TYPHOONS AND WIND PATTERNS

TYPHOONS AND WIND PATTERNS Just to be clear, the southwest monsoon also known as "Habagat" is not a typhoon but a seasonal wind pattern. Knowing that, I wonder why the mass media is reporting the recent natural disaster as if it is a back-to-back onslaught of two typhoons, namely "Habagat" and Carina. Also to be clear, the southwest monsoon is a recurring pattern therefore it will always be called "Habagat" each time it comes. On the other hand, typhoons always comes and goes, but each time it comes, it carries a different name. According to ScienceDirect, "There is strong scientific consensus that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change and that this is contributing to stronger typhoons due to higher sea surface temperatures and higher subsurface sea temperatures, which remove the natural buffer on typhoon strength occasioned when cold water up wells from below the ocean’s surface. These stronger typhoons carry more moisture, track differently, move faster and will be aggravated by sea level rise, one of the most certain consequences of climate change". In other words, here is the equation: air pollution creates greenhouse gases that create carbon emissions that causes climate change that causes higher sea surface temperatures that contributes to stronger typhoons. In short, typhoons have always existed long before climate change came along, but it is because of air pollution that typhoons have become stronger. That is just one side of the equation, because land pollution also causes garbage build up that blocks the waterways thus reducing the space where rain water could flow into thus causing the rampaging floods. In the aftermath of the typhoons, angry citizens have also blamed the lack of drainage systems as one of the causes of the deeper floods, because the water could not go anywhere they say. I do agree with them, but in my opinion, the real reason is the lack of, or the absence of sewerage systems in most of the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila. It may be common knowledge, but I think that many local officials do not even know the difference between a drainage system and a sewerage system. Sad to say, some local government officials do not know the difference between dumpsites and landfills. Perhaps, they also do not know that what are required are not just ordinary landfills that are no better than dumpsites. What are really required are sanitary landfills that are compliant with global standards. In truth however, lesser spaces for sanitary landfills would be needed if the LGUs would only comply with the requirements for Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs). IKE SENERES/08-01-2024

LIMITING UNLIMITED RICE

LIMITING UNLIMITED RICE While it may be good for the business of restaurant owners to offer unlimited rice servings because it attracts customers, I believe that it is bad for the health of these same customers. And not only that, it is also bad for our economy, considering that we have a rice shortage, which is the reason why we have to import much of our rice supplies. Rice converts to sugar, and as a general rule, too much sugar is bad for everyone, even for people who are relatively healthy. Perhaps it is just a matter of semantics, but it is seemingly easier for us to admit that "we do not have a rice shortage", compared to admitting that "we have a rice shortage". But of course, common logic will tell us that we do have a rice shortage, otherwise we would already be exporting rice, instead of importing it. As of now, the Philippines is importing about 8% of our rice demands, but I suspect that it could be higher than that. The Philippines measures its "food security" in terms of rice buffer stocks that are good enough for 15 to 30 days. Sadly, the buffer stocks recently went down to 2 days only, which is very much alarming. Because of the recent waves of typhoons that hit the Philippines, our importation rates could go up, and our buffer stocks could go down. Since we are still a democratic country where free enterprise should still prevail, I would not be in favor of passing a law that would ban the offering of unlimited rice by restaurants. Instead, I would favor strong appeals coming from the President, supported by similar appeals from the DTI, the DA and the DILG. Right now, many fast-food restaurants would serve a whole cup of rice, without even asking the customers whether they would want a half serving or not. As a result, some portions of the rice are not eaten and are thus wasted. And in some restaurants, they will charge you the same price, even if you ask only for a half serving. As a result, some customers decide to accept the full serving, but do not eat in nonetheless. What can the government do about this? Maybe the DTI could do something? This might be a petty concern, but it may have a huge economic impact. IKE SENERES/07-31-2024

MANAGING OUR SARGASSUM RESOURCES

MANAGING OUR SARGASSUM RESOURCES There are over seventy species of sargassum in the Philippines, and that could potentially make thousands of seaweed farmers rich, if only the government could learn how to manage the whole process of breeding, harvesting, processing and marketing more efficiently. But due to reports of overharvesting in some areas, the BFAR has chosen to totally ban harvesting in those areas, very much affecting the livelihoods of the seaweed farmers there. As I see it, the banning of sargassum harvesting should be a moving target, based on empirical data that could be gathered in specific time periods in specific areas, using either satellite data or drone data or a combination of both. That should be an easy thing to do by using available technologies, but it seems that the BFAR decided that it was easier to just ban the harvesting absolutely, even if there could be an abundance of it in some places at certain times. That is actually the lazy thing to do, just like throwing the baby along with the bath water. in some foreign countries where the periodic abundance of sargassum actually happens, the local people have found ways to make use of the surplus, such as making hollow blocks or bricks for constructing affordable housing. Again as I see it, the high quality sargassum could be processed into animal feeds, fertilizers and food additives among others, and the low quality sargassum or the by-products of processing could be used to make hollow blocks or bricks. While the manufacturing of hollow blocks or bricks could be a good source of livelihood for coastal communities, these two products could also enable the local people to build more durable housing. Of course, the new housing could also be more sustainable, compared to their very vulnerable houses made of raw materials. The use of these stronger materials could be done slowly by way of home improvement, until the houses are completely renovated. By using satellite data or drone data, we will be able to know where the sargassum are found, and whether these are abundant or not. If these are abundant, why not lift the harvesting bans even if temporarily at times, so that the seaweed farmers could earn, even if temporarily? Perhaps this is a decision that should also involve not only the DENR, but also the DILG and the DTI. IKE SENERES/7-30-24

BETTER DISASTER RESPONSE

BETTER DISASTER RESPONSE Many radio and television stations and websites have done a great job in announcing and forwarding information about the Carina typhoon and flood victims who needed help. Most social media networking sites were also very busy receiving and passing on the information, among them were Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tik-Tok. I also noticed that the people who needed help were calling and texting any number that they could find, among them the emergency contacts of DILG, NDRRMC, PNP, BFP and even the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). I have observed however that all throughout the time frame of the disaster, there was no single point of contact (SPOC) that disaster victims could call, regardless of who they are, regardless of where they are, and regardless of the means of communications that they had access to. Conversely, there was no SPOC that could receive and process the incoming information so that these could be relayed to the various government agencies that needed them, such as the Office of the President, the OCD, the DSWD and the DPWH. Although it is very useful and convenient that the social media and the mass media could assist in any way that they could, there is no existing system of collecting and integrating all the data that are being gathered by these many sources, considering the fact that the mandated government agencies could not listen to all of those media outlets all at the same time, so that they will not miss any call for help, regardless of where the victim is. There is also a need for a call center that could never be busy regardless of how many people are calling. In my career as an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professional, I have built systems that could be contacted via email, text, fax, landline, VHF/UHF radios, morse code and telex. That was before, but if I am to build a new one now, I would add satellite phones, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp, Skype, Signal and Lark. That might sound like an overkill, but no one really knows what communications device the victims have in their hands, and the costs should not matter if it is a matter of life and death. But why would I add satellite phones and VHF/UHF radios? My answer to that is very simple. Despite our over dependence on mobile and internet means of communications, cellular signals are not always reliable especially in the provinces, and more especially so in case of natural and man-made disasters. Although these two additional means might mean more expenses, I will repeat my reasoning that the costs should not matter if it is a matter of life and death. IKE SENERES/07-29-2024

