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Sunday, March 3, 2019
Araw ng Davao 2019
Impressions from the 82nd Araw ng Davao opening ceremony and the Mutya ng Davao Coronation event 2019. My thanks to Indonesian Consul Endah R. Yuliarti Farry and photographer Sir Geovani Mocodompis (photo courtesy).
Friday, March 1, 2019
Sick leave - a policy of honesty
Coming to work while sick can take out a workforce. The number of sick days taken by employees and workers decreased dramatically all over the world during the last decades. Where the average employee in Europe once spent 7.2 days a year at home due to illness, they took just 4.1 days off in 2017.
It’s difficult to attribute the change to general advancements in medicine, says Kylie Ainslie, a research associate in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London; people aren’t necessarily getting sick less often. Climate change lets people even get more and more often sick,
Experts say a shifting work culture is also to blame for creating a stigma around taking time off. Studies show that mistrust and fear of judgment from bosses have forced an increasing number of employees to come to work when sick.
The flu season - which peaks between December and February not only in the northern hemisphere - is when absences spike. It’s the time of year when the air is coldest and driest, the ideal conditions for the influenza virus to transmit quickly. I think we all experiences it during the last weeks also here in the Philippines.
Medical professionals agree that staying at home during the early stages of the flu – the first two days after catching the virus when the risk of contagion is at its highest – is essential for the health of both the affected workers and their colleagues. But do we stay at home?
Fact is: employees don’t tell their manager the real reason for their absence when calling in sick because they’re afraid of being judged or disbelieved. If they really decide staying at home... .
During flu season, it's imperative that sufferers stay at home while they're still contagious. For unlucky people whose employers pressure them not to skip work, knowing how to effectively communicate the need for time off is a crucial step towards preserving both their own health and productivity, and that of coworkers.
As new technologies and instant connectivity have infiltrated global businesses, a new work dynamic has emerged. Depending on the industry, being present in the office is no longer a requisite for being productive. Many workers are equipped with all the necessary tools – a computer and Wifi – to function away from the office.
I did this many times. When cough and fever dictated me to stay at home, I worked at home. On the other hand, I am my own boss and nobody mistrust me. But with the freedom to work anywhere has come a wave of mistrust from managers who can’t monitor their subordinates in person.
George Boué, vice president of human resources at commercial real estate firm Stiles Corporation, says the stigma comes from “older generations that never accepted that someone can truly be working productively from home”. It manifests as a form of resistance to the concept of a decentralised workplace in which employees are trusted to keep themselves on task.
Sick leave - a policy of honesty? Very sure. Experts say the earlier an employee can notify their manager, the better. Establishing a line of communication with a boss at the onset of sickness can both convey respect and allow them more time to plan around the absence. Above all, being honest is the best way to avoid misunderstanding or resentment.
It really means staying home and truly offline when you’re feeling too sick to work, so that your team knows it’s okay to do the same when they aren’t feeling well. It’s also important to avoid contacting employees who are at home sick unless it’s for something truly urgent.
“A good boss should empathetic and understand,” Boué says. “Nothing builds a greater bond between boss and subordinate than showing genuine caring.” Very well said!
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Comval's 12th Bulawan Festival to kick off on March 3
NABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley—A kickstart of events were announced for the opening of the upcoming 12th Bulawan Festival, to be held on March 3, 2019 at the provincial capitol. These events are among the highlights for the annual celebration as the province celebrates its endowment as the “province of gold.”
The opening day will start with a Prosperity run with an expected 10,000 registrants to be followed by an opening program. Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy and other guests and officials will also formally open the weeklong displays such as: the Bulawanong Tabuan (Mindanao Trade Shows and Exhibits), Tribal Village, Jewelry Fair, De Oro Tsibugan, Sugbahan sa Bulawan, and the "Yes to Davao de Oro" Exhibit as a campaign for the province’s exciting re-naming.
On the same day, the “Kasikas sa Kapitolyo”, also known as the Drum and Bugle Corps or Marching Band competition will be held to be participated by the public and private high schools within the province.
