FAMILY FARM LOT/HOME LOT  AVAILABLE !!!  AS  LOW  AS  P200T  per  square meter,  Wt.  MANGO  AND  RAMBUTAN  TREES,  &  MINERAL  SPRING  WATER.  LOCATION:  SAMPALOC,  RIZAL – THE   PROPOSED   15^th  municipality  of   Rizal, & the 3^rd  COLDEST  SPOT  IN  THE  COUNTRY;  SAFE AND  SECURE  PROPERTY,  IDEAL  FOR   VACATION/REST HOUSE,  FOR   UNWINDING  AND  FOR   RECHARGING  THROUGH THE  POTENT  ENERGIZING    POWER  OF  THE   SOIL.  FEEL THE  HEAT  OF  THE   EARTH. 

           WHOOZ!!! BREEZY PLACE! :)

v City dwellers  can  have  closer ties with nature, with where their food comes from, with growing things.

v The  climatic, geographic, environmental, cultural,  and  security   conditions  in our small   farms   promote  environmental  sustainability, and   health  through  organic  farming.   Farming  is  the  way   of the future.

v Small family farms are the backbone of a community, a nation, and of society as a whole. A landscape of family farms is settled, balanced and stable, and generally sustainable. It  is  the natural shape of society on the land. Such communities aggregate into strong and secure nations.

v Low-cost food  shall  be  possible   through   small     farms  that   sustain  the  needs  of  the   family.  

v Small  family  farms   adopt  techniques  that  maintain   soil  fertility

  

v The main benefit is health: healthy crops and livestock, healthy soil, and healthy yields, along with low input costs.

v Our nation's economic foundation is built on the backs of   small farmers.  The survival and success  of  small  farms  is   important not   only  to their families, but  also  to consumers, rural communities, the environment, and the global economy. 

v Society benefits from organic food  come in several ways:  it  develops  a local sustainable food economy, addresses  the concerns for their own health, reduce the chemical pollution of the soil, air and water, and reduce land erosion.

v Most importantly, organic agriculture offers an answer to the environment improvement programs established by our governments.

v It  is  industrialization that collapses rural economies, driving the farmers into factories and city slums, fodder for economic growth and a "development" that turns a country from food self-sufficiency to a producer of commodities with massive food import bills 

v Soil erosion, loss of organic matter, hardening of soil, chemical penetration, nutrient depletion, excess salinity and other damage can  be  reduced  through  family  farming.

v The  small  organic  farm   can  help   build  a  strong  economy  for  our  country

MA. FRANCIA  BENGCO

Exclusive  Agent

0916-5159858, 0999-8091655,  0922-4610048

email:  greencodesystems@yahoo.com     savedremnants@gmail.com

FLASH FLOODS SURPRISE MANY NATIONS OF THE WORLD

Why do we get disastrous flash floods everywhere? Well, some people would say the end of the world is near. Not quite, I think. Environmentalists are doing their best to reverse the damage humans have done to our mother earth. However, the beneficial result of their efforts might take a century to manifest. Remember, human activity has been changing the face of the earth for the last 5 thousand years.

So while we can protect the lives of our families from the catastrophe of natural calamities, why not do it? Let’s help save our planet by being earth-friendly, by taking care of our environment, by saving our trees, by not polluting our seas and rivers, etc. In the meantime, let’s try to avoid building our houses on the level of bodies of water, let’s not build our houses atop earthquake fault lines, let’s move our residences away from frequently flooded places.

Move to a flood-free, earthquake-proof house and lot for a low to low-middle income family. Ondoy had ravaged many parts of Luzon, but this place was dry and safe.

The  property   has  a  lot area  of  60m2  ,  a  veranda  overlooking  the  Lagro Grotto  Resort,   A  living  room,  1  bathroom,  kitchen/dining  area,  2 bedrooms,    a  mini  swimming  pool which   could  be  filled  up to  4-5  feet  of  water.  It  is  ideal  for  kids,  for  adult  water  exercises for  therapy  or  health  maintenance,  and  most  importantly,  for  family  bonding. Parking lot is common to 5 homes.

