Somewhere out there, someone will read this, and that if they do one out of ten, then it was worth the time blogging:

1. Observe traffic rules. Set the example NOW.
2. Don't get a plastic bag if what you're buying is wrapped already.
3. Brew your own coffee and support local coffee bean growers.
4. Be nice first. To everyone. Including security guards.
5. Tip.
6. Pick up a sport. It'll make you want to fight for cleaner air. And, it'll help keep you healthy.
7. Give to a charity.
8. Thank your favorite teacher.
9. Stop making remakes, "revivals", acoustic versions and sequels. Get creative NOW.
10. Complain. I know it sounds bad, but it helps improve products and services that benefits everyone.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

There's a reason why Richard Gomez, the pretty, athletic, granola James Bond that he is, should run for senator. Of course, he's exercising his right to do so, being that, despite the awful shame in his bid, this is still a democracy. And, if everyone around him is talking him up to do it, then by all means, let the man run.

But let him lose, too. Because that would make his run worth it. Running, and losing, would validate not only the audacity and absurdity of his enterprise (to some, maybe not, seeing that FPJ, of similar ilk, also ran for office) but of the administration's -- and the entire political circus' -- downright silliness. Gomez losing could mark a turning point in our electorate's consciousness: that, quite possibly, the elections are not just about popularity. I may be too idealistic here, but if you're reading this blog, chances are, you're smart enough not to vote for him.

For one, I'm willing, with all due respect, to wager that Gomez isn't too bright. He may be charismatic -- sometimes that's all you need -- but I think Gomez will get hosed in a debate with Edu Manzano any day. And that's saying a lot about Edu Manzano.

I digress. With the exception of very few, such as Herbert Bautista and Vilma Santos, actors-turned-politicians hardly accomplish anything -- scandalous, or otherwise. For one, they tend not to be opinionated, which requires, at the bare minimum, a desire to read. They tend to indulge in legislating sports, or the entertainment industry (none of them I wish to diminish here), and seem to never have the noggin for things like tax reform and the current account balance. (On the other hand, Gomez would probably do a good job playing a senator.)

On the campaign trail, I would think it's just as easy to belittle Gomez as it is for Gomez to shine in the spotlight. And he will, and everyone will be watching. I can see it now: Lucy Torres, in her Sunsilkiness, will take the stage, gush about her TVidol-turned-husband, and watch him melt the crowd. Just don't make him sing. Please lang.

So, when he loses, it might just be the resounding death knell for all those actors thinking about running. Gomez meets the first cut in becoming a viable candidate. When the voters go out there, and punish him for his ambition, they send a message that even lawyers, crooked until proven otherwise, can make better lawmakers. My hope is that the Filipino will. And even make Willie Revillame think twice.

Now, about those news anchors...

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

This from SWS.

On 30 November 2006, the Comelec promulgated en banc Resolution 7767, containing Rules and Regulations in relation to the May 2007 elections, which states in Sec. 32 that "Surveys affecting national candidates shall not be published fifteen (15) days before the day of the election and surveys affecting local candidates shall not be published seven (7) days before the day of the election," or the very same provision of the Fair Election Act already declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on 5 May 2001 in Social Weather Stations v Comelec (G.R. 147571).

Mahar Mangahas is fuming:

In an act of sheer incompetence, if not of outright malice, the Commission on Elections has issued a Resolution forbidding publication of election surveys, in direct defiance of a Supreme Court decision declaring election surveys protected by the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.

For two months already, ever since November 30, 2006, and for as long as no correction is made, Comelec Resolution 7767 is a continuing violation of freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution. SWS will take whatever formal legal action is necessary to force the Comelec to abide by the Supreme Court ruling in G.R. 147571.

Read more here.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

I've made up my mind about 2007: this is about as good as it gets. That said, I still lurked around to see what other people thought would happen in 2007. Some are plain annoying, merely stating the obvious. Pat Robertson predicts mass killing -- now that's Nostradamic.

In my lurking I found a blogger hamed Jepoy, who in his blog (designed to look like a Star Trek TNG dashboard) has a picture of himself in a strange superhero costume (Enteng Kabisote anyone?).

Needless to say, his predictions are remarkably troublesome. Not because they are morbid or fantastic (nothing impossible about any of them), but because they exhibit the kind of discrimination that scares me the most -- a prejudice, proudly worn, stitched together with class-based hate.

