The Aquinos, the late and martyred Senator, Benigno, and his wife, the late and venerated ex president, Corazon, both hold a special place in the hearts of Filipinos, and rightfully so. Ninoy, literally, and in many other ways, gave his life for his country. Cory courageously led and waged the war that finally toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and, in those few heady days in February 1986, liberated a nation from the shackles of a 21 year regime that was characterized by greed, graft and the gory torture of many of our people. Flowers bloomed. Smiles flashed. Tears of joy flowed. Spirits soared.
As she assumed office on February 25, 1986, everyone wanted her to succeed. Her ascendance to the presidency ushered in the highest expectations and dreams of the Filipino people. We were oh so full of hope. At last we could look forward to a true democracy. At last thievery in government would be a thing of the past. Honesty would now be the defining trait of our government and other institutions. We and could now harness the amazing intelligence, talent and industry for which our countrymen are renowned for. A new tomorrow is coming, we thought and we said then. Progress and prosperity, we thought, would be just around the corner.
What happened? Why are we now back in the same rut? Graft and corruption is as rampant, and probably worse, than it ever was. Faith in government is seemingly only for the naïve. Murder and mayhem as tools to achieve political advantage have reached new and shocking brazeness.
I believe President Aquino made a very serious mistake and one that I consider to be the seminal error of her leadership. Here she was carrying a very potent mandate to
reshape our country and our culture. The sword of war that she wielded with courage and effectiveness was still in her hands. There were monsters to slay. There was a gargantuan, patronage based bureaucracy to expurgate. Why did she not use her mandate to drastically change the malignant, malevolent and destructive trajectory that the Marcoses and their minions set our country to?
Cory Aquino, in those months immediately following the People Power EDSA revolution, had both the political and moral capital to effect many changes. She could have ruled by decree and because of her own personal integrity and almost saintly sense of honesty, I am quite certain she could have carried it off. The Filipino people would have supported her in such efforts. They knew she was not a thief. That she was not a power hungry megalomaniac out for glory. In fact as she herself described it she was “a mere housewife”. I wish she would have been at least figuratively true to her role by “cleaning house”. And if she really felt that she could not fashion and carry out a grand vision for our country she ought to have assumed the ceremonial role of chief-of-state and handed the running of the government to technocrats and leaders of known integrity, honesty and vision. (Someone like Jovito Salonga and others come to mind). There was massive infrastructure building that had to be attended to. We needed roads. We needed electric power. We needed drainage systems. We needed sanitation improvements. We needed mass transit investments. We needed a system of commerce where true entrepreneurial aspirations could be pursued and realized ( and here again the need for a graft free system of government regulations were essential).
Instead, what did she do? No decisive action. No grand vision. What she did was to “restore” the empty shells of “democracy”. And the most hollow and useless of these shells was the Congress. Restoring our Congress cannot and should not be construed as a “restoration” of democracy. In truth and in reality we never had a true and functioning democracy. What I believe we had was a well oiled oligarchy that kept control of government, commerce and wealth in the hands of a few families, interest groups and enriched politicians who found myriad and creative ways to siphon off public funds into their fat, private pockets. And the area of government where the power of the oligarchy most exerted itself was in Congress. They passed the laws, exerted the influence and machinated bureaus and departments of government, the police and even the military to benefit their oligarch clients. The latter then saw to that the politicians are well financed to ensure continued electoral victories. No, we had no democracy. Marcos only formalized this fact by becoming the “super oligarch” in 1972. And take a look at Congress now, does this not remind one of the same quagmire we had in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s?
I recently had an email exchange with a friend of mine who wondered if what we needed was a “purging” revolution much like they had in Vietnam where the communists who took over engaged in a massive “re-education” program that instilled a sense of national pride and discipline among the South Vietnamese and move the country towards where it is now. I told him that perhaps so, but, I said, we had a much better situation than the Vietnamese. We had an opportunity to purge and cleanse our country without the bloodshed and mayhem visited upon our people. We had a successful, peaceful revolution in 1986. However, what we did was hand over the reigns of the country back to the very same oligarchs who dominated our world before Marcos. One notable difference is that these oligarchs are now more numerous and virulent and they have a blueprint for ultimate and massive success: the 21 year rule of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.
