Philippines Services Is In Good

CNN Philippines lets go of at least 70 workers

NN Philippines has laid off at least 70 junior staffers and contractual employees— part of a manpower adjustment program as the channel that was launched early this year seeks to control costs while growing its business, a senior company official said.

CNN Philippines director Benjamin Ramos confirmed to the Inquirer that about 30 junior employees and 40 contractual workers were retrenched in what he described as a “right-sizing” program.

Ramos said the retrenched staffers were mainly involved in programming as well as the technical and operations side of the business. A source said as many as 100 employees were laid off but Ramos said the figure was closer to 70 workers.
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“We developed some programs when we started and we hired too many people. So we’re making adjustments,” Ramos said in an interview, adding that it was also a “learning process” for management.

“We are improving our shows. We want a chance for this industry to have something different from what other players are doing,” Ramos said.

Ramos is also president of Radio Philippines Network Inc. (RPN-9) and chief financial officer of businessman Antonio Cabangon-Chua’s group, which is backing CNN Philippines.

READ: Station 9TV rebrands as CNN Philippines

The entry of CNN Philippines was announced in 2014 through a multiyear partnership with Cabangon-Chua’s Nine Media Group. CNN Philippines was rebranded from 9TV , itself formerly known as Solar News Channel.

READ: CNN Philippines: The story, not the messenger

It launched in March this year on free-to-air television, carrying the slogan “We tell the story of the Filipino”, and with the aim of competing with existing and larger players ABS-CBN Corp., GMA Network Inc. and TV5.

Cabangon-Chua acquired Solar TV last year, marking his first foray in the television business. The investment also includes a roughly 34-percent stake in RPN-9.

Cabangon-Chua’s other media assets include newspaper BusinessMirror and radio broadcaster Aliw Broadcasting Corp.

RPN-9 was once the country’s premier television broadcaster before a series of popular revolts in 1986 replaced strongman Ferdinand Marcos with Corazon “Cory” Aquino, mother of incumbent president Benigno Aquino III.

CNN Philippines lets go of at least 70 workers CNN Philippines has laid off at least 70 junior staffers and contractual employees— part of a manpower adjustment program as the channel that was launched early this year seeks to control costs while growing its business, a senior company official said.

Filipinos cannot progress if they cannot follow even simple guidelines

A noted blog commentator once made an assertion that the Philippines will never be a great nation unless Filipinos learn to live by the principle of the “rule of law”. Indeed, some people even insist that none of the calls by certain sectors of Philippine society for a system change like a shift from a Presidential to a Parliamentary system or even constitutional amendments will work to uplift the status of the nation because most Filipinos simply cannot follow the “rule of law.”

Earthquake discipline: Japanese orderliness even in time of stress

It is quite certain that the success of any nation depends on the character of the head of state and the character of the people in general. A strong leader will put the interest of the nation first before anything else. A strong leader supported by strong institutions can work towards achieving social and economic stability for the people.

However, a weak leader in a country like the Philippines, which has weak institutions will tend to succumb to the world-renowned Filipino “padrino” system — a system that trumps any other system in place. Worse, such a leader will mask his weakness or understanding of the law by acting like he is above the law.

A weak leader, whether he is leading a country or a small community tends to let praises or expressions of adoration from the public get to his head. Because he is easily impressed by such accolades, he also tends to become arrogant and will see criticism of him as a mere non-constructive annoyance. Such a leader will not work towards unity and harmony in Philippine society. Unfortunately, weak systems tend to harbor weak leaders.

What is with Filipinos and following the rule of law?

There is very little evidence that Filipinos are capable of living by the “rule of law”. The society is quite extraordinary in the sense that simple rules and regulations whether on the road or in the work place are for the most part ignored. This is because each individual has this baseless sense of being more important than everybody else. It is why you see people cutting you off on highway lanes on the road or pushing their way in lines ahead of the rest in a queue. In other words, Filipinos in general tend to put their own interest first before other people.