 It  is  close  to  a   shopping mall,  Susana  Mart,  the  Mercury  Drug  store,   hardwares,  service shops,  banks: (PNB, Metrobank, BPI, Landbank),  and  schools (both private & Public)   are  just  mere  walking  distance.   Greenwich,   Jolibee,   Chowking  and  other  food  shops   have already been  operating  in the   community.  Food  in the   wet   MARKET  is  cheaper compared  with  Metro Manila    because of  the  proximity   to   food  suppliers & farms.  The subdivision is part of the province of Bulacan which  is  still  very  much  an  agricultural   province. So this is the reason food prices are cheaper.  The   NEIGHBORHOOD  is  peaceful, it  is  a  SUBDIVISION  COMMUNITY ESTABLISHED  BY A  FORMER  JESUIT  CATHOLIC  PRIEST  who  had  dreams  of  building  affordable  homes   and   ideal  communities  for   Filipinos.   He   required   the  housing  applicants   to   attend  a  2-week  seminar  on  responsible  home  ownership  and   harmonious  social   interaction  within  the  community  itself.  Skyline General Hospital and Medical Center a 5-storey Class A Hospital to be built on Quirino Highway, Barangay Tungkong Mangga. (Beside INC Gumaoc).

I  was  able  to utilize the  entire  60   square  meter  lot   by  expanding  the  floor  area  to  almost  60 square  meters  too ,  because I  used  the  frontage  for  a  veranda,  and  the  back  for  a  kiddie  pool.  So  now  the  Floor  Area  is  also  60  square meters. Most important of all is that the full steel roofing structure allows for a concrete or wooden second storey.- Maria Francia Bengco

For inquiries, please message me at 0999-8091655

How to Tell if the Guy You're Dating is Married

         Research shows that roughly 40 million American singles use online dating and social networking sites to meet new people. Approximately 13.5 million Americans using online dating services are married. If you are serious about finding your true love in an online dating service, make sure you don’t deal with married people.

        

         These are the indicators that the man you met through the dating site is married:

         1. He's never around during Sundays or holidays. Holidays are spent with the family. You can’t be together on Valentine’s Day. You would either have a date before or after that day.

         2. He’s usually not available during late nights every night during the week. He can’t call you, and you can’t get him on the phone. He tells you he goes to bed early so he can go to work early.   

         3. He can’t stay long on the phone during late nights and his voice is either muffled, or almost whispering when he answers your call.

         4. You’ve never been to his house. You haven’t met his Mom, and his other close relatives. These people usually won’t consent to infidelities so he won’t introduce his mistress (you) to them.  

         5. There’s a tan-line, a sign, that a ring was recently taken off his ring finger.

         6. He selects the places you go to. These are usually out of town, never near his place of residence or office. He gives strange reasons for not wanting to go to certain places, parks, restaurants, or public places.

         7. He doesn’t or refuses to give you his home phone number. You only have his cellphone and wireless land phone.

         8. Sometimes he will not answer his cellphone when you are together. If a certain call becomes repetitive and constant, he gives an excuse that the phone signal is weak so he has to go out or walk farther away from you to get a better signal. You don’t hear him talking on the phone. When he returns, you sense that he is no longer focused, a little distracted, anxious, or even hurried. Was it the wife asking him to get some groceries and bring them home? Is there a family emergency?

 

         9. If he restrains you from hard kissing or soft-biting his ears, lips, chin, or neck, he doesn’t want kiss marks to appear on his skin. Only a married man won’t want to show off his kiss marks.

         10. He uses cash (never credit cards) to pay for your restaurant bills, resorts, airline tickets, and shops so that his expense activities won’t show on the billing statements that are sent to the home address.

