Monkeys and Pigs

I must admit, I am a little bit worried about food safety in the Philippines.  There was some troublesome news last week that brought this to my mind.  Around mid-week last week, it came out that three piggeries in Luzon were found to have Ebola Reston in their pork!  It seems like it’s been a while since the Ebola virus was in the news, but I remember back in the 90’s when it was a major concern.  It’s been out of the news, though, and when I heard the news, I had to actually stop and think about what Ebola was.  It did come back to me, though. Read more

OFW Abuse

This is a really sad story, and something for each person to think about before going to bed. What would you do in this situation?

Last night, an incident happened that really bothered me. Rebecca was an OFW and I know how OFW’s are often treated while overseas. The incident I am about to describe really gets me angry, however. The way that people can treat others is sometimes outright despicable.

We had a great weekend down in Brunei, and arrived back in Manila late last night. While we were organizing our stuff waiting by the taxi queue, a fairly young girl, about 18 years old, approached Rebecca crying, obviously in trouble of some sort, and speaking Bisaya. Fortunately, Rebecca speaks some Bisaya (The girl DID NOT speak Tagalog, much less English), and the girl asked Becky if she could use her cell phone to call her cousin. Here’s what happened:

1. A Filipino recruiter went to this girl’s village somewhere very remote in Mindanao advertising “waitress” jobs in Dubai. The girl’s family was poor, and Muslim, so they agreed to let her go to this job and earn money for the family.

2. She was given a passport and sent to a 1 hour “familiarization” course subcontracted to an outside firm (NOT the recruiter) the same day she was put on a plane for Dubai. She had only 500 pesos in her pocket.

3. She arrived in Dubai, without a visa, and was denied entry into the UAE for “medical reasons” (She is diabetic). She has a big red stamp in her passport basically stating she is on the blacklist.

4. After several days being held in Dubai airport immigration, with minimal food (Trust me… You do not want this to happen to you), she was put on a flight back home, via Brunei. No relatives were called, no one to pick her up, and no one to get her back to Mindanao… Essentially dumped at the Manila Airport. She still had only the 500 pesos in her pocket and no cell phone… Just the clothes on her back and a small bookbag.

So, this is when we meet, outside the taxi queue, and this girl scared, not knowing what to do, approaches us. Becky and I tried to phone several relatives of hers, all of whom simply hung up the phone on her. She had been disowned because she was back in the Philippines and brought dishonor to her family. It turns out that this “Agency” contacted the family demanding the fees and cost of her ticket and the family, not having any money to pay, simply disowned her. We finally got in touch with her cousin in Cubao, who was supposed to meet her. OK… So far, problem solved (we think). We invited her to share our taxi to get her to her relatives, where she would be safer than roaming the streets. On the ride to Cubao, Rebecca gets her story, looks at her documents, and tells her how to handle the agency (They did many illegal things, in BOTH countries). Needless to say, most of the documents were either forged or incomplete. The girl did not even know the name of the agency and the employer was one Becky recognized as for housemaids… That in itself is an entirely different problem. In other words, there was no way that this girl would be admitted anywhere. She and her family were outright scammed.

Rebecca is very knowledgeable about these things. She left home at 22 years old, a naive young girl, on her first posting to Kuwait. She was paid $90 per month as a housemaid, and fed only a roll, 50 grams of cheese, and one egg per day for six months. There were many other abuses I will not describe other than to say that her experience bordered on slavery. She never set foot outside the compound her entire time in Kuwait. When her contract was up, she went to secretarial school in the UAE while working at another horrid job, later becoming a recruiter for a large company in Abu Dhabi. Eventually, she was the POEA liaison for this company, and the P.R.O. for the UAE company. She left that company because she could not stomach the abuses any longer… it was “dirty money”, dealing in human beings, to quote her exact words. She never sent one peso home during that time… she didn’t want her shame (her words…she has nothing to be ashamed of) to reflect on her family… She spent it on clothing and food for the people she recruited, instead of on herself. I met her ten years after, while she was a bookkeeper and also handled the visa issues for another company. So, she knows the system, how it works, and all of the various immigration requirements for both countries. She has been on the receiving end and lived it.

So, continuing on with the story, the taxi driver is confused about the address we gave him. We then couldn’t reach the cousin. The phone has been turned “off” since we reached her at the airport. We gave the girl our phone numbers (so Becky could deal with the agency for her…) Unlicensed. We were going to call a few bigshots at the POEA who are “friends” and shut these people down), 200 pesos for something to eat and to keep trying to reach relatives. We were also discussing offering her a job on the farm, where she would be paid, and safe. She insisted to be let off in Cubao (Despite being a horrible, and unsafe, location). We told her repeatedly to call us and have tried to contact the cousin. We did all we could to help. But, you can’t force someone to accept it.

