Leaving an impact

By: Vanessa

As our days in the Philippines become numbered, the inevitable Goodbyes have been at the back of my mind.

Prior to this trip, I was most apprehensive about the kind of impact I would leave on the local community. I’ve been on a fair share of service trips to know that many a times, the desired impact is often less than positive. How can you possibly make a lasting positive impact in such a short period of time – What happens to the equipment you introduce to the community after you leave and no one has the means to repair it? What happens to the donations you leave behind that runs out after a month?

While this program was different in purpose, we were still entering an entirely new community for 3 weeks, and our short appearance would leave an impact on the local community whether desired or not.

On Jeffrey

In this regard, working with Jeffrey’s business was the most service trip-like – we were here with the intention of helping. In the beginning, the idea felt almost presumptuous, show up for 3 weeks and give suggestions to help improve a business that has been running for over 3 years.

Initially, Jeffrey was just as skeptical of our intentions as we were. However, overtime, we started to understand each other better and this led to more open and honest discussions that began to really amount to something.

I believe the biggest difference was that we didn’t come here to implement a plan we made based on our preconceived notions – we came here with nothing but an open mind. This allowed us to readily consider and accept his difficulties and suggestions. Our daily discussions with Jeffrey did not feel one-sided, rather, it felt like a genuine exchange of ideas. Bouncing ideas off each other, and trying to understand why a certain idea did not work here and how we could possibly make things better in the given context.

After showing him the report we had completed, he commented that he had already taken one of our suggestions – the offering of free wifi for milkshake purchases and adjusted it to include other shop purchases as well. He even went ahead to print the tarpaulin for the promotion. His initiative and actions leave me with a peace of mind – our stay may have been a short 3 weeks, but our impact on Jeffrey’s business mindset and outlook was something that was lasting and sustainable. We didn’t just leave him with a report with some suggestions thrown in the mix, we left him with a greater belief in himself and his shop.

Jeffrey and us with our printed report

In Tubod Mar

“Should you be giving them this much attention if you’re going to leave in a few weeks?” Was a question i constantly asked myself whenever I played with the children in the village.

It all started one night when I thoughtlessly showed Marydelle (our neighbor’s 7 year old daughter) a clip of Peppa Pig and the next day she showed up with 3 other children and together, they waited over an hour for me to get back from town – they were waiting to watch Peppa Pig on my phone. I had unintentionally disrupted their regular daily routine by introducing a new form of entertainment.

Every night since then, Marydelle would come over to our house expectantly waiting for me to show her more videos. I did not want this to grow into a reliance on my electronic gadgets, as I knew this was something I could only offer for 3 weeks. What happens after I leave?

I am reminded again, that maybe the local community would have been better off If I had simply minimized the impact I would have left in this 3 weeks. Nonetheless, I grew more conscious of my actions since that incident, and have focused on playing together with the children instead by joining in on their daily activities and games.

The children all know my name by now, and they run across the basketball court shouting my name when they spot me. I can’t help but think of their disappointment when they come round the house on Sunday only to realize that we have gone. Maybe they’ll simply forget about us the day after we leave, or maybe they won’t even care that much that we’re gone. These thoughts however, leave me conflicted on my impact on the local community in Tubod Mar – it’s so easy for us to come and to go, but it’s hard to truly understand the impact we have on the people we leave behind.

Playing catching in the basketball court with the kids

On myself

I believe that most humans act based on self-interest; I came on this trip knowing that the biggest impact I would leave here would be on myself.

I thought it was timely, for my last blog post, to reflect on the impact that I have left on the people that have themselves, left a huge impact on me. These people have opened their homes and their hearts to me, and I sincerely wish that my actions and words have left nothing but a positive impact on their lives.

Creativity, Community, and Context

Every man whose name is recorded in the books of history is remembered for having built something, for inventing a revolutionary machine, or for having challenged the limits of human thought. Gautam Buddha is remembered for the Eightfold Path, Einstein for the theory of relativity, and Shakespeare for his plays. Each of them lived in different periods of time. Each of them had expertise in radically different fields. Yet each had one thing in common; during the course of their lifetime, they created things that changed the course of mankind’s development, spiritually, scientifically, and artistically.

My previous blog posts comprised of discussions of individuality, ambition, and purpose, asking the question of relevance in the end. But they did not explain what it means to be relevant in the modern era. To understand this, let us consider the contributions of the people mentioned in the previous paragraph. Gautam Buddha conceived transformative ideas about suffering when thousands were dying of hunger, poverty, and old age. Einstein mathematically explained the photoelectric effect at a time when no new discovery had been made in that field for years. And Shakespeare wrote and organized plays at a time when the British society’s social disparity was slowly developing into a culture of condescension and prejudice.

