People’s concerns

After one year of working for the company, Ronnel decided to call it quits and walked out of the job with no options or a job waiting for him. His mother is an OFW and his father gets by as a “bantay” of a farm property where he raises fighting cocks for sale. Ronnel is officially one of the millions of unemployed Filipinos making tambay. But that doesn’t bother Ronnel. He actually believes that he is better off unemployed.

No, Ronnel is not lazy or stupid. He is intelligent and brave enough to realize that people work to earn money. But how can young college graduates like him earn money if he is paid below the minimum wage, no SSS, Pag-IBIG etc.? To top it all, the owner of the company shamelessly and fearlessly admit that most people in the organization don’t stand a chance of becoming regular employees because anyone aspiring to be, will simply be let go or terminated for even thinking or asking about regularization.

When Ronnel adds up his transportation expense, his food expense as well as the time invested and lost going to and from work, Ronnel looks more like a volunteer than an actual employee. Within one year, Ronnel ultimately ends up with less money than when he started out.

Noli is also in the same boat. He is an underpaid, overworked “nurse” in a provincial hospital. My guess is he does a minimum of 10 to 12 hour shifts and a lot of dirty work. But unlike Ronnel, Noli holds on to his “job” because he considers himself to be lucky doing what he was trained for, with one exception —  Noli has not passed the bar. Being unlicensed is bad enough, but in a field where thousands of registered nurses are unemployed, I guess Noli is lucky except for being underpaid.

People in government, politics and media all talk about job generation and job creation but for strange reason, there is little talk and work done to improve and insure that the jobs already there are actually beneficial to employees as much as they are to employers. The excessive extent of contractualization is bad enough, but what makes it worse is having a five-month job where you get paid below the minimum wage and then get fired or terminated. It puts a hole in your wallet and a serious dent on your self-respect.

If the P-Noy administration can’t improve and protect jobs that are already there, why should we even discuss unemployment with people who persist in their self-serving Hallelujahs.

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In a huddle of businessmen, lawyers and Justices, it was pointed out by several that contrary to the notion that the P-Noy administration still has 3 years to get things done, the actual reality is that they only have one year and a half to achieve a concrete and substantial accomplishment because by 2014 members of Congress, the Senators, LGUs and the politically ambitious will all be working on their 2016 candidacy.

P-Noy will undoubtedly resist or fight any attempt to label or render him as nothing more than a lame duck President, but at this point, if P-Noy were to apply the spectacles of truth and objectivity, does he think he can achieve much considering how his associates in the Liberal Party and personal politics made so many enemies during the election?

Even the President and some family members engaged in personally attacking or belittling their opponents all the way to the level of local politics. How then can this administration ever hope of achieving significant accomplishments?

Aside from impeaching a Chief Justice and detaining a former president, and creating an environment of confidence, what real achievements has the P-Noy administration made? Roads, bridges, airports, jobs, real on the ground investments? Off hand its all been about imaging and promotion as a tourism destination and anti corruption. The tourist destinations and jobs were long there. They just needed to be “discovered.” But in terms of things we can see and projects that give jobs, the expectations and declarations far exceed what is delivered.

So before the bell rings, perhaps the members of what Senator Joker Arroyo called a “student council” should all start waking up, stop believing their own fairy tales and get some real work done!

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In the last couple of months I’ve read posts on Facebook as well as emails sent to me by individuals who have undergone the process of license renewal and many complain about “medical clinics or testing centers” with very strange or “illegal” rackets.

A personal friend posted how amazed and impressed he was with the “medical personnel” next to the LTO office at SM North EDSA. As required by law and the LTO, my friend went to said clinic to get his eye, ear and BP checked as well as the urine-drug test.

It was so amazing for my friend Ferman that the clinician was able to determine his blood pressure to be 120/80 with out the use of a sphygmomanometer or a blood pressure monitor. In fairness to the LTO North-EDSA, my friend stated that the process within the LTO was smooth and took no more than 30 minutes.

Similarly, the LTO process at the SM Megamall is smooth but a reader shared an incident where they were being charged by the medical and drug test center P25 for auto accident insurance of some sort and P50 for computer fee. When people started questioning and complaining about the P25 insurance charge, the cashier started refunding this to the drivers.

It is clear to drivers and applicants that the medical facilities are not attached or under the supervision of the LTO although they may be within or beside said LTO branches. Unfortunately the shenanigans that occur in such medical testing facilities ultimately leave a negative impression on the process of license applications and renewals resulting in bad press by association. This is a serious concern that Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres needs to address immediately.

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