Unilab Active Health - Run United Trilogy Leg 1

It was a great experience to be invited again to lead the warm-up at yet another prestigious event last March 4. I met some great and inspiring people, and I saw first-hand too the admirable large-scale organization that RunRio Events are known for.

Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle Musical

"Rivalry" is a play that puts the famed blue-vs-green pissing contest between two of the top private universities in the Philippines on-stage in a musical.

Blue vs Green, since 1939.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Remember that this isn't just a day for couples or ones with significant others; it's also a celebration of love itself, and the love we can share to and with just about anyone.

Take some time to show love especially to the ones we most overlook - our families :)

All that matters.

Have a good Valentine's! :)

Image from We Heart It, retrieved on February 14, 2012.

Fixed Pay for Bus Drivers and Conductors

As of February 1, 2012, the Philippine government has mandated a fixed-pay salary for bus drivers and conductors, in a move to promote better working conditions for employees of the public transport industry.

From the Philippine government website:

"... the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued Department Order No. 118-12, series of 2012, which establishes the rules and regulations governing the employment and working conditions of drivers and conductors in the public utility bus transport industry."

I agree with the implementation of this system for the following reasons:

Better Financial Compensation

The public transportation system of the Philippines - as far as I am aware - has been working on the 'boundary' policy for the longest time. A driver needs to pay X amount to his employer at the end of his shift, regardless of how much he actually pulled during the day. For example, a driver may be given a PHP 2,000 boundary, to be given daily to his employer (the vehicle company/operator). This ignores the fact that the driver needs to buy fuel too, and maybe even pay for some maintenance of the vehicle. At the end of the day, a public transportation driver in this country sees an average of PHP 300.00 - PHP 500.00 as his net daily income. This is, according to drivers I've spoken with, a 'good' day. Now imagine if he was ill or unable to drive. A fixed-pay system that cannot go below the minimum wage ensures that the driver will always have some sort of financial stability that is independent of his health, weather conditions, and passenger availability on top of whatever commission he may receive from his efforts.

Risking life, limb, property, and public safety.

Better Public Safety

Since drivers will now have some 'bacon' to bring home on a regular basis (no matter how small the amount may be), I believe public transportation employees are far less likely to involve themselves in dangerous activities in order to 'make the boundary' as well as bring home a little bit for the family. I have personally taken late-night bus rides home, where drivers run red lights and take risky short-cuts in order to maximize the number of 'rounds' they can do. Pedestrians in the Philippines will attest to these buses madly speeding - even through pedestrian crossings! - in streets and highways. Perhaps this fixed-pay system could encourage drivers to drive at a more leisurely pace and increase awareness for safety not just for the public but for themselves as well.

Better Environmental Practice

While seemingly having no direct correlation to the Order, buses that move slower during trips and buses that are not operational for longer hours (since employees will not be trying to push for longer driving hours) simply mean less emissions on a day-to-day basis. This is probably not a long-term effect, but in my opinion, having buses belch out poisonous and smelly smoke for eight hours is much better than having these said vehicles produce the same emissions for twelve, even fourteen hours daily. Also, buses that aren't too over-used would require less maintenance and parts replacement, which surely saves on materials and resources.

I think that this Order is one of the better policies that the Philippine government has implemented in recent years, and certainly one of the highlights President Aquino's term in office. I look forward to a similar Order mandated for public utility jeeps, tricycles, and pedicabs.

Also, as a public service announcement, this is the list of the Top 10 most dangerous bus operators in Metro Manila, according to this September 2011 Inquirer article.

