The Kiamoy Speaks

Last Saturday, I went to San Diego to watch a play my cousin wrote and directed for her organization, the Filipino Ugnayan Student Organization (FUSO), on their 15th Annual Pilipino Cultural Night.  I went to this kind of play last year, and because of the integration of cultural dances during the play, I expect it would be a long play. 

This is one of the primary reason why I went to the United States because according to my cousin, this is about her father’s struggle of hope in the United States.  Besides, she promised to write my name on the acknowledgement section (she wrote, AHIA RODNEY, I can’t believe you flew all the way from the PI to watch my play… even though I know it was just because you were bored there!)

The play started with a two Filipino singers, and believe me, this two have star potential in them, they are AJ Rafael and Reynard Silva, the former is more of an accoustic Nyoy Volante kind of a performer, while the latter prefers the Usher way. 

The play is about how my uncle was discriminated.  Discrimination comes in many ways, the mere fact that they can write a play about it shows how far the generation has gone to try to tame it down.  The younger generation should really thank those people who pave the way for the current situation they are enjoying as compared to that of my uncle’s time.

My uncle was in California at that time and he was looking for hospitals to take him as a resident surgeon.  My auntie was pregnant with her first child and she was due within the month that is why my uncle is really desperate to look for a job. 

HIs first interview was in Chicago, and the doctor who interviewed him was a caucasian, who just finished his residency.  During their interview, my uncle answered all the questions correctly, until he asked about my uncle’s background.  My uncle finished his medical school in Far Eastern University and he was also trained in Clark Air Base in Pampanga.  The interviewer cannot find a mistake in my uncle’s answers so he finally told him, that he cannot hire my uncle because of his race.  If he has to choose between a bad American doctor, and a good and qualified foreigner, he would choose the former.  My uncle did not react violently nor answered, instead he kept quiet and went to New York.

He had an 11:45 am appointment in one of the hospitals in New York.  He was scheduled there by the hospital director.  He arrived to one of the old wings at around 11:00 am and told the secretary that he had an appointment with a certain doctor.  The secretary just looked at him and told him to wait.  At around 1:00 pm, the secretary told him that he was in the wrong wing of the building and the doctor he was supposed to have an appointment with is located in one of the new wings of the hospital.  He went to the new wing and he was interviewed by the acting hospital director because the hospital director went on a vacation at that time.  The acting hospital director is a Hawaiian-Japanese who also questioned his credentials.  He explained that he waited for two hours before the secretary informed him that he was at the wrong wing, and now, he is surprised that this man is belittling his qualilties.  Finally, he couldn’t take it, he told the hospital director that he had it with the discrimination.  He told him that he was proud to be a Filipino-Chinese, and that acting hospital director, no matter how he hides his Hawaiian-Japanese ethnicity, it will always show in his appearance, and he just wish that the hospital director would not undergone the discrimination and ordeal he went through that day.

When he returned to his friend’s apartment that night, his friend told him that my aunt is in the hospital and that the doctor is trying to get a hold of him because there were complications in her childbirth.  Right then and there my uncle broke down as he called up the hospital and talked to the doctor.  The doctor said she has to operate and she cannot do so without a consent from my uncle.  My uncle gave his consent and requested told the doctor, to save the life of his wife and his child, and if complications may arise try to save his wife.  He did not even put down the phone as he listened while the doctor operated on his wife and after a half hour listening to the doctor conducting the surgical procedure, the doctor went back on line and congratulated him for having a baby girl. 

When my auntie was already conscious, he was crying and told him he was coming back to California, and he would just cancel his interview at Michigan, my aunt told them that she is all right and she should finish his interview.  He went to Michigan, feeling he would be discriminated again, and to his surprise, a certain Dr. Bingley gave him a warm interview.  Instead of talking about his experience and credentials, they talked about life generally.  He felt at ease with Dr. Bingley that he shared his experience in Chicago and New York, and he even told him about his frustration of not being there while his first-born is entering this world.  After the interview, my uncle flew back to California.

Upon reaching California, the first thing he did is hugged his wife and cradled his first-born.  While he was cradling his daughter, a phone call came, and it was Dr. Bingley.

"How does it feel to hug your first born Dr. Tan?"  asked Dr. Bingly. 

My uncle cried and broke down, "it is the best feeling in the world sir."

"What are your plans now Dr. Tan?"

"I am going home to the Philippines, I will raise my family there, thank you for the opportunity Dr. Bingly"

" No, you’re not going to do that Dr. Tan, what your are going to do is buy a book."

"A book?"

"Yes, I am hiring you to be an internal medicine practitioner here in Michigan, and we will fly your whole family here, so I need you to read the book about internal medicine and see you in a week."

My uncle was full of emotions, and made this promise, "Dr. Bingly, thank you for this opportunity, you will never here me complain nor even here me utter a word against the hospital, in fact if you think I am not good enough for the first three months, don’t pay me anything."

Dr. Bingly just laughed and told him, "We don’t do it that way Dr. Tan, I know you are a good doctor, see you in a week."

That was the first opportunity that my uncle took, an opportunity given by a stranger who did not look at his race nor origin.  When God closes a door, He truly opens a window. 

Why does only the good die young?  Lit, John and I usually have discussions about this topic.  For example, I know someone who goes to church everyday, yet he has a mistress, or he fools around.  Will God look the other way or is he a hypocrite about his faith? 

According to the gospel of John P., the man cannot fully pay his debt to God that is why he is paying in small doses, by going to Church and doing good works.  I cannot find this teaching nor this directive in any Vatican study nor instruction so just like my trust in the true Gospels of the Bible, it’s my prerogative if I believe in John’s opinion. 

