Image courtesy of www.inquirer.net
Source: www.inquirer.net
A Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic constable who ended up on social media sites after he was spotted selling “kakanin” (native delicacies) to motorists was cited by the agency on Monday for his honesty and “creativity.”
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino met with 51-year-old Fernando Gonzales at the agency’s headquarters in Guadalupe, Makati City, where he was commended for finding an honorable way to raise money for his sons’ education instead of asking for bribes.
Tolentino, who described Gonzales as a good example for other traffic enforcers, advised him to continue what he was doing, adding that he had endorsed him for a promotion.
But not before he made sure that the traffic constable’s side job was not interfering with his primary duties and responsibilities.
“I am selling kakanin during weekends only since these are my days off,” Gonzales told Tolentino.
He explained, however, that he made the decision to wear his MMDA uniform to encourage more people to buy from him.
Gonzales became an instant hit on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter when photos and videos of him selling native delicacies to motorists on Edsa and in Caloocan City were shared by netizens who lauded his “amusing and honorable” way of striving to earn extra money for his family.
Gonzales was trembling and seemed to be in shock when he showed up at the MMDA headquarters on Monday because he initially thought he would be getting a reprimand from Tolentino.
He told reporters that he has been a traffic aide and member of the MMDA Motorcycle Unit since September 1990. He earns P15,000 a month.
“I thought of selling tupig, puto and other delicacies prepared by my wife to help send my two sons to school,” he said.
Asked if he ever thought of asking bribes from motorists, Gonzales said that he feared losing his job and his children’s trust.
I dont want to be mean o nega pero parang mali eh. Oo pandagdag hanapbuhay pero diba parang pangit tignan.
ReplyDeletealin yung pangit? yung nagtitinda sya on his days off wearing his MMDA uniform? tingin ko, mali din. may impluwensya yung uniform para bumili ang mga tao.
DeleteI don't think so anon 12:11.
DeletePero ang dapat itanong, habang nagbebenta sya, nagagampanan ba nya ang work nya as an mmda officer?
anong pangit dun? mabuti na yan kesa mangotong siya
DeleteSanay na kasi tayo na lahat ng katulad nya ay mga mangongotong. Kaya pag may isa na gusto rumaket na di nman kotong ay pinupuri pa kahit mali.
DeletePower tripper si manong. Parang pangongotong na rin yan ginagawa nya, dahil napipilitan lang naman bumili mga motorista kasi in uniform siya. Parang may fear factor din. tsktsktsk
DeleteBasta visible sya sa mga motorista may preventative effect din yun.
Deletepag day-offs lang po siyanagtitinda. so hindi naman naabala ang work nya.
Delete@anon12:56 I don't think its power tripping coz he did not point a gun nor flash his badge to force people to buy his kakanin. It's some passengers who bought food from him and not the drivers. His uniform has nothing to do to influence hungry passengers from buying his commodity...
DeleteKaya naman daw sya naka uniform pag day off nya kc madalas kulang ang tao nila at bigla syang tinatawagan.
DeleteNaging mautak lang siya sa pagsuot ng uniform dahil doon cya makakaattract ng buyers! And he's doing that during off. Okay na yan kesa sa mga officers na andun lang sa gilid nakatayo habang on duty!! omagassh!
DeleteWalang masama pero bakit kelangan pa ng promotion? Off pa niya mga oras na iyan
DeleteMabuhay ka bossing. Sana manalo ka sa lotto para magkaron ka ng puhunan at inegosyo mo yan.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if every mmda employee will sell something while on duty... will they be as effective and efficient employee? This is not something to celebrate about nor something to be proud of... he should sell it outside work hours
ReplyDeleteIt was stated above that he does it on his days off. However, wearing the uniform while selling stuff on the road, is indeed wrong.
DeleteHindi ka nagbabasa bakla.. He sells it on weekends nga daw kasi off days nya yun..
DeleteNagtitinda siya tuwing day off niya lang. Nagsusuot lang siya ng uniform kasi minsan kinukulang sila ng tao, siya na nag vo-volunteer
DeleteAnd he did. He sell them during weekends since those days are his days off.
DeleteRead the article again.
Delete“I am selling kakanin during weekends only since these are my days off,” Gonzales told Tolentino.