Based on the number of deaths (passengers and bus personnel)

1. Admiral Transport
2. Nova Auto Transport
3. JAM Liner
4. Gassat Express
5. Joyselle Express
6. Philippine Corinthian Liner
7. Rainbow Express Inc.
8. Alberto Garating
9. Alps the Bus
10. EM Transit Service

Based on the number of injured (passengers and bus personnel)

1. Admiral Transport
2. Nova Auto Transport
3. AM Liner
4. Gassat Express
5. Joyselle Express
6. Miami Transport
7. Pascual Liner
8. Philippine Corinthian Liner
9. Rainbow Express Inc.
10. CEM Transit Service

Based on damage to property

1. Don Mariano Transit
2. Nova Auto Transport
3. Gassat Express
4. Miami Transport
5. Pascual Liner
6. Rainbow Express Inc.
7. Ropal Transport
8. A&B Liner
9. GELL Transport
10. CEM Transit Service

Sources:

Montecillo, P. G. (2011). "Most Dangerous Metro Manila Buses Named". Inquirer News. Retrieved on February 2, 2012 from Inquirer online article.

Image retrieved from same Inquirer online article.

Philippine Government Website (2012). "Bus Drivers, Conductors to Get Fixed Pay Starting Feb 1". Retrieved on February 2, 2012 from Philippine government online press release.

Rescue Run - Race for Sendong

Let's help our countrymen suffering in the aftermath of Typhoon Sendong.

Rescue Run

5:30am, December 31, 2011

Organized by Greentennial Run

Distance: 5km

Venue: McKinley Hill, Taguig City

Registration Fee:
PHP 150 minimum, DONATIONS ONLY

Registration Venues:

A Runner's Circle
Aloha Hotel, Unit H, 2150 Roxas Boulevard
Cor. Quirino Ave., Malate, Manila, 1004 Philippines

R.O.X.

B1, Bonifacio High Street,

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines

Registration begins on December 26, 2011. Race proper is on December 31, 2011 at McKinley Hill, Taguig. Run begins at 0530H. 

There will be no timing chip, no singlets, no free race packages after. This is strictly a run-for-a-cause, and what a cause it is. Please join! Let's give Sendong victims a better 2012.

Jay~

For more information, check out Pinoy Fitness - Rescue Run.

Abusive Caregiver Caught on Camera

There's something chilling when a caregiver - the person a family entrusts a helpless and frail member to - is capable of committing such despicable, repeated acts of mercilessness, cruelty, and sheer and absolute disrespect of the elderly.

WARNING: Graphic and violent content.

The caregiver's name is Carmen Pereira, 52, and this incident occurred in New Jersey, USA towards the end of October. As far as I know, the family of the 91-year old lady seen being abused in the video above installed a webcam when their matriarch began displaying suspicious bruising around her body. Mrs. Pereira is currently being charged with "aggravated assault with extreme indifference, endangering the welfare of an incompetent person, and neglect of an elderly/disabled person".

Jay~


Video recorded by victim's family (2011), retrieved on December 15, 2011 from ARCHIEzzle's YouTube channel.

Animo Christmas! Concert

Member of the Lasallian community? Come this Friday!

In line with De La Salle University's Centennial Year, the Lasallian Community is having the FIRST EVER Animo Christmas! Concert on Friday, December 16, 2011 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at the De La Salle University Amphitheater.

Watch our very own Lasallian Bands and Singers, DLSU Alumni, representatives from the different sectors, De La Salle Brothers and many more as they render us Christmas Performances! Skittlez Crew will also be performing our Remix 2011 championship piece here :)

Guest singers and bands such as PUPIL, AKAFELLAS, KUNDIRANA, CLAYTON RISNER (International Youtube Singer) and others will be performing as well ;)

SEE YOU THERE!

Note:
Unfortunately, this event is only open to the Lasallian community (students, alumni, staff, and students from the other sixteen Lasallian schools).

Jay~

Dream Green on Facebook

Dream Green, the official green webpage of De La Salle University.

This is where you will find important and interesting information on the environment in general, as well as environmental efforts from the university, its community, the Philippine government, and the world in general.

Do you need to be a Lasallian to find the information here relevant?

Of course not! Just by liking this page on Facebook, you are already supporting the environment by choosing to stay informed and aware of the environmental situation not just in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, but the world at large.

So what are you waiting for? Support us and like us on Facebook! :)

Dream Green

Jay~

Run for Pasig River

See you there! I'll be doing my usual 3k.