Among his predictions, he writes:

2. More Filipino idiots will be online, and would be jumping into international message boards showing how stupid they aer [sic], dragging us with them.

7. And the poorest of the poor will contribute largely to the continued growth of our population due to the fact that they have way tooo much time on their hands for their favorite pastime *bleeep* We should consider to export these whiners as human slaves to other countries. We'll definitely earn a lot since our country will have less useless whiners around.

9. More Filipino artist will confess that they are ghey.

In these three statements, he's managed to diss on the illiterate, the poor, and the homosexuals, not to mention showing contempt for his own race. I am troubled not only with the candidness of his bigotry, as he seems unashamed to hide his lack of upbringing, but at the fact that his predictions read more like mono-maniacal chest-thumping than a fearless look into a crystal ball. None of them are staggeringly original. He predicts massive cheating in this years election. Yeah-duh.

With twenty million Filipinos going online in 2007, he’s probably right. This is why I’m brutal to n00bs, especially n00bs in Philippine business.

Unpredictably scary people I'd never want to meet. This, or any year.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Everybody wants to leave the country. I have nothing but "bests of luck" and "farewells" to them, especially the doctors (who become nurses) and nurses. Makes me feel better about the quality of work those sticking needles in my arm can produce.

I digress. A friend of mine, an ad executive gainfully employed in a top agency once quipped: "Mag babarista na lang ako sa Montreal." Sure, he's kidding. After all, he's got 15 years experience, plus his degree.

But it seems that that is exactly what happens: there's a "non-recognition of their foreign-earned credentials" that lead to "institutionalized de-skilling, de-professionalization and institutional obstacles," according to one group in Ontario, who is telling the Ontario Legislature all this in a hearing.

“As a group,” the group said, “Filipinos are highly educated. In 2001 almost 57 percent of Filipino immigrants in Toronto had some university-level education. This compared with 33 per cent for all immigrant groups, and just under 35 per cent for residents. Moreover, most Filipinos arrive with a strong command of English and a familiarity with North American institutions. Despite these high levels of human capital, the average wage levels for Filipino men and women are substantially below a variety of comparison groups. Statistical analyses have shown that Filipinos have among the highest levels of occupational segmentation of any immigrant groups (Hiebert, 1999; Kelly, 2005).

The main cause identified in the survey and focus groups was the systemic non-recognition of Philippine-earned education and experience.  As a result of this systemic barrier, Filipinos are forced to take on survival jobs to support themselves and their families and to meet financial obligations such as debts incurred due to the high cost of immigration. Survival jobs provide no surplus to finance tuition or professional upgrading.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

UPDATE:

Star pulled through. A technical resource person by the name of Kiko working at Star's branch actually called me up and walked me through the setup. It was quite a long process and I really appreciate his efforts. He even rummaged through their office to look for the same handset I have to make sure he was guiding me correctly.

Alas, despite plugging in the correct information, we still couldn't get connected to gmail.com. He told me to tell him when I'll be coming over and he'll make sure he's there to help.

That said, he added this nugget: it seems that, at least to him, accessing m.gmail.com or using the Java app that comes from gmail on your Globe phone is not possible since it requires a secure connection. Globe doesn't provide that. To my mind, I don't see how you can access a POP account without any security. That may be the final reason why I can't get to gmail.

---------

I just recently spent an excruciatingly long amount of time and patience getting my Globe Telecom handset to work with gmail.com. For those of you choosing a mobile services provider, you may want to consider after-sales customer service as a key determining factor, especially since mobile handsets these days go beyond just talking and texting. Setting up email, for example, can be like pulling teeth. (Reconstructed as best as I can.)

1. First I tried searching Globe's website, for any information regarding using GPRS on my phone. This could be setup instructions, IP addresses, etc. I found and downloaded a nice PDF guide online and used it. The settings allowed me to surf and access sites, but not all of them, including m.gmail.com which is where this all started.

2. I went to SM Megamall, where there was a Globe service office. The gentleman in front tried helping me by taking my handset and surfing with it. I showed him how, yes, you can access all these sites, but not gmail.com. He said that there's probably something wrong with gmail.com. I responded that I don't think so, since everyone else has access to it fine. He said he couldn't help me.