Anyway, perhaps a man does not need to repent anymore that is why God already took him to His kingdom, hence we would joke that we should gamble, curse, watch porn, in order to prolong our stay in the world for a few more moments, but we should avoid committing the 10 no-no’s.

The next day I came here, I visited my Uncle’s new lab, Care One.  Since it was a Friday, my uncle’s schedule is kinda light so we decided to play poker in his house.  So after having a heavy Chinese lunch, we set out to Apostle Lane to play.

For the first quarter of the year, my poker game is like the weather, it is so unpredictable that I don’t know what to expect but on this day, I was trying to be conservative and I kept on waiting for the right cards.  For the hour, I was winning here and there when a text from the Philippines came.

The text destroyed my game right then and there, because I have to put things in perspective, I am winning and losing a few dollars while the news I received brought weakness to my knees that I needed to sit and make a call right away to the sender. 

It turns out that one of my treasured clients, passed away in a freak accident.  He was inspecting their delivery of glass and aluminum, when suddenly, the step he took gave way, and he was crushed by the weight of the glass he was looking at.  He passed away the day after Easter Sunday.

The demise of this client of mine brings so much sadness to me, for he is truly a good man.  I never met him personally when I inherited his account from a previous broker, and I never really paid attention so much to him because I was traumatized before by a sleazy client, who ran away from his debt, and I ended up paying for it with my life savings.  On the contrary, this client is an honorable person, we just waited until we warmed up to each other.

He was just trading blue chips, like SM investments, when I introduced him to some speculative stocks, day trading, when I found out he craves for the juice, the quick buck or in vernacular, it’s called "Tsupita". 

I have to admit we loss a little but we also earned a considerable sum, and due to this, despite my constant refusal, my client would keep on sending gifts of cash, branded clothes, branded wallets.  When I got back from the States last year, I found out that he gave me a branded wallet complete with 90 crisp, fresh-from-the-mint, 100 pesos bill. 

He never complained if we lose money or got stuck (damn that Zeus Holdings), he would never utter any blame but would just say, sell it the moment the stock price goes up.  I usually feel ashamed and I feel the need to make sure we would recover from our losses, but how does one recover, when this time around, the loss is a loss of a generous and good man? 

Alvin Yu, I will truly miss you, and may you keep watch on me, as I try to do the right thing.   

Last Thursday, I left for the United States.  While waiting at the Mabuhay Lounge, I was eating a serving of arroz caldo, and a serving of a fruit plate when I heard my name being called, I need to report at the counter.

When I reached the counter, the lady there asked for my boarding pass, and upon surrendering it to her, she gave me a brand new one, with a blue background, and I asked her what happened, she told me I am upgraded and I will be flying business class. 

This is the second time I am being upgraded, the first time was when Lit, Mark and I were late for our flight to Hong kong way back 9 years ago.  We were so late because I told them to take the C5 route to the airport yet I don’t what way we should use.  Lit was turning into the Incredible Hulk then, and it’s a good thing we got bumped up or I may be flying inside the lavatory.

Anyway, as I entered the plane, the flight attendant told me to use the stairs because I would be sitting upstairs.  Upon reaching my seat, the area is so wide, and the moment I sat down, the flight attendant ask what would I like to drink, I ordered water.  When I reclined my seat, wow, I was almost lying down. 

While flying, we can order food, snacks from the flight attendants, and we were given a kit.  I thought it was a planner, it turns out the kit contained a pair of socks, an eye mask, toothbrush, comb, and a set of Bulgari perfumes.  When I went to the lavatory to wash up there were more Bulgari products for me to consume. 

It was a relaxing way to fly, I got to watch Beowulf, Juno, Michael Clayton, on my own private screen.  It was really an experience worth sharing. 

I think John P. is right when he flew business class for the first time, it is like making love to an African American (Once you go Black, you can’t go Back).

I just saw the testimony of Jun Lozada, former CEO of Philippine Forest in the Senate inquiry regarding the ZTE-NBN deal, and I was astounded by the alleged commission charge on the original price.  From an initial cost of 132 million, it went as high as 329 million dollars, that’s a 250% commission charge for that particular transaction and guess who would be paying that hefty amount? 

Anyway, I think I should talk to my boss in Abacus Securities and discuss with him if he can ask the PSE to increase our commission rates, because we charge between a quarter of a percent to half a percent depending on the volume.  This is to keep up with the rising interest rates from credit cards to the current government rates.  The government charges 250% on transactions while we traders charge 0.25% and we have to share that commission with the house. 

So to interested investors, if you have the heart, please invest in the stock market, and I will do my best to give you a good rate of return on your investment.  So here are some of my stock picks for the Year of the Rat. 

According to some geomancers, people should invest anything connected with earth, namely construction, properties, and mining and should avoid water.  So MWC or Manila Water is out in the running, but since geomancers are not really into the market, I still think MWC is a good buy considering the overseas projects that MWC has and a growing demand for water come summer time so try to pick this up below 17 pesos. 

A Bull Run or a economic recovery in the stock market cannot move without PLDT, the bluest of the blue, despite having a 500 billion market capital, PLDT continues to earn, kudos to the MVP, try to pick this up below 2800, with a market upside of 3800.  PLDT is doing so well that rumors have it that even its subsidiary Piltel (PLTL) would be declaring dividends this year.

Ayala Corporation is a good investment, they have just declared a 20% dividend, either cash or stock, it goes to show that the Ayalas are still the best when it comes to managing their businesses.  Suggested pick up point is below 450 with an upside of 520 to 550.

