Filipino Superstitious Beliefs According to A Grave Caretaker

It's that time of year again when we visit our loved ones who've passed away.  It's also time to find out the superstitious beliefs other Filipinos have on this day, as witnessed by a grave caretaker -

1.  There was a lady trader who arrived at the cemetery wearing amulets around her neck.  She told the grave caretaker that the amulets protect her from danger and evil spirits at the cemetery during the visit.

2.  Another instance, children were made to jump on a heap of burning dry leaves and grass at the cemetery's entrance gate so that bad spirits would not follow them home and visit them in their dreams.

3.  The most amusing experience for the caretaker was when a young gambler entered the cemetery with a deck of cards in his hands around midnight and laid them atop the tomb at the farthest side of the burial ground.  The young man told him that the first card that floats in the air on top of the tomb at the strike of midnight would bring him perpetual luck in card deals and other forms of gambling.

Our Country Is Important - Check the World's Most Important Newspapers!

I first noticed this during my days of world traveling. The Philippines would always be in the news section of any newspaper - the Guardian, the International Herald Tribune, the South China Morning Post, Le Monde - we would always be there! Now tell me of a country of our stature who would always be present in any newspaper in the world?  Do you have news from Sri Lanka, or maybe Ecuador, or even New Zealand?  No, not really.  But the Philippines would always be present - whether it's our lousy army, or a huge typhoon, or some worker getting raped - trust me - the editors of the world, will find a section for us.  See, our country is important to this world!

Loving the Metro On Holidays Like This

We entered the parking area of Greenbelt 3 today and found it almost empty!!  We had dinner at a restaurant in Greenbelt 5 and only four tables were used.  There was also no traffic today in most major thoroughfares except that part of EDSA going north to Pampanga.

That's cool!! Most everyone in Manila are now highing it off to the provinces for this week's long Halloween weekend, of course, not to celebrate Halloween, but to visit their dead on All Saint's Day.  It's always great to see Manila almost empty on weekends like this. It only happens twice a year - this week and on Holy Week.  Sometimes I wish those who left would never come back, but of course, I am asking for the moon!  I live in a megalopolis bursting at the seams.  This week, the city is taking a breather.

Happy For Cebu Pacific!

Now at 133 pesos per share, the bigwigs at Cebu Pacific must now be grinning from ear-to-ear!  That's certainly a vote of confidence for them, as they make their company public, and get that much needed infusion of cash for whatever expansion they are planning for.  Maybe flights to Europe in the future?

Undeniably, they have revolutionized flying in the Philippines!  The concept of low-cost airlines is nothing new and is replicated everywhere in the world, but we have made the concept extra special! We have added the Pinoy touch to it - from dancing flight attendants to parlor games on the air, to zero fares - their marketing team is really keeping those novel ideas coming!  They have certainly made it possible for almost anyone, to travel abroad, or to places which would've been unthinkable, even a decade ago!  I will buy some of their shares soon, but maybe not now because I don't think I'd get dividends for it.  And the Filipino stock market is so bouyant, it would be crazy to buy at these very high prices!

But still, congratulations to another truly Filipino company!

Will Lauro Vizconde Ever Get Justice?

Now, we learn that the NBI has lost the semen sample that could've conclusively proven that Webb was either innocent and guilty!  It's unbelievable how incompetent they could be!  Now, I don't know who to be really sorry for.  In truth, I am sorry for both Lauro Vizconde and the Webb family.  For Lauro, because if the semen sample was not Hubert's, then whose is it?  Will it match the other eight guys?  We will never know.  If the semen sample was not Hubert, then the Webb family has a good chance of clearing Hubert and their family's name.  All ifs because of someone's negligence.  Now, justice may never be given to Lauro Vizconde.  I'm sure he may want to believe that Hubert and his gang did it, but there's always that big question mark in the back of his head, which DNA testing could have solved quite easily.

Why Are We Protecting the Squatters?

The squatters are getting bolder and bolder and that surely is a big headache for private landowners who want them off their properties!  Tonight, a squatter colony in Malabon doesn't want to leave because they're saying that the ten thousand pesos the landowner wants to give to each of them is not sufficient to be able to transfer!  How ridiculous is that!  In a law-abiding society, they're the ones who are supposed to pay the landowner rent!  So now, because of that stupid Lina law, we are breeding squatters who are 'kapalmuks' or thick-faced!  What if you were just an ordinary landowner with no connections or hidden wealth?  Then, you'd have to fence off your property and immediately destroy the 'house' of any unwanted trespasser - and be very super vigilant about it - show no mercy!  It's easier to let them off your property while they're only one.  When they get too many, you might get some problems.

