I once spoke to a lady named Andrea and at first i thought she was american bec she was so articulate and spoke good, american english. But then i asked where she was located and told me that she was in manila. No offense to indian tech support, but i believe Filipino technicians and customer support agents are the BEST! they are very cheerful and patient.

Ok, I’m risking falling into the colonial-mentality trap of “Waw! Perfect English!”, but I think this anecdote, located on Dell’s forums, could be a great answer to all them Filipino-CSR-haters.

But then again, I’ve “proven” nothing else except for our ability to provide great service to foreigners located halfway around the world. Anyone out there with a touching and true story of Filipinos serving each other?

On a related note, if anyone still doubts our Perpek English, LJ Serrano at You Had Me at Hello will shame you.

Last Sunday, Yonina Chan was kind enough to write about Filipino fashion blogs. And of course, Style Manila and Style Cebu were featured, along with such luminaries like Bryanboy and Chuvaness:

In the realm of fashion, local blogs all carry a unique, interesting voice. Whether this voice is categorically “Filipino” or not seems beyond the point, as it seems the “personal” appeal—including, of course, the individual, sometimes larger-than-life character of the blogger—has become the largest part of what makes the local fashion blog attractive to readers.

For some reason, the article’s no longer available on The Manila Bulletin website. Luckily, Google did a great job of caching the page for posterity. Read it now!

A lot of Filipinos look at our proud tradition of rice production, scratch their heads, and wonder why the Philippines has to import rice. It is easy to assume that corruption, government incompetence, and a poor economic environment are to blame. I know I have.

But, consider these statements:

• …countries that have been consistently importing rice for more than 100 years… [like] the Philippines… are all islands or narrow peninsulas.
• …the Philippines bears the brunt of numerous typhoons, making rice production more difficult…
• …Filipino farmers receive much higher prices for their palay (rice at harvest before the husk is removed) than do farmers in neighboring developing countries.

These were all found in an IRRI publication entitled “Tricks of the Trade“, which discusses the effects of liberalizing the rice trade in the Philippines. It’s a good read for anyone who wants an in-depth look into our rice problem.

Last March 29 was Earth Hour, a movement aimed at building environmental awareness. Various businesses and establishments promised to close shop (or at least turn off their lights) for one hour, from 8-9 pm.

I happened to be at Bonifacio High Street during this time, and I witnessed the reality of Earth Hour:

As you can see, BHS was a participatant, and they turned off their lights during the hour. On the other hand, many establishments kept their lights on. A notable exception was All Flip-Flops:

I’m not condemning the non-participants. After all, Earth Hour wasn’t a requirement. And while Bonifacio High Street would continue to make money (since they’ll still be getting the same rent at the end of the month), its establishments stand to lose a large amount if they closed shop.

This article over at iloiloviews.com is getting a lot of deserving attention. It provides an interesting perspective on the whole Brian Gorrell (yes, that Australian blogger trying to shame his ex-lover into paying back $70,000) brouhaha. To wit:

Our legal system calls this thoughtless extravagance, or the ostentatious display of wealth – an act made illegal under Article 25 of Republic Act 386, otherwise known as the Civil Code of the Philippines. This law prohibits “thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want.”

But the website left out an important part of the article: “… or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution.” Just like any law, Article 25’s effectiveness relies on how well it is enforced. Which is practically impossible in this case.

Read the rest of this entry »

Let us focus on Mr. Baldomero “Toto” Olivera. Here’s a short biography:

Baldomero M. Olivera was born in the Philippines, received his early education there and received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines, a PhD in Biophysical Chemistry from Caltech and did Post Doctoral work at Stanford. His early research contributions included the discovery and biochemical characterization of E. coli DNA ligase.

His laboratory initiated the identification and characterization of the biologically active peptides found the venoms of predatory cone snails; this led to a broad involvement with molecular neuroscience, particularly the functional role of ion channel and receptor subtypes in nervous systems.

The Conus peptide project has raised wide ranging biological questions, from mechanisms of protein folding and post-translational modification, to gene organization and mechanisms of speciation; several Conus peptides discovered in Olivera’s laboratory are being developed as therapeutics and one is approved as a commercial drug.

Pretty deep stuff. So what does it mean? It’s obvious that our country can produce effective citizens. If we are to believe the biography, then it’s clear that Mr. Olivera spent his formative years in the Philippines.

The problem is that with the lack of quality opportunities here, Filipinos who are destined for great accomplishments have no choice but to move abroad. So much potential, so little options, as was probably the case with “Toto”.

Regurgitation is very common online. That’s the why we see the following advice on blogging from so many sources:

Regularity. Building and sustaining an audience requires at least one post a day. Gizmodo promises 60 posts for every weekday, but that’s a bit too much.

Passion. I can tell you that it’s much much easier to blog about something you’re really interested in. The post ideas seem to come from nowhere.

Brevity. People would rather read a series of five short posts than one long article.

Comprehensibility. Make sure your text is easy to follow. Use simple wording, list out your points. Blogging is not literature.

Ironically, here I am jumping on the bandwagon! But there’s a reason why so many bloggers, including yours truly, are toeing the same line. The advice actually works.

On a nearly unrelated but very important note: if you think you can blog about the Philippines, in an entertaining, comprehensible, and regular way, then you’re the kind of people we’re looking for. Feel free to contact us.

Today is the last day of a long weekend for many Filipinos. If you’ve been too busy having fun over the long weekend, here’s some reading to catch-up on:

LJ Enjoys Her Working Vacation

Style Manila features some stylish reads

Vista Pinas wondered why an important Filipino monument is being neglected

See what happened over at Cebu

Write Life Guide wonders if you wrote anything down during Holy Week

Kikay Kits ends this round-up on a “cool” note

Hope you’ve enjoyed your Easter vacation! I sure have, thanks to our beautiful beaches!

Vista Pinas recently covered the Capas Death March Monument:

The monument is poorly maintained and has become a mere playground and park for the residents of the area. The monument is located along MacArthur Highway about 7 kilometers from Bamban Bridge on the route going to Baguio from Manila. I’m sure a lot of travelers to Baguio have seen this monument but don’t recognize its significance.

I have seen the monument before, and like Eugene I wondered how such an important landmark could be neglected. The Bataan Death March was a dark moment in our history, when nearly a hundred thousand Filipino and American POWs were forced to march over 97 kilometers from Bataan to Capas. Over 25% of the men died on the way, thanks to poor treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors.

I do not intend to generalize the Japanese as monsters. The point is that we should keep this monument well-maintained, to remind future generations of what atrocities men are capable of, and hope that this helps such terrible actions from occuring again. If anyone knows what can be done to help the Capas Death March Monument, I’m all ears.

It’s too bad that PhotoKees chose to focus only on the “ugly” side of the Philippines:

The photo post’s title, “So Very Manila”, is very indicative of his generalization. It seems that the blogger actually visited the Philippines, and only chose to publicize this aspect of country.

No doubt, the Philippines has many problems which limit its potential But that’s just it: there’s so much capability here, but our problems, by their more sensationalist nature, continue to attract more attention. Part of The Bayanihan Blog Network’s mission is let everyone know what the Philippines can offer, and I’m confident that our member blogs (listed to the right) do a great job of this.