1.  Ask yourselves:  If you were the President, what would you have accomplished and completed in a year's time? The complaining has never stopped.  Everyone wants more and more and more.  I don't think there could ever be an end to wanting to be pleased.  At least this president is really taking steps to curb and stop corruption. 

2.  Are some people serious about wanting the Peso to go higher against the dollar? Look at it this way.  For people earning in dollars, the exchange rate really is not something to be happy about.  Let's say you earn $5,000/month.  If we use the exchange rate of Php 42.40 your family could be receiving around Php 212,000 less taxes.  The higher the rate, the more money your family has. But then, look at the other side of the coin. Think for a moment about those who buy in dollars.  If you are importing materials from other countries and the world currency used is $ then, buying at a high rate would mean more Philippine money spent. 

I am far from being a market or business analyst so I hope that the ordinary Filipino like myself can better understand what goes on and not just wish he or she earns more when the value of the Peso goes higher.

3.  On the Wang-wang.  Frankly, this was absolutely a good thing. Before the President came into power, how many of us sat in traffic for at least a couple of hours, only to wait even longer as the vehicles of public officials whizzed past? I bet you it made you scowl even more, heave a deep breath and think to yourself how unfair life was.  True, this also symbolizes change.

4. Corruption.  This must be the by-word of everyday living. See how crazy most government officials are to point blame on the other.  Let's all leave that to them and start with ourselves.  "Nakakahiya na nga diba?"  Stop corruption in our own little way by avoiding namedropping or not giving in to the urge to pay our way out of a very tight situation. Let's stop saying, 'kilala mo ba si general ganito...or si Mr. __.  Banggitin lng ang pangalan ni so and so"  Ah, the change needs to start with us.  

5.  English vs. Filipino?  Everyone has a point.  There are a lot of resources to help people understand.  Plus, there's Google Translate. Speaking or writing in English never made me feel less of a Filipino.  I don't know about some. 

6.  Unemployment?  Ah...there is just so much to talk about when it comes to unemployment.  Some say it's the educational system, some say that there just aren't enough jobs available.  Did you ever think of the number of people who just aren't qualified? Look at the advertisements in newspapers, online, and on TV? 

Wanted:  Receptionist 
              Must be 18-24 years old
              Must be at least 5' 3"
              College Graduate
              Pleasing personality

This is just a sample.  But I know most have seen ads like this. There are a lot of requirements that go with the package.  I have no questions about education and personality.  But do we really need a preference for height and age?

7.  Poverty? We're enveloped in it.  But come to think of it, it's not a question of being poor as a country because we have lots of money.  You have to believe it!  We do.  It's a question of where the money is or in whose hands it's in.  Think of the billions and billions that have been scammed.  What happened to those funds? We have roughly 92 million people in the Philippines to date.  How many billions have been scammed?  Sum it all and if each individual had at least a million, would it help relieve poverty? We have feeding programs, free education, free medicine, free housing and yet millions still live below the poverty line.  I forget now what that amount is.  We'd perhaps count ourselves lucky if it was Php 50 per household.  Again, it may be higher.  

Let's all call our government officials to think of a more creative strategy.  Obviously, all the free programs have not really gotten us anywhere.  If we pay for them, it would cause a major outcry.  How did China, Singapore and Japan become world leaders? The answer may lie in what their governments did.  That's just a thought.  I can hear the furious outcry even before the changes have been initiated.  But seriously...think about it. 


8. Other programs such as Education and health - it will take more comments to post as there are just so many to talk about. I'll probably write another time.

9. Seriously, if a person drank Php 23,590 worth of coffee in one day, we'd probably have people dropping dead like flies at any given time.  If you compute it that way, you'd be flabbergasted at the price.  But then lets say you serve Php 200 worth of coffee to at least 118 people on a daily basis*365 days*9years*13 branches and you'd roughly get the 1B plus.  But then again, it's all free flowing coffee. I've never been to any Pagcor building so I wouldn't really know.  I'm just thinking out loud and having fun with a little math.

10. Ah, GMRC. How I think back to the days of my youth where the mere word or action that was not done by a "lady" was followed by the darkest scowl or worse a spanking! Not only is GMRC gone from the school's curriculum, most parents won't even bother to teach their kids. So we're surrounded by young people who's manners are atrocious!