Outreach at Lolek's Home

Last year, December 20, 2021, we have our class outreach to the Lolek's Home.

We bring sacks of rice and a box of canned goods.

Welcome me, back!

And, I am back. :)

I am planning to update this blog again.

It's been awhile, Ladies and Gentlemen. 😅

Why join the Knights of Columbus

I have been eager to know what is Knights of Columbus all about. What they do? Why they exist?

And so, I approched someone in our parish who always wears a Knights of Columbus shirt. He is Sir Knight Hernando Borbon, who happens to be the Grand Knight for Council 13998. He then invited me for a "seminar/meeting", which was, my First Degree Exemplification already. 😁

I am now a Third Degree Knight. I am greatfull and enjoying being a Knight as it is in line with what I am as a Catholic; it's principles are for Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. Teaching, guiding and reminding good Catholic men of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

I am also a Fraternal Counsellor. With great pride, I am educating our brother Knights and continuing the one of the aspirations of our founder, Rev. Father Michael J McGivney, that no family should suffer after the death of a breadwinner through top rated insurance products offered exclusively to Knights and their family.

I take this as an opportunity to invite good Catholic men who wanted to be better Catholic men to join us. Message me and consider this as an invitation.

CTTO for the video below:

BPI iOS Apps - Make the Best Happen

This is how Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) serves its customers.

Actually, this is my second article about BPI. See the other article here.

Aside from doing transactions from your PC's, would you be glad if you can do all your online transactions on the go? With your Iphone, you can check your account, transfer funds and pay bills among others. I have been using the app since then. The oldest email confirmation I have from expressmobile@bpi.com.ph is dated November 2, 2012 for a fund transfer that I did. That might be my first transaction using the app.

The BPI app can (from the app):

FEATURES:

- View the account balances of your enrolled BPI, BPI Family Savings, BPI Direct deposit accounts, BPI Credit Cards, and Investments accounts

- View the transaction history and details of your enrolled accounts

- Transfer funds from your enrolled accounts to any other BPI, BPI Family Savings, or BPI Direct deposit account

- Pay to over 300 partner merchants

- Subscribe to or redeem from your investment accounts

- Load a BPI Express Cash Card, BPI My ePrepaid Card, or Express Money Order card

- Reload Globe/TM prepaid numbers... and more!

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

- Look for the nearest ATM/branch with the ATM/branch locator

- Browse through BPI's latest promos

- Check the latest Foreign Exchange rates of BPI

Try it for yourself and get the Apple's iOS BPI App in HERE. :)

Do you have any concerns or questions? BPI developed an App and its Customer Service Representative answers queries in less than 30 minutes (tried) during office hours. You can also ask them to call you even you are working outside the Philippines (tried and tested). And that's SERVICE. 

 Download their BPI Bankers Online Apple's iOS App in HERE. :)

Outreach at Saint Joseph Orphanage 2013

Our class in High School, the Martins, had a successful outreach last December 27, 2013. 

We spent the afternoon at Saint Joseph Orphanage located in Our Lady of Grace Academy, Lonoy, Roxas City, Capiz. It was a mini reunion cum outreach. We plan to do this yearly; to celebrate Christmas with the kids there. 

Some of the photos below:

9 Toxic Habits That Kill Your Motivation

Want to be successful? You have to start by getting motivated. Unfortunately, everyday you are bombarded by toxic habits that can kill your motivation. Here are the most common culprits.

1. You desire to be perfect.

Pursuing perfection is the quickest way to kill your motivation. If this one is particularly hard for you, next time you are working on a project, tell yourself you are just doing a “rough draft,” and you will make it “perfect” later. When later arrives, do a few revisions to your project and call it good. Having something done is better than never finishing anything.

2. You compare yourself to others.

Constantly comparing yourself to others is one of the easiest ways to lose motivation. Not only will you stop working, but you will also waste a ton of time. Instead of comparing yourself to others, find out what makes them so good at their jobs. By telling someone you admire them, you may find out what their secret of success is–or you may find out that the person you’re comparing yourself to doesn’t have it as good as you thought.