So each of them was relevant because their contributions came at a time when their associated field had looming problems. The Eightfold Path inspired many to conquer their suffering through the power of their will and meditation. The photoelectric helped several physicists think about scientific problems that had left them baffled for years and propelled scientific thought years ahead. And the Merchant of Venice served as a social comment on sexual prejudice at a time when women were considered incapable of any intellectual work.

Their work was contextualized by the era they were functioning in. And that is what made them relevant. But if relevance requires contextualized contributions of a global scale, what about the common man? What about people like me with meagre physical abilities and average intellect? Are we to stay irrelevant throughout our lives?

As my mind thought about such questions while I devoured succulent chop suey skilfully prepared by my host, I heard the passionate dribbling of balls on the adjacent basketball court, and it occurred to me. Although the contributions of great men were made relevant by calendrical context, the process which led to those contributions were completely decontextualized: Buddha left royalty because he found suffering unbearable at a personal level and the prevalent absence of answers was insufferable to him; Einstein personally considered the development of science to be of paramount importance; and Shakespeare loved the art of writing. They were just like all those kids on that basketball court, who were shooting three-pointers simply because their minds were intrigued by the sight of the ball going through the hoop.

How does that make them relevant? Tubod Mar is defined by its spirit, its energy, and relaxed but passionate culture. And the people who define that spirit are the kids who play basketball on that court every evening, the women who prepare mango float to share with the entire community (although I must confess, I often consumed my neighbour’s share as well), and the men who eagerly await the weekend swim in the ocean while toiling through the week. Although their personal preferences are decontextualized, their shared experience is contextualized in the community. Through this contextualization, each individual is made relevant. Every individual’s creative instinct is not only important but is required for the sustenance of the community. And that is what gives purpose to each individual.

The past three weeks in Tubod Mar have given me the opportunity to indulge in free thought. Unusually, my mind was unoccupied for long durations, which gave me time to address previously ignored existential issues. Having lived with the people of Tubod Mar, I now appreciate the excitement of a monotonous lifestyle, the peace in being just like the kid next door, and the bliss of sitting with one’s neighbours and laughing about strange creatures of the night. My experience in Tubod Mar have reminded me of the fact that it is okay to not know one’s career path, to spend an entire day in the ocean, and to sit with your family members without saying anything.

Interestingly, it has also given me a clearer sense of direction, as I now know that the pursuit of an interest does not have to lead to excellence. The pursuit of an interest is meant to lead to creative exploration. The lives of locals are defined by frequent creative exploration, as they spend hours on a single activity, lost in focused thought. These do not have to be specialized activities such as building software or preparing financial accounts. It can simply be mowing one’s lawn or cleaning the dog’s fur, activities that have become alienated in urban experience.

This realisation has made me more open to pursuing interests without a long-term objective. It has calmed my ever-restless mind, making it easier to work on projects  that might not be professionally logical but are spiritually essential. It has taught me to feel a sense of purpose in this creative exploration and in shared experiences.

My first creative photograph in almost a year

I look forward to seeing how I approach challenges posed by university with these new-found insights. Will my priorities stay the same, or will I find myself able to let go and explore inhibited passions? I do not know. I guess one can never fully know. However, if one knew for certain, would there be any room left for creative exploration?

Let’s Play Basketball

By Gem Cao

“Gem. Go basketball?”
“Yeah. Let’s go!” I replied without hesitation. It seems to have become a reflex.
I like to play basketball as a way to relax in Hong Kong. But after I came to the Philippines, I seemed to blend in with basketball and basketball became part of me. The basketball atmosphere in the Philippines is fantastic！

Play everywhere

Love of basketball
My interest and thinking on this matter originated from two special games last week. I ended my task in the market and went straight homestay. We often have dinner around 7 p.m. at home, so when I got home, I had two hours free time without wifi. It’s too boring sitting around and having nothing to do. After throwing my bag, I took the basketball from my homestay and walked to the basketball court. By that time, the kids were back in Tubod Mar after school. They love to throw slippers at people in the basketball court. If one child hits another with a slipper, the one that hit by slipper is out. After I’d been shooting for a while in the half court. A couple of little boys, who’d given up their “slipper game”, running up to me and wanted to play basketball with me. So I played 2v4 basketball games with a group of boys below ten years old. At first I thought it would be easy to deal with children who were just one meter tall. There was no need to take them too seriously. But after a few minutes, I realized it wasn’t as simple as I thought. They are young, but they dribble and handle the ball well. With only two players in my team, it was hard for me to get the ball. So I began to fully respect my opponents and actively defend them. That’s when I saw the advantage of their short height. Because of their low dribble position, I had to keep my body down like a squat if I wanted to be effective defensively. As I expected, I soon ran out of energy because I kept my body down and ran crazily. I asked for a break with Embarrassment. The result was that my team won, but I was too tired to sit in the dugout and watch them continue to run.

