What Utility Service Providers Can Do to Better Their Service

Two companies posture a "no-care" attitude for consumers.

Of late, stalwart companies that provide crucial basic services even during a weather crisis-- like electricity and internet connection, have chosen the path of non-controversy by keeping their issues at bay.

    As in the case of electricity service, which is a priority for consumers, Meralco shunned any overt needs of the public to have a more "people-sympathetic rates" at the height of El Nino weather, especially when the ordinary Filipino household is quietly begging for truce in high-electricity bill.

    Given the average number of hours that the public has to endure during a heat surge, there is a basic six-hour window to escape, or flee from the horribly hot weather, even those who are  in the confines of their homes.  Yet, Meralco has not shown any efforts to  cushion the impact of giving a high electric bill to consumers-- without reprieve or breathing space to make amends with the financial burdens  that many consumers have already.

    The company continues to demand on-time payment of their bills, without any respite, but cannot give a beating heart answer for simple electrical consumption computation requests, should a consumer ask for  numbers on how much an aircon adds up to a bill.  A no-care approach to the out-in-the-open reality that electricity rates are already unbearable, when we compound it with additional demands  for a cooling system in a modern household.  

    In another situation, a utility provider, as if to show the consumers' inability to keep up with bills, chooses to incessantly pass on collection duties to an outside collecting agent, pressing a consumer to a point of "spam", to settle an overdue, and going deafly unheeding a customer request for a post-subscription assistance.  The cable company has been relatively slow in acting on consumers' requests, but would not hesitate to "castigate" or "politely remind" a customer through text, one's a bill is overdue.

    IT SEEMS THAT UTILITY SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE LOST A SENSE OF SERVICE TO THEIR CONSUMERS BY GIVING A DEADPAN/ UNFORGIVING ATTITUDE MANY TIMES OVER WHERE IT CONCERNS BILLINGS AND ADJUSTMENTS OF SERVICES.  Point being, utility providers should exude consumer empathy in the normalcy of their needs and situations, at a time when the paying public are already emburdened with a lot of financial obligations that are hyped by the rising prices of commodities. 

    It is not at the moment an option for ordinary consumers of utilities to tone down their consumption,  because these days, usage are dictated by a faltering climate, and an uncertain economy that sees no  softening of commodity price increases. 

    BEYOND THEIR COMPANIES' NEED TO COLLECT AND GET PAID for their bills, whether service is intermittently interrupted or not, UTILITY COMPANIES MUST GROW OLD IN THEIR APPROACH to give CONSUMERS A MORE DIGNIFIED SERVICE. They must find alternate ways in making things better for all consumers.

“It's Time We Move Out of Exploitative Content"

 “Its Time We Move Out of Explotative Content".

 

Still riding high on “pabida” content online? Move on. We must-- all.

Word translation/ interpretation of meaning:  “pabida”-- colloquial >>> When this word is incorporated into a sentence, it means one is “trying” with discernible effort, to portray one self as a leadman or lead star, the hero or heroine in a story, plot or content. Or in another form, employing "pabida" angles or messaging in content substance, can be viewed as a social media strategy to get attention or arouse reaction from readers, viewers or whoever is the intended recipient of a message or action/reaction.

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Blogs and vlogs these days would have punctuated already that the content in the era of social media is always self-serving rather than altruistic; unlike in the past timeline when neutrality is at least idealized by media providers.

What is self-serving content that  treatens decency  

POV of content: "I or me" approach, that puts the spotlight on  the personal exploits or "day in the life" happenings of the narrator or blogger/vlogger or his/her situational realities.

Lack of language restraint in using words that could be characterized  or categorized as "loud" or unacceptable in other social groups.

Simplification of an issue that should be treated as complexed.

The baring or show of skin by those who are shown on cam or published in content form, to gain controversy.

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    When a magazine show recently featured one vlogger getting a heydey  from the good profits he has been reaping from a street food venture, this gave a lot of positivity to the audiences knowing that  this "street vendor's entrepreneurial story" can be an inspirational one for others. 

    The toss coin or side impact of the publicity gained by the vlogger whose business was "fairyly" and popularly patronized?  His past reputation and negative background was digged out by others,  thus cancelling the supposed advantages of being in the news or popularly featured online.

    Many of the current blogs/vlogs and content are really intended to create avenues for earning or gain opportunities for the content creator who may have been deprived ordinarily with work opportunities,  outside his/her rose to fame. 

    But the apparent transfer or shift of control of multimedia from the hands of responsible content producers, media entities and stakeholders, to allow opportunities to be democratized by individuals, have also endangered the boundaries for privacy, decency and  willingness of others to be exposed on camera.  Candid shots and videos of private individuals who do not want to be seen online, when uploaded, can be a violation of personal privacy and space.

    On the erring ground for content creators, it is not totally freedom of expression that we employ when we explore on topics that push others to debate on the controversial,or challenge the existing opinion of many. 

    Rather, it is the lack of freedom of others in imposing a "no, we refused to be seen on camera" statement, that can be heard reverberating without a sound from the innocent subjects of video cameras. Say perhaps a baby that cannot speak, a teener who cannot defend its own or a woman without enough clout to impose privacy against another's wish.

THUS, OUR "PABIDA" STYLE OF REPORTING, OR CREATING OUR BLOG/S AND/OR VLOG/S MUST BE TAPERED TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THOSE WHO CANNOT SAY NO TO VIDEO LIKES AND POPULARITY THAT  LURE MANY TO BEAR OR TOLERATE A CONCOCTION OF PRIVACY ISSUES BEING DOWNCASTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA.

commentary for the ordinary. News Review Philippines by Anna Liza VB.

WHY MEDIA MUST BE A FORBADE INDUSTRY

 Hapless, helpless unless you make it a money industry.

An open letter to the incoming Mass Comm students

Where Have All the Buses Gone?

 

Amidst the Heat, Commuters Fill to The Raft an Airconditioned Bus. There Were Not Many Around.

