House Bill 6921

This is the draft for HB 6921. I posted this here so that BPO workers will have access to the copy of the bill as this is still open for amendment. You can post your comments about the bill under the comment field and I'll make sure it reaches the proper channels.
Thanks!

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City, Metro Manila

FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

Third Regular Session

House Bill No. 6921

Introduced by KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Raymond V. Palatino

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Delivered as Privilege Speech of Rep. Raymond Palatino on August 17, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues, I rise on behalf of fellow young Filipinos denied of their dreams and were forced to enter the illusory world of call centers.

The tale of Filipino youths setting aside their childhood dreams to enter the call center industry is fast becoming a common story. More and more young Filipinos are being lured into working in a call center regardless of their educational background. A starting salary of P15,000 on average is indeed attractive, not to mention the signing bonus and incentives for good work performance.

As the global financial crisis sweeps ominously into Asian shores, the Philippine government has continuously promoted and relied on the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry to provide opportunities to millions of jobless Filipinos. The number of jobs generated grew robustly from 99,000 workers in 2004 to 372,000 workers in 2008, most of them in their 20s.

For the government, the BPO sector is a major contributor in terms of revenues and employment generation. From $350 million in 2001, revenues generated from the BPO sector surged to $6 billion in 2008. The government was quick to conclude that the BPO sector is poised to benefit from the global recession.

This has prompted both the administration and the vanguards of globalization to brand the BPO sector as the “sunshine industry.” But there is a need, Mr. Speaker, to bust the myth surrounding the so-called sunshine industry. For behind the seemingly innocuous statistics and improving figures lie tales of exploitation, false hopes, and dim working conditions inside the call center.

Totoong mas mataas ang tinatanggap na suweldo ng isang call center agent kumpara sa isang regular na manggagawa. In reality, foreign companies are exploiting our cheap labor.

The average annual salary of a call center agent in the Philippines is $3,964. This is lower than Thailand’s $4,874, Malaysia’s $5,199, and Singapore’s $16,884. Kung totoong tayo ang binansagang “Offshoring Destination of the Year” noong 2007, bakit kakarampot lamang ang sahod ng call center agents natin kumpara sa ating mga kapitbahay?

Companies in developed countries benefit immensely from this set-up. By taking advantage of highly-skilled and low-value labor in poorer economies such as ours, foreign firms gain an estimated net savings of 20-40 percent on labor costs.

Despite the relatively decent pay and seemingly rich rewards, job tenure in the call center industry, as labor economist Clarence Pascual puts it, is “as transient as the phone calls that agents make or take.”

This is evident in the industry’s high attrition rates or the proportion of the workforce that leaves a company or industry. The Call Center Association of the Philippines pegs the turnover rate in the country at 60-80 percent, the highest in the world.

According to a multi-country survey conducted by Callcentres.net, full-time call center agents stay in a contact center for a brief 22 months, while part-time agents stay for an even shorter 10 months.

This is an international figure, Mr. Speaker. In the Philippines, where most of the call centers are outsourced, offshore and non-unionized, the situation is even worse: 60 percent of call center workers stay in a company for only a year or less.

As more employees leave the industry, the demand for replacements becomes constant. According to an article in Newsbreak magazine, for every employee hired to fill in a new seat, another two employees must be hired to replace the seats vacated by those who left. How apt, Mr. Speaker, that this industry is marked by “hellos” and “goodbyes.”

The culprit: poor quality of jobs at the call center. A survey by the Call Center Project based at Cornell University in New York shows that the high attrition rate is caused by a low job quality in call centers. The study revealed that 67 percent of agents found in 39 percent of call centers work in low to very low quality jobs.

The Call Center Project survey points out that worker turnover and quit rates are higher as job discretion or the agent’s “sense of control” becomes lower and monitoring on the job becomes more intense. Low job discretion and high performance monitoring contribute to employee stress and rapid job burnout.

Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues, the job of a call center agent is not that all fancy nor ideal. For it is in the very nature of the call center job to be exploitative.

Call centers-vendors in indsutry parlance-provide services, such as customer service, sales, technical support, on behalf of client companies. They compete for accounts from companies that ousource some of their functions. In this competitive arena, the agent is stuck between two contrasting interests-he or she must keep costs low for the client while ensuring profits for the call center.

In this set-up, quantitative targets are laid down by clients to reduce costs and increase productivity, giving them the upper hand. In the call center industry, everything is measured.

Thus, call center agents work the phones for the entire duration of their work shift. Unlike our jobs, where we have time to read newspapers or chat with our officemates, the job of a call center agent is one of isolation. The calls just keep coming in, and one has no choice but to pick up to phone.

Moreover, one faces punitive measures, such as forced leave, suspension or even termination, for failing to meet productivity targets, which serve as basis for staff assessment and promotions.

To ensure the targets are met, clients even enforce remote monitoring of actual calls.