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Why I Still Like It Here: Reason # 1 - Household Help

One reason living abroad was not such an appealing option for me, is the lack of househelp.  I already grew up being treated by my mother like a maid, so my brothers and I definitely did not want that US application to be approved since in the US, there are no maids, and a lifetime doing the washing, cleaning the toilet, etc, was not something I was dreaming about.  And I'm gay so I could not marry a woman to do those chores like what most straight men would do - marry women, and make them their maids.  I didn't have that option. So I just had to be succesful here in the Philippines so I could afford people to do the chores I did not like to do.

Now, my household staff outnumbers the total number of people in the house!  Even with two children, they still do.  Each kid has a nanny, there's a cook, and there's someone who cleans the house, since the house is huge and has so many rooms.  Then there's one driver to drive the kids to school.  So that's five people helping us run the house as opposed to just four family members.  I am always thankful for their help and we treat them like family.  They have their own TV sets and rooms so they can have their own privacy.  The nannies stay with the kids and have aircon in their rooms.  It's usually the monthly food bill that is a bit expensive but I've told my brother, if you want to live in comfort, you'd have to pay for those things.  And anyway, we eat the same food as them.  In the long run, they help me do the things I want to do so they can do the stuff I don't want to do.  And I go home to a room that looks like a hotel everyday and have hot breakfast ready when I wake up.  So living in the Philippines isn't so bad!

I'm Voting In the Barangay Elections Tomorrow!

I've always voted during barangay elections for the simple reason that I think it's more important than the national elections.  I've lived in the same barangay for the past 22 years so being in this community is important.  I have seen how commercial development is slowly creeping into the community and I won't be surprised if after a decade, parts of the community become popular commercial centers.  Those are some of the challenges our barangay leaders have to deal with, so it's important that I choose properly the persons who will decide on these things. 

Another prickly issue in our community is the opening of that bridge linking us to the 'Tondo' of Quezon City - Tatalon.  I have been to Tatalon and it's not a place you'd like to be stranded in at night.  It's like going to another country.  The people there speak like the ones you see in Face to Face.  Palengkera to the max!  So it still behooves me why the local government did what they did.  I don't think economic diffusion would help Tatalon.  Policing it better might. At the meantime, the robbery cases in our barangay has increased so much.  In our house alone, we had three break-ins in the past 6 months.  We've never had a break in before that, when there was still no bridge.  It's really starting to be a battle now between the haves and the have nots.  Not really haves, but 'have a little'.  Simply put, we want our homes to be safer and not worry that some criminals hiding in Tatalon will use our barangay as their cash cow.  So it's really important for me to vote tomorrow!

One Way We Can Catch Our Asian Neighbors

I read an opinion article today whose title was 'Why We Can't Catch Our Asian Neighbors?' and the writer was really correct in pointing out that politics is the cancer that's destroying our country bit by bit.  However, I've never been one to dwell too much on the negative so I am rephrasing that question into a short musing entitled, 'One Way We Can Catch Our Asian Neighbors'. 

Undoubtedly we have some very talented people in our country and I've always thought that if our youth just thought out of the box, and proceeded to find innovative ways to earn money, then maybe we could create a bigger middle class who can have higher purchasing power.  It always boggles me why most of the youth just follow the path of least resistance, like a herd of blind wildebeests.  Take Nursing. Go abroad. Earn dollars.  Or. Work in Call Center. Have A Big Salary.  And while they're doing that, they are shelving their true dreams because they are too chicken shit to develop their real talents and make those talents earn for them!  If only each young person follows his real dream and develop his or her real talent, maybe, we could have a more diverse base of economic activities.  And the playing field is more or less the same - we have access to the same information that most young people get. The level of education may vary a bit but there's more to a degree that can make a person successful.  Street smarts, spotting opportunities, having the correct attitude - these are traits we Filipinos have - so there's really a good chance we can catch our more prosperous neighbors! 

An Unusual Question in Indonesia's Civil Service Exam

What is the latest hit of Lady Gaga?  If this was the question the 3,000 examinees of Indonesia's civil service exams were asked, they would most likely get the correct answer.  Instead, they were asked to name a song from latest album of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - a part-time crooner who just released a collection of pop songs.  Yudhoyono released his third romantic pop album "I'm Certain I'll Get There" earlier this year and it deals with themes such as love, loyalty and patriotism.

Let's play a hypothetical game and apply the same in the Philippine Civil Service Exam.  A hypothetical question would be:

a)  What's the name of the girl President Aquino is currently dating?

or

b)  Who is presidential sister, Kris Aquino, currently dating?

Those questions should make our civil service exam pretty interesting!

