Bag Packer in Manila

Reconnecting with JJ Medina and Karl Maqui in Rice Bowl Gateway. Thank you J for the free dinner!

One of my obsessions

Visited the halls of power

Will propel the region . . .

A family legacy waiting to soar again

Ang Katarungan—Cagayan de Oro City”s first newsweekly

Ang Katarungan (The Reason) is the first newspaper to be established in Cagayan de Oro City. It was printed in letterpress and was handset.

Established on July 1, 1903, Ang Katarungan was founded by the Neri brothers—the late former Misamis Or. Rep. Ramon B. Neri and former Misamis Or. Gov. Vicente Neri San Jose.

Ang Katarungan initially was published in Cebuano, the local dialect and was a 4-page tabloid printed by an old-type Minerva printing press and was handset. Its first issue came out with 300 copies, a rather big circulation during the days of the early American period.

In 1926, Ang Katarungan changed its format. It became a bilingual—English-Cebuano news magazine in 16 pages.

Except for the interruption from two fires in 1937 and 1940 and World War II, the paper came out regularly up to the present making its claim as the oldest existing newspaper in this city valid.

The two fires in 1937 and 1940 destroyed the paper’s office and printing facilities. However, these setbacks did not dampen the publishers of the paper. Through the help of their friends and loyal subscribers it managed to put up its printing facilities again and resumed publication.

But when World War II erupted, the Japanese closed down the publication in 1942. When Liberation came in 1945, bombs destroyed the printing facilities of Ang Katarungan and again it had to literally begin from nothing.
On July 17,1948 with Vicente Neri as its publisher-editor Ang Katarungan resumed publication. The issue featured stories on the eruption of Mt. Hibok Hibok volcano in the island province of Camiguin, which was still then a part of Misamis Oriental.

It also carried advertisements of commercial establishments and subdivision lots for sale of the Nazareth subdivision (the city’s first subdivision, now one of the city’s barangays).

The newspaper later went back to being a tabloid when Augusto Neri, son of Vicente Neri, one of the founders of the newspaper assumed as publisher-editor in the 60’s.Augusto F. Neri or AFN as he was known also served as an elected ember of the Cagayan de Oro City Council.

The paper, now renamed as Ang Bag-ong Katarungan comes out every Saturday in four pages only due to economic difficulties according to its publisher. It is still printed in letterpress and earns mostly from judicial notices.

Upon the death of Augusto F. Neri in 1982, his wife Isidra P. Neri took over as publisher of the paper while his son Atty. Augusto Neri,Jr. took over as editor. Geronimo F. Valenton now edits the paper.


Source:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=539722&page=8

You got to be Kidding, Lord!

You got to be Kidding, Lord!

It is moments like this that I would fist-bump God because of his funny antics.

Here is the story. I was waiting for a multi-cab at the corner of a block in Grand Europa for a ride back home after our half-day brownie bake session. It took an awful lot of time waiting for one. I guess it was due to the heavy traffic and long route caused by a road repair in Masterson Ave. As I was waiting for a ride, I passively observed a family of three walking along the street so as with some other people; just me and my being observant. As the agony of waiting slowly filled me, I decided to just stroll around the block and look at the different designs of the houses there. It was this point that I dreamed of owning a sleek and modern house someday and I hope to benchmark in some of the houses I observed along the street. After a quick stroll, I waited for a ride in the main road in one of their neat waiting sheds. Other people were there and so as the family of three whom I saw earlier. I was looking for a multi-cab, they were looking for a taxi. Minutes passed until one taxi pulled over. Unexpectedly, the mother of the family called me and offered me to join the ride with them. I did not think twice and accepted the very generous offer with great thanks. As I settled in the taxi, I silently thanked God for this generous family whom I earlier I just passively noticed and now, I am riding with them. This does not happen every day.

