Inertia not initiative prevails in bureaucracy

This quotes Bob Nelson, author of the best-selling book, 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work, ISBN: 076111405X

[start of quote]
"Taking the initiative" can mean many things--tapping inner creativity, tackling a persistent problem, capitalizing on opportunities, or creating ways to improve customer services or current work environment. By taking initiative in any of these ways, employees can elevate their visibility in the organization and greatly enhance their chances for recognition, learning, advancement, pay raises and bonuses, as well as have a more meaningful and exciting time at work.

Here are some ways any employee can take greater initiative in his or her job, voiced in a way that you could give directly to your employees or managers. It's one thing to tell your employees to take greater initiative, but another to provide them with easy and clear ways to do it.

Ways To Take More Initiative In Your Job

Thinking Outside the Box: Innovation--thinking outside the box--is the spark that keeps organizations moving ever onward and upward. To think outside the box, look for new combinations, ask "what if" or develop "what-if" scenarios, consider approaches you've never considered before, brainstorm with others, and be a champion of new ideas.

Doing Your Homework: Preparation is often the key to success in any endeavor. You will be more successful in convincing others that what you believe is the right thing, if you are armed and ready with the facts. Taking the initiative to do your homework means doing the basic research necessary to back up your claims, such as obtaining necessary information, determining costs and benefits, making calculations, and/or gaining buy-in from others who will be affected.

Taking Action--Capitalizing on Opportunities: Taking action can often be a scary proposition. It would be much easier to wait for your boss to make the decision and take the responsibility to tell you what to do and when to do it. However, progressive companies realize that they need employees at all levels who are willing and encouraged to take chances and to make decisions--and be willing to take responsibility for their actions.

Making Improvements: One of the easiest--and most effective--ways for employees to take initiative is to be on the lookout for ways to improve the work processes, products, services, and systems that are a vital part of how the organization does its business. In fact, the closer you are to an organization's actual product, the greater the chance is that you have more daily contact with its real business--its customers, clients, products, and services--than do those who are higher up the ladder.

Perseverance and Persistence: Employees who excel at taking initiative usually must also persist in the support of the ideas and actions in which they believe. This type of initiative can, at times, include overcoming the resistance of higher-ups or of entrenched policies and systems that work to ensure the maintenance of the status quo. It often takes a certain degree of courage to take initiative in the first place. But to persist--even over the objections of your manager or others--takes even more commitment and courage.

Taking initiative can be as simple as asking "what if." So, the next time you're doing a routine task, remember that it's the person who does the job who is in the best position to know how to do the job better--whether this improvement means identifying new ways to cut costs, how to make improvements to the way products are developed in your company, how a process might be streamlined, or how to enhance the level of services your customer receives.
[end quote]

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More from the book:

"All progress is made in defiance of management." - Bob Woodward, Reporter, The Washington Post

"New ideas... are not born in a conforming environment." - Roger von Oech, President, Creative Think, Inc.

"Be Proactive, Not reactive.... Asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission. If you know what needs to be done, do it now and explain yourself later."

"Our people...are responsible for their own product and its quality. We expect them to act like owners." - Gordon Forward, President, Chaparral Steel

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"The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence."  - American war hero Eddie Riclenbacker. Do we have those to rebuild this nation? Ever wondered why despite all the new idealistic graduates that enter the Philippine bureaucracy each year, the bureaucracy remains the way it is - sluggish, bloated, stagnant, so full of itself? It is because the well entrenched bureaucracy does not understand what initiative is as pointed out by Nelson. The bureaucracy is too mindful of itself defending the status quo. To them the only initiative that matters is the initiative that preserves the present order. Inertia prevails. I call it INERTIATIVE - the readiness to preserve the current comfort level.

The fresh graduates brimming with idealism are slowly gnawed up by the system. They mature into zombies themselves gobbling up succeeding idealists that come. It is a vicious spiraling cycle with no end in sight unless we start to care and be heroes.