There is a deep ratio discrimination on the number of buses versus the mini-est of e-bikes on the road.

                                                                                               

                                                                                               

About a year ago this writer has noticed that despite an attempt into normalcy, that has lapsed from a digital revolution high expectancy to a lackluster future for many, the usual transportation that used to be around to make things convenient for countless commuters, are no longer the visible PUVs plying their normal route.

 

For example, before the pandemic, a wait for an airconditioned bus along the Alabang-Zapote road Pamplona stretch, would not take five minutes. 

 

At the height of El Nino and even as the authorities bewilder about the La Nina to replace it, an ordinary commuter who wants that simple luxury of an “airconditioned”, bus would have to wait for not just up to 15 minutes, but up to 20 to 40 minutes instead. 

 

An airconditioned bus would have meant a lot to ensure a continuance of “normal work/daily routine” for mothers and commuters who want to get a respite from the hyper-intensified heat of the weather. But alas, the wait these days have become like a penitence of sorts.   The number of bus brands have also trickled and yes, a lot have fickled in choosing their passengers as well.  Only one from the familiar bus names before continue to hover around town, in more prevalent hours, to serve commuters.

 

Also, despite more commuters trying on non-airconditioned buses that used to be for the economically challenged, the open somewhat "al-fresco" buses come in reconfigured two row seats like the jeepneys.  These have become a dichotomic statement for the commuters’ lifestyle—for the teens, lolas and workers who are coming from Las Pinas, leaving for the Baclaran route.

 

As we all know these days, a wait for a ride in 15 minutes haunting, is no longer the same as a wait in recent two or more years that passed, at a timeline when waiting, despite being time consuming, can still be patiently done.  Now waiting is tantamount to "PENITENSYA", or sacrifice of sorts and no one seems to take on empathy for the commuter lifestyle.

 

It seems that nobody really took to heart the effects of EL NINO and how to respond to this weather as it dramatically impacts our lifestyle. 

 

To complicate further a passenger who finds himself or herself in a hush for hunger or thirst while waiting, would have to wait for another block to be able to find the nearest food stop in main malls that offer a more democratized alternatives for meal stopovers.    

 

As a commuter waits to endear himself/herself to other commuters, to be able to squeeze into a bus space for that now “human right” or “right of survival”  enjoyment of air-conditioning even in low peak hours in buses,  one would have to contend with a long wait on the streets by the metro, with no shade, or  commuters roof nearby that have been positioned to care for the commuters. 

 

This simply is a testament of our usual, “beat it ‘till you make it attitude”, with many who could be hoping for more action and support against the El Nino weather. 

 

As commuters, we can choose to express a welcoming, "don't sweat the small stuff" attitude in facing the sun.  But that won’t feed or protect us as enough. 

 

Noticeably, there is a slimming quantity of buses, and this ushers in a new hardship for the pocket-wise commuters.

 

We cannot surmise the fact that any leadership would aspire for a modern transportation system that would brag about an increase of status in our economy. But these ain’t happening if the usual things we whine about commuters' need, are not responded to.

 

We need more airconditioned buses that are affordable. And a more kid-friendly transportation mode for anyone to relish.    

 

Against the posing of status of many motorists in their luxury vehicles, who has not probably even experienced the ills of El Nino outside their well-manicured lifestyle, commuters must loud it out that TRANSPORTATION MUST BE NOT ONLY RELIABLE BUT CONVENIENTLY AMENABLE TO ALL CONSUMERS.

 

We Couldn't Care LESS about the Weather

 

While scientists from all over have sounded the alarm button, the country is STILL, hand tied to age-old issues of territorial integrity, food insecurity, and more.

Netizens Get Intrigued Over Accent, Citizenship of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor

Netizens on the thread of a popular commenting/ community sharing site, are talking about Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, and they're flooding the topic with such zealousness.

Going as far as how her accent, citizenship and schooling appears  "sus" (slang), with netizens dissecting point by point their concerns about the real background of the now "controversial" mayor.

Some netizens leaped frog on various topics that intrigued them about the mayor, who is now the subject of a Senate investigation related to POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators).

Deep commenting on the Mayor's less known background which one commenter claimed the mayor seems to have "come out of nowhere", netizens  are going as far as raising issues about the Tarlac mayor's  "accent";  "grammar" and even more prying questions about her "birth certificate".  

Even the local politician's previous homeschooling status, where thrusted into the  commenting site.

The netizens seem to be fixated not just on the controversy she is entangled with, but that they are intrigued that the mayor's surname, does not have mainstream familiarity to the locals, and is  not part of the usual family names that are identifiable to local politics.

NRP May 21, 2024.

Is Cavite Snubbing InterCity Migrants?

So commuter unfriendly. So uncomfortable to walk around during El Nino weather.

Some Like It Rude.

"Tindera", Saleslady, Staff?  However way you call it, some has embraced a "lakas maka-nega" attitude.

                                            

Some Things Ain't No Longer Free, Such as Mall Parking

It will just be from a distant past that parking spaces at a local mall in Las Pinas, used to be free.

Parking spaces at a local mall are fully-occupied during intense hours of El Nino weather.

Para-Paraan Moves By The Locals To Beat The Scourge of El Nino

                                            

When Smart People Are Made To Look Desperate In Times of El Nino

The underserviced disenfranchised professionals in niche industries continue to be helpless, and without a hope for a future.

                                            

                                            

Five years after the pandemic and at a time when El Nino has poised to rid of most jobless professionals hope for help and opportunities, none has changed but a pile of debts or debts of gratitude for the jobless.

Maybe, it is the soaring chance for the Philippines to take charge of its fate by owning it's path to progress. But the jobless and the disenfranchised do not feel this road being taken for them too.

What good news that slightly have given  hopes is that about news of an age-old problem being resolved by a tycoon who has done here, this writer will spare to mention, a  giant feat and fest for the cleanup of the dirtiest parts of the Metro. 

