Traveldotcom.ph

With 7,100 islands in the Philippines it will take 19 and half years to visit each island for at least one day.  Maybe more because of time travel.  To save on time, there are travel agencies online that offer great discounts for travel and accommodation.

Traveldotcom.ph is an online travel agency that provide the convenience in assisting travelers, tourists and vacationing people on their travel needs.  Initially you will need to register at their website online. Of course this is a precaution to avoid online pranksters.  From thereon, it will be quite easy to make arrangements on how you plan to travel and where to go.

As always make sure you have the time and budget for your intended travels.  Don't be taken immediately without any plans.  You would not want to spoil the fun for the coming holidays.  Traveldotcom should be able to fully assist you on your planned holiday or vacation travel plans.

Enjoy your vacation in Baguio

Baguio City is undeniably still a place to go for vacations, holidays and relaxation.  It has been and will always be because of the cool climate.  

Here are some tips to enjoy your stay in the City of Pines:

• Plan your trip at least a month before your trip especially if you are coming from more than 250 kilometers away.
• Try to contact someone you know in Baguio City to help you find a place to stay if it will not be in one of the hotels or inns.
• Inform the person if you want to cook meals in the place.  Many places do not provide the cooking range because of risks.
• Make sure there is good supply of water or reliable water delivery.  Many vacationists get frustrated because of lack of water.
• Set your budget especially for food, drinks and night-outs.
• Make sure you have bonnets or hats and thick jackets especially for the months of November to February.

What to expect in Baguio City:

• Heavy traffic in the main thoroughfares and difficulty to find parking space within the central business district.  SM Baguio has pay parking.
• Burnham Park is often crowded during weekends and holidays.  
• Other places you can go to are the Mines View Park, Mansion House and Wright Park - all are close to each other.
• From mid-morning to mid-afternoon it is not really very cold compare to early evenings and mornings.
• Baguio City is very strict with people crossing streets.  Use pedestrian lanes or overpasses in the central business district.
• Follow traffic rules and regulations.  Cars parked in a "No Parking" area will lose their license plates.
• Plate Number Coding is applicable from Mondays through Fridays except when declared as non-coding due to special occasions or holidays.

Taking note of the above will help you enjoy your stay in Baguio City.

"Is no" (snow) show in Baguio City

The people of Baguio were very excited when the news came out that there is going to be a "Shower of Snow".  Of course it is only artificial snow but everybody living in the Coldest City in the Philippines would want to experience even just quasi-snow. The event was often a news on television over the past week or so and interviews were made with those handling the snow show in Baguio City.

Some friends at Facebook even posted that they were going to see and experience the artificial snow flakes (more appropriate to be "fakes").  My wife and special son went early, around 5 pm., to Session Road where the snow fakes were to shower down.

They were home at around 8 in the evening and what they first mentioned was there were more people than those attending "Panagbenga"!  Immediately, I refreshed my Facebook page and friends were quick to post photos taken on the event.  The crowd was packed like sardines!  My wife said they could hardly move around to get anywhere!  The crowd was so thick that anything that could spark a stampede will result to hundreds, if not thousands, of casualties!  The "is no" (snow) show in Baguio City was not really worth it.

My wife and son had a few of the artificial snow fakes (flakes) land on their hands.  When it melted (really quite fast) it had a strong smell of chlorine (like Clorox or Zonrox)!  If the fake snow was really that, pity the crowd that got most of the shower as their colored clothing could have white spots after.  Even the shower of the artificial snow was not impressive - in the photos, I could not find anyone that would have even been partly covered by it.

The Coca Cola or Coke softdrink

Ever since I came to know about sodas or soft drinks, I could not exactly remember if had any favorite.  Maybe the taste was nothing really for me and they were just to sate my thirst.  Or, the Coca-Cola (Coke) was just another fluid to push down what I was eating.  There were other sodas like Canada Dry, Pepsi, Lem-O-Lime, Tru-Orange, Root Beer (am not sure if they were Dr. Peppers), etc. and all them came in glass bottles in different shapes and colors.  There were no twist-off caps yet at that time.  All had tin crowns that needs a bottle opener to uncap them if they were given with the lid still closed.


Coke or Coca-Cola was not a name for me to remember since I was in elementary or grade school.  The convenience of the shape of its bottle, I think, was more important to me.  It was easy to grip, especially it was small then at 8 ounces!  So, even while playing, you could hold on to it!  Maybe, spill some but most really gulped down. 