The Lucifer Effect in Life, Not for Nothing

The story of 4th episode/2nd season of my new favorite TV drama, Life (episode title Not for Nothing)(CS-Origin, Ch31 Destiny Cable) is loosely based on the Phillipi Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment conducted in 1971. In the experiment the subjects (college students) were given roles either as guards or as prisoners. Zimbardo wanted to see how much the uniform and the stereotypical role affects normal people. Under minor pressure from their "warden," the "guards" quickly and inventively became abusive and sadistic. The "prisoners", who could have walked out at any time, showed extreme passivity and depression and put up with the abuse. The experiment was cut short because of the to brutality put upon on the "prisoners". In the Life episode a student-"guard" mysteriously got killed (remember that it is a crime drama).

The "guards" merely thought themselves to be "doing their jobs." The "prisoners" quickly came to see themselves as "helpless." Until consultant Christina Maslach condemned it and caused the end of the experiment, Zimbardo, the "warden," did not realize the abuse he was indirectly causing, thinking it was a voluntary behavior of students under contract to participate.

Zimbardo chronicled the experiment in his book The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil”.  He uses his findings to explain what makes good people do bad things, how moral people can be seduced to act immorally, where the line is that separates good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it. He then uses his theories to explain some of the worst examples of man’s inhumanity to man -- the Rwanda massacre, and even more recently, the abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib.

Zimbardo says that the right “situational” forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make decent men and women abandon their moral scruples and cooperate in oppression and violence - bringing out the worst in them. Thus, the Lucifer Effect. The situational forces need not be of an extraordinary nature: wearing a uniform, or dressing in ways that conceal identity, and insecure individuals acquiring new found petty powers. We are reminded of Lord Acton's "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely".

There is a thin line line between good and evil. Every man has the potential for engaging in evil deeds despite a generally moral upbringing. There is also the “evil of inaction”, a new form of evil that supports its perpetrators, by knowing but not acting to challenge them. Which in turn reminds us of Edmund Burke's "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Winnie Monsod looks at what is happening in the Philippines from a Lucifer Effect perspective. With non-stop news of corruption, military and police cruelty or indifference, there is a tendency to go with the flow. This may explain what some call the People Power fatigue.

Are we then hopeless? No, not at all. Zimbardo argues that not only are we capable of resisting evil, but that we can even teach ourselves to act heroically. We can resist unjust authorities, we can break corrupt systems - we can be heroes. Zimbardo gives us some tips on how to defy the Lucifer Effect. Here are rules 18-19.

 18. Rules are abstractions for controlling behavior and eliciting compliance and conformity – challenge them when necessary: ask, who made the rule? What purpose does it serve? Who maintains it? Does it make sense in this specific situation? What happens if you violate it? Insist that the rule be made explicit, so it cannot be modified and altered over time to suit the influence agent.

19. When developing causal attributions for unusual behavior – yours or others – never rush to the dispositional, always start by considering possible situational forces and variables that are the true causal agent, and seek to highlight them and to change them where possible.

Being an ordinary hero by defying the Lucifer Effect is doing the right thing when it is much easier to keep quiet. We need to have the stuff of which ordinary heroes are made of. There is hope. Be a hero.

My new criteria for choosing the next president

Why is it that all Philippine presidents, from Marcos to GMA, have children that cheapen themselves by joining showbiz?

In my youth, we had Imee Marcos. She was a TV and movie executive. She also tried theater acting. She was quite good, according to the controlled media. Was she really any good? If it's any indication, it must be pointed out that she's not making a living from showbiz.

Cory deposed Marcos, and in the process tossed Kris Aquino to the limelight. Kris is the quintessential trying hard showbiz wannabe. She threw away all class to appear with Rene Requiestas in Pido Dida movies where the characters are based on the comics Fido Dido. The cartoon character was created to make other people feel comfortable, but we never felt comfortable with Kris' acting. Thankfully she seemed to have found her niche as a gameshow host. But she's still all over the airwaves via CDs of her music, her showbiz talkshow, and commercials. Now she's making her son, less than 2 years old(?), the youngest Filipino with a music album.