Supervisors track an agent’s use of time, from call handling time to time spent on “after call work” and break time. Recorded calls are scored for quality on a monthly or weekly basis. A low score translates to a corrective action memo, which can cost one’s job. Consequently, monitoring becomes a constant source of anxiety for workers.

Since monitoring and evaluation are done remotely, penalized workers do not have enough opportunity to appeal disciplinary actions. A 22-year old agent says in their company, even tenured workers issued with corrective action memos get terminated.

According to a survey by the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, only a 10-minute per day period is allowed for personal use, such as going to the restroom. This becomes difficult for the workers since a cold workplace temperature encourages frequent urination. Female agents, thus, usually suffer from urinary tract infection.

Since the United States is the biggest market of BPO industry, this requires call center operations during the evening. The call center sub-sector is changing the nightlife of Manila. Bars, restaurants and convenience stores are open every morning to accommodate the night workers.

But the graveyard shift has become a major source of difficulty and dissatisfaction for a lot of agents as their day-to-day routines are turned upside down. Medical specialists point out that disrupting the body clock can cause manic depression and heart problems.

Weekends and holidays are also rarely off, since the calendar being followed is that of the clients, resulting in very rare family time for married agents. Meanwhile, compulsory overtime or extended time is also prevalent.

The Department of Health has warned against this work schedule, aggravated by an intense and exhaustive workload. DOH warned that persons working in the graveyard shift are vulnerable to various diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular illnesses, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. Foreign studies have even shown that graveyard shifts can increase the risk of cancer among women workers.

Noong isang taon, Mr. Speaker, ibinalita sa TV Patrol World ang pagkamatay ng isang call center agent. Siya ay si Dingdong Flores, inatake ng hypertension habang nasa trabaho. Siya ay na-coma bago pa mahatid sa ospital.

The DOLE has made separate studies on health risks associated with call center work. Both studies show high incidence of eyestrains symptoms, muskuloskeletal symptoms, voice disorders, hearing problems.

Since most call centers employ first-time and young workers who are hesitant to complain,these health problems may even be an underestimation of the true state of health among workers.

Such health hazards explain high rates of absenteeism in the industry. Consequently, call centers have adopted punitive attendance policies. In some call centers, eight absences over a six-month period constitute grounds for termination.

While they are entitled to sick leave, workers find difficulty in securing the supervisor’s approval.

BPO employees are also deprived of socialization opportunities with family and friends. Dr. Prandya Kulkarni, who writes for United Press International Asia, adds that young BPO workers, who receive high salaries, do not have the maturity and emotional capability to handle their wealth. This “sudden wealth syndrome” has led to such high-risk behaviors as loose sexual practices, drug addictions and alcohol abuse.

Another alarming reality in the call center industry is the absence of unions. Unionism is covertly and overtly discouraged, if not forbidden. Foreign employees warn that if unions in call centers will be allowed, they will leave the Philippines. Workers’ contracts clearly stipulate that forming or joining a union is prohibited.

Such a repressive practice, Mr. Speaker, is a clear violation of the Philippine Labor Law,where it is stated that every worker has the right to form and join a union. Isn’t it ironic, Mr. Speaker, how our call center workers are rendered voiceless in a voice industry?

Habang inilalahad natin ang mga suliraning ito, habang inihahanda natin ang ating mga sarili sa pagtatapos ng araw na ito, magsisimula pa lamang ang araw ng libu-libo nating manggagawa sa call center. Nawa’y huwag dumating ang panahon na ang isasagot ng ating mga kabataan sa tanong na “What do you want to be when you grow up?” ay maging isang call center agent.

Anong klaseng mga mamamayan ang mahuhubog ng sistemang ito? Anong klase ng kaalaman ang ating ikikintal sa ating mga kabataan, na siyang mamumuno sa ating bayan?

Paano nila paglilingkuran ang bayan kung ang tangi nilang alam ay tumugon sa daing ng mga dayuhan?

Nakakabahala, Mr. Speaker, ang kuwento ng isang manggagawa na tatlong taon nang nagtratrabaho sa call center. Ayon sa kaniya, “a plague is raging among the youth working in the call center industry” and that is apathy. Dagdag niya, nabubuhay ang mga call center agent sa isang mundong batbat ng kawalang-pakialam. Ang tangi nilang sinusunod ay ang dikta ng orasan, ang dikta ng makina. Tila hindi na sila kabahagi sa mga isyung panlipunan.

Sa kasalukyan, kinakaharap ng BPO industry ang kakulangan ng skilled workers, ng mga kabataang mahusay mag-Ingles. The government is now tinkering with the educational system to address the needs of the BPO industry. President Arroyo has mandated the use of English language as the medium of instruction in schools.

But such measures can only do so much to address employment problems in the country. At the minimum, the government should ensure the implementation of our labor code, which aims to protect our workers and guarantee their right to organization and humane working conditions.