For the second liners, BPC or Benpres Holdings is looking good with the currrent political situation.  The Lopez Group has been critical of the Arroyo Administration and during the energy summit, Arroyo has been dropping hints about irregularities of Meralco’s billing.  GSIS  is also squeezing or forcing the Lopezes to buy their stake at a higher price, pushing the Lopez group in a bind, because they will be paying soon their purchase of PNOC.  With Lozada’s statement, hopefully, the government would ease up giving the Lopez Grp. to breath.  Pick up point is at 2.65 to 2.7 with a target of 4 to 4.5.

Chemrez technology, despite low volumes, this company has tremendous upside considering the shift to alternative fuels.  They have been exporting to Japan, Russia and their client rosters include Petron, Shell, Chevron.  Pick up point is 3.1 upside of 6.3.

For those who like to gamble or speculate, I can only recommend PEP, BRN, and a dash of WEB. 

Try investing a few so at least we can make up for our low commissions with high volume.

Recruitment of call center agents have been my forte since 2003, I have been doing it for almost 5 years now, and believe me, the task of looking for qualified applicants is getting tougher and tougher.  The year 2007 is a testament to that and the year 2008 provides a bigger challenge because of more competition and better compensation.

Last year also is the year when there were a lot of promotions yet there were also a lot of terminations for team leaders.   The call center that I consult for experienced this as we let go of three team leaders with different and varying reasons.  One is let go because of tardiness and attendance, one chose to resign because of his illusions of grandeur, while one experienced the Peter Principle (everyone rises to his level of incompetence) hence has to let go when it was obvious he was not capable of more responsibilities. 

The first TL was let go because of tardiness, and attendance issues.  The sad thing about letting her go is that she is a good motivator, and her team is constantly achieving yet, due to her inability to fix her sked, she became unreliable and undependable.  Her excuse for being tardy was she cannot find a nanny for her kid, so she has to wait for her mom before she can leave for work, and unfortunately, daylight savings time has just started so she needs to come in to work an hour early, she cannot cope with it, despite all the warnings and sanctions, she was forced to leave the company. 

The other TL resigned because he felt that the company does not appreciate all his contributions.  He felt that he should be given another promotion despite the fact that he sleeps on the job, while his agents are calling, he is in the smoking area, strumming his guitar, and when he is in his station, he spends all his video streaming and watching them until he drowses of the never never land.  There was one time that he was needed because a contact asked for a supervisor and when his agent approached him, and tried waking him up, he cannot be disturbed from his stupor.  When asked to do training simulations, he would intimidate the trainees to the point of tears by giving outrageous rebuttals, and his reason for doing so is that trainees should be prepared for the worst.  When the company reminded him of his shortcomings, he immediately resigned because he felt that the company did not appreciate all of the things he has done, and he felt that the company should turn a blind eye to all of his activities.  When he left the company, he even made a bold declaration that the company would fold because according to him he is indispensable.

When all of these things were happening, the last team leader who got terminated felt that the HR Department was picking on these team leaders, so what he did was he went over the head of his superiors and went directly to the owner of the company.  What the owner of the company did not realize then that this team leader also sleeps on the job, tries to court his agents, and at the same time, garners the lowest team score.  As the months go by, his team is always on the bottom, the veterans in his team started resigning or started requesting that they be transferred to other teams.  Finally, the company decided to put him in a performance improvement program.

It is a six week program, designed to help him improve his stats, he would be partnered with a top producing team leader, and at the same time he has six weeks to improve his statistics.  According to his agents, for the first three weeks, this team leader complained that he has a new set of agents, he did not monitor thoroughly their performance and worse, when the program managers give an update for certain accounts during the shift, they would be the one to remind the team leader about it and not the other way around and worse, he still sleeps on the job.  There were opportunities for him to let go of his non producing agents, and veterans, when the company held a dispersal draft but he was inept in trading as well.  After six weeks, he did not make the cut.

Angry and frustrated, he transferred to another firm, who managed to acquire some campaigns his previous company disposed of because its current crop of agents cannot seem to hit the specified targets and quota.  Once there, he started to hang out on his previous company’s firm and started recruiting his former colleagues and when asked by a friend what are his reasons for doing so, his only answer is "what they did to me is unfair so I will get their agents."

Upon hearing this, I just had to sigh, and did a little bit of recollection, for I too was once disappointed and angry but what are the things that made me different from this team leader and this is what I realized:  a)  When I was recruiting for other call centers, my previous colleagues approached me, and called me through my cellphone, in fact I did not hang around in my previous company’s lobby or even near their building, unlike this disgraced team leader, he hangs around and pleads and begs.   B)  I even started a corporation and a company, registered it in the SEC so that I can recruit officially, and even refute the charges of our previous CEO that I was an "illegal recruiter."  (He had to cease and desist from mentioning my name and his allegations for fear of being sued upon learning that my company is legitimate).  This disgraced TL just a lowly agent, he is not even a recruiter and he just wants to augment his income by taking advantage of his new company’s referral scheme.  C)  Finally, when I recruited agents, I held their future accountable, and I really make sure that they transfer to companies that will not take advantage of them.  I negotiated rates of agents that were placed in Cebu, I studied the compensation programs of reputable call centers like Teletech, Convergys, E-telecare, Accenture, HTMT, (call centers whom I am proud to say that trust my company and calls us their partners) and even companies from other industries before placing them, unlike this disgraced team leader who cannot even guarantee the careers of the agents he managed to acquire.  What is his main reason for recruiting?  Is it for the welfare of his co-workers or is he mainly trying to soothe his wounded pride and ego? 

