"What's 70,000 dollars?"
I've written about the Brian Gorrell blog in the past. Although I did provide a link to Gorrell's blog here, I was very careful not to mention DJ Montano's name nor the title of the blog in my column.
I empathized with Brian's situation, particularly since he is living with HIV. And as many of my readers know, I am President of Remedios AIDS Foundation and helping people living with HIV/AIDS is one of my pet causes.
I must admit that I tended to take Brian Gorrell's accusations against DJ Montano and the so-called Gucci Gang with a grain of salt. No, make that bushels of salt. I am aware that the kind of thievery alleged by Brian Gorrell does happen in this world. However, I thought it was important that people keep an open mind about the veracity of the allegations particularly since DJ Montano's version of the events has not been heard yet. I figured the guy deserved to be heard first.
Which is why I made it a point to watch that particular interview last Friday.
While watching DJ Montano on television, it suddenly occured to me that I knew the guy.
Oh, I dont claim to be on first name basis with the social set. Truth is, I am kinda allergic to people who flaunt their lavish lifestyles and squander, all in one night, money that's more than enough to feed a whole family in Northern Samar for a month, or send twenty kids to school in Basilan. I don't care if it's their money, it's just simply wrong to flaunt profligacy. I know him because he was a participant in a workshop I helped run in the early nineties. And for a while, he was the constant companion of someone I knew, someone who would always go out of his way to say hi to me in public while DJ pretended not to notice a member of the proletariat (a.k.a. me). This is not to say that I took it against him, though. The way I always chose to see it, some people simply have some growing up to do.
Anyway. Because I somehow knew him, I expected to feel some connection with him while he was being interviewed by Korina. Fat chance.
I have never felt so... uncomfortable in front of a television set in my whole life. What the f*ck was that???
What was with the fake accent? What was with that inability to pronounce a simple and common Tagalog word? It's bangungot, dude. Ba-ngu-ngot!
And what was with that I'm-above-it-all, we're- made-of-better-stuff posturing? I guess that's the reason why many are repulsed by members of the social set, they project this "we're untouchable aura" that is just so galling.
Sorry, but given a choice between the screaming, incomprehensible, incoherent, hysterical real person and the carefully rehearsed, perfectly composed, calm and collected diva... I'd go for the former anytime. Anytime.
My total conversion was sealed by Mrs. Montano when she scoffed "What is 70,000 dollars?!?" She actually said it!
Surely one couldn't be that callous.
Oh I know, she meant they could have easily forked the amount over if not for their so-called "principle." Which actually is still a tasteless thing to say on public television. One simply does not flaunt one's money. What is 70,000 dollars?!? Not much to the Montanos, or so they claim. Too bad for the rest of us who don't breathe the same designer air that they apparently do. We can only dream of having that kind of money. Forget owning that kind of money. Millions of Filipinos won't even come close to touching, even simply seeing with their own two eyes that kind of money in their whole lifetime.
And too bad for Brian Gorrell who happens to say 70,000 is the difference between living and dying.
I empathized with Brian's situation, particularly since he is living with HIV. And as many of my readers know, I am President of Remedios AIDS Foundation and helping people living with HIV/AIDS is one of my pet causes.
I must admit that I tended to take Brian Gorrell's accusations against DJ Montano and the so-called Gucci Gang with a grain of salt. No, make that bushels of salt. I am aware that the kind of thievery alleged by Brian Gorrell does happen in this world. However, I thought it was important that people keep an open mind about the veracity of the allegations particularly since DJ Montano's version of the events has not been heard yet. I figured the guy deserved to be heard first.
Which is why I made it a point to watch that particular interview last Friday.
While watching DJ Montano on television, it suddenly occured to me that I knew the guy.
Oh, I dont claim to be on first name basis with the social set. Truth is, I am kinda allergic to people who flaunt their lavish lifestyles and squander, all in one night, money that's more than enough to feed a whole family in Northern Samar for a month, or send twenty kids to school in Basilan. I don't care if it's their money, it's just simply wrong to flaunt profligacy. I know him because he was a participant in a workshop I helped run in the early nineties. And for a while, he was the constant companion of someone I knew, someone who would always go out of his way to say hi to me in public while DJ pretended not to notice a member of the proletariat (a.k.a. me). This is not to say that I took it against him, though. The way I always chose to see it, some people simply have some growing up to do.
Anyway. Because I somehow knew him, I expected to feel some connection with him while he was being interviewed by Korina. Fat chance.
I have never felt so... uncomfortable in front of a television set in my whole life. What the f*ck was that???
What was with the fake accent? What was with that inability to pronounce a simple and common Tagalog word? It's bangungot, dude. Ba-ngu-ngot!
And what was with that I'm-above-it-all, we're- made-of-better-stuff posturing? I guess that's the reason why many are repulsed by members of the social set, they project this "we're untouchable aura" that is just so galling.
Sorry, but given a choice between the screaming, incomprehensible, incoherent, hysterical real person and the carefully rehearsed, perfectly composed, calm and collected diva... I'd go for the former anytime. Anytime.
My total conversion was sealed by Mrs. Montano when she scoffed "What is 70,000 dollars?!?" She actually said it!
Surely one couldn't be that callous.
Oh I know, she meant they could have easily forked the amount over if not for their so-called "principle." Which actually is still a tasteless thing to say on public television. One simply does not flaunt one's money. What is 70,000 dollars?!? Not much to the Montanos, or so they claim. Too bad for the rest of us who don't breathe the same designer air that they apparently do. We can only dream of having that kind of money. Forget owning that kind of money. Millions of Filipinos won't even come close to touching, even simply seeing with their own two eyes that kind of money in their whole lifetime.
And too bad for Brian Gorrell who happens to say 70,000 is the difference between living and dying.
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