Better Philippines

Some Thoughts On The Asuncion Torture Video

Honestly, did we really need to see that torture video before we realize that this sort of thing has been going on since time immemorial?

The PNP leadership may turn a blind eye but it can never deny that some police personnel routinely engage in such acts.

One time I chanced upon a police mobile car with a young boy seated inside. Apparently he was picked up for vagrancy. As I walked by I overheard one of the police officers verbally abusing the boy. The policeman wasn’t cursing at him but what he said sounded really ominous and I can only imagine more so to someone as young as that kid. The policeman said:

“Baka gusto mo tuluyan na kita.”

The policeman probably didn’t mean it. Maybe he was just trying to scare the kid. But still, that was no way for anyone to discipline a child.

Of course, the video we’ve been seeing this past few days is far more troubling.

To be honest, watching it made me angry. It made me wish the same or something worse would happen to that torturer. I even thought that if I were to do the honors of giving him hell, I’d also have a string attached to his genitals and with the other end of the string attached to a car I will have him dragged along a road littered with shattered glass and salt.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who had such evil thoughts.

Now that’s the thing. Why is it that our reactions to torture videos depend on context? Just imagine if it were Saddam Hussein, whose regime resulted in the torturing and killing of many innocent people, who was shown being tortured. How about Adolf Hitler? How about Sr. Insp. Joselito Binayug who has been tagged as the abuser in that torture video?

I posed these questions to a friend and he said there’s a big difference between thinking of doing something and actually doing it. He is of course correct. Still, I wonder. Would it take much to drive a person to actually do unspeakable things to another human being?

I wonder if Binayug was thinking along the same line as he was being interviewed by some reporters.

(excerpt from www.asiaone.com)

He briefly mentioned that one of his children had been held up near a precinct and told reporters that if they had children, they would know how it felt.

What I find more troubling about this whole issue is the fact that the PNP has failed to ensure that no policeman would ever carry out inhumane acts such as this. I dare say that up to this point everyone who has held a position of authority within the police organization simply lacked the balls and brains to formulate and implement measures that would put a stop to all forms of police abuses.

A witness who spoke anonymously on TV said that while many policemen object to the use of torture they feel they cannot do anything if the one doing it is a superior. While I think that is such a cop-out I can also understand how that would be a real problem. No one likes to jeopardize their career by telling on a superior.

That to me is a clue that points to a possible countermeasure. The PNP leadership should bring down all barriers preventing lower ranking personnel from reporting abuses committed by their superiors. It should also provide significant rewards to whistleblowers whose exposes are proven to be true. Spot promotions would probably sound appealing.

I’m not saying though that this is the ultimate solution. I still believe ensuring a humane and professional police force can be done by simply strengthening the screening and recruitment process. As it is, I think the PNP is doing a poor job at screening out undesirables. These of course include sociopaths and psychopaths as well as those with a history of boorishness and thuggery. I don’t mean to be discriminatory but I’m also convinced that people with impoverished backgrounds should be rejected from the police force outright. It’s simple. Why should people who are primarily motivated by a desperate need to make money fast be allowed to carry a gun and hide behind the shield of the law?

The PNP leadership probably won’t have the time to give these suggestions any thought right now. It needs to focus on managing the publicity nightmare brought on by this torture video. On this, I have one last suggestion for the PNP. Don’t approach the issue from a public relations standpoint. Instead, do the best you can do to actually get those involved in the atrocity and ensure their imprisonment by building a strong case against them.

In short, just do what you’re supposed to do.

Some Recommendations For The President-Elect

I was trying to come up with a list of things I would like to recommend to President-Elect Noynoy Aquino. It’s a list that I hope will give him a sense of what many Filipinos would like his administration to be.

I had wanted it to be as comprehensive as possible but after much thought I realized a shorter and generic list would be enough.

So here goes. A list of things I would like the President-Elect to do immediately.

1. Stop making excuses.
2. Stop talking about your parents.
3. Start talking about your vision.
4. Start talking about your concrete plans.
5. Order your media handlers to stop feeding the Filipino people with showbiz crap.
6. Tell your sister Kris to stop talking, period.
7. Don’t appoint people based on their closeness to you. It’s distasteful especially when all they have going for them is their showbiz roots.

As simple as these are, I am confident these recommendations can help the President-Elect become more “presidential” and less “showbiz.”

Related to this, a commenter on my previous post “Aquino Wants Us To Lower Our Expectations” wrote:

Can we just let him be president first, and reserve the criticisms for later?

I think this is a sensible recommendation. However, I will follow it if and only if the President-Elect will start showing us that he is in charge of his camp and that he will no longer allow “showbiz” tactics and gimmicks to dictate his decisions and actions.

It’s time for REAL change. Are you up to it Mr. President-Elect?

The Wasted Ones

I have come to the conclusion that there are three types of Noynoy supporters. The first one is the typical fan who got into this yellow fever thing because of the bandwagon effect. These supporters include those who fall for anything considered in fashion. It won’t be surprising to know that most of them were involved in showbiz displays of righteous indignation like that one against Adam Carolla.