Then I played a lot of pictures in my mind like watching a movie. At home in the evening, apart from Filipino family ethics dramas, PBA games are the most popular on TV. Not only are the boys watching, but girls (maybe only me) are also interested. When I went to a printing shop, a clerk was watching a basketball game with great interest. When I first arrived at the market, I saw a large series of basketball shirts sold on the second floor. On the shelves of 7’S, there are also many basketball uniforms to sell. When I mentioned basketball in Philippines, my manager said that “Each barangay should have a basketball court”.

Behind the love

We can play
In the Philippines, the basketball court is everywhere. Some are built by the government and some are sponsored by rich people. Their support provides enough facilities for sporty people.

The Philippines has two highly mature college basketball leagues, which are the “player base” for PBA. I am surprised that PBA (established in 1975) is the first professional league in Asia and the oldest professional basketball league besides NBA. This league provides a platform for basketball lovers.

We like playing
There are lots of athletic children or people in Philippines. And basketball is one of the kind of sports much show teamwork. A person who can play basketball well and cooperate with teammates perfectly is handsome in my eyes.
Colonial rule (1565 to 1898) revolutionized the country, making it a country of “mixed blood”. People have Asian origin and Latin America at heart. Maybe cultural influence is also a reason why Filipinos love basketball.

We do more
Yesterday we had a big local celebration. The lower basketball court “changed its identity” to a dancing pool. We enjoyed ourselves jumping and revolving in the basketball court with sound equipment.

Dancing pool

I am not willing to leave here. I found friendships and family here, and of course, deeper love of basketball.🙃

Behind the expensive electricity fees

By: [Tan Tingshuang]

When sorting Jeffrey’s bills of July, I noticed that the electricity fees are very high. One thing needs to be mentioned is that his coffee shop is just a hole-in-wall small shop without air condition. The only electrical appliances are one hanging fan and two lights in the stores. However, his bill of July is up to 2800 pesos!

Jeffrey’s electricity bill in July

After noticing this, I also asked Leah about household electricity. She also mentioned that in July, the electricity fees are more than 3000 pesos. While we were having hot pot, I suggested we would use an induction cooker for cooking hot pot instead of use gasoline. She said that they couldn’t afford the electricity fees if using that in the house. But actually, the household electrical appliances in her home are just a TV, a fridge, then a few lights and fans. Comparing Philippine to China, I recalled that our family would never get worried about using induction cooker will increase a lot of fees this month. I asked my mom how much is July’s electricity fees in our home. She said because of using air-con in the summertime, the charges of this month were relatively higher, which is 150rmb, approximately equaling to 1100 pesos.

Having hot pot with portable stove instead of induction cooker

For people here who think the using 20 pesos tricycle fee to and from the market is high, I cannot imagine 3000 peso’s electricity fees means what.

I get that the power rate in the Philippine is 0.2 US dollars per kWh, 0.12 dollars higher than that in China. News from early this year states that the electricity fees per kWh will increase by 0.0633 pesos. For a family averagely using 200 kWh, the monthly bill will increase nearly 12 pesos.

After getting to know these, curiosity drove me to explore more: how much is the electricity charges in Philippine? Which position is it among the world? And why are the fees so high?

The chart below shows the ranking of electricity fees around the world. We can observe and put Philippine between New Zealand and Japan. It is said that Philippine’s electricity is the most expensive in Southeast Asia, which is unbelievable. What pushes the rate so high?

Electricity charges ranking

From my research, Philippine is the only country in Asia that electricity is private-owned by companies. Historically observing, in 1986, the president shut Bataan nuclear power station down in case that various natural disaster like typhoon will lead to a meltdown, like what happened in Chernobyl in the same year. This dramatically affects the electricity provision in the Philippine. In order to overcome this electricity crisis, the government started using a lot of preferential policy to attract private companies to shoulder the electricity provision. This will cause a severe problem that most of the financial cost, like the loss while delivery, will be transferred to the citizens. That is one of the reasons why electricity is so expensive.

Additionally, the lack of natural resources also pushes the electricity rate higher than in other countries. Too much dependency on importing nature resources and still no best way to apply renewable energy make the Filipinos feel headache when paying the electricity bill.

