Little Notes

As Moammar Gadhafi continues to defy the international community’s call for him to give way to peace, the carnage across desert sands and in the streets leading to Benghazi continues.

Unfortunately, trapped in battle zones are thousands of Filipinos who chose to remain behind, foregoing earlier evacuation missions by their employers and the Philippine government.

Given the state of unemployment here in the Philippines, their choice of job security over personal safety becomes understandable. However, the stakes have become even higher as the world’s most sophisticated weapons and fully-trained armed forces are now joined at the hip with a single mission — to obliterate the Gadhafi forces.

What can the Philippine government do at this time given UN Resolution 1973 which provides legal cover for coalition forces to attack Libya?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Immediately augment all Philippine contingency teams in various borders not just on the eastern side of Libya, but in all possible exit points; fully equip these teams with satellite phones, medical supplies, vehicles packed with food and water supplies, etc.

2. For the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to come home and receive/filter/process all intelligence and diplomatic reports coming from our posts overseas particularly in countries with high participation in Operations: Odyssey Dawn. While we appreciate his pro-active and brave presence in the field, at this time, quick judgments have to made, calls and briefings as well, and a traveling foreign affairs secretary might miss out on vital information that he alone could share with the President.

3. It may be time for the Office of the President to convene a national security council meeting to arrive at a common set of objectives and to enlist congressional support for budget needs and policy initiatives. While the executive branch keeps saying that funds are not an issue given several emergencies involving OFWs, such position deprives Congress from contributing to the over-all effort of providing funds for the well-being of our modern-day heroes. Also, the law is clear — OWWA can spend up to Php 100 million for emergency repatriation but that over and above that, the government must shoulder the rest.

4. A support system for families of OFWs in Libya, Japan and Yemen must now be in place — OWWA in partnership with DSWD and civil society groups can immediately make this operational.

5. For the President’s communication team to defer to the DFA, DoLE  and the OVP in the issuance of media reports and briefings. The events unfolding in Libya require a sensitive and delicate approach – and given the backgrounds of the presidential spokespersons — they may not be in the best position to handle diplomatic and political nuances. I am not denigrating their capabilities (some of them are friends of long-standing) but I am merely being frank in saying that previous pronouncements reveal a streak of insensitivity that could lead to more hurt feelings especially among OFWs.

The recommendations above are well-meaning and offered with malice towards none, but as ideas coming from someone who have worked in government for 16 years and is now actively involved in helping distressed OFWs and their families.

Finally, we must as one nation pray for the safety of our OFWs and all other innocent civilians in Libya. May they be spared from harm, and may this war end as quickly as possible, in favor of peace, justice, and democracy.

Not even the world’s best scriptwriter could have imagined the events that brought modern, affluent Japan to its knees. Tremors after tremors were not enough to prepare its people for the Big One – a magnitude 9 quake- so big and powerful that it even knocked Mother Earth off its axis.

We have much to learn from Japan. The discipline, serenity, and optimism of its people – the sincerity, compassion, and quick action of its government, and the disaster preparedness of all that led to lives saved and buildings still standing.

In the midst of all the stories, my heart goes out to the heroic 50 workers who were left behind to secure a leaky and damaged nuclear plant.

A New York Times article written by Keith Bradsher and Hiroko Tabuchi chronicles the heroism of these 50 workers:

“A small crew of technicians, braving radiation and fire, became the only people remaining at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday — and perhaps Japan’s last chance of preventing a broad nuclear catastrophe.”

“They crawl through labyrinths of equipment in utter darkness pierced only by their flashlights, listening for periodic explosions as hydrogen gas escaping from crippled reactors ignites on contact with air.”

“They breathe through uncomfortable respirators or carry heavy oxygen tanks on their backs. They wear white, full-body jumpsuits with snug-fitting hoods that provide scant protection from the invisible radiation sleeting through their bodies.”

