Working President

2001
Few days after assuming the Presidency, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved the $470M hydroelectronic power contract to an Argentinean power firm, IMPSA. Former Congressman Mark Jimenez accused former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez as the main man of the alleged multi-billion scam, known ally of the Arroyo’s. The congressman detailed the bribes; $7 million to himself, $2 million to Perez, $1 million to National Power Corp. Officials and $4 million to the Office of the President.

2001
The FIVE (5) KILOMETERS Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard which is overpriced by P532 million from its original cost.

2003
Senator Edgardo Angara alleged that the Office of the President tried to extort $20 million from a German Company, Fraport which built the new airport terminal.

2003
Senator Panfilo Lacson claim that First Gentleman Mike Arroyo used pseudonym ‘Jose Pidal’ to laundered P321 million as campaign funds.

2003
An alleged $7.5M real estate transaction of undeclared assets from 1992 to 2004 of the Arroyo’s in U.S.

2004
The P1.3 billion poll computerization project by then Commission on Election Chairman Benjamin Abalos, a known ally of President Arroyo was discovered OVERPRICED by P500 million.

2004
In 2004 election President Arroyo allegedly used for her PERSONAL GAINS P700 Million of agricultural funds.

2005
Another jueteng scandal involving the First Family. A confessed jueteng operator claimed that the Arroyo’s received P500,000 to P1 million every month from illegal gambling operators.

2005
Another over-priced project made possible without public bidding. The $400 million North Rail Project.

2007
The National Broadband Network and ZTE deal which is overpriced by $329 Million. Again. First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and known ally former COMELEC Commissioner Benjamin Aballos are accused of manipulating the project.

2007
The controversial National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) bidding which is valued at P138 billion. One of the company involve is Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp., which is associated with businessman Ricky Razon, with business interest in ports of Manila and abroad, and a known ally of the First Family.
Other companies involved are State Grid Corp. of China and Calaca High Power that offered $3.95 billion to operate TransCo.

When Human Talks

All has been said and done. There are detractors who on their own way did try to justify those previous actions of Mr. Nanda. But their action didn’t resolve the issue but instead worsen the situation and expose their real attitude with regards on managing agents on the floor. Though they allow you to speak and dispute, mind you, some of them won’t forget that instance.

Good thing humans can communicate. And like what Mr. Nanda says “THERE ARE NO MISTAKES THAT CAN’T BE CORRECTED”. And for those anonymous individuals beholden to Mr. Nanda that doesn’t know what those words meant... approach me and I tell you what it is.

That’s what happen when human talks.

Alok Nanda’s Demonstration of Ruthlessness

Call Center. Stats or metrics are the name of the game. Unlike in a manufacturing company where the quality of the output or of a finished product speaks for a worker’s productivity level, the set-up in a call center rely mainly on the tools it created to gauge an agent’s performance. From these tools, the management relies on the numbers it reflects. There shouldn’t be any problem if that’s just the case. The thing is, these tools always require human intervention—a human mind to interpret the digits or characters they display. They call these numbers “stats” that when they are summed up, it can either make or break your career. It is in this respect that you can doubt that at some point that biases can possibly occur. These tools—I suspect—are open for abuse.

This was the case that I saw coming—but didn’t realize it could happen so soon. This manager from India who oversees our calls one night picked on me. His accusation? Poor enunciation. My calls, according to him were unpleasant. Man, if only I can find a word that will best describe his speaking skills, especially in English. He was accusing me of being poor in my language facility! Ahh, I could hardly believe it. Modesty aside, my communication skills needs some polishing I know. But my case is far better than this Indian guy! On normal days, I would take 70 calls in one shift. He based his judgment on the two calls that I handled. But for goodness sake, I am pretty sure that I took care of those calls all too well. He can’t take anything against me. I know my job and I know what I am there for.

While I understand that business process outsourcing companies have the right to set their expectations especially on matters that involve customer satisfaction, that their demands are premised on the long-term plans of seeing the businesses grow, I believe that this is our country and the people who call the shots in the government must step in to check and review if while in the pursuit of commercial interests, the employees’ welfare is also being taken care of. I mean, utmost care is accorded to call center representatives who in most locations are FILIPINOS like ME. I am in my country, in short.

