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Kariton, klasrum, klinik and kantin
Michael Alan Hamlin
In 1997, a free tutoring center for street kids set up by community volunteers in Cavite City in the Philippines burned to the ground. While the destruction of the center was a tragic setback for the volunteers, they persevered in their mission to give young children whose families were mired in debilitating poverty a shot at challenging their fate by teaching them how to read and write, form basic hygienic habits, and understand and feel compassion.
The volunteers’ mentor-a young engineer named Hardin Manalaysay referred to as KB or Kuya Bonn-encouraged two of the volunteer leaders to think of innovative ways to continue their work despite the loss and the obstacles it presented. One of the leaders-Efren G. Peñaflorida, Jr.-was a young teacher who had broken free from the dire grasp of impoverishment and the tyranny of juvenile gangs with the support of Mr. Manalaysay. The other-Emanuel Bagual-had a similar story. Barely a teenager, Mr. Bagual grew up rising at 3:00 am to wash jeepneys and scavenge for food and junk he sold to pay for school supplies and other basic necessities. Like Mr. Peñaflorida, Mr. Bagual had been inspired by Mr. Manalaysay.
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Posted
12/30/2009 6:22:17 PM |
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Tiger brand
Michael Alan Hamlin
Tiger Woods has plenty of company in the personal brand doghouse, and there is reason for Mr. Woods to take heart in that reality. Not because his indiscretions were preceded, but because his brand has a bright future, despite some high-profile defections among his sponsors. Basketball greats Michael Jordon and Kobe Bryant are well-acquainted with scandal, and could give Mr. Woods a compelling prep talk about his professional and financial prospects, if not the odds that his marriage can be salvaged.
Both Messrs. Jordon and Bryant moved past their own public scandals of the loins after a period of penance. Mr. Jordan paid a girlfriend $250,000 in an unsuccessful attempt to keep their affair a secret before splitting for a second and final time with his wife Jasmine Jordan. He reportedly paid Ms. Jordan a $168 million settlement six months after a judge ruled that the former girlfriend, Karla Knafel, wasn’t entitled to the $5 million she alleged Mr. Jordan promised her.
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Posted
12/30/2009 6:14:44 PM |
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Prospects: My dream in a shoe box
Michael Alan Hamlin
Business executives in the Philippines are increasingly pessimistic about the economy and increasingly optimistic about the economy in six months, according to the results of the most recent monthly survey of the members of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP). Confidence in the economy jumped from July to August, and held steady in September with a net 30% confidence level.
But in October, net confidence fell precipitously to 20.4%, and plummeted to 10.2% in November. MAP speculates that the drop may have something to do with Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana outside the Philippines), which flooded much of Metro Manila and the island of Luzon.
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Posted
12/17/2009 4:59:57 PM |
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It just gets worse
Michael Alan Hamlin
Nearly two weeks after the massacre of 57 innocent men, women, and children allegedly at the hands of an administration-backed warlord with the support of vigilantes, police officers, and members of the armed forces, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared martial law in the poverty-stricken, violent province of Maguindanao. To justify the controversial declaration, Ms. Arroyo’s government cited a brewing rebellion led by supporters of the suspected perpetrators of the massacre.
A local mayor intent on running for governor of Maguindanao next year, Andal Ampatuan, Jr., is believed to have organized and led the massacre. His brother Zaldy-who is governor of a five-province autonomous region of the Philippines-and his father Andal, Sr.-the current governor of Maguindanao-have also been arrested along with 62 others. Military raids on Ampatuan family mansions and other properties have turned up large caches of military firearms.
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Posted
12/10/2009 12:27:01 PM |
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Risk factors
Michael Alan Hamlin
The number of business process outsourcing (BPO) executives who say government corruption is the number one risk factor associated with doing business in the Philippines almost doubled between August and October. In an August survey, 11% of respondents said government corruption is the biggest risk factor associated with doing business in the Philippines. Less than three months later, that number had increased to 21%.
In both surveys, government corruption and negative perception of the Philippines followed the tight labor market as the biggest risk factors associated with doing business in the here. In light of the Maguindanao massacre of at least 57 unarmed women and men-including about 30 journalists-in an unthinkable act of political violence allegedly perpetrated by close allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo November 23, perception of government corruption and negative perception would likely increase if a survey were conducted now.
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Posted
12/2/2009 5:30:04 PM |
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