Trust ratings

The latest report on  a female overseas Filipino worker leaving for  Hongkong  found with a spent bullet in  her  hand carry bag is another sad story. According to a televised report, she was so surprised about a bullet found in the zipperless outer pocket in her bag. 

Gloria Ortinez, 56, claimed she was a victim of “tanim  bala”– also called “laglag bala” – when she arrived at the NAIA Terminal 4 at 4:30 p.m. from the Laoag City International Airport last Sunday. She was transferred to the NAIA Terminal 2 for her 7 p.m flight to Hong Kong when the Office for Transportation Security personnel  claimed that they found a bullet in her hand carry bag Sunday. The OTS personnel then reported the incident to the Philippine National Police Aviation-Security Group, which prevented her from leaving the country.

Ortinez said that she had never seen a carbine bullet all her life and worked  in Hong Kong for more than 26 years as a domestic helper.

It was a good thing she was able to contact lawyer Spanky Farolan.

“My client is working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper to support her family and why would she bring this?” Farolan said. He wondered why airport authorities did not confiscate the bullet when it was found in Laoag City. “Do they have different security procedures in airport terminals?”

Farolan also asked why the picture taken of  the bullet coming from Ortinez’s bag  was different from the picture of the bullet supposedly confiscated by the airport police. Something’s fishy here, don’t you think?

A number of OFWs have been charged with carrying spent bullets in suitcases which they probably borrowed from friends or relatives who may have  kept the items  as souvenirs.  Unfortunately the borrowers  were the ones caught holding the bag.   

You can imagine how ashamed they are as they return to their homes. Not only that, they now worry about how they are  going to pay back the money they borrowed in order to buy plane tickets to their supposed destination. Some of the families of OFWs sell their carabaos just to raise money for their fare and payment of recruiters’ fees.

Clearly, something should be done to stop this discriminatory, malicious and criminal treatment of OFWs. Is it being  done by x-ray operators at the airport, or by pranksters slipping contrabands in hapless maids’ bags?

Whoever said OFWs work abroad  because they just want to, and not because of lack of jobs here, does not know what he’s talking about.

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Whom do Filipinos trust among their government leaders? What are the important qualities of leaders that they value?

According to the Philippine Trust Index 2015, for Filipinos, listening to feedback and opinion and genuine concern for people are the two most important qualities of government and business leaders.

The fourth PTI is a nationwide survey that examines Filipino’s levels and drivers of trust in six key Philippine institutions – government, businesses, NGOs, media, academe, and the church. In its fourth iteration, the PTI expanded its research to include the Filipinos’ perceptions of an engaging leader for both business and government.

What are qualities of government leaders that Filipinos value? The survey showed that it is government leaders’ willingness to listen to their constituents. This garnered the highest percentages from both the general and informed publics, at 17  percent and 18 percent respectively.  “Showing genuine concern for the people” garnered 12 percent from the general public, and 13 percent from the informed public.

Another important quality of a government leader that received almost the same percentage is “having a strong political will” (12 percent for the general public, and 13 percent for informed public).

A revealing finding is that only two out of ten Filipinos agree that government leaders today possess these top three important qualities.

When it comes to the most valued quality of  business leaders, 19 percent of the general public and 23 percent of the informed public said it would be “their willingness to listen to employees’ feedback.” Following at second place is “genuine concern for employees,” which garnered 17 per cent from both general and informed publics. “

However, only two out of ten Filipinos agree that company executives today are receptive to employees’ feedback and are genuinely concerned for their people, the survey said.

Junie del Mundo, CEO and chairman of EON The Stakeholder Relations Group, said the survey findings on the most valued leadership qualities “underline the importance of conversation and communication in building trust for public and private institutions.”

The 2015 survey findings, said del Mundo, are “very much aligned with the key insight from last year’s PTI where an overwhelming majority of the respondents said it is ‘very important’ for government, businesses, NGOs and the media to communicate to its stakeholders. Dialogue and listening to stakeholders should be the new framework for institutions, especially leaders of institutions, to build reputation and earn trust.”

The 4th Philippine Trust Index covered 1,620 respondents from various socio-economic, educational and demographic backgrounds. Face-to-face interviews with respondents from urban and rural areas in NCR, North Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were conducted to glean insights on the various factors that contribute to Filipinos’ trust in institutions.

The survey showed that  the church remains to be the most trusted institution in the country, with an overwhelming 73 percent of the general public and 68 percent of the informed public claiming to trust the church very much.

The academe, like last year’s survey, garnered the second highest trust rating (51 percent and 46 percent), followed by media (32 percent and 23 percent).

Still at the bottom are government (12 percent and 7 percent),  business (9 percent and 9 percent), and NGOs (9 percent and 8 percent.)

What are the trust drivers for government?  It is that it ensures national peace and security, helps address the poor’s  basic needs such as housing, food and education, improves the Philippine economy,  puts to jail corrupt politicians, prepares communities for disasters and calamities, and provides better job opportunities.

For businesses the top trust drives are providing good salaries and benefits, practices fair labor, improves quality of products/service, pays the right taxes, doesn’t discriminate against employees, treats its customers well, and implements environment-friendly politics and programs.

The survey showed that local government units (LGUs) are now the most trusted among government sub-institutions. Following that are the Supreme Court  and the Regional Trial Courts.

As to the media, the survey showed that while television remains to be the most trusted source of information on government and business, trust on online media continues to increase. General public trust on online sources jumped to 16 percent this year from 11 percent last year for information on government, and 20 percent from 15 percent for businesses. This jump in trust may be attributed to increasing internet usage.

“Results of the 2015 PTI  Survey show how important it is now to utilize all channels – from traditional media, to online news sites, and even social media,” shared Malyn Molina, managing director of Engage, the newly launched public affairs and government relations business of the EON Group.

The communication landscape today means that organizations and companies have to listen more to their stakeholders, even consider stakeholders beyond the usual groups it engages, and truly understand their position or concerns, Molina said.

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