The second one is the Noynoy supporter who, at least, tries to think things through. They support Noynoy not necessarily because it is the fashionable thing to do but because they really thought hard about it. Their only problem is they think more with their “heart” instead of their brain. Most of them also have a child-like belief in elves, dwarves and orcs.

The third one is the supporter who have been fooled into believing that a vote for any other candidate other than Noynoy is a wasted vote. Let’s call this supporter the Wasted One. This type of Noynoy supporter claims that he does not necessarily believe Noynoy is the best choice but because he has been brainwashed into thinking that a Noynoy defeat equates to a Villar victory he will just go for the Yellow One, their so-called lesser evil.

I no longer want to focus on the first two types because for all intents and purposes they are  already a lost cause. There’s no point in trying to sway them unless you believe trying to get a cult member to give up his beliefs is worth it.

I want to pay more attention to the third type, but before anything else I’d like to get one thing out of the way. I’d like to say that those who fall in this category are worse than the first two. Many of them are liars pretending to be new converts when in fact they are paid hacks long involved in the Yellow Propaganda Campaign. As for the few genuine new converts, well, the same thing but only because they have it in their heads that by rooting for Noynoy they’re being patriotic.

Voting for Noynoy as a means to prevent a Villar victory is a foolish idea based on a number of stupid assumptions — that this election is a two-way race between Noynoy and Villar and that the survey results churned out by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations can be trusted.

The third type of Noynoy supporter should be made to realize that this is not a fight between good and evil and that Noynoy is nowhere near being the “good” he and his followers make him out to be.So what if Noynoy promises he will not steal? What about the other thieves in the government? What about the opportunists-in-waiting?

Obviously, followers of the yellow plague think corruption happens only at the high levels of government. Let’s be realistic. Clean politician is still an oxymoronic concept.

The Wasted Ones should realize that they’re not doing the country any favor by supporting a candidate who has no real track record and solid plan for the country. It would be better for them to just choose among the candidates with the best qualifications. That should not be difficult at all. Just exclude the real nuisance candidates namely Joseph Estrada, Villar and of course Noynoy.

Recklessness On The Road: Sobra Na, Tama Na!

Someone ought to file a class action suit against all government agencies in charge of all land transportation concerns here in the Philippines. The  way I see it real punitive action must be taken against these agencies for failing to correct the very obvious fact that many Filipino drivers especially those in the public transport sector do not care about ROAD SAFETY.

I’ve been very conscious of this since a few months ago after our car got rear-ended by a delivery truck. This issue also became a major part of my consciousness during the Holy Week vacation as well since the two trips I took had me driving through the whole length of three expressways: South Luzon Expressway, North Luzon Expressway, and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway. The trip back to Metro Manila from Subic is especially worth mentioning (in a negative sense).

Here’s a summary of what happened. Shortly after passing through the NLEX tollgate at the Pampanga end, we encountered a traffic jam. Initially, I thought it was due to the high volume of motorists making their way back to Metro Manila. I was wrong. The cause of the bottleneck were two separate pile-ups or multi-vehicle collisions. One of the accidents involved at least three vehicles, the last two of which clearly figured in that situation because of a failure to keep proper braking distance.

I admit that because of the accident I had a few months back I was anxious about driving along expressways. The main reason for this is that I can no longer trust other motorists to know enough about the physics involved in driving a motor vehicle.

As it so happened, the basis for my fears and anxiety was real. I had expected each and every motorist who drove by the scene of the two accidents to be reminded of the dangers of driving recklessly along an expressway. I was wrong.

Just after passing those pile-ups, several cars whizzed by at speeds well over the maximum speed limit. While I may have just dismissed their stupid driving as something that did not concern me, I really couldn’t because simply put: their recklessness endangered not only themselves but others as well including me and my passengers.

Two particular idiots actually almost hit our vehicle. They were driving their vehicles really fast and it was already dark at that time so I was unable to even get their plate numbers. I can vividly remember though that they were driving a sedan and a bus.

What happened was really dangerous. First, the sedan moved past our vehicle at breakneck speed, overtaking several vehicles on the fast lane. (We were on the second lane from the inside at that time, by the way.) Within a millisecond of the sedan passing us came this big-ass bus. I swear I almost felt my soul leaving my body as I noticed from my rear-view mirror how close that bus came to hitting the left-rear portion of our vehicle. Balahibo lang ang distansya.

From the looks of it, those two idiot drivers were engaged in a chase. I can only speculate what happened but clearly at that point the bus driver was probably so determined to get back at the driver of the sedan that he just couldn’t let the other driver go. Btw, I estimate the speed of those two idiot-driven vehicles at that time to be at least around 12o kph. What was really scary about that was that the distance of the bus from the sedan was only about three to four meters. What if the sedan were to suddenly lower its speed? The bus would have certainly rammed the sedan considering the lack of sufficient reaction and braking distance.