Fidel Ramos. At first I thought Imee and Kris could learn some finesse from Ramos' daughters until Jo Ramos followed her predecessors and insinuated herself on showbiz by embarking on a singing career. He also married actor Lloyd Samartino. In the middle of her father's term, and we are again reminded of Michael Jackson's death, Jo Ramos lobbied to be the front act of Michael's 1996 concert here.

Then Joseph Estrada was swept into the presidency. We all know that the pudgy Jinggoy is not actor material but they were still able to cast him in lead roles. He won an acting award recently, but he's getting better press with his performance at the Senate.

Then Gloria Arroyo took over Erap, and to prove that the presidency emboldens one's kids to enter showbiz, Mikey Arroyo inflicted himself upon us. He appeared in such forgettable comedies that make watching paint dry less boring.

Now that elections are just around the corner, we may have another presidential offspring that will invade showbiz. If we want a stop to that, given the collective lack of talent of the previous ones, we should elect a childless candidate. Who might that be? A possibility would be Fr. Emong Panlilio. He's a priest. He should not have any children. Another possibility would be Mar Roxas. He's still single. Even if he ties the knot this year, I doubt if he will have a child anytime soon.

So if you're having a hard time taking your pick among the many presidentiables, you may want to consider the aforementioned criteria. That might just save our country.

White Hair Chronicles IV

I feel my white hairs reflect my age much more when icons from my youth are completely unknown to some who are just 10-15 years younger than me. This is especially true for people whose popularity did not transcend decades. Michael Jackson, for example, is still quite known to the 30s set, but few remember Farrah. And it is with celebrities like Farrah that the make the younger set they are that far detached from my generation.

My 12-year old son, Vito, knows Michael Jackson. He's never heard of Farrah. When told that Charlie's Angels is just a remake, he chuckled 'tanda mo na talaga Itay!'. But even people already in their 30s think my generation is way ahead in years. They do not know the Nicaraguan boxer Alexis Arguello, another icon, who died the other day. He was at his peak in the late 70's to early 80's. I remember him wanting to wage battle against the movement that toppled Somoza, their version of Marcos. Yesterday another icon passed away. Susan Fernandez Magno was a leading protest singer against the Marcos regime. Most younger people are clueless on who she was.

We have a curious situation in the country today. Activism is stronger in the 40+ age group than in the younger set. Those who were in EDSA in '86 are still the ones who will troop there when called. The 20s and the 30somethings are numbed to indifference and too distracted to carry the torch. It is today's children, Vito's generation, who will keep it burning. It is our task to stoke the flame alive.

What's good to note is that the kids are up to the challenge. Thanks to retro fashion, they are more open to things from the past. And maybe the values and ideals we cling on to. Vito likes the Led Zep. A daughter of a former classmate wrote him a sweet letter on father's day. We have taught our kids well. Tunay nga, ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.

Happy Birthday Nanay Eliz

Today is the 69th birthday of my Nanay.

I googled July 2 birthdays and their horoscopes. It is interesting to note that the supposed characteristics of Cancer people are actually exhibited by Nanay. Consider this:

"Although July 2 natives are not likely to have a large circle of friends, those who are close to them are of paramount importance. In romance, they are never happy being involved in superficial relationships. They must be assured of a commitment, or they can never give their whole heart." - Nanay has always been a loving wife to my father, no matter what.

"July 2 individuals have strong ties to their families and may even count family members among their closest friends. They make good, but anxious, parents. They are never quite confident of their own abilities as parents and may often err on the side of caution." - Nanay is the best mother to our brood of 9.

"Because July 2 individuals tend to have a good sense of humor, they are unlikely to manifest the same problems with weight and diet that other Cancer natives may have. If they have a sedentary job, these individuals may need to get involved in a serious exercise program." - Right on again.

Other July 2 celebrants are Michelle Branch, Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Tisdale, Imelda Marcos. I bet they are or will be good mothers and they have great mothers, too, like the sources of the quotes below, but I am sure my siblings and I have the best.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.  But a mother's love endures through all.  ~Washington Irving

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done.  ~Author Unknown

God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.  ~Jewish Proverb

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.  ~Irish Proverb

Happy birthday, Nanay! We love you.