Going back to my story, how does one really measure customer satisfaction? I’ve been with IBM-Daksh for quite some time now and so far I must say that it has afforded me and other employees a great working environment. But like any other institution there is no perfect place because humans form a major part of its organizational structure. I never really got to pay an eye on my company’s imperfections until this Indian employee/manager of IBM-Daksh named Alok Nanda came in.

Before we met him, we were told that he is ruthless, heartless…in the truest essence of these words. We also heard that he is just shrugging his shoulders whenever he learns about these “bad tags” about him, leaving an impression that he is proud and comfortable with his negative image.

We were somewhat incredulous about this until one night; we had our first brush with him—and his ruthlessness. One of his “angels” tipped him that one of my colleagues is being lax while on duty. But this wasn’t true. My colleague was seriously taking calls that time. As easy as snapping his fingers, Alok ordered my teammate to leave, go home and never come back. That simple that it awakened the devils in us. What if that situation happens to me? I thought. Then I recalled him saying, in one of our sessions that he can call the shots anytime. It’s like at his convenience—without any reason at all.

And things didn’t end with just one employee. Other employees just left and looked for new pastures, out of fear and pressure that they’re going to be the next targets of Alok Nanda. At MNL-32, our batch, it is quite blurry why Alok Nanda is aiming his gun on us? Maybe he has reasons that we don’t know but for sure, they’re irrational. Anything that’s without a heart is. That’s what Alok Nanda is. Ruthless. Irrational.

I remember him saying that because he’s the manager, he can do anything. He’s working within his turf. That any of our imperfections can be magnified and can be used against us. Without any warning, we can be pulled out of work. He sets his eye like an eagle—happily expecting in every call that someone gets to commit a mistake, a deviation from the prescribed stat and voila, goodbye to your job!

That night he said that my calls were unpleasant and I had poor enunciation, he sent me home. I feared for my job, not for myself. I can get one anytime but you know, I have learned to love my workplace. I wanted to challenge him to review my work performance in IBM-Daksh and maybe he will be surprised with what he’s going to find out. I never had an issue, as far as previous stats and performance are concerned. I can honestly say that. I have been good to my company, to my seniors, to my colleagues.

He finds pleasure in magnifying other people’s mistake and later working out to axe people from their jobs. That particular night, I was his target. Confident that I wasn’t walking on the wrong lane, I answered back and told him that his assumption was wrong. Maybe that set him off to steam inside. No Alok Nanda can make quit my job because I am performing well. And surely I know that there will be a next time for our face-off. I have to prepare.

Filipino’s are peace-loving, humane and intelligent. We can mingle with anyone, with all races. When not on our soil, we like to comply with rules. Strictly or religiously we do. Well I guess that is common to most people of different nationalities.

With Alok Nanda, his case is obviously different. It’s just that he doesn’t like our batch. We belong to a batch that maybe he can’t find a knack for. So many Filipinos from our batch have decided to leave because of him. He says, he is Indian. And Daksh is an Indian company that merged with IBM-Philippines for the call center business. He feels that this fact empowers him to do anything he wants to us. That as an Indian, the investment made by Daksh to country sets him to a higher level in our society. Once he said “I am investing money on you guys.”

But he forgot, he is on our soil. That’s what I want him to realize. And certainly, I will make him see that. Here, as a Filipino, we must call the shot.

Ano na rin!

Kawawa naman si Jocjoc Bolante... nagkasakit tuloy pag-balik ng Pilipinas. Dapat pinabalik agad nila sa U.S. para gumaling at hindi sa St. Lukes. Wala naman daw ebidensiya laban sa kanya... kahit itanong nyo pa sa mga abagado nya. Kilangan kasi umamin sya na meron talaga syang kinalaman para sabihin na dawit sya sa mga over-price na fertilizer.