So am I encouraging the filing of a class action suit against our land transportation agencies because of this? I certainly am. But why? Simple lang. Our roads have become very dangerous now just judging from the number of accidents that occur on a daily basis. The impunity many Filipino drivers display is already troubling and with the way our land transportation agencies are working it seems this impunity will continue.

Our land transportation agencies have failed many times over to ensure that (a) only people who are in their right minds are given licenses to drive;  (b) professional drivers such as those in the public transport sector really know how to drive safely; (c) defects in road designs are addressed; (d) conditions or situations that contribute to the environment of recklessness on the road are eliminated (e) etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

The mere fact that on Metro Manila roads puv drivers practically control the flow of traffic and pose great risk to other motorists because of their need to earn their day’s keep within a quota system are already enough reasons to blame all these agencies. Besides, why shouldn’t we blame them? The responsibility to do whatever it takes to keep public roads safe for everyone falls on them.

A few questions running through my mind: Why is driving in the Philippines a very dangerous activity? This situation is nothing new so why has it remained unresolved? What are these agencies and the people running them doing? Are they waiting for their own relatives to fall victim to the recklessness of idiot drivers before they decide to take action?

Kung di ninyo kaya ayusin ang sistema ng transportasyon sa Pilipinas, tounge in a new magpasagasa na lang kayo! Sa pison kung pwede lang!

(this is an unedited rant. I’m too pissed to care about editing right now.)

Possible Solutions To Traffic

I haven’t been updating this blog for some time now. I thought I’d be rid of writer’s block by now but it seems it might take me a while before I can get back to my old routine.

Fortunately, a reader by the name of dvopilgrim left a comment that I thought deserves its own space not only because of its length but because it contains a number ideas worth thinking about. He left this comment on an old post of mine titled “The Root Cause of Metro Manila’s Traffic Problem.”

Jeepney: Blessing or Curse?

The jeepney had been a symbol of Filipino culture and ingenuity. Modified from surplus American jeeps to accommodate many passengers, it had been around since the end of World War II as the staple of public transportation all over the country, especially in big cities.

I admit that my frustration with Manila traffic contributed much to my thoughts in this post. But I believe that the jeepney today, instead of being the blessing that it had been in the past 60 years, has become an archaic relic of the past, an invention that had its day, and should be encased in a museum of Philippine history.

Its predominance in the highways and byways has turned from a blessing to a curse. Because of the lack of discipline, and knowledge of and obedience to traffic rules, regulations and signs, it is the main cause of the horrible Metro Manila traffic. It is the primary culprit of the noxious smog that envelops most urban areas. (How do these chimneys pass the anti-smog inspection?) Most of them have little or no insurance, and coupled with lack of discipline and knowledge, they cause many costly accidents.

The secondary problems that jeepneys cause are many: long commute hours, low-productivity, respiratory health problems, waste of gas, and corruption among traffic police and enforcers, in addition to hearing problems because of the blaring radios!

Possible Solutions

It is difficult to pinpoint one or two causes of the huge traffic problems in metro areas because there are many. But in addition to the lack of discipline among all drivers and out-of-control motorcycle and tricycle drivers, I can see two other major contributors.

The first is the number of commuters all day long because, for one thing, even the simplest transactions cannot be done by phone or online, but only in person. What can be done about this? Not much, really, until corruption and dishonesty are kept in check. Online shopping, banking and document processing are probably years, if not decades away from reality, but doable.

The second is the so-called boundary or surcharge system among bus and jeepney operators. How does this contribute to traffic congestion? Simply, in the mad scramble for passengers because their earnings depend on the number of passengers they can get in a day’s driving, drivers stop and park anywhere, even in the middle of the roads, tying up traffic.

As an engineer, I always get into a solutions mode when I see problems and think of ways to improve on how things are done—I also had experience as an industrial process engineer. It would be extremely difficult—some would say even impossible—but nothing less than a comprehensive mass transportation overhaul would suffice, beginning with government ownership. First, jeepneys should be phased out from all major roads and highways and replaced with urban mass transit such as buses and trains. Second, employees of this government-owned transport system should be salaried, which means they get paid fixed monthly salaries that are even better than what they earn today with their hard work. Third, these buses and trains should be operated according to a fixed schedule, being dispatched with frequency based on the time of day. Fourth, all buses from outside Metro Manila should be allowed only at the fringes of the metro area. Fifth, designated bus stops should be strictly enforced.

What happens to all the jeepney drivers and barkers? They would be absorbed and retrained into the mass transport system as drivers, conductors, inspectors, dispatchers, mechanics, janitors, etc. Drivers should be retrained and reprogrammed so that discipline and obedience is hardwired into their brains. The traffic enforcers, in addition, should also be paid regular fixed salaries.

One other thing that seemed to work for the MRT and LRT trains is the seating configuration. The buses could also be configured in the same way, with seats only on the sides for women, elderly and the handicapped, so that the aisles are wide maximizing the density of passengers per square meter of road. There could even be segregation of women, elderly and the handicapped from the rest of the bus, as in the trains. There should be wide doors in the front, middle and back, so the time to load and unload is minimized.