Call centers should respect our labor code. Bukod sa pagtuturo ng American accent, dapat ding ipaalam ng mga kumpanyang ito sa ating mga aplikante ang kanilang mga karapatan bilang empleyado.

Ngayong nauuso ang call centers, napapanahong bumuo tayo ng batas na magtitiyak sa kanilang mga karapatan. Sa kagyat, ito ang ating maiiambag sa libu-libong kabataang pinasok at balak pasukin ang BPO industry.

The government should not use the seemingly rosy statistics of the BPO sector to conclude that we have a strong economy. Ultimately, it is dangerous to exaggerate the importance of the BPO industry. The government should put more emphasis on propelling the domestic economy as a whole rather than making public institutions and laws serve the needs of BPO companies.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues.

Hon. Raymond V. Palatino

Representative, KABATAAN Party-list

**********************************************************************************

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City, Metro Manila

FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

Third Regular Session

House Bill No. 6921

Introduced by KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Raymond V. Palatino

AN ACT

ENSURING THE WELFARE AND PROTECTION OF BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING (BPO) WORKERS AND THE RECOGNITION OF THEIR RIGHTS AS PROVIDED FOR IN THE LABOR CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “BPO Workers’ Welfare

and Protection Act of 2009”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect the welfare, and promote the rights of workers in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry and to take appropriate steps to recognize such rights and welfare. The State recognizes the role of BPO workers in nation-building and that protecting and promoting their rights and welfare form an integral part of national development strategies. The State shall strive to improve and promote their social and economic status, living and working conditions, terms of employment, professional growth and career development.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms shall be

construed to mean as follows:

(a) “Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)” – BPO refers to the contracting of third party service providers the operations of several business processes or functions

(b) “Call Center” / “Contact Center” – refers to a central customer service operation where agents or customer care specialists or customer service representatives handle business-related telephone calls and other IT-related activities on behalf of a client

(c) “Employee” / “Workers” – includes all persons who are in the employment of a BPO company such as, but are not limited to, contact/call center agents, medical transcriptionists, back-office processing employees, game developers, and animation and digital content providers.

(d) “Employer” – includes all natural and juridical persons engaged in the business of BPO and employing the services of BPO employees

(e) “Supervisor” / “Team Leader” – persons engaged in the management of a group or team of BPO workers

SECTION 4. Coverage. – This Act shall cover all employees and workers engaged in the Business Processing Outsourcing industry.

SECTION 5. Standard of Treatment. – The employer and the supervisors must, at all times, treat the BPO worker in a just and humane manner and ensure and provide that rights and benefits of BPO workers be accorded them as mandated by Presidential Decree 442, otherwise known as the Philippine Labor Code. Abusive language, physical violence or any act which debases the dignity of a person shall not be used against the employee.

SECTION 6. Access to Relevant Information. – The State shall ensure that BPO companies allow their workers and employees access to relevant information to make them understand their rights, benefits, obligations, conditions and realities attending to their profession. BPO companies shall not restrain their employees from organizing or attending activities, such as, but are not limited to, workshops and symposia, that seek to equip BPO workers with relevant information with regard to their rights, welfare and conditions.

SECTION 7. Protection from Understaffing or Overloading. – There shall be no understaffing or overloading of BPO workers. The ratio of BPO worker to client quota or quantitative targets shall be such as to reasonably effect a sustained quality of service at all times without overworking the worker and over-extending his/her services beyond what is stipulated in the employment contract, or what is allowed as the worker’s regular hours of work. The employer may request the employee to perform tasks beyond the duties stipulated in the employment contract; Provided, That the employee consents and; Provided, That such tasks are duly compensated by the employer with an additional pay of not less than 25% of the regular rate per hour.

SECTION 8. Right to Self-Organization, to engage in Collective Bargaining, and to participate in Democratic Exercises. – The State shall ensure BPO Workers’ right to join, organize, or assist organizations or unions, to collective bargaining and to participate in the deliberation of issues and in the formulation of policies that affect them.

SECTION 9. Freedom from Interference or Coercion. – It shall be unlawful for any person or company to commit any of the following acts of interference or coercion:

(a) to require as condition of employment that BPO employees shall not join, form or assist in the formation of an organization or union;

(b) to discriminate in order to encourage or discourage membership in an organization or union;

(c) to prevent a BPO employee from carrying out his duties and functions in his organization or union or to penalize the employee for any lawful action performed in that capacity;

(d) to perform acts calculated to diminish the independence and freedom of the union or organization to direct its own affairs.

SECTION 10. Freedom from Company Bond. – It shall be unlawful for any person or

company to compel a BPO worker to commit to a company bond, imposing an exorbitant fee to be paid by the employee upon leaving the company before a specified length of time.

SECTION 11. Protection from Discrimination. – BPO workers shall be protected from discrimination by reason of sex, sexual orientation, age, political or religious beliefs, civil status, physical characteristics or disability, or ethnicity.

