Let's Talk Superlatives: Deep Fakes, Superfakes and the Big Dipper

 Know our social economy before trusting any.

On one end of the social media spectrum, is an era of superlatives-- from promises to hopes and wealth sail builders, blogs, and sites of individuals wanting to be known, wanting to be rich, and wanting to connect.  On the other, it's all trappings of the super fakes.

It would sound so idealistic to simply trust read-on articles and news we see online. 

That news of unemployment slump, a millionth earning newbie businesses that young kids are trying to help resuscitate the economy. 

But in the doldrums of these social media frenzy to be known, be seen, and those "get rich" schemes, the reality abides in the imperfection of numbers, the roughness of fakes, and the lucidness of people's images who try to be perfect and yet cannot achieve real distinct connection online. 

This is what I call the abyss of social media where an economy thrives in hopes and prospects, but it is trapped in the middle by a conglomerate of disjointed interests.

The first of fakes. The promise of investments.

In the era of micro investors, it is the small-time investors and businesses "trying hards" or "copycats" who would jump right at the opportunity to earn some, earn small, or earn try so as not to let time waste in times of pandemic. 

But investments that give real "big" results and earnings are not really happening, and most are not at all life-changing, offering only coin-purse returns that cannot even help families recuperate from losses after years of joblessness.  

Here I won't mention the specific businesses. 

But there are plenty out there that ordinary moms and dads often try, with a big-bite promise of investing in small packages.  

From light luxury to branded goods, all these are attractive investments for salary earners even before the pandemic kicked in. 

But the truth is, this is a dead-end approach to investing. 

Despite the flaunting of being a multi-billion dollar industry globally, branded luxury does not promise good resale for ordinary investors in times of the great "no earn" pandemic.  

All investments seem to have been dragged into a dumpsite of nothingness, almost worthless. 

And all one could do is keep them without the promise of turning these investments into cash, the often lure of light to heavy luxury items in the market is that these items have good resale value and can be turned into cash in times of drought. 

For light luxury buyers, investing in light to pricey jewelry is not a golden promise to rely on as these are items that have become commonplace and hard to dispose of, and no outlets to receive them as second hands. Preloved luxury thus is not a good term investment for the micro-investing moms and dads who want to delve into the promise of a life of luxury.  

In a sense, this false sense of assurance that one is investing in the good ones with one's precious money and earnings would only go to waste in a social economy that values likes, influence, and followers and not the truths behind branded luxuries.  

The second of fakes. A deeper fake, businesses that run for show-and-tell bragging, but do not serve with a genuine interest for customers.

The second kind of fakes in business is the one that applies to customer relations and business imaging.

In our current state of the economy where social media serves as the front of new and upcoming businesses, even for the brick and mortar kind of businesses, some owners who run their businesses do so for that simple brag-and-drop approach of imposing their status as business owners and solidifying influence. But their hook? They would not hesitate to drop or turn away their customers who do not fit into their bill of prospects or likings.

This kind of business does not show genuine interest in customers. They shun new customers or reply impolitely in the face of callousness.  

They would screen clients as if they are the masters of censorship and true intentions. 

Business owners or managers or staff of this kind of deep fake customer relations integrity would turn down buyers and inquiries that do not ring a bell of prestige or do not present a deep pocket arrive at their doorsteps upon inquiry. 

Some of these businesses include those in the leasing business of commercial spaces, bazaars, etc. 

Even prior to the onset of the pandemic, business owners in this niche are the hardest knocks, offering a no-glance approach, no-response to inquiries even when they prompt invites for lessees through their below-the-line advertising and frequent social media postings.

These kinds of fakes can be leveled as business posturing. The owners simply want to be known for being business owners but would not actually want to open their doors to customers of the "lesser kind" of lesser names or pockets.  A real super fake in business.

And the third kind of fake is the big dipper business. 

In the social economy where businesses thrive because of creativity in advertising and marketing, the big dipper businesses are the kind that lures moms and dads to try, yet once in, these are the businesses that simply eat up their investments and hard-earned money without a promise of tangible returns. 

This kind of business simply gulps down on one's investments much to the heartache of ordinary investors and business starters. 