I’m sure that there are many more improvements that mass transport experts can think of to untie the big traffic mess and lessen the misery of commuters.

The above may sound like a pipe dream, but would be a small start and would only work, obviously, if corruption is minimized. The transportation czar should run the system like a business for profit, but with rules and regulations strictly enforced throughout the system.

Now the big question is where to find that honest, incorruptible transportation czar.

If I may add, more than an honest and incorruptible official, what we need is someone who has the political will to implement the necessary changes to the system.

Thanks dvopilgrim for this.

Adding More Substance To Political Ads

I have a theory. The election campaigns of our presidential candidates are all run by one and the same group of people.

I say this because political advertisements being aired and published now are all basically saying the same things. There’s really not much difference among them. In my observation, here are some of the most glaring similarities insofar as TV ads are concerned:

1. the ads communicate the message that their candidate is a saviour of some sort
2. visual elements are mostly the same — candidates mingling with ordinary people, distraught people, poor people, etc.
3. the ads highlight at least one all-encompassing promise
4. the ads end with a cheesy slogan
5. the ads are backed by a catchy song

Advertising experts may say that with the limited allotted time — usually from 30 seconds to 1 minute — there’s hardly any room to include more substantial information therefore they just make do with using the elements enumerated above. I suspct there’s more to it than just that. I think the candidates and/or their campaign managers are just afraid to take risks and would rather just stick to tried and tested methods.

The website www.media-awareness.ca provides us with a more comprehensive list of political advertising techniques. Here it is lifted from their website:

1.  Patriotism: The ad stresses the candidate’s love of and service to his/her country.

2. Gender: The ad presents the candidate as appropriately “manly” (or feminine) to make viewers trust him/her.

3. Family: The ad uses images of ideal families to give you a positive image of the candidate.

4. Excitement: The ad tries to create a sense of energy and excitement around the candidate.

5. Star Power: A celebrity is telling you that they support the candidate.

6. Bandwagon: The ad tries to create the impression that everybody already supports the candidate.

7. Put Downs: The ad insults the candidate’s opponent.

8. Facts and Figures: The ad uses facts and statistics to support the candidate’s policies.

9. Just Folks: The ad portrays the candidate as a “regular guy” (or girl).

10. Heart Strings: The ad tells a story that makes you feel good.

11. Sounds Good: The ad uses music (with or without lyrics) to be memorable, entertaining and exciting.

12. Cartoons and Animals: The ad makes its point with cartoon characters or (usually symbolic) animals.

13. Weasel Words: The ad includes promises that sound good but lack details.

14. Integrity: The ad tries to convince you that the candidate is honest and trustworthy.

15. Fear: The ad tries to frighten you into voting for the candidate (or at least not voting for his/her opponent).

(to see the list on their website go to this link)

Entry 12, cartoons and animals, is interesting. I’m sure you can make the connection yourself, but if you ask me I’d say the word reptilian comes to mind — and chicken too. I’m actually more interested in entry number 8, facts and figures. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think this is a standard feature in local political ads, is it? Anyway, this leads me to the main point I’ve been making all this time: Our political candidates are all just pandering and none of them are audacious enough to add more substance to their political advertisements.

This is quite unfortunate considering that more and more people are now demanding real and useful information. I’m of course talking about detailed plans. The way I see it there is an untapped opportunity here for any candidate to set himself or herself apart from the rest. This opportunity is especially perfect for candidates who are trailing behind perception-wise. Since they’re in the lowest rungs anyway they should be willing to take more risks with how they communicate their message. Instead of the usual pandering stuff they can come out with truly informative ads.

Runnning time a limitation? No problem. Just follow the format used for those one-minuter radio or TV reports. An example would be an ad featuring just the candidate talking about one specific issue and providing some specifics on exactly how he/she plans to address it.

Senator Noynoy Aquino’s “Hindi Ako Mag-Nanakaw” ad shows us that one can already say a lot of things in a one-minuter ad. Unfortunately, substance-wise it does not make the grade. Fortunately, this is easy to fix. Simply removing all the pandering stuff and keeping the focus on just one particular issue would easily do the trick.

Candidates, especially those who are lagging behind, should seriously consider this approach. In terms of cost, information-filled ads like the one I’m suggesting will obviously cost much less. The budget deprived can even create one just using a webcam and uploading the end-product on the internet. If the message is really good, the ad may even go viral.

Good advice from Gordon: 10 Principles of Success

You can always tell good advice from bad advice just by looking at the life of the one who is giving it.

Recently, MONEYSENSE MAGAZINE came out with an issue featuring Presidential candidate Richard “Dick” Gordon and in that edition, Lynda C. Corpuz wrote a sidebar piece on Gordon’s 10 principles of success.

I am reposting it here because I think it is worth considering.

