Manong Gard
In his blue and white suit, this man stands proud of his duties. Like an eagle, he scours JSEC for unsuspecting violators. Like a vulture, he stalks them when they are weary. Like a hawk, he silently charges and then swiftly attacks. “Sir, ID niyo?” Boom. Headshot. Dead. Yes, this man is dangerous, but like all of us, he has a good side.
Today, at 37 years of age, he works for the Ateneo as a protector, law enforcer and justice bringer. And while his looks might have changed over time, his essence has remained the same. As an Evangelical Christian, he still firmly believes in morals. He still does not support the idea of being liberated. When he sings, angels still sing with him. When he plays the guitar, girls still fall for him. He still doesn’t smoke. He still doesn’t drink alcohol. He’s still Filipino. He’s still male. He’s Edgar O. Valdinar. He is Gar.
Like Gar,
Unlike Gar,
As we approached Manong Gar for the interview, he seemed very happy conversing with his friends. Even during the interview, he and his friends were joking around. He was easy to talk to. He seemed like a nice guy. I actually had a hard time filling up my “Unlike Gar,” list. I learned that different people, in some ways, can be very similar. This experience also showed me that happiness is present in all of us, and that friends play a big part in that. So thank you, Manong Gar, for letting us peek into your happy world. Thanks!
Summary:
Manong Gar is a security guard designated in the JSEC. He was born on Eastern Samar but went to Manila, finished third year college, got married, never had children, doesn’t have any vices (or so the entry says), supposedly dreamy (the guitar thing and all), and dangerous (to students).
Assessment:
a: I sense the effort put unto this task. I especially like the analogy in the first part. I also like the reaction part because it isn’t the same as most reactions (which are mostly about financial or social status). But, doesn’t the article part seem a little short? peace.
b: The transitions are smooth. I did not have a hard time reading the entry and understanding the content.
c: The facts included in the entry are carefully chosen so that they become a mix of public and private facts. Including private and interesting facts keep the entry from being bland or being another one of those information overload posts, and it’s nice coz the pieces of private information are not offensive or intrusive.
Oh! I can’t stop smiling about that part where he made manong Gar sound dreamy. I just keep on wagging my little mermaid tail on that! Well, it’s back to the waters, don’t wanna become some dried seafood now.
- Jezebel
*closes her waterproof laptop and jumps back into the ocean*
“too bad there’s no wifi signal down there”
Summary:
Leo describes Manong Gar who is currently a security guard near the JSEC area. He is described as a man of faith, music, and family.
Assessment:
Leo painted a very bright and happy picture of Manong Gar, but the description looks like it was forced to reach the 25-sentence requirement. Leo’s realization in the reflection part is probably what the activity’s intended – for us to realize that we are all humans and that we are all alike in one way or another.
“…the description looks like it was forced to reach the 25-sentence requirement.”
Caught me there! Haha. And I was going to put in “Caught. No Escape.” after “Boom. Headshot. Dead.”
XD