Entrepreneurs who wallow in big dipper businesses must be helped out by the necessary agencies to recover, and recuperate.  Otherwise, having a business would simply be an ordeal for small to medium business players, starters, and dreamers who have not yet experienced true profits and joy of having a good running business but merely a fake verse of social media and business enterprise centering on personality, stardom, and much influence harking.

Little big deal: Going Fussy About the Coins

 

Are coins outdated for the thrifter-savers?

 

With the many designs that have come to our Philippine coins, we can almost come to ask, would there be new ones to replace the old ones? 

Coins are dismissible to others. But bills don’t come so easily these days when even professionals are scouring for opportunities. And let’s not mention the recent past year's popularity of having piggy banks among moms, as well as the grandmas who give value to coins and not just paper bills.

 

If coins are important, why out phase the old ones?  And how in the world of consumers would we identify the outdated coins which when mixed with the recent times "new" would all be confusing?

In college, I remember there was a real distinction from the coins in the nineties. The coins were lighter, and a little playful in design with fish and flower patterns. It was also lighter and not heavy to the touch.  The coins were distinctive from the eighties' identified coins, and the differences in design were "know-able" and noticeable.

But after decades of introducing a lot of coin designs, some are gold and noteworthy while others are almost reminiscent of other designs, old-timers who give value to the coins can actually ask: do we need a chatbot to remember which are old from the new already? Coins that have been demonetized may not be enough to put our hopes on, not even as coin collectors or as moms.

What a waste of money once this is not honored from the piggybank of kids, who kept them after Christmas and into the New Year. What a waste of coins for the moms who strive to hoard a little, when their breadwinner's take-home pay is not enough to mend the shortcomings of their payslips.

Of all the coins probably the only thing that is distinguishable right now is the award-winning coin that looks every inch a gem of a find for a mom’s pocket. That Php20.00 coin feels like an enriching staple for an ordinary mom, without a job and away from the dirty politics of employment. Sadly that Php20.00 coin is the only thing worth keeping apart from the rest of the coins that no longer mean a thing to help surpass the cost of daily living.

It is hard to throw away this kind of coin, that twenty pesos represents, like a rose gold beauty in striking luminosity, and with a heavy heart to part with it once needed.

In times of the pandemic, a mom's meager money would still be spent on necessities, raring to bank on a promise of a better future saved with the little big deal of coins us moms would have.

 

Editorial on Identifying old coins versus the New, entitled Little Big Deal: Going Fussy About the Coins

Easy Does It: Most Responsive Government Offices Without the Need to Take Long Commute

Social distancing may have changed the way government transactions are done. But not without falter. Some offices despite its announcement of availability for reach out, would not really be available for reaching out. However, there are select offices that manage to stay on top of mind, in terms of concern and responsiveness to ordinary Filipino inquiries and feedback.

Here are some in the list of MOST RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT OFFICES VIA SOFT MAIL COMMUNICATIONS (here to refer to email, web-accessible hotline, or addresses):

1.  Department of Trade and Industry. This is the office that truly makes it easy for ordinary Filipinos. It is like a one-stop shop that offers fast transactions, and reliable response in terms of business name applications, complaint filing, validation of businesses, etc.  

In fact, it is the ordinary netizen that can get on their toes when reaching out to the office as they require no circuitous platitudes from their customers. DTI staff on standby for a reply to communications are mostly straightforward when it comes to responding to customer's requests and feedback.

2.  Pag-Ibig Fund. Expecting paperwork or the paper and pen requirements from this office every time you drop by? Despite their obvious rudiments, PAG-IBIG is often accessible and replies just in time to available methods of reaching out. One has to constantly check for updates though as changes in the details for sending specific inquiries and comments can be segmented and targeted.  

 

You Need to Be Reminded of Your 20 Percent Fare Discount If You're a Student or a Senior Citizen

 Discounts In Transportation Give Ease

THAT 20 PERCENT DISCOUNT, students, and senior citizens are entitled to, must always be asked. 

Given that the minimum fare for public transportation these days ranges from  Php 13.00 to Php 15.00 for jeepneys and buses already, riding even public transportation may no longer be as cheap as it used to be.

At a time when almost everyone is coping with their own daily expenses, the Filipino riding public mostly expects daily expenses to be kept at a minimum thus, little discounts in transportation can help extend the power of the wallet not just for the moms and dads, but for the students as well.

