Author Topic: The Practical View  (Read 6838 times)

hill roberts

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The Practical View
« on: December 23, 2010, 04:07:12 PM »
Somehow, no one in government, least of all,  the Department of Education understand  why the cycle of poverty continues to be a talking point. Haven't they realised that it is because they insist on sending everybody to the academic world, and making families spend their hard-earned cash, that poverty exists? Over here, vocational courses are celebrated and respected. Hence, poverty is hardly felt. Those plumbers, electricians, car mechanics, computer repairmen or tecnicos,  as we call them in Spain, those builders who can tile, repair, do small jobs repairing or doing plumbing jobs and replacing bathroom tiles, bathroom units, or installing kitchen units are making good and quick money. I think, skills should be encouraged to lessen poverty. Too much academic knowledge is not solving poverty at all. For as long as people can read and write, but equipped with skills I just mentioned, then that should be it! :( ??? :'(

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2010, 06:40:59 PM »
Nowadays, I keep my posts brief. The reason is, thousands upon thousands of facebook users, or bloggers have to catch up, read up, digest , follow through then comment. After that, internet users and website lovers have to visit many of their favourite sites.  What time do people have to read a 3,500 word essay? :D I notice that reading long essays isn't anymore viable. I don't read or bother reading tedious essays that go and on as if there was no ending--unless it's about teaching or giving basic instructions to students, essays must be brief, concise, straight to the point. Believe me, the shorter the item, the more I enjoy reading it. ;D ;D But then again, what is an essay if not a tedious work of 1,000 words or more? Would I sit down and read it, word for word? Unless I'm reading a thriller, or an autobiography/biography,  yes! ;D ;)  :-[
« Last Edit: December 24, 2010, 12:20:48 AM by hill roberts »

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2010, 12:29:54 AM »
Burying loved ones in the Philippines is one of monumental event. They keep the dead for as long as necessary until the last relative and close friend have arrived and viewed it. This is another reason why the Philippines is suffering from severe cash flow: imagine the scene: food, drinks, gossip, playing mahjong or cards, they eat and sleep at funeral parlours. They spend all their money and by the time they bury the dead, they have no more cash! ;D While the funeral directors and owners of the cemetery are having a field day counting their money, the clients weep unashamedly that the dead has been finally buried. I think they are crying because there's no more spending money. Why on earth do they keep the dead for such long periods? In Spain, we bury the dead in twenty-four hours. We cremate the dead in twenty-four hours. We do not bring anything--not even food or drinks. People here do not set aside hard-earned cash to feed the 1  million who visit the funeral--I know I may have exaggerated the figure, but hey, many who visit the funeral parlour are after food and drinks, right, so let's stop kidding ourselves. ;D ;D ;) ::) :'(

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #3 on: December 25, 2010, 03:34:22 AM »
Believe it or not, I'd like to be a plumber, a car mechanic, a computer technician (that repairs computers), an electrician. Over the years of living here tells me that the only way one can make honest money regularly, and quickly, would be to have manual skills. We have hired plumbers, builders, electricians over a thirty-year period  and I was always fascinated how these workers do their jobs so well; drive their own cars or vans and go home to the comfort of their homes. These workers do not live in slums. Their houses are as good, or better as those working in department stores, banks and call centres. They have bank accounts and  are self-employed.  So why do people in the Philippines shy away from such blue-collar jobs? To reduce poverty, these should be the things that Filipinos must think of doing: skills here in Europe are highly-prized! No one gets hungry. They can go to any cafe or resto that other white-collar job workers have the privilege of going. As for me, I learned to drive, sew and design my clothes, use the computer. I also taught myself to be a barber to save my husband money, learned to cook British and Spanish food, sat down and learned the Spanish language. I still give private English lessons which is rather rewarding! Indeed, it is worth taking the effort of doing something. You must yearn to learn manual skills! Filipinos, when they have money, hire two or more  maids, a driver, a gardener, and other people so they don't have to do the menial jobs at home. My advice? Learn to drive, sew, cook, cut hair, so that money can be saved for a nice treat, like travel, which I have been doing since I learned skills I never dreamt of learning. :D ;) ;D 8)
« Last Edit: December 25, 2010, 05:17:39 AM by hill roberts »

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2010, 05:45:11 PM »
How can a typical democratic government like the Philippines  reduce spending? They can get rid of quango organisations like the Comelec, The Truth Commission, cut down the size of the Senate and Congress--do people really  need so many when 95% of them do not do anything, while at the same time, enjoying the perks courtesy of the citizens  they don't serve?  :o ::) Do we really need too many appointed officials when they are the ones messing up the rules, laws and regulations of the land? Why keep them at all? These quango officials are not needed. Imagine the millions of pesos saved each year not keeping these smug, arrogant, self-serving people. ??? ::) The money paid and upkeep of their well-appointed, posh  offices could be channeled directly to building new schools, new health centres, new roads, new bridges :-[--especially in deep rural areas. 8) :- :P

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2010, 03:28:46 AM »
Just imagine, I kept saying that my posts were getting shorter and shorter. ??? However, since I started this new topic, The Practical View, I have actually written five different topics and when put together, that's a darn long essay! ;D ;D :oThe point I'm making is, keep them short and the eagerness to keep writing will remain high. :D 8) ::)Now, that's saying something and being practical. ha! ha! ha! :-*
« Last Edit: December 27, 2010, 05:00:50 AM by hill roberts »

