HELLO PHILIPPINES, WHAT IS THE FIRST ITEM IN THE AGENDA?
Communication of course. The People should be able to communicate with the government in the fastest, clearest way.
What is the situation now?
We need to dial different numbers, at least five TIMES before we could get to the right party.
Sandali lang. Most of the time, when a government office answers, and you tell your complaint or your need, which would require some backgrounder, the person at the other end would say, "sandali lang." And then it takes hours and hours before a voice is heard again. If you are impatient, you hang up and then call again. But then the person in the other line could be different. And so you have to tell your story again.
Anong number? Unfortunately, the PLDT directories are the worst sources of numbers. The numbers listed do not match the offices they are written with. Then you have to call a number again, or ask the secretary's office to provide you with the number. But you can't be too sure that it is the one.
The directories seem to have old (or odd?) )numbers of offices (in the government section of the directory) which are no longer functioning or the office itself has transferred. I wonder why yellow pages does not bother to correct the data.
What is that? One time I called up the energy office and asked if they have a seminar on solar energy. "What is that?" What they don't have any seminar or they don't know what it is? I really cannot understand. Then the guy at the other end told me to contact a private group, after so much explanations to him, that conducts one. Or, the department would conduct one for our women's group if we can pay the fee. What? Thousands for a seminar on what should be basic knowledge that the government should provide us about solar energy? This aspect of always paying for government services is stabbing my heart all the time. I really feel stressed out.
Where is the secretary? If you call up a department, and asked for the secretary's number, ho ho, so many questions will be asked you as if you are some bomber out to plan something fishy. Why can you do anything harmful over the phone? Except curse of course but still you are miles and miles away from the object.
Why the need to connect with the secretary? Because in that office, it is presumed that the executive assistant there would be knowlegeable about the query you want to be attended to. Unfortunately, the PLDT directory does not have a truthful listing of numbers, especially of secretary's numbers.
PLEASE EMAIL US. One time I was going to suggest to a government institution to fix the water system of a building in the complex. "Please email the chief about it." And then the respondent gave me the email address.
Look, supposing I don't have an internet, and/or I don't know how to use the computer, what kind of emailing or why should I still do such emailing? Why don't they just write down the suggestion? I think that many institutions are now becoming slaves to gadgets and have forgotten how to use the ballpen and paper, the simplest way of writing down ideas.
WHO IS THIS PLEASE? If I tell them my nickname and family name, then they take their time to answer. But once I say "I am Dr. Orozco," oops suddenly I get A-one attention. Why this discrimination? Why can't they treat everybody the same way regardless of titles? And how do they know that a person calling is telling the truth about his or her title?
Manners on the phone I have come across government offices where as soon as you tell the responding party your aim, suddenly, they are gone from the phone, without even saying, "Just a moment please, I will look for him," or "Kindly wait for a few minutes and I will search," or "May I call you back to give you the answer."
(Worse of course are the telcos inquiry numbers. "Our operators are busy at the moment. Please wait awhile and we will get back to you...etcetera etcetera." You could wait for 20 to 30 minutes and still do not get any answer.)
My dears, they never call back, 90% of the time.
TALK BACK, TEXT BACK
The danger of not having an efficient communication line could be disastrous especially when our people have unique ideas that they want to share with the government. I think this is the reason why the talk back or text back feature- mechanisms of radio stations are thriving very well. The people can speak, and even be heard nationwide. So their ideas are judged, imbibed, given feedback, critiqued and possibly implemented right away.
Which are priority institutions?
Philippine hospitals and health institutions have to be the first in priority in terms of having efficient communication systems. Next would be Malacanang, the Senate and then Congress. The people should be able to communicate with their Congress representatives very easily. Of course, the barangays should have efficient systems too. Sometimes, because of low budget, they can only spend for one line, which is more often than not, used for the internet. So, we cannot connect easily with their numbers. So in the next budget hearing legislators should include funds for at least two numbers per barangay. And fire all those officers who deny the use of phone and other barangay facilities to the people, their constituents. They have an inverted orientation of their jobs. Being in the barangay is for serving the people, and not a place for massaging their egos.
We should also have an operator 3-number where we could ask for information and get respectful and complete answers without having to call back again and again.
God, I pray and hope that communication would be the number one concern of the new leaders, whether in Malacanang or in the farthest rural barangay.