But for the rest able wealth Mavens, who are in the position to give best of opportunities for employment and financial assistance, most continue to give a blank face on those who have been forgotten.

Professionals who have charted an age way past their prime but still productive to work for crucial industries like food manufacturing, and the women who have previously bowed time for their profession, those who have settled in their simple lives as homemakers, continue to be outside the fence of hope.

These two examples of professionals have become a dirt swept under the rug by many movers and shakers in businesses who dare not treasure hire the relentless outcasts.

Here outcast is meant to mean people who were discriminated intensely by their own colleagues or probably  by a system enforced by the Human Resource Personnel in companies that matter.  

For reasons that aged workers have lack the youth value, or have a baggage to rut.  

What HR would hire a housewife with needy clingy kid/s, when one can hire a fully made up young applicant who will not budge at having a low salary or probably brave the hot weather for a chance to work at a big corporation?

As the the outcast ageing  employees wait for their turn for opportunities and help, they who were smart in their own work experiences, have to contend with an empty sack of rice, or a cold shoulder treatment every time they knock and pound on for  help from others.  

Why flutter for the needy when some, if not countless, are  trying to hoard their wealth, or should we say "conserve it",  when there are lots of uncertainty in the economy?

One thing, the recent bout with a 46 to 51 heat indeces that felt like people were over ready to be baked, did not at all push the wealthy, the powerful, and those with the means to provide, a help structure or reprieve, or at most an emergency base for the jobless professionals to cling on to, and probably reach out those who could be living a hardlife in times of El Nino?

With unprepared houses in urban areas, and a lack of contingency offer at the very most important level of government service, the local government has gone quietly unspoken on how to  sustain its own residents beyond the posturing for  glamorized photos.  

Like  providing the essentials such as positioning emergency water stations in many spots in the city that should serve free water to the locals;  or the installation of the emergency "tolda" or shade that can be perused by the people when out on the streets, nothing, no little moves can be felt by the heat battling locals.

Meanwhile, the smart ones who are still piling up on their needs for opportunities could not even fair seek the help being given to those with the right "kapit" connections or community of "beshies" (slang for best friends or alliances), who push help only for those who belong to their fence of supporters, and not to those who have fallen against their favor or status estimation.

Most professionals who fight the lack of employment opportunities, have to heed more challenges in times of El Nino, for there is no true well meaning financial institution that would really cradle them to their broad shoulders and fix the problem caused by discrimination or neglect of employers who could make things better.

We must not allow discrimination in all fronts of services or pick who to side with in times of contingencies and emergencies.

When help and opportunities are  needed, it must be given freely without the need to demand for it.

Regardless if the one who seek help or a trove of opportunities, is jobless or bout fallen.

Edited.

Locals Brave the Scorch Of El Nino in Their Own Community

Illustrative photo by the writer, Anna Liza VB, to depict the heat flare during El Nino.

Why Investing In Luxury Pieces Is Actually More of a Luxury and Not an Investment

Shop that luxe out of love. And not for profit.

The Saintly Lessor, With OverBearing Next of Kin

 This post is inspired by a column from another Philippine multimedia news site.

Intense Weather Hits Not Just Fever Pitch

If you think El Nino is the only thing that threatens man's survival these days aside from poverty and the rising prices of commodities, think again. 

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There's more to the intensely sunny weather that hits every poor man's back on the road waiting to explore what opportunities are left when there is none extended, other than a pittance of serve to the locals.  

At the intersection of Alabang, Madrigal, traffic bleakens the wait of many  commuters who are eager to go home at 5pm this day.

But that's not all. 

Traffic aides err in their pitchiness as every hotheaded men/drivers on the main thoroughfare seem to find compelling reason to yell, whistle at any one getting in their drive route, so hotly  showing brute impatience on the road.

As men display irate reaction to the traffic, women tugging along their kids mostly below seven, brave the sun to weather a weekend at the mall.  The kids dressed in their best OTDs seem to  have a fun frolic at a popular shopping destination down south.

The city scene seems to be trying to bounce back from it's reclusivity as many shoppers line up at the counter  to buy lifestyle items and fill in the spots at their favorite food crawls.

These juggernaut seem to juxtapose at the true need of the city to mind the unspoken and that is to have more commuter-friendly transports with genuine courtesy and pleasantries for commuters on the level of VIP standards for  service.   

As for shoppers, a more favourable pricing of commodities to afford every mom with essentials for their kids would have been a better trend than to simply go out to escape from the current abnormal weather.

Compulsory Hiring of Middle Age Moms of Minors Must Become A Law

Nowhere in the timeline of the country have there been so much bias, than here from the onset of pandemic.

Roll Over And Bow If You Don't Have This As Investment

Frenzy or fiasco for luxe investments?Small-time shoppers/ investors can be left stunned by the trend right now.

Customers' Ordeals Noted In The City

Unfair business practices need to be checked. Without bias.

The loyal customers bear the brunt of discourtesy.  Even when feeling the pinch of the economy daily.

As  customers grapple for the best business practices while waiting for courtesy to be served them by community-based businesses, some frontline personnel at times owners themselves, get away with their dubious practices by the day.

Well, let's make it sublime.  It may not necessarily be dubious.  Can be called bias actually. Or a raring to preserve their business by keenly watching in on their profits and underserving their clients instead.

A carinderia situated at a local LTO office manages to scrimp on a customers every penny by pressuring a customer to place more and more orders from her carinderia.  

The customer was just trying to exchange a Php 1000 bill needed to have her transaction done. 

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The frontline carinderia lady  verbally shames the customer by claiming they have a minimum for buying customers who want to have their money changed, because they have been working on the ground since wee hours in the morning.  Hence a simple buy of one mineral drink for a change to Php 1000.00 would not be acceptable.  The lady then proceeds with a litany of "ano pa po? Asking item every item and pushing the same customer to add more items.  Like a "verbal tirade" in front of another staff, that was all too willing to witness the seemingly benign shaming of the customer.

The customer was pressured to order more just to cut to the chase of the irate seller.  

