Beggars of Manila

Whenever I see people asking for food or money on the street, I can't help but blame the government for their lack of livelihood program for these people. These people are not lazy, they just don't have the opportunity to earn their own living. Given a choice, nobody would want to do it.

Our government spent millions paying for our executives, legislators, judges, and consultants, travel abroad, pork barrels, etc and other self-imposed benefits while we millions enjoy their inefficiencies and lack of support. They boast of figures, GNP, poverty level, popularities, but who cares?

We pay our taxes way before we receive our salaries, when we purchase sardinas and half kilo or rice of the day. Even these beggars do, when they use their hard-begged money. But the government, in all their spending allocated so less for these foodless homeless.

(Picture taken from http://www.hobotraveler.com/2005/12/streets-of-manila-photos.html without permission.)

Fraud at Wowowie!

Willie has nothing to loose on this issue but I guess, ABS-CBN should be doing something to protect their reputation. Who has jurisdiction over these game shows anyway? DTI or MTRCB?

Foods at Chowking & other food chain

Hungry from an overtime work, i passed by the newly installed Chowking in front of EPZA in Rosario, Cavite. I was made even hungrier by the poster inside their glass walls, particularly of their "Braised Beef". Needless to say why. It looks so delicious, and yummy. Hmmm! Their graphic artist must have worked so well.

In short, I enter the store and order the luscious BRAISED BEEF. The cashier was so polite and the place was clean and so enticing. I was given my number and told that they'll just serve my order.

So I sit there and without a minute passing by, there came my order, I open the bowl with excitement and obvious hunger, BUT TO MY DISMAY! Its a small bowl with white rice, a few piece of beef, some sauce of course, but MY GOD! It's not the braised beef I ordered.

I called the crew who delivered it to me and did some questioning. But they said, that's the braised beef they are serving.

I don't know who's wrong! The people inside who prepare it, the management, or the graphic artist who prepares the graphics for the posters and menu board. But definitely, its not the braised beef I ordered.

The same thing happen to me in McDonalds and Jolibee as well, where they made their food very appealing on the pictures, but not so in the real thing.

I am not sure what DTI has something to say about this.

I COMMEND SIZZLING PLATE for serving the exact thing as you ordered. I was sometimes even surprised when I got more than what I am expecting.

MRT got no change for 500 & 1000 Peso Bill?

Few months ago, there was a sign on each tellers booth at the MRT stations that reads "we don't have change for 500 and 1000".

What am I going to do when I was left with no smaller bills? Who would believe that they don't have change when Jolibee and McDonalds have? Do they have lesser customer and smaller business than those food chains? What about the hundreds of thousand of commuters forming great lines all the time on tellers that board those supposed to be "air-conditioned" coaches?

In fairness to General (Manager) Lastimoso (what is a military man doing in a transport service?) those signs were not in there anymore.

But the long lines of commuter buying tickets and lining up again for inspection at the turnstile are still there. Pity to myself and to other commuters always brings me to write these blogs. I don't see why we, as the customers has to suffer from those worst service ever. Haven't they've been to a Customer Service Seminar? Aren't they aiming for improvement? How I wish everytime that these people be elected so that they won't be there anymore after the election.

I was looking around the station, I couldn't see any SUGGESTION BOX. I can see the reasons why. They would need to hire another person per station to dump all the feedbacks that commuters will put in there.

Defective MRT Escalators?

Last Friday, August 24, 5:30PM, Southbound North Avenue Station, heading home from a hectic day at work, I was with the rush to station when to my dismay, ESCALATORS ARE NOT RUNNING! Without any other option, I walk my way up.

I ask the guard at the gate "Bakit di umaandar ang escalator? Sira na naman ba? (Why is the escalators not working? Out of order again?)".

The guard answered "Hindi sir, pinapatay lang pag maraming tao." ("No sir, we just turn it off during rush hours.")

Blood rush to my head upon hearing it. I don't see the point why they (MRT Management) has to shut it down especially during rush hour. While what they should have installed additional escalators for the purpose. I don't think they are trying to save power because the millions of commuter would disagree to that. My point is what are those escalators for? Don't we as the riding public have the right for those small pleasures?

My dilemma as a CONSUMER and a CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE!

One thing I regret about being trained in customer service is that I expect every service provider would cope up to my elevated standard as a consumer. That is where government agencies always fail. Though we were taught about it (the government, especially the Philippine Government, failure to provide excellent customer service), I still wish they improve, the very reason why I created this blog.