Political Butterflies, Prostitutes, and Turncoats

This is a rant, so don't proceed if you don't want to feel bad about the deterioration of our political system. 

Almost everyday now, those necessary-evil politicians are hugging the  local news for switching political parties left and right. Call them anything you like but they have no backbone, enslaved by those who can provide them with campaign financing, machinery, and political clout.

Here's another ugly face of politics, especially here in the Philippines. I hate those politicians who jump on the other political party in the blink of an eye, just to serve their personal interests. Gone are the days when you could separate political parties and people behind them based on their platforms, beliefs, and aspirations.  Integrity is a rare commodity on this sick nation of ours. Is there hope on our rotten political system?

Managing Credit Cards

I have read an article about credit card frauds a few weeks ago, highlighting the one-sided condition that the credit card owner is liable for any fraudulent purchases on his/her card until the credit card theft/loss/scam was reported. For credit card owner, it would be easier to learn if the credit card was lost or stolen, but nearly impossible to know if it was duplicated (or “na-racha”) until he/she receives the billing statement.

On the predatory policy of local credit card issuers, the card owner is presumed to have used the credit card regardless of the amount, place and time used, unless proven otherwise which may take years to resolve. While investigation or resolution is ongoing and the credit card owner refuses to pay, the finance charges and late payment fees pile up, the card owner would neither be able to open a bank account nor get a new credit card due to bad credit standing.

Bangkok Cabbages & Condoms

On my second Bangkok assignment, I took my wife and her cousin for a dinner at tourist-famous restaurant named Cabbages and Condoms. We’ve had some difficulty finding its location in Soi 12, a few blocks or 10 min. walk from BTS station, if not for its signage on top of its nearby building.

Bangkok Grand Palace, Wat Po & Chatuchak Market

I was sent twice in Bangkok to conduct trainings and consultation on our sister company, but I never had the time to really explore the city of angels. I was quite lucky on my second trip that I had one Saturday afternoon to explore 3 tourist places in Bangkok, before my red eye trip back to Manila on midnight.

At 12:15 pm from my hotel along the Chao Praya river, I rode a commuter boat going to the pier near Grand Palace, for less than THB 10. From the pier and aided by a hotel-provided map of the city, I walked to the right side of the road that leads to the palace, passing some stalls selling souvenirs for tourists.

Murphy’s law and Manny Villar

Repost from Business World - http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?type=9
Posted on 08:31 PM, March 30, 2010

Ad Lib -- by Greg B. Macabenta

Murphy’s law and Manny Villar

There’s an axiom in advertising that says, a great campaign can expose a bad product faster -- because it persuades people to try the product sooner and to find out how bad it is. It looks like this axiom is being proven true in the case of would-be-president-of-the-poor Manny Villar.

One of my closest friends in advertising created Villar’s OFW commercials when he was just beginning to water the seeds of his presidential campaign. Apparently, the creative strategy worked, because Villar began to close the gap with VP Noli de Castro who, at the time, appeared to be formidable as a "presidentiable" in all the public opinion surveys.

But on one of my visits to Manila, I learned that my pal had quit on Villar. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate the way Villar had hired a host of creative consultants and political advisers, armed with a variety of bright ideas that violated the cardinal rule for an effective campaign, namely, single-mindedness.