SECTION 12. Safeguards in Administrative Proceedings. – In any administrative

proceeding, a BPO worker shall have:

(a) the right to be informed of the charges;

(b) the right to full access on evidence against him/her;

(c) the right to defend himself/herself or by a counsel of his/her choice;

(d) the right to be given adequate time to prepare his/her case, which shall in no

case be less than one week;

(e) the right to appeal to designated authorities;

(f) such other rights as will ensure fairness and impartiality during proceedings.

SECTION 13. Regular Hours of Work. – Normal hours of work for BPO workers shall

not exceed eight (8) hours a day. Any work done by BPO employees beyond the regular hours of work shall be duly compensated by the employer.

SECTION 14. Overtime Work. – BPO workers may be required to render services beyond his/her required working hours in cases provided for in the Labor Code; Provided, That the employee is paid for the overtime work with an additional compensation equivalent to not less than his regular wage plus twenty-five percent (25%).

SECTION 15. Night Shift Differential. – BPO workers shall be paid a night shift differential of not less than ten percent (10%) of his regular wage for each hour of work performed between ten o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning.

SECTION 16. Rest & Meal Periods. – BPO workers shall be entitled to compensable

rest periods and meal periods not less than what is provided for in the Labor Code and other existing laws. Employees shall not be disallowed from taking brief restroom breaks during their working hours.

SECTION 17. Regular Working Days. – All BPO workers shall render work for not more than six (6) consecutive days per week. While the specific day of the week set aside as rest day may be stipulated in the employment contract, the same may be changed for another day of the week upon the mutual agreement of the employer and the employee; Provided, That the employer shall respect the preference of the employee for his/her weekly rest day when said preference is based on religious grounds.

SECTION 18. Work on Holidays. – BPO workers may be required to work on days designated as non-working holidays in the Philippines granted the nature of their profession; Provided, That the employer shall duly compensate the employee’s work on such days in accordance to existing laws with regard to holiday pay.

SECTION 19. Leave Benefits. – BPO workers shall be entitled to all leave benefits and privileges, such as but not limited to maternity, paternity, vacation and sick leaves, as provided for under existing laws: Provided, That upon separation of the employee from service, they shall be entitled to all accumulated leave credits with pay. No employee may be terminated based solely on unapproved leaves without affording the employee due process in an administrative proceeding.

SECTION 20. Transportation Benefits. – In the absence of or in the lack of safe and adequate public transportation services in BPO workers’ places of work, they shall be entitled to safe transportation service, which may include, but are not limited to shuttle services, to and from the place of work to designated drop-off points, to be provided by the company in order to facilitate the safe commute of employees at vulnerable times at night or early in the morning.

SECTION 21. Medical Examination and Treatment. – BPO workers shall be entitled to a medical examination free of charge upon entry in the BPO company and every year thereafter during his/her tenure of employment. They shall also be compensated for injuries and medical complications arising from and related to their work in accordance to existing laws, labor policies, guidelines or circulars as the case may be.

SECTION 22. Workplace Policy on Occupational Safety and Health – An occupational safety and health policy shall be formulated by each BPO establishment addressing the safety and health concerns in BPO workplaces and worksites, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) and other related OSH issuances.

SECTION 23. Security of Tenure. – No employee may be terminated except for just cause as may be provided by the Labor Code and other existing laws and after due process in an administrative proceeding as provided for in this Act.

SECTION 24. Prohibition Against Elimination or Diminution of Benefits. – Nothing in

this Act shall be construed to eliminate or diminish in any way existing benefits being

enjoyed by BPO employees at the time of the effectivity of this Act, or benefits beyond the minimum standards set forth by this Act.

SECTION 25. Penal Provision. – Any person or company who violates the provisions

of this Act shall be punished with a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000) and/or imprisonment of not less than two (2) months but not more than one (1), or both at the discretion of the Court.

SECTION 26. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder thereof not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 27. Repealing Clause. – All laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this law are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 28. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two newspapers of general circulation.


As previously mentioned this bill is still open for amendment, feedbacks and suggestions are highly encouraged.

A major, major mistake

People who say that we should be proud of Venus Raj’s accomplishments are either just being polite with a subtle hint of hypocrisy or just plain stupid.

I mean how can you be proud of her? Oh, maybe I am understating the fact that she was able to make it to the Top 5 and became 5^th runner up. Well, I guess at the least she deserves an applause for bagging the 5^th honors. Not too many can pull that off, The last time we made it to the Top 5 was when Miriam Quiambao finished second after that it has been one disappointment after another.

How hard was it to understand the question? Did Mr. Baldwin used metaphors and allegories which caused Magnificent Raj to channel to her inner chi, got lost in the moment while she needed some time to speak with her ancestors and consult them?

Or is it because she has never had a major, major mistake? (aside from joining the pageant).

Maybe this is a wake up call for us. Its time we admit that we need an interpreter just like Ms. Mexico (who probably speaks better English than Ms. Raj). We’re just too proud. We pride ourselves over the fact that we are known to be good English speakers but deny the fact that what stands true for many may not be true for all of us.