3. Went to The Podium where there is a Globe sales office. There I met Star (yes, Star's her name) and though she made it clear that they don't do any after-sales support (despite that fact that they are known as "Customer Service Representatives") she tried to help me. She borrowed my handset and tried accessing the web using the GPRS browser, including gmail.com. After seeing that other sites can be accessed (proving my settings are correct) she concluded that there must indeed be something wrong with how gmail is being handled by their servers. She sent a message to Globe Technical Services and said that they will contact me within 3 days about my concern. If a week, I was told, passes by and I hear nothing, then she gave me these numbers to call: "211" from my handset, or "730-1000" from a landline.

4. A week passes by and I hear nothing (not surprised). I call "211" and, after some automated menu selection, I get to an operator who immediately puts me on hold. Then after coming back she asks me what the problem was, I tell her, and she tells me to hold. Half a minute later she tells me that she will send me settings for my phone. I told her that my settings were correct (see #3 above) and that I was asking specifically about gmail. She then tells me to hold. After nearly three minutes, she comes back and tells me to call this number: "797-8378" and said that they can help me.

Me: You realize you made me wait for three minutes only to tell me to call someone else.

Her: Sorry sir, but we're really slow. Our technical services right now are slow.

Me: Well, that's not good for me, huh?

5. So I call this other number and I found it hard to make a correct menu selection from the machine. After getting to one that would lead me to an operator, I wait for one. After 20 seconds, I get a machine that asks for my number and a message after the tone. I may have left a very nasty message, because really, this was exasperating.

6. But the worse is yet to come. I tried calling Star again, (see #3 above) who was about the best I could get. Maybe she could help me, I thought. I dialed the number she gave me: "914-3840". A man answered.

Man: Hello?

Me: Hi, sa Globe Podium ba to? Pwede bang makausap si Star?

Man: Sandali lang

Man: [After 10 seconds] May kausap po sya sa kabilang linya, pwede tawag ka na lang ulit?

Me: Ah, meron ba akong pwedeng makausap na iba?

*click*

That person just put the phone down on me. Yes, could they possibly plumb new depths? The answer is a depressing "yes". I called them again. I speak to, at first Janet (who didn't know what to do with an irate caller) then eventually Rina, who, despite her Customer Service Representative training, could simply not help but continue to dig a deeper grave. After starting the conversation with "Sir, what is your name?" and establishing very quickly that she is not the manager:

Me: You're probably the eighth person I've spoken to today who can't help me. All they do is pass me on to someone. And when I called earlier, someone put the phone down on me. What do you think of that?

Rina: Sir, I'm not sure about that. You mean, hang up? No sir, I don't think so.

Me: What do you mean you're not sure? Are you calling me a liar?

Rina: No, sir, I'm not.

Me: Well, someone did. And you're calling me a liar. Is that how you treat customers? When they tell you something, you tell them that they are wrong? Are you saying no one put the phone down on me and I imagined it?

Rina: Sir, er, it may be that it was unintentional.

Me: Unintentional? If I run over a cat, intentionally or accidentally, it still doesn't change the fact that I ran over a cat, does it?

To add to that, she said that it could have been the guard that answered the phone.

Me: Do you think I choose who answers the phone for you? I'm not there! That's why I'm on the phone!

Rina: Yes, sir.

Me: All you have to do is say you're sorry, and we can start over.

Rina: Okay sir, I'm sorry someone put the phone down on you.

7. At the end of all that, I still can't access gmail from my Globe Telecoms phone. Guess what? They gave me another number "730-1999". I promptly dialed it and I spoke to May. After describing my problem yet again, she goes:

May: Sir, I can't help you.

Me: What do you mean? I can access all the other sites, and everyone I know who is not a Globe subscriber can access gmail through their phones, why can't I through mine?

May: Sir, I can tell you now that that is my answer.

Me: You're telling me you can't help me.

May: Yes sir. And by the way, please don't call this number. Call 730-1000 whenever you have any problems.

Me: Your people at Globe Podium gave me your number to call.

May: Yes sir, but I'm advising you that next time, call the other other number.

I'm calling on anyone at Globe Telecoms, I mean, c'mon. This is how you run your business?

