WHEN PRAYING HAS TO BE COMBINED WITH ACTION

A friend gave me a tattoo stick device for internet use. 3 G Folks. I had thought internet usage would be a breeze. The first two times that I used it, it was really fast. Then the third time, the password did not work anymore. Then I sent it to the company for fixing of password. It worked again. Then the password did not work again. So I went back to the company and had it fixed. It worked, while I was at the supermarket where the company was located. But when I got home, this device worked off and on, off and on. I had to log in about ten times already.

I wonder if in other countries, this happens also? How about if Mars becomes a habitable planet, would our internet usage undergo the same conking out so often?

You see Folks, what do I use the internet for? I only search the latest news from the New York Times and the Guardian. After that I breeze through the latest art news. I sometimes go through beautiful art images in order to make my life audio-visually attuned. I also of course send emails to my friends and to companies from which I request for funding of our Regalo Magazine for children and teenagers.

Now I am wondering why my blog creates such a havoc in the tempers of certain sectors? I think that some government officials think that their posts are theirs. They do not like being criticized. But criticism is good if it is constructive, isn't it? Besides, why are they so onion-skinned? When they assume posts, they should be ready for the brickbats because government posts are public property. We own the government as we pay our taxes well. In fact, even if I do not earn so much, I pay my taxes just so I can say, "I am a taxpayer." I like the idea of saying, "I pay my taxes" so I can say also that "I deserve good public service."

What is wrong with exercising our critical mind? Am I not a good citizen in this manner, paying my taxes and at the same time contributing my ideas on how to run the government? I am sure if I had been given a post in the government, PNoy would not be receiving so much flak as now. I think he has even taken criticisms personally now by the way he responds to them. The thing is when people who assume posts don't have a background in social work, as Dinky, has, they are bound to just fit into the bureaucratic posts and repeat the same rigmarole.

I think also that this is why Dinky has survived the onslaughts of criticisms because people know that she is really doing her job well as a social worker. But the others, especially those in the infra, they are just plain bureaucrats, unmindful of the consequences of their work on the public. Energy is full of publicity, yet we don't really need that. We need another electricity server so that Meralco will experience having a competitor who will serve our electricity needs more cheaply. Why concentrate everything on Meralco? In fact, the government should have another utility company to serve our electricity needs that will provide it cheaply. This is just like the field of broadcasting. There are many private companies, but we also have RB, DZBR and PTV 4. So we get a glimpse of government work in the whole Philippines. Now the government should extend that to utilities and telecoms.

In the UK, I was told by a friend that she is a member of a cooperative that buys electricity, gas, and even celfon connections for her and her husband. And my goodness, it is so cheap. The coop buys from the market from the different servers. They haggle and bargain as to who can provide the cheapest service. Because they have many members, they can afford to bargain well.

I think we should wise up already and think of ways how we can use collective power to soften burdensome charges of utilities. Our peso has gone very low in terms of purchasing power. Imagine, I bought only a few items, hardly ten items, and they cost already P300 +. Soap sachets -- 25; pesto sauce for my breakfast - 139; oats - 75, raisins - 46, crackers - 28; French bread - 40. I am now watching my expenses because NGO work--mainly educational --  entails a lot of sacrifices.

If PNoy wants to be truly remembered, I think he should provide free transport of fruits and vegetables from the provinces to bring down their prices in the market. He must also command the Energy Department to think of a way of putting up our own refinery and buying our own oil ourselves instead of being dependent on these 7 sisters for their skyrocketing greed. Malampaya should give us the money for that.

Folks, praying and praying everyday we could be making God deaf already. We should also act. I do pray every morning -- thanking God that I am able to still exist and be healthy. Sana magtagal pa. And I also pray that our Muslim brothers and sisters would find it truly a haven being part of our larger community and would not think of seceding should they experience what we are experiencing now. From the warring zones, they go to the quiet zones with hopefully not war-inducing problems like what we have now.

I pray for my children and the Filipino people to have a truly good government in our lifetime, at least. Amen.

WHAT WOMEN WANT

What are the things that matter most to women?

It is still cheap daily living, which means cheap electricity so we can use our laptops and charge our celfones without thinking of sky-rocketing bills; flowing water so we can even have a bath in the tub but that is not possible friends unless you can afford high living; fresh air along sidewalks in the cities wide enough to accommodate five people together, seats at all supermarkets for those tired of window-shopping or for being loaded with too many bought goods while waiting for relatives to fetch them,  being transported by public vehicles smoothly; without your having to swish here and there, cheap but nutritious food outside the home or at restaurants costing less than P50.00, daycare for mothers so they can engage in business outside the home if they choose to; and educational discounts for those who want to enter college or any school for additional knowledge, among others.

