The Stupid Surveys

The Stupid Surveys

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

Nowadays, there are so many surveys conducted by various survey firms which are of course paid for by parties that will benefit from the “expected” favorable results. Big companies, political units and even nations spend so much money for the flattering and self-serving favorable results. Surveys can be effective only if the whole targeted responders are captured, but if not even 1% of the total has been interviewed for their views…then, the survey results should better be told to the Marines!

 

How can for instance a survey, give assurance that a certain candidate will surely win during an election when the majority of the voting population has not been interviewed? To top it all, their assurance is based on a further confusing mathematical formula. So, there’s the trick – the more confused the ordinary citizens become, the better for these survey firms to insist that they are right, and the more that they make their clients happy. They want the ordinary citizens to believe that the results are products of “highly intelligent” surveys…conducted by “intelligent” people!  While some surveys are based on personal views and opinions, others are on perception which make the results more “imagined”….unrealistic. Simply stated, how can a personal view become representative of the rest, opinions as truthful, and perception as generally realistic?

 

The way I see it, these surveys are the workings of “research” firms that have run out of anything to do and clients who trust them. They have come up with this novel idea that can flatter egoistic groups that we call business firms, political groups, educational institutions, and governments. These surveys are also the result of the marketing strategies that need to be updated to make them attractive to clients. Schools want to attract enrollees, business firms want more clients, political groups want more donors and followers, and governments want a “third opinion” that would qualify their claim for success in their administration…all selfish objectives which at the end are supposed to be satisfied with self-serving survey results, that would later find their way in advertising spaces!

 

What the clients should do, instead of squandering millions in surveys for self-serving results, is require their advertising agencies to gather hard data from records that are available, to support their contentions. The truthful and realistic information shall no longer cause a single eyebrow to be raised every time the reports are splashed on the front pages of dailies, as well as, broadcasted on air lane and TV screen….at least, the doubting Thomas can be directed to the records on file.

Ang Pagmumura at si Duterte

Ang Pagmumura at si Duterte

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Dapat mag-ingat kahit kaunti si Duterte dahil tumitindi ang smear campaign laban sa kanya. Noon ay ang patagong banat sa kanya laban sa kanyang “pambabae” daw at “salvaging”. Mabuti at siya mismo ay nagsalita na tungkol sa mga bagay na ito at umamin pa, kaya wala nang mauukilkil tungkol sa mga ito upang hantarang ibabanat sa kanya. Isa sa mga tinitingnan ngayon ng mga naninira laban sa kanya ay ang ugali niyang pagmumura. Masama mang banggitin, may ginagamit na mga taga-media ang mga kalaban niya kaya sa isang iglap, kalat agad sa buong bansa kung may masambit man siyang pagmumura. Wala tayong magagawa dahil yan ang kalakaran ng pulitika sa Pilipinas.

 

Ang malas, “tinuka” niya ang pain na tanong tungkol sa pagdating ng santo papa, sa pagsagot subalit may kasamang pagmumura. Pinagpipiyestahan ng mga maninira ang ugali niyang pagmumura at pagiging prangka. Dahil sa ginagawa niyang pagmumura ay nagiging tactless siya.

 

May mga taong naging ugali na ang pagmumura kaya automatiko ang pagsambit ng maaanghang na salita na naging bahagi ng kanyang bokabularyo. Dapat baguhin ang ganitong pag-uugali na hindi man dinidekta ng puso ay masama ang epekto lalo sa mga taong banal kuno pero mahilig namang magbanggit ng “for Christ’s sake” o “for God’s sake” na mas matinding blasphemy at laban sa isa sa mga kautusan sa Ten Commandments. Ang mga banal na ito ay nagsa-sign of the cross pa kapag nakarinig ng masama o nakakita ng masama. Bakit hindi na lang sila maglagay ng busal sa mga tenga o di kaya ay maglagay ng pantakip sa mga mata na ginagamit ng mga kutsero sa kanilang kabayo para diretso ang kanilang tingin kapag naglalakad sa kalye? Pero kung marinig lang sila kung murahin nila ang kapitbahay at kasambahay kahit pa kararating lang nila mula sa simbahan dahil dumalo sa misa……..nakuuuu!

