Pinoy World

Filipino Spirit of Cooperation or the Bayanihan

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Filipino spirit of cooperation is very much alive in the community.

If there is one outstanding trait of Filipinos it is the innate strong urge to help his neighbor. The spirit of Cooperation which is popularly called bayanihan in tagalog has been imbibed in Filipino culture and the term bayanihan was originated from the customary gatherings of male folks in town to carry the house of neighbor for transferring to nearby place. Most houses during the time of ancestors are mostly made of nipa where the house posts were only screwed on the concrete ground post to enable it from transporting to another place. The labor were free of cost, the owner of the house will only provide drinks or any affordable snack to the labor donors. The spirit of bayanihan can also be traced in any emergency situation just like in the outbreak of fire, neighbors bring their pale of water to put out the fire quickly while waiting for the fire truck . With the collective sharing of the neighborhood, the dead body of the poor man can avail of a decent funeral. Bayanihan were not only expressed in the neighborhood, it can also be felt within the family clan. I remember when I was a kid, my elder brother eloped with her sweetheart, it is customary then, that when the couple eloped, the family of the girl would come to the guy’s family to demand for the wedding. During that time our family was really hard-up. My mother opened her piggy bank and was dismayed that it did not amount to the needed funds. My mother cleverly thought an idea of sending my father to her brother who had a farm in the distant province. When they returned home the van that my father rented was filled with live chickens tied together, vegetables and newly butchered pig carcass. With my father are my four elder cousins who intended to help in the cooking and preparation. Another elder cousins who lived within our neighborhood also offered her help to sew the wedding gown of the bride and somebody also in our family sew the coat for the groom. In the end the wedding was successfully pushed through no string of hassle at all.

Filipino Success Story

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:03:00 +0000

Famous Filipino politician and rich businessman, Manny Villar is the author of the popular slogan "Sipag at Tiyaga" or in English "Hardwork and Determination". These are the two qualities that propels him to achieve his status as the fifth richest Filipino by Forbes Asia Magazine 2007 aside from receiving numerous awards and citation for being an outstanding politician and businessman.

Born in a destitute squatter area in Tondo, Manila, Manny Villar belongs to a big family of 9 broods having a fish vendor mother from whom he learned the tenets for hardwork and determination. He earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration at the University of the Philippines through helping out his mother sell fresh fish and shrimps in Divisoria market later pursue the masteral degree in the same university.

After graduating from college he embarked on entrepreneurship by supplying fish and shrimps to two restaurants in Manila. But these two restaurants were bankrupt and he was not even paid. To earn money he applied for a job at SGV as accountant and later become a financial analyst. At age 25, he mortgaged a dumptruck which he used to deliver gravel and sand to house builders. From this business, he found the answer to the question that lingers his mind, "Why many Filipinos can't own houses?" During these time, subdivision developer sells big houses at price beyond affordable by average Filipino earner. At age 26, he talks to developer and enter a proposal to sell lots at smaller cuts and at lower price affordable by most Filipinos. Despites discouragement from the developer he pursue his house design and named it "Romantic model." Since the maximum loanable amount from SSS is 50,000 pesos, the cost of his house and lot was set at 60,000pesos with 10,000pesos downpayment. His houses were sold out and the rest is history, he became the Philippine biggest and most successful home builders.

Craving for Halo-halo this summer

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:47:00 +0000

Halo-halo is a favorite Filipino refreshing cooler this summer. Fast food and restaurant start offering halo-halo at the onset of hot season. Since many Filipinos are craving for halo-halo this summer why not put-up a halo-halo stall right infront of your house or within your carport to earn an extra cash. Here are some tips to consider;

1). Prepare for an ice box or styrofoam ice-box where you can store your ready crashed-ice.

2). Buy crashed-ice from a known clean and sanitary ice vendor.

3). Buy fruits on season so you'll have a cheaper ingredients.

4). Always have your ingredients cooked in syrup to avoid oxidation (discoloration of fruit) and spoilage.

5). Buy only enough pile of crashed-ice at the first opening day of your halo-halo stand since you are just on the trial period.

6). When adding milk prepare for a consistent measurement or set aside a measuring spoon.

7). Limit a scoop of sugar you put on your halo-halo since you already have your ingredients cooked in syrup. Less is better than more than enough sweetener.

8). Always have an accounting of the expense and profit when putting-up a business eventhough how small it is.

Twenty profitable things to do this summer

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:11:00 +0000

There is no better way for jobless Pinoy to spend his summer vacation than to make it profitable. I gathered at least 20 ways by which you can have a productive summer vacation.

1. Do job hunting this summer- Prepare your resume and other job requirements. Find available jobs at Jobstreet.com and Phil-job.net in the internet or classified ads at any newspaper.

2. Attend free seminar on networking and direct sellng. There are number of companies that offer free seminar on delearship and sales agent certain brands like; Avon, Natasha, Sundance, Triumph and DEI to name a few.

