Philippine work culture: Government employees.

Just this morning, my thesis partner and I went to the Department of Finance to verify and confirm our application of our practicum program.  We applied in this government department because our classmates who are also doing their on-the-job training there recruited us.

Before going to the department, my thesis partner and I were hyped and are ready for the interview we will be undergoing. When we arrived at the personnel division, everything went fine not until we were directed to head to the division we are designated to. After a 10-minute walk, we arrived in the office. First thing we noticed upon entering the door were loud voices. Employees on that division were talking to each other on the places they have been to. Laughing so hard that one man almost choke with his food. They just acknowledge our presence when their conversation ended and a girl noticed us. That was about 30 to 45 seconds we are already standing in the door, trying to get their attention. They welcomed us as usual and I handed the forms they need to process for us to be admitted. We’ve stayed there for a couple of minutes then we experienced first hand what bad hearsays are there for the government employees.

 During working hours at around 9:30am, we expect employees to do there work. But as we have observed in the office, employees are standing and walking around the room and chatting with other employees. They talk and talk with non-sense topics. Most of the time, we heard dirty jokes. They are talking about what is the best motel to stay in. purely non-sense conversation. It is only around 10am when they started talking about where are they going to eat for lunch and what time are they going to go home later in the afternoon. The conversation continued up until quarter to 11am when we are about to leave.

A realization came into my mind that are our parents work hard and pay taxes to give salaries to these government employees. Dang. They are not even worth every penny we pay for them. They are not doing the right things and the job we expect them to do. I called my mom, who is a special investigator in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. She told me that what I observed happens in every government departments and offices. There were really employees who just come to work to chat, display their newly bought things and boast their non-senses. My mother and I share the same perspective to government employees, we hate how they work. That is the reason why any time soon, she will retire from her work and focus on the businesses that we have. She doesn’t want to be labeled with the stereotype that people think of government employees.  She said that she have served the department with all she can offer and do, but she cannot stand being with such kind of irresponsible people.

In conclusion, my perceptions of government employees just got worsen. But then, I have to deal with those facts since I will have my practicum in a government agency.  For me, I will work there as good as I can be and never waste a time like the others. Having this experience clearly showed me how bad the work culture in Philippine agencies.  

Perspectives of Domination.

What is domination? According to Apple Mac’s dictionary, it is “the exercise of control or influence someone or something, or the state of being controlled.”  Seeing the meaning of the word, it appears to be a negative idea to me. It feels like a state, which I would not want to put myself into (being dominated), but the feeling of dominating someone is yet, another thing to talk about.

 I see domination in two perspectives: macro and micro. Thinking of what macro domination means, I thought of America, George W. Bush per se, when was still the president of the United States of America, as a good example.

Under his presidency, US waged war to the Middle East, which for me is only a concealed tactic of controlling the oil reserves. What could happen when America took over the oil industry? The world will beg at her. Why? Who does not need oil? EVERYONE NEEDS IT. Without it, industries will fall. Unfortunately, Bush had not succeeded. Thanks be to Obama.

Moving on, micro domination on the other hand are the petty little things we do everyday that involves a state of being over someone else in varying avenues of daily lives:  boss picking on lower ranking employees, cutting of the line in a taxi lane, teacher sending out late students, mom cutting off your daily allowance, friends joking upon your little mistakes, bullies bully weak people and those sort of other things. 

Now the question that lies, have I dominated someone? Blatantly and boldly speaking, yes. Back when I was in high school, I am a bully myself. There is nothing greater to see a mistake of another man and laugh about it. I do not take it personally though; I only care for having a good laugh about it with my friends. By that, I can say I have dominated them in a way that I pick on what they do, how they look and sometimes how they are just plain stupid.  Laugh at it and it’s done. It is different from having intense bullying wherein the bullied person will suffer so much. But then, I realized that any form of bullying could make a person psychologically affected. Which will then conclude why on the contrary, I would not like myself to be bullied.

The first time I’ve been bullied, slightly, at least, was when I am in first year college. Even when the things my friends have thrown upon me was not that so serious, I hated the fact that they are making fun of me. Being used to being the bully, I don’t take it lightly and confronted them to stop picking on me. Then, I realized how bad I’ve been to the persons I have bullied before. From then on, I have never bullied anyone so badly. But friendly bully among my pals was exceptions, provided I do not make fun of something that could cause so much for them.