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2011, 02:46:47 AM »
Billboards in the capital Manila  are an eyesore. How practical are they especially when typhoons come? Does that capital really need gigantic billboards to show the face of re-touched starlets advertising Western brands?  First of all, they occupy too much room. They are ugly. They do not at all contribute to aesthetic beauty. If anything, they are a  nuisance--truly an eyesore. But there is another reason why the capital doesn't really need such huge steel and wrought iron billboards. They kill, can kill or  maim. So what on earth are the mayors doing to prevent such needless death happening? Not only that, billboards destroy neighbouring property/ies, they drop on people, trains, houses, buildings block roads when very strong winds  hit the capital. I know that millions of Filipinos travel far and wide and know a beautiful city when they see one. Paris does not have billboards and the good thing is, people can enjoy the architecture better. It seems that steel manufacturers are wasting their time processing them when they end up in every street, boulevard, avenue. There is no need for such an eyesore. Tell those politicians to get rid of them and melt those steel and iron and use them somewhere else, like building three-storey edifices for the less fortunate?  >:( ::)Or gather some of those iron girders and hit those politicians on the head? I'd do it for free, just so Manila reclaims its original title, "The Pearl of the Orient Seas", which, by the way, has been stolen by the Thais! Oh, darn! Now what do we call our capital? :D ;)

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2011, 06:23:59 PM »
So, this new prez bought himself a nice expensive car. Fine. The bone of contention is this: he is a public figure, a public servant and elected by the people of the Philippines. Six months in office and he accepts or buys a porsche! :o :o >:( It is not our business to comment or criticise about this sordid affair if he was a private citizen. He is a newly-elected president of the country. Why on earth would he embark on an expensive shopping spree as if it were the most important thing to do after six months in office? :-[ :-\ >:( How practical is it to have that car in the capital being taken for  a spin while he cruises past the filthy esteros where people live and naked children play in filthy water? How can he reconcile the two contrasts? Where is the practicality in doing such an absurd thing while thousands are still living along the banks of rivers, canals, esteros, lakes while he takes his porsche for a spin? I for one couldn't care less what he does---if he was a private citizen. He is not, for heaven's sake. >:( :o Just what kind of mentality do these politicians and advisers have to think so little of their responsibilities? :o :- :-[
« Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 03:50:27 PM by hill roberts »

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2011, 06:41:11 PM »
Part 1 - Why €250.00 can go a long way in a 4th class municipality in any part of the Philippines

I asked somebody to make a brief observation/study  on how much money would be needed to open a sari-sari store. This person just moved back to his hometown from the capital after a long spell of being out of an office job. He is a Marketing Management graduate and a certified insurance agent. He couldn't find a job so he decided to move back to his home province. I asked him what kind of business would work where he now lives. His reply, as expected, was to set up a sari-sari store. I asked him if it was possible to build it right on his premises where he lives. He said yes. To cut the story short, I became a sponsor to this mini-project and sent the equivalent of €250.00. His uncle, a skilled builder, built his tiny house just before he moved back to this 4th class municipality so building this sari-sari store attached to his home was no problem. His uncle built the premises in just under four days (semi-concrete)  and soon enough, this person I asked to open a sari-sari store began stocking it with the usual stuff. In five days, he was making at least 700-800/daily or around 24,000 pesos monthly--which is more than many bank employees and call centre workers are paid, if truth be told. Even SM giant wouldn't pay 24,000 pesos to their employees on a monthly basis! ;) :( ???
« Last Edit: January 23, 2011, 06:23:18 PM by hill roberts »

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2011, 06:34:21 PM »
Part 2

It's worth noting that the gentleman I sponsored is now doing well and before long, his ministore would be earning more than 30,000 pesos a month. That's very, very  good money! Above all, he is his own boss, he runs it from his own home and no one tells him what to do. He is on the verge of becoming a Yakult dealer. He has also diversified by selling sandwiches which is doing rather well. I had no idea that this business can be rewarding to the extent that I myself would like to open one--where there's a need for this sort of thing in a rural area. This is a reminder that one doesn't need a big outlay to get a small business going. It can be done. Why do many still want to go to the gulf states when there is room for such a small business where they live? What is keeping them from opening their eyes? The challenge to improve their lot is right in their own backyard. The government should encourage such small-scale business schemes to make people living in rural areas more self-sufficient and self-reliant. Above all, bring back that smile and pride on their faces. ;) :)
« Last Edit: January 25, 2011, 08:55:50 PM by hill roberts »

hill roberts

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Re: The Practical View
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2011, 05:58:11 PM »
Part 3

The latest news on this venture of this gentleman is that he is now an agent for his local mobile phone provider, too. How nice to hear that cash is coming in regularly, on a daily basis, unlike when he was working in Manila. ;D Somehow, the need to bolster small-scale
 businesses must be promoted in rural areas and other municipalities where there are no government projects or  multinational investments. Entrepreneurship must be encouraged by this new administration and the only way is to give them loans to start a small business by telling local banks to consider those with business knowledge to give them a chance.  :( After all, the Philippines is still a nation of shopkeepers, if truth be told.  ;)I am excited at the prospect of seeing this man's small-scale business go into full swing in a year's time.  ;D I have a feeling that his premises would transform and expand into a proper grocery store and that this 4th municipality would be proud of him for his contribution to the local economy. :D ;)
(updates of this wonderful story in six months. Thank you for following up this story.) ;) :-*
« Last Edit: January 31, 2011, 08:46:49 PM by hill roberts »