Your Slogan: "You're in Good Hands"

to: HR Department / Metrobank Card Corp.

It's so wonderful to hear your mother company's slogan "You're in Good Hands".....
however, it is completely a reversal in reality.
Kindly refer to the one of the issues below that I already sent to the two of the major TV networks yesterday, December 28.
I would like to make it clear that this is not to embarrass your company but all my family wanted is to correct your system - especially in paying ON TIME what is due to your employees who already resigned from your company.

Remember, what is involved here is the backpay and 13th month pay of my daughter, unfortunately this was her first job after graduating from college.
2007 is almost over ---- and yet the 13th month pay of my daughter is still UNPAID.

This is not to harass you but I just want JUSTICE for my daughter ---- if this will not be resolved by January 4, I will again send you a follow up letter and that time I will have the Department of Labor and Employment and other media entities copied in my mail.

By that time, you and your company will really be in good hands.......just like your slogan.

Respectfully and sincerely yours,

Neilito F. Degoma
[A parent trying to help my daughter get her rights]

Two Issues

Dear Gentlemen/Ladies,

I would like to formally report to you two issues that I and my daughter had experienced --- knowing that both of you are known entities that can possibly help us attaining justice --- since I believed that reporting to the office concerned in the two issues may just went to deaf ears and blind eyes.

13th month Pay still unpaid by MetroBank Card Corp.

My eldest daughter (Mae Reselaine Limeta Degoma) previously worked with MetroBank Card Corp. as Customer Service Representative. A fresh graduate of St.Paul University Manila, she joined MetroBank Card Corp. last April 23, 2007. However, due to the nature of her work , stress and pressures from both her superior and clients, she decided to file her resignation last Sept. 10, 2007, for which a 30-day period notice had to be followed, such that the actual date that she officially resigned from MetroBank Card Corp was last October 10, 2007. She left the company with still pending payment of her last salary pay and her 13th month Pay ---- as she was told by the HR dept. of MetroBank Card Corp that she can only get these backpay and 13th month Pay after 35 days she had resigned with the company.

More than 35 days had passed, my daughter tried to call up MetroBank Card Corp's HR dept. to folow up the payment of he backpay and 13th month Pay but unfortunately she was told that it is still being processed as they (MetroBank Card Corp) has to prioritized their regular/current employees' 13th month Pay and bonuses. Many times that my daughter had tried to follow up with them but the same reply she got from MetroBank Card Corp.---- it appeared that the person on the other line don't know how and what to answer my daughter on the phone.

Isn't it that it is a law and a common practice that a company should pay the resigned employee whatever financial benefits that he/she is entitled --- on or as soon as he/she left the company? Why is it that MetroBank Card Corp is still holding off the payment of my daughter's backpay and 13th month pay?

I decided to report this to you as this is just a simple case not to be brought to Department of Labor and Employement -- as I believed that bringing this up with DoLE will only requires more time this case to be resolved.

My daughter is telling me that there is also no point in keep on directly complaining with MetroBank Card Corp. since being a former insider, my daughter is saying that superiors don't really act to clients' or even internal employees' problems. Meaning, they just don't care. Their kind of service is really something that had to be exposed to the public ---- it is not a customer-oriented company ----- it is just like a case of a "wolf hiding in the lamb's fleece".

How long will my daughter ever be paid for her backpay and her 13th month Pay? ---- We really don't know......unless you can help us intervene on this issue.