Another day has passed, the carinderia staff again uses the same strategy to tell a customer to buy more.  

A customer also trying to have a split change for her Php500, because the LTO window tells not having enough change to accommodate the Php 100.00 payment for the transaction.

In another business outlet, this time from a pawnshop, a customer is told an item cannot be accepted.

To which the customer politely accepts, until she was told that the said item was actually authentic, by another reputable outlet.

The transaction need not materialize because as a customer, a person would already know after double checking on the authenticity, that it was a   a simple bias or unacceptability of the transaction that got negative acceptance. As the customer fell out of good ears and good grace of the staff probably, hence the good riddance treatment.

Another common business malpractice that can be observed in the vicinity is the reluctance of community-based businesses to issue receipts when prodded or asked for by customers.  

Seeing that their handwritten notes would not make sense in giving, especially to a customer who has been going around with much familiarity around town.

These practices need to be checked as the city is already swollen with bias and an attitude  that beams  discourtesy. 

At a time when plenty of customers do not want to shelve money and sustain the economy, the loyal customers are the ones who shoulder the burden of businesses that do not cater to the loyal or the paying, but only to the privileged, a circle of must know, and must serve when bias rules against neutrality of business service.

Disclaimer:  Photo accompanying this article is meant to illustrate an idea positioned by this writer, and not actually meant to portray the local currency in a negative light.  Photo is used for content curation as well.

So close. So profitable.

Help me solve my Math problem.

An ageing mom tries driving lessons for the 2nd time, after not getting the nod the first time in license requirements.

The first batch of her training costed almost ten thousand of recent years prior this year.  It is out of necessity of parenting that she feels obliged as commuting does not do justice already for her kid's daily routine.

A license to drive then bragged to cost about less than a thousand for a simple paper (pardon the numbers, not accurate) around five years ago, would have given this ageing unpopular mom by the wayside of a very trying to be humble town  composed of around 500,000 residents when she last checked the population count, would have given her the freedom to pursue her entrepreneurial spirit or look for employers  that would be kind enough to allow her with enough flexibility of time.

Enough with the problem on joblessness of a middle age mom hiding in a cave of shade because nobody gives a care how middle aged moms are shoved to the side of forgetful opportunities.

So the ageing mom spent around 10 thousand plus miscellaneous expenses of having to report or pursue the paper work and walk work for a simple but so precious license to drive non pro style.

This second try, the mom goes and shelves about Php 5000 more, not to mention the very wasteful time dedicated to undergo lessons from theoretical to practical driving. Again this excludes miscellaneous expenses including meal expenses for long queue or lack of change at the windows of LTO.

Compound the liabilities she gets for being exposed to the unfriendly weather which would require her additional expense for vitamins supplements, facemask etc.

And the negative feedback of getting a fail after all expenses have been made, with zero profits or gratuity for her.

On the other side, business is bustling for driving schools who couldn't care less what ordeals their students go through. Being exposed to shaming by fellow student drivers who flaunt their wealth or yelled heckled at by the stable of "mentor" drivers who probably think a militarized approached to teaching driving to an ageing so helpless mom would finally give her the heartless learn; or get the picture that her rights to independence are being denied or at least deprived, like a candle in the wind.

The driving school can earn from two thousand per student, and a batch could merit at least 10 to 15 students in one sitting for theories  and "stars and moon" combined (figure of speech).

What more if a student driver fails?  Would the student old so mom have to go back to school same school again fronting as nice once done but fails to give merit to its own students?

Imagine the numbers and the student old mom's expenses.

Without justice. It was so close for her. And so profitable for them.

Social commentary by the writer.

It's Not Just the Weather News That's Making the Hot Temperament

 When a mayor declares a class suspension, that hints an aversion to experience the real situation of extreme weather change that's breaking charts even without looking at the temp measure.   It also brings to fore the need for many adjustments that have to be made in the areas of infrastructure and adaptability of cities to endure the current weather, for the sake of the locals.

The hot climate as a consequence of an unforgiving weather phenomenon, is a risk to the health of the general populace.  This we need to acknowledge.

We need not validate the results as it can be clearly seen.  

The drying of the soil even in metro cities; the slowing down of water connection service in areas that are wooing new real estate buyers for their "housevesting"; scarcity of potable water; and the risks of being exposed to the radical sunny weather that is changing our body in a lot of ways, are the "must" precursors for change in making adjustments to our roads and infrustructures. 

Even the way we build our homes needs a reinvention of sorts.

Most apartments, residences and buildings in the Mega Manila are cement structures that do not help curb the effects of the weather but instead magnify the heat, making the weather more unbearable for the locals.

The roads and the streets of Metro Manila are not capacitated to give shade and shelter in case of extreme weather conditions.

Most shades or by the wayfare commuter stop gaps, are selectively placed only. Most do not have the continuity of providing a safe roofing or shade  from the hot weather. 

There must be additional structures built in cities with highest risks for heat wave, that could serve as a buffer for the intense heat that could threaten the commuters and pedestrians, who are most exposed to the El Nino phenomenon.

Also this is the best time for our national and local leaders to step up on their "plantito, plantita" hobbies by propagating a greening of sidewalks, streets and alleys even in areas that are most serving as bottleneck for traffic, and   converging main roads and highways.

There cannot be avoidance for El Nino like a mere tolerance for the temperament of the locals who are showing already a flair for discourtesy against customers, even in the middle of a business day.

It must not be because of the weather that we accept the heat.  

We deal with the ordinary challenges of the weather like an economy that needs to refocus back on a middle ground.  

That which are not just beneficial for the rich or the "uberly" "masa"; but also  meant to give convenience for the middle class who tow the line of endurance, for the most part to ensure a continuance of the economy despite the challenges of El Nino.

News Review Philippines editorial

Professional Drivers in the Philippines: Most Abusive

 Part two of a series.

This article is written to increase awareness on the risks of hiring private or family drivers who are abusive of their profession, and who observe malpractices  against their employers or the very clients they serve.