Tags: Globe+Telecoms, Globe+Handyphone, Globe+Philippines, Globe+customer+service

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Dang, I used to like this guy. He and my mom went to school together (funny how he mentions it in his article). But it's this intolerance -- and the soapbox he uses to trumpet it -- that puts him on my *other* list.

Is our population getting to be predominantly pansy? Must we allow homosexuality to march unobstructed until we are converted into a nation of sexless persons without the virility of males and the grace of females but only an insipid mix of these diluted virtues? Let us be warned against the gay population, which is per se a compromise between the strong and the weak and therefore only somewhat and not the absolute of either of the two qualities. Be alert lest the Philippine flag be made of delicate lace and adorned with embroidered frills.

Mr. Cruz, I'm sure your perfectly "macho" sons won't stoop to your level. I mean, c'mon, how can you diss on Ellen Degeneres?

Read here.

Tags: homophobia, gay+bashing, total+BS, Isagani+Cruz, pink+triangle

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

See, now, we're on a roll. Manolo Quezon does 10 questions with Bulletproofvest. I was going to ask him if he was going to run for office, but I'm afraid to know what his campaign slogan would be. Here are his, er, explanations.

1. How'd you get to become The Explainer on cable? (And, who's that ladyfriend you have co-hosting?)

The "Explainees" keep changing. It started with my guesting on ANC shows to explain stuff -and some of the management saying, I should do more of it. And a lot of lobbying on my part over a period of two years.

2. I know your grandfather was the President, and I know he had some really nice cars, but what is it that you'd want 3rd graders in school to learn about him the most?

He never thought the Filipino the inferior of anyone, anywhere, at any time.

3. Follow-up: have you ever pulled out the 20-peso note to show someone a "family picture"? How'd that go?

No. People pull the note on me. And it's the worst damned picture of MLQ ever made.

4. Five events that changed the course of Philippine history.

1. Publication of Noli Me Tangere
2. The Battle of Manila Bay
3. The Invasion of the Philippines by Japan
4. Ramon Magsaysay's death
5. Martial Law

My note: what about the Ginebra-Shell game where Bobby Parks choked and Dante Gonzalgo hit the winning three to come back from 6 points down in 9 seconds?

5. And, three that might or should happen that will.

1. GMA's liver/heart/brain suddenly fails
2. Joseph Estrada keels over
3. Everyone suddenly decides to really vote wisely

My note: Or, pay their taxes.

6. My wife has a question: are you a historian, pundit, scholar, political analyst? (I need a real answer to this, because I have to defend bloggers anywhere I can.)

I'm a writer, an essayist who happens to concentrate on history and politics. Because of that, others consider me a historian and even a scholar, a political analyst and a pundit (since I do talking head stuff). Someone went as far as calling me a public intellectual which I don't quite understand (what's that?).

My note: a "public intellectual" is someone who thinks outside his/her shower.

7. If you could interview anyone, dead or alive, on your show, who'd you have? What questions would you ask?

Apolinario Mabini. Everything.

My note: Mabini, the ultimate insider, sounds like a thinking man's national hero, huh?

8. Can you beat me at anything? Beer pong? Battleship?

Trivial Pursuit, perhaps?

My note: Oh, yeah?

9. What should we, the voting middle class, be most afraid of this coming election? Lito Atienza's shirts? Or Noli de Castro?

It (the middle class) should fear itself, and its increasingly reactionary instincts because of how marginalized it's become.

10. So, the fearless forecast: who will be our next President?

I think we're set to have GMA as president-for-life. I'm still operating from that assumption.

11. Bonus question: shirt and tie or barong?

I have a fetish for bowties but they say I look better in a barong.

Now, bowties -- if anything, that's in the blood.

Tags: Manuel+Quezon, Philippines, The+Explainer, ANC, Manolo+Quezon, Pinoy

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Here's probably the most depressing story I ran across the past few days, so I had to break blog silence.

We are all waging our private wars against bad grammar, and worse, bad spelling. This has been a subject of mine for a while now.

SMS, while amazingly useful, has sadly made our English worse. The truncated messages have made us talk in abbreviations, of sorts, creating a whole new dictionary of cryptic, vowel-free terms. We all know this, as do 40 million other Filipinos who use cellphones for SMS. This vocabulary has entered the realms of business and the academe, where these slang abbreviations encroach on good taste, and ensure a bad impression.