15-hour Application filling for a new Passport at DFA

This is one for the books.
Imagine, for one to file an application for a new passport at the Dept.of Foreign Affairs, it needs 15 hours to complete the process???
Only in the Philippines? and at the time or age of computer technology???
The same daughter of mine as mentioned above requested me to accompany her in filling the application for a new passport at DFA last Thursday, December 27, 2007. So fortunate then that I was already on vacation from my work since December 18 until January 1, so it was not a problem for me to accompany her on that day.
We arrived in DFA at about 9:00 am in the morning and there had already been a long queue outside, along Libertad St.
My daughter immediately lined up after having her photographs taken from a nearby studio. I then asked an employee there if how long will the process takes --- for which it would be normal to have it done in 3 hours. I expected that my daughter can finish it by 12noon the earliest or by 2:00 pm the latest.
But then again, to my surprise, when most of the shops outside the DFA area were already closed at 5:00 pm, my daughter still not finished with the process. In fact when I texted her as to what's the progress of her processing, she was still to complete the "Step 1" process --- and amidst the ocassional drizzle that afternoon.
It was really a "test of patience" for everyone who were waiting outside, like me --- most of them were husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, etc.
Usually, in such situation, I can be easily annoyed or lose my temper ---- but at that time, everyone who were waiting outside appeared to be helpless ---- we were all hostages of the system that DFA continuously implementing in the processing of passports.
Isn't it that it was long before computerized already right? So, what and why in the hell that the process still took so much time to complete?
To continue, I was hoping that my daughter would come out of the DFA before 8:00 pm ....but again, I was wrong. I cannot imagine as to how those applicants survived inside the DFA with only a breakfast they had taken, no lunch, no snacks and no dinner???
A test of patience for those waiting outside....a test of endurance for those still on queue inside the DFA....
I learned from my brother's SMS message that Manny Pacquiao had been at DFA on that same day....did he experienced what those people lining up had gone through? Definitely not! What kind of service does our government offices provides? --- are they only for those celebrities, influencial and powerful??? We, those among waiting outside, had noticed that there were individuals who came in luxury vehicles and only after about 20 to 30 minutes they came out finished with the process. Did Manny Pacquiao stay more than a hour? No way that he did.
I came to have friends among those waiting outside and we definitely had discussed a lot of topics and yet our loved ones who were still on the inside haven't came out.
I told myself, maybe....just maybe my daughter would come out before 10:00 pm. No way, I was wrong once again. By that time, I had been waiting for 13 hours. I was there outside doing nothing ---- 13 hours is just one trip, back and forth, Manila to Baguio.
All my newfound friends already left as their loved ones had already finished --- so I had to find another one to talk to.
My daughter, who only had eaten breakfast on that day, texted me that she felt weak alreasdy and yet she still has one more step (Step 4) to finish. That time, it was already 11:30 pm. Finally, my daughter went out of DFA at exactly 12 midnight. Wow, counting back from the time she started at 9:00 am --- 15 long hours ---- just to file an application.
It may even appeared that those who were left on queue may have owe a gratitude to those DFA employees who were processing their papers as my daughter and the rest of those queueing were told that they (DFA employees) don't earn overtime pay for their service on that night.
Kami pa pala ang may utang na loob sa kanila? Samantalang, ang sistema nila ng proseso ay BULOK???

In this time of computer age, this is definitely not just acceptable.
Why is it that getting NBI clearance will only take 1-2 hours (depending on how long the queue at their satellite offices)?
Why is it that renewing a Driver's licence will also take about 2-3 hours (again depending on how long the queue will be)?
Why can't the DFA implement something that can improve the passport processing???
This is the problem with our government --- almost everyone of them are "reactive" and not "pro-active".
They usually just react to a certain situation when it happens....and not planning something ahead to prevent any situation that will go out of hand.

I am pretty sure that almost everyone those who queued up and those who were waiting outside had cursed the DFA....but will our government ever heard their complaints? Did those DFA superiors ever seen what happened that day??? I don't think so.

This is the reason why I am bringing up this issue to both of you, ABS-CBN and GMA, to help Filipinos get the right service they need from our government offices by exposing such systems which are not providing the right kind of service that taxpayers deserves. DFA should really improve their service ---- equality and effective.

Forwarding these two issues to both of you, ABS-CBN and GMA, I am hoping to get actions --- especially regarding MetroBank Card Corp ---- because I strongly believed in the role of media to somehow mediate or exposed issues not to embarrass the institution concerned but to help them improve their service for the satisfaction of their clients.
Looking forward to see the resolution of my daughter's case.