When this disgraced TL was out of the job from his previous call center, I hired him, and gave him a chance, after proving to be a competent agent, the company even promoted him to be a team leader, when he was faltering, he was given a chance to improve yet just like in basketball parlance, he dropped the ball, and he did not take advantage of all the tools and aid that was given to him and he’d rather blame his new agents, instead of taking the responsibility.  The question now is why would other people trust their future and career with him?  Will wonders ever cease?

According to sources from an asylum in Mandaluyong, this cellphone conversation happened in Manila Pen.

Senator Trillianes:  Pare, nasan ka na, nakareserve na ako ng room para sa iyo ditto.  Five Star pa ang accommodations ko.

Royette Padilla:  Pare pasensiya na pero kausap ko pa si Pareng Bill Clinton, inaayos naming ang mga supporters na babarikada diyan.

ST:  Pare bilisan mo naman, binigyan tayo ng 3 pm deadline ni Ate Glo pero wala ka pa…   sayang naman ang pagtulong naming sa pagtakas mo sa rehab kung di ka makakarating.

RP:  Bad trip nga yang si mama eh, lumabas ba naman sa Showbiz Central tuloy alam na ng pamahalaan na tumakas ako, kaya nahihirapan ako papuntahin ang H-World diyan, relax ka lang.

ST:  Paano ako marerelax eh etong si Lolo Guingona titig ng titig sa akin, gusto yatang piliin ko siyang maging vice-president ko, kinakabahan na nga ako, tumataas ang balahibo ko kung di lang malakas ang three-flowers pomade na gamit ko baka parang nakuryente na ang buhok ko.  Pansinin mo ko sa t.v. videos, di man lang nagugulo ang buhok ko di ba?

RP:  Oo nga eh, pare plantsado talaga ang buhok mo, pero pare hinay hinay sa pagsasalita at halatang kinakabahan ka, tuwing lumulunok ka napapansin ng mga tao na tatlo na ang Adam’s Apple mo, sundalo ka pa naman, di ba dapat matapang ka?

ST:  Pare, matapang naman ako ah, kita mo nga di pa ako bumibigay, umaandar pa ang mga camera dito, kaya pakitang tapang ako.  Alam mo naman ngayon ang senado, puro action stars, siguro papapupuin na nila ako kasama sina Senator Lapid, Senator Revilla and Senator Estrada kung makita nila ngayon ang action scenes ko dito.

RP:   Tingin mo mabibilib sila sa iyo?  Eh lahat ng mga namention mong action stars eh sikat na, ikaw nagpapasikat ka pa lang.

ST:  May point ka diyan, pero balak ko talagang maging alamat, kung si Lito Lapid ay si Leon Guerrero, ang nasirang FPJ ay ang Panday or Daniel Barrion, si dating Senador Ramon Revilla ay si Nardong Putik, si Bernard Bonnin ay si Palos, si Eddie Fernandez ay si Lagalag, si Tony Ferrer ay si Tony Falcon, agent X-44 at si Jun Aristorenas ay si Harabas, balak ko rin magkaruon ng karakter na mapapako sa isipan ng mga mamayang Pilipino.

RP:  Ang taas naman ng pangarap mo dre, kala ko Presidente lang ng Pinas ang habol mo.

ST:  Pare, ayaw ko naman pipitsuging action star lang noh, yung katulad ni Ronald Gan, Derek Dee, or worse si Mikey Arroyo, pangarap ko talaga matulad kay Pangulong Joseph Estrada, action star na, presidente pa. 

RP:  Pare, asa ka pa, lahat yang mga sinabi mo walang batbat sa utol kong si Binoy, yan siguradong senador kung gusto nyang tumakbo, kaso busy lang siyang kababantay sa utol naming si Rustom, alam mo naman si Binoy kabadong ma dehado ang bading naming utol.  Kaya nga ako nakatakas kasi iba na ang binabantayan niya.

ST:  Pare may laban naman ako, tawagin mo na lang akong SENTRIL.  Diba parang futuristic ang dating.  Pwede ako sa fantaserye kalaban ng Zaido at ni Shaider.

RP:  SENTRIL?  Anong klaseng pangalan yan, parang pangalan ng gamot laban sa tulo or ibang sexually transmitted disease.  Ang layo naman sa moniker at karakter ng utol kong si Robin, the Bad Boy of Philippine Movies.

ST:  Sabagay, kung sinali lang ako ng kuya mo sa mga pelikula niya, kahit yung Karaoke King, di ko na kailangang mag mutiny sa Oakwood para maging senador, kahit sidekick lang niya pwede na.

RP:  Sensiya na pare, kaso comedy yung pelikula na yun eh, di ka bagay, mas bagay yung kasama mo sa Oakwood na magaling magpatawa.

ST:  Pare naman he should have given me a chance, the same way that the Filipino people should give me a chance to be their President di ba?

RP:  Teka lang, papunta na ako diyan,

na ako pero ayaw gumalaw ang traffic eh.  Bakit ba kasi diyan ka pa pumunta? 

Sana

kung gusto mo ng added exposure, dun ka na lang sa bahay ni KUYA pumunta, dun tingin ko di ka guguluhin ng mga sundalo.  Pwede ka pang maglabas ng sama ng loob mo dun sa confession room at kakausapin ka pa ni kuya?  Umiyak iyak ka rin doon, tiyak na maawa ang mga tao sa iyo, who knows at baka di ka na ikulong sa piitan at diyan na lang sa bahay ni KUYA.

ST:  Naisip ko rin yan noh, kaso ang layo naman ng bahay ni Kuya sa

Manila

Pen, baka naman bumigay pa itong si Bise-Presidente Guingona, at makuha niya yung eksena sa akin, kaya pinagisipan ko kung Shangrila or Manila Pen.  Manila Pen nanalo kasi pagod na ang mga tao eh.  Nasan ka na ba?  Bilisan mo nga at naluluha na ako ng kahihintay sa iyo.  Parating na ba ang H-World, the government of all governments?