BATTLING A MENTAL HEALTH EPIDEMIC

BATTLING A MENTAL HEALTH EPIDEMIC It is already a well-established fact that the Covid-19 pandemic also triggered what could be called a mental health pandemic. It does not mean however that since the Covid-19 pandemic has practically slowed down, that the mental health pandemic has also slowed down. For the record, no one has officially declared the mental health problem is already a pandemic, but I suggest that we already make that declaration, so that we could respond to the problem with the attention that it needs. As far as I know, no one has declared that the Covid-19 pandemic is officially over, with most governments merely saying that it is now reduced to being a manageable epidemic, whatever that means. What is clear however, is that no one has also declared that the mental health pandemic is also over, in fact many governments would even hesitate to call it an epidemic. The fact remains however that globally, 1 out of 8 are affected according to the WHO, and locally, at least 3.6 million Filipinos are affected, according to the DOH. If that is not alarming enough, the DOH is also saying that the numbers could even go higher if more data is available. What does that mean? That means that we should do a better job in collecting the data, and not only that, we should do it better and faster. We should also all agree that the DOH is not the villain here, because it appears that they are doing what they could do given their limitations. That said, our common task ahead is to build a national database of all those affected. As a manager of databases, I would suggest that the best place to start is below, because there is no other place to start anyway, except below. What that means is that the data should be collected at the lowest source, and that is none other than the barangay level. In theory, the barangay councils would know how and where to get the data. In theory, they are supposed to know best the people in their barangay, and they could easily find out who would most likely be affected by mental health issues. I think that it would be safe to assume that social workers could be the first front liners who could identify the people who are probably affected by mental health issues. They are the ones who could refer these people to guidance counselors who could in turn refer these people to psychiatrists. In the barangays that have their own doctors, these doctors could refer directly to the psychiatrists. Let us act on this problem ASAP. IKE SENERES/7-28-2024

WHAT IS THE REAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE?

WHAT IS THE REAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE? According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the unemployment rate in our country as of May 2024 is 4.1%. Can you believe that? By the way, it is also the PSA that reports the poverty incidence in our country, and they said that as of the first semester of 2023, the poverty incidence is 22.4%. How can that be? Somehow the numbers do not compute, and the PSA owes it to us to reconcile them. Although I am not an economist, I am able to conjecture that if the unemployment rate is lower, then the poverty incidence should also be lower. In layman terms, I could explain that the more people are employed, then there are more people who could afford the imaginary basket of goods, therefore there should be more people who could rise above the poverty line. I do not know how the PSA does its computation, but as a UP graduate with six units of statistics, I understand well enough that somehow, the minimum wage should have something to do with the poverty incidence. I say that because I would like to imagine that anyone who is earning the minimum wage should already be above the poverty line, at least in theory. Even if the PSA is supposed to be an independent agency, it is actually attached to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for purposes of coordination. I think that there could be a red flag in that relationship, because how can an authority be under another authority? Since the head of the NEDA has the rank of Secretary, and the head of the PSA has the rank of Undersecretary, there could be some protocol problems. I think that these protocol problems could lead to some conflicts of interests, because the head of the NEDA might want to paint a rosy picture of the economy, and it could be easy for him or her to convince the head of the PSA to help paint that picture through some slanted statistics. So, what should be the real unemployment rate in the Philippines? For a start, it should include those who are underemployed. IKE SENERES/07-27-2024

METRO MANILA DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

METRO MANILA DEVELOPMENT PLANNING The five functions of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are 1. development planning, 2. transport and traffic management, 3. solid waste disposal and management, 4. flood control and sewerage management and 5. urban renewal, zoning and land use planning. When I interviewed an MMDA official some years ago and asked him what are the functions of his agency, he only mentioned items 2, 3 and 4, perhaps forgetting 1 and 5. I could not explain how he could forget the first and the last functions, but if at all, it could be an indication of how the MMDA officials interpret their functions and priorities. Perhaps, the MMDA is the only region in the Philippines that also has the legal status of being a government agency at the same time. Because of that duality, it has a separate budget allocation under the General Appropriations Act (GAA), a benefit that the other regions do not enjoy. Although it is required to submit its own Regional Development Plan (RDP), it is apparently not required to have its own Regional Development Council (RDC), seemingly because it is the Metro Manila Council (MMC) that performs that role. As I understand it, the RDP of the MMDA should be submitted to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), for inclusion into the Philippine Development Plan (PDP). Presumably, the RDP of MMDA should include the Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) of the LGUs under it. That may sound good in theory, but is that really the reality? As it is supposed to be, all the plans and projects of the Municipal Development Councils (MDCs) are supposed to be submitted to the RDCs above them. Is that the case of the MMDA that is supposed to be the RDC in the National Capital Region (NCR)? If that is not the case, it could explain why development planning, the transport and traffic management, the solid waste disposal and management, the flood control and sewerage management and the urban renewal, zoning and land use planning is so disconnected. IKE SENERES/07-26-2024

MICROCREDITS FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANTS

MICROCREDITS FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANTS While it's good for many employees to have lots of microcredits to their name, what is even better is for them to have a career plan that would put their multiple skills to good use, regardless of whether they stay in the country or go abroad to look for greener pastures. In a very competitive job market, I think that anyone who has more skills or qualifications would have an edge over those who have lesser skills. Generally speaking, I would say that those who have more language skills and more technical skills would be more hirable than others, especially if they could speak many languages and if they could perform many skills. In this context, I am reminded of the employees of "Singing Cooks and Waiters Restaurant", where everyone could either cook and serve food, aside from being able to sing and dance. In the existing job market as we know it, workers are hired for specific skills such as cooks, waiters, nannies, butlers, maids, drivers, caregivers and bodyguards. But even as we speak, there appears to be a trend among employers to hire personal assistants to work in their homes to do as many tasks as possible, but are getting paid more than the others of course. Just to be clear, a personal assistant is not the same as a virtual assistant, but there could be similarities in their circumstances, and in what they do. Generally speaking, a personal assistant has to work in person on a face-to-face basis either in the employer's home or office, or both. On the other hand, a virtual assistant works online, either in the same vicinity as the employer, or in another country, doing their work via the internet. In some cases, a virtual assistant could be a digital assistant like "Alexa" and "Siri". More often than not, a personal assistant also has to perform computer related tasks for their employers, and that is why it would be good for them to have skills as a data encoder, programmer, systems analyst, systems integrator or even as a project manager. Of course, they also have to know how to use social media tools such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, You Tube, Linked In, Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram and Zoom. IKE SENERES/07-25-2024

