When my wife and I went to the market last Sunday I was taken aback by the long queue of people who wanted to buy government supplied rice that only amounts 25 pesos a kilo compared with the commercial rice that is already priced 52 pesos a kilo.  Only people like me who suffer time shortage will not take advantage of such opportunity. I heard from one in line that when he arrived at around 10 o'clock in the evening there was already a line forming.  Can you imagine yourself doing that when the rice retailer will open his store at eight o'clock in the morning of the following day?  Such a waste of time to spend for a two-kilo rice supply (the most a retailer can ration to an individual as directed by the government).

If there is no shortage of rice in the Philippines as announced by President Gloria Arroyo why then the price keeps soaring?  Is it because there is really a rice shortage?  Or this is just the acts of some millers who are hoarding rice in anticipation for a higher market price?  If this is so what can the Arroyo Government do to stop such act?  Is the present government inutile in regulating the price of this commodity?  When will this price bloating ends?

One thing for sure though, the poor is getting poorer while the capitalists are getting richer.  Why?  The poor can't make enough money since they are in the queue for a cheaper rice instead of doing some job to earn.  The capitalists who hoards rice supply on the other hand are enjoying the gain of their business. What a sad situation.

Yesterday, national televisions telecast result of the election of MERALCO's management where the ABS-CBN's Lopezes got 5 votes, followed by 4 votes for GSIS, and 2 votes for Independent Parties.  What is comical here is the hysterical outburst of Mr. Winston Garcia, the present head of GSIS stating that the exercise was still controlled by the Lopezes.

Why did he react that way?  Perhaps this is the reason.  Mr. Garcia is desperate to grasp the control of MERALCO from the Lopezes.  He believed that the electric bill issued by MERALCO to its consumers under the management of the Lopezes is too high.  He is determined to takeover MERALCO promising that the bill will go 20% down under his management.

But the question is: Is it possible for him to manage this electric corporation effectively when we all know that GSIS, the insurance company for government employees which he heads is also serving its members in mediocrity - thus not able to produce members' exact contribution statement and loan repayments?  Or is he that determine because GSIS has no longer enough funds?  Take note that just recently, national daily's reported GSIS cannot make loan repayments to overpayment due to shortage of funds.  Then rumors must be true that during the past National Elections the funds of GSIS were "allegedly" being used by the administration candidates?  But one thing is sure though, this government agency extravagantly used up members' money to purchase that "Parisian Life" by one of our national artists in the tune of more than 40 Million Pesos.

Whatever his motive is, we all know there's money in electric business.

Horrible! That is how I describe the holdup in Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) in Laguna, Philippines last Friday, May 16, 2008.  I never have imagined this will happen here in the Philippines. But it happened.  The hitman made sure all the victims are hit in the head and he succeeded.  My heart sympathizes for the victims and their families who never expected such fate will befall them on that day.  Along with others I condemned such act and pray that the culprit will soon be captured and pay for their atrocities.

May God help us!

The facade of the Bank.

The Lobby.

One of the Bankers.

The other helpless victims.

I have never understood why many people are hooked up with computer games or why my six years old son would shed tears just to join his cousins going to internet cafe.  But yesterday, I have a taste on how was it like to play a game by myself.  I started playing at around six o'clock in the evening and if not for my grumbling tummy I would have lasted until midnight.  But quitting the game is not that easy since I am on the advance level of the game.

If in my present age have struggled, how much more a child whose will power is neither that firm nor develop like mine.  I have therefore concluded that computer games are addictive and would steal so much of your precious moments which is suppose to be invested in more important endeavor.

My resolution is this: If I'm going to buy a personal computer I will install games.  It will only be used for research, data processing and storage, and business purposes.

When I called my blogger friends in their office I was informed my blog site has been spammed by porn links.  Immediately after office hour I logged in to check the damage and to stop the onslaught of those links.  Good that there is a template in the account manager that helps me do it - the enable/disable tagboard button.  Now my blog site is okay.  So if you really want to state an opinion regarding a particular topic of mine just leave a message in my blog's comment box.  And don't worry I will screen it before it will be posted in my blog.  Another thing too, I am enabling my tagboard again.

How do I feel regarding the spam of my site?  Of course, I am disgusted by the spams these porn bloggers posted in my site.  Disgusted to what they did.  I am disgusted too that I have allowed anybody to post messages in my tagboard without filtering it first.  This is my mistake - I am too trusting.  But not now, I've learned my lesson.

So my fellow bloggers out there don't be victimized like me.  Manage your tagboard and comment boxes.  Don't give readers power and rein over your site.  Have the last say of anything posted.  The readers can read, look and yes can post comments too but those comments will not be made public without your approval.  In this way, you can filter anything posted in your site.

I have spent seven years, six months and twenty three days as a contractual employee detailed in Pag-IBIG Fund under contract with an invisible manpower agency - the DBP Service Corporation.  There are two reasons why I stick with the job.  Number one is I love the job I was assigned to (though 40% of my salary goes to the agency), and number two is I was led to believe I will be absorbed as a regular employee once the reorganization of the Fund kicks off.