As a blogger, I quite often come across commentators who cannot even follow simple commenting guidelines. There are some participants in the blogosphere who constantly violate the guidelines by consistently writing obscenities and foul language on forums just to give the impression that they are above the guidelines. The funny thing is, being moderated does not even stop them from misbehaving. They even cry foul for being moderated instead of conforming to the guidelines.

This brings us to another world-renowned Filipino mentality — the “victim” mentality. Filipinos are good at playing the “victim card” because they are very sensitive and emotional people. They play the victim card in front of the public to get as much attention as possible. Filipinos always try to get around following any rules and regulations or even simple guidelines by appealing to emotion.

Filipino victim mentality was quite evident in the case of a group of nurses in the US who reportedly filed a discrimination complaint when their employer called their attention for speaking too much in their native Tagalog at work. Victim mentality was also quite evident in the way the Philippine government tried to intervene and stop the ex*****on of three drug mules that were sentenced to death in China for violating their anti-drug rule. Likewise, victim mentality is definitely evident in the way the incumbent President, Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) cries foul whenever he is criticized for decisions that were obviously not thought through very well.

It is quite interesting to note that some Filipinos would rather act like idiots than follow the rules. They always want to find an easy way out of a situation. They want to make uncomplicated things complicated. This brings us to another world-renowned Filipino trait: “lack of discipline.”

Filipinos in general are incapable of any form of discipline because they focus more on form rather than substance. In short, they want to stand out. They lack the discipline to engage in discussions in a civilized way and lack the discipline to not turn a public forum into a circus. This is why issues do not get resolved. This is a consistent observation — from every Senate inquiry being broadcast to the Filipino public down to the most benign discussions in the blogosphere, Filipinos love honking their horns.

Worse, Filipinos in general feel a strong sense of entitlement to relax or “chill-out” even when there is still so much to do to move the country forward. Instead of discussing solutions seriously and in detail during their spare time, Filipinos would rather spend it fooling around — never mind that societies from great nations like China, Japan and South Korea have historically shown that being more serious and devoting more of their time to solving problems yields better results in the long term.

From the top guys and gals sitting behind desks at the Presidential office down to the tricycle driver down the road, everyone just wants to have “fun” in the Philippines first before tackling the problems of the land in a more serious manner. You can be forgiven for thinking that one hit wonder Wang Chung probably wrote the song “Everybody have fun tonight” for Filipinos. It can absolutely boggle the mind to wonder why Filipinos cannot limit switching to party mode when they are at an actual party.

As discussed in my previous article, Filipinos are proud of being a happy-go-lucky society and make it a point to show the rest of the world that they are coping with smiling faces despite the dire circumstances they face. This mentality shows that Filipinos are satisfied with mediocrity and find striving for excellence too daunting. A few remaining Filipinos who want to engage in a more serious discussions are even labeled “kill-joy” or “librarians.” Aside from their penchant for bullying when others don’t engage in “pakikisama,” Filipinos indeed, have a tendency to discriminate against more sober ways of tackling solutions.

Unfortunately, a 90 year old study by psychologist Dr Leslie Martin and his colleagues in California suggested that “too much of a sense that everything will be fine can be dangerous because it can lead one to be careless about things that are important to long life.” Likewise, the study also showed that those who are always optimistic take more gambles with their health. They were more likely to drink, smoke and eat badly, which is a typical characteristic of a Filipino. While prudent and persistent individuals are more cautious with their health and overall wellbeing – characteristics that are less likely to be found in Filipinos.

Filipinos have so much to learn from the Japanese. Despite the devastation that the people of Japan experienced due to the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that hit country and the killer tsunami that followed immediately after, people around the world admired the stoicism and orderly reaction of the Japanese. People in most societies would have found themselves wailing in misery and chaos after such destruction.