In the case of government services, what do we really want? I would like to have a telephone directory that gives the correct and honest numbers of department and agency, without my having to shift to another section, unit or any other bureaucratic box;  to make every responder to a phone call take the message and try to solve it by channeling the call, if need be to the right section right away; a brochure containing a listing of government agencies and their functions, including officials to write to, what kinds of problems they deal with to be made available for free at every agency for the public to use; a complaints desk with a box beside it where we can lodge our angst against employees who dare to assume an arrogant pose or who waylay us making us move from one office to another or who give us wrong information; public libraries at every barangay with modern and updated books, as well as daily current newspapers -- English and Pilipino to read for free; a call number to report police officers who do not act on complaints of pedestrians and a reply from no less than the head of the PNP as to what has happened to the complaint to signify that the complaint has been acted upon; DSWD call number to report erring husbands or relatives who smoke inside the house with impunity, without regard to the health of the housemates, especially children, as the barangay refuses to act on such matters thinking that it is a domestic and private matter; making the barangay chair show her face to constituents three times a week at least and should not have an office with dark glasses so that we do not see anyone inside; meal allowance for serior citizens who can no longer move about and an ambulant food server of the DSWD who will deliver food three times a day in every barangay; free tutorial services at every school to be conducted by part-time teachers who are employed only for that task; EASY LOANS for artists, homemakers, those who want to engage in business in order to live humanely; free transport and care for those senior citizens who cannot go to church or worship houses on their required days; free vehicles once a month for families which cannot afford to go to Luneta, any nearby park for once-a-month outing, free whosesome cultural shows and not only basketball games viewed by men in the majority, at barangays once a month and many more.  

The list is endless, Folks, as we go through this journey to a life of equality, development, spirituality, and peace. Amen. 

Planet Earth, Finances, Supermarkets, Etc.

The earth is still spinning despite the maddening events occurring in our midst -- the loss of a Malaysian jetplane last March 8, the war in Syria between the rebels and Assad, the dictator, the encroachment of Chinese ships on Philippine waters despite the UN setting of boundaries of territories, the capture of top communist party leaders in the Philippines who decry their arrest but continue to mouth slogans depicting themselves as staunch members who will not be cowered by their jailers, the wishy-washy writing of news saying one thing and then another in another page, the announcements of news by a religious station and then not doing so within the hour depicting a lack of sincerity in respecting the listeners (hey, not even a word of apology for the mishap), and the growing number of twins born to Filipino couples in our country (has anyone ever examined this phenomenon?)
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I really pity our Earth Mother. She spins and spins and yet the earthlings do not bother to take care of her. How many bombs are exploded? How many nuclear tests are conducted yearly, how many road-widening projects are done, narrowing down the sidewalks for the pedestrians, and making MetroManila a  place for roads and vehicles, no longer so much for people; and most grievously of all, a consumerist society where the mantra is buy? Please buy this and that. 
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If we are really going to be serious about  counting the jobless, we should include in the calculation the number of people who are abroad and departing everyday. They are the ones who cannot find jobs here. My heart bleeds for workers and professionals who must leave the country just so they could earn at least as much as P30,000 per month. Everyone seems to aim at that salary level, no longer just P12 thou or P15,000. Why stick to the Philippines only to earn this much anyway? 

***
However, I have also been thinking, if the government wants to arrest joblessness, it should conduct a vigorous lending program to everyone, especially homemakers who want to earn and not be dependent on their partners for subsistence. I have seen sad-looking partners who seem to envy those who go out everyday to earn their keep while they have to do the routine jobs of washing, cooking, ironing, etc., activities that could turn any man berserk if he does it everyday, I suppose. 

***

I receive a lot of offers to lend me as much even as P1Million, without collateral, without guarantor. But what is the requirement? Hah! I must have a credit card. You see Folks, the first and last time I had a credit card, I cursed it no end. Why because, the printer which I bought for P15,000 turned out to cost P38,000 after my paying the loan to the lender. I felt very sick but I could not do but pay because of the threat of being sued in court. I think that there should be a limit to charges of loans. The legislative sector should create a law that would put a stop to predatory charges of lending companies. Worse of worsts, when the statemnet arrives, the figures do not state: how much you still have to pay, how much you have paid all in all. If we get a history of the payments we have done, for the total price, we would be able to assess if it is worthwhile borrowing again. 

***
I wonder why supermarkets do not have price tags on every item. Many times, the cashiers have had to send the bagger to get the exact price of an item I am buying. I am sure there would even be customers who would want to buy an item but would not do so anymore because "nakakahiyang magtanong kung magkano ang item." ("I would be labeled poor or 'kuripot'" maybe the consumer thinks.  

Another time, I bought an item with a generic label below to apply for all the products on the shelf. But when I was paying for it, I was told the price was over what the label was. 
Isn't that false advertising?

I think that the Dept of Trade and Industry should require all the items to be labeled properly,

Also, it should have a 3-number celfone that people can call up for complaints to be handled easily. 

Commerce is what moves a country to progress. If people buy goods, then manufacturers will have a heyday of churning out products all the time and Ms. Kim Henares and her staff would be happy. But if people experience great difficulties buying through legal routes, then they would just patronize ambulant vendors and never mind love of country. We would prefer buying in a jiffy than having a "classy" place to buy from but experiencing such situations as mentioned above.