3. You don’t believe in yourself.

If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Stop wasting time and energy by tearing yourself down. Next time you’re feeling down, force yourself to think of one thing you do well. It will feel weird at first, but eventually you will realize that you are doing better than you thought.

4. You do too much at once.

The best way to find motivation is to focus on the tasks you want to complete. If you have 100 projects going on at once, you won’t get anything done. So focus on what you want to accomplish and get started.

5. You don’t have any goals.

If you don’t have goals, you won’t be motivated because you don’t know where you’re going. You need to figure out where you want to go and then your goals will take you there. Not having goals is like trying to find a new restaurant without an address. You might luck into it every once in a while, but you will be stuck wandering most of the time.

6. You don’t encourage yourself.

Do you ever wish someone would tell you you’re doing a great job? Well, you can get that encouragement today–from yourself. By finding a way to encourage yourself, with notes, emails, even a special treat, you will feel more rewarded and motivated. Remember, treat yourself the way you expect others to treat you.

7. You forget to rest.

Don’t forget sleep! You need to take time to recharge so can have energy at work. Want to take this one step further? Carve out some “quiet time” every day. Let your mind relax while you’re awake, and you will be able to come back to a project with a renewed spirit.

8. You have trouble finding new ideas.

You need to fuel your motivation with new ideas. If motivation is gas, new ideas are the gas pump. By reading, thinking, and talking to others you will discover new ideas and make connections to old ideas. This way you can solve problems and your tank will stay full.

9. You get distracted.

We all have one activity that makes hours–or days–of our lives disappear. From TV, to the Internet, to social media, you’ve got to learn how to shut out distractions so you can be motivated. Need help? A great way to focus is to schedule your time. If you need to work on a project, set aside time every day to work on it. This way, when you’re tempted to read about the latest celebrity gossip, you can remember your time is already spoken for.

These 9 toxic habits can kill your motivation. Now you know what to look for, so make sure you stop them before they stop you.

First seen in: Young Business Leaders FB Page

How to add COLFinancial Account as a BDO Merchant

One of the ways to fund your COLfinancial Account is by BDO online transfer.

Steps:

1. Log in to your BDO online account.

2. From the left panel, choose "Enrollment Services". >Company/Biller. >Enrol

3. Fill up the Enrollment details. The "Subscriber Number" is your COL Account number. Then hit, >Submit.

4. A confirmation page will be shown and an email will be sent to your registered email address for the success of your Merchant Enrollment.

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year.

Online Enrollment for your BDO Savings Account

Have a BDO Savings Account by visiting one of the nearest branches in the Philippines. It took me around 1 hour to open an account in Iloilo branch (a lot of clients that time).

As an OFW, it is an advantage for us to have our savings account enrolled and linked in Internet Banking provided by the banks (that's for free). This is to facilitate our online transactions (fund transfer, remittance, pay bills, fund investments, etc).

The following are the steps for enrolling your account online:

1. Open your Savings Account (as an OFW, I opened the BDO Kabayan Savings Account. Refer here for for more info).

2. When ready to enroll online, go to https://www.bdo.com.ph.

3. Hover your mouse pointer to the upper right of the page and click "Not yet enrolled? Enroll Now."

4.  Fill up all the required fields in the form and submit.

5. You need to print a copy of the "BDO Quick Enrollment Acknowledgement" page and bring it to the bank where your account is maintained OR visit to one of the any ATM machines and activate your enrollment there. Don't forget to copy the activation code as you will need it in the ATM machine. Instructions will be emailed to you also including the Activation Code.

6. After Activating, you will receive an email again stating that you can start accessing your account and do banking transactions 24 hrs after receiving such email notification.

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year.

Send Money online to PNB and BPI through POSB

Filipinos in Singapore who want to send money online may do so through POSB by:

1. Go to Philippine National Bank (PNB) in Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road and fill-up some forms to allow you to transact online using POSB account. From there, PNB will issue to you a "14-digit remitter beneficiary number". Ask for the same beneficiary number for your BPI Account also. These numbers will correspond to your Philippine bank account you wish to transfer money (PNB or BPI account numbers). Example of the 14-digit number for a BPI Account is 17600001234567.