Behind the quotidian thing which we use every second, there are so many facts and reasons for us to explore. I really hope that in my future life, I could hold on to observing, exploring, and thinking, no matter how small the thing is 🙂

Oops, no porn today—Freedom on net in Philippines

by Frank Zhang

An unexpected block

Story begins when I accidentally clicked into a porn website ads and luckily get blocked. 

The blocking page is so familiar for me and it brought me back to few years ago when I was still a little boy sneaking to the computer room when my parents were away and browsing for naked lady and sexual scenes. After trying every link shown on the searching page, I always get the same result, a page that piss me off thousands of times and a page that drives me to leave mainland China and fly thousands of miles to Hong Kong. 

Familiar 404

For a curious little boy, it is always upset when finding that you are blocked from the outside bigger world of internet. When numerous information are transferred and shared by millions of people, I was trapped in meaningless ads and stupid 404 pages. 

However, when I finally reach Hong Kong for my university and receive no more 404 error pages, I am not sure if restrictions on net is a bad thing. Internet is far more than a knowledge base. It is a blackhole that take in everything in the world, bright or dark, good or evil. After satisfying my long desire of seeing a naked lady, I found myself in a place of drugs, guns, swearing, raping, killing, bullying, terrorism, racialism and so much worse. I was lucky to be exposed to this realistic world late, late enough to build up my discriminating ability and value system, to take things critically and think twice before acting. It is hard to imagine if I get access to these information ten years earlier, what would I be like. 

Freedom on Net worldwide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship

According to the survey result of freedom on net, the overall net freedom has not improved over the years. Many countries which were used to be categorized as ‘Free’ becomes ‘Partly free’ and over 70 percent of the countries being survied are not improveing their internet freedom. It may mean that countries have reached an agreement that complete freedom on the Internet is not desirable. The contents need to be carefully categorized and selected before exposing them to the citizens. However, the line between legal and illegal is unclear and arguable.

How’s Philippines doing?

After seeing this blocking page in Philippines, I was relived and more delighted when finding the explanation below:

Blocked for a reason

To be totally honest, this is the first time I was told that the website is banned for a reason. After clicking into the link, I find the official full version of the laws which clearly tells what kinds of websites will be blocked and why.  For instance, in Cybercrime Prevention Act of the Philippines (RA 10175), it states the definition of an illegal website from its content, usage and information source. The punishment and penalty are also clearly noted. On the later part of the Act, it describes on which approach the government monitors the website and whether the users’ rights are violated. The whole process seems completely transparent and under supervision. 

Whereas in China, although pornography is also illegal, it is difficult to find the complete corresponding acts and how the illegal websites are determined as well as punished. What happens in China has lots of ambiguity. As a citizen, you are not sure in what ways the government is monitoring you and for what reason this website is illegal. 

Compare net freedom in China and Philippines

As a matter of fact, The Freedom on Net ranked the Philippines 10th out of 60 countries in 2013. Comparing the rating in 2018 with China, the difference is obvious.  Although there are obstacles to access in both country, Philippines has relatively little violations of users rights. On regard of political issues, it is said that Philippines government did not receive reports that officials are pressuring bloggers or online journalists to delete content critical to the authorities.

Conclusion

In daily life, Philipinos use facebook, watch Youtube and have wide access to the bigger world. People talk freely about politics rummers and laught about it. However, kids are protected with transparent and strict filter system to prevent them from unhealthy online information.

Philippines, a not big and relatively poor country, values the freedom of net as well as the children’s growing conditions and builds up a good system to balance both. It’s a model for China and other countries who is still exploring its path.

Hospitality Here

By: Rai Uttsant, Sean

As my time here in Jagna is coming to an end, I’ve realized that I spent most of my days here lounging in different resorts to have lunch, chat with other students and work on my deadlines. All the resorts I’ve been to so far have had something unique about their setting. Whether it be their gradient blue sea-views, narrow stairways that lead to the shore, pavilions stationed in shallow waters, cats and dogs running around and finding shelter on our laps or open green farmlands in the backyard with goats freely feeding on the grass. But there was something most of them had in common – the lacklustre service provided.

Most employees in these local resorts have stoic expressions on their face when they serve. Simple requests like asking for a compensated larger serving are met with “No, you need to buy two meals”. Over in Hong Kong, some restaurants will give a larger serving when requested or at worst they would charge you a bit more. But flexibility seems to be unheard in the resorts here. I know there’s something very wrong when I find myself asking why the staff at Jagna’s McDonald’s treats its customers better than the staff hired for resorts, an industry that revolves around hospitality.