Disloyalty to the loyal. Power-hungry drivers.

Staring at the issues in the eyes of the ordinary.

Admit it, the one who holds the steering wheel holds the power over the machine.  Here in this case said in the context of a driver maneuvering the car wheel to lead the direction on the street.

But what can beguile the ordinary is how ordinary drivers are placed or misplaced in the position of control over other free individuals, who patronize their services or hire them for regular employment.

Just about less than two weeks a driver without the blink of an eye, belittled, shouted and insulted another freelance driver without hold of sentiment as he tried to lord over the new driver simply asserting the former should be given priority in space and respect.  Shout with matching point fingers to the face of the newbie hired freelancer driver who showed stillness while the incident is being done. 

The veteran driver probably took it upon himself that he could castigate a younger driver like a super boss, and this is done in front of the actual client who hired the newbie freelancer for a day's driver. 

It is not an insolated incident as the driver has always displayed a condescend attitude towards his own employer, and postures himself as the lord of the household where he is given free board and meals, for he is without abode.  

In another show of driver attitude, this time by a professional driver instructor against a student/client of a driver school,

a young driver instructor on the second day of lesson, without brake and respect, demeaned and belittled the woman driver/learner, for not being able to park or learn how to park the vehicle well, despite rigorous instructions. 

The verbal tirade against the student was not just disrespectful but utterly humiliating as it was done in front of other drivers, with the driving school instructor trying to compose himself as if he is siding with his own brotherhood of fraternity, that they should witness him "scolding" the old student driver/learner.

The incident went unreported for it remains a futile endeavour to complain at a time when the local situation in the country is not at all favouring the customers, the women, and the target of biased individuals who are preyed on for shaming just because they wanted to up their status, or be recognized for being smart, probably a display of machismo attitude or a hate show for whatever reason the local shores are allowing them; because complaints are not welcomed against local employees, when they are in the position of "power" here said in the context of owning the stature of being the employed and the more skilled, a need of the country  against a backdrop of thirst for decent and respectable skilled workers.

It is a true show of disloyalty for the loyal, that as  stakeholders who spend and invest, hire the workers or  patronize services of business, companies and individuals, as paying customers the clients and private employers are treated like women without dignity, forlorn to the shadows of shame and ridicule by the men who hold the steer wheel, for a show of detest for the "unlikeable"; against the women who cannot bow to their brag or thirst for status.

Attention LTO (Land Transportation Office), there must be a revival of goodness where it concerns drivers' training and ethics, before they merit a professional driver's  license from the LTO to engage in a profession or service.

NRP commentary.

Sanctity of Letters Could Be In Threat

Is it SOP or subjective bias by a local?  Make it loud.

"May isa ka pa nito?  Translation:  Do you still have one of this?  The postal office employee curtly asks for a copy of the letter that is the content of an envelope requested sent overseas with implied assurance of confidentiality.   Naturally , the writer expects the postal employee must have known that there must be respect for privacy of communication.

Seems like there is none in the city of Laspinas, postal office,specifically where it concerns handling official letter or correspondence addressed to an official that is chosen not to be named in this post.

The thing is, the postal employee could have gotten away with her seemingly benign request to have a copy of the letter that is to be sent abroad.

But this is second time that the local postal office in two separate incidents, had asked for one.  In previous attempts, also a copy was requested before the letter was sent out, implying a sort of restriction imposed against the sender.

The sender of the letter happens to be a writer and a full time homemaker who has been targeted already with a lot of hate language, shame and slur ever since she chose to reside in the city of Laspinas.

But this time, the letter is not an ordinary one that can simply be dispelled, hence the sublime bias cannot be taken for granted.

After the blatant request, the postal employee simply asked for the sender to write the address again on the parcel, in an unapologetic way, as if what she asked for that could threaten the privacy of communication, was not at all an issue for anyone.

There seems to be a pervasive disrespect for media and the jobless locally that one who is often seen in the outskirts of public acceptance or usual expectations, are often relegated to a cold shoulder treatment and discourtesy by the locals.

NRP news

How To Be Likeable When Everyone Thinks You're An Outcast

 Anecdote.

You'll never guess how easy it is to be likeable when everyone is on a distance.

For years I have been wracking my brains how to up my posts with a like or follow.  

Not for popularity but to know the mindset of the anonymous reader, how a person reacts to a post, or what drives an individual to "like".

In the personal reel of daily interactions, being liked seems to be easy.  

One just have to look presentable, and be up to the standards of everyone else's estimation.

But in the real scheme of things, bias and stereotypes abound personal conversations and interactions, where one can be labeled as a nobody, or a somebody.  

Someone to friend or someone to unlike.

I know one personality who took a career path reserved for the unique, and grew a base of followers and supporters by way  insulting his own or mouthing trivias about another.  

Like making fun of others' mistakes, punctuating how they are to be laughed.  This personality won popularity and gained friends by insulting his own circle.

Recently an anecdote taught me it is also true for others. And could be true for even an outcast.

In a jest I made a comment on my own kin, in front of another, pointing out how my kin, has acted in an awkward way.  

This tactless comment changed the anonymous face of the person in front of me as if liking that I insulted my own. 

Suddenly the person who was anonymous and acted always with a stolid face, showed gladness and smiles, when I spoke a careless slur, not for anything and not to gain a like. 

For once, I drew a welcoming reaction by being negative towards another.

It is a puzzle that some had to grow words that taint another's image in order to be likeable.

It is I suppose an unnecessary human interaction locally that signals, to win favor one must to step on another, to climb a bit higher.

It is not for the faint hearted though.

@social commentary/ lifestyle.

NRP

social commentary.

Porridge for the Rich. Logos for the Maid.

Of False Humility and Bloated Egos

Porridge for the rich. 

The new face of tyranny for the service of the ordinary.

When Working for Media is Hard; and Being a Woman Makes It Harder to Survive

 A women's month feature.  An essay by a woman for the woman who aspires for better opportunities back home.