Asked how ordinary Filipinos can improve their lot in life, Sen. Dick Gordon, who has enjoyed a fruitful and accomplished life, shares his key principles for career and financial success:

1. Be ambitious. Umaasa tayo lagi sa tulong. Kahit anong hirap mo, you have to be ambitious. Being ambitious is not negative.

2. Have the right work ethic. Bawal ang tamad. Lalong bawal ang tanga. Manage by objective. Instead of a quick fix or instant gratification, practice delayed gratification. We should go for meritocracy. Hindi palakasan. Palakasan pa rin dito.

3. Learn a skill. Poverty is an absence of choice. That’s why you have to continue learning. You have to learn a skill. I never tell people “good luck.” I always tell them “good skill.” Be creative. Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa. God gave you skills. God will not help you if you don’t help yourself.

4. Work, save, invest, and prosper. You have to work. Address your needs but always save. Get into a business. Get life insurance or a personal accident insurance kung `yun lang ang kaya mo. We need a provident fund especially for our OFWs. We have 11 million Filipinos abroad. You put them and our people here in a provident fund, we can prosper ourselves. Combine GSIS and SSS funds and come up with a provident fund, just like what Singapore did. People have to learn to save something.

5. Help. Find extra time to help. Volunteer with the Red Cross. Kapag alam mong ginawa mo, bibiyaan ka. Helping others is a reward in itself.

6. Lead by example. The Philippines would improve if it elects a leader who can inspire, able to communicate by word and deed, provides a vision, extracts values, and displays integrity. Demand from your leaders. Ask for their qualifications. Look for their record.

7. Be independent. I had to fight big guys but I couldn’t tell my dad. He encouraged me to learn judo to protect myself. You have to learn to survive. You have to learn to stand your ground. Those guys who tried to bully me, I stood up to them.

8. Learn from your mistakes. I learn from my mistakes. I learn from other people’s mistakes. There’s only one thing I can never learn: to be overly materialistic. I don’t pay the media to cover me. I don’t pay for my press releases. If my being straightforward is a mistake, that’s a mistake I’ll keep on repeating.

9. Be assertive. We’re like makahiyas. We shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t be an adapting culture. We’re resilient but we don’t assert ourselves. We’re a happy people. That’s good psychology. We laugh at ourselves. We’re an accommodating culture. We shouldn’t be. We should live by the national anthem, by our oath.

10. Make fear your friend. During the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, I told myself we’re not going to allow ourselves to die here. I prayed, “If you’re going to take me, take me. Please though, don’t make me look bad as I lead.” You must make fear your friend.

Isang Pakiusap Kay Estrada

Dear Erap,

Nananawagan ako sa iyo na huwag ka na sanang tumakbo para sa pagkapangulo. Nakikiusap ako na kung maaari lang sana ay isipin mo ang mas nakakabuti para sa sambayanang Pilipino. Kung maaari ay mas isipin mo na lang kapakanan ng mga kababayan mo kaysa ang pansariling interes.

Wala namang duda na kahit papaano ay malakas pa rin ang hatak mo sa mga tao. Wala ring duda na marami pa rin ang nahuhulog sa iyong diskarte. Malinaw na malinaw rin na alam mo rin ito. Sa katunayan naisip mo pa ngang gawin sa masang masang lugar tulad ng Tondo ang iyong pagdedeklara ng kandidatura. Kitang kita rin sa mga binitawan mong salita ang mala-showbiz mong atake para makuha ang simpatiya ng mga taong dati mo nang pinangakuang iaangat mula sa kahirapan.

Nakikiusap ako sa iyo Erap. Huwag ka nang tumakbo. Higit sa lahat nakikiusap ako na huwag mo namang tratuhing tanga ang mga hindi tanga at lalong huwag mo namang pagsamantalahan ang mga tatanga tanga. Huwag ka nang tumakbo Erap. Kung totoong gusto mo talagang tumulong sa mahihirap magagawa mo naman ito bilang isang pribadong mamamayan. Sa dami ng iyong pera marami kang pwedeng gawin. Bigyan kita ng ilang suhestiyon:

• magpatayo ka ng mga paaralang magbibigay ng libreng edukasyon sa mahihirap
• magsimula ka ng sarili mong programa para turuan ang mga mahihirap na tumayo sa sarili nilang mga paa; maaari mong ituro sa kanila kung paano magpayaman (pwede ring iba na lang ang magturo)
• mamahagi ka ng pondong pang-puhunan para sa mga mahihirap; gayahin mo ang Grameen Bank (napakagandang programa nun)
• magtayo ka ng negosyong makapagbibigay ng trabaho sa napakaraming tao; gayahin mo si Cecilio Kwok Pedro, ang may-ari ng Hapee Toothpaste
• magtayo ka ng mga komunidad para sa mga mahihirap tulad ng Gawad Kalinga
• magpatayo ka ng mga hospital na magbibigay ng libreng serbisyo sa mga mahihirap

Kita mo naman. Marami rami na rin ang mga suhestiyong naibigay ko. Sigurado ako kaya mo ring makaisip ng iba pang proyekto na pwede mong gawin para makatulong kahit pa hindi ka presidente ng Pilipinas.