ADAPTIVE USE OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS

ADAPTIVE USE OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS The law prohibits owners of owners of buildings that are fifty years old or older from demolishing them, for any reason, because of heritage protection laws. Since the law is very clear about that, and there is no way around it, these owners have to a solution that would still enable them to make money from their assets, and yet still remain compliant with the law. I think that the bottom line requirement of heritage conservation is to make sure that the appearance of the heritage buildings should still look generally the same, even if there would be allowable modifications here and there, meaning that there should be no serious departure from the original "look and feel". Although this subjective requirement falls under a the category of a "grey area", I think that keeping the "look" would be easier than keeping the feel". Keeping the "look and feel" is the general idea behind the concept of "adaptive use". What that means that the exterior and interiors of the heritage building could still look "practically" the same, but its present-day use would already be different. I think one of the best examples of this concept is how the Grand Cafe 1919 was rebuilt from what used to be the old office of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Binondo, Manila. It used to be a bank, but now its use has been "adapted" for it to become a restaurant. There are other local examples like the the present-day Rizal Park Hotel that used to be the old Army and Navy Club, the present-day National Museum that used to be the old Congress Building, and the present-day Bureau of Treasury Building that used to be the old Customs House in Intramuros. A common example is to restore an old house for it to become a new restaurant, such as Cafe Ysabel in San Juan City. Even if the law is very clear, it is not clear how some property owners are practically "getting away" with the "crime", in such a way that they are able to demolish their heritage buildings without being made to answer for what they have done. That is probably what happened to the old Jai-Alai Building in Taft Avenue and the old Philam Life Building in United Nations Avenue. If you know of other examples, please let me know. IKE SENERES/07-24-2024

RETHINKING THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS

RETHINKING THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS According to the law, there are supposed to be Local Development Councils (LDCs) at the barangay, municipal, city, provincial and regional levels. According to that same law, these councils are supposed to publish their meeting agendas and their meeting minutes, for everyone to access and read. If I am not mistaken, access to these documents are covered by the Executive Order (EO) about Freedom of Information (FOI). As far as I know however, there are many LDCs that are not meeting at all, and some of them are even fabricating their meeting agendas and meeting minutes to make it appear that they conducted their meetings, even if they did not. It is ironic, but they are actually breaking the law, in order to comply with the law. Also as far as I know, the Barangay Development Councils (BDCs) are supposed to submit their reports to the Municipal Development Councils (MDCs), and in turn, the MDCs are supposed to submit their reports to the Provincial Development Councils (PDCs). Following the same rules, the PDCs are supposed to submit their reports to the Regional Development Councils (RDCs). In actual practice however, there could be some problems here and there, especially when some mayors would insist that their cities are technically not "under" the provinces. Add to that the fact that the regions not only lack the political power to enforce the rules, but they also lack the financial muscle to assert their roles. It might sound like an unwelcome idea, but I think that the NEDA should become stricter in requiring the RDCs to submit to them the consolidated reports of all the LDCs under them, from all levels. As a matter of fact, the DBM should require all the LDCs to submit copies of their reports to them, as a condition for the release of their Internal Revenue Allocations (IRAs). Needless to say, these reports should include their progress in meeting their own local Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as recommended by the UN. IKE SENERES/07-23-2024

DEVELOPING A PRO-CITIZEN APP

DEVELOPING A PRO-CITIZEN APP It has been many years since I left the DFA as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), but up to now, I am still getting many calls from friends and friends of friends, asking for my help in applying for passports and in the authentication of documents for transmission abroad. The same with PCSO, I left that agency as a director many months ago, but up to now I still get many calls to ask for my help in getting financial assistance for hospitalization and other medical services. Why is it that many Filipinos would always look for someone who knows somebody at a government agency for them to approach and ask to for help? Why can't they just approach those agencies on their own? Is it not that anybody should be able to approach these government agencies at any time for any request for assistance? Is it not that these government agencies are supposed to provide them with good and fast services because of their being citizens, taxpayers and voters? The answer is yes, but there are still many reasons why Filipinos are hesitant to approach on their own. The first , reason is that it is really difficult to find the right person or office who could attend to them right away. If you call an office for any reason, you have to talk to talk to several people and say the same thing over and over again, before you get to talk to the right person. And if you are not so lucky, you will end up talking to a robot in a recorded voice mail system until you would hang up because of frustration. And if you choose to use Facebook Messenger instead, you will also get auto replies from a robot who will keep giving you the same answer no matter what questions you will ask. Come to think of it, very few people have landline phones now, so why is it that many government agencies could only be contacted via landlines? Partly out of frustration, and partly out of inspiration, I am now planning to build a mobile app that could become the "proxy" of all citizens, taxpayers and voters in transacting with the government. In order to make the mobile app strictly transactional, it will only help subscribers in applying for a product or service, meaning that it will not cater to complaints, questions or suggestions. Examples of products or services could apply for are passports, drivers licenses, birth certificates, identification cards, postal money orders, guarantee letters, scholarships, loans, health insurance policies, police clearances and welfare subsidies. If they use the mobile app, subscribers will be recognized by the government agencies right away, without the need to repeat the entry of their personal data. The bottom line is that subscribers will no longer need anybody who knows somebody at any government agency, because the mobile app is all they need. What do you think? Let me know. IKE SENERES/07-22-2024

