The Health Education and Academics Thailand (H.E.A.T.) sent an email inviting me to attend the H.E.A.T. Anti-Aging Congress for 2023. I declined. I’m frail and too old to attend.
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Where do companies obtain our personal data? Yeah, alright, we give it to them willingly whenever we purchase online, even offline, mind you. I guess it’s a question of whether you’re “in” or you’re “out” of the loop. You get both ends of the stick: the service you want in exchange for the personal information you give. I used to go to “Palawan” or “Cebuana” to claim the pittance periodically sent me; and every time I did, I had to accomplish their KYC (Know Your Customer form; how many times in a month did they need to renew our acquaintance) plus an acceptable government ID to boot. PayMaya (pay the bird, now referred to simply as the Bird) and GCash (pronounced as G-kas) spared me Steps 1-2-3 but the personal data I had to part with at the onset were the same if not a wee bit more. Nonetheless, I am very happy Congressional inquiries were conducted recently to address customers concerns about disappearing “kas”.
Just one more. Not too long ago, someone told me, yes, it was not a personal experience, a love hotel gave a 20% discount on its wash up rate. All the customer had to do was give HIS thumb print and voila! drive in! I wonder what they’re now doing with the thousands of thumbprints they have in their data base.
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“ATENEO still leads Philippine universities in real-world impact ranking” – headline. I wonder if it’s neighbor in Diliman leads in the meta verse rankings. You’ll never know given the fact that universities and colleges are falling all over themselves to outdo each other. I hope the quality of education does not suffer in the process.
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Cable television system owners, especially those operating outside highly urbanized centers, are feeling the pinch of decreasing number of subscribers. They continue to face an uncertain level of profitability. The recent consolidation (merger, is it?) of 2 giant content/program distributors in the country has sidelined them further. Thanks to the efforts of the Federation of International Cable TV Associations of the Philippines (FICTAP) and the Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTA) for assisting their respective members to enter the broadband market via the internet. Cable internet service uses the same coaxial cable network as cable television to provide homes with internet. The competitive advantage of the so-called “small” cable TV operators is that they are already on the ground with their infrastructure. Some can even provide both “middle mile” and “last mile” connectivity. Nonetheless, I hope the 2 nationwide associations can help members to obtain lower wholesale prices from the giant telcos.
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Congratulations to my dear friend Alvin N. Blanco in his appointment as NTC Deputy Commissioner. The soft-spoken and mild-mannered new DepCom is very competent and truly qualified for the post. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field. Prior to his appointment, he headed the Commission’s Broadcast Services Division for a good number of years. We anticipate a smoother and more streamlined processing of documents especially for broadcast matters at the NTC.
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You have a bright idea but not enough capital to see it through? Well, there’s an angel in your midst. I found myself in that situation once and called on Investor Relations guru Cora Guidote to help me out. She pointed me to the direction of the Angel Investment Network. Go to the group’s site. Not only do you get a chance to attract investors to your dream enterprise but you also learn to flesh out the details of the business you want to get into. The Q and A and annexes they require will clarify the chances of your success. Believe this: business is not all guts!
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The House of Representatives and the Senate ratified recently House Bill 7551 and Senate Bill 2212 also known as the “Regional Specialty Centers Act.” The measures call for the establishment of 231 specialty centers across the regions and regional branches of the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and Philippine Cancer Center.
“Upon the enactment of this Act, the DOH will establish at least one specialty center in every region within five years based on the area’s top burden of disease and special needs,” the DOH said.
I wholeheartedly support this. What former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos begun in the 70’s has finally caught on!
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“LGBTQ members allegedly assault transgender woman outside beauty pageant” – headline.
I am saddened by this turn of events. For the community to move forward, it must show that members are united under one banner of Pride.
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I am celebrating my birthday soon. I will send PHP250.00 each to the first 20 readers who like and SHARE today’s (Sunday) PILIPINO Mirror edition. Please send your name, and GCash or PayMaya mobile/account number to [email protected] Cheers!
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Something New for An Old Dog: A screwdriver, an 8-inch adjustable wrench, and a pair of pliers with a cutter are all you need in your tool box. No, forget about the box. Just wrap the tools in a worn-out bimpo (face towel). Go for it, MacGyver!