“They are the faceless 50, the unnamed operators who stayed behind. They have volunteered, or been assigned, to pump seawater on dangerously exposed nuclear fuel, already thought to be partly melting and spewing radioactive material, to prevent full meltdowns that could throw thousands of tons of radioactive dust high into the air and imperil millions of their compatriots.”

As I write this, I received a tweet saying that the 50 workers have been pulled out of the plant. If true, then I hope that they are spared the health risks that technicians of the doomed Chernobyl nuclear facility had experienced.

We rely on the government of Japan and the power company that employs the 50 heroes to do what is right by these workers, and their families. Perhaps their identities shall never be known, but to them we say thank you, for manning your stations, for trying to keep your country and its people safe at the risk of your own lives.

Out of the debris and matchstick houses in Sendai, Japan, these 50 unknown workers stand tall and proud, as shining examples of true courage and service beyond the bounds of duty.

God bless your brave souls.

“Hello Toots. I’m ok but shaken and scared. Aftershocks still continuing.”

I was relieved to get that SMS minutes after the Japan quake story broke from my classmate, Arlene Donaire, who had relocated to Japan around three months ago. Another friend, Cora Guidote, is still in Tokyo waiting for a flight back to Manila. Thankfully, they are both safe.

According to the DFA, there are around 1,000 Filipinos in Miyagi which is near the epicenter of the 8.9 quake. Around 5,000 Filipinos would be living in the tsunami-affected. I was surprised to learn that we have close to 300,000 citizens in Japan.  That number is much more than the population of the entire first district of Bulacan.

Philippine Ambassador Manolo Lopez faces a daunting challenge just months from the date of his appointment. Another Lopez is our point person for Osaka. Consul General Melody Lopez has her job cut out for her. The Philippine Embassy was more careful than its New Zealand counterpart in saying that for now, there appears to be no Filipino casualties in Japan. Let’s pray that it stays that way.

My initial thought when CNN flashed the video showing the sea swallowing up land, cars and buildings was — “Is this really happening?” I seem to recall similar scenes depicted in sleek expensive disaster end-of-the-world movies of late. But this was not just another bad script; there was no director about to yell “cut” from his cinematic throne. This was painfully, appallingly real.

One of the survivors interviewed on CNN said that the quake differed from previous ground-shaking events for two things: 1) it seemed to go on forever; and, 2) there was a low rumbling sound that was very strange and scary. Another survivor recalled not being able to stand and move from where she was. The ground shook that hard.

The sight of waters crawling like a boa constrictor hungry for ground gave gravitas to the word, “tsunami”. The word “tsunami” evoke hula outfits, oriental food, and balmy winds. Never again. Not after seeing that heartbreaking video of ships floating with houses. As I write this, Japan’s ambassador to the US announced that the number of fatalities was 200 and rising. Rescue and recovery efforts have barely begun. Japan’s government is also concerned over news of a leaky nuclear reactor. Communities leaving close to the nuclear facility have been relocated as experts try to fix the problem.

What happened in Japan should be a wake-up call to all of us here in the Philippines. Phivolcs Director Rolando Solidum has been very forthright in warning us of the coming of the big one. We are overdue for it, he said. Unlike Japan, our local governments are not as strict in monitoring developers, contractors, and building administrators’  on compliance with building code regulations. Corruption leads to short cuts and short cuts could lead to lives cut short in times of disasters. A tsunami alert for Manila’s coastline communities would likely result in pandemonium, because we don’t even know where the safest buildings are, and which roads to take.

We all must come out of this Japan disaster in the same way that my friend, Arlene, did. Shaken and scared. As Japan takes care of its own, let’s emulate the steps they took to prepare for the quake that just happened. Because most of their buildings were able to withstand the quake’s power. And the people seemed to know what to do, where to go. And their very own Prime Minister was on air, and on message, minutes after the earth shook.

No one doubts that Japan will soon be on its feet again. But for now, the world commiserates with numerous families affected by this devastating tragedy. We offer prayers for Japan. And in doing so, we add prayers for our own country. May the ground beneath us be firm and steady. For years and years to come.

