Friendly tips from friendly people - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

There are so many well-meaning people who would like President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration to succeed. One of them is Zelia N. Borromeo, whose family owns the Montebello Villa Hotel in Iloilo City, and who took the time and effort to write down her thoughts on how President Gloria should interact with the people. While Ms. Borromeo’s suggestions are unsolicited, these nonetheless provide food for thought.

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One suggestion of Ms. Borromeo is for President Gloria and First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo to avoid acting as sponsors in weddings, baptisms and other similar social get-togethers. "Attending all of these can lead to the currying of favoritism later on," she said. Ms. Borromeo also suggested that President Gloria limits her ribbon-cutting ceremonies so that her precious time can be devoted to more important concerns of good government.

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This suggestion is worth considering: That high-sounding titles like "Her Excellency" or "The Honorable" should be dropped as things foreign to our culture. "The President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo" is more appealing to the people, Ms. Borromeo said, just like the First Gentleman’s "Just call me Mike" spiel.

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Jingli Zhang is a consultant for many European and Asian firms involved in information technology. While he was attending a UChicago MBA program in Singapore, his Filipino classmate Ching Yujuico invited him to visit the Philippines to explore potential IT investments here. Ms. Yujuico had hoped that Jingli Zhang could help bring back IT foreign investors to the Philippines.

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Unfortunately, Zhang had a very unpleasant and traumatic experience at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport when he was going back to his country. His driver brought him to the wrong airport terminal building. When he sought assistance from some policemen to get a taxicab that would bring him to the correct terminal building, the taxi driver ripped him off, by charging him P1,000 for a trip of less than a few thousand meters.

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Zhang met another hassle as he passed through the immigration transfer counter. The immigration officers failed to stamp his passport. Zhang had to personally request that he be allowed to go through immigration once more, so that he could have the proper "stamp" for his passport. Had his passport not been stamped, he would have met some hassles in his homeward-bound flight.

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Ching Yujuico is worried that we might have lost a potential investor who could have helped our country get back on its feet again. She fears what Zhang is going to tell his business associates about his recent visit to the Philippines. Remember that the last impression one has of a country is from the experience he has at the airport or seaport of departure.

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After they read my column item asking Coritha and Freddie Aguilar to sing some "wake-up calls" to apathetic and indifferent citizens of Cainta, Rizal, regarding garbage and other community problems, Augustus C. Mamaril of Country Homes Village and associated with the UP College of Science, read into the minutes of their homeowners association my challenge for them to be pro-active in demanding effective governance from Cainta’s local government officials. In the discussion that ensued in that special meeting, many homeowners readily took up matters that demand their unity and collective action.

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Mamaril said that if Cainta homeowners appear apathetic, it is mainly due to lack of information of official things that are happening in their town, like the garbage dump at the heart of several residential villages and the opening up of roads inside private subdivisions without consultation and the consent of the homeowners. He expressed hope that the thousands of "immigrants" to Cainta will develop a sense of belonging and oneness. Vibrant ideas on long-term meaningful reforms should now emanate from the citizens, as an answer to the one-family stranglehold in ward politics.

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Let me thank and acknowledge the generosity and kindness of the following thoughtful individuals who lent a helping hand to the Good Samaritan Foundation:

* Ric Pulido of Pacita Complex I, San Pedro, Laguna, who worked for many years at the Manila City Hall under the administration of Mayor Antonio J. Villegas, P2,000 (Metrobank 0320009510)

* An anonymous gentleman, P1,000 (Prudential 00068554)

* An anonymous shipping executive, P10,000 (PCIBank 00028590)

* A business executive with the pseudonym "Peñafrancia", a devotee of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, P10,000 for the artificial leg of a talented 8-year-old physically-handicapped girl from Taytay, Rizal

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In the meantime, the Good Samaritan Foundation extended financial assistance to the following indigent beneficiaries:

* Mark Quiatchon, a young boy with various ailments, P5,000 for his forthcoming surgical operation at the Philippine General Hospital

* Teodoro Recio, a movie scriptwriter, P1,000 for his medicine

* Saturnino Garcia, P7,715 for his MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) at the St. Luke’s Medical Center

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It is not too late to join this interesting three-day seminar designed for government public relations practitioners, which begins today at the Galleria Suites Hotel, Pasig City, under the auspices of Bernardo Pacheco’s Bonzer Business Management & Consultancy, an entity that specializes in the conduct of high-level workshop programs. How to project the image and projects of government agencies positively and effectively to an expectant public will be a major highlight of this seminar.

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An interesting roster of speakers and resource persons has been lined up by Bonzer. They include Press Secretary Noel Cabrera; Max Edralin, PR consultant for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Carlos Agatep, president of C. Agatep & Associates; Amlyn de Quiroz, president of Full Circle Communications and who worked for many years as PR director for Land Bank of the Philippines; Roberto Manzano, communications manager, Coca Cola Export Corporation; Elmer Mercado of IBC 13; Jarius Bondoc, columnist of Philippine STAR; and Angelo Palmones, station manager of DZMM.

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Those who want to catch up with this seminar are advised to go directly to Galleria Suites and register with the seminar secretariat. Bonzer may be contacted at Tel. Nos. 892-2561, 759-2170 & 759-2064. See you there!

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PULSEBEAT: Jeff Yeung told me about how he was victimized by the poorly-lighted "tunnels" along EDSA. His car hit a hard object along the north-bound lane, almost causing his car to skid sideways. The object was like a huge rock of hollow-block size . . . Corazon Tolentino asked how Loi Estrada can fight for the ordinary people when she (Loi) cannot even fight for her rights as a wife. Good question.

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]>