Like most Filipinos, I love Ninoy and Cory Aquino. And the mystique with which they are honored and adored is well placed. Yet, I believe, our continued suffering is the result of a mistaken set of priorities embarked upon in 1986.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
From Teachers to Maids- The 'New' Filipino Diaspora
At the global company that I retired from, I had several opportunities to travel to both Asian and European countries. Those trips usually resulted in many hours of waiting at airports. Over the past few years I was witness to a new phenomenon.
I saw a large number of young Filipino men and women who were either arriving from overseas or catching a flight to some foreign destination. They are a part of a new and quite different Diaspora. Many of the men were headed to ports around the world to catch ships that they were crew members on. It is sometimes said that if all Filipino sailors stopped manning freighters and tankers that the global shipping industry would grind to a halt. The same is said of those who have taken clerical jobs and various assignments in the middle east. Many Arabian economies would be stalled if not altogether shut down without their Filipino help.
I once had a seatmate on a flight from Guam to Honolulu who was headed for Houston, Texas to catch a tanker. We got to talk about his way of life. He was happy to earn enough to give his family a nice middle class life back home, yet he rued about the loneliness that assaults him daily. The children’s birthdays missed, the nights he could not tuck his children to bed or share stories of their studies and their lives. The misery of his life, he said, was exacerbated after 9/11. No longer could they leave their ships to go ashore and shop or sight see or go to a restaurant. Part of most cities security enhancements called for strictly limiting crewmen liberties at ports of call. “ We live a very hard life,” he said. “If people only knew”.
The conversation with this Filipino crewman called to mind many of the stories of yet another aspect of this modern day Diaspora: all those millions of Filipinas who take jobs as domestics in almost all countries of the world. Sure, we hear of the millions of dollars these workhorses send back home, contributions that have literally kept the Philippine economy afloat. What is perhaps surprising, shocking really, is that a large number of these “maids” are college graduates. Among them are school teachers, accountants, secretaries and other professionals. Why are they taking jobs that take them away from their children for a monthly pay of$400.00?
The answer: $400.00 a month is often 4 or 5 times more than what they would earn in their own professions in the Philippines.
There are stories as well of the cruelties and abuse visited upon these Filipinas at the hands of their masters abroad. Rape, beatings, harsh working conditions, are all a part of what they can expect. (This is a story which I will devote future pieces on as it requires more attention and details). They bring home the gold that keeps our government functioning and their families well fed and well clothed, yet the price they pay goes beyond tears of loneliness and isolation; sometimes it results in bloodshed as well.
I read somewhere in a local paper in Manila where a politician reportedly stood on the floor of congress to “denounce” a Hong Kong journalist for referring to the Philippines as “a country of maids”. He wanted to defend the “honor” of Filipinas. My question is, if he and/or the Philippine government really wanted to make life better for our countrymen, why hasn’t he and his colleagues done anything to provide opportunities for our teachers, accountants and other professionals to earn a livable wage right in the Philippines?
Leandro D. Quintana ldq44@aol.com
I saw a large number of young Filipino men and women who were either arriving from overseas or catching a flight to some foreign destination. They are a part of a new and quite different Diaspora. Many of the men were headed to ports around the world to catch ships that they were crew members on. It is sometimes said that if all Filipino sailors stopped manning freighters and tankers that the global shipping industry would grind to a halt. The same is said of those who have taken clerical jobs and various assignments in the middle east. Many Arabian economies would be stalled if not altogether shut down without their Filipino help.
I once had a seatmate on a flight from Guam to Honolulu who was headed for Houston, Texas to catch a tanker. We got to talk about his way of life. He was happy to earn enough to give his family a nice middle class life back home, yet he rued about the loneliness that assaults him daily. The children’s birthdays missed, the nights he could not tuck his children to bed or share stories of their studies and their lives. The misery of his life, he said, was exacerbated after 9/11. No longer could they leave their ships to go ashore and shop or sight see or go to a restaurant. Part of most cities security enhancements called for strictly limiting crewmen liberties at ports of call. “ We live a very hard life,” he said. “If people only knew”.