 

Upang maipakita ko ang katapatan sa binabahagi ko tungkol sa pagmumura at upang maging makatotohanan ang mga sinasabi ko, aaminin kong nakikita ko ang sarili ko kay Duterte dahil naging bahagi na rin ng pananalita ko ang pagmumura tulad ng “tangna” na pinaiksing “putang ina”, ang “belatibay” na pinaiksing “latibay” upang hindi masyadong maanghang pakinggan, at ang pabulong na “..hit” na sana ay “shit”, pero hindi pa rin nawawala ang “yodiputa”. Tulad ni Duterte, marami rin ang nagalit at nakadanas din ako ng panlilibak dahil sa pagmumura ko. Ang masakit lang, ang iba pala sa kanila ay matindi naman palang manira ng kapwa!

 

Sa mga naging president ng Pilipinas ang kilala sa pagmumura ay si Manuel L. Quezon na ang ginagamit na kataga ay mula sa wikang Kastila…maraming nagalit sa kanya noon lalo na ang mga kasama niya sa gobyerno na karamihan ay nakatikim ng pagmumura mula sa kanya. May dati akong boss na ang ginagamit na salita ay “Jesus Christ” or “Jessezzzz” sabay hawak sa kanyang noo…at ngayon ay malamang kasama na niya dahil namayapa na siya. Yong isang kaibigan ko naman ay paborito ang “damn you” at “go to hell”, patay na rin siya at malamang ay nandoon na rin siya. Yong isa pa ay “demonyo ka” o di kaya ay “demonyo” lang kung walang kausap pero nadapa o nauntog o may nakalimutan sa bahay.

 

Ang pagmumura ay isang paraan upang lumuwag ang naninikip na dibdib ng isang taong galit. Sa halip na lakas ang gamitin niya sa pamamagitan ng pagsuntok sa kausap o manira ng anumang gamit na mahawakan ay dinadaan na lang niya sa pagmumura.  May nasimulan naman sa Japan na pantanggal ng tension na sanhi ng paninikip ng dibdib, at ito ay ang pagsigaw kahit halos namamaos na. Subalit may paraan na ngayon upang mapalitan ang ganitong uri ng paglabas ng galit, sa pamamagitan ng paghinga ng malalim o “deep breathing”. Sa kamalasan, may isa akong kaibigan na sa sobran galit ay pinilit ang sunud-sunod na deep breathing kaya hinimatay dahil na-choke…kinapos ng hangin! Ayaw kong mahimatay tulad niya.

 

Ang problema sa kultura natin na may pagka-colonial pa rin, kapag ang pagmumura ay ginawa sa English o Kastila, parang wala lang ang epekto, pero kung ang pagmumura ay ginawa na sa Pilipino, ang nakakarinig, lalo na mga banal daw ay para nang natapunan ng ipot ng pusa sa mukha. Hindi ko sinasabing hindi masama ang pagmumura. Subalit dapat ay maghinay-hinay sa paghusga sa mga taong nagmumura. Mabuti nga lumabas ang masamang salita lang mula sa kanya, hindi tulad ng ibang nagbabanal-banalan na ang masamang ugali ay nagkakaugat sa puso nila at diwa kaya habang tumagatal ay yumayabong pa. Ang pagmumura namang inilalabas ay walang pagkakataong yumabong dahil….yon nga, ibinuga na ng bibig!

 

Narinig ang tape tungkol sa pagmumura ni Duterte sa santo papa, kaya malinaw na ginawa nga niya. Isa itong maituturing na “tactlessness” o kawalan ng pasubali o ugaling bara-bara sa salitang kanto….na talagang mali. Subalit si Duterte ay kilala sa paghalo ng mga biro sa kanyang pananalita, kaya malamang, para sa kanya ay joke ang sinabi niya….pero joke na masama o hindi nararapat dahil si Francs bilang pinakamataas na lider ng simbahang Katoliko ay tinuturing na banal kay tinawag na “santo papa”.

 

Kilalal sa pagbiro ang mga Bisaya, na kahit maanghang sa pandinig ay hindi naman bukal sa kalooban ng nagsabi, tulad ng pabirong “gi-atay ka”  o “lilinti-an ka” na ang mga kahulugan ay ayaw ko na lang sabihin. Mabuti na rin ang ginawang pagpuna kay Duterte, para hindi isipin ng santo papa na tino-tolerate ng mga Pilipino ang ganitong ugali…at baka hindi na siya magsalita ng blessing sa Pilipino tuwing mamintana upang magbasbas sa mga taong nag-aabang sa kanya.

 

Pero, sa isang banda, kung papipiliin ako sa pagitan ng isang taong nagmumura subalit ang layunin ay magkaroon ng pagbabago sa isang sistema ng gobyerno na may makapal na kulapol ng korapsyon at may napatanuyan na, at sa isang taong namang dahilan ng kagutuman at kahirapan ng buong bayan dahil sa kawalan ng malasakit, kahit hindi pa nagmumura at animo ay larawan ng pagkabanal at pagka-santo na pagkukunwari lang pala….ang pipiliin ko ay ang nagmumura!