Exactly a year before our glory

By this time exactly a year from now, by the grace of God and the will of the Filipino people, we will no longer have Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president. Mark the date, June 30, 2010, for it is her last day in office, and hopefully further machinations to perpetuate herself in power will not succeed.

If we let someone the exact opposite of her name, someone so unworthy of her name and surname, stay beyond June 30, 2010, that will be very hard to explain to our children and grandchildren. Let us prove to them, like Rizal, that not everyone was asleep during the time of their forefathers.

It's the final countdown...

Transformers 2 - More than a peso per minute waste of time

Paying PhP161 to watch the 2.5 hrs. long Transformers 2 means you only waste your money at the rate of PhP1.073 per minute. Imagine if the movie was just 90 minutes long, then you would have wasted PhP1.78 per minute. So, despite the all-out assault on your eyes and ears, the movie still gives better bang for the back as you waste your money slower. What other film can give you that?

They made the film PG-13 so parents will have to accompany their pre-teen children to watch it. So the wife and I watched the film too, together with Popoy, 6, and Vito, 12.  There are clearly scenes not for kids, even if they watch together with their parents. There are pumping scenes by dogs. There is another scene with a small robot humping Megan Fox's leg. There is a seduction scene with a scantily clad woman astride Shia LaBeouf with the shot showing her panties. Then there is the scene where Shia's mom got stoned from some weed spiked food and said she would do anything to get an A.

There is a lot of sexual innuendos in the way Mega and Shia were about to conduct their video chat. The scene of John Turturro in thongs is grossly disturbing. But I have no complaints with Megan's other scenes;  she in hotpants on top of a motorcycle, and in a tank top running away from bombs.

Of course there is a lot of violence even if most of it is inflicted by robots on robots. The punching, kicking, stabbing actions will be imitated by kids. The movie bored me, but the head splitting sound effects on a full surround theater prevented me from dozing off. Moreover, I couldn't follow the story, but my boys did. The parents needed guidance on that aspect.

Saving is counterintuitive? The paradox of thrift

Late last year, Malacanang urged Filipinos to tighten their belts some more by saving money and being more thrifty. The monetary authorities embarked on initiatives to promote financial learning that aim to promote a culture of savings. Early this year, a monetary board member urged Filipinos to strengthen their personal finances and help the economy by saving more in banks.

Global consumer confidence is down and a local survey shows consumers see buying conditions in the next quarter less favorable, as the Filipinos’ spare cash is primarily intended for savings. Overseas remittances are seen to go flat this year, and in the first four months of the year, US remittances actually went down. Households have to curtail their spending. Filipinos become more prudent and cautious. In fact the IMF has said that Philippine households showed significant increases in savings rates, thereby cutting domestic demand. Is the government's plea to save now heeded?

But wait! Jollibee and SM are getting worried. Now economists warn us saving at this time will not do us any good. Contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate, saving now will do us more harm. How is this going to happen?

From Wikipedia: "The paradox of thrift (or Paradox of Saving) is a paradox of economics propounded by John Maynard Keynes. The paradox states that if everyone saves more money during times of recession, then aggregate demand will fall and will in turn lower total savings in the population because of the decrease in consumption and economic growth."

Old school economics say that since what was saved was later invested, there could not be excessive saving. But later Keynes asserted that thrift is virtuous only up to a point. If we increase the proportion of income we save, the reduced expenditure on goods will lower total demand in the economy. Thrift is laudable up to the point businessmen in the economy wish to borrow our savings for investment.

A former NEDA chairman and the monetary authority share the sentiment that further precautionary saving will worsen the country’s current economic conditions.

What happened to their pontifications that frugality is good for our families and the economy? It took a receding economy to be an eye-opener for us to be wise with our money. This is a natural reaction to our increased awareness of our fragile economic state.

But is it going to be a problem?

Why do big business and government authorities want us consumers to fuel economic growth?

