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.

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 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.

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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.