 

Ang ginawa ni Duterte kahit pa maituturing na joke ay patunay sa binitiwan niyang babala noon na kung maging presidente siya ay wala siyang sasantuhin….kaya humanda na sila!

 

A Day in the Life of a Struggling Blogger

A day in the Life of a Struggling Blogger

By Apolinario Villalobos

In countries like the United States, bloggers have no problem because all they need to do is just go to a park, and there, with free wifi connection, they can blog for as long as they want. But not in a third-world country like the Philippines where the government’s promise for free wifi sites in public places is part of nauseating propaganda of the administration. A blogger has to have a landline for an assured strong signal that can be sucked by a modem. An option is to have a USB broadband and portable or pocket wifi which must be loaded. Lucky are the bloggers that can connect to a neighbor with a repeater wifi that he can use, with consent of course.

But for a struggling blogger who has no landline to which a modem for wifi can be attached for a strong signal, or cannot afford a post-paid plan for broadband or pocket wifi, there’s no other choice but a load from a corner store bought for 50pesos which is good for one day. As soon as the load has been registered, the blogger must get to work immediately to maximize the use for the allotted time. The problem is the weak signal, especially, if several blog sites have to be opened for uploads. During unfortunate days with a weaker signal, uploading may take the whole day, instead of the normal four to five hours. During those days the indicator for a successful connection would just turn round and round, almost infinitely.

There are times when blogs which are thought to have been uploaded successfully are trashed due to incompleteness of attempt. Other times, due to the weak signal, uploading process hangs. And, worst, is when the signal is cut off in the middle of uploading!

What aggravates the situation are the promo offerings of servers, enticing internet users to buy their cheap surfing package which are deemed useless because, even until the purchased load has been consumed, no connection has been made! It is like rubbing salt to the wound.

The National Telecom time and again has expressed it s disgust over the inutility of the service of the different Philippine-based servers, but just like the mumblings of other government agencies for show, nothing has been done which is a clear defiance on the part of the servers, an obvious loss of respect to the government. Meanwhile, the internet users suffer, especially, struggling poor bloggers. And, just to assure a little bit of strong signal, bloggers of this kind have to do the uploading in the wee hour of 3AM!

The Benefits of Social Media…their threat

The Benefits of Social Media

…and their threat

By Apolinario Villalobos

The family is the basic unit of a society. Essentially, the relationship among the members is by blood, however, tradition and the need of society extended its scope to include close relationship by affinity and camaraderie that has been developed within fraternities and sororities, schools, and the occupational institutions. And the most popular bonding activity of these “families” is the reunion.

The hi-tech social network has become an effective venue for members of these “families” to get in touch with each other. The technology has practically made the limitation of distance, a thing of the past. With just one touch of a key, “family” members spread around the world “see” and “talk” to each other, and long lost friends and classmates are reconnected after decades of separation.       .

There are instances when the hi-tech facility is used as a tool in distant operations, such that the surgeon doing the actual procedure to the patient in a certain country is assisted by an expert via the visual monitor from the latter’s end in another country. Bloggers who are separated by oceans and get connected with fellow bloggers compare notes on how deal with certain subjects. And, even the people’s pope, Francis, is very much in touch with his flock via the web.

The hi-tech social media have practically compressed the whole world into a “neighborhood”. Through the internet, surfers know where to find commodities not found in regular outlets. Those confined at home can have their groceries delivered at their doorstep. Students need not spend grueling time in libraries to pore over reference materials for their thesis. Business ideas even for small scale ventures, especially do-it-yourself at home guides, can be chosen from the horde of proposals in just one click.

Those whose eyes are no longer reliable to discern the small texts of the Bible can surf the web for passages, even check the scientific history of mankind, and if not contented, further check the story of Creation. The health buffs can check seemingly limitless list of beneficial herbs, dishes that can ensure long life, and non-prescriptive medicines to prevent occurrence of sickness.

Unfortunately, the evil that is innate in man drives some of these God’s “intelligent” creatures to exploit the social media for their selfish motives. These are the hackers whose minds are practically coated with the thick tar of evil design. They intrude websites and cause havoc among their users and owners. They steal information from sites, and go to the extent of even stealing the identities of site owners.

The world is not cloaked with goodness alone. The negatives are out there to test our mettle, and we should always be steadfast in facing them. Not only physical strength is needed, but mental and spiritual firmness, as well.