There are companies and individuals here who prey on the ignorant and desperate. There are licensed agencies who are audited and regulated. The government tries to warn people not to believe any agency, other than those affiliated with the POEA. Yet, the poverty still drives people to these scum. Just something to think about before you hire your next maid, or exclaim how cheap labor is here.

Family trouble!

I got an email from somebody. I won’t mention his name. He is a foreigner married to a Filipina from the North of the Philippines. Here’s part of the email he sent me.

I am married to a Filipina. We have a 6 month old baby. Here is my question: My wife has a 17 year old son back home. Occasionally, I send him money. Today, my wife called to ask him if he has received the money, to find out my wife’s brother is trying to extort money from him. He threatened to physically harm her son. I told my wife to have her son call the police on his uncle but she says the police will not come. She said the police do not get involved in domestic disputes. Is that true?

I really thought that whenever you called up the police and asked for help they will help. Also I thought that they will not help out to the family disputes if the family itself would not ask any assistance from them? For me if the police would not help, who will help then to the people that are in trouble? I was shocked when I saw the email that the 17 year old can’t ask for help. I thought the job of the policemen was to help. So any advice from here will really help these people.

It’s already bad enough that the uncle can’t be trusted by this family, then the police can’t help out too. I email back the guy that wrote to me if him and his wife were thinking of letting the son move somewhere away from the uncle. Maybe that 17 year old will get a part time job while going back to school and they’re also  sending money to him anyway. He should just have to be on a tight budget. I’m sure he will be okay without the uncle. It’d really unfortunate of what happened to this stepson of this guy. I hope that the other family will try to help out too.

To the person that emailed me, good luck to you and your wife. I really do hope that somebody can help you out. I hope that some people here can give good advice to you and be very helpful to your stepson. Will pray for his safety.

To you all that help advice thank you very much! God bless!

Small Business and Fire Prevention

Fires can be downright devastating in the Philippines. That is why every year a small business owner in the Philippines can expect to be paid a visit by the inspection team from the Office of the City Fire Marshal.

The Office of the City Fire Marshal falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Fire Protection, which in turn falls under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government. Every municipality has such an office, and one of the tasks undertaken by this office is to help promote fire prevention. It is a task that is not taken lightly. To underscore the importance of fire prevention nation-wide, every March is hailed as Fire Prevention Month in the Philippines.

After the team undertakes their annual inspection visit of a small business, the owner of the business can expect to receive an After Mission Report that includes findings and recommendations. The findings section generally includes a check-list of the following: whether you have the appropriate business and/or occupancy permits for the building you are in; whether there are sufficient exits from the building and that these are not obstructed in any way; that the electrical system is up to code and does not pose any hazards; that an automatic emergency lighting system is in place and functioning; and, that there is an appropriate number of first-aid and fire fighting devices for the premises.

The recommendations section of the after mission report generally indicates what steps, if any, the small business should take to remedy any potential fire hazards as a part of fire prevention for the building and its grounds. The list generally includes the following measures: unplug all electrical loads when not in use; submit fire insurance data and obtain proper coverage; have fire extinguishers serviced or refilled; install additional automatic emergency lighting if needed; keep all passages to fire exits free of obstructions at all times; attend a fire safety seminar; and, update/bring up to code the electrical system.

The After Mission Report will advise you on how well your small business is faring in terms of fire prevention measures. Please take the findings and recommendations seriously. Personal property and even lives could be at risk if you fail to act on the recommendations found in the report. Do the right thing and comply – the time and effort required to meet the minimum safety measures outlined in the report will not be overly cumbersome, nor will such preventative measures cost very much.

As a foreign small business owner you may think the above list is a little ‘light’. You would be right! Back home you probably took even more precautions at home or at your place of work in the area of fire prevention. Accordingly, I strongly urge you to follow the same guidelines you adhered to back home. When it comes to fire safety, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure! As a bit of a re-fresher, try and look out for the following:

• Make sure you have no overloaded circuits;
• Really look into fuse blowouts as they could be a sign of serious electrical problems;
• Get rid of and replace any frayed electrical cords;
• Don’t let trash pile up;
• Clear out and store items that are rarely used;
• Don’t allow smoking in high risk areas of your building;
• Make sure you properly use, store, and dispose of flammable materials;
• Check and maintain air-conditioning and ventilation equipment at regular intervals; and finally,
• Don’t forget to buy battery-operated smoke detectors and check them regularly.