Anyway, after all those years and the cola wars, I am still a loyal Coke drinker.  Not that I don't drink other brands, but I prefer it.  Without coca-cola available, my next preference would be Root Beer - if none - Pepsi - if none - Seven-Up and if there's still none - whatever they've got! All are carbonated drinks and whatever has been said against them in the past - they're still here to stay.  Yes, I agree they could cause farting - but who doesn't fart?  The main thing that could have been said against Coke et al is the caffeine content.  After learning caffeine is a good anti-oxidant naysayers kept quiet.  Coffee, tea and chocolate drinks made a comeback! (Did they really fade away? - I don't think so!)


Going back to Coca-cola (Coke), the shape of their bottle became interesting in my teenage life.  It is the shape men look for in women!  LOL!  Funny because its shape was in direct contrast to the famed beer of the Philippines, San Miguel Beer (SMB) Pale Pilsen!  Filipino drinking males have canny thoughts of comparing shapes with women!  The SMB bottle is stout from neck to bottom and referred to as stout (fat for women) but "masabaw" (soupy - if I got it right).  Some men prefer "masabaw" for the 'cushion' effect!  Personally, I think there are more men who still prefer the Coca-cola or Coke bottle shape. 

The many morality issues

Some 40 to 50 years ago, the Philippines had many morality issues that are not being accepted by its society.  One real issue during those times are married men having an affair with another or other women.  If it happens, it is almost certain that his neighborhood, community or even the entire township will condemn a married man in an illicit affair.  Very few men get away with it and usually end up a broken family.  It is a thing with married but it is worst when it is a married woman who goes into such an affair.  The simple reason is a married woman can get pregnant by the man she is in the affair with.  Even if the family is kept intact, it will be hard to live under one roof knowing that one was not sired by the father of the family.

That kind of morality is now, to many, a thing that has valid reasons and accepted if justifiable.  There are now bigger numbers of broken families and the society is more tolerant.  Finances are often the culprit when it comes to getting into an illicit affair.  Having too much money to spare spur married men and the lack of it can be reason enough for a married woman.  Is this where money becomes the root of all evil?  It is immoral when too much money gets one into such an affair.  Now, what about if the affair is to provide for the survival and existence of ones family?

The morality issue of the above is debatable.

Call Center Services in the Philippines

The Philippines is known to have a respectable command of the English language.  In addition to that, literacy rate of 92.6%.  Call Center services in the Philippines, I believe, have already outdone India, if not equaled.  Having been with two of the top BPO companies, India is admittedly better when it comes to technical support but definitely not in the league with Filipinos when it comes to accent.

A good example is the last company I was with that had two offices.  The first one was in India and their second BPO in the Philippines.  Customer service was focused in the Philippines while the company made the more experienced India outfit as our supervisors we escalate to.  When we escalate the calls to them, almost all of the time callers will request to give back the call to us.  Why?  Callers complain that the supervisor we had escalated them to was hard to understand and could also hardly understand their issue!

Call center services has improved a lot especially with the agents.  Almost all have honed their conversation, listening and resolving skills.  Tight knit teams have agents helping out each other when it comes to customer issues.  Teams that are kept intact for at least 8 months to a year always perform better compared to those that are reshuffled frequently.  I should know it because in both companies, I've been with teams at least that long and other teams too with much shorter time than that.  It is the bond and camaraderie of a team that is kept intact for longer periods.

As agents get better, call center services to them are on a decline.  Benefits and incentives are no longer as good when I started with the first company.  Even if an agent could no longer talk and losing his/her voice, the company clinic just let them rest for an hour or two then sent back to take calls!  I know because it happened to me!  They always suspect that agents are feigning illness always!  There was even an incident when an agent died because of failure to be given the proper medical attention!  She was a young single mother who was just coming from or had just come out of training.  Reports on how it happened are sketchy and we were practically kept in the dark.

The Department of Labor should look into how agents are treated.  The Personnel or Human Resources Department (HRD) of the companies can hardly do anything because they have to follow HRD guidelines of their clients.  Call center services HRD seem to be just for hiring and firing, and implementing social security and other government required processes.

N.B.  This article has no intention belittling the accent of India-based call center agents, as some Filipinos would also have some heavy accents.


Update:  The Philippines bests India as BPO - is now No. 1!