Seryosong panawagan ito Erap. Kung totoong mahal mo ang mga mahihirap, igagalang mo sila at hindi mo sasamantalahin ang kanilang kakulangan sa edukasyon. Hindi mo ipiprisinta ang sarili mo sa kanila bilang kandidato kahit pa alam mo namang mahihirapan kang tumanggi sa mga mala-lintang personalidad na nasa paligid mo (ganyan naman talaga ang barkadahan di ba?) sakaling manalo ka. Hindi mo rin sila paaasahin sa wala.

Tama na sana ang nakapaglingkod ka bilang mayor,  senador at pangulo noon kahit pa hindi mo nga natapos ang iyong termino sa Malacanang. OK na iyun.  Kung ako sa iyo tutulong na lang talaga ako bilang pribadong mamamayan. Mas masarap iyon at hindi ka pa masyadong mabuburyong dahil walang babatikos sa iyo. Tinitiyak ko rin sa iyo na sa ganitong paraan mas higit mong maibabalik ang bango ng pangalang Estrada.

Ano? Pwede mo bang mapagbigyan ang aking pakiusap? Umaasa ako na kahit papaano ay pagiisipan mo ang mga suhestiyon ko. Gusto ko lang naman sana kasi na makita ko na talagang mahal mo ang Pilipinas at gagawin mo ang tunay na makakabuti para dito.

Salamat.

Ondoy Highlights Need For Action On Climate Change

If there’s one good thing to come out of the ordeal caused by tropical storm Ondoy it would probably be an increase in awareness among Filipinos of the dangers of climate change and global warming. It would really be such a shame if in spite of what has already happened Filipinos would continue to be ignorant or worse unmindful of the fact that the environment is changing.

It should be clear by now that a lot of adjustments have to be made not only by the government but by ordinary citizens as well to ensure that a similar calamity of this magnitude would not happen again.

First let’s see what we, ordinary citizens, can do. Here’s a list of random ideas.

• practice proper waste segregation
• practice proper waste disposal
• avoid indiscriminate waste disposal
• minimize production of greenhouse gases per household
• switch to compact flourescent light bulbs
• stop the practice of open burning of garbage
• keep waterways clear of trash and other debris
• embrace green technology
• do away with wasteful use of carbon fuels
• avoid using smoke-belching vehicles
• plant more trees
• maintain a garden
• be more aware of environmental issues, porblems and possible solutions
• help organize environment monitoring units in your community
• help organize disaster-risk management units in your community
• teach your children about taking care of the environment
• conserve electricity
• conserve water
• be your own community’s environment advocate
• be your neighbor’s environment guide
• demand meaningful legislation aimed at protecting the environment
• demand serious implementation of environmental laws

This list is by no means complete but it should be enough to show you that there are a lot of  simple things we can do to delay if not reverse the negative changes in the environment.

Now let’s see what the government can do. Again this is just a random list.

• initiate a massive information campaign aimed at educating EVERYONE about pro-environment measures that may be implemented per household
• review existing laws that may have direct or indirect impact on the protection of the environment
• improve the implementation of the Clean Air Act
• formulate better environmental laws
• ensure serious implementation of all laws
• support and promote green technologies
• increase the budget allocation of the Department of Science and Technology to cover research into green technologies
• seriously consider a phaseout of old, dilapidated and smoke belching jeepneys, buses and other public utility vehicles
• promote the use of bicycles
• re-align the budget for useless projects such as the RFID to the procurement of emergency equipment, vehicles, facilities
• initiate a re-engineering of drainage and flood control systems
• relocate communities situated in disaster-prone areas
• initiate massive reforestation

The sooner we see any of these ideas carried out the better. We should learn what we can from this experience and come up with ways to improve how we deal with calamities. That’s the logical thing to do.

The following comment made by a netizen named “makati girl” over at Pinoy Exchange should stress this point.

Nah, Filipinos are to blame. In Katrina it was faulty levees that caused the flooding. In Philippines it was clogged drainage due to garbage. Besides, of course it happens everywhere, but it happens more frequently in Philippines. In New Orleans it may have happened once but they will create measures for it not to happen again. Di tulad ng Pinoy nangyayari at nangyayari pa rin dahil ang Pinoy hindi nagtatanda.

Here are a few video clips of the devastation caused by Ondoy.

Floodwaters have yet to subside in many areas. Many people require assistance. Authorities say there is an urgent need for blankets, clothes, undergarments (preferably new and unused), ready to eat food and medicines. If you care to help please contact any of the following:

(list lifted from Pinoybuzz)

QUEZON CITY

UP College of Arts and Letters
Go to: College of Arts and Letters (CAL)
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Hotline: 09296454102 (Prof. Roselle Pineda)
Look for: Guard on Duty (in UP CAL)
Operations: 24 hours until Wednesday tentatively

You can:
# Donate medicines, clothes, blankets, food to be distributed by Citizens’ Disaster Response Center.