Registrations end Nov 15!

Sign up now!

De La Salle University registration booth is located at the St. Joseph Hall lobby.

For more information, please visit Run for Pasig River 2011.

Jay~

Typhoon Quiel

As Typhoon Quiel passed by the Philippines yesterday, I went to the rooftop of my condo building and snapped some pictures of the very low clouds and very little visibility caused by the second storm to hit us inside a week.

Overlooking Mandaluyong City.

Overlooking North.

Manila Bay takes the cake!

Thank God this storm has passed, and did not deliver a nature-smackdown the way Typhoon Pedring did.

Jay~

9/11 - Defining a Decade

9/11 Tribute Lights light up the Manhattan skyline.

It has been ten whole years since the world experienced one of the worst attacks on a nation in recorded history. It was an attack that painfully exposed the vulnerability of the world's lone superpower, and an attack that prompted two major wars and many more small-scale operations. It was an attack that affected the lives of virtually everyone, from policy makers to the average air traveler. It was 9/11, and akin to 12/7 (Pearl Harbor), it will forever be an event that can be summed up and remembered just from the date of its occurrence.

9/11 occurred when I was thirteen years old, in the first year of my secondary school. I remember watching it live on television, and as it unfolded, my young mind was understandably confused and scared at the same time. I grasped neither the impact nor the importance of this event at that time. Six years later, as I majored in International Relations, the 9/11 attacks virtually became the center of my academic life. As I wrote papers on national security, domestic and international policy-making, international law, and even international economics, 9/11 somehow, some way found itself in my work. It defined so many things that we are 'used to' now. Strict airport security measures? This stemmed from 9/11. "Terror" as a household word? Blame it on 9/11. Muslims around the world - radical and moderate alike - branded as "fundamentalists" or worse, "terrorists"? 9/11 played a big part. The attacks on America not only changed our experiences in the days that followed; lifestyles and mindsets changed as well.

Ten years on, the world is still experiencing two combat theaters, Iraq and Afghanistan. American involvement in these two countries - I have said this countless times on many academic papers - have strained the American (and in turn, global) economy and willpower to its limits. These wars have destroyed billions of dollars worth of property, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, alienated entire demographics, and claimed an appalling number of lives. Al-Qaeda, the group claiming responsibility for the attacks, has recently lost its mastermind, Osama bin Laden, after more than nine years of eluding international operatives. Has this changed anything, created an impact that can be felt? It still remains to be seen. What is important, perhaps, is that the world knows that threats can and may come from anywhere. A culture of paranoia has been created from 9/11.

9/11 represents, in my opinion, two sides of a coin. On one side, you have the United States and its allies, defending themselves and reacting to the terror attacks. On the other side, the radical religious groups, hellbent on bringing down democracy and everything Western. In the middle, much like the proverbial coin, is the very thin and small group of neutrals and fence-sitters, choosing neither side and risking the complete wrath of the other. Ten years on, this group division is still very much evident. Ten years on, we still remember, and we are still affected, whether we like it or not.

Jay~

External Links:
25 Powerful Images of 9/11

One Archer's Crane Accident

Late yesterday evening, a mishap occurred where a construction crane situated high up on Eton's One Archer's Place apparently fell and then was stuck hanging over the side of the building. It was hanging directly on top of Agno Street, the main street that Lasallians use to get from the main campus to three other buildings situated outside (Science and Technology Research Center, Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC Hall, and the Don Enrique Razon Sports Complex, respectively). The security officers of De La Salle University Manila quickly closed the street, resulting in many students having classes in the STRC to be stranded for a while, with many others unable to reach the main campus.




The white building on the left is the Br. Andrew Hall, while the lit building on the right is the Sports Complex.
Pictures taken using Nokia C3-00 at 2.0 MP.

This is a worrying trend with regards to safety for Eton Properties Philippines, because last year on the wee hours of Valentine's Day, a fire broke out on the then-under-construction One Archer's and just recently, several workers were killed at Eton Tower Makati when a gondola that they were riding went on a fatal free-fall. Three very serious incidences of safety issues for a property developer is something to heavily consider, I believe.

