#changeIsComing

Mar Roxas could have been Philippine president. He has the credentials – US educated, Lee Kwan Yu leadership award recipient, has a reputable experience both in Legislative and Executive department, articulate, was very popular once, and has a family name we can all recall.

 

But the people did not want his service. Im my humble view, this is because he ran a narcissistic and egoistic campaign telling voters: we have been the best administration the Philippines has ever had in recent history. This should be continued and only I can make that happen. Their illusions are grand and there message is out of touch with reality.

 

Some political analyst call Mar’s defeat and DU30’s victory a protest vote. While that could be inaccurate, it is not entirely false. Six years ago, I was quite hopeful that PNoy can usher in the changes that we all aspire for. The message that change should begin from ourselves isn’t new. Like the rest of responsible Filipinos, I did my share for the past six years.

 

I followed rules. I paid my taxes. I return excess change. I cross only on designated pedestrian lanes. I used foot bridges. I deliver quality work so that co-workers from India, US, UK, Australia, China, Denmark, etc. would have nice to say about my work ethic in the hopes that it could represent all Filipinos as a whole. I exceeded expectations and got promoted every 12 -18 months. When I pray, I pray to God to make me useful not only to myself or my loved ones but also to society. I am not perfect and I will not enumerate my flaws just to prove it. But believe me when I say that I did my best to be the best version of myself and be useful at least to my community, if not to society at large.

 

But as I was doing all these, I got stuck in traffic and paid thousands of pesos because of fare surges. I braved knee to waist deep floods. I was victimized by pick pockets. I was compelled to smell an sweaty armpit of a passenger inside MRT. I don’t have anything against that passenger because I myself was sweaty, maybe even smelly too. I had to walk along EDSA because MRT was malfunctioning or traffic was in complete stop. I had to cry while watching eulogies of the wives and families of 44 of our bravest defenders. I had to cringe as I read reports about DAP being used to bribe legislators to remove an opponent in office. I had to see live footages of dead bodies lying in the streets of Tacloban for days. I had to endure all these while trying to be a good citizen of my country. This is the story of millions of Filipinos. And this story is the reason for their frustration.

 

I was made to believe that If I do my part in society, I will be okay. But I learned that our government was not as reciprocal to its citizens as we had hoped it to be. And I believe that this is the reason why Duterte is a runaway winner in this elections – he represents a leader that will feel for his citizens. And if he genuinely feels both our aspirations and frustrations, maybe he can usher in a government that is more sympathetic, more reciprocal, more dependable.

 

Duterte is not my choice for president but now that he is clearly our new leader come June 30, I join his 16 million voters and the rest of the Filipinos hoping for real change and pledge my support for him. With all my heart, I hope that the sacrifices of the good Filipinos will be reciprocated. 

 

Weeks from now, I will be leaving my beloved motherland to go on an adventure overseas. But it will not stop me from looking after my country. Only this time, I will be from outside looking in. Though I pledge my support for our new administration, it does not mean that I will rationalize and defend it for its blunders. I will continue to express my views. For the first time, I will have the perspective of an outsider – how administration is portrayed internationally. And as a Filipino overseas, I hope with all my heart to be proud that I am Filipino whoever I am with anywhere. 

 

Duterte, we are giving you six years to be in control. All state funds and powers will be at your disposal. Please, don’t fail this nation.

Dear Megaworld

Dear Megaworld,

Every night, between 8 PM to 9 PM, I am welcomed by more than 3 dozen commuters waitng in line for transportation service just outside Eastwood. We are compelled to stand for 30 minutes to an hour before we can be accomodated. If we dont have an umbrella, we have to endure getting wet by the heavy rain because we only have the sky above our heads. We are forced to inhale the polluted air of C5 while waiting. We are sometimes yelled at by the ill tempered 'barker' and/or driver. And so many other additional misfortunes that commuters experience on a daily basis. This is just my personal experience. Others may be experiencing worse. I refuse to be treated this way. 

We, the commuters, are not only the employees of the companies that rent your office buildings. We represent the workforce that sustains your business. We dine at your restaurants, shop at your malls, watch movies at your cinemas, unwine at your pubs. We patronize your business. We contribute to your earnings. We enable you to grow. We give life to your business.

Please return us the same courtesy by at least setting up a decent terminal for commuters. Please treat us the way we should be treated. Treat us human.

PS:

I wrote this while standing in line under the rain together with a dozen or two people waiting for a van. This is not right.

Antithesis of Love

The Vatican II council revolutionized the Roman Catholic faith. Before it, the Church was viewed as a supreme authority lead by the Pope whose words are taken as if coming from God himself. Vatican II emphasized the Church as a "very imperfect, unfinished reality". Pre-Vatican II church sees priests as sacred individuals, who are being treated as a special caste in society. Post Vatican II church now sees priests as ordinary individuals, capable of sin. The church is no longer consists of priests and bishops alone, but of the whole faith community.

Thus, in a post Vatican II era, it is disgusting to see a video of a priest berating an unwed mother during the baptism of her child. However, now that he has asked for forgiveness, as Catholics we must learn to understand and forgive a sinner like us. While we must continue to intensely protest such arrogance of some members of the clergy, we must not make hasty generalizations that all priests share the same attitude. 

I hope that Catholics like myself do not make the wrong interpretation that this issue is a proof that all priests are closed minded and are not willing to understand. 

Most of all, I hope that the priests can a find an effective way to deliver the good news, without making violent judgement especially to those who are lost. 

The message of God is all about love. Passing judgement to the sins of others is the antithesis of love.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/07/08/14/nakakahiya-ito-what-cebu-priest-said-unwed-mother

What is A Bonus?