The truth of middle-age displaced women in media

Where survival for the fittest also requires survival of the meanest.

Pag-Ibig Loyalty Card Draws Crowd

In an era of crunch savings and hurried investments, when everyone seems to want recoup what they lost during the pandemic, one product offering discounts to members seem to have done a great deal of good vibes among patrons.

This is the Pag-Ibig Loyalty card, which now brags of offering discounts when purchasing or buying from a local fast food giant like McDonald's and other affiliate companies.

The Pag-Ibig loyalty card has been around for quite a while but of late, more women have been flaunting use of this card especially while in queue at the fast food where a discount of five percent for Pag-ibig Loyalty card members can be availed.

PAG-IBIG has an exclusive mutual savings fund that can be started by individual payors, or with the employer and employee combined contributions, and members can also register for a loyalty card on voluntary basis, for a cost of Php 125.00 

.

The card  features a securely printed photo of the loyalty card member, and also doubles as a cash card facility for Pag-Ibig members.

Filipinos and returning workers from overseas who patiently lined up outside the Pag-Ibig Laspinas branch at the Robinson's Place come in different ages, professions and background.

One member  shares thru member to member convo (slang:  conversation), that he is from San Pedro, but is going over the said branch for a loyalty card that he had lost abroad.

The only downside to enlisting for the loyalty card is that a member has to patiently wait for long hours to get their chances at owning the card.  

One Pag-Ibig regular member lined up at around 8:30 a.m. and got the chance to be called at the front counter at around 1:30pm for form submission and photo capture.

A common reason for the slowdown of members' form acceptance for the loyalty card membership are duplicitous Pag-ibig member ID numbers; and incomplete document submissions such as birth certificates.

Written and filed by the writer/blogger of News Review Philippines.

03182024/news

It's Not Just "Galunggong", It's Also Milkfish Price Rocketeering

 Swim further, sink dipper, consumers. If you aren't complaining, you're not from this country.

There is a big catch in the market.  And these are not the fish products that come in "banyeras" (here meant as large tubs where the fish on sale are placed or stored).  It is the fact of the rising costs of common food staples that women often buy for their families regularly.

As the President recently announced on social media about looking into the prices of the popular "galunggong", a pillar of Pinoy political advocacy for consumer rights to affordable food, it seems that other market items have been wallowing under the sun as well with their steep prices.

A kilo of "bangus" (milkfish), a common ingredient for the all-time favorite "sinigang", now tips the price scale at Php 150.00, to less than Php 200.00 plus in local markets down south of NCR. 

In groceries, prices are further higher, and the same kilo depending on size, would cost about P50.00 more making it less than Php 300.00.  A piece could last for about 2-5 days depending on the number of persons to dine in the family.

Other kinds of seafood, despite their lowered costs compared to the first two market items mentioned, are also not getting enough rave from consumers.  Like the "pusit" (squid) and the "tilapia", with prices that are equal if not as expensive, but still unable to attract buys from customers.

The markets are more active now unlike in previous months when consumer buying needed a boost and approbation.  

With the expensive costs of fish products in the market, what more can Filipinos buy as prices of meat and chicken are also not as affordable? 

The increase in the prices of fish is noticeably above 25 percent than it was 5 years ago before the onset of the pandemic.

Vegetable produce seems to be the only thing that is within the grasp of the ordinary market goer as the budget shrinks not just for housewives but also for working dads.

News Review Philippines

February 12, 2024

DEEP FAKING SUPECTING

 

THE SITE MIRRORS THE ORIGINAL, THE "FAKE BRANDED" AD  MUST BE FLAGGED.

A prominent ad placed along the upper ranks of news media articles for the day came with a stern warning about a news media personality, with content that postures a previous interview that can put the said individual in a negative light.

The "poser content" which significantly features an on-camera conversation with a media luminary tends to portray the personality as enterprising, and as an individual raring to earn by way of a side hustle.  

The questionable interview has a second variation. It still features the media man but with a different content, and with the same branding elements of a popular website that were obviously replicated and faked.

The ads also contain a lot of errors of facts from the name of the news media site which the media personality is identified with; down to the mismatched lines and voices on the audio that were unmistakenly dubbed. These "fake branded" ads are, "sus" (here creatively used as "suspectingly").

A second look at the origin of the ad site, one would be informed that the ad fronts an address typical of dubious internet sites that do not signify credibility in a name.   With contents that can further spread confusion among consumers of news and information.  

Also, the content being old-dated, could have been reposted, from the first time of its publication on searches, making it a recurring problem that must be continually verified.    

The dubious interview could be categorized as a "deep fake", a recent internet concern among information providers; as deep fakes could go from video, audio, and graphics, that are edited and meant to spread disinformation. 

Sites, articles, and content that have questions on authenticity must be avoided and flagged, to discourage posers and deep fake instigators from creating similar works that can hurt media credibility, and add confusion to the already breeding ground for fake news, the internet that is.

News Review Philippines 2024.

THE WAVE OF HURRY SHOPPING

IS IT ALL ABOUT BRANDING? 

An analysis of shopping attitudes conversion, in the era of discount thirst.

PERHAPS THERE IS TRUTH IN THE MAGIC OF PINK TO CHANGE HEARTS. 

Here at home, this color is the ultimate symbol of femininity. 

In fashion, it is the symbol of the ultimate "belle", never masculine, and always elegantly dressed.

In another, pink translates to young love.

Perhaps, it is the color that has pushed a change of gear for women grocery shoppers.

THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN TO GIVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON HOW WOMEN THINK IN THE ERA OF E-COMMERCE; THE NO-BILL, NO-TATTERED MONEY WAY OF SHOPPING.

Away from the anonymity that e-commerce presents, which has become the tone of the times for many shopping-deprived women, there is a vague reality that only a heavily discounted grocery brand presents to most women locally.

This need pertains to the women's desire to be listened to in terms of needs, wants, and values, in the realm of shopping.