I took the initiative to strike a conversation. She asked me the typical GTKY questions like my course and my year, well except for my name (I think it’s a Filipino thing). As I finished my sentence of introduction, she awkwardly commented “wala pud nag duol sa imo ang mga Jesuits na ipa pari ka?”. Bang! What the! I did not even come close to even imagining this comment coming out from her. It was totally out of the blue. For a moment, I was speechless. She continued and revealed to me that her brother IS actually a Jesuit, Fr. Jason Dy whom I served as mass server in his first thanks giving mass 2 years ago in Xavier!

Come on!?

What an amazing and rare convergence of people, event, and spirit. Rare thing. Close to a miracle in some degree.

I was thinking about a beautiful house in the future, I got a ride from a generous family whom I do not know, and I was then reminded of this vocation all in one setting. You got to be kidding me Lord!

Signs are often rare but when it happens, it creates this interior ripple effect. It somehow removes the cloud of doubts inside you and a clearer tapestry is seen. Let us be sensitive to these things.

And Pray.

Do not hesitate to talk.

When I knew he was available, I immediately grabbed the opportunity to have a conversation with him.

I always find Fr. Rudy Fernandez, Sj (not the action star) a very interesting Jesuit. He gives very insightful, moving and practical homilies. I also find him almost every day strolling around campus with a book in his right hand. Almost an enigmatic force glows in his presence. When we were seatmates during a forum about roads, I grabbed the chance to strike a conversation with him. I asked him if he still conducts spiritual directing and he still does at a gentle age of 80 +. With the help of a CM officer, I got a schedule with him the next day.

I do not want to elaborate what we talked about. What I can only share is what this priest has given me. His great peace which is characterized by his openness and wisdom of seeing the nation grow as it is aided me so much in putting order in my perceptions and as he said “connecting the dots” . I believe this is one grace we have in a Jesuit institution; we have great men who we can easily talk to.

Let us all grab the opportunity to have a simple conversation with our Jesuit priests. Talk about anything in life and you will just me amazed of how they seem to weave it into one understandable and appreciable tapestry. An hour with them can bring so much insight.

In Memory of Mr. Ralph Buyante BSN -4

I knew of his death when an administrator texted me. When I read the name, no face registered in my memory. At the same moment, since I was online in facebook, I took the initiative to search a profile that matches this name. Shockingly, when I saw his face– I knew him instantly. He was my classmate long before in our Political Science class and If I remember it correctly, he was our class beadle. I could remember that every time we cross paths in campus, he never fails to nod or greet. I knew that he was a kind a humble person.

The fangs of sadness just gripped me when the news began to sink in. It was heartbreaking. It led me to question why this could have happened which we always often do. A graduating nursing student two months shy from graduation – a final bow after 4 long and tiring years in the college but now, all gone.

Now at the dust is starting to settle, we can’t help it but ask why? And this question will lead us to so many answers. It will lead us to question the causes of the accident (traffic rules? Driver discipline? Who is responsible?) And even ask the futile question of why of all jeepneys, he rode that particular one bound to disaster? Why? I could not even begin to fathom the pain the family is in. My thoughts and prayers go out to them and their loved ones so as the other victims of this accident.

Ralph’s loss reminds us of how fragile life is. How we really do not know when our time will be. How we really live on a thin line between death and life. His loss reminds us of our own mortality. After the pain simmers down, I believe our hearts will not anymore question the causes of this particular accident or how could it have been prevented. Rather, our hearts will settle on the rich memories this particular person shared to us and how he lived his life to the fullest.

May the Lord accompany him in his return home.

For those whose heart beats for the family of Mr. Buyante, please visit the CONUS office (2nd floor StC building to give your donations.

One Day More

This is my favorite song in Les Miserables. It captures the struggle of the "miserables", the marginalized as they prepare for revolution. We shall sing this everyday for tomorrow is always a day of revolution. Revolution that is subtle, that is interior that will ultimately produce fruits of justice for our marginalized brothers and sisters.

