The gift policy
Part of any good governance policy for corporations and organization is that of gifts. Especially when it comes to giving and receiving gifts. I have worked in many well-established companies and well-respected organizations and all of them have clear-cut policies on gifts. For example, in one such company, if an employee receives a gift worth more than P500, he has to return the gift, and if it is awkward to return it, then he should declare the gift to the Corporate Governance board and make an attempt to raffle or distribute it.
There is a reason for establishing a gift policy. The senior executives of a company or organization have to demonstrate transparancy, that they are “above board.” A gift can be considered a bribe. True, it may not be a bribe. But it can be misconstrued as such. And in the game of corporate politics, perception matters. The higher up you are in the chain of command, the more wary you should be of gifts.
The gifts I commonly receive are bottles of wine, diaries, umbrellas, ballpens; and I receive these gifts normally during Christmas. These are “token” gifts and in most cases I give these gifts away. I tell people that if they have to give me a Christmas gift, I’d rather they give a donation instead to a charitable organization like the Red Cross. If I have to ask for a gift, I normally ask it as part of a company party, where I need to either provide for food or raffle prizes. None of the gifts that I have asked for go to me personally.
Then there is the occasional “junket” trips. Again I am wary of these. I understand that some junket trips are marketing and customer relationship events. The objective is to keep the company at the top of the minds of the decision-makers. But again, it can be perceived as a bribe. And this is why if there is a junket trip, it should be timed neither close to the signing of a contract nor close to its implementation.
Any good and honest executive know these rules. Which is why, despite what people will say to defend Church in this PCSO-SUV fiasco, I find their actions abhorrent. They should have known better. A move like that sparks so many questions, so many misinterpretations, that you would wonder if all this publicity would be worth it. Why solicit aid from the PCSO, an organization that has “gambling” written all over it? Why not solicit help from private organizations? Or why even solicit help at all? And why is the vehicle registered under Bishop Pueblo’s name instead of the diocese? As I write this, the ”Mitsubishops” will get away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. No admission of guilt, whatsover. However way you look at it, receiving an SUV from the PCSO is in bad form. It has all the trimmings of plausible deniability. The Church can whip out the typical “innocent-until-proven-guilty” card, drum us some drama, plead ignorance and a lapse of judgement. I don’t buy it. If you were some lowly parish priest, newly ordained, naive to the ways of the world, then I would grant you that excuse. But you are a Bishop, and you don’t get to that position without knowing how to play the game.
Racy billboards
I am against racy billboards. I don’t mind them being taken down.
Not that I am a prude, but it is distracting. I for one was saddened that the Angelicopter billboard, with her glorious Belo-enhanced globules, was taken down, but at least now I can focus on the road.
And really, this isn’t about art and freedom of expression. These ads are conjured up by agencies who have taken great pains to figure out how to grab your attention. This is all about marketing. This is all about your eyeballs. And since studies have already shown that humans are poor in multi-tasking, so a millisecond of your eyes on a sexy billboard is a millisecond away from the road.
The CBCP “apology”
Our Dear People of God
(Hmm, secularists not included?)
Our Mother Church has been deeply wounded by the controversies in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that have erupted in the past two weeks. Some members of the Church believe in the innocence of the bishops involved in the issue, while others do not. There is no doubt that everywhere in the Church there is great sorrow. We your pastors are one with you. As shepherds struggling to love you like Jesus the Good Shepherd, we are sorry for the pain and sadness that these events have brought upon you.
(In other words, I am not sorry for what I did. Let’s blame it on the “events!”)
We are saddened that many of you, especially the youth, the poor, our Basic Ecclesial Communities, have been confused because of the apparent inconsistency of our actions with our pastoral preaching.
(In other words, you don’t understand us! It’s YOU who are confused! You just misinterpreted our actions! We aren’t inconsistent!)
As we express our sadness, we also ask you to be slow in judgment and to conscientiously seek the whole truth behind the controversy. Let us seek the truth always in charity.
(In other words: Don’t be judgemental. Only we, the CBCP, can be judgemental. The truth is what we say it is. And let conscience be our guide—not facts.)
We assure you that the bishops concerned are ready to accept responsibility for their action and to face the consequences if it would be proven unlawful, anomalous, and unconstitutional. We assure you that their action was done without malice.
(Wait, didn’t we just say “be slow in judgement?”)
Out of their sincere desire to help their people, they failed to consider the pitfalls to which these grants could possibly lead them. They have also expressed their readiness to do everything that is necessary to heal this wound so that we can all move forward in hope.
(Really? There is also another angle: that they knew what they were getting into and just hoped they wouldn’t be caught! Oh wait, we should be “slow in judgment.”)
We also assure you, our beloved people, that we shall re-examine the manner of our collaboration with government agencies for purposes of helping the poor, making sure that pastoral sensibilities are respected and the highest ethical standards are observed. We shall examine our values in the light of our vocation to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
(Ok, much better….)
We commit ourselves to the long journey of personal and social transformation required of all disciples of the Lord. We plead with you to walk with us in this path of constant renewal.
(Huh? Why should we? We were here, just minding our own business, doing what we believed had to be done to help our community, and now you want us to “walk with you?” No, thanks! You got yourselves in that position)
We express again our deep sorrow for the pain that the recent events have brought to you our beloved people. The good Lord knows our love for you. The words of the psalmist come to our mind: “My sacrifice, a contrite spirit. A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn” (Ps.51).
(Well, since we are in the habit of Bible-quoting, here’s one from Proverbs 21:14: “A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.” )
As the same Psalmist addresses the Lord, we take his words as our own to encourage and challenge us: “Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.”