In the end, the story of domination clearly depicts the idea of power. The person who has more power, or when he feels like he has the advantage over someone is the dominator. In this world, we cannot defy domination, for we humans are born to face reality and to survive it. From the past, in the present and most likely in the future, people will dominate each other. It is our nature. That, I think, is the saddest part.

The face of the "other"

When people refer someone as the  “other”, he pertains to a person whom is different from what is ought to be or expected of a man in a natural state of being. More often than not, these people are regarded as the marginalized sector in the society, which are those who are not treated and represented equally. With this premise, I have thought of having the gay and lesbian community in the Philippines as an essential example and topic of my concern.

For years, the gay and lesbian community has been fighting for their rights of equality relentlessly. But it has not been an easy road for them. The conservative, primarily the Catholic Church, an institution built with the values that recognize and advocate strict sexual and gender orientation, defies the said community. For them, straying away from what is accepted by the teaching of the church and the society is immoral and does not promote good values. The Philippine society adds up to the burden of the gay and lesbian community by undermining their importance in the society. Most of the time, people treat them without respect, negatively objectifying them by: making fun of them because of how they dress up and present themselves, regarding them as uneducated, assuming they are less capable of doing the right and proper things and lastly, coming up with the assumption that they are living a pointless life.

In its present stand point, the gay and lesbian communities of not only in the Philippines but also in the whole world have received tons of defamation from people. Nevertheless, they continue to fight for what they believe in; all human are equal, regardless of our sexual and gender preferences. Unfortunately, only a few would recognize this very idea because majority of us sees the negative stereotypes we have made of them and none of what good they could have been.

Given an example, most of the gays are in the entertainment industry: showbiz, comedy bars, gay pageant, contests and alike; people make fun of them, maybe because it is part of what they do for a living. Which sometimes is leading to a negative stereotype instilled in our minds that we thought of whenever we see them. It never crossed our mind that they entertain us for the money they can get to sustain the lives of their family or cash to put up their own small business so they do not need to make themselves look stupid to earn a living, or invest on education to have a degree they could be proud of and in a way open opportunity for better jobs and life. In fact, some gays are harder worker and dedicated to the jobs they have than some of us. That is why there are gays like, Boy Abunda, John Lapuz, Allan K, Vice Ganda, Fanny Serrano, Mother Ricky who strived hard and earned respectable status in showbiz industry. There were also gays whom have taken a seat in local government such as Ogie Diaz and Teri Aunor, whom both are councilors. There are also gays in respectable fields: science and medicine, academics, corporate world and politics; who have proven that their gender is not of a hindrance for them.

Lesbians on the other hand do not share the same limelight entertainment industry as the gays; rather they live a more quiet life. We can see them in a typical men outfit, resembling men trapped in women’s body because they act and sometimes look vey much of a man rather than a woman. Usually, their jobs are more likely unisexual work; not something very physical because of their strength capacity, nor too girly for it will ironically counter their machismo personality. The often-said stereotype about them is when they develop relationship with another girl. People depict the personality of a lesbian as too aspiring of becoming a man. Usually, this idea comes from men themselves because they get the feeling of “nasasapawan”, for they believe that men can provide better for the girl than another girl. But for the lesbians, they feel they also have the right to fall in love with another person regardless of his/her own gender preference, provided the fact that they can prove they are worthy of it; which means they can provide the life and the love that their partner will be expecting from them. Relative to the gays, lesbians nowadays have been recognized in various fields.

In my opinion, gays and lesbians are as much the same with all of us, but with the ruthless and judgmental society that we have, they shall prove themselves rightful for the recognition of the people around them. Their road to success is a long and tough one. It could be impossible for them to reach their goal of equality, realistically speaking. But when people widen their thoughts about their perspective in life and try to look upon the point of what these people have shouted out long before, then there could be a chance for them to achieve their goal.  There are more to them that we do not see, for we have not given them the chance to uplift themselves up and prove that they are actually, part of the society.