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By the way, I notice that a great market to go shopping to somewhere here in Quezon City has plenty of seats for weary shoppers. They even wheelchairs for senior citizens who wish to avail of them. (BTW,  I take spirulina tablets (KDSI brand only) everyday so that my legs and thighs would stay strong until I reach the age of 100, Folks). And of course, the cashiers are very nice. What just gets my goat are those supervisors with their swishing long hair who take such a great time to come over to punch the registers for discounts to senior citizens. I have told the supervisor already to sweep up their hair so that they can move about more freely. But to no avail. I guess the magnet of TV adverts of shampoos and conditioners is really very strong to them.

***

Also, I wonder why there are cashiers who get back at customers who examine the receipts they have paid by excluding one item which has been laid on the counter. They have a good memory of the complainants, Folks. 

And should we not bother anymore to go to the Customer Service? In one supermarket, I complained that I lost my mouse, while ransacking my bag for my wallet and I had had to place my things on the counter. I asked to see the CCTV recording but I was told "Hindi puwede." I asked Why. No explanation. Then a week after, all the cashiers were changed in that particular branch. If they did not notice anything wrong, why would they change the staff at all? No explanation until now about my lost mouse. 

***
Folks, it is March and the rains have come over, making the air cooler over here in metroManila. In the past, March ushers in summer heat. But the rains are always welcome because we cannot afford to have the electric fans running all the time because of the high costs of electricity. 

So OFWs and Filipino expats come home and enjoy our country now while the sun is hiding behind gray clouds. 

UNLESS WE WERE IN A WARZONE

When it comes to the most important goal that anyone should have in this world, I always put a premium on education. I encourage every person I meet to go into formal or non-formal education. For me, using our minds is the best thing that can happen to human beings. However, when using our minds, our emotions are at work too. The strong desire for education that we have is equal to the achievement we are capable of. 

Some people think that graduating from college is the best thing for them and then they just plod on through making a living, an accolade, a medal, a high position. But to my mind, continuing education is forever; as the UN says, education is lifelong. 

Our national hero, Rizal, emphasized the need for education of our people even before they should have won independence. Sadly, the colonizers denied them that right and so our history went on to another colonizer who had known our vulnerability -- our hankering for education. 

Thus, I felt very sad when I read that a Philippine Military Academy cadet was going to lose his chance of graduating, after four years of hard work -- meeting the requirements, simulation exercises of being a soldier in the field, etcetera. 

It would been very easy to solve that problem of "dishonor," which occurred over a light situation but which has been given so much gravity by the honor committee. Why did they not just hand down any of the following decisions:

1. Extend your schooling year;
2. Write a long paper on an international issue from the point of view of a civilian and a soldier;
3. Write the histories of rebellion in ten provinces and their implications on using war as a solution;
4. Enhancing the entry and participation of female cadet students in the academe;
5. Plotting the career paths of honor students of the PMA since its birth; etcetera.

In this manner, by emphasizing a mental solution to the problem, the PMA could have saved its face and would have shown it as an institution that values the rational and humane education of our Filipino teenagers -- boys and girls. Aren't they in their teens when they enter the PMA?

I do think that the DEP ED should step into the picture and insure that educational theories that truly raise the levels of learning in all educational institutions are implemented. The faculty of the PMA has to undergo a revaluation of its own curriculum to find out why the members of the so-called Honor Committee could turn out that way -- insensitive to the plight of its own co-students. Education should not be a burden, but rather an exciting adventure into the unknown, to raise our knowledge, shape our values and teach us the proper behavior to achieve our goals, personal and social. 

Yes, we welcome all forces to the Democratic Society. We should insure that everyone is given a chance to speak out, to exercise our human rights, except if we were in a warzone, I suppose, and which we are not. 

Long Live Freedom!

AUTOCRATIC HONOR

AUTOCRATIC HONOR

A Philippine Military Academy student, supposed to graduate salutatorian is now being threatened with non-completion of the many years of studies he has done over one instance: he did not admit or he was not honest about the true reason why he was late in entering a class.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat????????????????????????????????????????

If our soldiers think this way, we can really be sure that we will not be able to expect any real honest-to-goodness protection from the military. Honor is viewed in the narrowest, autocratic sense.

Why so?

How many years does a student study? And if that PMA student was really diligent, he had spent not the regular number of hours a student pours in his studies, but more. More than what a non-honor student did.
Yet, the honor committee, supposed to have rendered judgment on that one instant wants him to be expelled from the list of graduating students.

What kind of mindset are we building of our soldiers, mechanical? robotic? unfeeling? non-sensitive?

This is the reason why I believe that all kinds of arm-wielding institutions should be requestioned as to their basis for existence. Holding arms, knowing that one has the protection of a gun, an armalite, a bullet, he or she will have the tendency to abuse power.


In the academe, we are supposed to build, TO BREED, TO REAR
humane beings, not puppets. I hope that the authorities would be able to read this.