MANILA, Philippines ? It?s hard to honor your old man on his special date without mortifying him to no end. After all, dads just don?t have the mushy gene that moms usually have, which means you can?t get away with a bunch of flowers bought at the last minute. Plan ahead for Father?s Day so you and your dad can spend the day doing activities he can really enjoy.

1. Do a movie marathon. But do it in style?don?t settle for an ordinary bag of chips paired with a DVD found around the house. Do some research (ask your mom or your dad?s family for help) and find out where his interests really lie. Does he like jalapeno Chee-tos paired with cold soda, or deluxe burgers topped with blue cheese and caramelized onions? Hold the diet and let him indulge for a day. Try to get a rare movie that will make him laugh, and even if you don?t like the tandem of Tito, Vic and Joey, sit through the movie. He?ll definitely appreciate it.

2. Do all the ?dad? chores. Wash the car, take out the trash, fill the tank with gas?don?t let your dad lift a finger, so he can spend the day (or the whole week, if you want) doing things he wants to in his free time. You can even drive your dad to work if you already have a license (and if his heart can take it) to somehow repay him for all the times he brought you to school.

3 .Treat your dad out for the day. Take him out to lunch and insist on picking up the tab. If you?re still living on a limited allowance, get him dessert, at least. It?s one of the few days of the year when he?s entitled to not have to spend for everything?think of all the things you made him buy for years! And don?t forget to let him go to the stores that he wants to check out without complaining of boredom.

4. Schedule a special interest day. Most dads are into sports in one form or another; even if you?re as unathletic as a Thanksgiving turkey, make the effort to join him in an hour or two of basketball or golf. If he?s more of a spectator, grin and bear it as he goes over the finer points of the NBA finals. If your dad isn?t a jock, get him to share some knowledge about the things he?s really interested in, such as pets, books or food.

5. Set him up on a date with mom. Let?s face it: both your parents probably don?t get to spend a lot of quality time together, and you probably don?t think of your parents as human beings who had a life before you. Do your dad a favor and spare him the trouble of having to think of something to do together. Make reservations at a nice restaurant or pack a picnic basket, book them an appointment at a spa, or cook dinner for both of them and make yourself scarce for the rest of the evening.