         11. There are times when you don’t hear from him at all so you get a little worried and try to call him on his phone. There’s no answer. You become even more worried. That’s the time he will call and tell you:  “Love, I will explain later..Don’t worry.” (Was he dealing with guilty feelings?)

         12. His wallet contains a picture of children or a woman with children.

         13. His lovemaking is the best you’ve ever had. Of course, he has the necessary experience, and he does his best to compensate for certain things—such as the marriage that he will never be able to offer. He wants you to become addicted to him, so you’d find it extremely difficult to want another man, not even a unattached guy.

         14.  He alludes to “things he will tell you later.” There’s an air of mystery in him. It’s something that enchants you even more.

         15. When you become suspicious, or he senses that you are starting to get suspicious, he will confess that he’s …been wanting to tell you about the truth—that he is married—but just couldn’t find the right time to do it. He apologizes and gets even more romantic, solicitous, and wonderfully attentive. This stage of confession happens only after he senses that you are already deliriously in love with him. After all, he has been hearing you moan your ecstatic appreciation of his great lovemaking.

         Don’t wait for this confession stage to happen. By that time it could already be too late.  If you become suspicious of a guy’s status, do some research immediately to confirm your gut feeling. Marriages are public records and quite easy to obtain.

         Then don’t become involved with him anymore. Otherwise, you’d ruin your chances of meeting the right guy.  - Maria Francia Bengco

Are you in a Love-Hate Relationship?

          We are all aware of couples who fight a lot and yet could not stay apart. Their union incorporates aspects of both love and hate. Their relationship may aptly be called a love-hate relationship. Extreme love and extreme hate occur in their relationship simultaneously or alternatingly. 

          It happens when a couple who has lost a loving relationship still feel committed to each other. It can exist from the very start, such as during the dating stage when one realizes that the other has told lies but they are still attracted to each other. It could happen during marriage when a couple who have loved and admired each other start to dislike each other for one reason or another, such as when one suspects the other of unfaithfulness. These couples still engage in active sex that usually lacks tenderness and often involves roughness. 

          Hate shouldn’t play a part in any loving relationship. When you become aware of love and hate coexisting in your togetherness, here are helpful suggestions:

          1. Accept that there is a problem so you can start working towards fixing it.

          2. Resolve the underlying issues that are causing it. It might not be easy.

          3. Identify the cause of the “hate” in your relationship and deal with it.       

          4. Develop the “love” part and eliminate the “hate” part.

          5. Both of you should work together to change and improve your relationship.

          6. If you can’t seem to make any progress despite your mutual efforts, seek  professional help. A marriage counselor knows how to help you stay focused on your goal of improving your relationship.

          Change will happen because change is a constant part of life. 

          Wish you the best of luck!

         

WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION

        You’ve probably come across the phrase “optimize your website” and the  acronyms SEO/SEM. These terminologies refer to the process of making  your  website highly accessible among  the millions of websites in the internet. SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization, an artistic and scientific procedure to help your prospective customers/audience find you easily when they need your product or service. SEM means Search Engine Marketing, the process of creating, offering, and delivering goods and services to customers through the strategic use of search engine optimization principles.

     Here are a few essential SEO terms. Most of these were either lifted or  adapted from www.seamoz.org,unless otherwise indicated. Others are my own explanations. (You may check for other available definitions if necessary):

Aging delay. Search engines have  a  way of recognizing if a website  is  very new and these newly-launched sites are allowed to wait until they come of  age. This is similar to the term: “first come, first served.” Senior websites (6 months old and up) get prioritized for higher ranking.

Black Hat. These are optimization practices that are against search  engine policies. The penalty is removal from the index of  search engines.

Bot. (robot, spider) This is a program which acts autonomously. Search  engines use these to index or retrieve web pages. Spammers  use  bots, too, for their questionable intentions.

Cloaking. The  practice of delivering different content to the search  engine spider than seen by the human users. This is considered a  “Black Hat” tactic  and carries a virtual death penalty of the website or domain. It is  banned from the  search engine  results once discovered.