I should feel good about this pero there is conflict of interest dito e.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean. On one hand it is commendable that he is trying to supplement his income by selling food stuff instead of the usual bribery that people like him, resort to. Walang pinagkaiba sa teacher na nagbebenta ng tocino on the side. Pero in a way it doesn't feel right. We'll just have to blame it on the system. Bakit sobrang baba suweldo nila? Pero sa kalakaran, bakit ang daming salapi din ang nabubulsa ng mga politiko? Siguro kung dito yan sa abroad, sipa yan sa trabaho because it is what it is. Conflict of interest.
DeleteMadaming bitter sa MMDA na ito.
ReplyDeletedapat hindi naka uniform!!!
ReplyDeleteOkay sana kung hindi nya ginagamit uniform nya sa pagbebenta. Maling mali. Day off nya so dapat wag gamitin ang uniform para makabenta! ang pangit! tapos ineencourage pa ng MMDA. My gosh!
ReplyDeleteFrom gmanetwork.com article:
Delete"Gonzales said he sells rice cakes during his days off but sometimes had to do it in uniform because of sudden calls for extra hands during a shift."
Kung di kayo napeperwisyo wag kayong nega. Marangal ang ginagawa nya. I salute you po!
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, I agree, kesa mangotong sya ng garapalan.
DeleteOn the other hand, it's still kinda wrong. Pero I blame the system more kasi dahil sa baba ng income nya napipilitan syang gawin yan. Pero I admire him kasi imbes na yung easy route na pangongotong eh nagtitinda na lang sya which is honest living.
I dont think selling kakanin is a qualification for promotion..
ReplyDeleteIf that so then all should sell kkanin or so what.
He is a good father indeed but i think promotion has proper qualifications.
But if its for the better of his family how can I say no for him to be promoted
Did he get the promotion only because they get wind of what he does to supplement his income?
DeleteIt's not selling kakanin that made him qualify fir a promotion. It's the fact that he's an honest and resourceful employee which is really difficult to find in most employees nowadays.
Deleteok lang na mag-sideline si kuya, sabi naman niya na nagbebenta lang siya pag off-duty siya. pero hindi na niya dapat suot ang uniform.
ReplyDeleteNag susuot lang siya ng uniform Kasi kahit on weekends natatawagan siya to volunteer. Kesa naman magpalit pa di ba?
DeleteP15K MMDA?! Really?! Tolentino, dont encourage them to have sidelines instead do something to increase their wages!!!! my goodness!!!
ReplyDeleteMaling pamamaraan sa tamang layunin. In english, the end doesn't justify the means. May konting power tripping yan kasi yung mga pinapara nya akala ay huhulihin sila yun pala bebentahan lang. Hindi tama yang ginagawa mo, Manong!
ReplyDeleteAgree.
DeleteExactly!
DeleteThis touched me immensely. Godbless you, Sir. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteok sinuwerte si mr. mmda; sana lang di na nya gamitin ang uniform pag off nya at di na siya naka-motor habang nagtitinda at nasa gitna ng kalye habang nagbebenta na pwedeng maging dahilan ng aksidente. at sana naman, yung mga tiwaling tauhan, bigyan ng tamang parusa hindi yung parang balewala lang at balik trabaho at kotong uli.
ReplyDeleteSeriously this should stop. Nagbebenta sa kalsada??? Only in the Philippines!
ReplyDeletedito sa amerika marami din nagbebenta sa kalye. yung mga pekeng bag lang eh, kung magbenta mga tao dito sa herald square, ang dami dami. at least d sya nagnanakaw, nangingidnap or nang-aakyat bahay. mababa man ang trabaho niya, honest naman. wag masyadong matapobre.
Deleteyes, inspiring ang story.. pero nagsideline lang ang tao, ipo-promote na? anong klaseng ka-utakan yan?
ReplyDeleteMISMO!!! Wala ako masabi sa utak ni Chairman Tolentino!! What an insult to the rest of his people who respect their uniform and position.
Deleteapektado kayo masyado. kahit anong pagbubunganga ang gawin nyo susunod ba sa inyo yang Chairman na yan? dun kayo mag welga sa office ni Tolentino!
DeleteAgree anon 3:13PM kung maka comment itong mga to akala mo naman kayang sabihin harap harapan kay tolentino yang mga sinasabi nila. Masyado affected pwe!
DeleteDun ako affected sa 15k na sahod nya..nanliit ako sa sweldo ko nung nurse pa ako sa pinas..12k a month lang without benefits pa.
ReplyDeleteAnd teachers in private schools get 6500-8500 a month. Lisensyado pa yan.