THE POLITICS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT

THE POLITICS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT It has been many years since the advocacy for the environment was started. Many of my friends in the movement have already died, and I am afraid that those who are still alive might also pass away without our environment becoming cleaner and safer, among other goals. I have studied the reasons why we are still failing, and I have concluded that the problem is the politics behind waste management. It is no secret that some mayors are making money from the hauling fees and the tipping fees that are part of the waste management process. The commissions or kickbacks from the hauling fees and the tipping fees are computed on a per trip basis, meaning that the more trips there are, the more commissions will be paid. That is clearly the reason why Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) are not succeeding in many LGUs, because there is a conflict of interests. The reason for the conflict of interests is very simple. The more materials are recovered from the MRFs, the lesser waste could be hauled. That is the reason why segregated wastes in plastic bags are still thrown in by garbage collectors into the trucks, because these bags could add to the volume of cargo, and the more volume means more trips and more trips means more commissions. Supposedly, only sanitary landfills are now allowed, because dumpsites are now banned. Unfortunately, some mayors could not tell the difference between these two, and even if they do, they probably do not bother to know the difference, for as long as the garbage hauled are dumped into any of these two, and that way, they could earn their commissions from the tipping fees. Supposedly, there should be MRFs that are located near the sanitary landfills, such that the materials that are recovered from the MRFs will lessen the volume of non-recyclables that will be buried in the landfills. Take note that these landfills are supposed to be compliant with environmental standards, meaning that they should be more than holes in the ground. But is the DENR regularly inspecting the compliance of the LGUs to these standards? Or is the DILG also inspecting? If not these two agencies, who is doing the inspections? IKE SENERES/07-21-2024

JEEPNEYS LOOKING LIKE MINIBUSES

JEEPNEYS LOOKING LIKE MINIBUSES Over the years, we have already learned that what walks like a duck and talks like a duck is not necessarily a duck. As a matter of fact, in this time of advanced robotics, what walks like a human and talks like a human is not necessarily a human. Sad to say, there is another saying that if a lie is told so many times over and over again, it might even begin to sound like the truth. For so many times, I tried looking at the so-called "modern jeepney" for so many times, hoping that it could eventually look like the original jeepney as I know it, perhaps in a way hoping that it could turn into a golden carriage just like the giant squash in the fairy tale story of Cinderella. No matter how much I tried to look, the so-called "modern jeepney" always looked like a "minibus" to me, and nothing else. I wonder who it is that concocted this lie and somehow succeeded in convincing the entire nation that it is a "modern jeepney" and not a "minibus"? It is as if someone has convinced us that the earth is flat and not round, or that the moon is square, and not round. Whoever it is, I hope that some time in the future, this deception could be unmasked, like the fairy tale that told of an emperor who turned out to be naked, and was without the so-called "new clothes". Pardon me for saying so, but I really believe that the bottom line issue here should be vehicle emissions, or in other words the emissions coming out of any vehicle in general, and all jeepneys in particular. In many countries, the criterion for approving or disapproving vehicle registration is passing or not passing emissions tests. I other words, vehicles could be approved for registration for as long as they pass emission tests, not matter how old they are. Rather than force the owners of old jeepneys to buy the new "minibuses", why not help them to comply with the emission standards? That way, the burden of doing work would pass on to the government, and not to the people. In the final analysis, the objective is to have cleaner air, and to have better transport by having more transport vehicles. I bet you, some of those "minibuses" may not even pass emission tests. IKE SENERES/07-20-2024

ALTERNATIVES TO ANCESTRAL DOMAIN TITLES

ALTERNATIVES TO ANCESTRAL DOMAIN TITLES There appears to be many indigenous tribes that do not have their own Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) yet, for one reason or another. One reason is that the tribe members could not claim their rights to own the existing places where they are now residing, again for one reason or another. One reason is that they may not have the right connections, or they may not have the resources to pursue their claims. Some of the reasons for not having approved CADTs could be political, some could be financial. The political reason could be that the claims of the tribal members could be defeated or overpowered because of the intervention of business interests, some of whom may not even live in the vicinity of the territories in question. The financial reason could be because some local and national government officials could be bribed to rule against the Indigenous Peoples (IPs). As an alternative to the CADTs that may even be beyond the reach of some IPs, it is about time that we pursue some other alternative options, such as buying back tribal lands that have been titled by private owners, or applying for some other tenurial arrangements, similar to homesteads and concession areas. The idea of buying back tribal lands might sound like a preposterous idea, but has actually been done by some tribes in some countries, using donated funds, or using their own monies that are derived from their private businesses. It may also sound too ambitious, but Local Government Units (LGUs) actually have the legal basis and the financial means to buy private lands to be given away to the IPs, not necessarily their original ancestral domains, but good enough for them to cultivate and build their communities, where they could also preserve their own language and culture, according to their original way of life. No matter how preposterous and ambitious these ideas might sound, let us just remember that these IPs arrived in this country ahead of most of us, even if they did not stake their own proprietary in the lands that they occupied. In other words, to make a long story short, we owe it to them to "pay back" what we have taken from them, even if what we "give back" will never be equal to what we took away from them. IKE SENERES/07-19-2024

SHUTTLE BUSES FOR HOUSING PROJECTS

SHUTTLE BUSES FOR HOUSING PROJECTS I remember that it was my mentor, the late Jose Conrado "Joly" Benitez who told me that in many developed countries, the housing programs are always done in tandem with the transportation programs, meaning that these two programs have to work together side by side, or back-to-back, to put it another way. In reality, it does not always happen that housing projects are planned with built-in transportation services, but can you imagine how convenient it would be if housing residents could just hop in and hop out of buses where they live, thus sparing them the inconvenience of looking for bus rides far away from where they live? I remember that I used to enjoy that convenience, when there were airconditioned "Love Buses" that were waiting in my village in the mornings, and then they would also be waiting in parking lots in Makati in the afternoons, to bring me back to my village. Fast forward to today, this bus service has been revived in some villages, via the so-called "point to point" (P2P) bus routes. Aside from the commercial P2P buses, I think that it would be a good idea for village associations or community based cooperatives to have their own shuttle buses. Aside from the benefit of convenience, it could also become a good source of revenue for them, because their residents or members could become the paying passengers. It is for the above reasons why I am now looking for a mobile app that could bill residents and members on a monthly basis, instead on a "per ride" basis. Just like a mobile phone company, the passengers could either get prepaid accounts or postpaid accounts. I the case of coop members, they could also get rebates and dividends, just like any coop product or service. IKE SENERES/07-18-24