Students mostly do not have the liberty to work on a generous budget hence public transportation is the preferred ride for many Filipino students.  Since student allowances are basically predetermined by their parents, every student expense thus must be light and predictable,  with no room for changes.  The reason transportation expenses must be regulated and must meet bare minimum rates to be affordable.

A 20 percent discount can give such ease to the daily plights of the students who have to hurdle their way back and forth to their school-house routes.

There is actually a law compelling drivers and operators of PUVS to give the 20 percent discount. 

Non-observance of RA 11314 (Student fare discount act); RA 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act),  the legal basis which obligates drivers and operators to give such discounts on transportation fees, could expose drivers and operators to risks of suspension of driver’s license; cancellation of CPC or Certificate of Public Convenience;  or even two to six years imprisonment.

So, don’t hesitate to ask for your discount, when riding public transportation. 

For additional reference, please visit, LTFRB Press Release/ Website post, dated:  February 20, 2023, entitled “Paalala sa Publiko” on LTFRB’s official website.  Retrieved 04 June 2023.

You Won’t Need to Guess This E-Commerce App That Kicks Subscribers Out Without Notice

 Of all the e-commerce apps available, this one is the most mysterious.  It is one of the pioneers in the industry, with the premise of giving its customers the opportunity to sell their old items and earn extra income from them.

But despite the many reviews written about it, this online selling site that targets nanays mostly as its customer base does not have fair, responsive customer service that attends to online complaints of buyers.

All customers would get is to interact with the allotted email address or through their method of leaving a  message on their feedback or review form.  

But the thing is, this site, cannot hold its own mettle when it comes to fair mediation, and customers and sellers would be left without proper redress of grievance when there is a disagreement or dispute.

You wait as a customer and without notice, this e-commerce app would simply kick out the subscriber anytime they want, without prior advice or respect for the content posted by the subscriber who expected this site to be a “fair marketplace” for all.  It seems their team leans towards non-resolution to low-resolution of feedback.

Too bad, this site has all the noteworthy promises of being a service-oriented online platform, with clarity of direction on how it wants to position its e-commerce in the market. 

But with the kind of customer service they have in handling complaints, it would be so unexpecting that this used-to-be popular site, may lack the necessary customer handling skills to fix issues hurled against it.

You don’t have to guess which e-commerce app this is. Round and about you read about them.  Until you move along to a better app.

Must Education Be Branded?

Would you consider not just the tuition fees or popular choices in education? Or would you go for a simple name? OR A LEGEND.

When it comes to rank, the top three are the bet. The three-tier structure in popular education precedes the name of the applicant before one is hired.  

If a graduate comes from a "branded" university,  it is safe to assume that one will have a better chance of being hired. To heck with the resume. As an applicant, the name affixed to the resume may not make a dent yet, not the way a school name is put forth in a kind of distinguished manner that can make a graduate proud. 

Out and loud we bark about our school name, yes even if we don't come from the hard knock.

It is after all an education sought after. But what about branded education? How far can one go when one comes from an unsinkable roster of achievers that fill the halls of many respectful institutions and the seats of many offices?  

One is almost compelled to deliver a variance of pitch or meaningful breadth of a pause when one is asked for the school name upon application.  

Use a high pitch, high-strung tone without effort to mention your school if you come from the top three universities or colleges.  

But for the rest of the ordinaries, use or key in only a low pitch tone, almost a denouement voice, without a twang of course, if you come from a usual school that does not belong to the most privileged.

It is a branded education that outpaces others when applying, aside from the "kakilalas" of the few.  In fact, it won't be hard to tell who would also get the best seat at work. 

One applicant from an unbranded institution can pine for "it", that laudable position in all best effort, but the promotion would definitely be won in priority by someone with a branded diploma.

From the differences in pay scale; to the work positions; to being handed the right opportunities for a secured future, a branded education can make things easier for an individual.  What's the use of being a graduate of this knock-knock school, if you cannot pull some strings right? 

But for the many hordes of applicants, who stand by the truth in their resume, the strength of their achievements, and the little references they can front, how do you match a branded name backed by many alumna, bemedalled and most-talked about for their achievement?

However great-- branded education is, it is never an antidote for the prevailing lack of opportunities for the rest of the unemployed. It actually postures an age-old competitive question that confounds any hiring personnel. Would you really go for a Philippine version of an IVY LEAGUE school or would you open your doors to the plain-named applicants?