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito

This blog was posted quite later than it should have been.  The reason - Manny Pacquiao training in Baguio City is to master the way of pinik-pikan.  This is the art of what has been termed as "killing-me-softly" for a chicken in preparing the recipe, original and unique only in the Cordilleras.  Maybe the Pacman has slowed down a bit in the same way that Muhammad Ali slowed down while aging.  But in the process of aging, wisdom improves and that is in general for most people.  With this, many tactics and strategies come about that are least expected by opponents or foes.

The preparation of Manny Pacquiao against his opponent Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13, 2010 might not be as intense in his previous trainings.  One real reason is his now being a Congressman representing Sarangani, Mindanao.  In his training in Baguio last 2009, he also did some time off to help victims of  Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng.  Coordinating help and assistance for victims of catastrophes is not an easy task.  His recent camp in Baguio was not really that much in the news because of privacy and security concerns.  Tightened security might have deprived some to actually see and observe his training.

Going back to Manny Pacquiao for his upcoming fight, Margarito will have a problem which part of him to cover.  Standing upright covering his face will be offering the Pacman to practice the art of pinikpikan on his body.  Bending over to protect his abdomen (typo: badomen) will be an opportunity for Manny give killer hooks to side of his head.  This will be the first time the art of pinik-pikan will be used starting with the head.  Pinik-pikan was intentionally not described in full here because some it might find it be too gross and get the attention of the SPCA (lol).  Please note that I am not referring to Margarito as animal.

By the way, some humor was added in this article.  Trying to help Manny Pacquiao on some strategy here, as trainers of Margarito might come across this and be confused.  

Link to Manny Pacquiao Interview at CBS - 60 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kNnCsxRxM

P-Noy Aquino

This article was prompted by what seems to be a better job being done by P-Noy Aquino compared to his immediate predecessors.  During the campaign, naysayers were very particular with his lack of experience.  They could be correct on some mistakes of his administration

His lack of experience and lack of laws passed in the Senate might not necessarily what a good President needs.  What good are laws if they do not understand the people it is being imposed upon?  His ban of "wang-wang" (siren) has shamed those who were abusive of it.  Even his VP Jejomar Binay who violated traffic and was demanding Vice-Presidential residence had suddenly gone quiet.

It is sincerely hoped that the P-Noy cabinet  aides and other lieutenants follow his example.  He is a simple person not fond of extravagance of what usually rich kids were raised on.  He needs to clean out other bureaus and government agencies that are a nest for corruption.

It is difficult enough to raise an ideal family and the task of trying to come up with governing a nation even to just average good is difficult.  Critics should look at themselves first and see if they were able bring up their clan or family the ideal way they want a president to govern a country.  If they do, come up with portfolio and show it to the people.  If they don't, just try to help P-Noy and the government instead.

OFW Agnes Tenorio & Labor Attache Romulo Salud

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) should know what they are getting into and know their options in case something happens like that of Agnes Tenorio.  As for embassies and labor attaches, they should have the decency of providing complete information on the options an OFW has on any given situation!

What Romulo Salud failed to do:

• Clarify from Tenorio the events and who she had consulted.
• Provide Tenorio a list of options she can take action for.
• Advice Tenorio from his best points of view steps she should take.
• Give her the time to think things over and decide.

What Agnes Tenorio should have done:

• Made sure she knows how to get in touch with her agency or representative within Hongkong.
• Consulted her case first before deciding outright. 
• Inquire from Salud the best she could do at that time (not like a child crying and just wants to go home, then, decides to stay when she finds out there were 'playmates' around)
• Inquire from Salud if they could get in touch with the agency that got her to HK.

The action of Tenorio of recording the conversation with Salud had ill intentions.  From her published accounts on their first meeting it seemed everything went well.  No reason for her to be suspicious on how things will go on her second meeting with Salud!

In conclusion, both Tenorio and Salud did not do things in the proper perspective.  They are both equally to share the blame of what happened.  It just so happened that Agnes Tenorio is a household help and Romulo Salud a Labor Attache.  In 'David-and-Goliath' like scenarios, it is always David who comes out the good.

Separated Wives

This could be happening in many countries around the world.  There are ex-wives who are not able to find another partner in life after the first one. A good number find themselves creating or leading  some organization or club for obvious reasons.  Their members or prospective members are a few "ex-s" like them but most of the other members are still good with a partner or husband.  The ex-wives who are not able to find another partner try to prove to their members that they did right.  Thus, they influence those still with partners to be like them.  The ex-wives 'snatch' their members time from their families.  They orient them to be like them, a "happy" ex-wife, destroying other families that have stuck together through thick and thin.