It is also much more worrying because many of the residents of One Archer's are students of De La Salle University Manila.

Jay~

EDSA I 25th Anniversary

According to this article from Inquirer.net, there will be no classes on all levels (public and private) around the country to commemorate the "People Power" revolution that happened a couple of years before I was born, in 1986.

A brief background: This particular revolution - relatively bloodless, surprisingly, seeing as revolutions are usually red-affairs - toppled a dictatorial regime that lasted more than a decade under then President Ferdinand Marcos.

I do, however, still have work on that day. Bummer. Sometimes, it is really great being a student again. LOL.

Jay~

Increased Jeep Fare

Just a few weeks ago, I blogged about the increased taxi fares that has already been implemented in many taxis in the Philippines. I've actually ridden one of these "receipt-enabled" cabs (What in hell will you use a cab receipt for? Transportation reimbursement? Tax breaks? Toilet paper?) and the difference is substantial; a cab ride to Global City used to cost me around P80.00 - P90.00 (USD 2.00), and last Saturday, it went up to P130.00 (USD 3.00). Multiply that over a week, and soon enough commuting becomes a big fat burden.

Now jeeps are going to be increasing fares (again). This will be implemented tomorrow, February 2.

Jeeps are the staple of Filipino commuting; cheap, highly abundant, and lets one FULLY experience the country, danger and all. The usual rate is P7.00 for the first 4 kilometers and then it adds up after every click or so. I'm not sure how the drivers calculate, but it is still a very cheap mode of transportation. Another peso might not hit some hard, but it would definitely affect other demographics in our country. In the article mentioned here, one would note that not only is petrol price increase blamed but also "operating expenses".

I sure hope they spend some of the extra money actually INSTALLING BRAKE LIGHTS, WORKING SIGNAL LIGHTS, and as much as many jeep drivers/operators do not care to admit, some form of VENTILATION would be nice as well, especially as jeeps turn into microwave ovens on rainy days when the plastic blinds are drawn.

Jay~

UST: New Home of the Bar Exams

My alma mater, De La Salle University Manila, has traditionally been the venue of the Bar Exams, with lawyers-to-be gathering inside the campus to take the exams that would make or break their legal future. However, a grenade attack last during last year's exams, as well as the construction of our new Centennial Hall have made the Supreme Court of the Philippines reconsider the venue of the exams. That honor now goes to the Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas (or University of Saint Thomas, but no one in their right mind would call it that here in the Philippines).

Popularly known as "Uste" (oos-teh), UST is the oldest university in Asia at over four-hundred years. Founded in 1611, it is also the largest Catholic university in the world in terms of student population in a single campus. Uste is definitely one of the best universities in the country, and is famous for the medical disciplines that it offers.

I also cannot help but think that as much as I love the neoclassical design of La Salle structures, Uste's New World feel is also pretty breath-taking:

UST's crest.

UST's varsity crest.


Well then. I suppose the Bar Exams have found a fitting home :)

Read more here; pictures from here and here. UST history courtesy of UST website.

Jay~

Laptop Thief (Caught on Camera)

I know many people personally who have lost gadgets such as mobile phones and laptops in public places, and it is simply amazing to see a heist in action. In this article from Yahoo! News Philippines, a thieving-ring is caught on the in-store camera executing a quick and flawless job. This happened in Oyster Boy, an eatery at Metrowalk, off Meralco Avenue, Ortigas City.

The video:


So please, be wary of placing your bags with valuables out of sight. Remember, "out of sight, out of mind" sometimes applies in cases such as this one. Personally, I like placing my wallet and mobile phone in a place where it is either on me (a tight pocket, like a shirt pocket) or an inch away from me on the table. As for bags, I always loop a strap around my ankle - which would have prevented this one immediately.

This has been a public service post from me, courtesy of Yahoo! News and YouTube user Teddypork.

So Long, 2010!

It's been a year of ups and downs, but I've been lucky to have way more ups than downs.