STRATEGIES TO FIGHT MALNUTRITION AND STUNTING

STRATEGIES TO FIGHT MALNUTRITION AND STUNTING Many popular medical associations define a "baby" as the age of a child from birth to four years old. I am inclined to accept that definition, because at the end of four years, the "baby" would be about 1,460 days old, which is close to the window of 1,000 days that is said to be the most vulnerable period when he or she could become a victim of stunting due to malnutrition. In reality, there could still be a "grace" period wherein a baby could still recover from, or get healed from stunting even after his or her first 1,000 days, hence the extra 460 days "allowance" would be convenient, at least the way I see it. The fact is, some experts believe that this countdown could even be as long as five years old, thus giving the "allowance" of an extra 365 days. Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) Health Committee chairperson Ms. Raquel Cagurangan has suggested that the anti-stunting campaign should be aligned with the "Konsulta Package' of PHILHEALTH, and she is absolutely correct, because after all, the mothers of these babies are already qualified to avail of this package, and that would enable the participating clinics to be paid for their services. To add to the suggestion of Ms. Cagurangan, I also suggest that the campaign should also be aligned with the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program of the DSWD, because that program already requires both mother and child to seek medical care. That said, all that is needed now is more active coordination and collaboration between PHILHEALTH and DSWD. How could that be done? Fortunately, the Hospital on Wheels (HOW) project of Dr. Jim Sanchez is already existing, and it has been conducting combined surgical, medical, optical and dental missions for many years now. The good news is, Dr. Sanchez has already agreed to invite the MAP to the field missions of HOW, so that MAP could add the anti-stunting services to its other services, combining the PHILHEALTH and the DSWD services as well. If you want to help, just join the Movement Against Malnutrition and Stunting (MAMAS) Messenger group in Facebook. IKE SENERES/07-17-2024

MORE ACTIVE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS

MORE ACTIVE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS In fairness to the Regional Development Councils (RDCs), I would rather say that they are not doing enough to publicize what they are doing, instead of saying that they are not doing anything, or they are not doing enough in order to fulfill the mandates that were given to them. Perhaps one reason for this lack of information is because of the fact that their accomplishments are mostly local in nature, and would seldom get the attention of the national press. In theory, the Barangay Development Councils (BDCs) should report to the Municipal Development Councils (MDCs), the MDCs should report to the Provincial Development Councils (PDCs), and ultimately, the PDCs should report to the Regional Development Councils (RDCs). And that should not stop there, because again in theory, the RDCs are supposed to report to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). Also in theory, the NEDA is supposed to report to the Office of the President (OP). Since these are all in theory, it would seem that the actual reality is very far from the theory. Although the law requires all Local Development Councils (LDCs) to meet regularly, it seems that many of them do not. What is sad is some of them would even fabricate their minutes of the meeting to make it appear that they actually held meetings, even if they did not. As a result, since the minutes are fake, then the so-called accomplishments would also be be fake, thus making the people the ultimate victims. Although I am disappointed with the lack of performance among the RDCs, I am still hoping that they could be made more productive, especially so now that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has called upon them to play a greater role in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP). For that to happen however, the government has to come up with a more transparent way of monitoring and reporting the actual agenda and minutes of all the RDC meetings, to weed out fake reporting. IKE SENERES/07-16-2024

INNOVATIVE SUPREME COURT PROGRAMS

INNOVATIVE SUPREME COURT PROGRAMS Although there is supposed to be a strict separation of powers between the Judicial Branch and the Executive Branch, it does not hurt to have a healthy cooperation between the two branches, if it is for the good of society in general, and especially if it is for humanitarian reasons. I can only cite three examples because these are the only ones that I know about, but my readers are welcome to add more information if you have more examples. When I was the Director General and Undersecretary of the National Computer Center (NCC), I implemented the National Crime Information System (NCIS), a project that involved several agencies of the Executive Branch, including PNP, BJMP, NBI, DILG, DOJ and BUCOR, among many others. Since the project was designed to be a joint cooperation between and among the five pillars of justice, it was necessary to include the Supreme Court. As far as I can recall, there was a certain unwillingness on the part of the Supreme Court to accept my invitation to join, but fortunately, the Honorable Hilario G. Davide, Jr. who was the Chief Justice at that time, saw the wisdom of joining the project, after some gentle convincing by President Joseph E. Estrada, who was the Chief Executive at that time. To cut a long story short, there was no damage to the separation of powers, and instead, the flow of justice was improved for the benefit of everyone. In December 2008, the Supreme Court issued a Writ of Continuing Mandamus, ordering 13 agencies of the Executive Branch to clean up, rehabilitate and restore Manila Bay. It was a landmark decision at that time, and as far as I can recall, no other Supreme Court in any country has issued such a Mandamus. Although it seems to be a work in progress, that decision was very helpful to the environment in general. Early this year, the Supreme Court directed judges to conduct jail visits at least once before May 31, 2024, to check the conditions of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) in the light of the high temperatures scorching the country. I believe that was a very noble move, and I hope that the Supreme Court will continue to do that, to always check on the conditions of PDLs from time to time, not only during heat waves. IKE SENERES/07-15-2024

MEASURING STUDENT PERFORMANCE

MEASURING STUDENT PERFORMANCE Why does it always come as a surprise to us whenever the Philippines scores low in the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) rating system of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)? Is there no way of tracking, monitoring and reporting the performance of students nationwide, such that we will no longer be surprised whenever the PISA ratings would come out? In the latest PISA ratings, the Philippines ranked number five from the bottom with a score of 353 among a field of 81 participating countries and economies. The topnotcher is Singapore with 560 points, followed by Macau with 535 points, Taiwan with 533 points, Japan with 533 points and South Korea with 523 points. Come to think of it, Macau is not even a country, but how did they manage to score so high? To answer my own question, yes, there are software that are available for the purposes of of tracking, monitoring and reporting the performance of students . The software is often called a Learning Management System (LMS), and some versions are in the category of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), meaning that you do not have to pay for anything if you decide to use it, not unless you choose to avail of optional consulting and training services. Although there could be many ways of measuring the performance of Ministers of Education in all countries, what could be a better measure than the performance of their students in the PISA scores? The appointed Ministers may have all the doctoral degrees to their names, or they could be the most popular persons in their own countries, but what good is that if their PISA scores are low? Of course, LMS is necessary and I think it should even be required for mandatory use in all school levels. But right now, the more important question is how to improve the test scores of students, so that our PISA rankings will go up. If the students are not learning as they should, maybe the DEPED is not teaching them as they should? What are they doing right, and what are they doing wrong? Since the proof is in the pudding, why not find out? There is only one way to tell. IKE SENERES/07-14-2024

WHY DOES IT TAKE ELEVEN YEARS TO BECOME AN ARCHITECT?