Major major discrimination

Until now beauty contests have minimum height to qualify.  Is is this not also discrimination?  Organizers should give consideration that as long as proportions are good to woman's height there should be no minimum height!  They're making it like a basketball team!


There are a lot of women both smart and beautiful below the minimum height.  They might just even outshine many of those taller!  It has been that way before until now it is still that way!  If women do not want to be discriminated they should include this discrimination because it will also be a career for women!

Dormitory Boom in Baguio City

Does the dormitory boom in the city of Baguio shows that student population is increasing with the cost of education?  New 3 or 4-storey, or maybe more, dorms have been constructed near the junction of upper Bonifacio and General Luna Streets!  These are the streets having very heavy traffic because of proximity to the schools and hospitals.  Aside from that, the streets are also a route for jeepney public transportation that comes from heavily populated residential areas.  Drivers of these type of public transportation do not care where they stop to unload or load a passenger.


The dormitories will cause heavier traffic because there are no sufficient sidewalks for students to walk on.  So, they will be practically walking on the narrow two-lane streets.  It used to be that students prefer to stay in dorms outside of the city business center because of much lighter traffic then.  What used to be just a 10-minute travel can be 30 to 45-minute ride!  Students too have become lazy to walk and many of them now take two rides to be at the school doorstep!  Considering the cost of two-rides, one way, might equate to the same cost of staying in a dorm at the city business center!


What used to be a real conducive place for education like Baguio City is no longer that conducive.  It's only the climate of the city that still attracts many students.  The climate though is getting a little bit warmer with more people.

Bus Hostage taking Results

The bus hostage taking results are as follows:

• 8 hostages perished
• Ground commander on indefinite leave
• Autopsies show that shots fired on hostages were fired from more than 3 feet
• Shots on Rolando Mendoza: Forehead; two near base of neck; both hands and both feet; all with traces of powder burns except for the shot in the head
• Raiding squad leader sacked
• Some other raiding members either sacked or re-assigned

Theories:

1. Rolando Mendoza knows that if he had locals as hostage - results could be whitewashed; any survivor could be threatened if anything improper is said against authorities.  Foreigners can not be threatened by authorities in the same way.  This can not be be doubted because as a police officer he knows how they work around incidents like this.
2. Those responsible were given due actions because it is somewhat like an international incident where they could not hide the facts from Interpol.  If the hostages were locals there will no international intervention and local authorities could juggle the investigation as they wish.
3. Ground commander accuses Gregorio Mendoza of encouraging his brother not to give up.  The statement can only be testified to by the negotiators and the bus driver.  Whose side are they on?

An Open Letter

We, the Filipino people, ask if not demand for change.  Our fingers point almost always point to the elected powers in our country.  The news media, especially television, cover incidents like the tourist bus hostage incident.  They see, comment and record almost all that is happening.  After all the fuss, they come up with one news choosing only one side to the story.  In spite the fact that it was seen on TV, some analytical minds interpret what they see and that's not what comes out in the newspapers and news bulletins.

Is this the result of what they call "debriefing"?  To guide witnesses and survivors to tell only what authorities want to be made known to the public?  The cover-ups, the shielding or whatever they call it, has caused many tragedies to many people.  They want to make something right out of what is wrong.  Is that the correct way of debriefing?

Maybe the best thing to do is to retire all those in authority.  Change them with people who have no relation or affinity to them.  Put brand new people in government offices.  Retire old government 'dependents' to their whims.  Whatever the cost is, it will be easily recovered by well-meaning people in government.

By the way, there many non-blood related people who are Kiss-A**!  They should be included in the list of not qualified for a government position and transact business with the government!  Lastly, let us Filipinos do away with convenience at the expense of many.  That's where corruption starts to no end.

To this, I say, "Mabuhay ang Tunay na Pilipino!"  To the "fake" Pilipinos, start licking your wounds and a**es and get back 'on stream'.  The next 'flash flood" might get you into the sewers!

Very respectfully yours,

JUAN TAMA (Tama = correct) (Tamad = lazy)

Hostage taking of a Manila Tourist Bus

This is one hostage situation that reminded me of Manila Bulletin columnist Joe Guevara’s interpolation of the SWAT acronym for the Philippine Police and military.  He said it should stand for, “Simple Weapons ‘Alang ‘(no) Tactics.  This is what exactly what the police displayed when they decided to storm the tourist bus held hostage by a lone hostage taker.  The hostage taker is a dismissed captain (chief inspector) of the police force.