Big business and government must also do more to help the economy along. What good is growth if it is not spread among the many? Make sure that the stimulus package is not siphoned off by greed. Be satisfied with moderate growth profits. Please moderate the greed.

Michael has left the building

The Philippine newspaper Philstar cannot resist using the headline "MJ beats it" and the accompanying picture showing him beating it. The layout is even punnier in the print edition.

The viral video of the Cebu inmates dancing to MJ's Thriller enjoys renewed success. It had 23.6M+ views last Saturday and it had an additional 1M+ views overnight. It is viral twice over. Now, the prison is a tourist destination as tourists flock to watch them dance.

MJ had financial troubles lately. But with a resurgence of interest in his body of work, his estimated $400M in debt can be easily wiped off. If he were alive today, he'd be laughing his way to the bank. Like Elvis, who also enjoyed similar renewed public interest after he died, rumors will arise that MJ faked his own death so he can enjoy his life without his every move scrutinized. MJ sightings will be reported, and the new catchphrase will be "Michael is in the building". This is expected in a world grieving because "Michael has left the building".

David vs Gloria-wrath

I tweeted yesterday that I wish I was from Pampanga so I can vote for Randy David and deny Gloria a chance to re-enter politics. Some on Facebook liked it and wished the same. On twitter, some even want to transfer to Pampanga so they can actually vote for the professor. The response to David's intention to run is overwhelming. This early it should give an indication to Gloria that the people want her out. But the Palace factotums are determined to fight, they say it is a David vs. Goliath. If the morally and intellectually formidable opponent in Randy David gets Gloria's goat, then it's more like David vs. Gloria-wrath. The irony here is that Randy David stands tall and stately at all of six feet while Gloria is a 4'11" fishwife on heels.

White Hair Chronicles III

Two more icons from my youth passed away. Michael Jackson, the sequined moonwalker, was more than an icon. He is the King of Pop. He of the supreme talent was also the supreme eccentric. He changed appearance from the little black boy with a very fine voice to a moonwalking, sequined, gloved one with lighter skin, noticeable nose job, and cleft chin. And notorious liking to entertain little boys, which disgraced him later in life. His catchy Don't Stop Til You Get Enough was adapted as the theme song of my favorite local sitcom John and Marsha, and that is what I will always remember from him. He also inspired 1,500 Cebu inmates to perform a synchronized dance to his Thriller number. The video of that performance is now a viral Youtube video.

Then, we also have the news of Farrah Fawcett's death. Though she has been in death throes for the past days, the news of her passing, together with that of Michael's, remind me that my generation is growing old. Farrah Fawcett was my hand-picked favorite among Charlie's Angels. Her poster was on my bedroom wall until Cheryl Tiegs burst into my consciousness.

Michael was 50, Farrah 62. They have projects lined up. Gone too soon. They will be missed.

Ammos for the gunless society campaign

Two gun recent gun related incidents should bolster the call for a gun-free society.

In Cavite, six people were killed in a shootout at a public market. Investigations show that the fight started from a petty traffic-related argument. The two drivers figured in a shouting match and threatened to kill each other. After a few minutes, armed backup from both camps arrived at the scene and they started shooting at each other. The patriarchs of the two camps died along with their sons.

In the other incident, a vacationing soldier died after being accidentally shot by his five-year-old son who was helping clean his gun in their home. The man sustained a gunshot wound on the left side of the body with the bullet exiting his right side, going through the front door and grazing his wife. The wife managed to rush the soldier to the hospital but he was declared dead on arrival.

Filipinos have an increasing passion for guns. Notice the many gun shops proliferating. Notice the many Pro-gun stickers. Advocates of a gunless society should be up in arms (figuratively, of course) against this development. If owning cannot be stopped by law, we should shoot for steps to promote responsible ownership.

San Juan Feast Day; DOH? duh!; PAG-ASA? Hopeless.

San Juan celebrated its fiesta yesterday, June 24, to honor the town's patron saint - Saint John the Baptist. The revelries include streetdancing with the traditional "Basaan (dousing of water)". Firetrucks hosed down hundreds of people dancing and celebrating on the streets in the annual “Wattah Wattah” festival.