Erica Paredes
Go to: Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City
(Call or text contact number for complete address) Contact #: 09174741930
Look for: Erica Paredes
Operations: Throughout the week tentatively, from 10 am to 6 pm

You can:
# Donate ready-to-eat foods like hard-boiled egg, bread, packed juice, sandwich filling
# Volunteer to prepare sandwiches and distribute goods

NoyMar Relief Operations – QC
Go to: Balay Expo Center, Farmers Market, Cubao or in White Space, Pasong Tamo Ext., Near BMW, Makati
Look for: Clare Amador or Jana Vicente
Hotlines: 09285205508, 09285205499, 0908-6579998, 0939-3633436, 9137122
Operations: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout the week until further notice.
Website: www.marroxas.com

You can:
# Donate drinking water, old medicines, clothing, blankets, canned goods, noodles
# Volunteer to man stations and repack food.

Miriam Quiambao and World Vision Development Foundation
Go to: One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood or at the World Vision office at 389 Quezon Avenue, corner West 6th St., Quezon City
Hotline: 0917-8623209
Look for: The guard in the lobby (on One Orchard Road)
Website: http://www.twitter.com/miriamq, www.worldvision.org.ph
Operations: Until Sept. 28, 2009 (Monday), 24-hour operation

You can:
# Donate goods like clothes, blankets, canned goods, crackers, mattress, hygiene kits, noodles, bottled water, oatmeal, instant coffee, sugar (for relief pack to be distributed by World Vision)
# Volunteer to help repack relief goods for World Vision starting today at 7pm
# Deposit cash donations to World Vision Development Foundation, BPI savings account number 4251002415 and BDO savings account number 270043411

Philippine Army
Go to: Philippine Army Gym inside Fort Bonifacio, Makati or General Head Quarter’s Gym in Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, EDSA, Quezon City
Hotline: 892-3417 (direct line), 845-9555 (trunkline) local. 6464 and 6466
Look for: Any personnel on duty
Operations: Ongoing everyday for 24 hours until further notice

You can:
# Donate relief goods (no cash)
# Call hotline for rescue, evacuation or relief assistance.
# Call to report missing persons

Papemelroti Gifts and Decorative Accessories
Go to: 91 Roces Ave., Corner Scout Tobias, Quezon City or mall branches in Ali Mall Cubao, SM City North EDSA, SM Fairview, SM Megamall, Glorietta 3 in Makati, SM Centerpoint, SM Southmall
Hotline: refer to website for individual branch numbers
Website: www.papemelroti.com
Operations: Mall hours (10am-9pm), ongoing everyday until further notice

You can:
# Donate goods like canned goods, clothings, blanket, cooking utensils and other relief goods EXCEPT cash.

Ateneo de Manila University Disaster Response Group
Go to: Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights , Quezon City, Manuel V. Pangilinan Building Center for Student Leadership Lobby, University Dorm Cervini Hall
Hotlines: 09089977166, 09178952792, 4266001 local 5050
Look for: Gio Tiongson, President, Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral
Website: www.ateneosanggu.com
Operations: 24-hour operations for the entire week

You can:
# Donate goods like bottled water, sardines, canned goods, candles, cup noodles.
# Volunteer to help repack relief goods, administer basic first aid.
# Report missing persons.
# Seek evacuation/temporary shelter at University Dorm Cervini Hall.

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC)
Go To: 72-A Times St., West Triangle Homes, Quezon City.
Hotlines: 9299820, 9299822
Operations: 8 a.m. onwards.

You can:
# Donate money, old clothes, blanket, bigas, munggo.
# Volunteer to help distribute goods.

Radio Veritas
Go To: Veritas Tower , West Ave. corner EDSA
Look For: Karla Turingan
Hotlines: 9257931 to 39, 0918VERITAS
Operations: 24-hours, tentatively until Tuesday.

You can:
# Donate old clothes, food, assorted goods, bottled water, cash.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish
Go to: 12 F. dela Rosa cor. C. Salvador Streets, Loyola Heights , Quezon City
Hotlines: 632 4342397, 63 2 9290665
Operations: 7 a.m. till 10 p.m. Sunday, until further notice.

You Can:
# Donate packed meals, bottled water.