The Top Four Reasons Why Campaigning Online May Work in the Upcoming Barangay Elections

With the barangay elections coming up in a few weeks, astute barangay candidates have taken their campaigns online, using popular social networking sites like Facebook.  Interestingly, the Comelec cannot regulate online campaigning, so it's a venue which candidates can use to reach their constituencies, especially if they are targetting a younger demographic. It's a platform though which has no history yet of delivering results, but to a politically savvy PR man, the possibilities are endless.  These are five reasons why it may work -

1.  It won't cost an arm and a leg - and most barangay candidates won't have the war chest of let's say, a presidential candidate, so it's a wise way to channel resources by reaching their constituencies.

2.  It could entice the youth to care about the barangay elections - and vote!  I'm not sure how interested the youth are with the barangay elections.  But if savvy barangay candidates can use the Internet and Facebook to spread their good qualities and projects, and then targets these young people, then maybe they would go out on election day and vote for these candidates.

3.  It allows the youth and the voters to have a forum or a platform to discuss the issues of the barangay.  Forums are popular in the Internet so this is one form of a barangya council meeting.

4.  The youth voters will think the barangay candidate is cool!  And cool is an important quality that youth voters will look for in their candidates!

Can I Handle Another Ondoy?

      To the uninitiated, that car did not flip over because of an earthquake, or an angry mob who overturned it.  Typhoon Ondoy, with its deadly flash floods did that a typhoon which really sent millions of Filipinos into a state of disbelief and shock! 

       Now that the news is again informing us of the coming of a typhoon which has a similar strength as Typhoon Ondoy, I am getting once again, a feeling of dread, since experiencing another catastrophe similar to what happened last year, and with just barely a year to recover from it, is not something I am quite ready yet to experience again.  Maybe after 20 years, but not this year! 

        Anyhow, we can't fight nature, and control it, so we have no choice but to be prepared again.  If the rains do start this weekend, we'll observe the creek beside our house, since that placid creek, which I barely even noticed before, was the source of all the water that flooded the first floor of our house.  I dread to imagine that it becomes pregnant again with that much water!  Time to go to the grocery tomorrow to stock up on some basic things and try to get ready for the worst! 

Finally Applying Flexiwork

       I haven't worked in an office in 8 years - but I'm gainfully self-employed and I earn more than most office people do.  It's just that when I was applying for a job ages ago, I realized that I didn't want to suffer the daily commute going to Makati and Quezon City.  My eldest sister did that everyday and she was definitely grumpy when she got home everyday.  Can't blame her.  The daily commute can do that to you. 

         So finally, today, October 15, is a momentous day in my life.  I have finally implemented a system which I've been reading in journals and papers and textbooks for the past few years - the concept of flexiwork and flexitime.  I have allowed all of my employees to just work from their homes and work at the time that they want - provided they meet all their tasks and assignments for the day.  I don't know why I did not implement it sooner but I guess the traditional 'office' model was too hard not to emulate. 

           However, since I realized that technology has allowed us to work everywhere and anytime we want, I took a giant leap of faith, and applied all those gobbledygook I've been reading in HRM journals and MBA papers, into reality.  It helps though that I fully trust in the capabilities of my team members and I have known them for years for their reliability and competence.  I guess, I had to achieve that level of trust on them before allowing them to break loose from the traditional 'office' model.  Will the idea work?  I will get back to you on October 15, 2011.

Moving Up the Economic Value Chain

            I was just reading the economic plan of one of our neighbors and I noticed that one of their goals is to move their economy up the value chain.  I haven't really listened closely to what P-Noy's plans are for his tenure but I do hope that he plans to move our economy up the value chain too.  There are many talented people in our country, and it's a pity that they'd have to work in jobs which are really below the value chain.  The truth is, a call center agent is just a glorified telephone operator.  We are definitely more talented than that! 

             Of course, all this aiming for a higher value chain will not come with our present educational system.  Even in our best schools, the top students are still aiming for courses which will give them employment abroad instead of giving them opportunities to build their ideas here in the country.  I admit, I myself have stretched to the limit, what my education has offered me and I just wished I had a more fancy higher education degree so I could contribute more to the local economy. Everything I am doing right now is just applying what I've read from the books and the journals and the papers which interests me and which I think can contribute to my personal growth. 

                It would help too if the policies of our government point to a more ambitious economic plan, rather than relying mainly on the remittances of our OFWs - maybe identify areas in the economy where we can be more competitive with the world economy.  Agriculture, mining, tourism and biotechnology are some sectors that we can excel in and encourage the youth to focus their studies on, instead of churning thousands of nurses yearly without any clear prospect for them of local or foreign employment. 

                I frankly don't find P-noy decisive at all with his economic policies and I'm not even sure his techno-economic advisers are that good.  Or really care about things.  All I see now after 100 days is just a man who's coasting along.  Not quite a good thing when you want our economy to go up a notch.