So, the De La Salle University, supported by CHED no less, has endorsed a cure. The article starts out with promise:

Imagine yourself as a teacher for a moment, correcting tons of test papers, filled with coherent and rational essays. Then suddenly, there’s that one paper, that singular submission that reads more like a secret code with a collection of consonants, an essay practically devoid of vowels: “Shkspr s d mst rcgnzbl hstrc fgr. . . .”

The answer is being pro-active in the re-education...

“We want to take an active part in reeducating students in sending error-free messages by spelling each word correctly,” says James Young, senior marketing manager of software communications company Tegic Communications Southeast Asia. He headed a daylong festivity at the De La Salle University in Manila where the company launched its advocacy campaign on spelling proficiency. Appropriately dubbed, “Text Right . . . T9 It!” the project is supported by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in cooperation with TAPAT (Alyansang Tapat Sa Lasallista), which is one of the largest recognized leadership organizations in DLSU solely dedicated to student rights and welfare.

The last phrase, "student rights and welfare", was added in there for effect.

What is T9?

Young explained, “T9 Text Input is predictive software that helps mobile phone and PDA users to quickly write SMS text messages. It offers smart and simple mobile-text solution for users with its new features, which include smart word completion, next word prediction and enhanced multilingual support capabilities.”

If you’re typing “Hello” and you’ve only begun with “He” when the actual word appears on your phone’s screen, then that means your T9 software is already activated. You won’t need to type the rest of the word because the smart software recognizes and predicts the word you need to type. Consequently, this will save you time when you’re texting on the fly.

So, this means that *even* if I spell wrong, it'll make it right everytime! Great! So, hw d hck ds tht mke m a btr spllr?

Read here.

Tags: SMS, Philippines, English, De+La+Salle+University, CHED, DLSU

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Since nothing seems to stick on her, Imelda is now fulfilling her dreams of becoming a jewelry designer -- no doubt inspired by her hoi polloi.

Marcos, known for her shopping trips to ritzy shops in New York while the country wallowed in poverty, says she made the pieces from her old accessories and clothes, mixed with newly bought stones and other materials.

Her daughter, Rep. Imee Marcos, said that unknown to many people, her mother shops for trinkets and accessories at flea markets, and keeps earrings with a missing pair or brooches that have some missing stones.

Using a glue gun, scissors or pliers, her mother "can combine them with her vintage items in a way that comes out beautiful," Imee Marcos told journalists Monday during a promotional photo shoot for "The Imelda Collection," which is to be launched Nov. 18 in Manila.

It's all Borgy's fault.

She said the jewelry collection was the idea of her grandson, Martin "Borgy" Manotoc, who told her, "You are creating beautiful things, like jewels from practically garbage."

Read here. Pic from chuvaness (Cecile Zamora, who has a whole bunch of pics you don't wanna miss).

Tags: Imelda, Imelda+Marcos, Philippines

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

I know, haven't blogged lately. Can't really find either the time or the subject matter. But today, a trip to the Department of Trade and Industry yielded some picture-worthy news.

The DTI's main office is along Buendia Ave, in Makati. Like most buildings along that road, they have little parking. This time they had none because, according to the security guard the parking lot was taken up because they had "an activity."

This activity turned out to be the "Ceremonial Destruction of Confiscated Uncertified Products"! And, since the media didn't look interested, I took it upon myself to inform the public of this momentous event.

Like most government sponsored event, there is an invariable amount of government workers milling around and just, well, waiting for something to happen. I did chance upon one security guard helping herself to a confiscated chain of christmas lights -- she obviously didn't get the memo.

At 11:00 AM -- a full three hours before the actual "ceremonial destruction" -- a steam roller was rumbling at one end of the parking lot. From what I overheard, he didn't understand the difference between "later" and "later this afternoon." Needless to say, he sat there, one foot on the gas, and the other on the gears. Ready to get it on.

His object laid strewn hapless on the parking lot. A strange but unimpressively small collection: from christmas lights, to lighters, to small batteries, to lightbulbs and a handful of toilet bowls. Maybe the kind you see at 168. I asked myself: this is all they were able to confiscate? No, wait! These are the virgin sacrifices for the ceremony! The rest are stashed away waiting to be resold! So, tt seems this party was just for cocktails, but there were many curious drinks. And, there were a few LPG tanks, but I doubt that the steamroller would take on these (that would make for a real party!).