Deleteate nanliit ka pa si manong 24yrs na syang MMDA 15k palang sweldo nia ikaw ba ilanga taon kang naging nurse sa Pinas at buti 12k na sahod mo.
DeleteI blame the system ng bansa natin kasi yun ang dahilan kung bakit mababa ang income nya at kaya sya napipilitang mag-sideline. I admire him kasi imbes na yung easy route na pangongotong ang ginawa nya eh nagtitinda na lang sya which is honest living. Instead of questioning hisactions, we should question the system, that way hindi na kailanganin pa ng mga MMDA at mga Pulis natin na gumawa ng gimik (whether maging vendor or, worse, kotong cops).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. 2:35
DeleteKapareho lang yan ng mga guro sa elementary na nagbebenta ng pagkain sa recess, at kapag di naubos e ipapipilit sa estudyante kasi kapag di ka bumili magiging automatic cleaner dahil naranasan ko yan na matakot sa nagtitinda lalo na at wala ka namang per tas ipipilit pa sayo. Mas okay pa nga yang si manung pulis kasi matatanda na yung binebentahan, kaya ng tumanggi o bumili sa kagustuhan nila. Saka walang masama kung magsideline lalo na at sa tamang paraan na lang. Di siya katulad ng ibang tao na kailangang isisi lagi sa gobyerno ang kahirapan ng buhay dahil maliit ang sweldo. Walang tutulong sa atin kundi sarili natin. Ang sisihin nyo yung nagbibigay ng promotion, di naman related sa trabaho bilang pulis yung pagpopromote na yan.
ReplyDeleteEwan ko sa inyo. Lahat na lang ng mga ginagawang yan may nega at nega pa din. Laging may makikita at makikitang butas na ipupula. Tsk. Crab mentality nga naman.
ReplyDeleteSampal 'to sa mukha ni tolentino at sa MMDA dahil despite the fact na may stable job si manong, kinakailangan pa nyang magtinda ng kakanin para pandagdag sa panggastos ng pamilya nila. Gising MMDA!
ReplyDeletei just cant blv all those pipol na cnsabing mali to. Kelngan nega lagi? D b pwd un positive side tgnan nyo? Pati pag uuniform issue nyo. Pag kokotongan kau, galit. Pag ngsisikap, galit.
ReplyDeletesa mahal ng bilihin sa pinas, hindi kasya ang 15K sa isang buwan. upa pa lang ubos na, tapos pagkain, kuryente, tubig, gaas. MMDA nga sya, oo, pero walang masama kung magbenta sya ng kakanin sa day off niya. hindi siya nanunutok ng baril, hindi naman namimilit. i doubt na promote sya dahil sa kakanin. na publicize sa media kasi kaya ginawan na ng paraan ni tolentino. tsaka isa pa, yan din ang hirap sa ating mga pilipino. yung utak talangka d na mawala sa katawan natin. imbes na matuwa tayo at umaasenso kapwa natin sa marangal na paraan eh lahat ng panglalait inaabot nung tao. wag naman ganun. wag mag generalize. d lahat ng mmda at pulis kurakot kaya i-check niyo yung galit niyo. ano naman ba gusto niyong mangyari? wag na sya payagan magtinda? pano niya bubuhayin pamilya niya sa gakulangot na sweldo niya? magnanakaw at magiging kidnapper? perspective, people.
ReplyDeleteButi nga nagtitinda hindi nangongotong! aprove ako jan kay sir! good example!
ReplyDeleteyung mga nagbabawal na magtinda kasi napapangitan sa image ng mga mmda shut up! kailangan ng tao ng pera para sa mga anak niya. buti nga sa marangal na paraan niya yun kinukuha.
Alam mo na pilipino crab mentality. Mas gusto nila yung mangurakot ganyan.
DeleteKung tama ang sweldo sa kanila hindi na kailangan gawin yan. Masyadong maliit ang sweldo ng mga naglilingkod sa mamayan, maliban sa majority ng self-serving and corrupt politicians.
ReplyDeleteKahit naman sa isang regular na opisina, meron tayong mga ka-trabaho na binibilhan natin ng food or packed lunch. Yun okay lang... kapag sa kanya hindi?
ReplyDeleteI mean, mali na kung mali kasi during duty. pero aminin din natin na mas okay na yan kesa mangotong sya. Atsaka magkano ba ang sweldo nila in the first place?!? bilad sa ulan at araw pero hindi naman sila priority ng gobyerno.
Masisisi ba natin sila?