The conversation with this Filipino crewman called to mind many of the stories of yet another aspect of this modern day Diaspora: all those millions of Filipinas who take jobs as domestics in almost all countries of the world. Sure, we hear of the millions of dollars these workhorses send back home, contributions that have literally kept the Philippine economy afloat. What is perhaps surprising, shocking really, is that a large number of these “maids” are college graduates. Among them are school teachers, accountants, secretaries and other professionals. Why are they taking jobs that take them away from their children for a monthly pay of$400.00?
The answer: $400.00 a month is often 4 or 5 times more than what they would earn in their own professions in the Philippines.
There are stories as well of the cruelties and abuse visited upon these Filipinas at the hands of their masters abroad. Rape, beatings, harsh working conditions, are all a part of what they can expect. (This is a story which I will devote future pieces on as it requires more attention and details). They bring home the gold that keeps our government functioning and their families well fed and well clothed, yet the price they pay goes beyond tears of loneliness and isolation; sometimes it results in bloodshed as well.
I read somewhere in a local paper in Manila where a politician reportedly stood on the floor of congress to “denounce” a Hong Kong journalist for referring to the Philippines as “a country of maids”. He wanted to defend the “honor” of Filipinas. My question is, if he and/or the Philippine government really wanted to make life better for our countrymen, why hasn’t he and his colleagues done anything to provide opportunities for our teachers, accountants and other professionals to earn a livable wage right in the Philippines?
Leandro D. Quintana ldq44@aol.com
PAL - Compete or Perish
The recent report of a possible strike by PAL rank and file employees should force interested government overseers to come face-to-face with the reality that current managers at the airlines have: the structures in place at “legacy airlines” are no longer tenable. And this is most glaring when it comes to manpower usage.
Examples abide: airlines from Pan Am to TWA to SAS have either gone bankrupt or sold out or vastly reorganized. To cope with the need to reduce manpower costs many airlines, like SAS in the Los Angeles area, have dissolved entire workforces and replaced them with general sales agents (GSA) and/or handling companies. PAL itself has adopted such a structure in their USA sales and operations organizations.
And news of airlines in trouble continues to dominate the global business place. Just read about Japan Airlines’ present predicament which is still unresolved.
What solutions are there for PAL?
As any human resources manager worth their salt would tell you, costs of maintaining a legacy structure is prohibitive. Salary levels are usually set to reward longevity of employment rather than productivity and high performance. Each employee represents not only inflated wages ( versus current industry standards) but also a set of benefits fashioned out during a long-ago, more prosperous time. Today’s realities require that manpower costs be cut to the bone.
And this is what Lucio Tan’s team seems to be doing within its Philippine organization. They’re trying to reduce PAL’s per-passenger-mile costs so that they can compete with the likes of Cebu Air and Air Philippines, relatively new carriers not saddled with “legacy” expenses.
And PALEA, the union representing the airline’s rank and file membership is rightfully concerned and has threatened strike action. A scary thought considering the global financial crisis. An effective strike could totally cripple PAL and make it an unviable commercial venture. What is to stop PAL from saying goodbye to its domestic business? Or focus only on profitable trunkline routes?
As part of its strategy, PALEA has openly expressed its desire to have the government intervene, as it has done so in the past ( which is , in many respects, the primary reason that PAL’s employment rolls have ballooned). It is an election year and politicians, of course, want to appear that they are on the side of “labor”.
I believe it is time for all the parties concerned to sit down and mull creative alternatives. Employees interests need to be considered, for sure, but the airline needs to make a profit and survive. What to do?
Can alternative, positive uses of an obviously valuable, well trained work force be found? I believe so. Many global carriers have outsourced their reservations apparatus to third party providers, so why not convince them to outsource it to PAL? Why not organize and train employees who might otherwise be laid off into a new company that will man telephones and computer terminals handling reservations and service calls for the world’s major carriers? These are employees who have years and decades of experience on the front lines of passenger handling and would be in a position to provide callers with information and guidance based on real life knowledge versus agents who can only convey what they see on a screen.