MAKATI/TAGUIG/MUNTINLUPA

Victory Fellowship – Fort Bonifacio
Go to: Victory Fellowship, Every Nation Building , across Market-Market, Fort Bonifacio
Look for: Pastor Bernard Marquez
Hotlines: 813-FORT, 8171212
Operations: Tentatively until 5pm, may may extend hours. Entire week until Friday.
Website: www.twitter.com/VictoryFort

You can:
# Donate canned goods, milk, bottled water, clothes, cash.
# Volunteer to help pack relief goods

Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaplaincy
Go to: Hillsborough Village, Cupang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila
Hotline: 8428148, 8079847
Look for: Genelyn Sembrano, Meanne Cuneta
Website: www.sacredheartofjesus-alabang.org
Operations: Tuesday-Sunday (Sept. 29-Oct 4). 8 am to 12 noon, 2 to 6 pm

You can:
# Donate water, blankets, shoes, clothes and other goods
# Donate in cash

PASIG CITY

LUZON RELIEF: Volunteer / Donate / Pray
Go to: Renaissance Fitness Center, 2nd Floor, Bramante Building, Renaissance Towers, Ortigas, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Hotline: 0929-8713488
Look for: Warren Habaluyas, co-founder
E-mail: luzonrelief@gmail.com
Operations: Monday to Saturday (Sept. 28-Oct. 3), 9am-7pm

You can:
# Donate non-perishable food items, beddings, pillows, blankets, clothes
# You can donate cash but it is not encouraged

- Compiled by Annalyn Ardoña and Patricia Faustino, GMA NEWS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Poor Is A State Of Mind

I am a fan of entrepreneurs. I personally know of a few whom I really admire. Two of them are actually siblings. I have seen how they made it from having little to having a lot.

The older of the two now owns two profitable businesses and I think he is thinking of setting up another one. Originally a seafarer, this person made the shift from being an employee to a business owner after he was diagnosed with a medical condition. For some time, he made ends meet by selling real estate. He later joined a relative in a venture which later became his own.

The younger of the two has always been involved in sales. However, it was quite obvious that his true calling is to be a businessman. He and his wife, who is also entrepreneurial, set up a trading company. For some time, he also ran a small store selling shoes and RTW clothes. He later got into another retail-oriented enterprise, which has since proven to be his jackpot. In my estimate he now earns more than P300,000 a month.

I really admire these people. Truth be told I sometimes envy them. I am particularly envious of the fact that they seem naturally gifted in entrepreneurship. They can easily spot an opportunity and are always ready to take advantage.

In his latest book Outliers: The Story Of Success, Malcolm Gladwell writes about why some people succeed more than others. I haven’t read the whole book but I already have a pretty good idea of what he wants to impart. Here’s part of a Wikipedia entry about the book.

While writing the book, Gladwell noted that “the biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work.” In Outliers, he hopes to show that there are a lot more variables involved in an individual’s success than society cares to admit, and he wants people to “move away from the notion that everything that happens to a person is up to that person”. Gladwell noted that, although there was little that could be done with regards to a person’s fate, society can still impact the “man”-affected part of an individual’s success.

Successful people may probably dismiss Gladwell’s assertion that success is also dependent on factors other than just the individual’s skillset and attitude as nothing more than an excuse. I personally think certain factors like family finances, educational background, and other things that may be attributed to ‘bad’ or ‘good’ luck can also influence a person’s chances for success.

I personally know of a young house helper who was offered by her employer a chance to go to school. The girl brushed it aside saying somthing like, “Mula pa nung bata pa ako alam ko na na hindi ako makakapag-college” (I’ve always known ever since I was a child that I won’t be able to go to college).

It’s rather sad if you think about it. Hearing a young person affirm a bleak future, which hasn’t already happened and may never even happen depending on the decisions he or she makes in the present. But, can we really blame her for having such a pessimistic and fatalistic view of life? She probably saw more than her fair share of poverty and probably got conditioned by her circumstance and probably even by her parents that she is poor and will never be anything else but poor.

I guess to some extent I do agree with Gladwell. However, I also subscribe to the idea that attitude can make a lot of difference. We’ve all heard stories of dirt poor individuals who have risen above their circumstances by simply having a positive attitude. Had that house helper been conditioned at an early age to have a more positive outlook then perhaps she could have seen her employer’s offer of free schooling for what it was — an opportunity for a better life. Unfortunately, she was not conditioned that way. Sadly, there are many more like her.

Poor Filipinos generally have a fatalistic view of life. They don’t know that they have it within themselves the power to change their lives. There’s no question their struggle will be greater compared to those who have a little more resources but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they can change their lives if they want to.

This administration has been doing a lot of so-called anti-poverty programs. It claims to have empowered many poor Filipinos to rise above poverty. Has it really? As far as I can tell most of these pro-poor programs are nothing more than dole-outs expect maybe for those livelihood and skills trainings. I personally think a real anti-poverty program should not only be able to open up opportunities for livelihood and education. It should also be able to change how the impoverished think. It should teach them the basic idea that being poor is also a state of mind and that if they strive to be  a little more positive and pro-active then the  fight against poverty will already be half-won.

Here’s another excerpt from that Wikipedia entry about Gladwell’s book:

When asked what message he wanted people to take away after reading Outliers, Gladwell responded, “What we do as a community, as a society, for each other, matters as much as what we do for ourselves. It sounds a little trite, but there’s a powerful amount of truth in that, I think.”

Government agencies such as the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development should consider coming up with an educational campaign aimed at teaching all young Filipinos about having a positive mindset.  The campaign should also cover parents. They too should be taught how to raise their children to be more positive about themselves. If it were up to me I would make positive mindsetting part of the curriculum.