Another event is the LGU Night: Las Fiestas de Oro, where Municipal Local Government Units will be able to showcase their talents through a theatrical play as they portray the socio-cultural bounties of the respective municipality through songs, chants and dances. With the jam-packed schedules for the week-long occasion, the opening for the festival would surely be not one to miss.
This year’s festivity highlights the private-public partnership with big and reputable companies as well as officials supporting the event: Co-presenters Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy, Senior Board Member Arturo T. Uy, Congressman Maricar S. Zamora and Vice-Governor Manuel Zamora, Congressman Ruwel Peter S. Gonzaga, Apex Mining Company Inc., Torre Lorenzo Development Corp, MARINO Party List, HUGPONG NG PAGBABAGO, and Beautederm. For Diamond Sponsorship, we also have Krishaels. And for Gold Sponsorship, we have SUMIFRU Philippines, Phoenix Fuels Inc., and HEXAT Mining Co., Inc. (Sean Seismundo, IDS Comval)
Stunning contestants hailing from different areas within the province wearing gilded outfits for the campaign for Bulawan Queen Competition, 2019 as one of the highlights for the 12th Bulawan Festival and 21st Founding Anniversary celebration of Compostela Valley Province on March 8, 2019 . (photo: Compostela Valley Province Facebook Page)
Monday, February 25, 2019
To Those Who Doubt!
What can we do, if "career doubts" won't go away? First allow me to quote my bible, especially Jude (watching out - sounding an alarm!), who writes in a style of a teacher who is watching a freight train bear down on his student's driver. Yes, bells ring out: "Be merciful to those who doubt." (Jude 2:22).
My parents always wanted me to become a banker. So far so good. Why not? Maybe I would have been much more happier in my job during those times. Maybe not? I wanted to be a journalist already at the age of 16... . Believe it or not!
The pressure "to be" (or later NOT TO BE - thank you Mr. Shakespeare!), started early in my life. Not only my parents, also my peers and teachers began to exert their influences on me. Yes, I even didn't know yet where my inclinations lay. I only knew, I wanted to become a journalist... .
Suddenly being a doctor or a lawyer? Yes, I was interested in law and medicine at that time. I really got very lucky becoming an editor of German law magazines during my last 18 years in Germany. But I never became a lawyer - or doctor! Now, I would ask myself - who cares?
"The way that people pick up careers is incredibly primitive," said Nicholas Lore, founder of the Rockport Institute, a career coaching firm, and author of "The Pathfinder". Strong tobacco, indeed. That's why so many people are indeed dissatisfied with their jobs. I wanted to be a journalist, but mass communications wasn't my major subject yet. During the early 1970's publishing house management, German language, marketing and writing skills training. Once upon a time in Germany... .
Believe me, I always thought about a true calling for myself. Sure, people, whose careers aren't the fight fit often feel like impostors, as Professor Robert I. Sutton, an organizational psychologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, said. Very, very well said, Sir.
How about you, my dear reader of this column? Are you also placing too high a value on the external rewards of job, like money, prestige and power? Of course, for many of us (most?) these things are indeed important. Hold on, please! The work you do and the skills your opportunity require and the value of your work are really more vital to fulfillment. Paper work, or not... . You think, you find a better a career fit? Go ahead - but don't expect that this your life's career!
I waited for my "better calling" (what a terrible term!) experiencing many even better and wonderful moments in life. I experienced also that several professional things I did in the past had been not very much compatible to me. But I stored many valuable experiences. Yes, I was in doubts many, many times.
Though I reached already my retirement age, one thing is for sure: today, I am what I am. And, I am proud of it. Human thinks - but our good Lord leads ... !
Saturday, February 23, 2019
The Truth About "K-Pop Industry" ...
... every Filipino Parent should Know
K-Pop or Korean pop entertainment is very popular in the Philippines these days. In most parts of the country, different K-Pop artists are so easily recognizable either through their voice or the movies that they played a role with because of their popularity. Of course, majority of these music and movies usually talks about romantic love and relationships that are, psychologically speaking, pathological. Typically, the songs and films they make usually tell the same story of “romantically obsessed people, acting childish and desperately needing validation from each other all the time”.
