Your Daily Dose of Useful Stuff

What do we know, barely a week when Pres. Duterte announced that he will not be increasing the SSS pension of retirees, he has now succumbed to pressure (to fulfill his campaign promise) to give the 2,000 pension hike.   That's the reason why I give our president a half-ear whenever he announces anything.  There is just no telling when he will revise what he will say.  I don't know if that is deliberate or not.  And if it is deliberate, why do it and what he gets from it.   It's common to hear him curse and threaten government and public officials especially when he talks to the elected officials that are in the narco-list (list of officials and politicians who are allegedly involved in drug-selling/dealing), so why should changing his mind be a big deal?   So this increase will not be given in one big bulk (otherwise that will be the death of SSS), but in two staggered gives.  In February this year, retirees with low pension (below 2,000) will enjoy an additi

The Philippine Islands is known for the many feasts and fiestas they celebrate every year.  Many believe that fiestas or feasts are pagan practices of venerating and worshiping nature and their traditional gods and goddesses which got interspersed with the Roman Catholic religion's religious rites and rituals.  Because of the combination of both beliefs, what we can see now are the big feasts that are celebrated in honor of religious figures like the Senor Sto. Nino.    The feast of the Sto.  Nino are celebrated in the islands in the Visayas like Cebu and Panay.  The celebration in honor of the Sto. Nino is held in the month of January.  In the Luzon island, the most famous yearly religious observation of a religious figure is held in the month of January as well.  This is the Feast of the Nazarene.  Hundreds of thousands, some speculate that a million would join in the Traslacion.  The passage of the andas ,  the carriage that carries the figure of the Black Nazarene, fr

President Duterte finally admitted that increasing the pension of retirees by P2,000 is an impossible promise to keep.  He finally saw the wisdom that giving an additional P2,000 to the millions of retirees means signing the death of SSS.  I hate to say this, but, guys, those who voted for the president thinking that he can actually enforce this law, you were all taken for a ride.  It is simply not realistic and unfair to the other SSS members.   In fairness to the president, he came to his senses and become practical.  It is not easy admitting one's fault and to admit that it is simply not possible because the money is not only his to decide on, makes him a bigger man to me.   And for that I admire him.  Let's consider the reason why increasing the pension to 2,000 is not a wise decision. By simple math computation, we can deduce that the scenario is going to be like this:  if we give millions of pensioners 2,000, there should be an equivalent 2,000 that will be

I have always been using LBC ever since LBC started servicing the country, but sometimes, they can be frustrating.   My sister asked me one time to send a cell phone and a piece of jewelry to a friend in one province up north.  

Banking in the Philippines is a horror story.  It is a horror story because it would seem like you lost in the casino whenever your bank would charge you fees for their service.  Talk about point blank robbery.  Case #1:  I admit that I would have senior moments occasionally, and at one time, I forgot my PIN totally.  So in order to access my account, which i hadn't done for almost 6 months, I had to also secure another card.  To secure a new card, I had to go to the bank, sign anew and wait for 5 days, of course, you guess it right, I had to pay a service fee of P150.00.  Isn't that great?  Now, the horror story does not end there, since I want to withdraw some funds from my account, I had to withdraw over the counter.   And, why was I not surprised:  To withdraw my money at the bank where I am a depositor, I had to pay another P100.   Wait, there is more,  which is curious to me.  In this bank of mine,  I would be deducted P12 from my account even if I withdraw from my bank