Jennifer Rivera had quit her job from the time hostilities in Libya broke out. Nowadays, you would often find her shuttling to and fro the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Blas F. Ople Center, all in the vicinity of Pasay City to Intramuros in Manila.

Her mission: to prod Philippine government authorities to work on the release of her sister, Diana Jill, as household helper of Sahal Al Shariff, the nephew of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The last time Diana was able to call up her sister was Monday this week. We were together at the DFA in the office of Undersecretary Rafael Seguis. Jennifer picked up her mobile phone and her face was suddenly a palette of conflicting emotions. “Ate, I’m okay. I’m okay,” Diana said in an exaggerated voice. Jennifer overheard the female employer ask her sister to speak in English. Through every stilted word, she heard and felt her sister holding back the tears.

“We are the targets, not you,” Diana’s employer would tell the Filipino domestic helpers every time the issue of going home was raised.

Last Tuesday, the Philippine Ambassador was able to talk to Diana’s employer with the help of some contacts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The employer said that they were moving out of Tripoli to transfer to Surt, Libya – the President’s birthplace. The four household staff would be going with them. Not to worry, the employer said.

The Philippine Embassy is located in Tripoli. Surt is more than 370 kilometers away and is tightly controlled by Gadhafi forces. The president’s hometown lies strategically between Tripoli and Benghazi.

Through this blog, we would like to join Jennifer and her family in appealing to the Sahal Al Sharif to release Diana Jill and her 3 other household co-workers to the Philippine Embassy. We understand the reluctance of her employer and his family to let go of their domestic workers at this highly difficult time.

But Diana’s five-year old son cries everyday, asking Aunt Jennifer when his mom would be among the throngs of Filipinos shown nightly on the television news as workers repatriated from Libya.

And Diana’s father has not been sleeping soundly nor eating as well as he should. His thoughts are always on Diana. Jennifer barely eats as well. Every day she leaves the house in search of new information and updates from people who have now become her friends in the DFA and DoLE.

If you want to join me and several others in appealing for Diana Jill’s safety, please add SOS Libya (Diana Jill Rivera Manso) on Facebook. We will be posting updates about her situation and the Philippine government’s efforts to help her on that cause page. At the very least, your joining this page would signal to Jennifer and her family that they are not alone and that our prayers are with them.

Diana has been with her employer’s family for only six months. She doesn’t deserve to be caught in Libya’s battle zones simply because of the nature of her job.

Join and Share the Facebook page – SOS Libya (Diana Jill Rivera Manso). And please continue to pray for the safe return of Diana and all the rest of our OFWs and thousands of other migrant workers still remaining in Libya.

Wearing white shirts with “Libya Survivors” emblazoned in front, around 20 repatriated Filipino workers went this afternoon to the Senate for a meeting with Senator Manny Villar.

The overseas Filipino workers were led by Lito Soriano, the head of LBS Recruitment Solutions Agency which deployed them to Tripoli, Libya for an airport construction project operated by French company Vinci Grand Projets Corporation.

Vinci Corporation’s chief executive officer, Ian Nelson, is in town to meet with his former employees, all 97 of them. The meeting was covered extensively by the media with Nelson bearing good news for his Filipino employees- Vinci Corporation is considering them for other jobs in different countries. The construction firm is also keen to go back to Libya to finish the airport project once the smoke clears, and political stability is restored.

The exemplary conduct of Vinci Corporation and its local recruitment agency, LBS Recruitment Solutions Agency, was cited by Senator Manny Villar in a resolution he filed last Friday. The workers and Mr. Soriano went to the Senate to thank the senator for filing the said resolution.

They met at the Recto Room on the Senate’s second floor. The workers recounted their experience in Libya and appealed for help in behalf of thousands of other OFWs left behind. They also asked the Senate to make sure that the government spends its own funds to repatriate the OFWs rather than drawing heavily on the trust fund of OFWs vested with OWWA.