RP:  Trapik nga eh, di kaya naluluha ka  dahil sa tear gas?

ST:  Oo nga noh, teka nandiyan na sila, nandiyan na, got to go…

RP:  Wag mong kalimutan na kunan ako ng tuwalya at ng toothbrush ng Manila pen ha?

ST:  (Line went dead) 

RP:  (voice from the phone, Hoy Royette, bumangon ka na diyan sa

kama

, at magtanghalian ka na, sino bang kausap mo diyan?)  Babangon na noh!  Haaay.

Last November 29, Senator’s Trillanes sense of adventurism acted up again and the repercussions of his impulsive action sets the country back again in its drive for economic recovery and political stability. As I look at him as he marched and offer himself as the "savior" of the Philippines, anger, frustration coursed through my veins, as I watch how the stock market reacted, up by 100 points down to 17, I witnessed how the investors gains turned to dust and I want to ask Trillianes directly, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EAT LAST NIGHT? MUSHROOMS? LSD?" What right does this idiot have to take over Manila Peninsula and offer his services to the Filipino? Why does he keep on occupying places wherein we know he can’t pay for?

He occupied Oakwood, he is accused of forcibly taking a couples condominium or townhouse unit for his own. He was already in Makati Avenue, he could have taken Oxford Hotel, Days Hotel or even Aberdeen Court yet why did he choose Manila Pen? This guy has a fetish for luxury, if not for Guingona’s possible collapse because of his long walk, they could have taken the Shangrila Plaza and helped himself to a buffet in Circles.

Talking about Guingona, this guy would do anything to get back in the headlines, and I mean everything. After his "I accuse" speeach against Erap, his politcal career is downhill all the way, it’s death warrant was signed when he agreed to become a vice-president for GMA (exactly the death of Arturo Tolentino’s political career when he agreed to be Marcos’ vice-president in the snap polls of 87). After that, he is a celebrity target for water cannons, a comic guest in Ariel and Maverick’s television show, even singing a duet complete with his eyes wide open, a justice in a kangaroo court in UP. What’s next for this man? A team up with Eddie Gil in the upcoming 2010 elections? Guingona and Gil in 2010 with the blessings of Archibishop Labayen of Novaliches.

Labayen’s call for the people to join Trillanes shows that he is only a Cardinal Sin wannabe. When Sin called the people in 86, it is because he wanted to avoid bloodshed, and he wanted the people to protect Enrile and Co. from Ver’s bloodthirsty attack. He did not ask the people there to oust the government, but rather to pray. This person believes that the people has a right to oust the government because of moral grounds. What if a group of people goes to his parish in Novaliches and decided to stay inside the church and ask that Pope Benedict be ousted as the head of the Catholic Church because he was elected only by a handful of cardinals, and those cardinals do not represent the majority of Roman Catholics? Should these people be taken out of the church or should Labayen respect these peoples right to question the legality of the Pope’s selection?

The height of hubris by these people, specially Trillanes to offer himself to the Filipino people. Does he really believe that he is morally fit to be our leader? He does not respect the system, a system where he got elected as a senator? The people voted for him as a sign to the President, the Senate accepted him as one of their brethren, even if he cannot attend the hearings due to his previous cases, yet what did he do in return, this ungrateful personality tried to overthrow the system, he spat on the people who voted for him, stabbed his fellow elected peers and considers himself as the Best Alternative, better than Mar Roxas, better than Chiz Escudero.

Chiz Escudero said that we need to have faith in the system., for the Philippines is a young country, we only gained independence in 1946, the United States declared their independence in 1776 and yet, civil rights is still an issue even today, three hundred years later, (If Obama gets elected President, that is the only time I believe they can get past their "color" issue). In our years and struggle for independence, foreign or domestic, heroes and martyrs are born. Rizal died in Bagumbayan believing the Filipino is equal with his Spaniard colonizers, Abad Santos was killed by the Japanese because he refused to serve in Japan’s puppet government, Ninoy Aquino was murdered in cold blood on the tarmac of the airport now named after him.

Does Trillanes think he is the new hero of this generation? By using the media as his human shields and surrendering immediately the moment the government troops entered the lobby, does this qualify him to be with those whose names we hold dear? Shouldn’t he also die for his convictions, the way soldiers do in the heat of battle? The guy just surrendered right then and there, probably after partaking a buffet from Nielsen’s. Rizal has a holiday, a park, and countless schools named after him, Judge Abad Santos has a street named after him, Ninoy Aquino has an airport, even a wildlife sanctuary named after him, I guess we can start naming a beauty parlor or a poultry farm for Trillanes, Trillaines Beauty Salon or Trillanes Chicken Farm. Cowards die a thousand deaths, I guess Trillanes has a hundred deaths to go….

Poets, authors, screenplay writers write about love and relationships. Psychologists, psychiatrists study behaviors, past experiences just to know about why people go into relationships and how do they behave when they are in love.  The world of emotions often transcend over logic and reason, yet choosing a stockbroker is also like choosing a partner for life. 

Trying to pick a good stockbroker is like looking for a husband or wife; it all starts from acquaintance until marriage, or divorce or eternal happiness.  It may sound exaggerated yet selecting a financial adviser can affect a lifetime of happiness and comfort.

