EMONG'S JOURNALS

As the world economy recovers from the pandemic, businesses now face another challenge – the ‘Great Resignation,’ a phrase coined in 2021 to describe the trend of millions of employees worldwide leaving their jobs. In the Philippines, for instance, resignation was the top reason for unemployment in 2021. In its Mission: Rebooting Economic Activities through Community Engagement (RACE) program survey, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that 85,045 of the over 2.39 million unemployed workers resigned from their work last year. Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, the country’s capital, the labor turnover rate, which refers to the difference between hiring (accession) and the rate of job termination or resignation (separation), has implied negative growth in employment in the first half of 2021. The Labor Turnover Survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported a labor turnover rate of -3.1% in the first quarter of l...

It was all rough roads for the car industry due to the Covid 19 pandemic. With the bumpy year 2020 finally over, we can, at long last, see how all of the chaos affected automotive sales in the Philippines, according to statistics from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID). New vehicle sales in the Philippines fell sharply at 244,274 units sold against last year's 457,110 units sold. The numbers are still strong despite a solid 53% drop brought about by the slowdown of sales which started at the second half of March due to the country's quarantine restrictions. Sales only began to pick up at the third and last quarter when people were allowed to move around again, plus the introduction of virtual showroom displays on websites. Still undisturbed in the top position is Toyota with 100,019 units sold, with Mitsubishi behind at second place...

Here's how to drive safely in the expressways during summertime. We all have done it before, driving a 200-kilometer stretch of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), traveling at a steady 100 kph while our passengers (mostly family) are holding their breath and cringing because we attempted to answer a phone call while driving. We have to admit, it's one of a few mistakes we can commit while driving. The first mistake is thinking we always have control of the car. The second is our assumption that road traffic is eternally clear in the expressways. And there's the smartphone. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS ARTICLE 1. What are the known expressways in the Philippines? 2. What are the most traveled days of the year? 3. How many road accidents occur in expressways? 4. How many deaths and injuries? 5. How many of these road accidents are phone-related? 6. Aside from mobile phones, what are the most common causes of road accidents? 7. What are the six (6) eff...

Why do some countries usually end up poor? A hundred and ninety-six countries, 25 of which are rich - the rest are poor. The Philippines is one of the emerging markets and is the sixth richest in Southeast Asia by GDP per capita values, after the regional countries of Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. But, poverty in the country has always remained a critical social problem that calls to be addressed, where 21.6% of the current population lives below the poverty line. A YouTube video from the School of Life channel lays down the reasons why the poor countries stay poor and the rich countries rich. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS POST? Share your ideas by commenting.

Take note, all ye Millenials. While Millenials have always thought that a college degree is an infallible ticket to high-paying jobs, many recent college graduates are finding they can't get jobs that pay much more than the minimum wage. In fact, these fresh college graduates are facing a higher unemployment rate than those without college degrees, and the anemic job market is adding some extra stress to carry for many millennials. JobStreet.com Philippines has this to say. 1. ATTITUDE. In their recent study, JobStreet Fresh Graduates Report 2017, country manager Philip Gioca said that employers are looking at the attitude of applicants since most fresh graduates are millennials—and millennials have the reputation of leaving work after a short period of time. Employers, he said, are now looking for applicants who are positive in terms of working and stay longer in terms of tenure. 2. FIELD OF STUDY. The study also revealed the second thing employers consider is the fie...

Will a robot someday steal your job? Day by day, the machines are getting smarter and more efficient than people. Employers find it more practical to use them because their basic AI (artificial intelligence) is substantially doing tasks that a person used to do. A computer program usually does the job faster, more accurately, for less money, and without any health insurance costs. They don't charge for overtime nor ask for paid leaves. A recent Oxford University study compared the tasks of nearly a thousand jobs to the predicted future ability of robotic technologies, specifically in the fields of "Machine Learning" and "Machine Robotics". Using a methodology called Gaussian process, the Oxford researchers measured the "probability of computerization" of various professions and found out that robots have the potential to substitute for human brains and hands. Administrative, clerical and production workers might be the first to be replaced ...