Villar seized the opportunity to pitch to the workers his legislative proposal for the creation of a Department for OFWs. “Imbis na lagi na lang nagtuturuan o kaya mabagal ang aksyon dahil kailangan pangmag-usap usap ang iba’t ibang ahensya, bakit di na lang magkaroon ng isang department para lamang sa pangangalaga ng OFWs? Malaki na din ang bilang ninyo at napakalaki rin ang kontribusyon ninyo sa ating bansa.”

The OFWs from Libya, recalling the confusion during the early days of the crisis, wholeheartedly agreed with Villar. In fact, when the workers chanced upon Sen. Bongbong Marcos at the session hall, after their meeting with Villar was over, they requested the Ilocano senator to back the measure.

After the harrowing experience of these workers  in trying to escape from Libya, having a department that would look out for their welfare, safety and needs on a 24/7 basis made more sense than ever.

A Department for OFWs? Why not? This would enable the Department of Labor and Employment to focus on the problems of local employment and prevailing work conditions and standards.

A department solely for migrant workers would also provide a buffer for the DFA as they balance foreign policy and diplomatic ties with the protection of migrants’ rights and welfare.

The ticklish issue here would always be structure, personnel, and costs. OWWA and the POEA would have to be folded into this department, or at the very least be attached to it. But what about Tesda which serves all kinds of workers, including the unemployed? The labor and welfare attaches would also have to be part of this new department. Of course, an issue that must be resolved is on whether such a new agency would now also be in charge of looking after the so-called irregular or undocumented workers. This is currently under the jurisdiction and thus part of the mandate of the DFA.

I am sure that this proposal shall be debated ad infinitum, particularly by those who don’t see a need to disturb the status quo.

Still, given the size of the Filipino Diaspora and the complexity of problems that come with it, the idea of a department for OFWs is indeed worth serious study not just by the Senate, but by all stakeholders in overseas employment.

News Release

Blas F. Ople Policy Center

February 10, 2010

NGO calls on PH to say less and do more to show appreciation for its friendship with Taiwan

Former labor undersecretary and known OFW advocate Susan Ople called on the Aquino administration to bare its plans on how to mitigate the impact of further fall-out from the ongoing row between the Philippines and Taiwan over the recent deportation of 24 Taiwanese nationals to mainland China.

The daughter of the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople stressed that while the Philippine government continues to invoke its One-China policy, the fate of over 100,000 Filipino workers and their families back home hang in the balance.

“Are we truly prepared to walk the talk? What is our contingency plan once Taiwan decides not to renew the contracts of our workers? If we don’t even have one, then I appeal to government officials to come up with more nuanced and sober statements,”‘ Ople said, adding that the worsening rift is now causing Filipinos in Taiwan deep concern.

The head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-government organization known for helping distressed OFWs, said that there are instances in the diplomatic world when the “‘less talk-more action’” rule should be observed. “‘To my mind, this is one such instance. Let our diplomats and private industry leaders sort this out with their counterparts as long-standing friends are wont to do, below the radar screen but always with deep respect and appreciation for each other.”‘

The center pointed out the irony that billions of pesos are being poured in to finance conditional cash transfers to the poor yet the government seems to be too stingy in its statements extolling the mutually beneficial relations between Taiwan and the Philippines over the years that have led to decent jobs for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos.

‘Low-skilled migrant workers in Taiwan including Filipinos earn at least twice, if not triple, the minimum wage in their homeland. Taiwan has been quite effective in promoting the rights of all workers including foreign workers. And while we adhere to the One-China policy as many other countries do, we should not fail to recognize and be grateful for the enormous contributions of the peoples and leadership of Taiwan to our country.”