When it comes to selecting a partner, it starts with the ATTRACTION STAGE.  When people go out and meet potential friends or partners, they would usually look at the physical features of a person.  They are attracted if the person is good-looking, smart, and witty or knows how to carry himself.  The same goes when we look for a potential adviser, appearance is a big factor.  If the stockbroker has the gift of gab, confident in his delivery, potential customers are attracted and they would usually consider allocating a few financial resources to test if the broker can deliver on his promises.  In a dating situation, once a first date sets a good impression because of his appearance, he is qualified to have a second date, thus, that person therefore must make a good impression, or he must deliver the substance what is required of him.

The Second Date is an integral part of courtship because this is the chance of the person to gain the trust of his target.  The girl MUST have a great time on this second date so that they can be good friends, which may lead to a deeper and passionate relationship, if it fails, then it’s back to the hunting game for the stag.  The stag can be a potential candidate for blind dates.  The stockbroker then must give good recommendations, whether the potential client trades with him or not, he must impress the client with his knowledge of the market by calling the right movements, the broker must know when will the stock prices break out or when will it correct.  If the potential client makes a profit, then a possibility of having a mutual working relationship is in the offing.  If the broker does not make a good impression, then at least, he can be a potential referral.

The next stage of courtship is being constant steady dates, or having a mutually exclusive relationship.  In this stage, there is no formal commitment yet, but rather one enjoys each other’s company, one try to look for compatibility, one adjusts until both are ready to have a relationship.  If the relationship does not work out, it may lead to a lot of heartache, ill feelings, or if the couples are mature, they can still be friends but things will never be the same again. In a financial situation, a client starts trading with the broker in significant amounts.  In this stage, the client is willing to take a few losses but he also expects to gain some profit.  If there is a significant amount of profit, then more trades, larger amounts will be at stake. The potential outcome of this relationship is going into a deeper partnership as that might bring a lot of good things in the future.  If the client broker relationship sours, because a lot of heavy losses incurred by the client, then the client will not trade again with the broker, they can still remain friends but there will be no more commission or transaction costs for the two.  This can affect the name of the broker, same way a former boyfriend may carry a tag as a “two-timer” or “inconsiderate.”

Marriage is the eventual outcome of being steady and having a mutually exclusive relationship.  One makes a promise of being there for better or for worse; only death will take them apart.  In this relationship, they can start a family and have a long peaceful life, or reality might set in and they might severe the ties leading to a conjugal case or even annulment.  In the market, if both make a lot of money from each other, and both becomes successful, referrals will come in, and the client base of the broker will get bigger.  They can remain business partners and be prosperous as long as they trust and are honest to each other, however, similar to a relationship, there are factors that may lead to a major break up, and this can also lead to the courts, worse even death threats. 

So when it comes to looking for a stockbroker, it must also adhere to a strict selection process, it is like trying to look for a potential life partner.  The criterion must be stringent.  During the acquaintance part, one must not be carried by mere appearance alone, having good clothes, or a nice smile does not tell a person’s background.  The potential partner may be violent (a husband or wife-beater), suffer psychological incapacities, or may just have selfish motives.  On the other hand, when selecting a stockbroker, one is stringent; make sure that the broker has a good background.  A reputable firm must sponsor the broker, and the broker must be first and foremost HONEST.  It has the client’s best interest at heart. 

A stockbroker usually has its first client’s people who are close to him, similar to that of having acquaintances, therefore, a good impression is important.  They will ask for some stock picks and the broker must be ready to defend his/her pick.  A potential client usually would not invest but would follow the stock closely so a good impression is very important. 

During the second stage of courtship and marriage, the broker must be willing to give good recommendations but at the same time he should also mention the risks involve in trading.  He must always give the risk-reward to its clients.  When he makes a bad recommendation, he must be willing to take responsibility and vow to make it better, if the client is willing to trust a recommendation again, then one must work doubly hard to ensure success.  Trying to build a deeper relationship and better impression is important during the second date, this is the time when a partner can decipher whether this person just wants to play around or is really looking for a good friend or deeper relationship.

After a good recommendation, a potential client is now willing to put some money where the broker’s mouth is therefore, the broker should deliver on his recommendations the second time around.  If the client makes money, a big possibility that the client will open an account with him is very possible, but if not one must remain steadfast.  This is just normal for a starting broker.

Now, when it comes to having a mutually exclusive relationship, the client and broker must now know whether they are compatible in doing business together.  Is the broker flexible when it comes to the client’s needs?  Can the broker adjust if the client is a gambler, a risk-taker; a punter interested in short gains, or a long-term fundamentalist who would rather hold an investment for long periods of time?  If they are not compatible, then they should go on separate ways, because just like in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, if they cannot make it work, they would just have constant arguments, paranoia and distrust.  The possibility of looking for other potential partners and future friends are ripe if they are not compatible.  Comparison with other people or other broker will be an issue in this situation.

During this stage, this is where long-term relationship with clients are built.  Trust is now being developed here and one can afford to incur losses in the name of compatibility. However, a broker must really work hard to make sure that the client will not be in the red or else it can no longer trade because its money is tied up with unrealized losses.  This is a crucial stage because if both succeeds, a long and fruitful relationship is in the offing.

Finally during marriage, trust and loyalty to each other is important.  For better or for worse, they are willing to work things out, they are willing to take the good and the bad, the profits and the losses.  If they keep on being successful, referrals and other potential clients come in for the broker, however it will take a major factor for the partnership to disintegrate, this may come in the form of dishonesty.  In marriage, it takes two to build a strong relationship, if one is dishonest, then the marriage may disintegrate, may even lead to annulment or a court case.  So as a stockbroker and a lifetime partner, communication is very important, if there is a problem or an issue, both must be willing to talk about it.  Good communication leads to good relationship, but if the reaps of discord is planted because of distrust, then there will be no good foundation in this relationship.