It has become a legacy of tiered education that makes superficial the same legacy,  that also depletes the opportunities of the many graduates.  Graduates who also want to make a living, not just a superficial name; a worth-your-while employment from their own industry that can be bereft of chances and level-headedness for the rest of the "so-ordinary" Pinoys.

>>>commentary. News Review Philippines 2023

Gear up for the Super Typhoon: TIPS FOR THE "BUCKLE-LISTA"

    As the country awaits the arrival of a super typhoon this Friday night, locals can actually extend more preparation than the usual have of a “go-bag” like the list below:

Local scenery on ordinary days, Cavite City.  Umbrellas like these would still come in handy in any weather. Used for illustrative purpose only. Photo taken by the writer.  

1.     Do your house tasks earlier before sundown.  Otherwise, reschedule things that must be done including outdoor activities.

2.     Keep emergency lights and gadgets near. Emergency rechargeable lights and flashlights, spare batteries, umbrellas, and rain jackets in case of a sudden need to go out arise.

3.     Remember to unplug all appliances should there be an electrical outage.  Be on the low consumption of electricity because fewer tasks can be done during the heavy rain outpour that can be anticipated from a super typhoon.

4.     Monitor news from NGOs and government agencies, and task force assigned for disaster prevention and response.

5.     Create an alternate plan in case there is a need to evacuate from your current house.

6.     Prepare a basic list of customer assistance and emergency hotlines within your reach.

7.     Prepare your meals in advance to avoid inconvenience in food preparations.

8.     Reposition your appliances and furniture that can be submerged in water should there be heavy floods.

9.     Secure your valuables inside the house and do some item-containment or waterproofing of personal but valuable documents.

10. Have ample water reserved on standby for immediate use.

11. Make sure you have access to potable water even in times of the super typhoon. 

Store water in bottles, pitchers even in glass vial batches rather than perusing the usual water storage containers.  

12.  Be creative. Do something else to take your mind from the super typhoon worries, 

and avoid being in panic mode at the height of the typhoon batter.

13. Seek availability of good neighboring assistance in case of obliging emergencies.

14. Include your family in the orientation for calamity preparation and response.

15. Do not hesitate to call authorities, a bare minimum, your local barangay official/s to let them know about your situation should you need extra help that requires a lot of manpower or authoritative assistance.

16. Secure your family’s safety and personal belongings when there is a need to evacuate.

17. Don’t forget to bring your "go-bag" with all the essentials (water, food, blanket, etc) to take with you to the evac center should you opt to relocate.

18.  Have a well-guarded position integrated with super typhoon monitoring in your community.

 

News Review Philippines 2023

No portion of this blog may be copied, shared, or republished in any format.  Thank you.

lifestyle article/ listicle 

THE INCONVENIENT STATUS SYMBOL

WHEN OTHERS SWAG THEIR PERMIT AS IF THE REST ARE "NUISANCES" IN LIFE

Many days can be reckoned when as an employee and later on as a “freelance writer”, one had to go around asking for a professional 1407. And then knowing the numbers complicate the memory as one would soon have to request for a certificate of tax withheld from the office manager and employees.  

In one instance, asking for proof that one had worked hard and thus deserving of a company document that would benefit an individual with enough dignity as proof of adult professional work, would seem like wading through the waters of waited hope.  

In most instances, asking for an ITR or similar tax documents simply was a hardbound pursuit of the unknown, like an uncharted territory for every professional writer, working on the inside but made to feel like an outsider. It is a situation many decades over, and it still holds real. 

FACT IS, an ITR must be an employer’s responsibility.  Issuing such paper, without further repetitive requests, can establish the reputation and integrity of the company or business owner.  An individual honored and given a paper document that certifies one’s responsibility in looking after his/her own taxes can get enough reason to pursue further productivity and boost the morale of fellow workers.  But because of the ineptitude of many offices, this proof of work of a professional is outskirted by the need to work and meet the demands of the bosses, even without the right paper documents that must be given by them.    

Another fact that would be unforgettable is when freelancers and even sole proprietors (this would not be a single POV but seen from a distance of long queues and many times instances of slight shaming from people who are in power to give such documents),  would be treated like, they have to beat around the bush and had to face an uncertain response when following up on documents from personnel in place to handle such documents.  