Maia Szalavitz in an article she wrote for TIME magazine aptly described how it works for the Japanese — they follow the belief that “others are at least on par with the self, if not more important.” Here’s an excerpt:

“In restaurants, you never pour your own sake, you have to notice whose glass is empty and you serve them. It’s these little rituals [that have prepared them for this crisis] so that even if you have one bowl of rice, you share it with a stranger.

The wonderful thing about the Japanese is that they are presenting an example of the pro-social power of the group. The group as a whole is saying explicitly or implicitly, this is what we do: no looting, no horn honking even if you’re in a 12 mile traffic jam, no complaining. [CNN’s] Anderson Cooper said he’d never seen such calm in the face of such adversity.”

Not that Filipinos need copy what the Japanese do to a tee, but the most interesting thing to note about societies like Japan is that nobody has the desire to grandstand. Individuals do not want to show that they are more important than everybody else. This is in stark contrast to people in societies like the Philippines where people in general want to be the “star.” And this is the reason why some Filipinos think that they are above the “law” or above even just simple “guidelines.”

Discipline should be inculcated at an early age. If people are not taught how to follow rules and regulations when they are still young, they will be shocked to realize once they enter the “adult” world that they will have a hard time coping with life if they keep deviating from the rules that put order in society. Which is what is happening to most Filipinos now.

Weak options to protect overseas Filipino workers

Government authorities have played down the negative effect of the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers in 41 countries, saying the impact “is not going to be very big,” as these countries did not receive too many OFWs.

The Department of Labor and Employment announced on Wednesday that it had issued the ban because these blacklisted countries failed to sign international conventions protecting foreign workers from abuse. Specifically, the DOLE board resolution posted on its website said none of these countries had signed agreements with the Philippines “on the protection of the rights of overseas Filipino workers.”
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The ban is to take effect within the month. The administration made a big spin of the decision amid mounting pressure to do more to protect more than 9 million Filipinos working abroad. OFW remittances account for 13.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, and the overseas workers comprise 11 percent of the total Philippine population of 94 million, making the Philippines one of the world’s largest labor exporters.
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Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said worker deployments to 125 other countries would continue after Philippine embassies had verified they have laws protecting foreign workers. The countries affected by the ban include Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Cuba, North Korea, Haiti, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Serbia, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Some of these countries are strife-torn countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan and Pakistan.

Carlos Cao Jr., head of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, said the countries affected by the ban were not important destinations of OFWs. Most of the countries on the list do not actually hire many Filipinos workers. “These are smaller countries with small markets,” said Cao. The ban does not affect Filipinos who are already there, so they would not have to come home until their contracts expire. Critics of new directives of the government say the ban could actually have the opposite effect—by driving Filipinos to work illegally, with even fewer safeguards than they had before.

The DOLE issued resolutions on deployment based on the requirements of Republic Act 10022, the amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Act of 1995. Why the DOLE implemented the requirements only now is not clear. In May this year, the POEA listed a total of 125 countries where OFWs can be continuously deployed. Another resolution, No. 7, specified a list of 41 countries where OFWs cannot be deployed for non-compliance with the guarantees required by RA 10022. The act requires Philippine diplomatic posts to review all host countries whether they have existing laws that protect migrant workers, a move, according to DOLE, designed “to prevent the rampant sexual and physical abuses being committed against Filipino migrant workers.”

Baldoz said a host country may be certified as compliant with the law if its government has any of the following requirements that protect the rights of Filipino workers:

1. It has labor and social laws protecting the rights of migrant workers.

2. It is a signatory to declarations or resolutions relating to the protection of migrant workers.

3. It has concluded a bilateral agreement with the government on the protection of rights of Filipino workers.

Every Filipino government since the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos has been extremely sensitive to the issue of protecting Filipino overseas workers from abuse by their employers and injustice after the ex*****on of the Filipino maid (Flor Contemplacion) in Singapore for the killing of her Singaporean employer.