This is the stage where they can emulate the relationship of Henry Sy and Eddie Gobing of Lucky Securities.  For every forays of Henry Sy in the equities market, Lucky Securities is the one leading the charge.  This relationship may be based on trust and through hard work since both really make a lot of money from each other.  This relationship can also blossom to a lot of referrals and a lot of client for Lucky Securities, thus it is similar to raising a family.

In some relationships however, there are also broken marriages, take the case of agents who would take advantage of the trust given to them by their clients, they would churn the account or worse swindle and take their clients to the cleaners.  This leads to a lot of lawsuits and what’s worse a bad name for the broker.  H.W. is involved in the construction game, but she realized that during the heydays of BW that she can make a lot of money from the market.  So she applied for a license and gained the trust of clients by spreading bad rumors about other brokers.  She would recommend volatile and speculative stocks to the clients and through commissions she made a lot of money.  She did not do her research, but rather she is more interested in her personal gain, when BW fell like a ton of bricks, she was nowhere to be found, and when other speculative stocks started to gain steam, she came back and promised her clients that she will recover their losses.  She again churned her clients money and when the market is not moving anymore, she dropped them like a hot potato and concentrated in her construction business using the commissions and the money of her clients. 

Potential investors should always remember to be selective and make sure that the stockbroker is willing to work very hard for them.  Investors have an important say because remember, it is their hard earned money that the stockbroker will be investing.  It is similar with love, there should always be constant work to make a difference.

That is the question that always pop inside my head when I hear agents’ excuses for being tardy, being absent or worse, resigning.  I really heard them all, from the absurd to the downright outrageous. In fact, I need to keep the identity of the people that I mention because they will be ostracized and even ridiculed. 

When I give a welcoming orientation to trainees before, here’s my usual spiel, "Okay people, now that I’ve given your requirements, I expect you to be here on Monday, so this weekend, please write down the following reminders:  1)  Go home to your province, sell your carabaos and settle all land dispute before coming back ( I have experiences when people dropped out of training because according to them they have to settle some land disputes, or they have to  sell their carabaos so they can pay for lodgings here in Manila.  Land disputes?  Come on, perhaps the flowerpot in their house cracked and they are arguing who would clean up the dirt, hence the land dispute.)  2)  When you go and honor the Lord God on Sunday, please pray for the safety of everyone, specially family members, so that come training time, I don’t need to hear trainees dropping out because of family emergency.   3)  Upon the day of training, please remember this most important reminder, we are living in the Philippines, not in Japan or England so when crossing the street, one should look first to the left, and then to the right BEFORE crossing the street and not the other way around, so there would be no reason in missing training because of accidents. 

That is just my spiel, but there are more excuses that I can attribute it to bad luck, bad timing, or simply bad judgement.

                                      Bad Luck 

Bad luck, when I started my recruitment company, a former co worker was referred to me because that person recently resigned and is looking for a job.  Every time I need that person, she is absent and her constant excuse is somebody in her family had a stroke.  First according to her, she had a stroke so she has to be absent, after that it was her grandmother, and then it was her dad.  It so happens that every time she visits her friends, the next day, a family member suffers brain hemmorhage.  I asked her if their daily staple is chicharon bulaklak, lechon, instead of rice.  I asked her if it is in their family history, she answered yes, without letting me finish my question, my question was, is it in their family medical history if they are compulsive liars.

While consulting for a call center, I encountered a former employee, and he asked if he can work with our company, and I agreed.  The man missed a lot of interviews because according to him, his daughter has Leukemia.  When he finally worked with us, during his first week, he asked his team leader if he can leave early because according to him their kitchen burned down.  The next day, he still needs to be absent because his kid has chemotherapy.  A few days later, he needs to be absent again because his grandmother passed away.  I asked him not to come back anymore because I know that only JOB has this kind of bad luck, when God was testing him, in his case, I think his nose grew an inch or two. 

One time another agent needed to be absent because according to him, his grandmother died, and he needs to go to the province  and attend the wake.  We have a policy then that they cannot go on a bereavement leave, if it is not a spouse or a direct family member, but yet we let him go.  The next month,   he needs to be absent again because his grandmother died, I thought that this may be another grandmother, but after two months, he was absent again because according to him his grandmother passed away.  This time I verified it with other family members, and this is what I found out, our agent was a direct descendant of… CATWOMAN, the Grandmother has 9 lives,  and she already spent 3 lives, that is why the agent still can use her grandmother died 6 more times. 

One of my employees has been held up 3 times this year already and a week ago had to go an appendectomy.  Yes it is plausible that all this bad luck can happen all at once, so I asked her if she knocked a hill (nuno sa punso) in her house, or is she keeping some Jews in their house and she does not want them to get out of the house, hence God sending the twelve plagues on her.  We are still waiting for the water to turn into blood, and a swarm of locust to come to Manila yet, I guess she let one of the Jews escape hence the delay of the curse of GOD. 

                                     It’s Somebody’s Fault

One of my agents before in a callcenter was late for an hour.  When his team leader confronted him for being late, he gave us one hell of an original excuse.  According to him, he came in an hour early so he decided to walk around Megamall to pass away the time, when he was approached by agents from Family First and he had to listen to their presentation for an hour and a half, and he rushed back to the office only to see that he was late.  He even said that he was forced to stay because he was waiting for a prize promised to him by those agents.  That was a unique exuse hence no sanctions were given to him.