Road and Development: Insights from the Australian Aid Program

I had a fascinating chance to listen to a forum with the Australian Aid on their Program called “Philippine Provincial Roads Management Facility. One thing I particularly would like to share is how they operationalize and integrate good governance to improving the road system. In a nutshell, road is a public good and political at that. People see the quality of roads as primary direct indicators of the quality of governance. Moreover, roads are our economic arteries that bring prosperity and breaks isolation that breeds poverty and ignorance. This is a good way of focusing its aid for development.

In summary, the Australian Aid "incentivizes" governance reform by allowing the government to draw up their own development stages and meeting each stage signifies another aid contribution. This process allows the local governments to assess and develop their own processes opening up a bigger space for creativity, innovation and engagement from civil society. The program also taps local labor in the development and/or maintenance of roads stimulating local economies.

In development economics, we’ve been taught that developing countries lack the needed capital injections to propel economic growth. One way of filling that need is foreign direct investments or foreign aid. In this case, foreign aid for development is a boost in our efforts to move this country forward. Above all that, development can only work if the major stakeholders of the local community are involved where they participate in their own development. In this manner – commitment in our own development, whether with aid or with our own means, this country will surely develop in the long-run.

A funny case of misinformation

Yesterday, I almost paid the price of believing in wrong information. I almost missed my Industrial Economics because I recorded a wrong time slot in my planner. I arrived 25 minutes late in a 1 hour exam. By all measure, this is a common mistake but I find the circumstances surrounding this event very insightful. For one, the date was already posted in our class facebook group, thus very visible. I kept on linking useful review notes that would appear just above the date. It was just their under my nose. But, I did not seem to bother the information. I did not bother completely reading the whole schedule thread. I just knew it’s there and I did not mind it because at the back of my head, I already relied on what I have recorded in my memory. In process, I have subconsciously blocked all other information that is related to this particular category of information because I believed that I already got it; that I have all that I needed to know. The wisdom I believe I can get from this is the simple idea of open and close mindedness. If we believe that we are sure in a particular idea, we normally tend to block other information that might challenge it. This naturally response I believe is the main culprit that cripples innovation and imagination. So with that, I leave this lesson as one that calls us to always absorb process, analyze and innovate. Ultimately, this gift is responsible for pushing our civilization forward.

First Day of Midterms.

It was a slow day. I woke up around 9:30 am still bearing that heavy feeling last night. I am getting use to the silence again yet I come to believe that this is a normal process of adjustment just like 10 months ago. Spend a couple of hours surfing the net and watching Les Mis. More than the music, i think the message of the book is strikingly reflective of our own country. I upgraded my skype. I would keep by facebook page online hoping that my brother would be online. I guess he slept in his initial hours in Korea. After s mall lunch, I went off to gym. Again there was a sense of silence. When I returned to the house I would look up to the door and imagine that my brother would peek and open the door but of course no one opened. In school, I was quite overwhelmed when i saw the long line in window 6 (bank payments). I fell in line and it started to drizzle. To make good use of the time, I reviewed my notes while it captured small drops of rain. Surprisingly, I saw my colleague in government wearing the csg shirt. I tasked him to visit the treasurer’s office and see what we can do about this long line since another bank window had this passively placed “closed” sign peering on us while we were slowly getting wet. What a waste come to think of it. My colleague returned possessing an order. He announced that the other half go to the treasurer’s office to finish the “admit to exam” transaction. It made me think. This is one concrete way of doing our role in simple cases of inconvenience. From possibly waiting for an hour, I finished my transaction in 15 minutes. I studied in a very quiet place where I can be closer to the source of truth – the chapel. I spent a good 20 minutes there. Then I went off to my first midterm exam. It was relatively easy though with some challenges in the identification part. I only memorized their first name. Tsk. After an hour of exam, I went to the office to visit and went to the library to photocopy an ancient book which still cites the Soviet Union. I went home with my close confidant. I did manage to buy my favourite sweet corn and malunggay pastel. It made me think again, how much these FS guys are earning and will their partnership will survive after college. I think 4 owners are just too much.

At home, I made sure that to study my notes. I would like to thank YouTube for providing me with all the materials I need for tomorrow’s exam.