The Ramos administration suffered a strong public backlash over the failure of its efforts to obtain a stay of the ex*****on from the Singapore government. Since then, the protection of Filipino workers has been a highly sensitive and emotional political issue in the Philippines in which no president, including the incumbent president, would want to be perceived as negligent of the welfare of OFWs. This issue is complicated by the fact that OFWs have remitted more than $17 billion as of the latest data in 2009, making the remittances one of the main pillars of the Philippine economy.

OFWs have been hailed as the real heroes of the economy, and it is not a myth that if their remittances drastically dwindle, the economy would collapse. President Aquino would not want to be in a position where the economy is undermined by a reduced flow of OFW remittances.

The economy under his management for the past 12 months faltered, with the GDP falling to around 5 percent, from a record high of 7 percent two years ago. Unemployment and underemployment have been estimated at 30 percent—which means that the economy is not creating enough jobs to catch up with the fast growth of the young labor force. This further means that the Filipino exodus in search of jobs overseas is fueled by the shortage of jobs locally and the economic recession, in which many of the rich Western economies are experiencing the unacceptable unemployment rate of more than 10 percent. The job closures are also sending numbers of unemployed Filipinos overseas back home.

Fortunately for the Aquino administration, the 41 countries blacklisted in its ban are inconsequential as job destinations for Filipinos. The problem facing the administration is that the above-cited conditions weaken its leverage to obtain compliance with the requirements of Philippine laws on the deployment of Filipino workers by 125 host countries to guarantee them from abuse.

Without doubt, most Filipinos would be happy to see our migrant workers humanely treated. Unfortunately, our clout to put pressure on their hosts is limited.

DOLE imposes one-month moratorium on ‘endo’

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has declared a month-long moratorium on contractualization or the practice of “endo” by employers.

Meanwhile, the Senate is trying to balance the protection of workers’ rights and the interests of businesses in handling the issue of contractualization.

“Endo” is the term used by workers and employers to refer to end of contract.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said commercial establishments were given a month to stop hiring contractual workers and comply with labor regulations.
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Bello said he met with employers’ groups who requested for additional time to learn the difference between labor-only contracting and contractualization.

“They are confused. They asked to be given a month to familiarize themselves. We will conduct seminars with the management groups,” he said.
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The DOLE chief said the employers committed to police their own ranks and support the government’s campaign against contractualization.

“Our job will now be much easier because the employers will closely work with the campaign against contractualization.”

By September, Bello said the DOLE will start the strict implementation of the law and close down companies engaged in labor-only contracting or the “endo” scheme.

The DOLE earlier ordered all its regional offices to submit a list of companies found to be engaging in labor-only contracting.

Bello said all DOLE regional directors and their staff would undergo training to carry out the campaign in eliminating “endo” and all illegal forms of contracting.

DOLE defines labor-only contracting as an arrangement where the contractor or subcontractor recruits, supplies or places workers to perform jobs, work or services for a principal.
Workers’ rights vs business interest

During the initial hearing on proposals aimed at stopping the practice of “endo,” the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources discovered that the penalties for labor-only contracting are not enough to discourage employers from engaging in such scheme.

DOLE director Benjo Benavidez said under the Labor Code, employers found guilty of labor-only contracting are merely required to hire the affected personnel as regular employees and to pay them back wages.

“At present there is no penalty either in the form of a fine or criminal liability,” Benavidez said.

To address this, Benavidez said the DOLE is studying a possible amendment of the Labor Code and would submit corresponding proposals for this purpose to Congress.

He said the agency has created a technical working group to implement a directive of President Duterte to put an end to “endo.”

Benavidez said the technical working group is working on three tracks to comply with the order of the President.

These are enforcement of existing laws, review of Department Order 18-A or the implementing rules and regulations of the Labor Code and the amendment of the Labor Code.

Benavidez said DOLE is studying a version of a proposed security of tenure bill.

“We need a clear definition of what constitutes labor-only contracting,” he said.

While the Labor Code is being reviewed, the DOLE will inspect establishments to check “endo” cases or “555.”

The term 555 refers to the employer’s practice of hiring workers for a period of five months only in order to avoid granting benefits.

Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon said labor-only contracting has been prohibited since the 1970s.

Drilon said the perennial practice stems from high labor surplus in the country.

“In this situation, there are more people looking for jobs than what the job market can accommodate, hence the widespread practice of illegal labor-only contracting,” he said.

“The companies take advantage of the skilled workers and hire them on a short-term basis. In turn the workers, in the absence of job opportunities, allowed themselves to be exploited,” he added.

Drilon said more jobs are needed to address the problem.

“We must strike a balance between protecting the rights of the workers and generating employment. We have to make the process of eliminating contractualization beneficial to both the employer and employee,” he said.

The senator said there should be win-win solutions to help both workers and the private sector.

“We must put an end to ‘endo’ not by threatening companies with penalties but by providing incentives,” he said.

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, who filed the security of tenure bill, said the lack of sanctions for violators is among the reasons the contracting scheme persists.

Noy hit over failure to resolve human rights cases

MANILA, Philippines – Rights advocates are disappointed over the government’s apparent failure to improve the country’s human rights situation, especially now that the end of President Aquino’s term is nearing.

In its World 2016 Report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said there has been little accountability for the killings of indigenous leaders, activists and journalists, and other serious abuses committed under the present administration.

The report contained reviews of human rights practices in more than 90 countries including the Philippines.

Phelim Kine, HRW Asia deputy director, said Aquino failed to deliver a rights-respecting Philippines, which he promised when he first assumed the presidency.
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While the number of serious violations has declined during the Aquino administration, the continuous killings of activists and the lack of successful prosecutions mean there’s nothing to prevent an upsurge of abuses in the future.

In the first eight months of 2015, military and paramilitary groups have allegedly killed more than a dozen tribal leaders and community members, according to local rights groups.
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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said military operations in Mindanao’s tribal communities have displaced at least 243,000 individuals.

A majority of the victims are suffering from inadequate food, shelter and health care, the report said.

The group said there were nine journalists killed in 2015 – three of the murders occurred within 10 days in August.

Only one suspect was arrested.

“Killing of alleged petty criminals, drug dealers and other victims by ‘death squads’ or contract killers in several cities remains unabated. In some cases, the killings were publicly encouraged by local officials.”

Children all over the country are at risk of becoming victims of human-rights abuses, the HRW said.

Another HRW report released in September last year said in small-scale mining communities, children are exposed to hazardous work conditions.

It said children work either underground or underwater in search for gold and process ore using mercury, a toxic chemical.

The report said armed conflict prevents children from attending classes and paramilitary groups raid schools, in one instance killing a school official.

“Authorities rounded up street dwellers in November to clear the capital of eyesores for the holding of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit,” the group said.

“While Aquino’s administration has a mixed record on rights issues, he has failed to institute reforms that could ensure a lasting and positive human rights legacy,” Kine said.

He said the Philippines’ next president must be prepared to tackle deep-seated impunity for abuses by state security forces and the corrupt and politicized criminal justice system.
CHR defends Noy

The Commission on Human Rights defended Aquino over reports that he failed to address right serious abuses in his six-year presidency.

CHR spokesman Banuar Falcon refuted HRW’s claim that Aquino failed to achieve his goal to improve human rights, noting the President has done something on the legal framework when he was elected in 2010.

Falcon said Aquino implemented the Anti-torture Act of 2010, the anti-enforced disappearance law and the human rights claims board.

“There has been significant development in terms of the legal framework of the President, but I cannot tell on the overall because I don’t have the statistics with me,” Falcon told The STAR.

He said the overall human rights violation cases filed before them have decreased significantly as compared to the previous administrations.

He attributed the decline to the “improved promotional features of the CHR” that raised public awareness.

Falcon said he respects the reports of the HRW.

Meanwhile, victims of human rights abuses in Northern Luzon were disappointed over the cancellation of the on-site investigation of the House’s human rights committee in Baguio City.