No one expected the kill list to hit a thousand so darn fast! More than 1000 suspected drug users or dealers have been killed by police or vigilantes in the Philippines in less than three months, according to a news report from ABS CBN News. A separate tally from GMA News is fewer, and said that since 10 May – the day Rodrigo Duterte was announced the winner of the presidential poll – at least 601 people have been killed because they were suspected to have been involved with drugs. The deadliest day fell on August 11 where a total of 27 drug men were killed. The killings appear to have been carried out by police, who attribute the violence to suspects who “resisted arrest and shot at police officers”, and vigilante groups emboldened by Duterte’s promises of impunity. During the campaign, Duterte said 100,000 people would die in his crackdown, with so many dead bodies dumped in Manila Bay that fish there would grow fat from feeding on them. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS PO...

How much should a Filipino family earn to have a simple, comfortable life? An animated video explainer from ABS-CBN shows what a a Filipino family of four must earn to have a "simple and comfortable" life. The data came from a survey conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Music from Kevin McLeod. Graphics from Angela Maria Salaño & Pamela Denice Ramos. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS POST? Share your ideas by commenting.

The word is clear, "We're out to get y'all!" At least four drug-related personalities are killed everyday, according to the latest data of the Philippine National Police (PNP). Just last week, from June 27 to July 3, a total of 31 drug suspects were killed nationwide. From May 10 up to July 3, a total of 103 were killed during police operations, with Central Luzon (Region 3), Calabarzon (Region 4-A), and MIMAROPA (Region 4-B) recording the highest number of fatalities. Police authorities had earlier said those who were killed in these operations resisted arrest and fought back. They, however, assured the public that the police is equally protective of the human rights of the suspects and is conducting an investigation for every casualty. Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) had already launched "Oplan Double Barrel" - a scheme to arrest big time drug lords and dismantling syndicates. Oplan Double Barrel will deploy ten t...

In Metro Manila every day, 2.2 million vehicles squeeze into 5000 kilometers of roads. That's 440 vehicles pushing one another in every one kilometer of road. According to urban historian Paulo Alcazaren, Manila used to have one of the most effective tram and train systems in South East Asia. But after World War 2, the heavy damages incurred by the city forced Manila to shift from a rail-based system to an urban design that was based on a car-and-bus system. At present, this shift had been draining our country of PHP2.4 billion a day. Watch the five-minute documentary below. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS POST? Share your ideas by commenting.

Nowadays, even criminals are preferring digital over analog. While the Philippine National Police (PNP) has curbed down the number of street crimes in the country, statistics from its Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) say a total of 847 cases of cybercrime were reported from Jan to Nov 2015, or up by 56% as compared to 544 cases reported for the entire 2014. In a report from GMA news , Director General Ricardo Marquez said that the PNP has "more or less reduced or extinguished the existence of armed bank robberies," but it has "seen the emergence of computer crimes, ATM fraud, skimming," with several of the cases involving foreigners. Breakdown of the reported cybercrimes listed below: online scam or estafa: 292 (up from 154 last year) online libel: 188 (up from 112) online threat: 84 (up from 56) identity theft: 71 (up from 61) photo and video voyeurism: 52 (up from 43) hacking: 51 (up from 41) robbery/extortion: 27 (up from 11) unjust vexation: 26 (up...

Wipe those sweat away and try to be happy! Study proves it's actually advantageous for you when you ride the MRT to work. According to a Japanese research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015, riding the bus or train to work is associated with a lower risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight. It's because people who ride trains or bus commuters need to walk further than those who regularly walk or bike, not to mention those who drive to work.  "If it takes longer than 20 minutes one-way to commute by walking or cycling, many people seem to take public transportation or a auto in urban areas", said the study's lead author Dr. Hisako Tsuji, director of the Moriguchi City Health Examination Center, in a press release. A survey conducted on about 6,000 adults who attended the Moriguchi City Health Examination Center filled out a questionnaire on physical activity and how they got to work. It compared b...

The top three universities in the Philippines - University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and De La Salle University (DSLU) - are ranked lower in 2015 compared to their positions last year, according to the annual Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. UP, which used to be in the 367th place, slipped to 401 - 410 while AdMU dropped from 461-470 in 2014 to 501-550 this year. DLSU fell from 701+ from last year's 651-700. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States is still the world's top university, says the QS rankings. In Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University remain to be the region's top universities, listed at 12th place and 13th place respectively. "These latest results reveal more diversity than ever in the distribution of world-class universities at the highest levels. We're providing prospective students with the richest picture yet,...