2. Log-in to your POSB online account.

3. Go to >Payments, >Bill Payment, choose from dropdown menu "Philippine National Bank", >Submit

4. Choose from what account will you get the funds, fill in the amount and provide the 14-digit remitter number provided to you by PNB in "Consumer Reference No." field. Submit.

5. You'll receive a confirmation page that transfer is successful.

NOTE: Transaction was done on a Tuesday at 10:14 PM Singapore Time. Funds Available only to BPI account on Thursday.

When transaction done on a Thursday after 10:00PM. Funds is available to BPI account on the following Monday.

According to my collegues, you can also do this online transactions with BDO and Metrobank.

How to monitor your Stocks and Mutual Funds

One way to monitor your investments in Stocks and Mutual Funds is to have a Bloomberg.com account. You can create watchlists and label them (Long Term, Short Term, Mutual Fund, Mobile, etc.). 

Watchlists can track gains, loses and performance over time.

Steps:

1. Go to www.bloomberg.com.

2. Complete the registration form to create your account.

3. Sign-in after your successful registration.

4. After you signed in, go to Watchlist.

5. To add your stocks or Mutual Fund, click Add Positions.

6. For example, I want to add JFC (Jollibee Food Corp). In Bloomberg, Philippine Companies have a suffix :PM, for example JFC:PM.

7. JFC is now added in you watchlist.

8. After you added your stocks, go to "Edit" then "Add New Lot".

9. Add Date, Position and Price.

10. Then, Save Changes.

Learn to Earn.

How to pay your Kaiser Health Premium through BPI online

Steps to pay your Kaiser Health premium online through BPI Express Online:

1. Go to http://www.bpiexpressonline.com/.

2. Log in to your BPIexpressonline account.

3. Go to "Payments & Reloading" > "Bills Payment" > "Enroll all other Bills".

4. Fill up your ATM Card Number, JAI Number (available on your ATM Card). For the Company Name, choose from the drop down menu "KAISER INTERNATIONAL HEALTH (KAISER)" and for the Reference Number use your Application Number and NOT the policy number. Your application number starts with "8" and followed by a series of numbers. Replace this "8" with "0"; so your application number should be in this format: 00001234567. After filling up, hit the "submit" button below.

4. You'll received a confirmation of Enrollment of Bills. And an email from BPI.

You can now pay your Kaiser Premium:

1. Go to "Payments & Reloading" > "Bills Payment" > "Pay Bills Today".

2. From the drop down menu of "Pay", choose your KAISER Account (you can rename it to your preferred name). Enter the amount of your premium and choose from which of your bank account you want it paid. For my records, I put on the remarks field the month and year of the premium paid. After filling up, hit the "submit" button below.

3. You'll receive Bills Payment from ATM Account confirmation. And an email from BPI.

It is time to invest in the Stock Market



The years before, I was so skeptical joining and investing in the Stock Market. I thought it was only for the rich. I thought it would be very difficult to read the charts.

But after watching the videos of Pesos and Sense in Youtube (the whole season 1); I was encouraged to know more about investing in the Stock Market. 

It was easy to open an account for us OFW's:

1.) Print and fill-up the forms (available here)

2.) Prepare your valid ID's, i.e. valid government issued ID's or your passport (I used my Voter's ID, Passport and Singapore issued pass)
3.) Billing Statement - Recent, no later than 3 months past

4.) Scan and email the forms to colfinancial's customer service representative. This is for them to check if you have filled the form correctly and completely.

5.) If your form is complete, they will advise you to send them the form. I send mine by Singapore Post's registered mail.

6.) Once they received your application form, they will email you to fund your account. Once your account is funded, you can already start to be a business partner of big companies like SM, BDO, BPI, Jollibee, and a lot more.