Quite a slow day but yet it has its surprises. So we should never discount every day. All have its own fair share of lessons to teach and good memories to relish.

When will be my turn to go there! hahaha!

I thought I am through with this already. But even how much I rationalize my feelings, the fangs of sadness really consumes me. I think it is no longer the thought of him away. We have gone pass that realization already. I think it is really more of the memories, that even for a short while we became once again a complete family that will be truly missed. I miss the “ulit-ulit” in the mornings while I am still half awake and manong would just curl up beside me. Before he got the visa, I considered that practice as a bullshit start of the day. His never ending pangulit would start the moment I wake up and the moment I go to bed. I dreaded it. But now, that he is away. I relish every bit of it. I would often close my eyes and wish that it would last forever knowing that this unique expression of brotherhood will happen again in a long time. I will miss the moments when I would arrive from school and he will be the one to open the door and greet me with this pointing finger over my mouth. I miss the moments when we would watch DVD together and insist that we will turn on the air condition. I miss the moments when we have to debate or fight over his piece of clothing since I have only a limited baggy few.

These are the simple memories we have when we were together for the holidays. Now, he is on his way back to Canada for another long time. This time, I do not know when he will come back. I only hope that this sadness will subside just like before when he went off for the first time. On the brighter note, this has caused us to value our brotherhood more and we became more open and loving. Distance has actually made us closer.

I will surely miss his presence in the house. Nevertheless, skype will provide us the channel but the longing will always be there - the longing to be a complete family where he can ulit ulit me whenever he like.

Thoughts on the Change of Schedule Scheme of Xavier University

This change of schedule scheme is I think the most contentious and significant change of policy the student body has faced in recent memory. Even my facebook shout out announcement on the matter indicated its gravity by generating the highest interaction to date in my wall.

Needless to say, every single student will be affected by this and the culture perhaps of the campus will also be affected by this. The question in all of our minds now is this: “Will it generally benefit or harm the university?” At initial glance, there are so many factors we can consider in gauging its effect on our welfare. There are the factors of order in terms of classroom assignments, there is also on energy consumption, waste management and class “readiness” considering we now have a full day of rest in Wednesday. On the other hand, we are also anxious about its weight on our attention span, our learning process, and also the potential stress a 1:30 minute class will do to us.

In a personal note, I welcome this setup since it offers a new rhythm in campus life. However, like any other new policy, I have some apprehensions. One in particular is the issue of class time. This issue opens a need to review a whole volume of scientific study on how our mind absorbs and process information. This, I guess is very critical since it will in the long run affect the academic performance of the students. The faculty therefore should be challenged to not just be “creative” in their approach per se but they should have a deeper understanding of the variables at play in the course of their 1 hour and 30 minute classes. They should be masters of communication control and creative intervention.

Atop of that, Xavier has an above average number of units required especially for the freshmen. This can facilitate a problem. Continuous classes with minimal break will just be too much for us. Therefore administrative guidelines should be implemented to cap the number of classes to be allocated in a day. Also this will most likely affect the morale, the productivity and even the sanity of the students if not controlled properly.

This issue has indeed opened a lot of concerns. I guess what is important is keeping this intelligent conversation going about the merits and demerits of this policy. This is also a chance for the next student body leadership to really make full use of their representative powers and apply the truest meaning of governance.

I have included some links that can help shed light on “attention spans” scientifically.

http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9601/article1.htm

http://gradschool.about.com/od/collegeteaching/p/How-To-Lecture-Teaching-Tips-For-Graduate-Students.htm

Why Kentucky is the Philippines

The Economist has given us another interesting map. Considering population size and GDP, the closest identical US state is Kentucky. What does this mean for us?

source http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/01/comparing_us_states_countries

Facebook Philippines

Isn't it amazing?