There are many Venus Rajs, Janina San Miguels, Melanie Marquezes out there who happened to have been born with pretty faces but did not got blessed with eloquence. I will not spare myself and admit that I am not the best speaker either. But that does not make me less of a person. 

Its not our first language and that's forgivable, so why can't just we effin' hire a darn interpreter?

Pathetic

Pathetic.

If there's a list of perfect words to describe how the police and the SWAT team handled the hostage taking yesterday, that would be on top of the list.

S.W.A.T. in our country means " Shit Wala Akong Training " [Shit I wasn't trained for this] (my friend Rod, posted this in Facebook).

Everyone who saw the coverage will agree that it wasn't handled well. Im no expert in crisis management but I don't have to be one to make a precise point that they had absolutely no clue on how to handle the hostage taker.

First they made the grave error of frustrating an already desperate man, (apparently one of his requests got declined) and aggravated the situation by agitating the dismissed policeman.We all saw how he reacted after the police arrested his brother.

Where was the negotiator? What did he do? How did the negotiation collapse and why did it have to turn out so violently?

If there is one thing that the police force was extremely good at, it was acting. They all performed like they were in an action film, the stance, the poise of an action star when he holds a rifle. Those were all present. They also showed that they have the talent for comedy, there was a footage of them throwing the tear gas at the back of the bus and it bounced back at them. A little slapstick though but it works all the time, my father and I couldn't stop laughing.

Which brings me to my central point and points back to my first premise. How can we laugh at this situation? How can the police handling a crisis situation become laughable when they were supposed to be our shining knight in the direst of times? It was obvious how unprepared they were, but how can I not laugh at their stupidity after seeing them try to enter the bus only to go back a few seconds after with a face so messed up a painter would have a hard time drawing it on canvass because they could not stand the fumes from the tear gas? Somebody please kill me now.

They did not have any plan, mishandled the situation, and they showed the world how ill-equipped our police force is. Supposedly the most elite team among the entire police squad, our SWAT team appeared like ROTC cadets on their first day.

And again we humiliated ourselves while the whole world was watching.

Pathetic.

The curious case of the missing DVD

For the first time in my life, I allowed someone to verbally abuse me. And she wasn’t even my mom.

All for a missing DVD that was found in the room where we’ve been staying for the last 2 months at my in-laws' place in Tagaytay.

All those who knew me as Mr “ Will fight when I know Im right” will be very disappointed. At that instant, I was reduced to a main character in a soap opera who just takes it in, gets framed, accused of a wrongdoing without a slight nudge. I became Mara and let Clara assault me with hurtful words that even the devil himself might get offended.

Her mouth was home the most fetid of all words, it houses the biggest vocabulary of insults known to man.

The only words that I managed to say was “ Wala akong kasalanan sa’yo” (I did you no wrong).  All the while, I was careful of causing more raucous, out of respect to her parents and my wife’s youngest sister who has been nothing but an angel to me and my family. And I know I love my wife and disrespecting could mean (to them) disrespecting her entire family.

My wife’s big sister was relentless, she came home the night before and woke everyone up with her screaming, she cursed at me and let the whole neighborhood knew that I was a thief, how she hates my guts, that while we’re living with her parents, I had no respect for her and her family, She said that I don’t make the effort to get along with them and even stole a Beatles DVD.

I knew I was an easy target, being the obvious Beatles fan that I am but how it got to my son’s hands I don’t know. Maybe some Divine Intervention led his hand to play with that DVD, and the stupid me who thought that since I had asked for his brother’s permission to watch that DVD a few weeks back decided to keep it in our room and view it when I had the time. The night she started looking for it, I wanted to say, I last saw it in our room but I couldn’t look for it. I should’ve said a word, I guess, that’s my biggest fault.

The part that I hate most, was when she was cursing at me, while I was carrying my 2 year old son. I pleaded for her not to curse but she replied with “Wala akong pakialam, wala ka namang modo e, P*tang ina mo!” (I don’t care, You have no respect anyway, Son of a bitch!).

This isn’t the first time though, that she blamed me for something I didn’t do. Roughly a year ago, her niece was playing in our room when I accidentally hit her eyes while she was climbing the bed. She then went up to her Kuya (who was my bestfriend back in college) and magnified the situation by saying I intentionally hit the kid and blew it out of proportions.

Its textbook stuff, why would I hit my bestfriend's daughter shortly after mending a broken friendship?

As evil as she thinks I am, I will never intend for another person to hate someone just because he’s not my favorite person, I would never will to destroy an already shaky friendship and add more tension to it to finally push it to crumble down which is exactly what happened when she told her brother that I intentionally hit his daughter. Hit after hit, now her brother will have another reason to hate me.

She hated me from Day 1, from the day she first saw me I guess (back in college), up to the day she learned I was going to marry her sister. She hates me and I knew that, which is why I never crossed her path. I tried a few times to talk to her, but that didn’t last long.