Timeline when and how I started:

     - Friday, June 08, 2012: Emailed COL (see email below) if I can use my Singapore address when opening an account

     - Monday, June 11, 2012: COL representative replied and instructed me to provide the latest billing statement 

               with a Singapore address and advised me to send in the form first by email for pre checking before 
               sending it by courier.

     - Sunday, June 24, 2012: I send the form to COL for pre checking.

     - Monday, June 25, 2012: COL replied and advised me to send the forms through courier

     - Tuesday, June 26, 2012: Mailed the form through SingPost (receipt here).

     - Friday, July 06, 2012: COL emailed and notified me that they received my forms and my account was already 

              aproved and ready for funding. They provided me my Account number also in the email and instructions

              how to fund my account.

     - Sunday, July 08, 2012: Added COL Financial Group Inc to BPI Bill's Payment.

     - Sunday, July 08, 2012: Funded my COL account through BPI Bill's Payment.

     - Monday, July 09, 2012: Forwarded to COL copy of my payment. COL acknowledged the receipt of my email, 
                                         informed me that my account is processed and ask me to wait for my log-in details
                                         within 24 hours. In the same day (afternoon), my COL account was activated already.
     - Tuesday, July 10, 2012: I received my "Notice of Deposit" from COL.
     - Monday, July 16, 2012: I bought my first stock, SMPH.
     - Tuesday, July 17, 2012: I bought my second stock, BDO.

Happy Learning and Earning Everyone!

 

Bakit ko Tinututulan pa rin ang RH Bill?

Ni Ansel Beluso

Sa mga linggong nagdaan at sa mga nalalabing araw ng sesyon ng Mababa at Mataas na Kapulungan ng Ikalabing-Limang Kongreso, painit nang painit ang debate tungkol sa sinasabing bagong bersiyon ng RH Bill.

Nabasa ko ang lahat ng bersiyon ng RH Bill, lalo na itong pinakahuli. Ipinahahayag ko na hindi ko lang patuloy na tinututulan ang panukalang batas na i

to kungdi lalo pang lumalim, lumawak at naging marubdob ang aking pagtutol dito.

Muli, narito ang mga dahilan ng aking pagtutol na hindi naman natugunan o napabulaanan ng bagong bersiyon – dahil hindi lang basta mga probisyon ang katutul-tutol sa RH Bill kungdi ang pinakadiwa at intensiyon nito.

Una, ako ay sumasampalataya sa kabanalan ng buhay, na siyang pinakasagradong biyaya ng Diyos. Ako ay nananalig na ang buhay ay nagsisimula sa akto ng pagtatagpo ng punlay ng ama at ng itlog ng ina. Ako ay naniniwalang anumang paraan na humahadlang at sumisira sa pagpapatuloy ng likas na daloy ng buhay mula sa puntong iyon ay labag sa kalooban ng Diyos.

Pangalawa, ako ay tutol sa abortion. Bagama’t ang salitang “abortion” ay hindi matatagpuan sa alinmang pahina ng House Bill No. 4244, marami sa mga contraceptive methods na isinusulong at popondohan nito ay mayroong abortifacient potential, may kakayahang magbunga ng tinatawag na chemical abortion. Ang chemical abortion ay abortion.

Pangatlo, naniniwala akong ang tinatawag na reproductive health education component ng RH Bill ay mapanganib para sa pamilya at sa kabataan na ayon sa Saligang Batas ng ating bansa ay tungkulin ng Estado na itaguyod, kalingain at pagyamanin.

Ang RH Bill ay mapanganib sa pamilya dahil pinahihina nito ang ugnayan ng magulang at anak; at pinanghihimasukan nito ang karapatan at obligasyon ng magulang bilang pangunahing guro at gabay ng mga anak sa usapin ng seksuwalidad.

Ito rin ay mapanganib sa kabataan dahil ituturo nitong isabuhay ng ating mga anak ang kalayaang magbubunga ng ibayong kapusukan at mga maling pagpapahalaga. Ito ay salungat sa aral ni Ama at ni Ina, kumakalaban sa tradisyon at kalinangan nating mga Filipino, at may malaking potensiyal na magdulot ng peligro sa kapakanan ng mga bagong sibol na Filipino.