Sincerely yours,

Neilito F. Degoma
B9 L19 Meritville Townhomes
Pulanglupa, Las Pinas City

the hell w/ dfa!

yesterday..dec27..nagdecide si dad na kumuha na acoh ng passport..para..wala lang..hehe..hindi..for the future use..lam mo na..tapos when we got there..wow..super haba yung line sa labas..buti na lang sinamahan acoh ni dad kasi kala coh na sa harap yun ng dfa mismo kukuha..yun pala sa may likod..anyweiz..buti na lang hindi na muna acoh nagpapicture..kasi mahigpit pala dfa ngayon sa pic tapos kala coh white background..royal blue pala..so, picture-picture @ yuck w/ the picture..lam nyo naman na hindi acoh photogenic..hehe..& then pasok na coh sa loob..tanung-tanong..daming pila pa pala sa loob..finally nag fall in line na coh sa right track..halo-halo kame ron..may magrerenew @ new applicants..super sa dame ang mag-aapply! as in! naka pila acoh mga about 1030am tapos 3pm na ata na verify yung application coh..sa dame ng people! ganun ka tindi! naulanan na coh @ nainitan pa..haay..hirap talaga..nakatayo ka @ minsan naman nakaupo..to make the long story short..natapos acoh mga 12mn..oh diba..saya..walang kain maghapon..hindi kasi acoh maka-alis sa line eh..so ganun din si dad..hindi rin pala sya kumain..dinamayan acoh..ang hirap na kumuha ng passport ngayon..to hell w/ them talaga! pano kasi, walang sistema..hindi nagdagdag ng tao @ may singitan pa sa pila..naturingan na high-tech na raw sila..whew!

a day before christmas & until the christmas eve

here are 16 people who greeted me first a "merry christmas"

& it was highly appreciated!

for me it's a big thing

yet unexpected

a million thanks!

chera 10:43am

ms peng 1:23pm

tita berna 2:25pm

dottie 4:29pm

sam 4:51pm

eric 5:25pm

laarni 5:54pm

rayner 6:53pm

cesca 6:58pm

jeni (co-batchmate "37" in p.a. training) 7:15pm

pat 8:10pm

maggie 9pm

ron 9:12pm

kat lim 10:47pm

kaye 11:11pm

diane 11:14pm

in short, they'd reached for me..

*happy holidays everyone*

first overnight @ abs

part of the training is the exposure trip..originally, scheduled sya dapat last november 29 ~ thursday..eh diba, in unexpected na pagkakataon nagka curfew..with no age limit..kamusta naman yun?! so na packed-up yun..resume the other day..so november 30 ~ friday no one can stop us now..the instruction..we have a call time para makapunta sa star street bar san juan na pagmamay-ari ng aming trainor na si ms len aragon & her love in life na si ms malou..we are given a pocket money of 700 bucks & the breakdown is 200 for the transportation & then 100 each for meal..so 5 in a group kame..for your information..20 trainees lang kame..so dating gawi kame..taxi to go to bar..mas less pa nga yung binayaran namen for the second time around..kasi nun thursday naka 120 kame but nun friday..we payed 90..kasama na yung mga tip..in fairness..ang babait ng mga nasasakyan namen..at nauuto pa ni eric..hehe..i'm proud sa group coh kasi palagi kaming una sa location..then instant gimmick ang nangyari..sing along bar kasi yun so..kantahan na! magsasaya muna kame bago sumabak sa malupet na mundo ng production..so happy~happy, picture~picture, sayaw~sayaw @ party~party muna..until we decided na magstay na lang sa abs for our safety na rin..na packed up naman kame sa bar ng mga 2am..then pagdating sa abs eh diretcho sa caf..24 hrs pala yun..eh di good..after some eating proceed na sa hall3 for our place to stay..as usual..hindi naman acoh pala tulog so nakipag kwentuhan na lang acoh sa isang ka trainee coh..so that's it..meron ulet kameng overnight sa abs for our last day ng training..siguro ma @@home talaga acoh sa abs..

*pictures @ my multiply*