(Oh, more Bible-quoting? If you need more, read these.)
For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,
+NEREO P. ODCHIMAR, D.D.
Bishop of Tandag
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
July 11, 2011
Sex education
There are a lot of discussions and debates whether or not sex education is appropriate for students.
What did they expect? That sex education classes will be like the video below? Warning: video is NSFW, but its hilarious nonetheless!
Victoria Court mini-suite
A panoramic pic of a Victoria Court mini-suite over at Pasig. Cost of room is something like P2000 for 3 hours. Nice room, especially with the mirrors in “strategic” places!
Picture was taken with my iPhone and stitched with a iPhone app called Autostitch, which would explain the ghosting artifacts.
Are you a sinner? 667 ways to sin!
New York’s gay marriage vote has been called historic. And then roughly the same time, whether it was a coincidence or done in purpose, 10 couples were wed in Baguio’s first-ever same-sex marriage rites.
As expected, Christian bishops were aghast and angered.
Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon said that such gay couples were only “playing house” and that “those who got ‘married’ and who led the ceremony have mental problems.”
The Association of Metro-Baguio Christian Ministers also chimed in, saying that “any marriage bond between people of the same sex is abhorrent in the eyes of the Most High God” and called same-sex weddings “dangerous.”
Clearly, same-sex marriage is a sin in the eyes of the Christian church. The same way contraception is a sin. Or pre-marital sex. Or divorce.
Did you know that drinking blood is a sin? Did you know that if you touch a woman during her menstruation cycle you are deemed impure and must sacrifice two turtledoves? Don’t believe me. Then check Leviticus 15:19.
And if you want to read about more sin silliness, read the list of 667 Sins of the Holly Bible. Interesting number. 667. One better than 666, eh?
A visit to Air Force One KTV
Last week I dropped by Air Force One KTV. My previous visit was sometime January. I pass by time to time but find none that is my type. This time there was one that caught my eye.
I opted only for one hour of fun and frolic, thus the expenses below would represent the bare minimum. So when all was said and done, total damage was roughly P9000, broken down as follows:
- P5000 for room, time-in for my companion, and 2 bottles of beer (one for me and another for my companion)
- P3500 for the “extra”
- P500 for miscellaneous tips and gratuities (e.g., don’t forget to tip the manager!)
By the way, we didn’t use the VIP room of Air Force One. We went straight to the one the jacuzzi rooms of their massage parlor, Flight 168.
Air Force One KTV is located along Ninoy Aquino Ave at Paranaque.
Reactions to New York’s landmark decision
The internet reacts to New York State’s landmark decision to allow same sex marriage.
| “ | Gay couples and proponents of gay rights have a reason to celebrate tonight, as the New York State Senate has passed a bill that allows same sex marriage. New York will be the sixth, and largest, state in the union to adopt gay marriage. | ||
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| “ | I don’t understand why legalizing gay marriage was such a problem. Straight people are the ones who bring the world gay people . | ||
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| “ | Ok god, if u care enough about d credibility f ur troops, send disasters to New York right now, not weeks, months, or years later. #NY4M | |||
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| “ | It’s amazing that the main news on twitter is gay marriage in the new city, welcome to the 21th century. #yesimdishingusa | |||
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| “ | “We reached a new level of social justice this evening: marriage equality.” – New York governor ANDREW CUOMO… http://tumblr.com/x1w35z5tub | |||
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| “ | “I have to define doing the right thing as treating all persons with equality” ~NY Republican Senator Stephen Saland | |||
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| “ | Now that gay marriage is legal in New York, people will start marrying their pets and furniture. This is how Godless societies collapse. | |||
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| “ | Marriage equality finally comes to New York! I’m applauding the senators who stood for our extraordinary future instead of our limited past! | |||
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| “ | Everybody who wants to live in the 21st Century, stand over HERE. Everybody who wants to live in the 1800′s stand over THERE. Thanks! | |||
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Gay marriage now legsl in New York . Now the Empire State Building goes rainbow: http://yfrog.com/ked8jqrj /via @BabyKat7889
Photo by GelSantosRelos on twitter
| “ | @Jimparedes they are trying to legalize same sex marriage, but not all legal are moral. | |||
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| “ | I don’t see why people disagree with gay marriage. Just let them live the life that they wanna live and everyone is happy. | |||
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| “ | Gays will be getting married in NY, so I guess I’ll need to send them some tornadoes. Hope I don’t miss and hit Kansas. | |||
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| “ | Getting pretty sick of left/right slant on NYC gay marriage. Its civil rights, not Democrats wining, Republicans losings. Everybody wins! | |||
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Masturbator thief with a dentist fetish strikes anew
He strikes again. And this time it’s in Pampanga.
The dentist, who requested not to be named, said one of the suspects tried to rape her.
She pleaded with the robber and said she recently had an operation in her uterus.
The robber then fondled his penis in front of the dentist before he and his companion stole the victims’ money, jewelry, and cellphones, according to Senior Police Officer 2 Vincent Young.
Flight 168 jacuzzi room pictures
Flight 168 continues to be my first choice for massage parlors because of their rooms. Flight 168 has been around for many many years, yet the quality of their rooms remain to be clean. While the rooms of other massage parlors have deteriorated, Flight 168′s hotel-like ambiance has been maintained consistently.
I normally don’t go to jacuzzi rooms. I don’t like using “public” jacuzzis. But circumstances (which i will explain in a subsequent post) provided me the opportunity to experience Flight 168′s jacuzzi room.
Here are two panoramic pics. Click on the image for a larger view.