The anti-human trafficking advocate noted that there may have been a coordination gap when the Bureau of Immigration failed to notify the Manila Economic and Cultural Office about the pending case involving 24 Taiwanese nationals. ‘This is not to cast aspersion on any single agency but simple courtesies do matter. Had the MECO and even our labor department been informed early on about this then perhaps a more amicable compromise could have been reached through diplomatic and private sector channels without compromising our foreign policy.’ ”

The lack of coordination between and among different agencies is apparent even with the post-deportation statements being issued by various officials.

Ople thus appealed to the Aquino administration: “‘Speak with one voice, and deliver one clear and unified message.”‘ The NGO leader said that at this point, the government should simply refer all media inquiries about the Taiwan rift to the labor department, while making known the Philippines’ desire to reach out to the people of Taiwan and engage in talks about mutual cooperation in the fight against transnational crime.

END

I recently interviewed two job applicants for a single opening in our non-government organization known as the Blas F. Ople Policy Center. The two young women were in their 20s, very pretty, but with resumes too skinny for the position offered. I asked both applicants how long they have been in job search mode. Six months, they replied. They were co-workers in a garments retail outlet that paid them a meagre Php 5,000 monthly salary. I advised them to sue the company, improve their resumes and prepare much better for a second evaluation. They have a week to come back and convince us at the Ople Center why they were worth the wait.

In truth, both applicants were not prepared to sell themselves. I find this as a common affliction among job hunters. They expect their potential bosses to have time for a guessing game. “Guess what I have in mind,” the applicant seems to signal with eyes that look up and down but rarely at me.

It saddens me to see young people ill-prepared for questions that are standard fare in any job interview. Questions such as – “what can you offer our company?”; “where do you see yourself in five years?” and, “why should we choose you instead of the other applicants?” These are questions designed to help the applicant market himself; yet very few applicants do so, preferring to be shy and coy at the absolutely wrong time.

Here are some tips for job applicants based on my own personal experience as an employer:

1. Show your personality. When you are on a dance floor, you dance and move your feet to the beat. You don’t stand idly by, and watch the others enjoy themselves. Job interviews can also be fun. It shouldn’t be treated as a life or death situation. Show some life, some energy. Don’t sink into the swivel chair waiting for it to spin on its own. Be true to who you are, and don’t be afraid to show your authentic self.

1. Be confident. The job interview is not a debt of gratitude. It is an occasion for a hiring company and a job seeker to meet and decide whether a work relationship is something that would be mutually beneficial. It is a meeting, nothing else. Be prepared because you know more about being you than anyone else in the world. Be confident because the worse thing they could do is decline your application. If they did, move on. Because they certainly will.

1. Dress the part. No piercings where none should be, no tattoos where people can see. Your hair must not be greasy, your palms not sweaty, and your hair shouldn’t cover your face. Think of it as posing for a passport photo – with a sunny smile. Don’t wear shoes that are uncomfortable and unbearably noisy. Be conscious of your posture and the way you walk. Stride, not stroll. If you are riding a bus, crossing a fly-over, and squeezing into a jeepney prior to taking the long walk to the interviewer’s office, take time to fix yourself up before meeting your future boss. Sweaty and smelly armpits do make for a lasting impression – but one that the interviewer would rather forget.

1. Do know what kind of job you are applying for and where. Nothing annoys me more than having a job applicant seated across me not knowing what exactly our office does. If I had set aside time to study his or her resume, would it be too much to ask that the applicant did the same? A job applicant who can summarize in a minute what the company does has a distinct advantage over the rest. It shows focus, desire, and passion. The reverse is also true. A job seeker who does not care enough to learn more about the company that is hiring, should know where the exit sign is. Employers look for people with initiative, not people who still need to be pushed to do what is right.

1. Keep improving yourself and your resume. In a country where 2.8 million citizens are jobless, know how tough the competition is. It is not enough that you have a resume. With time, that resume should grow longer and more impressive. That resume reflects the dynamism or lack of it, in your life. Invest in trainings and seminars. Look for the appropriate on-the-job training programs. Develop a specialization and be the best there is. You control your destiny; you shape your own life. A sloppy resume means a sloppy you. A boring resume implies an applicant who does not have the drive to even come up with the best format possible. You are your resume. Do not copycat the font and format of others, especially when they just bought their form over a counter. Also, have character references ready, and willing to serve that role for you.

