Letter to a Coffee Queen

To: Ms. X
Philippine Coffee Board


Dear Ms X,

I write to express my extreme disappointment with the “don’t call us, we’ll call you” policy practiced by your staff for the organization that you represent.

This practice shows either misguided haughtiness, laziness or a lack of proper education in business ethics where respect and courtesy are given importance. It is also not worthy of an organization that appropriated the name of the Philippines to project representation of a national interest only to be selectively accessible to those who pass the grade of your social economic discrimination.

While I had respectfully written you a letter over a month ago requesting for a meeting, I received no definite feedback from your staff on whether a meeting is possible or not. Cognizant of your busy schedule on account of your work, I had limited my follow up to once a week until I gave up trying to get an answer.

When I happened to see you at the Kape Isla last 28 July 2009, I thought it would be a good opportunity to follow up on my request but I found it incredible that though I was a mere few feet away from you, your staff could still prevent me from having a few seconds of your precious time and haughtily drive me away with a lofty “don’t call us, we’ll call you” mantra.

I could have gone over the heads of your overprotective staff as you had acknowledged my presence with a brief smile. But I had lost interest in my original purpose and only wanted to tell your staff that what they are doing is ugly and wrong. Will they be doing the same if I were white and looking filthy rich or will they grovel and fall over themselves to bring me to you? If it is the latter, what does this make of you?

I bother to write this letter because I held you in high esteem. We may have different stations in life but in the end we are all in the same boat. We may commit ourselves to great missions in life, but in the end, it is the little details of civilized living like courtesy, respect and equal treatment of others that make our society a better place.

Peace.

Just a thought

It is a long lonely road to follow a dream, so one should not let dimwits and pompous assholes stand in one's way.

An OTOPian Idea for Pateros

OTOP stands for One Town One Product. It is a government program to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs.

Pateros, my hometown, would have an ideal OTOP since it has traditionally been known for its duck egg industry, especially the “balut” which is a duck embryo delicacy so loved by many people and reviled by as many others. Unfortunately, the balut industry in Pateros is itself on the wane due to a confluence of several factors.

For one, the river that could sustain duck raising has become very polluted and has almost vanished. For another, the land area of Pateros, by some political administrative decisions have drastically been reduced and urbanization has made it impractical to use precious real estate for raising ducks. Thus only a few old Pateros families cling on to the balut making business.

With a land area of 210 hectares Pateros is the smallest town in Metro Manila. With a population of 62,590 (2008) and very little local resource, it will be very difficult to identify an OTOP product that can be competetively manufactured in the town, create jobs and engage the entire community.

But in every problem, there is an opportunity. Our town may be small, but that does not mean that it can not be great.

I would like to propose to the local government of Pateros and to my kababayans that apart from having our own OTOP, we turn Pateros into the OTOP center of the country. Our barangays can be turned into areas corresponding to the thirteen regions of the Philippines plus that of the NCR, Cordillera and the ARMM. Each barangay can then host the OTOP of the provinces and town of their corresponding regions. Pateros will then be a living, breathing museum and showcase of Philippine products.

The benefits of this idea are many:
- Trade and traffic will increase boosting local income
- Increased traffic will spawn new businesses and create jobs
- The town will be a tourist destination as tourists who can not go to far flung places in the country can just go to Pateros
- Pateros can draw the attention of big business and developers opening opportunities for Pateros to renew and recreate itself as a modern progressive town

This OTOPian idea is admittedly ambitious, But it is not impossible. What is important is for the entire community to buy into the idea and take part in making this idea come true. The alternative is to let Pateros stagnate into insignificance trampled by the economic might of its city neighbors Makati, Pasig and Taguig.