So as the rain wore off, I started back on my errands and took a few more shots. Didn't stick around for the actual ceremony, but I sure it was a smash.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Torture comes easy in desperate times. Read.

On one side are the Republican veterans of the uniformed services, arguing that the president’s proposal would effectively gut the nearly 60-year-old Geneva Conventions, sending a dark signal to the rest of the world and leaving United States military without adequate protection against torture and mistreatment.

Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York and chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said: “I just think John McCain is wrong on this. If we capture bin Laden tomorrow and we have to hold his head under water to find out when the next attack is going to happen, we ought to be able to do it.”

The battle, pitting Republicans vs Republicans, is now more than smoke on the Hill.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Since I work at home, my Meralco bill is quite hefty mostly due to airconditioning. Since Meralco was made to "unbundle" their bill to show their customers exactly where all the money goes, it's revealed some fascinating things, among them, that only about a quarter of my power monthly actually goes to Meralco.

In essence, Meralco's a distributor, which you can easily liken to SM. SM makes money off selling other people's stuff. And if you look at Meralco's costs being about 20% of the total cost of the product, and realize SM's markup is about the same, well, then there's really no "hatin'" Meralco if you like SM.

That said, I went ahead and dug into my bill and did a breakdown, and simplified it. I learned a lot about what I'm actually paying and what I'm paying for. Maybe you will here too: name on the left, percent of the total bill next to it. Below it, what that means about what you're paying.

Generation Charge - 49%

Paid to power suppliers such as the National Power Corporation (NPC), as well as Independent Power Producers (IPPs), for the electricity they generate, which Meralco distributes.

This means: government, who runs NPC, who signed away the country's soul in long-term power generation contracts with multi-national firms.

Transmission Charge - about 8%

Paid to The National Transmission Company or TransCo, this fee is for delivery of electricity from generators, normally in remote areas or provinces to Meralco's distribution system.

System Loss Charge - about 8%

Set at a maximum of 9.5% in accordance with Republic Act 7832, this is allowed for the recovery of lost power.

This means: that they're so sloppy -- and so shrewd -- they charge the customer for their own inefficiency. Now, name another business that does that.

Franchise Tax - a small amount

Required by government, 2% of this amount goes to the national government as local national franchise tax, while a range of 0.05% to 0.75% of the gross is paid to local government units.

This means: government. Anything that has the word "tax" on it goes to the government. Since it also has "LGU" written on it, I'll chalk this up as my mayor's tip.

Universal Charge - I paid Php 30.00 this month

This is remitted to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), a company owned and controlled by government, created by Republic Act 9136. Part of this is in your bill as missionary electrification and environmental charges.

This means: The consumer, instead of the government through other taxes or Meralco itself through its earnings, is helping electrify the countryside.

Lifeline Subsidy - about 1%

Amounting to P 0.0761 per kWh, this is paid by all customers consuming 101 kWh and up, and used to fund the Lifeline Discount.

This means: See below.

Lifeline Discount - I don't get any.

The EPIRA (Section 73) provides that residential customers consuming less than 100 kWh in a given month will enjoy a Lifeline Discount on generation, transmission, distribution, supply, metering and system loss charges at these percentages:

Using 50 kWh and below will get 50% discount
Using 71 to 100 kWh will get a 20% discount

This means: Meralco offers other consumers discounts, the costs of which I am paying for. No loss to Meralco, and they look great by offering the discounts.

Interclass Subsidy - I get Php 172 back!

The unbundled rates also identify subsidies being enjoyed or provided by the various customer categories of Meralco. All residential customers will enjoy a subsidy of P0.7130 per kWh consumed. This subsidy will be funded by a charge to be paid by commercial and industrial establishments.

And here are the actual Meralco charges

Distribution Charge - 16%

This pays the cost of building, operating and maintaining the distribution system of Meralco, which brings power from high-voltage transmission grids, to commercial and industrial establishments, to residential end-users.

This means: My actual cost of product.

Metering Charge - 2.5%

This includes the cost of reading, and operating and maintaining power metering facilities.

This means: My actual cost of distribution.