WHY DOES IT TAKE ELEVEN YEARS TO BECOME AN ARCHITECT? Is anyone in the two houses of the Congress monitoring and keeping track of the overall impact of several laws as these are passed over the years? Is anyone evaluating whether the overall impact is good or bad for the country in the long run? Or is the Congress passing laws without what short term or long term impacts it will have on the lives of the citizens whom they are supposed to serve? For example, is any past or present member of the House or the Senate aware that it now takes a total of 11 years before a graduate of junior high school becomes a licensed architect? What that means that anyone who graduates from junior high school at the age of 16 will already be 27 years old before he or she is fully licensed to practice as an architect. To understand what I mean, 2 years of senior high school plus 5 years studying architecture in college plus 2 years of apprenticeship plus 1 year of review plus 1 year of waiting for the board results is a total of 11 years. That might not be a problem for the rich families who could afford to wait, but can you imagine how much of a problem that will be for the poor families who could not wait for their children to start earning so that they could be liberated from poverty? There was a time when architecture only took 4 years to finish, and there was no requirement for 2 years of senior high school. At that time, 2 years of apprenticeship might have been required, but any graduate of an architecture course could apprentice with any architect at any time, even if he or she has not yet taken the board exam. I am sure that our past lawmakers had all the good intentions when they passed all these laws that eventually made it longer for an aspiring architect to start earning money for his or her family. But will the incumbent lawmakers please look into this problem? Why make it difficult for citizens who want to be productive to start practicing their professions? IKE SENERES/07-13-2024

CATCHING UP WITH THE HOUSING BACKLOG

CATCHING UP WITH THE HOUSING BACKLOG It appears that the government is doing its best to catch up with the housing backlog of about 6.5 million housing units, that is according to their own estimates. But how was the government able to come up with that estimate? Did they base it on actual market demand, by computing the total number of people who could probably afford to buy new houses or condominiums? Or did they base it on the estimated number of people who are homeless? If it is the case of the latter, what then is the government's definition of homelessness? Are they defining it as the total number of people who do not own homes? Meaning that those who are now renting are technically considered as homeless? Or are they defining homelessness as not having a place to call home, regardless of whether it is rented or owned? If that is the definition, does the government have a criterion of what could be considered as an acceptable home? In all probability, the building code is not so strictly enforced in the provinces, such that a shanty or a nipa hut could be counted as a home, even if it is only made of light materials. But what about in the metropolitan areas? Could shanties be counted as homes, such that its residents could not be considered as homeless? In other countries, those who are living in tents or some other makeshift dwellings are still considered as homeless, and I believe we should follow that criterion here. I believe that if we follow the definition of homelessness as it is used in the other countries, the homeless rate in our country would probably double or quadruple, and that means that the housing backlog will also greatly increase. If that is the case, how could the government catch up with the bigger backlog, since it appears to be struggling with the present targets? Although it is a good goal to lower the homeless rate, assuming that the government is measuring that, I think that it would be better instead to keep track of the poverty rate, because the more people are liberated from poverty, the more people there will be who could afford to buy new homes. By the way, the government does not seem to be measuring housing starts. IKE SENERES/07-12-2024

COOPERATIVE FRANCHISING

COOPERATIVE FRANCHISING Many years ago, I came up with an idea about cooperative franchising. My idea at that time was to create a coop that could buy a franchise from one of the leading fastfood franchises. Unfortunately, I did not get a favorable response when I wrote that company, because they said that they are not doing business with coops, at least at that time. Well, the situation has apparently changed since then, because the franchisors appear to be more open to the idea now, and there are many coops now that have grown to a size that would already give them some clout. Fast forward to today, my idea now is not to form a new coop for this purpose. Instead, I will just encourage the bigger coops to invest in a franchise, in much the same way that they are already investing in other types of businesses. From the perspective of the franchisor, there is not much difference to them if they sell a franchise to a coop or to a corporation, as long as the location is good, and the money is good of course. From the perspective of the coop, it really is a good idea for them, because they are buying into a business that is already proven to be viable and profitable. One of the advantages of investing in a franchise is that it already has an existing customer base, and the awareness for the consumer brands are already very high. On top of that, their own members could also add to the customer base of their franchised outlet. Depending on the rules of the franchising company, there could actually be some opportunities for the coop to create employment for their own members, who could be hired as cooks, waiters, janitors, bus boys and security guards, as the case may be. And if the relationships are good, the franchising company might even hire their members for the other franchised outlets. Again depending on the rules of the franchising company, there could also be opportunities for the coop to sell their own products, such as poultry, livestock, grains, coffees, fruits and vegetables. This is not a far fetched idea, because many corporations are actually looking for ways and means to help farmers in general, and coops in particular. Just in case you are interested in this idea, please contact me. IKE SENERES/07-11-2024

SMALL HARVESTS INTEGRATED PROMOTION SYSTEM

SMALL HARVESTS INTEGRATED PROMOTION SYSTEM Many rural farmers are producing small amounts of assorted crops that are not plentiful enough to meet the volume requirements of traders and buyers. Of course, these rural farmers could cook these crops for their own home consumption, but more often than not, there is still a surplus that they could neither consume nor sell. This is also a problem for urban gardeners, who almost always would end up with a surplus that they could neither eat nor sell. In the case of the rural farmers, there is a possibility that some traders who are acting as consolidators would be interested in buying their surplus crops no matter how small the volumes are, for as long as the consolidators could buy the other volumes of the same crops that are harvested by other rural farmers in the same general area. That is assuming of course that the consolidators would know where to look, and who to contact. That is the reason why a Small Harvests Integrated Promotion System (SHIPS) is needed. Generally speaking, it is often difficult for rural farmers with small harvests to sell online, because their volumes are too small for them to be accepted into the usual online shopping platforms. That's one reason, and the other reason is that the rural farmers could not usually afford to pay for the huge entry fees that are imposed by the other shopping platforms. That is where SHIPS could come in to help. Although I am still building SHIPS together with a top developer, my intention is to make it a free mobile app for all merchants big and small, meaning that no one has to pay for entry fees. Not only that, the convenience fees that will be collected by SHIPS will be very much lower, compared to the other shopping platforms. I am hoping that the lower fees would not only help the merchants to earn more money, it could also help the consumers because the selling prices could go lower. It could be the same story in the case of the urban gardeners, except that the buyers in the cities could be the direct consumers who are looking for fresh vegetables that they could buy from a nearby neighbor. By using SHIPS, the owners and operators of hotels and restaurants could also buy fresh produce that are either naturally grown or organically grown. As a matter of fact, these customers could order what they want, and the urban gardeners could grow it. IKE SENERES/07-10-2024

DISASTER RISKS AND EMERGENCY ALERTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