A bonus is the amount granted for employees whether for (1) industry and/or loyalty (merit-based bonus scheme), (2) based on the company’s performance or (3) a combination of the employee’s and the company’s performance. Whatever type or scheme the bonus might be, payment of which is discretionary or given at the prerogative of the employer. [1]

Based on what I know about our labor laws, there is no existing provision in the Philippine Labor code which governs payment of bonuses. However, I believe that there are generally accepted principles related to bonus and/or incentive schemes.

One principle is that employers must exercise the discretion fairly and reasonably when deciding to pay any bonus. In addition, though the bonus is discretionary, a legitimate expectation may be created where it has always been paid to employees. Most importantly, if employees have met the criteria for the bonus, the employer cannot only pay the bonus to some employees and not to others. [2]

Though there are no specific law related to bonuses (to the best of my knowledge), it is my humble but considered opinion that payment of bonus to some employees and not to others who all met the criteria of the bonus may  constitute a violation of the equality clause under the Bill of Rights.

The equal protection clause of the Bill of Rights provides that if persons are equally or similarly situated, they must be treated equally. Specifically, Art. 3 Sec. 1 of the Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws. [3]

In countries with more mature labor laws, if an employer refuses to pay an employee their bonus entitlement, when they are entitled to it, they may file charges for breach of contract and may seek arrears in wages. Hence, a well drafted bonus provisions are crucial in the avoidance of unnecessary inconvenience both to the employer and the employee.

References:

[1] Basics on the Philippine Labor Law

[2] Human Resource Institute of New Zealand

[3] 1987 Philippine Constitution

The Concrete Jungle

The corporate world is actually a jungle where wild animals wear business attires. They wear branded leather shoes to protect their feet. Feet that they use to step on other people's shoulders in order to stand out. They wear expensive wrist watches but waste other people's time. They wear decent clothes to look good while they strip others down naked. 

I will admit. Nearly four years of working has taken its toll on me. For the past four years, I have to compel myself to deal with the problem of evil, politics and daily heavy traffic. The people are bully and envious. They steal ideas and say we're up to no good. I may have been cynical along the way. I have lost my faith on some people. I find the system disgusting. 

Though I may have allowed myself to be dragged by the stress of earning a living, I will never allow myself to lose hope that I can make a difference. One day, I will be taking the shots, making the calls and giving the last say. But in the process of getting there, I will exert all my effort to resist the temptation to inflict unnecessary cruelty in order to succeed. I will inspire others to be passionate without being brutal, to fight for survival fairly and with compassion. So when that day comes, I will be different from those who now enjoy my vehement criticisms. 

In my humble view, leadership is not about having power or having entitlement to anything.   It is certainly not about being the big man bullying the small boys. It is not about asking people to do things, it's about doing it with them. Leadership is about the responsibility to empower people, to influence them to do better, to inspire them to lead. 

The corporate world is actually a jungle where wild animals wear business attires. Let us not fall easy prey to these self absorbed predators. Let us not allow ourselves to be eaten by the system. Let us not be dead meat. Instead, let us change the landscape. We can begin by being the opposite of those that we hate. Let us strive to always be objective, impersonal and professional. But first, we must know the essence of those terms. 

Going against the current is a difficult task. Changing it is even harder. But I know we can. And we will start now.

NO to Fixation on Showbiz News!

Netizens are said to be an intelligent population. Hence, let us put an end to the culture of fixation on trivial events like controversies involving celebrities. I am obviously referring to the scandal involving Vhong Navarro. My FB and twitter feed is full of posts related to this 'scandal'. Even worse is the airtime of primetime news being dominated by this story.

There are other stories to listen to. There are other topics to talk about. There are REAL ISSUES that hound our society that requires public scrutiny and attention. 

To qoute a certain showbiz reporter loosely, "Never take an entertainment story seriously. For all you know, it could be scripted. After all, entertainment news should bring you entertainment."

Regardless whether this latest showbiz scandal is scripted or not, we shall not allow ourselves to be deviated from the real issues that we need to confront.

The worldly issues of Vhong, Cedric and Deniece involving sex, power and violence has nothing to do with our personal lives. The misbehavior of the rich and the famous, their lack of self control and the consequences of their actions is not a matter of NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. Having stories of such nature take precedence over issues related to our national interest as a subject of public discourse speaks lowly of our priorities as a people. Let us be a mature, intelligent population.

Let's stop giving a sh*t about this. Please.

Time is of the Essence

I see nothing wrong in pressuring the government to deliver the needed help timely and efficiently.

I refuse to sit idly by while members of the international press, reporting from ground zero, express their concern and frustration over the lack of governance in the facilitation of relief and rescue.

Once and for all, this is in no way an attempt to put the blame of nature's wrath on the government. This is an appeal to the government, that now has the role to facilitate the delivery of help, to do it timely and efficiently.

To those who continue to say that now is not the time to do what I am doing, I say this: NOW IS THE ONLY TIME TO DELIVER THE HELP. THE DELAY CAUSES THE DANGER OF LIVES BEING LOST BY THE MINUTE.

While there are those who continue to villify and demonize people like me who express frustrations over this matter, I refuse to return them the negativity. I am not afraid to be called ugly names because of what I do. For I do this because I am afraid that lives will be lost.

Be not afraid to pressure the government until they give in. The goal is for the victims to receive the help timely.

Now is not the time to rally behind our favorite political personality. Now is neither the time for political colors to shine nor for political lines to be established. The time calls us to defend the dignity both of the survivors and the perished. We need to salvage whatever is left and pay respect to those that are already gone.

At this very hour, my officemate who has a family in Leyte is on her way back to her town, braving the uncertainties, to personally deliver some basic goods survivors may need. Like you, we have already helped and are still helping. But we need to make sure that help will be delivered completely, timely and efficiently.