CMS. Content Management System. This is a publishing system that is  used for storing, controlling, revising, semantically enriching, and  publishing  documents such as articles, movies, pictures, phone numbers, scientific data, etc. (adapted  from  Wikipedia)

Content. (text, copy,images) The part  of a  web page  that is  intended  to  have value for and be of interest to the  user.

Density. (keyword density) the percentage of times a keyword or key phrase appears on a page in proportion with the total number of words on the same page.

 The more times the keyword appears in relation to the total number of on page words, the greater the overall keyword density. 

Doorway. (or gateway) A  web page  that is  designed  specifically  to  attract  traffic  from  a search  engine which immediately  redirects users  to  another   site or  page. This is also considered as cloaking. 

Stay around for more optimization terminologies in the next blogs. Copyright 2011 Ma. Francia O. Bengco. (All rights reserved)

COULD YOU BE A TEENAGE IDOL?

Could you be a movie Star? 

When I turn on my TV will you smile and wave at me, 
telling Oprah who you are?

       So goes Michael Buble’s song “Hollywood,”  the theme song of American Idol.

The 10th season of American Idol (2011) is once again giving its millions of viewers every eye-popping, dazzling, jaw dropping performances that had made this phenomenon a huge success.  

      Simon Fuller created American Idol as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol which was inspired by the Australian TV show Popstars. The program aims to discover the best singer in the country where viewers can vote for their favorites through telephone calls or SMS. The show has produced Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, and Charice Pempengco.

          It is “still the number 1 Television Show,” according to the Nielsen charts, and “the most impactful show in the history of television,” “It has become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars,” according to Entertainment Weekly. The talent show has garnered almost every viewership demographics on the TV ratings. “The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated.

                                          Image Credit:  Washington Post

Simon Phillip Cowell, who along with Simon Fuller, had introduced American Idol to the U.S., is also known as  Mr.Nasty and Judge Dread.  He dropped out of school at the age of 16.  Says that the first time he gave a criticism was at age four when he looked at his mother's white fuzzy pillbox hat and remarked  “Mum, you look like a poodle” His father was a company executive at EMI. He worked as a mail boy at EMI and eventually worked his way to become an A&R representative.

      In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his U.S. earnings at $45 million for the year.

He ranked no. 6 in the 2008 Telegraph's list: “The 100 most powerful people in British culture”. In the same year, he earned an estimated $72 million in income from his various projects. $45 million from American Idol, $15 million from Britain's Got Talent and X Factor, and $12 million from his record label.  He was included in Time magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People in the World- Artists’ category.”   

          Last January 11, 2010, Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving American Idol to pursue introducing his British show The X Factor to the USA for 2011. Kara DioGuardi also left the show on September 3, 2010 after two seasons. On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join the judging panel.

American Idol tends to be scrutinized more than any other TV show. The viewers are frustrated when their favorites are voted off, or when their favorite contestants are too harshly reproached. 

The show has a panel of judges who critique the contestants’ performances, but at the end, it is the viewers who vote for the winners. The original three judges were Grammy Award-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, Grammy Award-winning pop singer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Paula Abdul and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell.

The judging panel currently  consists of Jackson, singer Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. The trio is a lot gentler than the previous set of judges.


  American Idol has already been labeled by competing network executives as the death star of prime time television. Since its inception in the summer of 2002, no other TV show has managed to top its number one ranking for 6 consecutive seasons.  This is truly a feat no competitor has surpassed in many years, according to television authorities.  

HOW THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKS

During the show, contenders perform famous songs in their own rendition for the judges to provide their opinion,  but it is the on-shore viewers’  weekly vote for their favorite performers  which influences the outcome, eventually narrowing down the competition to two finalists who compete for a major recording contract and the prestigious title of American idol. Those who audition are evaluated by the judges in varying categories such as talent, ability, look and style. Tens of thousands of eager contestants are cut down to a shortlist of future artists who perform on air weekly.