Entrepreneurship is the Key

When I graduated in 1995, my mother was shocked to find out that I turned down a job offer from Procter & Gamble because I wanted to continue my tutoring business.  She said I was crazy to turn it down.  But the truth was, I won't really be happy working for a company, and I was already a third-generation businessman, with my lola owning a school and a department store, and my mother, a dress shop.  So it was with these role models that I patterned mine and being employed and working for a company, even if it was a famous multinational - was not really high on my list! 

That's why I am really glad that nowadays, going into entrepreneurship right after college and even studying entrepreneurship is already something acceptable!  It was difficult for me then since I went to UP and UP students don't do business well at that time - I guess even now.  But anyhow, with all these talk about entrepreneurship as a career - I am glad that the youth are being given that option and being shown that it is an attractive career as well! 

Legislating Our Sex Lives

The poor are always at a disadvantage all the time, even in matters of planning their own families!  Middle-class families and the rich can easily access family planning methods, but the poor can't. They just don't have the money to pay to their doctors or to buy those contraceptives.  And they should be the people our health workers should reach - the ones who have the most at stake on this.  I know the government should not legislate our sex lives, but the sight of so much poor struggling, just because they have 5, 6 7, or more children, should be enough for the government to step in and educate them in family planning methods - whether those are sanctioned by the Church or not.  The Church can do their own sex education and the state can do its share - and the couple should be left alone to decide for themselves. We are a democratic country after all!

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Let the Pasig River Run Again!!

It was an impressive number that turned out to run for the Pasig River today - more than 116,000!  It just shows how much we want to help in revitalizing that important artery in our mega-city.  At least now, the improvements are slowly being felt, and that the people and the local government are flexing their political muscles and telling river-side residents not to make the river their private toilet.  They should also go after the factories along the river which are sources of pollutants - and check their compliance I guess the Ondoy floodings last year was a huge wake-up call for all of us, and that if we continue to pollute the environment around us, we won't get the last laugh at all!  I'd love to see the Pasig river in its breathable, beautiful form, so that we can stroll along its riverbanks again, or ride the boats as commute in this very busy metropolis of ours.

If a Job Offer to work abroad is too good to be true, it often never is...

I am reading now this article by Susan Ople in the Panorama magazine where she again talks about these 18 Filipinos who were trafficked into the US - made to work on jobs not stipulated in their contracts, work in a state different from what was agreed on, and had their Social Security Cards withheld from them.  And to add salt to the wound, they were asked to shell out 250,000 pesos (roughly US$5820) each, to be able to get that working visa!  Only to be trafficked in the end!  What makes this debacle revolting is that fellow Filipinos did the duping!  To think that coming up with that huge amount of money may have meant selling their land or their carabao or their family's souls to the devil - with the hope of a handsome payback soon!  I am just glad that there are people like Susan Ople and Filipinos in the US willing to fight for our poor citizens who are duped into these human trafficking schemes.  That's why it is important then for every Filipino deciding to find work abroad, to have someone in their family or circle of friends to act as devil's advocate - so that they may find out that if some of the perks of the work turn out too be too tempting, that it may be just a ruse!  I really hope they go and jail those guys who made our fellowmen suffer.  This should send a good signal to unscrupulous job placement agencies to shape up! 

Impressed that Manny Pacquiao continues to train hard

Manny Pacquiao, I believe, has nothing more to prove, to his fans and to everyone in the world of boxing.  But still, through the TV footages we see everyday, he trains hard for his next fight, concentrating on it and making sure he achieves the results he and his coach, Freddie Roach, have set for themselves.  Incredible!  He already is a millionaire many times over, but his discipline is admirable!  I want to emulate that attitude and that discipline!  His attitude towards his main job, which is as a boxer, is inspiring to me, to say the least.  If Pacquiao still has that motivation and that fire burning inside of him, when he has everything already in the world, what more to lesser souls like me!  You make us all proud, Manny!

Nowhere To Be Found: Filipino Nurses in Hollywood Movies and TV Shows

I am currently watching a German horror movie, 'Anatomie' and it completely surprises me to see lots of Filipino nurses in the hospital!  I did not even know that our nurses were going to Germany?  And they spoke impeccable German, and looked Filipina!!  What makes me react this way is that, I watch several hospital-based US TV drama shows like Nurse Jackie, but I've never seen a Filipino nurse character, even just for an episode.  Why is that?  Do Hollywood producers think we're invisible?  Nursing is, I believe, the #1 occupation of most US-based Filipinos, so it surprises me that we don't have a representation in Hollywood.  In Desperate Housewives, one character disparaged our nurses and doctors, and that was the closest representation we had in Hollywood.  From what we can see from that, Hollywood producers and writers think our nurses and doctors are stupid.  Anyhow, I'd still want to see an episode of my favorite TV show right now to have, at least one Filipino nurse.  They have a Latino gay nurse, and an Indian in the last episode I watched.  And this is set in New York!!  So I'm sure, we're next!