WHILE WE CAN COUNT THAT MANY GROCERIES HAVE LONG REIGNED AS THE GROCERY CHAIN THAT HAILS ITSELF TO THE  MASSES, DEFINITELY CATERING TO THE ORDINARILY POCKETED, THIS NEWCOMER THAT IS SEEMED BENT ON WOOING WOMEN FROM THE PLAIN CLOTHES SHOPPERS TO THE MICRO BUNDLERS, PROBABLY KNOWS THAT WOMEN HAVE BEEN FAULTED ALL THE TIME FOR NOT BEING BUDGET-CONSCIOUS ENOUGH.

Ergo a revival for budget grocery shopping that is not for the ultrahefty, but made for the mini me convenience.

CONVENIENCE AND AFFORDABILITY ARE ALL THE RAGE AND FEEL OF THIS GROCERY HAUNT THAT IS SO HARD TO MISS EVEN ON THE BUSIEST OF STREETS AND ON THE HOTTEST OF DAYS.

The grocery brand that woke many women shoppers to the possibility of a decent option to other bigger-spaced, widely aisled grocery brands despite being "tingi-friendly" or slim-budgeted, can take pride in having items that are so affordable, without expecting consumers to simplify their staple foods at the Filipino dining table because of the rising costs of food these days.

What's more even the items that can be bought from ordinary sari-sari stores can also be bought here in this "pinklandia" for grocery shoppers-- from peanuts to chicharon; candies and pica-pica for the drinkers.

The basic commodities were also simplified allowing buyers to get their choice items in minuscule portions and sizes.  

No need to scour the aisle, by aisle for hours; or wade through the crate to crate for discounted items.  The floor layout was made simple enough that women could easily elbow their way through the spaces and out with the products and goods they wanted in as fast as five to ten minutes, with no time wasted for the busy moms.

Name your pick: coffee, tea, sugar, and an affordable version of bread or tasty, stack these in your basket and you have a morning eat already.

The brisk time and friendly price tags of items in this new trending grocery also carry frozen goods that are often picked by Filipino "silog" meal lovers- burger patties, tocino, mixed veggie packs, etc.  When cooked the meat products are just as tasty to the palate as those of the more expensive brands.

Another reason that this grocery is different from other "hebigat" stores are the attitudes of the people who frequent the store.

The grocery shoppers are more disciplined, more polite, and more courteous to other shoppers. Not the type to waste time and linger for a chika, and mostly they are individual shoppers unaccompanied or without an entourage.

Also buying from this grocery would spare an ordinary shopper to be heckled or taunted for buying one or a few cheap items in their cart, a common observation when doing this in other more popular groceries. The cashier and employees or attendants inside are not overly staffed and cramped to give them time to crowd over one customer. 

It is a very efficient setup even for employees who are simply busy without minding the personal interactions of other customers with their products or their choices.

PERHAPS, THIS LAST REASON IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD OF PINK GROCERY SHOPPING THAT IS DRESSED DOWN TO A MINIMALIST INTERIOR, YET STILL LOOKS APPEALING FOR DISCOUNT SHOPPERS.

Yes, there is a wave of new convenience shopping and it is the one that listens intently to what women want and look for in their grocery tags.

Posted by Anna Liza VB for News Review Philippines.

June 28, 2024. 

8:02pm

RESPONDING TO JOB ADS: IS IT WORTH IT?

Are virtual jobs outside the rules of propriety?

The lack of available jobs for middle-aged, returning workers could mean many settling for virtual jobs holstered by numerous ads on many social network sites locally. 

Hard to miss those ads, really. 

One ad could promise an easy Php 1,000 to Php 3,000, gig payout for applicants, as these also brag about the ease of applying. Or so one thinks.

Try responding to any pop-up ad that gives vague details of individual names and businesses that ask for part-time applicants; one will know it is not a walk in the park of convenience.  

Where inquiry is a just text or chat away, one can also be confronted with non-working links, registration errors, bouncing or slow-motion pages, and irate staff handling the inquiry.

The job ads lure virtual job applicants who are displaced by the normal recruitment process and those who have been excluded by many employment limitations: such as age, industry work availability, etc. Thus some workers, have been pounding for work that could be less than what their diploma should have earned for them-- the non-inclusive standards set by Human Resource personnel resulted in some returning professionals' ambivalence to the employment situation when all they can easily reach out for are ads rooting for VA jobs in the era of A1.  

At its best, the job ads which do not seem to discriminate when it comes to age and educational requirements or tech proficiency, give a shady impression as one progresses to chat with the business handler who prompts an applicant to register for a site. 

Nothing much has changed since the pandemic happened, even after local employers promised the shift to online work and the much-vaunted promise of availability of online jobs. 

Only, virtual jobs and work assist job offers are now more pervasive on social media sites and seem to have been tailored towards the promotion of products for e-commerce companies.

But "trying" the apply button is always worth a curious try when one has enough spare time.  

Clicking on the apply button can actually lead to another site, which leads again to another individual account with phone number details, profile photo, and an instant chance to chat and inquire about the job being offered anonymously.

Then comes the usual opening line or introduction. Most often a very brisk idea of how the business is, and what it needs from the part-time applicants.  

The next step is to click on the link that the staff has provided. A very vague alphabet numeral combination, the usual link line.

At this stage, the would-be applicant tries to input details. Usually a mobile and other required information. The problem lies not just in thinking through the "sending" of details but whether the details would be accepted; and in estimating if the site is legit. Also one will have to wait and see if one would be directed to a faulty site that is different from what the staff receptionist expects. 

The process really can take less than a minute depending on the number of fail tries. 

But as an applicant for virtual work,  one could rather surmise that there is a high chance that the sporadic ads are actually not that legit, after all.  

This realization would surface as one progresses into the chat inquiry as the individual staff converses with an applicant.

On the side of the brunt, terse, or frankness to a fault, the individual receptionist handling the message of an applicant for virtual jobs, could show a lack of training within 5 minutes into the conversation..