Thus, as we enter another presidential era, we hope for a miracle: the miracle of government institutions easily connectable, easily accessible to the general public.
Communication of course. The People should be able to communicate with the government in the fastest, clearest way.
What is the situation now?
We need to dial different numbers, at least five TIMES before we could get to the right party.
Sandali lang. Most of the time, when a government office answers, and you tell your complaint or your need, which would require some backgrounder, the person at the other end would say, "sandali lang." And then it takes hours and hours before a voice is heard again. If you are impatient, you hang up and then call again. But then the person in the other line could be different. And so you have to tell your story again.
Anong number? Unfortunately, the PLDT directories are the worst sources of numbers. The numbers listed do not match the offices they are written with. Then you have to call a number again, or ask the secretary's office to provide you with the number. But you can't be too sure that it is the one.
The directories seem to have old (or odd?) )numbers of offices (in the government section of the directory) which are no longer functioning or the office itself has transferred. I wonder why yellow pages does not bother to correct the data.
What is that? One time I called up the energy office and asked if they have a seminar on solar energy. "What is that?" What they don't have any seminar or they don't know what it is? I really cannot understand. Then the guy at the other end told me to contact a private group, after so much explanations to him, that conducts one. Or, the department would conduct one for our women's group if we can pay the fee. What? Thousands for a seminar on what should be basic knowledge that the government should provide us about solar energy? This aspect of always paying for government services is stabbing my heart all the time. I really feel stressed out.
Where is the secretary? If you call up a department, and asked for the secretary's number, ho ho, so many questions will be asked you as if you are some bomber out to plan something fishy. Why can you do anything harmful over the phone? Except curse of course but still you are miles and miles away from the object.
Why the need to connect with the secretary? Because in that office, it is presumed that the executive assistant there would be knowlegeable about the query you want to be attended to. Unfortunately, the PLDT directory does not have a truthful listing of numbers, especially of secretary's numbers.
PLEASE EMAIL US. One time I was going to suggest to a government institution to fix the water system of a building in the complex. "Please email the chief about it." And then the respondent gave me the email address.
Look, supposing I don't have an internet, and/or I don't know how to use the computer, what kind of emailing or why should I still do such emailing? Why don't they just write down the suggestion? I think that many institutions are now becoming slaves to gadgets and have forgotten how to use the ballpen and paper, the simplest way of writing down ideas.
WHO IS THIS PLEASE? If I tell them my nickname and family name, then they take their time to answer. But once I say "I am Dr. Orozco," oops suddenly I get A-one attention. Why this discrimination? Why can't they treat everybody the same way regardless of titles? And how do they know that a person calling is telling the truth about his or her title?
Manners on the phone I have come across government offices where as soon as you tell the responding party your aim, suddenly, they are gone from the phone, without even saying, "Just a moment please, I will look for him," or "Kindly wait for a few minutes and I will search," or "May I call you back to give you the answer."
(Worse of course are the telcos inquiry numbers. "Our operators are busy at the moment. Please wait awhile and we will get back to you...etcetera etcetera." You could wait for 20 to 30 minutes and still do not get any answer.)
My dears, they never call back, 90% of the time.
TALK BACK, TEXT BACK
The danger of not having an efficient communication line could be disastrous especially when our people have unique ideas that they want to share with the government. I think this is the reason why the talk back or text back feature- mechanisms of radio stations are thriving very well. The people can speak, and even be heard nationwide. So their ideas are judged, imbibed, given feedback, critiqued and possibly implemented right away.
Which are priority institutions?
Philippine hospitals and health institutions have to be the first in priority in terms of having efficient communication systems. Next would be Malacanang, the Senate and then Congress. The people should be able to communicate with their Congress representatives very easily. Of course, the barangays should have efficient systems too. Sometimes, because of low budget, they can only spend for one line, which is more often than not, used for the internet. So, we cannot connect easily with their numbers. So in the next budget hearing legislators should include funds for at least two numbers per barangay. And fire all those officers who deny the use of phone and other barangay facilities to the people, their constituents. They have an inverted orientation of their jobs. Being in the barangay is for serving the people, and not a place for massaging their egos.
God, I pray and hope that communication would be the number one concern of the new leaders, whether in Malacanang or in the farthest rural barangay.
Thus, as we enter another presidential era, we hope for a miracle: the miracle of government institutions easily connectable, easily accessible to the general public.
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