But when the reorganization took place early January this year my hope did not materialize.  The regular positions being opened are only for the placement of the regular and casual employees under the old organization structure.  If I am disappointed, so are my fellow contractual employees.  As a result, contractual employees who are rendering more years in service than me are taking flight for a greener pasture.  Some landed jobs in Singapore but most in Dubai and a few here in our locality including me.  But we are not the last to resign from the Fund; some are planning to follow us.  In other words, Pag-IBIG Fund is experiencing a very own brain drain.

Since absorption to a regular government service is not possible, what can the Fund do to arrest to the flight of the contractual employees? Simply convert employment scheme from contractual system to job order system.  What's the difference between the two?  In the former, the Fund is tapping a manpower agency for employees.  The agency then will receive 40% of the employees' salary as administrative cost.  In the latter, the Fund will enter a job order contract directly with the employee who will receive the payment of the service rendered without cut.  Since it is only a job order contract, there is no employee-employer relationship between the two parties involved.  In other words, the worker is not an employee of the Fund.

If other government agencies particularly Philhealth implemented this scheme for the workers' benefit, why can't Pag-IBIG Fund follow?

The other day I vented my angst toward DBP Service Corporation for its mediocre service. You might ask if I am not afraid the agency would file a case against me for smudging their name?  To tell you the truth, I'm not.  I will not speak about the issue here if I don't have proofs.  And I am not talking about the issue for myself alone but also in behalf of my ex-employees who are still employed by this agency and detailed in Pag-IBIG Fund. Those employees vented their frustrations too when a representative of the agency had a dialogue with us early February this year.  But until now, they are still experiencing mediocre service.  The representative of the agency reacted to our complaints on that time by implying that we are to blame of our predicaments.  That is plain irresponsibility.  However, he did verify the head office of the agency concerning our complaints.  But the outcome is still not so good.  In my case, I am questioning where did my two-year Pag-IBIG Contribution remitted when the same is deducted from my salary?  One week after I left Pag-IBIG Fund, the Chief of Division of the Administration and Cash Division that DBP Service Corporation answered our queries through a letter given to the Fund.  Concerning my query, the agency simply stated I have no contribution for that two-year period.  That fact is not new to me. I know that.  With resignation I conclude that they did not understand on what I am demanding about or they just feigned innocence.

My activist blood is kicking in. Hmmmmm.... You better watch out.

When my friend Tess embedded this video on her blog that showcase a Filipino talent Madonna Decena I said to myself "I'm proud to be a Filipino". As a fellow Filipino I was thrilled to see one with such good voice. But after her audition for Britain's Got Talent 2008 she was criticized for not being a Briton and used emotional blackmail to wow the judges. But Briton or not and with or without emotional blackmail, you be the judge if she has the right to be there. 

It's been two months, five days and still counting when I resigned from my last employer. But the Clearance, my BIR Withholding Tax Form and the monetization of my Unused Leave Credits for the past years I asked from DBP Service Corporation are still unattended. I am not surprised of the delay since mediocrity is their way of servicing their employee's needs. I am not talking now based on heresy but based on my previous experience with them.

I may site what happened when I filed my Paternity Claim for the birth of my youngest son. After that one week leave I prepared the needed documents (birth certificate, copy of my DTR, and other forms required) for the processing of my claim and endorsed it to Pag-IBIG Fund's (this is where I was detailed as contractual employee) Admin Staff for mailing. But the following payday I received a diminutive salary since my claim did not took effect yet.  I waited for the following payday expecting for a salary adjustment because of my claim. But nothing happens. I waited for another payday and another and another. And after several months of waiting, I asked the Admin Staff if she really mailed my documents. She assured me she mailed it together with the payroll computation sheet for that particular month. When she learned my dillemma she volunteered to call the agency for verification only to be informed that the claim was not processed because it lacks the copy of my DTR (which I'm sure I attached). Upon learning on this she immediately sent the needed document. Another month passed by; still there was no salary adjustment. So I wrote to the Vice-President of the agency for my claim. No answer. I wrote again.  Still there was no answer. Because of this I wrote to the Branch Manager of Pag-IBIG Fund to look after my case.  Only when he wrote to the Vice-President of the agency did my salary adjustment took effect (after making an excuse of not receiving my two previous letters).

If you are in my shoes, how will you react when you know the agency is slashing 40% of your salary as administrative cost and have given you mediocre service?  Of course you will get angry because you are expecting a service commensurate to that 40%. If you only have the choice, you'll choose not be a contractual employee.  But you and I have not that choice because of that Contractualization Law until of course that said Law be abolished.

As for my Clearance and other documents, I will wait for another four months then I will file a Quit Claim.  If this will still fall into deaf ears, that's the time perhaps I would file a case against this agency.

(Just venting my angst).

I have revived my old blog last week and have announced that it will become a mirror of this blog site. But after some analysis, I have decided that my two blogs will feature different subjects. This blog www.phileagle.bravejournal.com will feature my lighter side - the travels, musings and other things while my other blog site www.phileagle69.blogspot.com will focus on spirituality. So these two blog will now run in different courses.