3. Learn vocational courses at TESDA

4. Learn some handicrafts; beads making, fancy jewelry, cross stitching, paper mache etc.

5. Learn computer tutorial; HTML, CSS, Java Script

6. Sell food snacks, candies and cookies to your friends.

7. Learn cooking lesson

8. Learn swimming lesson. When invited to have pool splash, Ask your friend to teach you the basic swimming lesson

9. Attend free seminar on sales of real property.

10. Join sport activities such as badminton, volleyball and tenis

11. Put-up a food stand infront of your house such as gulaman, halu-halo, siomai and barbeque

12. Put up a garage sale right at your front gate

13. Learn hair cutting and make-up

14. Visit beautiful places with your digital camera and upload them in the internet to earn cash

15. Sign-up for PTC (pay to click program) in the internet to earn some cash

16. Do some gardening or pot planting at home

17. Learn driving lesson with your friends who have a professional driver's license.

18. Learn basic art lesson; drawing, sketching and cartooning

19. Learn voice lesson or sharpen your singing stint

20. Learn chess to sharpen your analytical skill.

TESDA - government support for acquiring skills

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000

There was an increase in number of high school students taking-up vocational courses. This is a good sign that many students are realizing the edge of having skills over those graduates of professional level to find jobs. The government support calls for an increase also of the number of public school offering vocational and technical courses. In line with this, more students who have taken vocational courses in high school have passed the TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority).

TESDA is a government support to give training and skills to Filipinos to make them productive. If they can't find job those skills they acquired could employ themselves by offering services to others for a fee. The good news for TESDA , you can now contact them through their internet address in their various regional offices;

Pinoy Business and Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:55:00 +0000

When doing business in the Philippines, it is better to know the Pinoy business and culture. The average Filipinos are typically shy and sensitive. Business matters are usually dealt with a warm friendly approach. While many Western businessmen consider time is gold and want to go directly to the point, the Filipinos prefer to take the conversation in a light mood, talking about family, mutual friends and commonalities. They want to establish personal rapport and contacts so they would likely cultivate friendly atmosphere with people they are negotiating with. Whatever the result of the negotiation it usually ends cheerfully and in a cordial manner.

The use of Padrino (go-between)

Setting-up an appointment with government offices can best achieve by using a padrino or person who can go-between and would facilitate the appointment meeting with the requesting person. Most of the time the padrino is the person who has worked for a long time in that office or who has a connection in the said office. This will enable the requesting party to gain trust and cordial welcome from the the party negotiating with. Conclusion of the agreement may not be achieved at the initial meeting so it will take a longer time before the contract will be finalized. There would likely follow a second meeting or few more before reaching a final agreement and there's no assurance of positive results. But Filipino business approach vary with the way they deal with Western business counterpart, they tend to adapt to the Western culture of less personal and more rigid in observing punctuality as what Western people are accustomed to.

Like in most Asian countries, Filipinos are typically restraint and calm when in the meeting table, they decline ideas in a polite way coupled with a smile to avoid outright confrontation. They likely display gestures such as nod of head when they want to show their conformity with the ideas. The "yes" may convey a different meaning, the Filipinos are conscious of self-reputation of what other party might think of him is his blatant concern. To avoid humiliation and "lose of face", his "yes" may mean cutting short of the conversation, rather than giving a negative feedback on the issue.

Business Language

Most documents, contracts and correspondence are written in English. It is the official business language use in the Philippines. The informal conversation is a shift of English to Tagalog or a "Taglish", a mixture of the two languages. It is prominent for Filipinos to express themselves through body language , hand gestures and facial expression (e.g. raise of eyebrow, scratch on the head, faint smile and wide-opened eyes). the means of contact and messages are mostly done through mobile phone and text SMS . If the Filipino would give his mobile number that indicates that he is interested with the person and welcome any possible negotiation.

Food, drinks and music are the integral part of Filipino hospitality. Customarily the one who invites pays for the foods. Small talks on camaraderie usually precedes the agenda and discussions starts in a friendly ambiance. In an informal meeting, songs and music are a common entertaining medium. The guest maybe invited to sing or get entertained by the host through songs.

Addressing names and titles

It is business etiquette for Filipinos to address the person by their professional title or ranks such as Dr. Flores, Attorney Medina, Coronel Quizon or General Lim. I government offices, we recognize the person's position by addressing him by his position; Chairman Fernando, Secretary Mendoza etc.

Business Attire

Barong Tagalog and black pants is the business attire for men most especially worn during formal occasion. For informal meetings, long or short sleeve shirt and ties without a coat made of light cloth material to adapt to our tropical climate. For Women, light cloth suits and dresses with sleeves and collar are the appropriate attire.