Good luck, jobseeker. Put value in yourself and in your work, and shine on! (Send comments to toots.ople@yahoo.com. Follow me on Twitter via www.twitter.com/susanople.

From time to time, Our Times features interesting men and women who abhor mediocrity and prefer to lead lives that contribute to positive change. Chris dela Cruz is one such person.

Young, articulate and bold in the pursuit of dreams, Chris founded his own school in January 2007. The American Institute for English Proficiency combines critical thinking with English proficiency lessons to enable students from all walks of life learn the rudiments of effective communications.

Chris had to improve his English as a little boy when half of his family moved to Hawaii from Ilocos Norte when he was just nine years old. His grandparents who have long made Honolulu their second home petitioned his father, himself and another sibling. It took seven years before his mother and two other siblings were able to follow, thus completing the family.

Looking back, the dela Cruz family did not lead an easy life in Hawaii as new emigrants. Chris described his family as “very poor”. “We led an impoverished life in Hawaii. At eleven years old, I would deliver newspapers while going to school, living on tips. I also did yard work and cleaned homes of rich people.”

Growing up, Chris encountered all kinds of discrimination, strangely enough from Filipinos of his own age. “They were cruel. They made fun of my strange accent and way of dressing. I was considered as “fresh off the boat” or FOB. It was the Filipino kids who did that to me.” Chris said his first best friend in school was a white American boy named Kevin.

Being bullied and discriminated against by people from his own race strengthened Chris’s resolve to work harder for respect and acceptance. His teacher gifted him with a dictionary which he put to good use, expanding his vocabulary and knowing right diction. He read a lot, and was very conscious about his communications skills.

Vindication came when he auditioned and was accepted for the role of Macbeth, in a high school play. “People came to see the play and to watch me. I thought, why would someone watch a Filipino with an accent? But they came, so I knew that the accent was gone.”

Chris shone even more brightly as a student leader in Seattle University. He graduated in 1999 as a champion debater, and was constantly in the honor roll. The Ilocano boy competed and was selected as the commencement speaker for his batch. He worked briefly as a writing consultant for Seattle University’s The Writing Center before joining America’s corporate world in the fields of sales, marketing and human resource management.

In 2006, Chris decided to come home while his family remained in the United States. “I wanted to teach English in the Philippines but even if I applied for teaching positions, I realized that the qualifications being asked for are extremely discriminatory with regard to age, academic background, and even gender. Despite my skills and background, I realized how difficult it would be for me to even just get a foot in the door for job interviews.”

The knowledge that discrimination in the workplace thrives and is accepted so easily and widely in the country bothers Chris. “In the United States, we have companies that put immense value on meritocracy. Here, there is pressure to lighten up one’s skin, or just choose among applicants of a certain age. Everything is also so slow, so disorganized, so unfair and so unjust.” Still, Chris is determined not to give up and instead do his share to help his homeland.

He put up the American Institute for English Proficiency in 2007 as a values-oriented school that seeks to help Filipinos from all walks of life to gain more confidence as communicators. “I believe in the concept of empowerment. We need to help others find empowerment from within, and encourage them to set goals that they can achieve with hard work and a clear sense of purpose.”

From time to time, AIEP offers free English classes as part of its mission to hone the communication skills of those who have had great difficulty landing a job. Recently, the Blas F. Ople Center sent seven of its graduates from the Microsoft Tulay computer literacy course to Chris for free English training. They were then included in the roster of applicants for call center jobs due for job interviews. Chris and his teaching staff also gives free talks in various campuses on the value of effective communications.

