MRT – LRT Loop: What Goes Around, Comes Around

by Dyan Garcia, with Ven Dionisio

Imagine walking into your typical train station at around 7:30am on a Monday morning. There’s a line for tickets as long as a mile, and people are milling around door markers on the platform like their lives depended on it. Everyone’s sweaty, everyone’s pissed, and everyone’s in that terrible hurry to get to his or her destination. The train station is like an out-of-the-body experience for your everyday commuter – a place where everything is like fair game, an endless battle for that spot on the cramped cart. It’s a disaster of a routine.

Ready, Set, Vote! This Time, Automatically!

by Nicole Sun, with Janier Cruz

It’s a few months before the 2010 elections and I don’t know about you, but we’re beginning to feel the heat! From being bombarded with the wash of jingles and massive photos of the candidates’ faces plastered everywhere, it has been pretty hard to miss. Besides the race to the presidential trophy, the Philippine nation is also gunning to step up in the technological innovations category.

The Country’s Modern Wonder Crusader: Call Center Agents

by Dyan Garcia, with Ven Dionisio

There’s much to be said about the call center industry after the outbreak of HIV scandals has been blamed on the lifestyle of its employees. Much has also been said about the ‘stagnancy’ of the industry in terms of human capital growth, mostly because it is believed that all you need to get a job in this industry is survival-level English proficiency and you’re pretty good to go.

The Filipino Farmer and the CARPER

by Nicole Sun, with Janier Cruz

We’ve all heard some snippet of hunger strikes and of marches all the way from Bukidnon to Malacañang, fighting for land ownership and protection. The cost of living rises every time we import rice to feed our families. Our hardworking farmers need all the help they can get. And so what is the government doing to save the day?

Goodjobgov goes to the House of Representatives!

Our visit at the House of Representatives has taught us a lot of new things, making us more informed in our impartial undertakings for Good Job Gov

And because it is President’s day in the Ateneo today, our esteemed teacher in Development Economics, the very reason why this site materialized and continues to enlighten, brought us over to Batasan Hills, Quezon City!

We learned a lot of things about the House of Representatives and the role it plays in the country. Our visit showed and elucidated to us the quirky business of the solons, like how laws are made and enacted, the qualifications to become a congressman, how bills are passed, and the difference between Republic Acts (RA) and House Bills just to name a few. More importantly, we now know better how and why good things happen.

Rest assured that we will relish all our insights and learning from this visit to give you a better Good Job Gov!

Email the group at goodjobgovt@gmail.com for your comments, reactions, and suggestions.

Salary Standardization Law III: Third Time’s the Charm

by Nicole Sun, with Marben Cruz

Time and time again we’ve heard about the countless protests revolving around wages never being enough for the average government worker. With the booming prices of goods today, who can blame them? Thank God the RP’s government knows this is a serious matter to be addressed. Enter President GMA to approve the newly improved Salary Standardization Law III (SSL) last June 17, 2009. We applaud authors Senator Richard Gordon and Senator Edgar Angara for pushing through and co-authoring this amendment of Republic Act No. 6758 passed on 1989 (last edited on 1994). We all know government workers are sadly underpaid and overworked. The usual pay hardly keeps up with the daily expenses, so an updated version to work out the kinks is just what we need! What perfect timing since we’re still recuperating from the after-effects of the recent global economic recession.

The Visiting Forces Agreement

by Dyan Garcia, with Ven Dionisio

The American occupation has, in itself, contributed much to the betterment of the Philippines. The Americans have given us the gift of our own democracy, our generally higher proficiency in the English language in comparison to other Asian countries, and a more eventful Philippine history. Recent years of support has shown that the American government has not stopped its support for our country in times of calamity and need.

Welcome to Goodjobgov!

“Information is the currency of democracy.”
-Thomas Jefferson

In a world where mass media and communication dominate the flow and elaboration of information, people find themselves squeezing through loads of information bombarded unto them by both conventional and nonconventional means of dissemination. While it is crucial to recognize the right of each person to have access to information, especially to those that really affect daily existence, mass media and communication managed to extend their work and influence beyond just informing the people. Mass media and communication are rapidly building on their capacity to subtly, if not tacitly, impose the kind of information they wish the people to be aware of without the essential regard for impartial and nonpartisan treatment of information. Yes, while it is still a case of fulfilling their obligation of informing people about matters, information to the point of imposition, no matter how implicit or indirect, is not a case of responsible mass media and communication.