Those in power may be un-clued to the fact that those with the documents -- ITR and a permit (in business) are used as a flaunt and taunt approach against others who have none and have not benefited from the same “privilege” of being given this document, thus becoming a status symbol of inconvenience to the ordinary freelancer/ professional.

What happens is, those who can afford and brag wield such documents use them as a reason to outcast others at work, in business, and in opportunities of employment where receipts and permits are asked even by small-time employers and owners.    

Even landlords and commercial space lessors brag about paying their taxes enough to shame ordinary renters and prospective individuals wanting to pursue their professions and businesses.  Documents are shoved and posted on the walls for everyone's fall and beckon. While the rest get a no reply, no response, and  “forget the unwonted” approach by others who have this symbol of status within grasp and exhale from them.

While writers go and find the right people to fix what previous employers neglect,  unminding a need to give and prepare such documents to working professionals, a status symbol is being cemented. 

Sadly, the ITR and the permit have become a STATUS SYMBOL of those who wield influence on others just because they were privileged to be so.

The consequences?  There is an uncertain future for many professionals not just in the writing profession but also in other industries, where they are bereft of a chance to fix their tax documents just because they are a freelancer, contractual, or temp employees, and definitely being treated like a commoner to be unheard and unsupported.  

Must the privilege set who use permit as a symbol of status and a reason to step on others' rights, a norm of a lifestyle? There must be equality of rights, and eye-level rights of access to documents even in the realm of the freelancers and moms trying to work for a living when none of the opportunities are given to them like the wealth “permitted” ones.  

*Based on real-life situations on how things are, in the social setting and scheme of social politics

 

 

You Cannot Give False Hopes to Campus Journalists

 Tread the Future Outside When There Is None on the Inside

It would be full fakeness if we talk about journalism and the media as an industry of ideals. 

One that works for the perfection and devotion of its craft—the skill of writing and the honor to bring news.

Yes, as a nation, we train a lot of writers in the meek stage of their lives. 

The young, hungry idealists who want to build a career out of writing and work towards one of the most vaunted professions.  Training young writers as if the profession is a bed of roses, and that everything will make a difference once one lands a job in the industry of the outspoken.

But in truth, the profession is a dismal career once writers get a hold of the antiquity of such ideals where only the brave are exploited, to work for the truth but not for their rights.

 The "old and the knowing" cannot mislead another generation of hopeful journalists who put their heart and passion into writing.  Because history shows they cannot offer any future or any help in making the lives of journalists better.  

Journalists' jobs are hard to find. Yes, you bet you can encourage a lot of writers to be journalists. But once they are in the industry, the truth could push them to a realization that jobs are wanting and security is nowhere in sight.

Another, as a harbinger of news, young writers are sure to toil a hard day’s work for a story that means to everyone. But by the end of the day, no employer can sustain their needs, from social benefits to suitable and meaningful wages.  Journalists are not paid well. Only those who have access to a heaven of connections in their industry.

We can tell the kids, “Anak go and change the world with your brand of writing.”

But by the end of the day, a look at the industry would fail and dash the hopes of the same journalists and media practitioners who work and fight to make the sector a continuing legacy.

We cannot dismay the future generation of journalists by giving them false hopes of what the industry is like and about. Because we enthuse the young to join the field, leaders must ask their own: "Can we create a better future for the young? Can we give them more employment opportunities that do not deny them dignity and respect from workers of other industries? Can we fight and respect our own writers and journalists?"

Journalists meek and ideal are susceptible to all kinds of criticisms and estimations of others,  that can encompass not only their work but also intrude into their private lives.  They have a high chance of being ostracized and scrutinized by workers from other industries because of the indignity of the pay scale and benefits given to media practitioners.  

But the good ones, those that cannot be bribed and swoon over by the "kakilala" culture in the industry, continue to work in the industry out of choice and love for work. 

But as the older ones who went before them, can everyone be honest and tell the little kids they prod into joining this time around that, there is not much future in an industry where there is won over bias and patronage?  

Hurdle first these truths. Brave your writing. But you cannot brave your future as a journalist.

 

 

"The Quiet" JOURNEY of NANO-ENTREPRENEURS

WE NEED TO VALIDATE THE IMPORTANCE OF NANO-ENTREPRENEURS IN THE ECONOMY