an unexpected hug took me by surprise on my first photo-opt with JGR.

I know! It's a bad-hair day! Gee!

On our first meeting , I was surprised when she put her PRADA (yes, with the big "P") on the floor and had lunch with us that soooo sweat-inducing day at Beestop. And that started my loooong day with the First Lady, Ms. Jane G. Rivera. After a short pleasantries, we fired away to business.

My team and I secretly observed her from a corner and we're very pleased to see how willingly she indulged into the plans and suggestions for the activity. A listening leader, that's how I would describe her. And she made us all feel comfortable working around her easily. Give her a task, and she would readily oblige even if it means waking up early in the morning for a TV appearance 

a visit to DepEd 

or to go and look for Partners,

even ride a caterpillar!

What drew her closer to us are instances where she is most "totoo"....she would pig out with us at the "dampa" at the oval plaza. Dig on some bbq and eat packed meals in a corner without looking for alcohol afterwards ( You know, the usual eksena you would see in a pinoy movie! hehehe), make sitsit sa mayor , too! (psssst, nel! nel!) hahahaha....

And we saw how she adore her kids! Stage mother ito! Like she went with her son Raffy when he rehearsed for his part at the New Year's Countdown: Naka shorts at tsinelas lang! But what let out an "Oohhh" & an "Aaaahh" from us all was how she turned a glitch into a touching moment. This happened during the conduct of "Pasko ng Batang Heneral" when an unexpected busfull of kids arrived at the venue. The organizers panicked as we could no longer accommodate them at the covered court, but FL Jane was quick to respond to the situation. She ordered to bring these kids -about 120 of them---to the children's playground. Bought them toys and food, too, to the relief of the assigned social worker.

And as if those gestures were not enough, Ms. Jane herself went to the playground and did the face painting of the kids out there. What a selfless act indeed, making the pasko of a batang heneral truly memorable. 

c to pagesflipper

In the short period of our togetherness , one could tell that the lady has a different charisma. She is just so down to earth that people loved her! We saw her work hard because she honestly and sincerely wanted to give the Generals a Pasko na may pagkakaisa...:) 

I can personally say that Gensan is lucky to have found a First Lady in her. And it is a pleasure working with her.

Kudos Miss Jane!

Ms. Jane G. Rivera is currently the Chairperson of the newly reorganized GSC Tourism Council whose thrust is to improve the tourism industry and to promote the City globally.

We've worked soaking wet under the rain, sweat it out under the eternal heat of the sun, drowned ourselves with coffee, loaded our bodies with calories, learned to eat WFPs at dawn , beat our arses with 180k worth of stress and still managed to greet each other with the sweetest "beso-beso" evah!

I feel so lucky being a part of this crazy, happy  & genius triumvirate ( mahangin ba?....kayo na lang ang mag-adjust ha)

We are proud of this friendship. And we are proud members of "BMC"- a-not-so-secret-but-bonggang -SUPPORT SYTEM in Gensan where PIKONS do not exist! Whuehehehe!

Wabyu both, Kety & Phil!