Thank you to all my friends, new and old, for having stuck with me and our friendship for yet another year. I can never express my gratitude to you guys. I know I met many of you in university, and then I just left (I graduated, okay, not expelled :P) but I am sure we will all still keep in contact, what with the many online-based social networking sites we're all using now. Haha.. Here's to another year of friendship!

Thank you to my parents, for the endless moral, emotional, and financial support this year. I'm a graduate from a good school, and I hope I've made you both very proud. This has been an awesome year; thanks for being a part of it.

Skittlez Crew! This year gave me my third Remix dance competition with you guys, and I am honored to have led you guys for two years. I'm so proud and honored to have won two championships dancing beside all of you, when just a couple of years ago, "I wasn't good enough" to be a 'proper' dancer. How things have changed, and how we've all grown! We were champions of 2008, and this year, thank you for the graduation gift of being champions of 2010. Through ups and downs, you have all proven yourselves to be a true family, in every sense of the word. I love you guys, more than words can say. You've been there for me on my first week in university, my final week as a student, my first day on the job, and so much more. ONE LOVE, through and through. Thank you for making my 2010 absolutely amazing.

I have to thank my alma mater as well, De La Salle University Manila, for the high-quality education I received from this wonderful institution. I didn't know at first why the hell I took up a liberal arts course here, when I was coming from a science background with my Cambridge A-Levels. It was a decision that made me fall in love with politics, political science, world and international systems, as well as society and culture in general. Thank you also for my very first job. I can never be grateful enough to our President (and my boss) Brother President Jun Erguiza FSC. You saw something in me, trusted me, and have become so much of a father-figure to me. It's truly difficult to leave Taft when one is taken care of so well by a great academic institution. Here's to our Centennial next year, La Salle! Animo :D

Last but not least, the icing on the cake, thank you PJ for being that special someone who is willing to be beside me through thick and thin, and I think we've gone through enough to justify my saying that :P You've been nothing short of awesome, and you're unbelievably cool and laid-back. I know I can be really uptight, but you've slowly made me a more fun and outgoing person. Oh, and you're just so gorgeous on top of it all! LOL. If my 2010 was already freakin' great, you made it perfect. I'm looking forward to many more New Year's with you :) You make me better, in more ways than you know. You're the absolute best.

Happy New Year, and let's all welcome 2011!
Another year, another chance to be a better person.

Life has been great, 2010; I'm sure it can only be better :)

Jay~

Increased Taxi Fare

According to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), starting January 15, 2010:

The flag-down rate of taxis in Metro Manila will go up to P40 from P30, and the increments will go up to P3.50 from P2.50 per increment.

I bloody disagree.

As if we aren't already getting robbed by taxi drivers who insist on having "contractual fares", have faster-than-usual meters, or downright crappy meters that cheat the hell out of us private citizens.

I absolutely bloody disagree.

Source: 24 Oras News Report.

Jay~

The Almost Robbery

I experienced and witnessed my very first live-action hold-up (or robbery, for my readers outside the Philippines) a couple of nights ago.

I was in a bus, Lippad Trans, according to my ticket, commuting home to Makati. As my usual routine in a bus goes, look as bad-ass as possible. From experience, it's much better to be thought of as a bad guy rather than a good guy, especially in the public transport vehicles here in the Philippines.

The bus was a typical public bus; three-seaters on the left, and two-seaters on the right, divided by an off-center aisle. It had two entrance/exit points. My first seat that night was a little behind, on a three-seater. Someone was beside me, but we didn't really pay attention to each other. I changed seats later on, a decision that probably contributed to my being the only one who escaped the robbery.

Somewhere along the route (I forgot where, but I believe the bus was already very near Dasmarinas Village, Makati), many people went out of the bus. Total passengers at this point was definitely less than 20 people. Seeing an empty two-seater right behind the second entrance/exit door (near the back), I moved to it, so I could stretch my legs a little better. I was about 15 minutes away from reaching my drop-off point where I would take a cab. To my left, on the three-seater on the aisle seat, sat a man. He was sleeping, and had a messenger bag very similar to mine. Let us call him Sleeping Man (SM).