Supply Charge - 5%

This includes the cost of rendering service to customers, such as billing, collection, customer assistance and associated services.

This means: I'm paying Meralco's employees their salaries. What for?

Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment - 2%

This covers adjustments for unavoidable fluctuations in the Philippine Peso-U.S. Dollar exchange rate

This means: I'm covering Meralco's ass in case they crumble from their non-performing/exposed Peso-based assets and investments.

There are various other taxes, which you chalk up to the government column, including an Energy Tax, and VAT, which amounts to about 9% of your bill. A dozen times every year, now that's a lot to get upset about.

Tags: Meralco, Philippines

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

I'm still reeling from reading Imelda's interview with Time Magazine Asia. She's really just about as annoying (and irrelevant as it gets). And, next to who killed Ninoy Aquino, her being not incarcerated is the biggest mystery of modern Philippine history.

Everyone knows she's whacked. But her shots are really entertaining.

On Ferdinand:

When he entered politics in l949, he had tons and tons of gold. When Bill Gates was a college dropout, Ferdinand already possessed billions of dollars and tons of gold. It wasn't stolen.

On calling herself poor:

I am poor not in material things but in the truth.

On her friends helping her in fighting the "superpowers":

The first one to come to my rescue was [Muammar] Gaddafi, who said he was willing to post bail for me even if it were 10 times higher. Even Saddam Hussein sent his foreign minister to ask if there was anything I needed. ... [Fidel] Castro too. When I visited Cuba, he drove for me. He told me he had driven for only two people in his life—his mother and me ... At the height of the cold war, I visited China. When I saw Chairman Mao, I kissed his hand so he kissed my hand. "I like you," the Chairman said. "You're very beautiful, and childlike."

On what she has next up her sleeve:

I will come up with a project that will wipe out poverty in the Philippines in two years. I want to remove the people from economic crisis by using the Marcos wealth. Long after I'm gone, people will remember me for building them homes and roads and hospitals and giving them food. The people should stop laughing at all this. They should stop thinking that I'm a bit touched in the head.

(A "bit touched" -- I like that.) And, my favorite, her advice for George W.:

My advice to him is: do a Ferdinand in handling power. Ferdinand once told me, "Imelda, power is not used, it is felt."

Tags: Imelda, Marcos, Time+Magazine, Philippines, crazy+bitch

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

And you all know how I hate sloppy writing. So this is going to be about two things:

1. How Filipinos seem to find the use of elipsis so annoyingly convenient. Here's an example:

eto... i have a list pero... baka yung iba di mag-agree dahil known cla as terror... sa kas1... si sir atoy sa math... si ma'am cherry ramos!!! (sa lb... si sir at si ma'am lawas! the best!) sa stat... si sir dennis (lalo na sa 34 namen... or siguro maganda lang experience ng group namen sa kanya), si ma'am tina...miss ko na siya... si sir joyce (naliwanagan ako sa 21 ko... pero 31... sana di ako mawala!!!) sa commIII... nalimutan ko na name niya... pero super bait...may family na siya pero maganda pa rin... si ma'am... wait...sorry nalimutan ko na talaga siya... basta. sa french... si madam chan! sa intsik... si sir bata...! da best! sino pa?...

Now, how is that acceptable? To me, the elipsis is a crutch for the fact that you cannot start and complete a sentence, or that you want to fill in the gaps with punctuation (what other ridiculous reason can you think of?). And this writing should have been taught out in high school, not found here at the college level.

2. And then, there's the problem of dependent clauses.

At least that’s Paolo’s assessment of what went wrong about his dear friend’s interracial union on the bits and pieces she confided to him in the last two months when Miriam returned to the country to be a guest co-host in the final week of GMA 7’s Extra Challenge.

Whew! I ran out of breath reading that damn thing. Where are the editors when you need one?

Technorati Tags: pigeon english, pinoy+english, writing

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Between this and the choice of PLDT DSL, which itself is a lousy service at best, this will go down in my book as the biggest reason not to come back to the Philippines. Is anyone out there starting an ihateskycable.com website?

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 04:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Many people are thrilled to get a White House Christmas card, no matter what the greeting inside. But some conservative Christians are reacting as if Bush stuck coal in their stockings.

"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."