“A college graduate who is unable to communicate at all would likely be passed over in job interviews for a college drop-out who is confident, articulate, and capable of carrying a conversation in English. One’s failure to communicate clearly with warmth and confidence could be a major stumbling block to landing a good job,” Chris said. For those interested to avail of the AIEP’s English programs, send an e-mail directly to Chris via cdelacruz@aiepro.org or visit aiepro.ning.com. The American Institute for English Proficiency is located at 227 Salcedo Street, Suite 2G, Makati City with telephone number: 893-1566. (Send comments to toots.ople@yahoo.com. Follow me on Twitter via www.twitter.com/susanople.

I was born in the 60’s. I was too young to recall why an angry mob shooed the Beatles away from our airport but old enough to remember the soundtracks from such TV comedies as “M.A.S.H” and “Welcome Back, Kotter.” My father owned a blue Chevrolet Impala with a leather backseat big and wide enough to swallow me up. I imagined it as a spaceship, with its oversized built-in radio and a near-panoramic windshield. Soon enough, that car gave way to a succession of other vehicles – including a Ford Fierra that was so springy that my brothers and I had to hold on to something every time the tires hit a pothole.

My nieces and nephews don’t know any of these things – the Love Bus, music cartridges for car stereos, long-playing albums and 45 singles, Chocovim and Selecta fresh milk in bottles, foot-jumps and Chinese jackstones, Pepe Pimentel’s Kuwarta o Kahon, and a broadsheet known as the Daily Express. In that sense, I consider myself lucky because while these kids have technology on their side, the age group that I belong to has the context and content to go with it. At that time, our toys were either living creatures like spiders in a matchbox or inanimate objects that you need to push or drag around, or cut into pieces like clay. The music that we played had lyrics encased in complete sentences with commas and periods and not just telegraphic dashes and a sprinkling of Ahs and Ohs.

The simplicity of life then is worlds apart from the simplicity of life now. During my youth, it didn’t take a whole lot to make me smile, laugh, and giggle. Contentment was an ice cream cone bought at the sidewalk from our neighbourhood “sorbetero”. We walked to church for Sunday mass and came home with pan-de-coco in a brown bag. My brothers flew handmade kites called “boca-boca”. We owned two dogs, named Frito and Tootsie. My mother cooked our meals or decided what meals to serve. My father waited up for us when we were late in coming home. Our phones had dials; so did our television set.

Today, every television set in my townhouse has its matching remote control. All my music fit in a thumb-size IPOD shuffle. We use the Internet to check out movies to watch, and sometimes to order food for delivery. My daughter sends me an SMS when she’s out late at night, and vice-versa. My coffee is three-in-one, and my books are all on Kindle. My handwriting has gone bad but my typing skills would put a full-time administrative assistant to shame. Nowadays, contentment is an expensive fruity yoghurt sundae bought in a mall, in a tiny plastic cup.

If as a child, I’d been asked to describe the year 2011, I would have balked at such a challenge. Yet, here we all are. I am all grown up and expanding sideways with a daughter so wise and independent at the age of 25. I have more dogs than you have fingers. I never thought then that “broadband” would become one word and mean so much. We have face transplants, and liposuctions, and reality shows that depict it. They now give away houses and millions of pesos in a single game show that back in our time would just have the tallest refrigerator as a major door prize. I follow the news on Twitter, and meet friends on Facebook.

Looking back, it is no longer true that the only thing certain in life is death and taxes. The march of time is certain; it waits for no one yet we feel each step in our creaky joints, in the hazy glow of subdued memories. The kids out there would see 2011 emblazoned in the Starbucks planners that they worked hard to obtain, sticker by sticker. We, who are much older, see 2011 as an appreciation of life lived in a continuum, from birth to adulthood, from the dustbin of memories to the creation of new skills and experiences. It is amazing, this thing called life. No matter when lived and by whom, life is for us to either waste or nourish, regardless of what year it is.

