Right in the Middle of Full Life

 

WITH BEETHOVEN UNDER PALMS (XXIII): Right in the Middle of Full Life

Chapter XXIII:  Right in the Middle of Full Life

A big hello sounded. GMA-TV director Bam Salavani recognized Rossana immediately. Then schoolmate and host Onnie Alfaro. "What are you doing here in Davao? Are you on vacation?" Questions about questions from all sides stormed us. "After the short commercial break, you are part of the show", called Bam Salvani. And so we were German guests on this TV show for the first time. During the following years we became an integral part of the show.

 "Testigo" and "Singgit Davao" were re-launched and were taken under the wing of GMA News & Public Affairs and GMA Entertainment TV Group respectively. In August of the same year, "Singgit Davao" was relaunched as "Kuyaw!" in time for the Kadayawan Festival.  Just to mention some: other hosts were Eureka, Emily Urgino and Al Ryan Alejandre - later City Councilor of Davao City.

I felt very much at home with the radio, newspapers and television. Mindanao Times Lifestyle writer Josie San Pedro had mentioned my mother, Rossana and me in her column "passages" during the great event "Singgit Davao at two"  - the stepping stone for our future. I must confess, not all expats in the Philippines went the same or similar path as me.

For the first years I liked to take a jeepney. I found it interesting to get to know a lot of people while driving. And, step by step, I learned Bisaya. Nevertheless, one day a VW-beetle from the Archdiocese parked in our garden. A little old but he drove. We called him affectionalle "Knatterton". But it really never cracked.

I started writing lifestyle columns. The International Harvardian University (IHU) Grand Alumni Homecoming was a special event. It was at the same time the rebirth of the IHU - Manisan Dancegroup. The dream of the old and new lead dancer Rossana had come true. It was at the event that I met Rodrigo Duterte for the first time - then Vice Mayor of Davao City.

The month of October approached. It was the time when Rossana and I stayed regularly in Manila: October 3 - the German National Day - or the Day of Unity, and -of course- Oktoberfest. This time everything was different. The then General Manager of the Apo View Hotel, my friend Wolfgang and I did it: the Bavarian Sound Express from Germany was on stage in Davao City too. Unfortunately only once and never again. 

Oktoberfest, an annual festival in Munich, Germany, held over a two-week period and ending on the first Sunday in October. The festival originated on October 12, 1810, in celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festival concluded five days later with a horse race held in an open area that came to be called Theresienwiese (“Therese’s green”). The following year the race was combined with a state agricultural fair, and in 1818 booths serving food and drink were introduced. By the late 20th century the booths had developed into large beer halls made of plywood, with interior balconies and bandstands. Each of the Munich brewers erects one of the temporary structures, with seating capacities of some 6,000. The mayor of Munich taps the first keg to open the festival. Total beer consumption during Oktoberfest is upwards of 75,800 hectolitres (about 2 million gallons). The breweries are also represented in parades that feature beer wagons and floats along with people in folk costumes. Other entertainment includes games, amusement rides, music, and dancing. Oktoberfest draws more than six million people each year, many of them tourists.

Rossana  was meanwhile working as supervisor at  Merco-Mercantile Corporation Of Davao, with different branches all over Davao City. Merco has become a household name, Since 1946, it has continued to serve the growing city of Davao. At the helm of running things is Johnny Ferrazzini, president of the Mercantile Corp.of Davao or Merco. During that time he ran the family-owned business with his son Anton, who was the general manager, and heir apparent. One day, Johnny asked me, "Klaus, do you want to do your radio show at a bigger radio station? I can introduce you to Mr. Willie Torres, the president and top gun of UMBN - University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network!"

Well, I jumped into the deep end, after all, I had brought my large CD collection from Germany with me. My first time slot was Sundays from 10 pm - midnight. "Let's find out the feedback of our listeners", Willie Torres told me. "Classics at Night with Klaus Döring"  has started.

And then came the big surprise that really nobody had expected, least of all me.

YES!

 Yes!

Jeff WritesRespect should not depend on someone’s title, salary, or status in life.

Sometimes people only show respect to those with power, money, or high positions. But true character shows in how you treat everyone, especially those the world often overlooks.

Whether they are security guards, farmers, sweepers, drivers, or professionals in an office, their work does not define their worth as a person.

They are not “less than.” They are people working hard, providing for their families, and doing honest work.

A simple “Sir” or “Ma’am” may seem small, but it can mean a lot. It shows that you see them, that you value them, and that you respect them as a person.