After viewing contestants perform songs each week, home audiences vote for their favorites. The results are announced weekly during the live broadcast -- until only two finalists remain. Following the series’ 2-part premiere, the home viewing audience determine which contestants advanced to the next round (and the possibility of stardom) - by casting their vote weekly via telephone or via text-messaging. During the live season finale, the final 2 solo performers will vie for a major recording contract, with the voting audience at home choosing the “American Idol.”

Critics have predicted the death star to be losing its magnitude and pull on the viewer’s interest because of the recent events, the resignation of the famous judges, the excessive reproach for the contestants, and many other factors. The other original judges like Paula Abdul (2002–2009), Kara DioGuardi (2009–2010), Ellen DeGeneres (2010) losing faith in keeping the TV program afloat. But even so the Fox TV network is still hopeful that the fresh arrival of entertainment giants like Steven Tyler, and the return of Jennifer Lopez are now helping to re-align this talent show back on course.

It is back on course. This 2011, we have the Top 12 Guys and the Top 12 girls to choose from. James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, and Scotty McCreery  are the favorites among the guys. Who is your favorite among the Top 12 Girls?  Do you think 15-year old Thia Megia (full name Thialorei Lising Megia) would win this Season’s crown? - Copyright 2011. Ma. Francia Bengco 

BUSINESS THROUGH THE SOCIAL MEDIA

The term social media refers to the social networks that, you and your friends are most likely very familiar with. A social medium serves as a channel or venue of social expression and inter-connection. People are joining these networks for friendship, relationship, social networking, business, or entertainment. One joins it by creating an account, providing the required personal information/description, or company information. A member is represented as an account user through the personal profile, a social link, and other services. Members share their interests, activities, and interact with one another. Examples of these social networks are Facebook, Googable, YouTube, Badoo, Friendster, Twitter, Bebo, MySpace, Linkedln, and Multiply.

A few emerging sites with new features are foursquare, google buzz, loopt, blippy, and groupon. Membership in these popular social media sites can provide a list of benefits. It is a  venue for establishing friendships,  relationships, building  support  networks,  forming  new business  ideas, and business connections. According to Wikipedia, an estimated 200 social networking sites worldwide had been reported as of 2008.  

Social networking sites have been evolving as another medium for internet business strategy. People post messages, photos, videos, and links for the purpose of distributing marketing messages. You can actually increase your sales by posting links to your main website in these social media networking sites. Aside from building personal friendship, or relationships, the other purposes of social media are:

¨     as venue for self-expression (blogs, forums)

¨     socio-economic advocacies for the common  good  

¨     Exchange of  information/ideas among the members of the network,

¨     Real-time broadcasts for various purposes

¨     Educational communication tool between teachers and students

¨     Grassroots organizing for some sectors of society

¨     Career Development, Employment opportunities/internship 

¨     business networking for various purposes

¨     global advertising 

¨     Building brand image and brand networking

¨     Social media pages  are now admissible as court evidence

¨     Other related purposes

You can expand your business quickly by creating user accounts in these various  social sites and by inviting the members  of your social networks  to  view the  products  or  services in your  website.

 

Trusting relationships can be developed through simple ways such as: 1) Welcoming new  friends, 2) communicating your positive values in your activity updates; 3) sharing learning experiences, 4)posting helpful tips, 5) greeting friends on their birthdays and other significant occasions, 6) sending them personal messages, 7) writing positive, inspiring comments, 8) using bookmarks, setting up widgets, feeds, rss; and by 9)optimizing your social media sites through the use of  appropriate  keywords and  phrases.  

You can engage your friends to comment by posting interesting, timely, helpful, or  exciting newsbits or  comments. This is a way of proving that you’re giving value to your friends/prospective customers. This is an effective way to build trusting and lasting relationships. Trust is the basic foundation of all relationships so when it is time to start selling, it is prudent to ask permission first.