Family members and friends of late SHINee singer Kim Jong-Hyun cry as they carry out his coffin during a funeral at a hospital in Seoul on December 21, 2017.
During the past years, the K-Pop industry has been notorious on their reputation due to many complaints and scandals plaguing within the “over-monetized youth demographic”. According to Crystal Brackett, a writer from Ranker, on one of her articles:
”If you’ve watched any K-pop videos, you probably thought the bright and shiny Korean pop star lifestyle portrayed a perfect world of bubblegum, rainbows, beauty, and whimsy. Unfortunately, the candy-colored sheen coats a sinister underbelly with ugly truths about K-pop. From a young age, these bright and peppy performers essentially enter an uncaring, exploitative entertainment harem in the K-pop industry.”
She continues, “Any faction of the entertainment world is bound to have its secrets; sometimes these are dark yet open secrets overlooked because of convenience or greed. However, what’s going on in the K-pop industry isn’t hidden: Children who grew up in the industry as manufactured pop products have exposed the mental and physical abuse they suffered through their careers.”
And lastly, she said, “From what K-pop trainees endure at the start of their “boot camps” to the suicide attempts, racism, and sexual and physical assaults, the truth about K-pop stars and their industry is anything but glamorous.”
Today, many young Filipino people are still getting hooked on these glittering and glossy images on the photographs, dull life dramas, mechanical song-and-dance routines, fake and surgically produced physical appearance, and most importantly, the superficial and make-believe “reality” that sells a culture of mindless consumption. Behind these obviously manufactured and predictable facade projected by secretly “abusive and perverted agents, money-grabbing production designers, and corrupt talent managers”, is a disheartening and alarming reality of “sexual slavery, economic exploitation, and systematic abuse”.
The industry’s very dark history still happens and affects the present situation today. This is a tragic history of controversy and disputes, sexual molestation, drug addiction, psychological, mental, and physical abuse, and of course, endless financial conflicts. Parents should learn about these issues and must think about the kinds of “idols” their children are “following”. Social media has become so easily available for them and this is the favorite outlet of these industries.
According to one article by Yonden Lhatoo, the chief news editor at the South China Morning Post, “Physical and mental abuse is commonplace, and there is no shortage of stories of aspiring idols being pimped out by their bosses to lecherous executives and politicians. Two thirds of girls and women in South Korea’s entertainment industry admit to being pressured into having sex to further their careers”.
On the same article, he also added that, “Would-be K-pop stars, while still underage, are regularly locked into unbelievably unfair contracts and incarcerated in grueling boot camps for training, a good decade before they get to even record a song, let alone become famous. The ones who are lucky enough to make it end up paying off debts and earning a pittance for years”.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Weak El Nino is here - Pagasa
A rice field in Tamontaka, Cotabato cracks up due to the El Nino phenomenon. MindaNews file photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/21 February) – A weak El Niño is present in the tropical Pacific and will likely continue until the second quarter of this year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in an advisory on Wednesday.
Pagasa said the weather system may cause varying impacts such as warmer than average surface temperatures and a prolonged dry season.
The weather bureau predicted “generally way below to below normal rainfall conditions over most parts of the country except for southern Mindanao and Surigao del Sur where near normal is likely” in March.
In April, there will be “generally below normal rainfall conditions in Luzon and the Visayas while near normal mostly in Mindanao,” it said.
Generally below normal rainfall conditions in most parts of southern Luzon and the Visayas while near normal conditions in most parts of northern Luzon and Mindanao are expected in May.
In June, most parts of the Visayas and Mindanao are expected to have near normal rainfall conditions, but most parts of Luzon (except the eastern sections) will experience below normal rainfall conditions.
The varying rainfall conditions across the country from March to June will determine which provinces in the country will be hit by dry season, dry spell and drought.
In March, a dry season will affect 22 provinces including nine in Mindanao (Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Sur, Basilan and Lanao del Sur). No provinces will be hit by dry season from April to June.