DISASTER RISKS AND EMERGENCY ALERTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM It is common knowledge that internet signals are weak in many parts of the Philippines. In spite of that problem however, many barangays are relying on the internet to send and receive messages that would enable them to respond to disaster risks and many other emergency situations. Obviously, that is a very dangerous proposition, because if the internet signals are down, then these barangays would be cut off from the rest of the country, and therefore, they could not be contacted. In the technology field, there is nothing wrong with using high tech solutions, but we should also continue using low tech solutions for as long as these are still available, and especially if these are actually affordable. By comparison, it would be safe to assume that the combination of the three mobile networks in the Philippines would have a wider coverage than that of all the internet networks combined. That is the reason why I believe that a Disaster Risks and Emergency Alerts Management System (DREAMS) using the Short Messaging System (SMS) networks could still work and might even work better than an internet based system, especially in far flung and remote places such as the Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas (GIDAs). According to some statistics, only about half of mobile units in the Philippines could be considered as "smart phones", and the other half are considered as "legacy phones", meaning that they are only capable of sending and receiving SMS messages. In other words, they could not be used to run mobile apps, and neither could they access browser based web applications. Personally, I believe that some of those who own "smart phones" are only using them only to send and receive SMS messages, because they simply do not know how to use the "smart" features of their high tech phones. Either that, or they simply refuse to learn. All told, it could be said that there are more SMS users in the Philippines than the users of mobile apps. In partnership with a strategic partner, I am now offering DREAMS as a complete SMS system to all barangays in the country. Although it is primarily programmed for disaster and other emergency purposes, it could also be used for other purposes such as community notices, community training, and community news. It could also be used for educational and healthcare purposes. Moreover, it could be used for barangay surveys and feedback purposes. IKE SENERES/7-09-2024

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS I am happy to announce that in cooperation with Sancy Solutions Philippines, I am now able to provide a free Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software for all doctors, regardless of whether they are working in hospitals or they are working on their own as private practitioners. It also does not matter whether they are working for private hospitals or public hospitals, because they could both avail of my free EMR offer. As it is now, EMR software is being sold to doctors, clinics and hospitals either as a license or as a service, often at very expensive prices that are beyond the reach of individual doctors, especially those who are just starting their own practice. Without an EMR software, doctors are forced to resort to manual records only, that are handwritten on sheets of paper and filed in paper folders. As a result, the information in these folders are often inaccessible to the doctors, especially when they move from one clinic to another. Data portability is a standard feature of EMR software, and because of that, the doctors could always access the patient's information regardless of where they are and what time of it is, for as long as they have an internet connection. Data sharing is another feature of EMR software, and because of that, other doctors could also have access to the information, for as long as the patient authorizes it. The Sancy EMR software has the capability to issue requests for laboratory procedures, requests that could be transmitted electronically to participating diagnostics centers. After the diagnostics are done, the results could be sent directly to the doctors, or the doctors could be given passwords, so that they could gain access to the information at any time, regardless of where they are. Of course the patients could also access their own information at any time. What is the catch? Why is Sancy giving away the EMR software for free? Since Sancy is a global company, it is their way of introducing their products and services in the Philippines, at the same time, it is their way of building good relationships with Filipino doctors. As for me, it is my way of helping all Filipinos gain access to better medical services as part of the government's universal healthcare program. IKE SENERES/07-08-2024

THE MATHEMATICS OF SUPPLYING WATER

THE MATHEMATICS OF SUPPLYING WATER In an interview about how to provide more water to meet the growing national demand, one DPWH official said that they will look into deep well solutions. Either that official is out of tune or out of touch, but either way, it gives us an idea that many of our government officials do not really know what to do or what they are doing, probably because they are like square pegs in round holes. Maybe that DPWH official does not know that it is already illegal to draw water from deep wells in many parts of the country, and wherever that is still allowed, the water may already be contaminated, or may have already reached salinity levels that would make it already unfit for human consumption. Notwithstanding that DPWH official's apparent ignorance about the realities of the water problem, it appears that no one in the government is really looking at the projected demand for water in the future, as well as the projected supply, based on what are doable and attainable, depending on what could be the science based solutions that could be supported by public funding. No, I am not talking about rocket science, because the solution could simply be the combinations of rainwater collection, desalination, filtration and atmospheric water generation, the latter being the science of drawing water from the air. Filtration could mean processing dirty water to make it drinkable. While the science of desalination is already mature, there is still that challenge of energy costs being too high, such that the price of the water that will be produced by the process may be too high for the general public to be able to afford it. Hopefully, the technology of using solar panels could provide some solutions, because solar energy is cheaper than fossil fuel based energy. In theory, all rivers and lakes could be tapped for water filtration, and that is actually a more logical option, because filtration is always cheaper than desalination. However, if we do the math correctly as we must do, we will realize that there would be a need to clean up our rivers and lakes so that the water it carries would be enough to tap in volume, and potable enough in terms of quality, after going through the necessary processes. If that means dredging these rivers and lakes, then so be it, because it means our survival. IKE SENERES/07-07-2024

WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO RECEIVE FREE FARM EQUIPMENT?

WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO RECEIVE FREE FARM EQUIPMENT? I would like to know who are qualified to receive free farm equipment from the government. Are these individual farmers? Or farmer associations? Or producer cooperatives? What are the requirements that are needed in order to qualify for this program? How are the beneficiaries chosen? It is good to see that the DA is implementing this program to help our farmers, but it would be good if we could learn more about this initiative, other than what we saw in the news about President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. distributing them. If these background information kits are available from the DA, they should release it already to the public. As it was announced, the DA distributed compact rice mills with polishers, rice harvesters, corn shellers and hand tractors in one Bicol municipality. But how was that municipality chosen? What about all the other municipalities all over the country? How could they avail of the program? As far as I know, the government could not donate to individuals, because that would be prone to corruption. In other words, the machines might have been donated to either associations or cooperatives. But which is which? Either way, there should have either been a deed of donation to cover the transfer of ownership, but which is which? Whichever it is, is it possible to get a copy of the document? In theory, there should have been a clause in the document about how the machines will be maintained. If there is none, there is a strong possibility that the machines will be junked if repairs could not be made, or if replacement funds could not be found. Mr. Ramon Uy of RU Foundry in Bacolod City has an innovative solution to the problem of repairs and spare parts. He is providing equipment to farmers groups through his "Pandayan ng Bayan" program, which is basically a small machine shop that the farmers could operate after being trained by Mr. Uy. He also supplies shredders and composting machines. IKE SENERES/07-06-24