Below is a sample text of how an applicant could be treated by the so-called "business handler" of some e-commerce or shopping sites' marketing or affiliate companies, that aim to find part-time applicants through job ads:

The first message shows the first instance of an irate message sent to an applicant, by the business account handler or receptionist.  

The second message positions an assumption from the chat receptionist that the applicant did not at all register on the required site to go through the application process. It also came with a dissatisfied comment.

So how rude of a remark is considered appropriate to accept when one is a virtual job applicant, in this age when jobs are scarce for traditional middle-aged workers?

Workers, be aplenty and veer away from settling for much less when you can still prime for the best jobs that can be offered by more decent employers online

NEWS REVIEW PHILIPPINES 2024

January 16.

SCAMDEMIC AND THE CHALLENGES OF MASS COMM GRADUATES

 SCAMDEMIC AND THE CHALLENGES OF MASS COMM GRADUATES

One time in my chat conversations, a creative professional mentioned the term “scamdemic”, two words-in-one (to mean a combination of scam + pandemic), in which she alluded to the many expenses that had to be incurred by the ordinary citizen to fulfill the protocols set during the quarantine timeline.

I did not wish for her to elaborate on what she meant. But the term itself is true even if the pandemic did not happen.

When THE TERM WAS BROUGHT UP, THE CONVERSATION was initially meant to focus on job-hunting online (without the need to work in physical locations), and the need for more available employment for MEDIA and creative professionals of all ages, who have been displaced for the longest time by many contributing situations—the current pandemic; closure of a good number of media companies and the downsizing of employees, to name a few reasons for the unemployment.

The lack of employers who prefer to hire Mass Comm-related credentials further placed graduates into obscureness and irrelevance, in the era of social media.

WHY THE LOSS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR MASS COMM GRADUATES?

This writer might have stressed in previous writing that the over-popularity of vlogging which opened a plethora of earning opportunities for many individuals, could also have given birth to the polarization of media companies which offered more tangible jobs in regular offices and with preset times for reporting.

 The polarization came with the increased pressure to come up with digitally proficient versions of their companies and the need to reformat media structures to accommodate vlog formats and other tech-induced online media productions. We merely put vlogging at the top because of its undeniable way of drawing workers to its fold. To further hyphenate on this,

Vlogging which features formal to informal productions of individuals or businesses, has given birth to the practice of many non-Mass Comm educated professionals coming from different fields and work backgrounds to go into media, entertainment, and documentary work as well, without the necessity of training or degree. Practitioners who are now  into vlogging are not just celebrities and news media personalities but graduates of the serious mold—the lawyers, politicians, etc, and the ordinary skilled individuals as well, who offer a variety of topics to discuss and vlog about.

There is a need to underscore that most of the skills and knowledge required for vlogging are instilled among Mass Comm students from their earliest journey to the end of their learning ropes in college.

With the democratization of news, lifestyle, travel, and entertainment productions that are more scalable rather than grandiose,  including other feature shows, Mass Comm practitioners have slimmer and not actually better opportunities to EARN AND LAND A STABLE CAREER online despite the soaring popularity of vlog work, propagated by many high-income earners.    

THE REASONS COULD BE:

1. VIRAL-CENTEREDNESS OF THE ONLINE MEDIA FORMAT AND ALL THE HYPE OF SENSATIONALISM THAT WORKS ON MANIPULATION OF ISSUES AND/OR OVEREXPOSING THE PRIVATE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS.  ALL OF THESE ARE NOT REALLY PART OF THE TRADITIONAL TEACHINGS OF THE OLD MASS COMM CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTED IN COLLEGES OF SENIOR MASS COMM PRACTITIONERS.

2.     A SECOND REASON IS THE DIFFICULTY OF GETTING SPONSORSHIPS FOR VLOG SITES. This is sparkly true even for local bloggers who do not use visual expression, or videos to beef up their content online.

For older practitioners, the gap in skills is EVIDENT in the quality of output of their content. THERE IS A NEED TO MENTION THAT for vlog work, a vlog's quality IS DEPENDENT ON THE availability of exhaustive and sometimes punitive resources, that one NEED to make use of, to better vlog productions- gadgets and apps included.

Mass Comm practitioners of the past era are used to minimalist technology and with low DEPENDENCE ON manpower.   Old-timers have been trained MORE to HANDLE multi-tasking and to hone basic media skills DESPITE THEIR NEED TO HAVE SKILLS FOR TEAMWORK FOR PRODUCTIONS. THEY HAVE focused on technology but not as brazen as the ones being offered these days like AI technology.  THEY ALSO LACK the financial management training that is necessary before going into fully integrated media work or venture.  This is a problem because most vlog productions require expenses that can range from minimal to exorbitant, DESPITE BEING SCALABLE. 

Also, ordinary Mass Comm graduates are used to being employed rather than having an unparalleled freedom to pursue creative independence as exhibited by start-up vlogs that put together one or more talents to PRODUCE CONTENT FOR VLOG, AS AN INDEPENDENT, without limits for topics, form of expression, use of technology and so forth.

HENCE THE REASON FOR DISPLACEMENT includes INCREASED COMPETITIVENESS OF other graduates trained in non-Mass Comm courses,  THOSE WHO HAVE BETTER RESOURCES AND MANPOWER ACCESS.  The media landscape truly has changed for the OLD TIMERS WHO SHY AWAY FROM CAMERA work OR IN YOUR FACE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS.

3. ANOTHER EXPLANATION FOR THE DISPLACEMENT OF MASS COMM GRADUATES FROM REAL MEDIA WORK OPPORTUNITIES, IS THE ZEALOUSNESS OF OTHER INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TO VENTURE INTO MEDIA; THOSE WHO OBVIOUSLY AIM ONLY FOR POPULARITY AND CLOUT, THE FAST AND EASY WAY MORE THAN THE EXPRESSION OF PRESS FREEDOM, which is the first stalwart of MOTIVATION for going into mass media work.

To be continued…