From the time I’ve acquired consciousness of this world, I’ve learned that cheating is a part of life.
In grade school, ingenious kids may make a “kodigo” ( a small piece of paper which contains possible answers to the exams). Sometimes, when the teacher is not looking, they may look at the test paper of their classmates. This goes on ’til high school and even college. But then, the schemes may have become developed. I am constantly amazed at the length some students will go for the sake of passing an exam. Just this past week, as I was checking the test booklets of second year law students, I discovered that one student had written topics at the back pages of the test booklet. Although no ink was visible, I could clearly see what was written and the indentations on the paper were remarkable.
As life progresses, so does the things subject of cheating. In relationships, a boyfriend/girlfriend may be having a side affair with another person. In marriage, cheating is not an uncommon thing. Lots of people cheat on their wives or husbands. I know several who do. In every aspect of life, there will always be something a person may cheat on: priests with their vows of chastity, politicians in elections, tv stations and their ratings, the list is endless.
When I was younger, I thought that people cheat for some justifiable reason: whether as an act of revenge against another person who’s duped them before or because of the wife/husband does not know how to take care of the other. But when I think about it now, I realize that people will cheat just because they can. There is no unfathomable or justifiable reason other than that they do because they can and they will.
I suppose I could say I had it coming. Being the head of a staff, my people would naturally throw me some compliments. I could accept that. After all, it’s in the nature of Pinoys to make “sipsip” to their bosses to gain brownie points. Sometimes, it works with me and sometimes it doesn’t. But what I can’t stand is when I am patronized. I take offense; I tend to think of it more as an insult to my intelligence and less as a compliment.
Ever since I’ve moved to the countryside and assumed my position as a Judge’s chief of staff, I’ve had my fair share compliments. I suppose some of my staff are trying to outdo each other by giving better compliments. When one goes ” Ma’am, you look beautiful today!” another would go “Ma’am looks beautiful everyday!” That’s common “paninipsip.” But when one of my staff starts saying “You wouldn’t have any problem building your own house. After all, you’re very rich.”, when it has no basis in point of fact, or when she starts alluding to my parents as some sort of business moguls who’ve amassed millions of pesos, when she doesn’t even know what my parents actually do for a living let alone their names, really annoys me. Sometimes, it gets worse when she says it aloud in front of other people. I cringe at the thought of what those within hearing distance might think of me. Although normally, what other’s perception of me would not have mattered, it’s quite different when one is in the government service. For some reason, rumor-mongering is worst in government service. Once some tittle-tattle about you gets around, no matter how tiny and insignificant it may be, IT WILL ALWAYS GET BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION. I’ve been in one government office before this where I have proven this rule to be true. When I transferred to this job, I’ve found even more basis to support this conclusion.
At first I thought that particular female staff acted that way only because I was new to the place. I gave her the benefit of the doubt that she just probably wanted me to feel right at home. But when several months have passed and she appears to be getting the hang of it, I start to ask my husband, “Is she insulting me or something? What does she have against me?” I feel that everytime she throws me a “compliment,” behind that veneer is an insult waiting to be unveiled.
But how would one react in the face of a patronizing staff? I just smile and say “hindi po” although what I really would have loved to say is “what the hell?!”
Oh well, it’s just another day in the life of a city girl in the countryside.