I really urge all small business owners in the Philippines to reflect on their own fire prevention strategies. There is no need to wait for March to be reminded and take appropriate action! If there are any readers who have additional suggestions and tips regarding fire prevention, please feel free to post for the benefit of all of us! And remember, be prepared, and always be profitable!

Earthquake in Davao

As I write this, within the past 5 minutes, we have experienced an earthquake here in Davao.  It was not a serious quake, but fairly strong.  It’s too early to hear what the magnitude was, but I would estimate it at about a 5.0 or maybe a little less.

This was a rolling quake, kind of side to side.  It lasted for a fair amount of time for a quake, perhaps 30 seconds or so, and I already felt one small aftershock too.

This one was small, but I worry about a major quake striking here.  Back in January 2001 we had a major 7.2 quake in General Santos City while we were living there, and I honestly thought we would die in that quake!  Luckily none of us were hurt, though.

Anyway, I just thought I’d mention this if anybody is interested.

Is Davao in trouble?

For those that know me will know that I am very much in love with the country and the people of the Philippines, and in particular my love for Davao City here in Mindanao. I have only been here for around four years and I have never ever had to feel scared I have had only one or two small incidents of theft, which in all honesty would happen in my home country UK.

I have walked around Davao City late in the night on my own and have had NO problems at all, but now I can feel my perception beginning to change, and its with regret I say that.

I do not know why but it seems that there are more murders of “bad”people and more of them seem to be people under 18, and even at this moment there is a case going through relating to a prominent family here who’s son shot two people dead over a minor argument at a bar.

I only have to look over my garden wall to see my great friend Klaus now in-tombed by a huge metal fence over some land issue that has appeared from nowhere. Now I do not know the full details of the situation that Klaus is going through but I know him as a gentle man , a man who has always looked after his extended family and he and Rose have helped the ex pat population for years and many times they help at NO CHARGE.

Klaus is a member of Rotary he has many friends in “high” places and he and his family have  major influence in the village and are well liked, so it is incredible that a family like his is having to suffer this shame here in Davao City.

Klaus is not a millionaire,  as far as I know he has no enemies and this use of force with guns that seems to have no real legal or morale foundation cannot be tolerated by sensible thinking people. The man’s family are in distress two elderly members are very sick and cannot get out of their own front door!! Wherever you are in the world does this sound right ,or is it a sign that Davao is lurching back to the gun slinger days again. God I hope not.

Not so much for my sake but for the great people of Davao City who through the mayors bravery and determination have left the hell of fifteen years ago and have found the City growing fast and quick with businesses arriving and the City progressing fast in housing and employment.

The recent deaths and and high profile murders may be things that happen to keep Davao safe, I honestly do not know,but if the City is to continue its fantastic growth the legal system needs to work properly and efficiently for all and not to be loaded against the ex pats and those are the same people who choose to live here who contribute to more taxes and employment and who LOVE THE CITY.

People who come to Davao or even the Philippines need to know they are protected by the system and that families are safe, this country loves the family and the people of the Philippines are the kindest people I have ever met, so what has happened or have I had my eyes closed?

Travel Around Mindanao

I think this is really the dilemma of a filipina wife before moving here. Worried so much about the safety of the husband and kids. I can understand the fear because I did experienced that before moving back here. I was also worried before because in the news they always said it’s so bad here in Mindanao. Don’t believe on what you hear on the news sometimes.

Before moving back here Bob and I decided that we go places that we want to go without anybody escorting us. When we arrived here, my family always want Bob to have somebody when he travels around town. Just like bodyguard. We don’t like that. We want privacy and freedom. I saw lots of expats here. I didn’t feel they’re scared to live here. Since living here almost 7 years now, I never experience being threaten here.

We travel quite often to Cagayan. Davao to Cagayan by bus I think roughly 7 hours, since we have our own vehicle to drive it’s more quicker then like 5 1/2 hours. On the way to Cagayan, we like to stop by lots of places to take pictures or just want to walked around. One of the stop for us would be at the Del Monte steak house in Bukidnon. They had the best steak in the Philippines I think. They also had a nice golf course. I saw lots of foreigners playing there. Some lived near the golf course too. We also like to swing by in Iligan. It’s just an hour or so away from Cagayan. We had lots of friends there.

We travel more often to General Santos City since my family lives there. My parents has a farm outside the city. From Davao to GenSan it’s 3 hours rides in the bus. Sometimes our kids rides the bus to go there. I think having live here for a long time Bob and I pretty much know what place that we need to exercise caution.

I hope this post help some of you.