Thank you Civil Service Commission

I would like to thank the Civil Service Commission (CSC) especially its staff who make up the team in-charge of the CSC's weekly TV show called Republic Service (RS). They took very good care of me when I guested in today's RS episode on behalf of Danton Remoto, our Chair in Ang Ladlad Partylist. Danton went to the Bicol region yesterday so he could not make it to the taping of RS this morning. I took his place instead.



RS is a weekly talk show discussing civil service matters and other pressing public affairs or issues of the day. Today's episode was supposed to tackle the role of the LGBT community in national development. For some reason, the show host, Princess Abante (in the middle in the pic above) who also sits as Commissioner of the National Youth Commission (NYC), veered off topic and focused on what Ang Ladlad does as a partylist. Of course, I gamely answered all of her questions. She even asked my opinion on Miss California's answer in the recently concluded Miss USA. It was a little chaotic and strange to say the least but okay overall.

The other guest on today's show is newly appointed Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Atty. Jose Manuel Mamauag (the guy in the Barong Tagalog in the pic above). Atty. Mamauag used to be the Regional Director of the CHR for Region 9. Before the show, he told me that there was a sizable number of LGBTs in the Mindanao area, many of them Moslem. I told him we already knew that and that Ang Ladlad was in touch with organized groups there willing to become our regional chapters.

After the taping, one of the show managers approached me for another possible guesting in another show on the government-owned and managed station, the National Broadcasting Network (NBN). I gave her my contact information, thanked the staff of RS, said goodbye to everybody and went to work.