This is a map that shows the facebook friend mega-network in souther and eastern Asia. It reveals the links of different centers of population all around the region. This image tells us something about the Philippines. For one, this image shows how almost all major islands in our country is radiating with facebook activity. This tells us about our infostructure. How about Mindanao? Interestingly enough, it also shows a relatively bright facebook presence so it is not quite left out from the rest of the region.

facebook presence in my opinion can be considered a soft indicator for economic development in this global and knowledge economy. Facebook presence obviously means internet connection. Internet connection which means an information structure that facilitates the exchange of information --- value.

(photo by economist.com)

East vs West

I discovered this neat application that predicts what year Chinese economy will takeover the American economy. You just need to tweak 3 variables.

A small sharing about student governance to the next generation

Zipping hot coffee,

I spent a meaningful evening with the potential CSG leaders for next year. My message is technical yet important for any person to occupy a position of authority and of public trust. In the context of student governance, it is important they we should first organize what concerns/issues we shall engage in a limited time span and with limited resources. Explore all roots of the issue and base action programs and engage policies from there. Second, know the political dynamics of the university. Know the key players, the head of offices, the personalities and the system/culture at work so we can better engage them. And finally, educate yourself about politics and the political process.

Student governance is an interesting mission. We are given the chance to do something for the students with greater impact. We are given the chance to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. We are given the chance to serve.

Leadership Simplified Synthesis

Leadership is a lifelong process,

As captured by Chris Lowney in his book the Heroic Leadership. It is in this spirit that I shared my derived an simplified version of the accumulative process of leadership to a group of 5 freshmen students who participated in the Ateneo Campus Leadership Discovery on January 9, 2011.

In all the references I’ve read on the topics of leadership, I can synthesize them into 3 simple and general approaches which I guess reflects the leadership process.

Know: the primarily starting point is knowledge. It is grasping a

nd articulating who you are, what you value, what you believe in, what your vision is and why you do it which stirs us towards action. It was beautifully articulated by Fr. Arrupe when he said that:

Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love
in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you
out of bed in the morning,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love; stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

One practical consideration for knowing yourself is the practice of blogging or journal writing after a 15 minute reflection. This practice captures the feelings and thoughts that you have in that moment. If you do it in about 3 months and review it, you begin to see patterns about who you are. It is in this knowledge that you begin to see the graces, the gifts and will then lead you to ask yourself what you can give to the world.

Develop: the next practical step after having an understandable picture about ourselves is to nurture the knowledge that you have substantially gained after a concentrated effort to know they self. Read books, expand your knowledge in the context of your desires, and take note of your skills and what you want to develop further. This is where practical innovations happen when we desire to nurture what is given to us.

Multiply: Building the community naturally flows from a person with competence and knowledge in his mission. Multiplication deals with you unlocking the potential of other people. It is coupled with love and the deep faith on the potential of the human person that drives leaders to nurture other leaders. In the process, influence is further cultivated and our interior nurturance begins to bare good fruits. A practical application of multiplication is to be active in a specific social advocacy.

This does not end in multiplication. Once you think less about yourself and more about others, we begin to empty ourselves. This “emptying” then leads us to further deepen our desire to know more about ourselves and ultimately our creator. Then it starts all over again. This cycle grows the influence in us and this helps us amplify and spread the reach of our mission throughout the world.

Being Central Student Government President 2

Being Central Student Government President 2

The semester is about to end and the conclusion of the first half of the academic year gives a sense relief and reflection in my mission as CSG President.

Many ask and wonder, did the whole semester and the demands of the presidency sucked out the energy in me? Did I become more “realistic” about certain things I considered Ideal when I started? Did I trust people less? Did I become cynical?

Now that the semester is setting, It is safe to asses my sanity in this respect. With all the pressures and expectations, one thing in particular defined how I see my mission in the student government. It is the realization that the whole grace of shepherding a flock or leading a student body is having the honor and opportunity to enter into other people’s lives.

I may not realistically lead all the 10,000 students defined by the constitution as CSG’s constituents or my 10,000 bosses. But every a time a student comes to the office bearing with him/her concern or problem and with an ounce of hope that the student government can do something about it, this brings forth a surge of energy in me because I can actually see my place and the student government’s place in the greater scheme of things.

