The King and Her

     Joanna Bacosa is a simple worker at a billiard hall and videoke bar in Malate when one night changed her entire life. It was the night in 2003 when a patron of the bar started paying attention to her more than any of the other women working at the bar. This patron, unbeknownst to her as a rising boxing star, set a series of most unfortunate events that lead to an on-going, unresolved case of child support, and what would be one of the king’s downfalls.

     An excerpt from the Philippine Daily Inquirer fearlessly details a happy love story which turned out really badly as the forbidden love bore a healthy child. Named after his father, Emman was born on January 2, 2004, baptized in a Quezon City church.

     She possessed church and legal documents that could prove that he was indeed a lovechild bore from the once happy and secret relationship. During the course of such short-lived connection, she denied any kind of financial offering she was offered as she fought for love, not for money, up until she was already pregnant and needed to pay hospital bills. This was resolved with the first money she took from the already-millionaire champ which amounted to PHP300,000.00 as a Christmas gift, and with less the hassle, gave birth to a healthy boy. Joanna was aware that at that time she was a consort to a husband who already had a wife and two sons. But at the time the secret couple was sweet and enjoyed life as a normal family would.

      The father saw the boy often, but the visits became few, until he requested them to go to Cebu. He was pleased to see his son, and gave him PHP3,000.00 which was the last of what would the bliss be between the two lovers.

     Bacosa kept on contacting him, seeking for child support, until she started getting calls from the legal wife, trying to prevent her to seek legal counsel.

    And thus, she got a surprise call from the king himself. He reportedly said: "If you have a problem, why don't you just talk to me?"

    "Why do you have to talk to somebody else? What do you want? Financial support? I have helped other people, why do you think I shouldn't help you. Do you want me to have that boy kidnapped so there wouldn't be evidence? Tell your lawyer to shut up or I will sew his mouth."

     She had grown afraid of him. But she needed to fight. She knew it all along that the main event is yet to come. GMA News reported that the very much-awaited confrontation between the champ and Joana Bacosa, scheduled     to happen at the Quezon City fiscal office on March 2006 never occurred. She claims, “Kung tunay at tapat si Pacquiao sa kanyang mga naunang pahayag na hindi siya ang ama ng aming anak na si Emman, sa pamamagitan ng salaysay na ito ay muli kong inuuulit ang aking hamon kay Pacquiao na sabay kaming sumailalim sa DNA test upang tuluyan nang mapatunayan na siya ang ama ng aming anak."

    And on 2011, she came out on public again, according to a PEP report. She says, "Gusto ko pong masabi sa anak ko na pagdating po ng panahon, makita rin ng anak ko na ipinaglaban din siya ng mommy niya para po kilalanin ng ama niya na si Manny Pacquiao."

     A fight that has yet to be won. A fight that has the nation standing still. A fight between the king and her.

Students sell dignity for tuition fee

            The tuition fee for each course in De La Salle University – Dasmarinas would go from Php 24,000 up to Php 58,000. Scholarships are offered for academic scholars and student administration scholars. Several events are held in the university to raise fund for the beneficiaries of the scholarship. There are plastic containers in every part of the university that encourages everyone to drop a coin for the scholars, “Piso Para Sa Iskolar”. Yet, there are still students who couldn’t be one of the scholars that they have to find ways to finish the course and get their diploma.
            

As tuition fee hikes in the university, students make a living by using their body in exchange for money to pay tuition fee. Without the knowledge of some, the negotiation between the student and the paying customer usually takes place within Villa Isabel and across the school, the place where students go to after class or during break time, 7 11. The student will make a move to drop one peso coin or a handkerchief as a sign that she’s the one up for the agreement.  One of the cigarette vendors would pick up the coin or the handkerchief as a gesture that the paying customer got the signal. A man would show up and take a hold of the student and take her for his pleasure. 

There are other ways of picking up a student, a source stated, “Minsan may dumadaan na kotse na pinapatay bukas yung ilaw, yun ang signal na naghahanap sila. Tapos, yung girl sasakay na lang sa kotse. ”

 It not only happens outside the school, even inside the school, in Rotonda, the intersection in the East Campus, the negotiation takes place. This practice happens to different female students from different colleges in the university. For the customers to pick students, there’s a gay manager who acts as a pimp and handler of the students. The pimp has the bluebook in which the photos of the female students are in, and the customers will pick who they want. This act usually happens few weeks before the payment of tuition for exams. The paying customers are known to be businessmen who can pay up to what amount the student needs.

It’s a dismay that the anomaly also happens inside the campus and given that several people in the campus knew about this, no one has ever took an action to cease it from happening.