The on-site hearing, set yesterday and today, was supposed to discuss in aid of legislation human rights cases in the region that were committed under the present administration

Philippines among worst places to die – study

MANILA, Philippines - A 2015 Quality of Death study index has listed the Philippines as one of the worst places to die, next to Iraq and Bangladesh.

The Economist Intelligence Unit report, commissioned by Singapore nonprofit Lien Foundation, indicated that the Philippines, out of 80 countries, scored poorly in terms of the quality of end-of-life care available.

The quality of death index was measured across five categories – palliative and healthcare environment, human resources, affordable care, quality of care and level of community engagement.

The low ranking of the Philippines in the overall scores of quality of death index was attributed to the severe shortage of specialized palliative care professionals, lack of government-led strategy for the development and promotion of national palliative care, limited number of government subsidies or programs for individuals accessing palliative care services, and limited public understanding and awareness of palliative care services.

Out of a list of 80 countries, the Philippines was placed near bottom when it comes to providing quality palliative care services. The country ranked 78th while Thailand came in 44th, China 71st and India 67th.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom was considered the best place to die in the world, along with other rich nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium, Taiwan, Germany, the Netherlands and the US, respectively.
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In Asia, the top places in the good death race are Taiwan (6th), Singapore (12th), Japan (14th) and South Korea (18th).

Metro Manila has 'worst traffic on Earth,' longest commute – Waze

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Metro Manila, on an urban level, was named as having the "worst traffic on Earth," based on a global evaluation conducted by Waze, a GPS-based navigation app.

Scores ranging from 10 (satisfying) to 1 (miserable) were assigned after examining 50 million Waze users in 32 countries and 167 major city areas.

The answers were then evaluated for the Global Driver Satisfaction Index posted on Waze's website Tuesday (September 29).

The Waze Global Driver Satisfaction Index were based on six key factors:

Traffic level by frequency and severity of traffic jams
Road quality and infrastructure
Driver safety based on accidents, road hazards, and weather
Driver services like access to gas stations and easy parking
Socio-economic (World Bank) including access to cars and impact of gas prices
“Wazeyness,” the level of helpfulness and happiness within the Waze community

‘Worst traffic on Earth’

According to the survey, Manila, on a city level, ranked number one with the "worst traffic on Earth" with Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Jakarta not far behind.

Manila scored a measly 0.4 in the traffic index and the Philippines ranked as the ninth worst place to drive.

The survey said Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden, Czech Republic, and U.S. reported an easy and breezy driving experience.

It said that globally, traffic — or the lack of it — is a key indicator of driver satisfaction.

The Philippine government has proposed various ways to ease EDSA, a major thoroughfare in Metro Manila, such as the implementation of the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police to untangle traffic, the opening of alternate routes dubbed as Mabuhay Lanes, and the construction of modular steel bridges in five areas.

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Longest commute time

Manila again topped the survey for the longest minutes spent commuting from home to office with an average time of 45.5 minutes. The survey recorded Jakarta with 42.1 minutes of travel time.

In an exclusive story published earlier, CNN Philippines reporters traveled EDSA one morning and took 41 minutes via the Metro Rail Transit from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft in Pasay City, and two hours and 15 minutes via a bus ride.

Related: How to keep calm while stuck in traffic

In half of the cities Waze analyzed, the average speed of cars on the roads were less than 63.15 kilometers per hour.
Other key factors

The Philippines ranked the lowest in the socio-economic index with a score of 0, which accounts for gas prices and access to cars or ratio of cars to the population.

The country was the 13th country with the worst road quality, such as poor high-speed roads density and road issues density, with a score of 5.8.

Filipino Wazers were the among the worst in the "Wazeyness" index, which records the gratitude and happiness by the Waze users.

But it isn’t all bad in the Philippines.

The country scored the best country in the drivers' services among the surveyed countries. This means there are ample amounts of gas stations, car services, and parking lots.

The Philippines is the fourth best in safety, according to the survey. Taken into account are the number of accidents, hazards, and weather.