My son Popoy started his festivities with a water gun duel with his cousin Brix. Then when later the two joined the neighbors in dousing all the game passers by in our street. They spared no one, pedestrians, vehicles, they even tried to open closed windows and doors. The wet ones did not mind at all. All was done in fun.

Vito did not join the fun because he was again ill, this time with flu like symptoms. Which brings to mind the online survey on the Dept of Health's handling of the swine flu situation. 75% think the DoH botched it. My thoughts too. Early last month, they wanted Pacquiao to delay his return from abroad to prevent the spread of the disease. Then they early this month they did not want to delay the opening of classes, saying it won't prevent its spread. Now together with the Dept of Education, they want a selective suspension of classes to prevent the spread.

They now also say that the President is not required to self-quarantine when she comes back from her travel, contrary to their pronounced policy last month. And with the rest of the world is placing advance orders on a vaccine that is being developed, they DOH is not ordering any, yet. They say they still do not know who to vaccinate first:  "...the health workers, policemen, and the military; the working groups; or the very young and the very old". Whatever they decide, they will vaccinate anyway, so place your orders now! Common sense is not common at the DoH.

Metro Manila classes are suspended because PAG-ASA declared typhoon storm signal no. 2. The signal signals that good weather will befall upon us. True to form, the weather was not stormy at all yesterday. PAG-ASA is still the most consistent Philippine agency today. Consistently wrong. You just have to expect the reverse of what they say.

Get Ready for The Big One!

July 18, 2008, was a marked date last year. Brazilian Juseleeno Nobulega Daroose predicted an earthquake with a 8.1 magnitude will shake the Philippines on that date. The predicted tremor will cause great destruction and deaths of thousands of Filipinos.

Earthquakes cannot be predicted and the July 18 did not happen. Since July 18 is around the corner again, we expect another prediction from the Brazilian in the light of a United Nations advisory for the Philippines to be ready for an upcoming big earthquake. A quake with a magnitude of 7 or higher on the Richter scale is sure to hit Metro Manila, they say, but the bigger question is when exactly this will happen.

Arjun Kartoch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Emergency Service Branch said that the big earthquake may hit Metro Manila anytime with devastating results. He based this on the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative (EMI) report published in 2004 predicting that an earthquake with a high magnitude will surely occur because of the Philippine Fault Zone (also called the Marikina Valley Fault System). According to the report, the death toll may reach 35,000, some 120,000 people may be injured while around 175,000 buildings will be damaged.

Kartoch’s notes coincides with what Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Renato Solidum Jr. said on radio recently. Solidum noted that we have an active fault (the so-called Marikina fault), and if we fail to prepare, “around 38 percent of residential buildings, 14 percent of high-rise buildings and 35 percent of public buildings will be affected.”

We know we have an active fault line, we are on the ring of fire. Where is the Marikina Valley Fault System? It is northeast of Manila and crosses Marikina, Pasig going to Muntinlupa down to the south. It is very near. Are we prepared for the big one?

Wow! Davao!!!

The home of the Philippine eagle, Davao is also known for the durian, the waling-waling, Mt. Apo. I've been to Davao several times already. I had a few projects there before. I remember its beautiful women and peaceful and safe nights. I watched a PBA road game there in 1992 and saw Tony 'the Hurricane' Harris score 82 pts. I walked the whole way from the gym just outside the city back to my hotel in downtown. It was more than 3 kms, and past 10pm, but I made it back safely. I will not have that luck in Manila or Cebu.

The man credited with this safe and livable environs is Mayor Duterte. The no-nonsense lawyer, law professor, and government prosecutor, has been the mayor for much of the time since the EDSA revolution. With Duterte at the helm, Davao continues to be beautiful, safe, and proud. He is very much like Dick Gordon and Bayani Fernando in transforming their respective cities to prime examples of discipline and growth. The only difference is that Duterte is much more respected by his people (less opposition) and much feared (by lawless elements). Despite bombings and terrorist threats (who doesn't have them in Mindanao, anyway?), Davao is still considered safe.