Lessons learned from this experience:

1. You have to learn to use mental telepathy and communicate with people who aren’t talking to you.
2. People who are trying to start a life and live it peacefully, should be given a hard time. ( This is a test bound by fate. )
3. Silence is not the best way to deal with an angry person, you should answer back even if you know they will not bother understanding you anyway, so they can have the opportunity to curse at you.
4. People can read minds and they know exactly what you’re thinking of, this is supposed to be true all the time.

I wonder what drives another human being to hate another person in a very destructive way. I don’t recall ever offending her, nor do I recall any interaction with her.

Perpekto

Sa mundo at mata ng mga bata, ang lahat ng bagay ay perpekto. Makulay at maganda ang kapaligiran. Mapagmahal; at makatuwiran ang bawat magulang. May tugon sa lahat ng suliranin. Ang sakit at luha ay napapawi sa simpleng yakap at halik ng ina.

Sa mundo ng mga bata, ang salitang hindi ay lubos, ang ayoko ay batas. Ang anumang kanilang ayawan o di sang ayunan ay hindi maaaring ipilit.

Sa mundo ng mga bata, makukuha nila ang anumang kanilang naisin. Hindi man nila sinasadya ang pag-iyak ay daan upang makuha nila ang kanilang gusto. At madalas sa hindi, ibinibigay natin ito sa kanila.

Sa mata ng mga bata, ang kanilang ina ay diyos. Larawan siya ng walang hanggang pagmamahal at pagkalinga. Hindi siya nauubusan ng pasensya. Si Itay naman ang kanyang tanggulan, ang haliging laging masasandigan, maasahan sa bawat panahon.

Sa mundo ng mga bata, ang lungkot ay isa lamang pahinga sa mahabang panahon o oras ng pagsasaya.

Nababago lamang ang lahat ng ito at nagsisimulang pumangit ang kanilang perpektong mundo sa oras na sila ay mamulat sa walang katuwirang pananakit, sa bawat hampas ng sinturon, sa bawat hataw ng tsinelas sa kanilang murang katawan. Ang paraiso ng kanyang musmos na pag-iisip ay unti-unting nasisira sa bawat sigaw at masasakit na salita.

Ang dating masayang mundo ay napapalitan ng gulo at ingay. Ang dating simpleng pag-iyak na naghahatid ng ginhawa sa kanyang nagugutom na sikmura ay hindi pala sapat, lalo na kung si Tatay ay nagumon sa alak at si Nanay ay naging abala sa tsismis. Hindi pala sa lahat ng oras ay nadadaan ang lahat sa "hindi" at "ayoko". Ang utos ni Tiyong ay hindi puwedeng sawayin dahil mahahataw ka ng tambo sa ulo.

Sa pagmulat ng kanilang kamalayan, makikita nilang unti-unti na hindi pala puro ganda at liwanag ang mundo, hindi puro tawanan at ngiti ang dulot ng bawat araw, at ang lungkot ay isa palang emosyon na maaaring madalas mong makasama.

Inaasahang tayo, bilang nakatatanda ang magtuturo sa kanila kung paano harapin ang buhay, na hindi lang isa ang mukha ng mundo. Na sa bawat landas na kanilang tatahakin ay may dapat nakahanda silang madapa at masaktan dahil hindi sa lahat ng panahon ay may magbabangon at kakarga sa kanila.

Ang perpektong mundong kanilang kinagisnan ay maaari pa ring manatiling maganda sa kanilang pananaw kung kanilang maiintindihan na hindi lahat ng maibigan ay maaaring ipilit, hindi lahat ng bagay ay maaari mong makuha. Kung ang pagbabawal ay may kalakip na mahinahong paliwanag, titimo sa isip ng bata kung ano ang tama at nararapat.

Ang pundasyon ng lahat ng mahahalagang bagay na matutunan ng bata at maghuhubog sa kung magiging sino sya sa kanyang pagtanda ay nakasalalay sa kanyang kinagisnang pagkabata. Sa isang banda, kung hahayaan mo ang perpektong mundo ang syang manaig, lalaki syang walang kinikilalang batas kundi ang sarili. Kung ang kamumulatan naman nyang mundo ay puno ng pananakit at pagmumura, wag nating asahang magiging mahinahon at magiging santo sya balang araw.

Hindi kailangang masaktan ang bata para maintindihan niyang mali ang kanyang ginagawa, hindi kailangan ng sinturon para lumatay ang isang magandang aral.

Sa mundo at mata ng mga bata, hindi pala lahat ng bagay ay perpekto, ngunit maaaring maging makulay at maganda ang kapaligiran. Mapagmahal at makatuwiran ang bawat magulang. Ipinadarama nila ito, hindi lamang sa pagbibigay ng layaw sa bawat bagay na kanilang naisin, kundi pati sa pagbibigay liwanag na nakasasama din ang labis, na ang hindi o hindi puwede ay hindi lamang basta pagtutol o pagbabawal kundi paghahatid ng paalalang tama na muna, sa susunod na lang, o mali ang iyong ginagawa.