It is having this opportunity to be a part of the solution of their most basic problems and concerns that keep me energized, that keep me going, and that keep me working for the mission. From calling an office to drain an accumulating pool of water that is becoming a mosquito breeding ground, to a student who chatted to me that he and his block mates are doing the P-E-C-A-L. From a team mate in the office who thanked me for the trust and opportunity given to him, to facilitating a complaint of a student who was unfairly treated by his teacher. From a Student Assistant thanking us of having this chance to form an organization, to a student who can’t afford to lose some library books. I can simply brush it aside as part of my job description but THIS IS grace. I see it as grace. It is grace because it is an opportunity presented by someone above to be part of making something good. This is something beyond myself, beyond comfortable. Ultimately, these actions serve as a channel for me to see and communicate to God and how he plays in all of these student government affairs.

I think this is primarily what public service is all about. It is standing up for justice in behalf of others who can’t stand up for themselves because it is the right thing to do. Now more work to be done.

Tonton Neri

The Economic Significance of Cdeo Starbucks and the rest

I am becoming more convinced of the growing consumer spending capacity of the middle class in Cagayan de Oro City that matches that of our northern counterparts. Starbucks would not have selected this city as its first coffee shop in the Island of Mindanao if it was not for this. The opening of Starbucks, the world’s number one “coffee shop” which pretty much sells the brand more than the coffee validates how the city is slowly becoming a central hub of trade and commerce with a growing culture of “affluence”. To put it plainly, the Kagay-anons are willing and able to spend more. What does this mean to all of us? It signifies an exciting time for Cagayan de Oro. This growth in terms of big lump sum investments and a growing consumer spending can deliver a large multiplier effect that all innovative entrepreneurs can take advantage of as signaled by the Starbucks opening, Hotel constructions, and International Airport construction. Small shops will open to accommodate the influx of foreign tourists brought in by the upcoming International airport, taxis and other alternative transport will blossom when new luxury hotels will be built, the tourism industry will have a frenzy, and our ethnic artisans will have a to double their production. In the light of this economic momentum, this is therefore a call to all the brilliant, innovative, and ambitious Kagayaons to remain in the city and invest in the City and its people. The market in its upward trajectory is perfect for entrepreneurial ventures. Starting capital remains relatively cheaper but with a growing market willing and able to spend.

HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THE DIRTY STC CANTEEN AND BEYOND. (what i learned reading Gladwell's Tipping Point)

This is an analysis of the seemingly endless tale of the satellite canteen trash crisis. This I believe is the epicentre of the campus wide problem on proper waste disposal.

The Satellite canteen near the Stc Building has been the subject of criticism about what we desperately lack as a community - a deep sense of ownership and cleanliness. It is a common scene where students just leave their leftovers waiting for the canteen personnel or even for the next occupiers to clean up after them. Countless entries on social media especially on facebook have lambasted these kinds of behaviour and countless initiatives had been launched from the students to the formation units to counter this social behaviour. But in all of these efforts, it seem like nothing has taken deep lasting effect.

As I mentioned in my first line, this is a simple analysis and recommendation which I hope can compel our authorities to reflect and act in solving this community problem.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The premise of this analysis is anchored in what psychologists call the Fundamental Attribution Error. This theory states the tendency to overvalue personality based explanation while undervaluing situational explanation for those behaviours or the environment in which the behaviour operates. This simply means that character does not have a significant bearing in one’s actions as much as the external environment. If you read much of the reactions students post online about this matter, more than 50% directly blame the background, the upbringing or the apathetic strain of those who leave their plates on the table. This theory brings in a significant change of perspective on how we look at this problem. It is not so much of what level of consciousness that they have, rather it is the condition of their surroundings that affect their behaviour. This will then lead me to my next point.