The hostage taker, former police Chief Inspector Rolando Mendoza, is a respected person/officer and interviews of people who know him say he is a nice and kind person.  News coverage showed that he received many commendations and was one of top ten outstanding policemen a few years back.  So he is a Rambo-like disgruntled police officer and his only demand was to be reinstated or retired with full benefits.

The story of negotiations started with ‘expert’ negotiators.  The only thing they were able to do is provide some fuel and food as demanded by Mendoza.  With that, he released a few hostages.  Then, out of nowhere, man approached the hostage bus who the police immediately arrested.  He came out to be the brother of Rolando Mendoza, also a police officer.  They used him also in negotiations but to no avail.  Not long after, a commotion came up with the hostage takers brother running out from where he was confined with policemen.  He claimed that he was being charged as accessory to the crime and fears for his life!  A drama ensued with members of his family surrounding and embracing him so he could not be taken by the police.  All the time, the drama was being shown on television which was also being watched by the hostage taker!

Let’s say the police used this strategy because the hostage taker is a nice and kind person who would not want his brother to be in the same mess.  Authorities were looking on the soft side of the hostage taker to give up.  The problem is they did not look at the other side of Mendoza!  They should have considered there is a Rambo in him!  What he saw and watched on television was exactly the same what authorities had done to him!  Anyone, maybe just about anyone, who sees the same injustice being done to a blood relative, will be enraged!  He fired some shots but maybe not to injure or kill a hostage.  Some time after he fired the shots, the bus driver was seen running from the bus.  He claimed to have escaped because “no one was longer alive in the bus” as quoted by some reporter on television. (Belated news:  According to a survivor Mendoza went berserk but did not mention at what point it happened)

This could have been the point the police decided to storm the bus.  The scenario of police approaching the bus was ridiculous!  It simply showed they had no plans on how to gain entry and neutralize the hostage taker!  They used heavy sledge hammers to smash some windows and the bus door.  They were only able to punch holes in them!  They did not even know how to open the bus door!  It was hours before they learned that the bus door is hydraulically operated!  They even tried to pull the door open with a rope pulled by a vehicle.  The rope snapped.  In between these attempts, there some shots fired from inside the bus but there were more coming from snipers.  The event looked like “hide-and-seek” by those storming the bus.

Going back to earlier shots, if Mendoza really shot some hostages, the others would have panicked after the first ones were shot, right?  Anyone in that imminent danger would do anything – shout, wave, bang on windows – anything to save them from the onslaught!  There was no commotion at all inside the bus when shots were fired inside.  It is possible that the bus driver’s message was just a ploy by the hostage taker to make authorities aware he was not giving up in spite of what they were going to do with his brother!

With the calm and quiet in the bus, authorities presumed that all the hostages were dead and no further harm could happen to them.  It was believable, adding the message of the bus driver to that!  The televised event showed police hurling tear gas and flash bang inside the bus.  Nothing happened.  Some of them even threw those carelessly and immediately bounced back to them!  OMG!  What incompetence!  When police were able to open the emergency doors, their attempts to enter were unsuccessful.  Mendoza would give them a burst of rapid fire.  He could have easily shot and killed some of the policemen but he did not.

In the end, probably when Rolando Mendoza was overcome by tear gas, he was seen by a sniper near the front door and took him out.  The hostage taking was over and there were still some hostages that survived.  Yes, the bus driver gave a message probably relayed by Mendoza, if not, an excuse of abandoning the ship of which he is the captain.

The demands of Rolando Mendoza were simple and could have been easily arranged with him or maybe even given.  The question is: Why were tactics and strategies used without studying them?  There was no deadline to be met!  Why did not even one of the authorities know that the bus had hydraulically operated doors and had an emergency door?  Why did they punch holes in so many windows?  A single hole where tear gas and flash bang would fit is enough and the effects would be much quicker without the ventilation they created!  They had to throw in so many!

To give justice to victims as the rescue done has many questions, there should be ballistic tests done on the bullets that killed the victims.  It is possible that sniper shots, before the last one that took out Mendoza, would have hit the hostages instead.  With the accuracy of the last sniper, there is no question that the earlier snipers also hit their targets but not Mendoza.