Respect should not be reserved for the powerful.

It should be given to everyone. Because at the end of the day, dignity is something every human being deserves.

: Photos belong to their rightful owners

#respect #workers #marangalnatrabaho #saludoSaMagsasaka #fblifestyle #realizations #adulting #citizens #WednesdayWisdom #quoteoftheday

Retirement

 

By Pinky Concha-Colmenares

Published Mar 12, 2026 12:03 am | Updated Mar 11, 2026 04:25 pm

DRIVING THOUGHTS

Retirement is a strange word for me. I’ve been working even before I finished college. After graduation, I dove into journalism. For about half a century — 44 years with Manila Bulletin and many years as editor of a provincial daily— journalism was not just my profession, it was my clock, my compass, my daily contact with the world. Deadlines measured my days. Everything else– my children’s birthday celebrations, vacations, school events – revolved around these.

And now, I am stepping away.

In truth, I feel like separating from an identity. I have spent more waking hours in the Manila Bulletin newsroom than in my own house. I know the rhythm of editorial meetings better than the rhythm of my neighborhood. I remember special days commemorating a health, political or education issue, yet forget my children’s Parents’ Day, Holy Retreat, or School Fair.

And so there is anxiety. Not over the contents of my pages, but over my relevance. Journalism is a profession that feeds on relevance. Every day asks: What matters now? Who needs to know? Why should anyone care? For decades, I lived inside those questions. My byline was proof of presence. The sections I edited, the latest was the opinion-editorial section, documented how people were absorbing and reacting to the news.

Retirement, by contrast, threatens my days with silence. No more daily deadline. No more expectation that my take will appear in print or online. The world will spin without waiting for my story, the edited versions of stories, or the decision on what’s ethical or prudent.

I now feel a different form of anxiety. It is not about deadlines or accuracy, it is about becoming a spectator in a society I once helped interpret. It is about going to sleep with the thought that I had not done something that documented history.

I also feel a personal kind of quiet. My children — who did not question my excuses on why I have to cut short a conversation or celebration — now have full lives of their own. They now have their own deadlines. The house that once felt like a terminal between assignments has been quiet for a long time now. Now that quiet will also come from my phone where my email inbox and Viber messages will stop its once constant beeps.

Thankfully, my long years in journalism gave me a wake-up call. It reminded me that every ending is also a beginning; and a story always has another angle. For 50 years, I chased success as scoops, well-written stories, and page view numbers – all these giving the subtle pride of influence. With retirement, I will now seek my identity through relevance.

There will be many venues for that. Relevance can mean mentoring students or young reporters who enter a media landscape far more challenging than the one I joined. It can mean volunteering in community organizations that need experienced voices. It can mean writing not for headlines, but for depth — columns, essays, memoir, even that book friends have encouraged me to attempt.

I have spent decades telling the stories of other people. Perhaps it is time to tell my own –the stories behind the stories, the decisions before giving the final order to “down” a page, the people I’ve met.

The newsroom taught me urgency. Retirement will teach me patience. I will learn that importance is not synonymous with being busy. And I will hope that the relationships built over decades do not evaporate. But if it will fade because of my lack of influence, I will be on another path where I will be judged according to relevance – not influence.

So I step away with mixed emotions — gratitude, pride and apprehension. I am very grateful to Manila Bulletin Chairman Basilio Yap and President Emil C. Yap III who believed in me. I carry much pride that I had been part of the 126-year history of Manila Bulletin, and have trained most of its senior reporters. I am grateful for having experienced being a reporter covering various beats — from the police to arts and culture, motoring, agriculture, education, science, health, travel, housing and real estate, and special assignments—and then being assigned editor of various sections.

But I also feel some apprehension on entering a new chapter which I have yet to structure. I will miss the noise and the news leads. I will miss the stressful minutes before the decision to send a page down. And I will miss the steady presence of Business Development Head Jordan Tan who carries the idealism of youth, and the openness to new experiences.

For 50 years, I belonged to the story of a newsroom — from the days when a reporter dictated a story by phone to a deskman, to sending it through fax, then through email, and today, posting it online almost in real time.

Now, I have the chance to write a different chapter — one that comes from reflection and quiet relevance as a volunteer, teacher, and still a journalist writing bits of history at my own pace.

I hope that will matter just as much as being executive editor of Manila Bulletin. (Email: pinkycolmenares@yahoo.com)