As for the mechanics and engineers who also comprise a big chunk of the employee base, they too can be organized into a provider of services to many airlines at a fraction of what it is costing the latter. The three parties should fully exploit one major advantage the Philippines has to offer: after all is said and done our people can provide real value to global customers at a much lower cost. Rather than engage in a wasteful exercise on the union’s part by going on strike, or engage in brutal cost cutting measures such as Lucio Tan could undertake, both parties should explore alternatives. And the government can do its part, i.e. to mediate a positive course of action. Its past practice of shoving commercially unpalatable solutions down the airlines throats have no place in the business world, where the prevailing motto is PROFIT or PERISH!!
Leandro D. Quintana
LDQ44@AOL.COM BLOG: ldq1944.blogspot.com
The author is a free lance journalist currently based in the Western USA.
He held various editorial positions at Philippine News and Asian American News between 1974 and 1981. For the past 30 years he was employed by a company that eventually was purchased by Deutsche Post and merged with DHL and from which he recently retired. He was a PAL employee at Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Manila from 1962 thru 1971. His last PAL assignment was in its public relations department.
Examples abide: airlines from Pan Am to TWA to SAS have either gone bankrupt or sold out or vastly reorganized. To cope with the need to reduce manpower costs many airlines, like SAS in the Los Angeles area, have dissolved entire workforces and replaced them with general sales agents (GSA) and/or handling companies. PAL itself has adopted such a structure in their USA sales and operations organizations.
And news of airlines in trouble continues to dominate the global business place. Just read about Japan Airlines’ present predicament which is still unresolved.
What solutions are there for PAL?
As any human resources manager worth their salt would tell you, costs of maintaining a legacy structure is prohibitive. Salary levels are usually set to reward longevity of employment rather than productivity and high performance. Each employee represents not only inflated wages ( versus current industry standards) but also a set of benefits fashioned out during a long-ago, more prosperous time. Today’s realities require that manpower costs be cut to the bone.
And this is what Lucio Tan’s team seems to be doing within its Philippine organization. They’re trying to reduce PAL’s per-passenger-mile costs so that they can compete with the likes of Cebu Air and Air Philippines, relatively new carriers not saddled with “legacy” expenses.
And PALEA, the union representing the airline’s rank and file membership is rightfully concerned and has threatened strike action. A scary thought considering the global financial crisis. An effective strike could totally cripple PAL and make it an unviable commercial venture. What is to stop PAL from saying goodbye to its domestic business? Or focus only on profitable trunkline routes?
As part of its strategy, PALEA has openly expressed its desire to have the government intervene, as it has done so in the past ( which is , in many respects, the primary reason that PAL’s employment rolls have ballooned). It is an election year and politicians, of course, want to appear that they are on the side of “labor”.
I believe it is time for all the parties concerned to sit down and mull creative alternatives. Employees interests need to be considered, for sure, but the airline needs to make a profit and survive. What to do?
Can alternative, positive uses of an obviously valuable, well trained work force be found? I believe so. Many global carriers have outsourced their reservations apparatus to third party providers, so why not convince them to outsource it to PAL? Why not organize and train employees who might otherwise be laid off into a new company that will man telephones and computer terminals handling reservations and service calls for the world’s major carriers? These are employees who have years and decades of experience on the front lines of passenger handling and would be in a position to provide callers with information and guidance based on real life knowledge versus agents who can only convey what they see on a screen.
As for the mechanics and engineers who also comprise a big chunk of the employee base, they too can be organized into a provider of services to many airlines at a fraction of what it is costing the latter. The three parties should fully exploit one major advantage the Philippines has to offer: after all is said and done our people can provide real value to global customers at a much lower cost. Rather than engage in a wasteful exercise on the union’s part by going on strike, or engage in brutal cost cutting measures such as Lucio Tan could undertake, both parties should explore alternatives. And the government can do its part, i.e. to mediate a positive course of action. Its past practice of shoving commercially unpalatable solutions down the airlines throats have no place in the business world, where the prevailing motto is PROFIT or PERISH!!
Leandro D. Quintana
LDQ44@AOL.COM BLOG: ldq1944.blogspot.com
The author is a free lance journalist currently based in the Western USA.
He held various editorial positions at Philippine News and Asian American News between 1974 and 1981. For the past 30 years he was employed by a company that eventually was purchased by Deutsche Post and merged with DHL and from which he recently retired. He was a PAL employee at Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Manila from 1962 thru 1971. His last PAL assignment was in its public relations department.
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