Of course, it's the President's way of saying "Happy Christmahannukwanzaa" but no one really gets that. The National Council of Churches has even spoken against businesses such as Target and Land's End because they've "lost the will to say "Merry Christmas"."

Donohue said that Wal-Mart, facing a threatened boycott, added a Christmas page to its Web site and fired a customer relations employee who wrote a letter linking Christmas to "Siberian shamanism." He was not mollified by a letter from Lands' End saying it "adopted the 'holiday' terminology as a way to comply with one of the basic freedoms granted to all Americans: freedom of religion."

"Ninety-six percent of Americans celebrate Christmas," Donohue said. "Spare me the diversity lecture."

I don't know if that 96% really observes the birth of Christ, but I'm sure they're all happy to take the holiday.

Continue reading "Happy Holidays" »

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Shades of Koresh.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S. Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I don't know of a case where the vetting broke down before and resulted in a spy being in the White House," said Richard Clarke, a former White House advisor who is now an ABC News consultant.

Federal investigators say Aragoncillo, a naturalized citizen from the Philippines, used his top secret clearance to steal classified intelligence documents from White House computers.

When Aragoncillo is asked what he was spying on, he will say he was merely passing on information gathered by the CIA and the FBI on Gloria. To whom, well, I'm just aching to find out. Any wild guesses?

Still, judging by what the CIA knew about Saddam Hussein, they probably don't have jack on GMA.

Read here.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

Katrina has done more than rip levees and lives apart, it has exposed the rift between poverty and a government choked with so much bureaucracy that has cut taxes for the well-off and funding that could have prevented the hurricane's wrath from worsening.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:24 PM | Permalink
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon

The long gray line is not about the uniform of West Point. It is about the long history of our flirtation with the lesser evil, with white lies. That is the problem with compromise. It starts so innocently, so quietly. It hardly does anyone any harm, a little half-truth here, a just-this-once exception there. Evil takes on a lesser form, and a lie becomes white.

Curious to note that in these postmodern times, your "gray line" is what Aristotle would describe as the "Golden Mean." Or, is it perhaps your interpretation of white lies and black Filipino hair, which when combined together in a Tupperware bowl reveals the so-called "gray area?" I don't know, but I'm responding to your rambling with some of my own.

Anyway, the state of affairs in the Philippines has triggered a surge for the truth, even from those who hardly know how to spell it.

Way to put down those little unimportant illiterate people they call the "majority voting bloc." And, were you chewing on kakanin when you said "surge" when you actually meant "search?"

Even better is the sudden inclusion of integrity together with the truth as now the demands of the times from politicians towards other politicians.

I don't get this sentence. I hate it, it makes me feel stupid.

But:

In other words, our love of country comes only after our love for our own interests. And if there is a conflict of interest, then personal interests come first. To paraphrase it, a Filipino says to the Philippines, "It is not that I love you less, but I love me more."

...probably makes *you* feel stupid! So, quits lang tayo! You have "In other words," and *then* you have "To paraphrase it." We got it the first time, okay?

The easy manner by which even our moral leaders have been able to live with the lesser evil is indication enough [that] the return of truth and integrity as dominant values in Philippine society will not come without a hard struggle.

Here's something I agree with you on. How can we be the most Christian country in Asia, with a priest-to-parokyano ratio of 1:24 (I made that one up, by the way), and have such questionable scruples? I think it's time that somebody who has a public voice (like you, Jose) to speak up and say that the so-called moral bastion that is the Roman Catholic church is dated. Threatening people with Hell no longer works. We have to punish them in this life.

The long gray line must be cut. It is so much easier to be simply truthful, to know the difference between black and white, and to choose right over wrong.

Well, there you go, contradicting your thesis again. First, you give the impression that this "long gray line" (LGL) was born like the bastard son of Satan. Then, LGL is "long, indeed." Then it's agonizingly personal. Then, you say LGL "will not be easy to break." Now, you go and say it is "so much easier to be simply truthful." Like how it's so much more simple to go and fire an arrow that hits you right in the eye! You offer no solution, no hope, just a soft, twisted, choppy, ditty (with an anonymous anecdote) where you continue to show that you have no business writing (but you're good blog fodder!).

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:21 AM | Permalink
del.icio.us Digg it Furl ma.gnolia Newsvine reddit Google StumbleUpon