MOBILE GOVERNANCE USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

MOBILE GOVERNANCE USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE My business partner Jaynie Labay, has built a new Filipino oriented social networking platform (SNP), and she is calling it the Mobile Governance Platform, or MGOV for short. It would not be correct to call it the first Filipino SNP, because there are many other SNPs that are already in the market. However, it would probably be correct for her to claim that it is the first SNP to target all the mobile users in the Philippines with the goal of offering them all the public oriented services that they would possibly need. At first I thought that she was developing a government app, meaning an app that could service all government transactions, but I eventually realized that it was more than a goverment app, because it could also service many other requirements of mobile users, whenever they want to transact or do business with private sector companies. In other words, it is now a multisectoral app, if we could call it that. I also thought at first that she was developing a purely mobile app, but I also eventually realized that it has to become a dual function app, meaning it has to work not only as a mobile app, but also as a web app, just like all the other popular SNPs such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In reality however, most netizens would tend to access their favorite SNPs via mobile apps, and not via web apps. Just like all the other SNPs in the market, MGOV was built using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and it is in fact capable of using AI to process both the public sector and the private sector transactions that are required by the mobile users. Since that is the case, it goes without saying that MGOV could already use the science of AI for governance, in line with the government's digitalization programs. As it is now, MGOV is already ready for use in most of the transactions for National Government Agencies (NGAs) and Local Government Units (LGUs), but whatever is not available now could immediately be programmed into the software in a few days time. By the way, MGOV is fully compliant with the Data Privacy Law, and the mandatory requirements of BIR and COA. Just like any other SNP, MGOV will be free to download, to be used by any netizen, private company, NGA or LGU. However, AEX, the company behind MGOV has agreed to join me in my advocacy to help the government in its digitalization program. AEX has asked me to offer MGOV to the government, through DICT Secretary Ivan Uy, and I have agreed. Since MGOV is free to use, there is no more use for a public bidding. If and when necessary, AEX would also be willing to provide optional training programs at affordable costs. The digitalization of government is good for all of us, regardless of our political persuasion or social status. Let us all support the government in this program. Let us all download and use MGOV, after all, it is free to use, just like Facebook. Unlike the other SNPs however, MGOV has no ads scamming, and it ensures user safety. Since it is independent of the other SNPs, it could not be sanctioned, controlled or manipulated by them. That is also good for our national security. IKE SENERES/07-05-24

THE RETURN OF THE GOLDEN TARA TO THE PHILIPPINES

THE RETURN OF THE GOLDEN TARA TO THE PHILIPPINES I recently received a photocopy of a letter dated 25 January 1922 that was sent by the Agusan Coconut Company to Mr. H. Otley Beyer of the University of the Philippines. The photocopy was sent by Dr. Potenciano Malvar of Butuan City, through my brother, architect and town planner Rey Seneres who is also from Butuan City. The letter talks about the possibility of getting back the image of the Golden Tara from the University of Chicago. The University of the Philippines was mentioned as a possible consignee, but I think that the National Museum or the Bangko Sentral might be in a better position to procure and secure it. That is why I sent letters to the National Museum of the Philippines and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas about this. The following are excerpts from the Wikipedia entries about the image, quoted vervatim in toto: "The Agusan image (commonly referred to in the Philippines as the Golden Tara in allusion to its supposed, but disputed, identity as an image of a Buddhist Tara) is a 2 kg, 21-karat gold statuette, found in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa River near Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Mindanao in the Philippines, dating to the 9th–10th centuries. The figure, approximately 178 mm in height, is of a female Hindu or Buddhist deity, seated cross-legged and wearing a richly-adorned headdress and other ornaments on various parts of the body. It is now on display in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Since its discovery, the identity of the goddess represented by the gold statuette has been the subject of debate. Proposed identities of the gold figurine range from that of a Hindu Sivaite goddess to a Buddhist Tara. Recent scholarship suggests that the image represents the offering goddess Vajralāsyā of the Tantric Buddhist tradition. Although the statue was likely first made as either a Buddhist or Hindu deity, it has also been worshipped as an Animist deity and even provided an altar until it was stolen from its place of worship in Agusan del Sur in the early 20th century". IKE SENERES/07-04-2024

HOUSES ON STILTS AND HOUSEBOAT DESIGNS

HOUSES ON STILTS AND HOUSEBOAT DESIGNS In a recent "Future Earth" online forum of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the problem of frequent floods and rising sea levels was discussed. During that discussion, it was mentioned that there is already a need for new designs for elevated house on stilts designs, and also floating house boats designs. It was also suggested that the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) should be contacted for both of them to provide the solutions. The idea is to encourage architecture and engineering students to plan and implement actual design projects of these housing designs that could be used by the government housing and disaster management agencies, while at the same time get academic credits for their graduation requirements. Perhaps, a design contest could be launched for this purpose, with prizes to be donated by private companies and government agencies. For your information, I am just a private citizen. I am just acting on my own, but if there is a positive response to this letter, I would be able to connect you to the appropriate public and private contacts. In support of the idea, I sent a letter to Architect Felino "Jun" Palafox, Jr., CHED Chairman Prospero "Popoy" De Vera, DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum and DHSUD Secretary Jose "Jerry" Acuzar, hoping that they could all help one way or the other. While waiting for them to respond, I did some partial research work, and I found out that a Manobo tribe in the Agusan Marsh has been living in house boats on board bamboo rafts for a long time now. Many Badjao tribes have been living in houses on stilts also for a long time now. Perhaps we should really seriously consider these two ideas now, because the floods will really keep coming now, and the sea levels will really keep rising now. Since we could no longer change these two realities and since we could not convince the people who are living in these hazardous areas to move, then maybe the only remaining option for us now is to change the designs of the houses in these areas. IKE SENERES/09088877282/07-03-2024

WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH

WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH Wikipedia defines th whole-of-government approach as "a concept that refers to the collaboration and coordination of different government agencies and stakeholders to jointly address complex problems or issues. It aims to provide integrated and balanced responses to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It is driven by the need to overcome the limitations of siloed public administration and to meet the expectations of citizens for more accessible and personalized public services". Every now and then, we hear from government officials who promise to get things done by way of using the whole-of-government approach. I salute these government officials, but I also sympathize with them, because I know from my own experience that it is going to be a rough uphill climb for them, and they are going to be met with countless obstacles. Wikipedia hit it on the nail when it said that the government is siloed, because that is actually the crux of the problem. Siloed might be too mild of a description, because it would be more correct to say that the government is fragmented or balkanized, to use an old political science term. Believe it or not, there are solid walls between Bureaus within the same Departments, and solid walls between Sections within the same Divisions. Wikipedia also hit it on the nail when it said that the solution is to have more collaboration and coordination between the many different government agencies who should all be involved directly or indirectly, one way or the other, and that should also involve other stakeholders who may not be part of the government. Perhaps our government officials could learn from our young netizens who find it very easy to collaborate and coordinate with each other by simply using the existing social media networking platforms. There is hardly any bureaucracy involved between them, and they do not require big budgets at all. IKE SENERES/07-02-2024