The highlight of this recent trip is the food. More gimikans have sprouted. There is a lively strip of ihawans along Ilustre and also on Torres. The Venue is still going strong late in the night. I did not have time to check out the Aquarium Bar, reputedly the sosyalan place.

There is a new Sampaguita Inn along Quirino in the heart of downtown. It is bigger than the old one. The rates are reasonable. They have cable, aircon and hot shower. They have WiFi in the lobby too. And it's a short walk to the office.

What is immediately noticeable in the city is its clean, pollution free air. An anti-smoking ordinance in public places is strictly enforced. Drivers follow traffic rules, pedestrians too. The people are proud of their city and their mayor. Other politicians posturing for the mayoralty post will need a major miracle to depose the well-entrenched Duterte clan.

Father's Day

Sonora Smart Dodd, who wanted to honor her father in raising six children, thought of having an official Father's Day observance to honor all fathers. Like Mother's Day, from which it was derived from, Father's Day has been observed with crass commercialism. Dodd had no problem with the commercialization of the holiday and in fact endorsed several promotions to increase the amount of gifts, unlike Mother's Day creator Anna Jarvis, who actively opposed all commercialization of Mother's Day.

Jose Rizal, whose birthday (June 19) always falls near Father's Day, was not thought of to be a father himself. Despite his legendary romantic conquests, his nearest jab at fatherhood went pfft when Josephine Bracken had a stillbirth. If Jose Rizal were alive today, he I'm sure he would say that Father's Day is the day of priests (araw ng mga pari), mindful of the father-priests then. I really think that the Padre Salvi character is named as a play on the words Padre Salvaje. And Padre Damaso means [Damn + aso (or dog)], is a damn dog, or damn bitch.

Back to Father's Day, I think Mother's Day is celebrated on the wrong date. Technically, Mother's Day comes 9 months after Father's Day. Kidding aside, almost a century after the 1st celebration of Father's Day, it (Mother's Day too) drives business as dads are given gifts ranging from apparel to zen books. But what I like most about this day is I get control of the TV remote. For a single day, 1/365th of the year, I get control. The kids are relegated to the PC and the bedroom TV. The wife volunteers to cook lunch and dinner of my choice. I get a semblance of lordship over the house, at least as much as the wife allows me to. I savor the fleeting experience as the day nears its end for tomorrow I relinquish everything back.

Jollibee scandal - revisited

I promised this scandal video to my overseas friends whose appetites for scandals were whetted by the DVDs at the mini-reunion. I am sorry there is no Kentucky Fried Chicken video scandal between Colonel Sanders and a chicken. There is no truth to the rumor that the Baliuag scandal starred a pig and a chicken. The chicken had pride, ayaw niyang mababoy.

There is also no sex scandal between Max's and Goldilocks shot by Andok in a Tropical Hut.

How Capitalism works... - Will it work in Manila?

This is from my high school yahoogroup. Thanks Icky.
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Forwarded by a friend:

It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town.

He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The Butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism..

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is doing business today.

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Will this work in Manila? I don't think so. Manila prostitutes are seguristas. They want cash up front. For this to work in Manila, we have to legislate that the girls give 'services' on credit.

Ironies: son of senator also has sex video, medical team was source of swine flu?

Doctors are puzzled over the cases of swine flu infections in a remote barangay in Nueva Ecija. They say no one among the victims came from abroad. They cannot yet determine the missing link even as 5% of the  population is now infected. The irony of it all is that a possible source of infection is the foreign medical mission that treated the local folks at the end of last month. What an irony! A medical mission causing this medical trouble.

In another development, salacious pictures of a local sexy actress began circulating in the Internet last week. Clearly, the pictures were screen caps from a sex video. The sexy actress is shown in sexy poses in the series of photos. She was shown spraying what looked like whipped cream on her genitals and mammaries. She was shown giving a fallacious job. The irony here is that the guy, not directly shown in the pictures, is said to be the son of a senator crusading against sex videos. If this is true, will the good senator lambast his son and protect the daughter of the tailor from a Hawaiian island?