I wanted to get a better picture of the situation, so I went around these resorts asking its staff questions to learn more about their work life. I had a hunch that their lack of enthusiasm maybe because we as students would stay at the resort the whole day, so the staff might feel that we are a nuisance to the visitors that were staying over. But from what I’ve noticed, they were rarely any other customers around in the restaurant area where we would eat and work. I still wanted to verify, so I asked about the peak season for the resorts. Most of them said that it was during the summer here, so from January to April. Since the weather is the best during this period and it attracts both locals and foreigners to come visit the resorts for vacation.

My mind then wondered towards the cost of running the resorts. Could it be the case that students staying over for hours on end caused a massive increase in the running costs of the resort? Very unlikely. The WiFi for these resorts are provided on a fixed monthly rate. No lighting is usually needed, since the natural lighting sufficed for all the resorts. I imagine the water utilities seeing an increase, and the electricity bill for charging our devices. But that should be adequately covered by the high mark-up of the food served at these resorts.

It could be the case that they just don’t have the incentive to work wholeheartedly. When I asked about how they get paid, they revealed that they work on a fixed wage basis with no commission. This could be why they just want to stay idle at work instead of running around serving a dozen of students. But you would think that the supervisors would reprimand this kind of attitude. Most of the time, the supervisors are giving their subordinates a hand with their jobs by sharing their workload. It turns out that the supervisors work with the same attitude as their subordinates. It was a supervisor that turned down my request for a compensated large serving. It was a supervisor that greeted visitors with his back while he was busy playing an online game on the reception desktop, which I found very amusing.

When I asked the supervisors of the resorts where the owners were. All of them said that the owner was out of town and would only visit occasionally throughout the month or year. One of the resorts was originally a vacation home for the owner but was turned into a public resort, as the owner would seldom stay over. Another resort’s owner who is settled in the US left her retired sister in charge as the supervisor. The supervisors did say that they would frequently communicate regarding business matters through the phone. But most of the time, it would only be regarding recent sales performance and the maintenance of amenities. All of this leads me to believe that the management is lax about improving their service, because the owners themselves have no interest in helping flourish the business and just treat it as some petty side hustle on the other side of the world.

However, Paseo Del Mar was a shining exception of competent management among the resorts here. When taking to Daisy, the supervisor there, she told me that although the owner would only visit a couple of times a month, he would regularly ask through the phone if the employees were facing any hardships at work or out of work. He would offer assistance whenever he could, if his staff was going through tough times. Also, he would always emphasise to Daisy and the others that no matter what the customers’ attitude is – keep smiling. It was evident that Daisy put those words into practice. Despite having so many responsibilities consisting of entertaining visitors at the front desk, taking orders, managing food supplies, dealing with amenity issues, basic bookkeeping and even helping the cook sometimes, she still manages to put on a radiant smile when talking to customers. When I asked her how she does it, she shared that she worked in Hong Kong and Manila and came across many types of people there which helped her develop a thick skin against difficult people.

One day, out of curiosity, I asked Daisy if I could have more rice for my chicken adobo meal which I’ll pay for. She replied, “So 1 and a half cup of rice?”. I was in disbelief. When I told her about my past experiences in other resorts, she laughed with a “Why not?”

Micro Business, Macro Profits!

By: Preksha Sood

When I got the opportunity to be a part of this course, I thought it would be extremely interesting and adventurous to be a part of a new culture, adapt to a new environment and be a consultant for a microbusiness.

These three weeks have flown by so fast and now it’s nearly the end of my trip to Philippines. Not only do I feel I have experienced the Filipino’s rich culture and lifestyle but also had the chance on understanding the working of businesses, the mindset of business owners and the concept of entrepreneurship in a developing economy.

Initially, I had created some pre conceived notions about the functioning of a small business in an underdeveloped town of Bohol. Many points such as limited resources, lack of basic management skills and low literacy rate usually hinders the growth of small businesses and I assumed it will be a similar case in Jagna as well. However, after arriving here and having regular conversations with the owners of my business, my perspective changed but to an extent.

Manol Pharmacy is a two branched, small family run business by Lorde and his family. The entire family having a background in the medical field, the father being a retired Physician, the mother a retired nurse, Lorde, with a degree in Pharmacy and Medical Technology and the sister, Pamela, having a degree in nursing as well as accounting. The concept of having a pharmacy was started by the mother, who wanted to provide medicines as well as assistance to all those in need at a low cost. The family works diligently, with good conscience and a positive attitude to make a profitable and successful business.