Broken Windows Theory

In criminology, broken windows theory describes how broken windows actually invite people to commit crimes because it signifies a neighbourhood with no one in charge, no one responsible to replace the windows, or no one seems to care. This picture actually invites crimes. This means that an unwelcoming environment welcomes the unwelcomed. This theory has some sort of parallel application to our own case in the canteen. Students when asked what they generally feel when eating or staying in the canteen, they have expressed a degree of disgust and discomfort in the whole canteen set up. The heat, produced by the plastic roof and the hard cement floor added up with the moisture, congestion, the long lines, the small tables and uncomfortable plastic seats contribute to this atmosphere of untidiness. Even seeing the actual cooking of the food and the odd scent of the air contribute to this “communal feeling”. It is not so much of the trash scattering around but the feeling itself seems dirty as one pointed out. This feeling my not completely register into the students’ minds as something appalling creeping into their pores but it is a subtle invitation for the occupants to be also untidy. The surroundings actually invite us to be untidy.

Time and Motion Study

Given that the students do bring their plates to the proper dispensers, it actually requires a substantial amount of effort. By average, it requires around 35 steps or about 20 seconds from point A to the dispensers located at the sides of the canteen. The dispensers’ location in itself is problematic. It is placed near an eating table. It is not in a relatively open area that can accommodate a number of students. Students naturally clump their tables together and form circles that distort the traffic flow. This might not seem to be a hard effort but navigating through the congestion in the peak lunch hour is clearly a disincentive. The stalls at the central area perpendicular to the main selling area contribute to this obscure traffic flow. The set up actually opens multiple buying points (which creates lines/crowds) per stall that is also perpendicular to the eating area. There are micro intersection points all around the canteen. This produces traffic which adds moisture, disorder, and untidiness.

Conclusion

I do believe that if we just work on putting order and cleanliness in the canteen infrastructure, the rest of the students will follow in its cleanliness. The tipping point in this case is to improve the physical setup of the canteen. I sense that a clean canteen with clean walls and clean processes can carry its cleanliness beyond its walls into our pavilions, our kiosks and our benches. Let us see the canteen as the central social hub of the campus. It is in the canteen where students mostly interact, exchange ideas, and transmit behaviours without the rigid structure of the classroom. Revolutions can start here. And a green one is just waiting to be born. It is fascinating to see even in our temporary satellite canteen, we can extract a substantial amount of science and social dynamics. Though this is temporary, the satellite canteen serves as a reminder for policy makers on the importance and power of context in making changes. Just by fixing at the margin such as fixing traffic flow, and cooking procedures, we can spark a green revolution in campus. This might work. The soon to rise Magis Complex that will house the new canteen is an interesting venue for the next BIG THING – The green revolution.

Para kanino ka bumabangon?

People always ask me if the presidency has taken away the better half of my sanity. I would always reply them that by God’s grace, I am enjoying every bit of it.

Sure there are struggles, pains, dilemmas, compromises, neglect or disappointments but pretty much that is what I enlisted for in the first place. The enjoyment comes when above all the barrage of everyday challenges, I still find sense in what I do. And it is mainly from that sense of “sense” that I regain my energy and govern another day. The “sense” that I am talking about here is that spirit we feel and see when we wake up every morning because we believe and we know that someone, even a stranger out there needs us. This thought is not just exclusive to people of influence or authority. The world’s need calls to everyone. People need us and the world needs us. It is in understanding that there is a need in this world and it is our part of our humanity to fine tune ourselves to meet that need.

And every time that need meets our individuality, there is joy – deep seated joy.

Harvard at Home

Though I have been viewing lectures of different US universities in Youtube before, I just came across this great site: http://athome.harvard.edu/streaming_video.html. If you find constantly find yourself before a computer screen, it would be useful to at least allocate a portion of your time to receive insightful inputs from these brilliant sources.

This in particular is an exhaustive discussion on moral philosophy and how it animates in everyday life.