Also in March, a dry spell will hit the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Tawi-Tawi, as well as 26 provinces in Luzon (including Metro Manila) and 10 others in the Visayas. The dry spell will continue to affect Misamis Occidental and Surigao del Norte, and spread to the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte and Dinagat Islands in April.
In May, only Camiguin will experience dry spell in Mindanao along with Rizal province in Luzon and Negros Oriental, Cebu, Siquijor and Southern Leyte in the Visayas. The weather phenomenon will persist until June in Rizal.
Drought will hit five provinces in Luzon and four others in Mindanao (Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Maguindanao and Sulu) in March. It will no longer be felt in Zamboanga del Sur and Maguindanao in April but will continue in Sulu and Zamboanga Sibugay and affect Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga del Norte, too.
Drought will hit 17 provinces in Luzon and Aklan in the Visayas in April.
In May, only Misamis Occidental and Dinagat will experience drought. However, it will affect 21 provinces in Luzon and 10 others in the Visayas.
Drought will hit fewer provinces in June – 13 in Luzon, five in the Visayas and one in Mindanao (Dinagat).
Pagasa defined drought as three consecutive months of way below normal rainfall (60 percent reduction from average) or five consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition (21 percent to 60 percent reduction from average).
Dry spell means three consecutive months of below normal rainfall (21 percent to 60 percent reduction from average) or two months of consecutive way below normal rainfall (more than 60 percent reduction from average).
Dry condition is defined as having two consecutive months of below normal rainfall (21-60 percent drop in average rainfall).
Foreign weather agencies gave varying predictions on the length of the El Niño.
The Tokyo Climate Center said the El Niño conditions “are likely (70%) to continue until August 2019.”
The APEC Climate Center in Busan, South Korea said “positive sea surface temperature anomalies are likely to remain across most of the tropical Pacific Ocean for February-April 2019, and become weak or return to near average for May-July 2019. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)
Saturday, February 16, 2019
It's always a big IF ...
If I see or read this little word "if", my first thought is about the nice song by Bread. Nice lyrics. But, if Ifs and Ans were Pots and Pans ... there would be no need for tinkers! An old proverbs, which hits the nail on its head even much better.
Life doesn't only consists of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Life has ups and downs, and everyone tries to survive in his own clock-shell surrounded by a dangerous ocean. Life is stuffed with plenty of excuses. Sometimes, we are even unable to apologize and say a meaningful "sorry" at the right moment to the person we just treated wrong.
Excuses don't know the question of age. I still have two significant examples to share:
The church was crowded. Confirmation. A woman came too late. Traffic jam. In need of help, the woman looked to the left and then to the right. It looked like a young man planned to help her. He murmured, "Show up a bit, the LOLA likes to sit down". The situation looked problem-free at that moment. But after taking first a deep breath, the LOLA realized the young man's comment. She was just only 38 years "young"! With uneasiness she looked at the youngster, who started smiling at her. How old could he be? 14 or 15? A very big difference already to her age. Then suddenly, the young man realized his inappropriate remark and stuttered, "Sorry Ma-am, please excuse me!"
Choked with emotions, I also listened the story of my former editor colleague in Germany several decades ago. Her mother had expelled her from life. Only while laying on her deathbed, the mother did offer a plea in extenuation because of her lifelong fault.
Excuses, because one is embarrassed or with a simple alibi can be found at every corner. Did you, my dear readers, count already, how many times you used the term "IF"?
Just to mention this example: If I could pass my German language exam with distinction, my partner in Germany would be very proud of me!" Sure, not only he, also me, as your German language professor in USEP - University of Southeastern Philippines, Institute of Languages and Creative Arts. "If my fiancee and I get married, where will I live, one of my students asked me yesterday.
I let you know, IF and when I come to a decision. If only I had known ... .
"If there would be a God, there wouldn't be so much misery, poverty, and war on earth!"
"If there wouldn't be the little world IF, how could we still express our not necessary excuses?