Children Learn What They Live (1959)
Dorothy Law


If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn . . .

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight . . .

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive . . .

If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself . . .

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy . . .

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt . . .



BUT


If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient . . .

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident . . .

If a child lives with , he learns to be appreciative . . .

If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love . . .

If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is . . .

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice . . .

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him . . .

If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live . . .

An Open Letter to Noynoy

Dear Noynoy,

I got a confession to make, I did not vote for you. I chose your cousin because I thought he is more competent and credible than you are, but the people have made their choice, the majority won and democracy has triumphed as they say. And we now have you as our President, whether we like it or not is now immaterial.

This is not a bitter letter that will circle around what could have been had my president won. This is about you and the Filipino people whose lives you’ve touched with your slogan of ending poverty by ending corruption. This is about your promise of a better life by choosing the road less traveled, the path of righteousness that you so rightfully claim.

You have become a symbol of hope for a country that has been divided by political colors and redundant slogans that all boast of good governance and the seemingly unreachable dream of ending poverty. You have renewed the glory that is EDSA, Yes, May 10, 2010 was a silent people power in the form of ballots that bore your name. Every Filipino who chose to shade your name on their ballots must have thought they were making the right choice. They believed in you.

The moment of truth has arrived, your time has come. The time to prove that you can deliver on your promise starts now, or from the day you take your oath of office on June 30. While the whole nation await for the messiah to save this doomed nation, your detractors are on the prowl, eagerly anticipating your first blunder, like vultures they will feed on its carcass until there’s nothing left of your good name.

Save some of it, for this presidency will definitely take its toll on you. Keep in mind that for every favor you extend to repay a certain “act of kindness” you betray your father’s name. For every advice you follow that reeks of vested interest you slowly become the tyrant that your mother ousted back in 1987.

We do not expect that after your 6 year rule that this country will rise on the ranks of the first world countries or that you have completely eradicated corruption. We are simply counting that you will pave the way for a better tomorrow by giving us what is due: A just, honest and competent government that alleviated poverty.

And may I remind you on this in case you forget in the course of your 6 year term: Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.

Sincerely yours,

Jay Beltran

The Palawan Experience

I must admit, I do not have the concinnity of a travel writer and I can’t promise a detailed chorography of Dos Palmas or the subterranean river. This humbly, would be my futile attempt of chronicling our recent Palawan escapade. Pathetic as it is, read on.

We had our flights booked as early as February this year. Our biggest mistake was we didn’t really put so much thought on how long our stay in Palawan would be. We settled for 3 days and 2 nights, and for anyone who’s been there, Im pretty sure you’ll agree, that wouldn’t be enough. And boy, it wasn’t enough.

We boarded ZestAir at 4:40 in the afternoon, the plane ride was smooth and they didn’t disappoint. I’d say from 1-10, Id give them a 9. and that’s only because our flight got delayed by an hour.

Our plane landed at Puerto Princesa Airport at about 6:30pm. We were picked up from the Airport by Kuya Lito from Raq Pensionne. My wife and I had our first quick tour of the city from the airport. Kuya Lito took care of the warm welcome, giving us his tour guide prowess he described the places and gave us a sneak peek of what to expect from the city.

Puerto Princesa Airport

Accomodation at Raq Pensionne

Raq Pensionne

At Raq Pensionne, we were greeted by none other than the hotel owner herself. She was very nice and warm and even offered extra towels that we can bring to Dos Palmas so we wont have to rent bath towels from them. They even took care of our reservation at Ka Lui’s. (we’ll get to that later). The place was clean and had a home vibe. Our room was clean and everything was well provided. I would easily recommend Raq Pensionne to anyone as we had a very pleasant stay at the hotel from our first day down to our last day. They never said no to anything. Even when my wife asked where she can buy a hair clip, the hotel owner herself lent her one. Talk about going the extra mile.

Nothing fancy about the place, its cozy and affordable. What's there to ask for?

Stairs to the 2nd floor

Dos Palmas

We were told to get up at 6am so we can have breakfast and be on time for the bus ride that will take us to Honda Bay. Everything went as scheduled. A boat was waiting for us at Honda Bay and took us to Dos Palmas, the ride took an hour and as soon as we docked at Dos Palmas we were greeted by their staff and they were playing ethnic music, kulintang and some other percussions. My wife couldn’t get enough of the complimentary drink that was served as soon as we entered the receiving area. They called the beverage snow on top. Damn it was good.

A short briefing was conducted by one of their senior staff member, Melmar, We had to cover our noses to hide the bleeding. While Melmar displayed demeanor true to how a staff member at one of the most well known resorts here in the Philippines should act, Melmar also had a strong command of the English language, if his audience were bats and dugongs. “Okay its sea urchin season today, please do not touch them okay” Translation: Beware of Sea Urchins

Do not lost the kay locker because you lost them, you pay $20.