More jobs for Filipino workers

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:37:00 +0000

More jobs vacancies are available for Filipino workers here and abroad. This was announced by (DOLE) Department of Labor and Employment and the (POEA) Philippine Overseas Employment Agency. Despite the news on retrenchment and lay-offs the Bureau of Local and Employment Statistics has recorded an estimated of 50,000 available jobs for local and abroad. These jobs include; domestic helper, store supervisor, medical representative, call center agent, customer service agent, delivery driver, nurse, cashier, optometrist and safety engineer.

According to POEA, there are still 400.000 jobs available for Filipinos abroad. These number is based on the reports coming from Philippine labor offices abroad, embassies and other related agencies. This is a good news for displaced Filipino workers. Though there were sectors and countries who were affected by economic slump, there are still other sectors of particular countries like in Middle East which have remained on hiring for Filipino migrant workers.

The displaced (OFW) Overseas Filipino Workers are adviced to avail the free services and pertinent programs of the National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO)

Codes for Philippine Bank transaction with Paypal

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:18:00 +0000

In case you haven't informed about the codes for Philippine Bank transaction with Paypal, you can refer to this post. The Philippine bank code should have 9-digits. To withdraw money from paypal you will be required to add your bank account number and the bank code. Aside from bank account you will also required to submit your debit or credit card number. For more convenient transaction the Union Bank is offering this debit card which you could use for your transaction with Paypal. One of the many Filipino bloggers who had this experience on withdrawing funds from Paypal to Union Bank Account can vouch for the reliability of the transaction. With many Filipinos being added to blogsphere community, Paypal has enabled the transaction of withdrawing funds from paypal to your bank account here in the Philippines. More banks have been added from the first list and here is the official list.

BANK NAME	9 digit bank code
ALLIED BANKING CORP	010320013
AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND	010700015
ASIA UNITED BANK	011020011
BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS	010030015
BANGKOK BANK	010670019
BANK OF AMERICA	010120019
BANK OF CHINA	011140014
BANK OF TOKYO	010460012
BANCO DE ORO (& EPCIB)	010530667
BANK OF COMMERCE	010440016
BANK OF THE PHIL ISLANDS	010040018
CHINA BANKING CORP	010100013
CHINA TRUST COMML BANK	010690015
CITIBANK N.A.	010070017
DEVT BANK OF THE PHILS	010590018
DEUTSCHE BANK	010650013
EAST WEST BANK	010620014
EXPORT & INDUSTRY BANK	010860010
FUJI BANK	010640010
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK	010060014
INTL COMML BANK OF CHINA	010560019
INTL EXCHANGE BANK	010680012
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK	010720011
KOREA EXCHANGE BANK	010710018
INTL NEDERLAND BANK	010660016
LAND BANK OF THE PHILS	010350025
MAYBANK OF THE PHILS	010220016
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST CO	010269996
PHIL BANK OF COMMUNICATION	010110016
PHIL TRUST COMPANY	010090039
PHIL NATIONAL BANK	010080010
PRUDENTIAL BANK	010150018
PHIL VETERANS BANK	010330016
RIZAL COMML BANKING CORP	010280014
SECURITY BANK & TRUST CO	010140015
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK	010050011
UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK	010299995
UNION BANK OF THE PHILS	010419995
UNITED OVERSEAS BANK	010270189

(reference)

Filipino War Veterans - included in the Stimulus Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:14:00 +0000

At last! the waiting is over. The long time claim of the Filipino Veterans for the equal benefits with that of the US World War II Veterans is now in effect when US President Barack Obama signed into law the $787- billion Stimulus Package Plan.

It's a grand celebration for all the Veterans here just right in time as some are already in their last straw of breath confined in the hospital. Employees of The Philippine Veterans Office has started identifying the pensioners, Families of those Veterans who were in the hospital for serious illnesses are trying to relay the good news to them. Government officials have tried to get their thumb mark as they can no longer sign the paper and their picture were taken right on their bed.

Unfortunately not all World War II Veterans can claim their benefits but only those included in the original record list who were able to sign-up taken by Missouri after the World War II. Those Filipinos who were part of the Guerrilla movement during the World War II and were failed to sign-up are therefore not included to the benefits.

Though the number of listed pensioners have dwindled from its original list of 230,000. Only 18,000 have survived. Twelve thousand are living in the Philippines while 6,000 are in the U.S. The benefits is a one time pay of $9,000 tax-free (an estimated of P430,000) philippine pesos for the Filipino Veterans who are living in the Philippines and $15,000 for those staying in U.S.

Many who have heard about this benefits are trying to stay alive to enjoy it.

Filipino as Pinoy

noreply@blogger.com (Ehmma) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Pinoy is a colloquial term which refer to Filipino people. Pinoy has been widely used in native tongue, though there was no clear background how the word Pinoy was incorporated in Tagalog vocabulary. As far as I remember the word was coined out of fumbling for the words to describe the Filipino antics by radio broadcaster and was picked-up by media paper which then circulated among the mainstream of Filipino community. Just like the common tag for the Chinese in the Philippines as "Intsik" Filipino addressed themselves as "Pinoy" to mean pure blooded Filipino.