Main market branch

“More than profits, the well-being of my customers” – Pamela

Pamela is one of the owners who stays at the JBC branch. She told me that the main ideology of the family is customer satisfaction over profits. They focus on educating their customers on the doses of medicines and its side effects instead of just selling the medicines to them. Even if it means reducing the business sales and profits to an extent. Although they know that profits are essential for a smooth functioning of the business, they do not believe at the expense of her customers. This concept for me was refreshing because in big cities it’s rare to find businesses and companies which care about their customers more than their profits.

Having a strong bond with customers is necessary for the successful running of a business. Not only does the pharmacy provide free consultation to its customers but also sell their generic medicines at a low cost. In Philippines, people trust their doctors immensely. Hence, having free consultation done by the father, who is a retired Doctor, in indeed a competitive advantage of the pharmacy. It also helped them to strengthen the bond with their customers as well as built trust with them. I feel it is essential to build relationships between business owners and its customers because it serves as good starting point in the establishment of the business and gives competitive advantages.

Not only is it important to have customer satisfaction but also employee satisfaction. The Pharmacy provides assistance to their customers as well as care and benefits to their employees. They have built a small condominium for them to stay in without any charges. They also provide them with free meals and some social benefits. I think it is very important to have a constant and stable number of employees so that there is less employee turnover. However, providing so many benefits to the employees also increases some cost for the pharmacy. Whilst working with my business, I realized that the owners have an idea about their competitors and how can they improve themselves. However, despite having good work ethics, the main problem with the business is its inefficient working and management.

The major problem which the business faces even after successfully running for 14 years is the implementation of the basic managerial principles, the inefficiency in recording financial statements and lack of computerization. Lorde was one of the few business owners I had regular meetings with. He is a smart, knowledgeable guy with the vision of expanding his business but with least effort put in. They did not keep a track of their daily sales or even have a record of their expenses.

Discussions with the owner, Lorde.

Another problem which the business suffers is the conservative mindset of the parents. Today, with the internet boom, businessmen and entrepreneurs have become one of the most dynamic forces in the economy. Whilst we notice how fast the world is moving and adapting to technology, many underdeveloped villages and elderly still believe in their “old mindset” and there is very less scope of creativity. For any business which wants to be successful as well as expand, it needs to adapt to technology and the new ways of working. After a couple of conversations with the father of Lorde, I realized that it is difficult to try to change the thinking of the older generations. However, I did try my best!

To be a part of the pharmacy’s journey has been thrilling. It was challenging yet fun and most importantly, I got the chance to combine my theoretical knowledge with a practical experience. Even though it was only for about 3 weeks, I learnt about the basic functioning of micro businesses in Philippines. The part which intrigued me the most about the business was that how they did not follow the conventional and basic steps of running the business however, still enjoying good profits. It is very interesting to see that the business owners here are ambitious to expand their business. Building a successful business can provide it’s owners with a sense of accomplishment and pride. However, businesses in such small villages need different outlets to make them adapt to new changes. Manol Pharmacy is a strong business with decent competitve advantages.

The scope of what businesses and entrepreneurship involves will continue to change and evolve as the world continues to change and evolve, yet many businesses face common issues of how to manage finances, run a business that within this community, however, we can share and learn from each other.

Children’s learning environment in Bohol

By Wu Biqi, Olivia

Absence of books

Every time I travel, I always go to the local bookstore. From the books they are selling to the way the books are placed, I can get to know about the locals’ interests as well as attitudes towards life. However, after staying in Bohol for three weeks, I still fail to spot any bookstore here. At the same time, I have never seen kids in my homestay reading or doing homework at home.

Out of curiosity, I finally raised the question in my heart. Turns out that textbooks are not used in local schools’ teaching, and students do not have any homework after class. During the teaching process, each teacher has a copy of the textbook while the students need to copy the contents of the book by hand. Much copying has made many children have a hand on their hands. The children here do not have any access to books, which is probably one of the reasons why they spend so much time on TV, social media, and mobile games.

In fact, even if there is a lack of books, as long as there are learning spirits, children can still obtain e-books or online learning materials through mobile phone or computers. However, I have noticed that almost no one in the local area will spend time reading. As we all know, reading can broaden one’s horizon and improve one’s capabilities, which is the best way for personal and even nation-state progress. The lack of books in the lives of children makes me worried. How can these children get out of poverty without the help of books?

The education system in Bohol

Jagna Central Elementary School

The education system in the Philippines has been highly influenced by the colonial history of the country. That history includes periods of rule and occupation of Spain, the United States, and Japan. The most important and lasting contribution came during America’s occupation of the country, which began in 1898. It was during that time that English was introduced as the primary language of instruction and a public education system was first established – a system modeled on the United Nations.