Translation: $20 for lost key locker.

We had fun snorkeling and following the school of fishes as we explored what lies beneath the waves. Id say of all the things we did, this one I enjoyed the most, apart from the occasional struggle with saltwater that keeps on pressing on my nose, which I could have avoided by adjusting the goggles or if my nostrils weren’t that big. (Not my fault but my mom’s genes) My wife enjoyed it so much she said she’ll do this again and even learn scuba diving. It was very calming. There’s no other way to describe it.

After the fun time with the fishes, my wife and I decided to kayak. This was another fun activity you shouldn’t miss if you ever plan on going to Palawan or any other resort that offers it for that matter.

Lunch was served between 12-2. I think we had lunch at 1pm. We ordered another round of snow on top and we had our snacks first at the cabanas. The buffet was great. I had seafood kare-kare and shrimp gambas.

Lunch

My wife

Our stay at Dos Palmas was short and sweet, we had to board the ship at 3:30 and we were back at the hotel by 5pm. We took a short nap and then went to Ka Lui’s for dinner.

View of Dos Palmas from the boat

Dinner at Ka Lui’s

You have to get a reservation at Ka Lui’s so they can accommodate you. (Raq Pensione took care of that on our first night, Thanks to Gerard, One of their staff) That’s how popular they are in Puerto Princesa. And you would not be disappointed. They offer superb service and a variety of meals fresh from the sea. Upon entering the dining area, its a must that you have to leave your shoes or your sandals on a designated locker. Yes, you have to go barefoot. Even the staff walk around minus the slippers/shoes on  the well polished wood flooring of Ka Luis. I asked one of their staff why we had to go barefoot. He answered me with a smile "Para daw po parang nasa bahay ka lang" [''So everyone will feel at home''].

The Underground River

We had to prepare early for our tour of the Subterranean River, that's because we had a flight to catch at 5:50 in the afternoon. Our tour guide was Mai, and we were joined by a family of four on the van. It took us 2 hours to reach Sabang. From Sabang, we rode a boat to the Underground River.

The Underground river is the longest navigable river in the world, it is the official nominee of our country to the New 7 wonders of nature. A boatman serves as your tour guide inside the cave and also picks the part of semi entertainer while describing the underground river that houses a spectacle of rock formations. Inside the subterranean river, the cool breeze gently sways you to feel the calm and its simply breath taking, partly because of the bat droppings that will greet you as soon as you enter the cave. But once inside you cant help but get awed by the sights that nature gallantly created by itself.


After the tour of the Underground River we had our lunch at a nearby resort where we had a taste of Tamilok. They say a visit to Palawan will never be complete without a taste of their native delicacy (This is debatable because some Asian countries claim it originated from them Indonesia, Thailand etc) known as tamilok. Its a woodworm found in mangroves and tastes like your familiar oyster.

Tamilok

Kudos to Ate Mai (our tour guide) we were able to make it to our flight back home and even had spare time to take a shower. Overall our Palawan experience was great and because of their amazing service (Raq Pensionne and sorry I forgot the name of the Travel and Tours company, but if you book at Raq you can ask for them) we'll go back there and get their services again.

Oh Palawan... I wish we can go back there soon. Its the best vacation I've ever had.

***Show your support to our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River by voting for it @ http://www.new7wonders.com/n7w***

A country of losers

I just realized, I have never had my president win the elections ever since I first voted in 1998. That was when Erap made history as the first dumb ass president to rule a nation. Serves us right, with the kind of voters we have, we deserve the ones we put in public office. After all a tribe of dodos cant be ruled by chimpanzees.

In 2004 Roco’s name was in my ballot, and yet again, my candidate lost. GMA took the office again and the past 6 years we saw her turn our country from bad to worst, the poor got poorer and multiplied. Can we blame her? Or should we blame ourselves? Come to think of it, even if she did not cheat in the 2004 elections and FPJ won, could it have been any better?

The fact is, we never learn. We have not learned from the mistakes of 1998. The type of president we put into office only displays the political maturity of this country. Most of us vote for famous people, for the kumpare ng kumpare ni lolo, for the candidate who gave you 300 pesos and a bag of groceries, for the candidate who will likely win. Very few actually vote for the one’s they think are worthy.

Tomorrow will be my 3rd presidential elections and tomorrow’s decision decides the next 6 years and the future of my son, and your children’s children. I am voting for Gibo and again, my candidate isnt’ one of the top 2 and will likely lose. But I can hold my head up high and say I thought about it, no one convinced me to vote for him and I am voting for him because I believe he can make a difference. And I can tell my son, “I thought about you when I made my choice”

That’s how its going to be. Until we learn to choose for ourselves and listen to our conscience, our next leaders will always reflect the kind of nation we are; immature and gullible fanatics who believe in fairytales of rags to riches.