 Your business can gain online friends and customers through social networking. You can keep on adding friends or groups to grow your social network, establish relationships,  build trust  among  your friends through  friendly messages, notes, posts, and links. Gradually work your way towards your goal, which is, of course, your marketing goal. The key indicators  of your success would  be the 1) growth of  your network, 2) the  number of  site  visits, 4) comments, impressions, 5) leads, sales leads, and  6) revenue.

Whatever your reason for using these social media sites, the same etiquette observed in other social settings apply:

1. Don’t use your personal account for your business. Create a separate business page or account.

2. Respect everybody.  If you happen to know a friend’s secret, keep it private. Do not carelessly broadcast it on his/her wall.

3. Quality over quantity. Build quality friendship. Choose your friends. Quality relationships usually last longer and are more reliable.

4. Don’t push your product, service, or envelopes much too often. Once every 6 months would be enough. Remember that, except for a few new additions, you are dealing with almost the same set of friends/contacts every day.  The more you persist, the more likely they will resist, until you get purged from their list.

5. Multiple posts in a single day could choke the home pages of those with over 3000 friends. This could prompt some members to hide or completely remove certain posts to free their display.

6. Review your posts before sharing/publishing them. Is it the truth? Or something of value, beneficial, fair, or just?

7. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. This is the golden rule in all social settings. - Copyright 2011. Ma. Francia Bengco

Sleepless in Manila

               National legislations and local ordinances imposing non-disruptive behavior in public places, especially in school zones, churches, and residential neighborhoods are too numerous. Most of these “silence” regulations are usually implemented at night in due respect for people who sleep at night and work during the day. The fact that most people are usually asleep and quiet at evening time promotes tranquility for their fellow nighttime sleepers.

               On the other hand, thousands of daytime sleepers, such as call center agents who, in their own humble way, contribute significantly to the economy of the country, are still not protected by any such legislation. These agents who have to work at night and sleep during the day cannot enjoy the same peace and quiet in the neighborhood because it is during the day that most people engage in the hard, sometimes loud, pursuit of personal interests and goals. People are preoccupied with their trade and transactions, actively participating in community social affairs and door-to-door dealings. They boast of their  singing voices and ear-popping music, especially during festive merrymaking. It is during the day that phones are ringing, TV sets are blaring, road workers are drilling, cars are honking, dogs are barking, and little kids are screaming.

               A law protecting the right of night workers to a restful slumber during the daytime in a peaceful environment that observes the same placid privilege of nighttime sleepers, is becoming necessary. After all, not every call center agent enjoys the comfort of sound-proofed bedroom walls in spacious homes. -Copyright 2009, Maria Francia Bengco

AN EMERGING NEW WAVE OF MODERN-DAY HEROES

              Overseas Contract Workers (OFW) are considered to be the country’s modern-day heroes because of the huge remittances they send home that boost the country’s economy. Moreover, in their noble goal of providing better lives for their families, they sacrifice a lot by being away from their loved ones, by being alone and lonely at night, to work and interact with a foreign culture, in a distant foreign land.

               There are nurses who work as caregivers, doctors who work as nurses, artists who work as singers, dancers, or general entertainers, engineers who work as technical support personnel, and even licensed teachers who work as domestic helpers. They try to raise their families from a distance. A few of them becoming oppressed laborers and slaves, sometimes coming home in crutches, physically and psychologically disabled. A number of them even come home in wooden caskets. The foreign remittances of these modern-day heroes sent through the formal channels range from US$6B – $8B (2006-2008) every year. This amount goes directly to their families, with the government getting only a certain percentage of it in the form of taxes. The net income that the government earns from these remittances is approximately P11.5 B each year. The foreign currency, of course, remains in the government coffers.