Two men were sitting behind him, and the one on the aisle seat - Robber 1 (R1) stood up and proceeded to sit beside SM to my left. In order to sit beside him, he had to step over the man, thus placing himself at the window-side of the three-seater. The sleeping man woke up. At this point, the accomplice behind the two of them - Robber 2 (R2) held the now-awake SM's shoulders. R1 proceeded to unzip SM's messenger bag, and methodically took out all his valuables, placing them in a worn backpack. He also patted down SM and took his mobile phone and wallet.

At this point, about one minute has passed since R1 sat beside SM. R1 and I were looking at each other. It was in that moment when I thought that, "Holy sh*t Jay, this is a true-blue hold up. Get the f*ck out of this bus, man." It wasn't easy as well. I looked for the conductor of the bus, and he was sitting beside the driver, napping. I was certain that there were only two robbers, until of course, Robber 3 (R3) proceeded to sit behind me.

R3 leaned forward, and I leaned forward as well, just in case he had something sharp that wouldn't be too healthy for me. His intentions weren't very healthy as well, obviously. At this point, I could see Magallanes MRT Station (I think it was Magallanes) coming up ahead. I know a lot of cabbies hung out around the stairs going up the station. I had to get out. When I leaned forward, R2 stood up and proceeded to open the bag of the person in front of SM. R1 was the "behind the victim backup" now. I had R3 behind me already; it doesn't take a genius to realize that I am supposed to be victim number three. Well screw that. The last time someone forcibly took something from me was in Grade 5; it wasn't happening again.

The bus had to slow down to approach the MRT station; it was a downhill slope coming from the highway. Expecting passengers, buses always open their doors prematurely when coasting to a stop, so that passengers can hop in and the bus wouldn't have lost much momentum. I decided that there's absolutely no way I could win a fight with three possibly armed and definitely ill-intentioned criminals. The point I decided I would escape the bus came about 5 minutes into the robbery. It was also when SM looked at me. That look of helplessness and cry for help will haunt me for some time, simply because I cannot do anything that would help him and help me as well. R3's hands held the back of my seat. I stood up. R1 and R2 looked at me, and I felt scared. The bus was coasting now, second entrance/exit point opening. MRT station was coming up. Two steps down to the door. I jumped.

The landing wasn't too bad; I stayed on my feet. For about two seconds, then the speed hit me. "It was still going fast, you idiot. I tripped, but something kicked in I guess, and I caught myself. The cabbies and a lady selling drinks and cigarettes shouted at me, asking if I was alright. I was shaking. Anger plus terror, and at that point? Mostly terror. But I was safe.

I was safe.

I was safe when many others in the bus were being woken up, only to find themselves being robbed blind. Life is hard enough as it is; we don't need others coveting and taking away our hard-earned or much-deserved earnings and/or items. I was safe, my instincts and quick decisions saving me my stuff, while someone like Sleeping Man will go home with nothing but an empty bag and the clothes on his back.

It felt good to have outwitted the three robbers. For about five minutes. Then the guilt of having not helped in any way sunk in. I didn't help SM. I could have. Maybe the three robbers weren't armed. Maybe I was stronger. Maybe. Maybe.

I guess I followed up what Coach JP at Elorde Boxing and I talked about during training:

Coach: Why do you box?
Me: Self-defense, Coach.
Coach: What is your first weapon?
Me: The mind.
Coach: Second weapon?
Me:: Running shoes.
Coach: What about boxing?
Me:: Last option.
Coach: Very good.

He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.

Yes, I'm trying to make myself feel better about it.

Jay~

Introducing Migo

0940 hours.
St. Luke's Medical Center, Global City.

Migo Juat de Leon
20.10.2010

Welcome to the world, little baby boy.
May you grow up with your moral compass pointed due north, faith on your right, swagger on your left, and integrity on your back.

I'll be a great uncle, I promise. :)

Jay~