Yup, the truth does hurt - your cat doesn't really need you and she doesn't care when you're away, says a new study conducted at England’s University of Lincoln and published in the PLOS One journal. The study said that cats have far less attachment to their owners than dogs, and do not need their human companions to feel safe and protected. Here's what the scientists in England said: The procedure comprised of two conditions: modified (A) and reversed modified (B) version of the Ainsworth SST both consisting of nine 3 minute episodes in which the cat is either alone or with the owner and/or a stranger in order to assess how it responds to a series of procedures designed to alter the level and form of social support available to it, or trigger seeking out of an attachment figure (see Table 1 for details of the procedures and “Data collection and analysis plan” below for details of the specific predictions made in different circumstances if a cat is secur...

THE Anti-Hazing Law, or Republic Act 8049 gets to sink its teeth on real flesh for the first time, after the Supreme Court's conviction of two Alpha Phi Omega (APO) members for the hazing of University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) student Marlon Vilanueva in 2006. This is the first conviction since the Anti-Hazing Law was passed on 1995, in the light of the death of Leni Villa, a law student from Ateneo de Manila who similarly died from hazing. According to Inquirer.net , the high court's 39-page decision through Associate Justice Jose Catral Mendoza affirmed the penalty of reclusion perpetua (20 years and 1 day to 40 years imprisonment) imposed by the Calamba Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 36 against Dandy L. Dungo and Gregorio A. Sibal Jr. The Laguna RTC ruled that the prosecution has “undeniably proved” that the victim was seen with Dungo and Sibal entering a resort where the initiation rites were conducted and that the same two brought the victim to JP...

SO , you're done eating at your favorite restaurant and paid a total of P199 for your meal. After handing the waiter your two P100 bills, he then tells you, "Sorry, ma'am, but we don't have a P1 coin for your change." Who cares, it's just P1.00 -- you don't have enough time to argue so you just walk away and leave the restaurant. What the BSP says According to ABS-CBN's Failon Ngayon TV program in its July 4 episode, it's common for business establishments and drivers of public vehicles to argue that they do not have enough coins to give their consumers. Deputy Director for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Grace Malic, however, said that this is not a valid argument for not giving an exact change as there are enough coins in circulation, in fact, a total of around 23 billion pieces of coins is in circulation all over the country. How much do they earn? Mike Untalan of the United Filipinos for Consumers and Commuters said tha...

A re you in favor of the death penalty for the Philippines? Just recently, a serial robber cum rapist was apprehended by police authorities while he's about to attack another coffee shop in Quezon City. The suspect was responsible for the numerous cases of robbery in Metro Manila establishments, several of which were restaurants. Not only did he rob customers and employees, but he also raped them. This incident plus the rising number of criminalities such as rapes, riding-in-tandem killing sprees, and murderous carjackings have reached sky-high proportions that most Filipinos are already pushing for the return of the death penalty. But the Philippines is among many countries worldwide that oppose the death penalty. The Death Penalty is still enforced around the globe According to a news article from SkyNews , fifty-eight nations (58) enforce the death penalty, including three of the world's most powerful countries; the United States, China and Japan. Below ar...

S urprise, surprise! Metro Manila didn't even make it on the top ten cities in the world with the worst traffic. A study from Castrol's  2014 Magnatec Stop-Start Index showed Indonesia's capital Jakarta has the world's worst traffic jams. Jakarta has an estimated 33,240 stop-starts per year, meaning they spent 27.22 percent of their total travel time in idling mode. According to a report from ABS-CBN News, the index used data shared anonymously by millions of TomTom navigation users around the world to calculate the number of stops and starts made per kilometer. It multiplied the number by the average distance driven every year in the 78 countries included in the index. Metro Manila was not included in the index, though an international study by JICA revealed that Philippines loses P2.4 billion in potential income due to traffic jams in NCR. Below is a complete list of the cities with the worst traffic jams. Be sure to prepare yourself when you go visit them...