Blasts from the past still ring true in the present

Some people contend that the Philippines has declared independence not just once but six times dating from Bonifacio in 1895 up to Roxas in 1946. It is actually more if we add to that the freedom regained from the people power revolt in 1986. But what do we have to show for it?

Ang sambayanan ay hindi pa rin malaya sa kahirapan. Binanggit ni Pat Sto. Tomas sa kanyang onlayn kolum ang pagkapanalo ng maikling pelikulang "Chicken a la Carte" sa isang kompetisyon. Bagama't sa simula pa lamang ng pelikula ay tila alam ko na ang direksyon ng pelikula ay hindi ko pa rin mapigilang maantig ng pinupunto ng direktor.

Nagkataon din na isang araw matapos ang pagdiriwang ng araw ng kalayaan ay nagkita-kita muli kami ng ilang kamg-aral mula sa mababang paaralan. Nakalulungkot isipin na sa kabila ng ilang dekadang hindi pagkikita, ang mga kaganapan na bumabalot sa bansa ay katulad pa rin ng dati. Kaya naman may kabuluhan pa rin ang mga awit na unang narinig hindi matagal makaraan ang aming pagtatapos.

Kaya narito ang pelikulang nabanggit ni Pat Sto. Tomas at narito rin ang dalawang awit mula sa Banyuhay. Patunay ito na hindi pa tayo umuusad at malayo pa ang ating gagapangin kung hindi tatyo tatayo ngayon.

Oy Utol, Buto't Balat Ka Na'y Natutulog Ka Pa 

masdan niyo ang inyong paligid
akala mo'y walang ligalig
may saya at mayroong awit
ngunit may namimilipit
at siya'y humihibik

masdan niyo ang ating buhay
masdan niyo ang kapalaran
bakit may nahihirapan
bakit may sumisigaw

kay hirap ng tumawa kung hungkag ang iyong tiyan
kay hirap ng mangusap kung bibig moy may tapal
kay hirap ng mabuhay kung kalagaya'y ganyan
kay hirap ng lumaban kung takot ka sa kalaban

ay-yay-yay

walang tutulong
walang tutulong sa atin
walang pag-asa kundi ikaw at ako rin
at kung tayo'y mananahimik at di kikilos
ang dapat sa atin ay tawaging mga gago

bakit may nahihirapan
bakit may sumisigaw
bakit may namamalipit
bakit may humihibik
maging ako'y nahihirapan
kaya ako'y sumisigaw, sumisigaw

Buhay Pinoy

Nang ako ay isilang

At nagdilat na ang mga mata

Ako'y agad sinalubong

Ng mga problema

Kahit saan araw-araw

Kung ang mundo'y pagmamasdan

Punong-puno ng mga tao

Lagi na lang may kaguluhan

Ay kayraming mga tao

Sumasakit ang ulo ko

Tignan n'yo sa bangketa

Pulubi ay naghilera

Mga kamay laging nakasahod

Doon sila natutulog

Ako'y mayroong kaibigan

Siya ay hindi nakapag-aral

At dahil sa kanyang kahirapan

Siya'y napilitang magnakaw

Ay kayraming mga tao

[Nagsisikip/Punong-puno] na ang mundo

Problema'y dumadami

Sana'y isipin n'yo

Ganyan ba talaga

Ang buhay ng pinoy

Ganyan ba talaga

Tayo sa habang panahon

Kayraming mga pamilya

Anak nila'y sobra-sobra

Wala namang maipalamon

Kahit kumayod maghapon

Sa umaga pagkagising

Wala palang makakain

Asawa ay kanyang aawayin

Mga anak sisisihin

Tignan n'yo ang mga pamilya

Sa umaga pagkagising

Wala palang makakain

Asawa ay kanyang aawayin

Mga anak sisisihin

Ay kayraming mga tao

[Nagsisikip/Punong-puno] na ang mundo

Problema'y dumadami

Sana'y isipin n'yo

Mayroon pang pag-asa

Isipin n'yo, isipin n'yo