Maybe, you still remember Elton John's song from 1976: "Sorry (in the right moments!) seems to be the hardest word" ... . That depends!
LTFRB approves Davao City LGU's request for intra-city bus special permits
A four-page memorandum circular signed by LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra was released on Friday, following the survey conducted by the Davao City Transportation and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) identifying Catalunan Grande and Toril routes as underserved.
The regular fare rate starts at P10 for the first five kilometers and additional P2.20 for every succeeding kilometer.
It said a letter dated February 13, 2019 was submitted by Assistant City Administrator Tristan Dwight P. Domingo recommending for the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Services (PHABS) to address the growing need for public utility buses from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to and from Catalunan Grande and Toril.
Retired Supt. Dionisio C. Abude, the CTTMO head, said in an interview that a meeting was held with local bus companies on the plan of the city to pursue PHABS, among them Mindanao Star, Bachelor Express, LCI Buses, and Davao Metro Shuttle, amid the increasing demand for public transport services during peak hours.
He said the Mindanao Star, which offered free bus rides to Dabawenyos during Kadayawan sa Dabaw celebration in August 2018, has already committed at least eight units of the “low floor, low entry, or city type” buses to provide augmentation services. The rest will be provided by other local bus firms, he said.
Based on the LTFRB’s memorandum, the travel from Toril going to Roxas Avenue will have six bus stops: Toril District Hall, Corner Iwha MacArthur Highway, Gulf View (Gas station), Shell Station-Ulas, University of Mindanao (Matina footbridge), and Roxas Avenue. From Roxas Avenue going back to Toril, bus stops are Roxas Avenue, Layby Cor. Rizal-Quezon Boulevard (Merco), Sandawa Pias Café, Coke Warehouse in Ulas, Corner Iwha MacArthur Highway, and Toril.
For Catalunan Grande to Roxas Avenue, it will have nine bus stops: Elenita Heights, Santiago Villas, Sitio Awa, Barangay Hall of Catalunan Grande, Phoenix Gas Station, GSIS in Matina, SM Ecoland, Barangay Hall-Almendras, and Roxas Avenue. The travel from Roxas Avenue back to Catalunan Grande will have another nine bus stops: from Roxas Avenue, Mercury Drug in Bankerohan, Malayan College, Bangkal near Petron/Collado, San Isidro Labarador Church, Barangay Hall in Catalunan Grande, Sitio Awa, Santiago Villas, and Elenita Heights.
The City Government of Davao is also pushing for High Priority Bus System, which would replace the jeepney units in the city, to address the need for mass transit system and traffic congestion in the city. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
Palace frowns at stricter House rules in obtaining SALNs
The Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) of government officials must be readily available to the public in line with the country’s laws, Malacañang said Monday as it frowned on the House of Representatives’ stricter rules on access to such document.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said while the Palace does not intrude into the internal rules of Congress, it noted that a House resolution requiring plenary approval for access to the SALN of lawmakers might hinder the constitutional right of people to information as well as it might be inconsistent with transparency and accountability of public officials.
“We note the passage of a resolution of the House of Representatives requiring plenary approval before it may release a copy of a member’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) to the public. Such a procedure may be perceived as a transgression of Article XI of the Constitution, requiring any public official to submit a SALN, in relation to Article II thereof which guarantees the right of the people to information on matters of public concern. Republic Act No. 6713 makes the said document readily available to the public,” Panelo said.
“Any stringent measure which burdens the people in obtaining public information may not be consistent with transparency and accountability of public officials,” he added.
While the House imposes stringent measure on SALN, Panelo highlighted that the Executive has promoted transparency when President Duterte issued Executive Order No. 2 on the Freedom of Information “making effective the people’s right to information within its branch.”
The House of Representatives recently adopted Resolution 2467 that requires plenary approval before gaining access to a lawmaker’s SALN.
The resolution also seeks to establish the SALN Review and Compliance Committee that will screen public request for the documents stating the wealth of lawmakers. The requesting party must also shell out P300 for every copy of the SALN. (Manila Bulletin)
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