delivery of its customers' cargoes. Likewise, the company is geared towards rendering specific service that the client may require to perform, thus giving flesh to the popular slogan “Customer’s satisfaction guaranteed.”

Chicken Products

Drumstick
Legquarter

Pork Products (Part 2)

Liver
Loin Ham Ends
Loin Rib Ends
Spareribs

Pork Products (Part 1)

Bellies
Boneless Picnic
Femur Bones
Ham Bone In
Ham Trimmings

Beef Products (Part 2)

Striploin
Tenderloin Side
Top Sirloin

Beef Products (Part 1)

Brisket
Chuckroll
Cuberoll
Flanksteak
Knuckle

Some of the Things I Sell

I am a true-bloodied magbababoy. Or magkakarne if you prefer. Through Theotokos International Enterprises, the first company I founded, I sell different kinds of meat - beef, pork, chicken, and lamb. I deal with most of the country's leading meat processors, I supply meat to different upscale, mid-scale as well as low-scale restaurateurs, other importers and traders, and wet markets in and around Metro Manila.

I import my stocks from Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, France, Brazil, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Korea.

Two advantages of buying imported meat that most Filipinos still aren't aware of: One, imported meat costs at least 30% less than our local meat; and two, imported meat is of much better quality than our local brands.

Why is imported meat cheaper than our local meat? Because international prices of meat are dictated by free competition. For instance, I am currently selling pork liver from the USA at P50 per kilo. Traders at Farmers market in Cubao are currently selling the same at P105 per kilo.

Why is imported meat of better quality than our local meat? Several factors come into play. Feeds play a most important role. Our local hogs for instance are fed with low-grade feeds if not left-overs from our tables; hogs from my suppliers are pampered with feeds and vitamins which are all scientifically developed and tested. Environment provided for the animals comes next. Our local hogs for instance are mostly raised in backyard environment and endure our tropical heat; hogs from my suppliers live in airconditioned pens. Rearing and slaughtering practices are another important factor. Hogs in our country are for instance slaughtered very inhumanely, with knives slitting through the animals' throats which cause the animals to shriek and thereby contract their muscles; Hogs from my suppliers are slaughtered very humanely, often through electric shock, which even relaxes the muscles of the animals. Now, be aware that contracted muscles of the animal have very negative effects in the taste of the animal's meat. Just imagine, the animal could have died from shrieking, not entirely from loss of blood through the slit in its throat. You died shrieking, shaking, even wildly protesting your death and your being tied in all fours, would you still wonder if your flesh would ever taste good? Also, local hograisers would still market sow meat even after four or five childbirths. Imagine the meat of a lola who has already given birth to dozens of children. How do you think would it taste? Sorry for the analogy but a study I made a couple of years ago showed that the average Filipino eats at least 9 kilograms of sow meat a year. Now, sow meat for my suppliers are not for human consumption. They are made into feeds.

In the meat industry, I've learned a lot about meat science. I shall write about them in due time. Meanwhile, herewith below are some of the meat products I carry and -- in Filipino -- nilalako.

Pili na po kayo!!

Products

The products being imported and traded by the company include but are not limited to the following:

• Pork

o Ham
o Loin
o Belly
o Fat
o Skin on fat
o Skin (Back, Belly & Mixed)
o Liver
o Ear
o Headmask
o Jowl
o Rosary bones
o Back bones
o Femur bones
o Picnic

• Beef

o Tenderloin
o Striploin
o Sirloin
o Rib eye
o Chuck
o Forequarter
o Brisket
o Shank
o Tripe
o Mechanically Deboned Meat
o Trimmings

• Chicken

o Legquarter
o Mechanicaly Deboned Meat

My company

Now, let's talk about business. And lemme start by introducing to you the first company I founded. Hereunder is a profile of Theotokos International Enterprises, one of my import-export firms. In my next posts, I shall introduce to you, dear friends -- and dear future clients -- the different products I carry and, hmm, sell.

A Humble Beginning

Theotokos International Enterprises is an import-export firm that specializes in the importation and trading of frozen meat products. Founded in June 2002, it carries the seemingly quixotic vision of providing quality and the most affordable food on every Filipino's table.

The discrepancy between the quality and affordability of food that are feeding the Filipino people has long been a painful fact that burdened the Filipinos. The reality that most affordable foods are not quality foods and almost all quality foods are not very affordable stared especially at the faces of the founders of the company like the eyes of the Gorgons. To their mind and according to their faith and principles, quality and affordability should exist like twins in matters as important as food. To bridge the seemingly irreconcilable gap thus, they immediately laid out the foundations of one grandiose dream.

That dream would soon become Theotokos International Enterprises.

From then on, there was no turning back. Armed only with the needed experience, knowledge and a strong passion to succeed, the company, in the spirit of its adopted motto often found posted in many a door, made all the PUSH and PULL that slowly put Theotokos International Enterprises in its rightful place in the Philippine meat industry.

The company proved itself relentless and success-driven. It wouldn’t let one stone unturned that would help in the building of one great edifice that is Theotokos International Enterprises. It boldly stirred itself into the heights and the depths, where its own wits and guts were challenged and where its potentials were brought to their heights.

Today, Theotokos International Enterprises caters to its certified clients that include leading meat processors in the country as well as leading restaurateurs, traders and wholesalers. It continues to grow, to be strong, and to be where one really meets the meat.

Indeed, to PUSH and to PULL.

Vision Statement

A company defined by unrelenting pursuit for excellence, unparalleled service and total commitment in contributing to the nourishment of health and well being of every Filipino family by providing quality and the most affordable meat and meat products for every Filipino family’s table.

Mission Statement

• We aim to provide the most affordable and the best quality of meat and meat products for every Filipino family’s table for the purpose of contributing our share in the nourishment of health and well being of each member of the Filipino family.
• We aim to provide the best quality in our products and the biggest opportunities for work and business by:
• Providing the highest standards in labor;
• Promoting a culture of industriousness and diligence, and particularly, Theotokos International Enterprises’ culture of “PUSH and PULL”; and
  
• Offering an unparalleled service.

Our Commitment

We hereby commit to:

• Establish, maintain and sustain committed partners in the market.
• Invest in and maintain excellent systems in management, marketing and partnerships.
• Nurture and sustain the Theotokos International Enterprises’ culture of industriousness and diligence aptly crystallized in its motto often found posted in many a door - PUSH and PULL.
• Invest in and maintain superior utilities and machineries.
• Nurture and enhance the capabilities and skills of employees through continuing education and trainings.