Dear Readers, a new year is upon us. I wish you a year of contentment amid challenges and opportunities that would come your way. My father once said, “Pessimism is a state of mind but optimism is a strategy for living.” In my heart, I know that 2011 will be a good year for all of us. No matter how old or young you are, I pray that you open yourself to the best that this year has to offer. Happy New Year! (Send comments to toots.ople@yahoo.com. Follow me on Twitter via www.twitter.com/susanople.

Millions of Filipinos are barely hanging on financially because this was a tough year for many of us. Whoever described poverty as an accumulation of missed opportunities nailed the truth. Ours is a resilient, hardworking race. Unfortunately, the society we live in is divided into two worlds- “the haves” and “don’t-haves”. Rarely do these two worlds intersect. Except at Christmas.

Christmas is the season that unifies, harmonizes, and blends life streams into one single giving bloc of humanity. We are kinder at Christmas. We are more giving of ourselves at Christmas. We are more hopeful at Christmas. The inaccessible becomes accessible; the selfish becomes selfless; the sad becomes less sad; and people stingy with smiles, are more prone to curve their lips at the slightest prompting. This is why Christmas is the season that closes the year. Because no matter how horrific the entire year was for some people, love ends it beautifully through Christmas.

I remember growing up thinking that Christmas was always about gift-wrapped boxes and food galore. My work as an OFW advocate has tempered that belief a hundred-fold. Christmas is intrinsically about the celebration of faith and hope in mankind and the Divine Creator. Perhaps, it’s because the number of gifts one expects to receive as he or she grows older is in direct proportion to the number of friends and family still alive. Somehow, age does make for a more mellow understanding of how the world turns. In my prayers, I always say, “I lift everything up to you, Lord.” And I do. That simple line has given me my second wind during the most difficult times of my life. Faith is the perpetual gift of survival, and vice-versa.

Christmas is when the Lord looks at us from way up high with a twinkle in his eye and says, “Make me proud.” He knows that there is no better and more consistent time on earth than Christmas for us to gather together in His name to simply say, “Thank you, Lord.” No other time than now and no other message than that. Those who grumble about a less than joyous Christmas miss the point. This time it’s not about us – but all about Him. The best gift of all is to just being able to acknowledge Him in our lives.

Thus, the challenge is on how we can seek inspiration and aspiration from this golden season of love, peace, and charity. After all, Christmas comes only once a year. Here are some of my suggestions.

To the jobless multitudes out there who have more notices of disconnection than greeting cards in the mail, I say – keep the faith, stick close to family and friends, and do what you can to get the most smiles and laughter out of Christmas.

To the miserable wife, whose family is threatened by a spoiled, anonymous mistress, I say – give the other woman all the reasons to envy you this Christmas, because by doing so, you’ll be giving your man all the reasons to stay and never let go.

To the perpetually tired husband, struggling to keep the same lifestyle that the family has grown used to, I say – spend a full day doing something that makes you and you alone very, very happy because you deserve it as a solid provider all year long.

To children who belong to a broken home, I say – make this Christmas an occasion to make your siblings feel more loved than ever, and always know that whatever faults your parents have do not detract from your individual obligation to be good to yourself and to your siblings.

To the very rich and extremely famous, I say – make this Christmas not about you. Make it about the people who keep your households clean, your cars running, and your office a delight to go to. Humility must be the Christmas wreath on your door; and, generosity must be the song that you hum throughout the season.

To the overseas workers yearning for family and home, I say – transform Christmas into a season of surprises for your family. Mail them individual postcards; create a YouTube video with you singing a Christmas carol; team up with Internet shops that can deliver the most unexpected goodies like lechon on Christmas Day.

And to my readers, who have made Panorama Magazine their loyal Sunday companion, I say – think of all the blessings in your life and multiply that by a thousand – that exactly is what I wish for you this Christmas. Blessings to many to count, smiles by the minute, and a heart bursting with laughter and joy!

Christmas is what we make of it. And what we make of it defines who we truly are. Merry Christmas everyone! (Send comments to toots.ople@yahoo.com. Follow me on Twitter via www.twitter.com/susanople.