Practical Guide to Student Government Operations Article #3: E-GOVERNANCE

Aside from the physical world, the student government can also deliver services in a different platform called cyberspace and social media in particular. In this era, any large-scale organization can be considered foolish if it does not consider a presence in social media as a sound strategy to reach their constituents. So it is through the power of social media that constant constituent connectivity can be forged.

We developed a strategy for our social media presence that hits on 4 areas.

Transparency

All financial statements, reports, open letters, and attendance on meetings are published online. This allows the viewing public to account the performance of the people they entrusted into power. The official Central Student Government blog site (http://csg.xu.edu.ph/) also serves as the platform where all public documents are posted.

Concerns and Feedback

Before every major meeting with the administration or any other authorities of interest, the official Central Student Government fan page in facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Xavier-University-Central-StudentGovernment/100580254583) calls on feedbacks from students on the subject matter of the meeting. This exercise has allowed raw and unfiltered sentiments from the student body to be directly forwarded to the administration. Polls regarding different issues are also conducted in the CSG’s official blog. Complaints from students can also be brought to the attention of the CSG through their personal messages. These channels of communication have further liberalized the students’ access to their government. And, all the information collected in these channels has led policy makers to put their decisions into proper perspective.

General Information

Relaying relevant information to the students is a form of service. Needless to say, the internet is one of the best channels to dissemination information aside from the traditional forms. The CSG created a facebook student body group at the beginning of the year and its membership has swollen into almost 2,000. This allows the CSG to personally email each member. Posters, shout outs and events on facebook are also great ways to spread information.

Resource Mobilization

Social media is also a powerful venue to recruitment volunteers and drum up sponsorships for community projects.

Youth and student leadership

View more presentations from Ernesto Neri.

In order to contribute in building an engaging citizenry or in this case, a student body, it is important for government to increase and develop its presence in this different kind of forum called social media. Its intricate network of people and information allows us to magnify and multiply our message and expand our reach. With this, our mission of service is able to evolve in a new form that is more accessible to our online constituents.

Practical Guide to Student Government Operations Article #2: Reduce Transaction Costs at all Cost

Reduce transaction costs at all cost

Needless to say, every single day the office of the Central Student Government conducts transactions. In the ordinary course of business, the observable transactions that happen in the office are project proposal submissions, calls from different units and offices of the university, questions from students, delivery of letters, and buying and selling at the student service center across the corridor.

Every time these transactions happen, there is always an associated cost to them aside from monetary. These are time and energy costs. Example: when a letter from the administration addressed to a particular person is delivered to the office, how much time does it take for it to be read by that person and the person’s response? Upon the submission of the project proposal to the signatories, how much time and energy is consumed for it to be processed and the money delivered? These are everyday situations that define the bureaucratic nature of the CSG. As we’ve observed, these threads of processes inside the CSG office can be categorized, controlled, and streamlined to bring about a more efficient flow of information and output. For simplicity, we categorized the major transactions in the office into 2 “threads”. There are more threads that exist in an office but for focus, we shall stick tackle these 2.

1. The Project/Program thread. This thread is the flow of the project proposal which starts from printing to the money disbursement and from the evaluation to the liquidation report. This complex paper trail if not given serious attention may compromise the efficiency of the entire Central Student Government. What we can do is to design a one-stop station where a single filer sorts out the documents by signatories in a chronological order. To make this work, the Executive secretary should be the one to contact the people whose approval is required and update the project head on the status of the project proposal in a daily basis.

2. The Communication thread. Conveying information from point A to multiple points or to a single point is as complex as trying to hit the center of dart board in room filled with people. Information can easily be lost, misinterpreted, or junked if it is not stored or transmitted on time. It is quite obvious that communication lags are very costly especially when it is an emergency requiring immediate attention. The office should set up a communication desk where all forms of information are received and given to their intended respondents. All units then should be provided a simple area where all information can easily be seen and for confidential information to be stored. For information that requires immediate attention, it should be brought to their attention through text or other means.

The fun thing about the CSG is that we can engineer systems that facilitate efficient services for the students. It requires not just a clear and concise system but an equally dedicated and critical man power to make the system work.