               To show its concern over the OFWs’ wellbeing and plight, the government provides assistance in the form of contingency funds, helpdesks, and other support mechanisms. Philippine consulates in these foreign lands are also provided with an annual budget for this purpose. In addition, national-level politicians include OFWs’ concerns among their top priority projects. As there are millions of these OFWs, their votes, as well as those of their relatives, comprise millions, too.

               In comparison, today’s contact center agents have their own form of sacrifices, too. They work during the so-called graveyard shift, risking limb and life to muggers, hustlers, and snatchers who, alongside them, under the cover of darkness, also ply their shady trade. These agents sometimes miss a considerable amount of sleep during the day because it is easier to get sufficient sleep during normal nighttime rest hours when everybody else is asleep and quiet. Daytime sleep is affected by all the hustle and bustle of people’s daytime trades, chores, and leisure and entertainment activities. Despite all these, agents are expected to perform to their optimum at work. Drawing quick breaths in-between high-frequency calls, they expel the same life-sustaining air during each customer interaction, with the same air-sucking cycle repeated almost a hundred times during each working night. Their job performance is measured meticulously by the so-called balanced scorecards, a strategic planning and management system which had evolved from the original design of Kaplan and Norton.

               Moreover, despite their working at odd hours, contact center agents are still able to raise a family, continue their own college or graduate schooling, send their own children to school, attend community socio-civic activities, and even maintain leisure schedules for their own and their family’s wellbeing. A considerable number of female contact agents are solo parents, raising one or two kids. These agents dutifully carry out their work responsibility of serving the needs of the clients’ customers. They have to maintain customer satisfaction so that the clients would be able to maintain and expand their businesses at lower operating and administrative costs. This is how contact center agents contribute significantly, not just to the national, but also to the global economy; significantly fueling the economy as their numbers increase each year.

               According to PEZA, the country now has 788 Contact Centers in over 20 key cities and with an approximate two hundred sixty thousand employees. The Board of Investments predicted this number to grow to 431,000.  In an investment –friendly political environment, this prediction could materialize.

               The government has tagged the contact center business as the "Sunshine industry" because of its very fast and massive expansion over the last 10 years. These contact center agents are the same people who make this sunshine industry one of the strong pillars of the Philippine economy. With an approximate 260,000 plus agents paying income taxes every year at an approximate average of P30,000 to P38,000 per agent per year, this translates to a net income of approximately P7.8B to P9.88B for the Philippine government. It is the net amount, and it’s fast approaching the figure earned by the government from the recorded official OFW remittances each year. With moderately strong purchasing power, contact center agents infuse money into the financial system steadily throughout the year, not just during certain peak seasons, such as Christmas, which is the seasonal market infusion by the family-beneficiaries of our OFWs. In addition, the government also benefits from the corporate taxes paid by every BPO/Contact Center company. The industry’s growth is assured, as long as investor-friendly executives are elected to top government posts.  

               So we have our modern-day heroes, the OFWs, with strong foreign currency remittances. And we also have our contact center agents, with their equally strong income tax payments and steady purchasing infusion into the market. Could they be the strong reasons this economy is staying afloat? Could they not be considered an emerging new wave of modern-day heroes? If this is so, perhaps the government can also establish the same support mechanism that it provides to OFWs. Currently, internal support and care is provided by the BPO/Contact Center companies to its employees. But outside of the work environment, in the dark streets of the cities, these agents who rub elbows with the hoodlums who also work during the same odd hours of the night, also need the protection of the government. Perhaps police outposts could be established in strategic areas for this purpose? The company- hired security guards are expected to protect the best interests of the company, and these workers, the agents, need some protection outside of the company premises. The local police is equipped with the mandate, the weapon, and the power to apprehend these criminals, or to engage them in hand to hand or armed combat.

               Let us make our streets safe for all; and during the graveyard hours, let us make these streets safe for our emerging modern-day heroes. Heroes need not be dead. They can help the country better if they are alive. –copyright 2009, Ma. Francia O. Bengco