In Bohol, basic education typically spans 12 years and is structured in a 6+4+2 system: six years in primary school, four years in junior high school, and two years in senior high school, the next step of which is the university for bachelor’s degree. Education is offered by public and private schools. Though the tuition fee for private school is much more expensive than the public one, most parents still tend to send their kids to private school. Even the family struggling for basic needs, for example, my host family, they still try their best to support their children to learn in private school.

School-age children are required to receive primary education and can enjoy free public-school education. However, there are still some children from extremely low-income families do not even go to elementary school because their parents need a hand. For families with a relatively better living condition, they prefer the higher teaching quality and more completed courses offered by private schools.

The management of public schools is relatively loose. Some female students are married at a young age; some of them are even pregnant at 11 years old. The atmosphere of learning is not active in public schools. However, private schools have comprehensive regulations, which are strictly enforced. Most courses are delivered in English, and the curriculum system is well-designed. From language to science and art, students are able to receive an all-round education.

Dream of children

“What do you want to do when you grow up?” When this question was asked, A girl told me that she wanted to be a nurse while her friend wanted to be a teacher. I asked again, “What would you do if you have a million pesos?” The answer from the girl who often said, ‘I hope I am a millionaire’ was beyond my expectations. She said she would go to fast food, give half of her money to her mother with diabetes so that she can go to the hospital for treatment, repair the damaged roof at home, and then distribute the rest of the money to those in need. The girl who dreams of having a spacious and luxurious house and buying many goods in the supermarket every day shows the selflessness and love of the extraordinary people when she considers this question seriously.

Most of the children here have curiosities towards new things. They can feel the joys and sorrows of others. They are compassionate and always willing to offer help to others. If they can get the right guidance, they will have a bright future.

LGBT group in the Philippine and comparison with China

After dinner, Rebecca hastily cleans up the table and rush out of the home. Curiously, Katrina, and I followed her and then found her went to the next door. All of Rebecca family members sat in front of the television. “We are watching Philippine Idol.” Rebecca smiled bashfully.

It was the final of a singing competition called Philippine Idol. Surprisingly, according to Rebecca’s introduction, one of the finalists Lucas Garcia is gay. 

Finalists of “Philippine Idol 2019“

“All of the audience know he’s gay?” I blurted out the question.

“Yes, he admitted publicly.” 

“Is this show popular among Filipinos?” 

“Yes!” They answered in chorus. 

Then the camera turns to the Judge table. Suddenly, Rebecca points out a judge: “Vice Ganda is a gay, too!”   

Vice Gaga

I sat back to my seat in surprise. In China, it’s almost impossible for a singer who admits his LGBT identity to the public to reach the finals in a competition that attracts such high attention. Of course, there are a few famous people publicly declaring their sexual orientation or gender. For example, two debaters in a popular online show called “QIPA Says,” which literally means “the words of weirdoes” admitted they are gay and still became a hit. Besides, there is a famous, transgender dancer in China also often being invited as a judge for dancing competitions. However, she always emphasizes she accepted the surgery because only a female body can display the morbidezza of dance. Instead of genuinely expecting to be a woman, she seemed to emphasize it’s a sacrifice to arts. 

Jinxing, the first transgender dancer in China

These two examples cannot show the open attitude to LGBT group in China. On the contrary, they reflect universal intolerance. These public figures either needs to call themselves weirdoes or defend that they sacrificed for their dream. Otherwise, they probably will be ostracized as outsiders of Chinese society’s mainstream.     

The situation of the LGBT group is much better in Philippine. Although homosexual marriage is still illegal in Philippine, in 2018, Mandaluyong has passed an anti-discrimination law to guard LGBT group’s rights in employment, access to public services, and admission to educational institutions. (Conde, 2018) This ordinance stipulates it’s illegal to express verbal or written insults and establish groups which stir up discrimination to LGBT groups. (Conde, 2018)

Before this trip to Philippine, I was convinced that the level of acceptance to LGBT group in an area is highly related to the level of affluence and popularization of religion in this area. Countries, which legalize homosexual marriage and show high acceptance to the LGBT culture, such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States, usually have high GDP as well. In common sense, people who have religious belief often consider being LGBT is a sin and show discrimination towards such a group. This theory sounds logical because LGBT groups in the rich country tend to be rich so they can invest more money in studying and publicizing why LGBT is a normal phenomenon.  Therefore, in the past, I thought we could only wait for the universal acceptance to LGBT group in China increases naturally as the economy grows, and LGBT people become wealthier. 

However, Philippine, a country has relatively low GDP and the only Christian nation in Asia, becomes the gay-friendliest country in Asia. This counterexample shows me the possibility that instead of waiting for the acceptance naturally increases as China becomes wealthy, we can speed up the progress through methods learned from Philippine. 