Creating Food Crisis: WB and IMF Way

read the full article ( How to manufacture a global food crisis ) by Walden Bello

"....the homeland of corn had been converted to a corn-importing economy by “free market” policies promoted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and Washington. The process began with the early 1980s debt crisis. One of the two largest developing-country debtors, Mexico was forced to beg for money from the Bank and IMF to service its debt to international commercial banks. The quid pro quo for a multibillion-dollar bailout was what a member of the World Bank executive board described as “unprecedented thoroughgoing interventionism”

The one-two punch of IMF-imposed adjustment and WTO-imposed trade liberalization swiftly transformed a largely self-sufficient agricultural economy into an import-dependent one as it steadily marginalized farmers. It was a wrenching process, the pain of which was captured by a Filipino government negotiator during a WTO session in Geneva. “Our small producers,” he said, “are being slaughtered by the gross unfairness of the international trading environment.”

kakain si uncle sam

hindi ba parang sobra narin tayong niloloko ni Uncle Sam at ng kanilang mga Government controlled financial institution? bakit ba gusto nilang dependent nalang sa kanila ang ekonomiya at mapapalakad ng ibang bansa. wala na ba sila talagang mabuting maisip? sobra na ba talaga silang nabubulag sa kanilang ginagawa at iniisip nila na tama ang kanilang ginagawa?

Wala na rin ba tayong magagawa sa mga corporate media natin sa Pilininas na walang ginawa kundi mag bigay na hilaw na katotohanan sa kanilang mga binabalita. bakit hindi nila palawigin ang mga totoong dahilan at palalimin ang unawa ng mga tao, hindi ang pagresolba sa suliraning kung ano lang ang kasalukuyan.

At kung ano-anong kasinungalin balita ang nababasa at napapanood natin sa mga US controlled media outlet na ang dahilan ng mataas na bilihin at kakulangan ng pagkain ay ang mataas na demand mula sa China at India. Hihirit pa na dahil daw bio fuels.

bakit hindi ipaliwanag ng maindidihan ng mas marami ang totoong dahilan kung bakit ganito ang kalagayan ng ating bansa at ng buong mundo at sa unti-unti pag-babago ng kaisipan ng marami ay matutunan natin kung paano hindi tayo nagiging pabigat sa ating bansa... kung paano pinipilit manipulahin ng U.S. Gov't ang financial market sa pamamagitan ng presyo ng langis at food supply ng mundo. gaano ba kahalaga ang trade speculation sa US economy? kung bakit at paano pilit baguhin ng US controlled financial institution ang polisiya ng Pilipinas para sa pansamantalang solusyon at pahirapan ang buong bayan maglipas ng ilang taon.

profit parin ang iniisip ng mga ito, samantalang marami ng namamatay sa gutom at hindi kayang mag-pagamot dahil walang pera. macro-economic parin ba ang pag-uusapan natin dito at kung ano-anong market analysis... eh ang bottom line lang naman kung paano sila magkakaroon ng malaking profit at the expense of others?

read this link...( US, IMF role in Haitis food riots )

I'll buy this...

Why I like this article? ( Philippines has World Heaviest Load ) It strike to the very center of Filipino’s buying attitude and the influenced of mass media. We tend to be easily deceived on what we saw and hear. What’s the latest gadget in the market? Do we need it? Yeahh of course. Of the many features and function the latest Cellphone we own can we utilize most of it? Yeahh… “I can take pictures and download and share it to my friends…” woowwww how useful, I’m not totally guilty.

No need for more rhetoric’s. The articles is written by Willy E. Arcilla. Though convergence of people from Ad industry - people responsible for creating temptation on buying something, it run’s into ad spending habit of our local manufacturing industry. On how to effectively deliver their message and product to the consumer without cluttering the media outlets and outdoor billboards and best of all to have the moral and social responsibility in nation building.

But, isn’t very contrasting? The idea of this Ad Agency is to entice people to buy, buy, buy and buy? And that’s what the manufacturing sector wants. Buy, buy, buy and buy more.

Here's the excerpt...

THE ad congress’ keynote speaker, John Gokongwei, once quipped in a separate occasion, “We are a nation that produces nothing and consumes everything.” If China is known as the “superfactory of the world,” the Philippines must be the “supermarket of the world,” where Filipinos buy virtually everything -- an unsustainable economic development model, and simply unwise.

Filipinos need to spend less and save more, to be more of producers and not just consumers. Unbridled ad spending may also contribute to the country’s worsening culture of materialism, which without proper guidance, can lead to an erosion in morality manifested in envy and covetousness, as shown in dishonesty in school tests and even TV game shows, in national elections and tax declarations. In the extreme, it can also lead to criminality and violence, and even in the rampant graft and corruption of civil servants who aspire for but cannot afford the tempting luxuries from the relentless indoctrination of glamorous ads that goad them to “live up with the Joneses” on their shoestring wages.