That accomodation was also given to one of our agents whose gender is of the third kind.  One Monday, he was absent and when the team leader called him up, he said he was in Catanduanes and he missed the ferry boat because of a storm.  We asked him what was he doing in Catanduanes, his reply is an amusing answer and taught us that creativity is still alive.  According to him, he needed to go back to Catanduanes for the weekend because he needed to return his scepter and crown.  We asked if he was a son of a sultan or a datu, he said no, his answer was he was Miss Gay Catanduanes of 2005 and he needs to transfer his crown to the new Miss Gay Catanduanes.  He performed the ceremonial walk on the run away complete with the waving of the hands and slight wiping away of tears in his eyes.  He was so caught up in the moment that he did not notice the time so he missed the "Fairy" boat back to the mainland. 

                                          Career Change

One time, I had an agent resign because according to her she wants a career change.  She does not want to call people anymore but rather she wants to concentrate on her passion and that is to be a professional dancer.  I thought she would be working in night clubs and ago go clubs, but in reality she wants to dance in variety shows, or in cultural presentations, wow talk about a drastic career change.

Unlike two previous agents I have who took the definition of customer service to another level.  They resigned from their call center duties and ended up in a massage parlor in Quezon Avenue.  They were servicing their customers, in a uhmm, different way, instead of using a microphone to speak, they use their customer’s mike in a way that those customers keep on coming back for more.

Other career opportunities are the usual reason the agents resign from call center, but in reality, they should refrain from saying "other career opportunities" but rather as "other call center called me up and offered me a shit load of me compared to the nickles and dimes you are paying me"  At least they can be honest with their answers right?

                                       Back to School/Medical Reasons

Rodney Dangerfield made a movie with the title "back to school."  Agents resign and use this excuse that they would be be going back to study, and that is why they need to resign, but basing on their IQ tests and their comprehension skills, they should not be going back to college but rather back to kindergarten. 

Others opt to use medical reasons for resigning citing that they have asthma, breathing problems, but yet they are often the resident smokers in the smoking area.  They would resign because according to them, their body cannot adjust to the working in the evenings or working in call centers yet one would see them working on the morning shift on the same floor for a different company.  Talk about medical reasons, they should have their noses done because it has grown into epic proportions. 

Mostly those are the reasons or excuses these people come up with, and all I can do is sigh and repeat the title of this blog.

The stockmarket index just hit the all time high, and with foreign investment companies pouring in "hot money" in the market, it’s no wonder the Philippine currency is steady at 46 to the dismay of dollar earners, however, fear not for the stockmarket is a place to recoup marginal losses in the currency and bond markets.

I always often recommend stocks of value for first timers, because stocks should be considered as investments rather than a gambling tool. One can use company earnings, and compute for Earnings per share and then compare their price equity ration with the current Market PE.  Sounds complicated right, but to simplify matters, I try to look at the fundamentals of a company, their earning capacity, and their projects for the year. For first time investors, I suggest they should look at the following stocks:

1)  Cebu Holdings, Inc.  (CHI)–  this company is the Ayala Land of the South.  It is currently trading at 4.5 to 4.6, but it has a target of 6 pesos because of their property projects in Cebu.  They are building a lot of spaces for BPOs and contact centers, and with the current demand for space, and rising contact center industry, the outlook for this company is good.

2)  ABS-CBN  (ABS) — I like this company not because of the dancers of WOWOWEE, but because of their earnings capacity in an election year.  Millions of pesos have been used in the media to boost a  candidate’s name recall for the elections , from Arroyo’s People’s Dragon to Defensor’s cheesy "Utol" campaign.  There are also rumors of other internet companies wanting to tie up with Pinoy Central, ABS CBN’s interactive arm.  It is currently trading at 32 to 33, with a medium term target of 39, and a long term target of 45. 

3) Petron Corp (PCOR)– A lot of investor analysts are saying off the record that Petron’s earnings this year is off the charts, yet they cannot give a concrete figure.  I like this stock because of the current oil prices and a strong Philippine currency.  I recommended this stock at 4.15 and it is currently trading at 5.3 to 5.4.  Short term target is 6.2 to 6.5, long term target is around 9 pesos.

4) Manila Water Corporation (MWC) — an undervalued stock at 12 pesos.  It has a lot of projects, that includes providing water to Parañaque, considering that place has been waterless for the last 25 years or so. 

5) Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) — The bluest of the blue, it is currently trading at 2,700, with a target of 3,000 to 3,500.  This is the company that will bring the index to 5,000.

6) Rizal Banking Corporation (RCB) — currently trading at 37, target is 44.  It is an active bank since it already surpassed it’s earnings last year.  It is also active in acquiring other banks, namely a GSIS bank and a rural bank.  There are also speculations that it is talking to Export Import Bank and Tonyboy Cojuangco’s Bank of Commerce. 

7) First Gen Corp. (FGEN)  — currently trading at 67.5.  First Gen is one of the leading power-generating companies.  It is also acquiring a lot of power firms and plants from Transco and Napocor. 

Speculative stocks are also in these days.  Some shell companies are going up because of rumors that it is being used by big companies as a back-door facility.  Some of these rumors are true, like Pal Holdings (Baguio Gold), Sta. Lucia (Zipporah Realty Holdings), Emperador Brandy (Alliance Global Inc) while some are in the works, so people should trade them cautiously.  They are Magnum Holdings, Multi-tech Investment, MRC Allied, Premiere Entertainment, Ajonet Holdings. 

Rumors fuel the speculative market, such as Dizon Mines and APC being eyed by SMC, while some stocks move because of potential projects like WPI, LR, WIN, PHES, RLT. 

This is an opportune time to make money on the market, specially now that the bull is now out of the cage.  Feel free to send me a message if anyone has inquiries about the market.