While I lived in Philippine for three weeks, I observed that compared to LGBT group in China, Philippine’s LGBT group are more willing to speak and to attend TV shows. Acceptance usually begins with familiarity. Hence, encouraging LGBT group to attend activities that receive much attention of ordinary citizens may be a right way. Besides, the frequent emergence of homosexual stories in Traditional Philippine mythology may also play an important role. (LGBT culture in Philippine, 2019) Although we go back to ancient times to create mythologies for Chinese people, the popularity of online novels offers an opportunity for young people to touch LGBT themed novel and thus get familiar with this group. 

Besides these two methods, in my opinion, there must be more ways we can explore in the future by studying the LGBT culture in Philippine.

Reference list

1. LGBT culture in the Philippines. (2019, August 11). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_culture_in_the_Philippines

2. Philippine City Passes Law Against LGBT Discrimination. (2018, June 05). Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/05/philippine-city-passes-law-against-lgbt-discrimination

Environmentalists in Bohol

By Liu Xiaoyu, Sherrill

Canada- Philippines waste dispute ends up with the Philippines sends trash back to Canada at the end of May. It seems that the Philippines win the battle. Nevertheless, from the perspective of global environmental governance, there is no winner of waste management.

1.   Developing countries: not a garbage dumping ground

China had been the No.1 dumpster accepting solid waste since last century. The cheap scraps boost the emerging economy. For example, a waste plastic bottle from the US is imported by China. It is fused into plastic raw material and rebuilt into the shell of the lighter. Eventually, the lighter will be exported to Europe. The colossal profitability and demand grow global waste transportation. It is recorded that two-thirds of British plastic waste goes to China every year. It seems that people are getting used to delivering waste to somewhere or someone who is “good at” solving it. Yet, with the rise of the economy and the awareness of environment protection, Chinese people start to concern about the air and water pollution. Chinese Ministry of ecology and environment banned 24 types of waste from entering China in 2018. They hope the ban would help to protect China’s environmental interests and people’s health.

It is the trend that more and more developing countries refuse to accept waste that reminds people that waste has never been wiped out. It is barely transferred.

Ironically, without the “dustbin,” many developed countries are at a loss of what to do. Long term dependence on waste transfer makes Western countries lost the ability to handle their waste. After China refused to accept waste, waste importation surged in Malaysia, turkey, Poland, and so on. However, industrial upgrading is an irresistible global trend. The most urgent task is building a self-contained waste management system. Developed countries have sufficient fund and advanced technology. It’s time to switch the concept that garbage collection and recycle industry is dirty and smelly. Actually, its meaningful and high return career with great demand.

2.   Lifestyle in Bohol

In these three weeks in Bohol, I produced less waste than ever before, especially plastic waste. We feed a pig in our homestay, so most of the kitchen waste goes to its food. We burn the plastic bag in the hearth directly. I am not sure whether it is environmentally friendly, but the destination of centralized processing waste is incinerators, isn’t it? 

Bohol gradually carries out an ordinance of regulating all commercial establishments from using plastic bag or cellophane. To better guarantee the effect of law, the corresponding penalty is hefty. For example, the third offense is 2500 peso, which equals to 10 days’ salary of a local low-incomer. The government is considerate and foresee potential problem. For wet goods, local people can still use a plastic bag. I talked about the plastic bag ban with the local. Although inconvenience was bought to the public, most of the people show understanding. “I’m a mother of two boys. Plastic is nondegradable. We are supposed to leave a clean world for the next generation,” a staff working in my business said. 

This reminds me of separate waste collection which just began in Shanghai this summer. Even though many people make fun of the new regulation, most of the people try to learn how to classified waste and keep it up in daily life. Well begun is half done. 

3.   After departure: still an environmentalist

From plastic bag ban to international waste transportation, I’m glad to see more and more people and government raise the awareness of environmental protection. The current situation is messed up. But I believe this is just the beginning of a better future. The waste dispute tells us no one can get out of the responsibility of solving its problem.

Being an environmentalist is difficult in daily life. You need to explain why you don’t need a straw to the staff. You need to ignore other peculiar gazes when you take out your own tableware. You are more likely to get sunburnt when you go diving. Because wearing sun scream while diving will pollute the seawater. It should have been a joint responsibility for everyone to care about the planet. But people around you just “freeride.” 

Whenever I’m discouraged by the severe situation, I will think about the precious days in Bohol. With people like them, I will keep it up and appeal to more friends to join this career.

Resort in Bohol avoid offering plastic tableware