Pang-apat, naniniwala akong hindi solusyon ang idudulot ng RH Bill kungdi karagdagan pang problema. Nakikita natin ang masamang bungang idinulot ng batas na ito sa mga kanluraning bansa – contraceptive mentality, secular lifestyle, godless ideology, etc. Ang batas na ito ay nagpapabago sa pananaw at pagpapahalaga ng lipunan sa lahat ng aspeto ng buhay na nauuwi sa kapahamakan ng tao sa pangkalahatan.

Panglima, hindi ako naniniwalang ang RH Bill ay pangkababaihan. Una, isang katotohanang marami sa mga contraceptive methods na sinasabing “safe” ay hindi “safe” dahil nagpapanipis ng matres, nagpaparupok sa obaryo, sumisira sa natural cycles ng katawan ng babae, at may potensiyal na magbunga ng sakit tulad ng iba’t ibang cancer. Pangalawa, walang contraceptive method na 100 percent safe. Ang mga kontraseptibong itinuturing na 99-percent safe ay naglalagay sa panganib sa 1 percent ng gumagamit nito. Samakatuwid, sa bawat isang milyong kababaihang gumagamit ng 99-percent safe contraceptive methods ay may sampung libong babaeng magkakaroon ng pinsala mula rito.

Pang-anim, hindi ako naniniwalang ang RH Bill ay pangmahirap. Ayon sa aking payak na pang-unawa, ang solusyon sa kahirapan ay hindi yung lipulin natin ang mga mahirap at hadlangan ang kanilang likas na kakayahang magparami. Sa halip, kasama sa mandato ng pamahalaan na mabigyan sila ng mga paraan upang makaahon sa kahirapan sa pamamagitan ng mga basic services na kailangan nila para magkaroon ng parehas na laban sa buhay, umunlad, yumaman at makapag-ambag din sa lalo pang ikasasagana ng bansa.

Pampito, kumakatig ako sa paninindigang ang pondong inilalaan para sa RH Bill na nagkakahalaga ng P37B ay higit na epektibo kung ilalagak para sa mga programang pangkabuhayan, pang-edukasyon, pangkalusugan, at iba pang mas kailangan ng taumbayan tulad ng pabahay at relokasyon ng mga informal settlers, solusyon sa baha at mga kagamitang kailangan para sa pagsansala sa pinsala ng kalamidad, pangmatagalang programa para sa kaunlaran ng Mindanao, sustenableng tugon sa problema ng communist insurgency na ipinaglalaban pa rin ng CPP-NPA, trabaho at hanapbuhay para hindi na kailangang mangibang-bayan ang mga Filipino na pumipinsala sa kapakanan ng pamilya, at marami pa.

Pangwalo, ang panukalang ito ay isang redundancy dahil marami sa mga probisyon nito ay nakapaloob na rin sa iba pang batas, partikular ang Magna Carta of Women. At ang mga programang nilalayong pondohan nito ay sapat na ring natutugunan ng mga umiiral nang programa ng DOH, DepEd, DSWD at iba pang kagawaran ng pamahalaan.

Pangsiyam, ayokong magsawalang-bahala at nakararamdam ako ng pangangailang kumilos sa harap ng banta sa katiwasayan at kaunlaran ng kinabukasan ng aking mga anak at apo. Hindi ko hahayaang dalhin sa tiyak na kapariwaraan ang buhay at bukas ng susunod na mga henerasyon ng mga Filipino.

Pangsampu, sumasampalataya ako sa Simbahang Romano Katoliko at Apostoliko; at kusa akong pumapailalim at nagpapasakop sa mga Obispo at kaparian na pinananaligan kong nag-aangkin ng dunong ng tao at pinagdadaluyan ng dunong ng Diyos. Naniniwala akong hindi katigasan ng ulo o bulag na pagtaguyod sa makaluma at sinaunang kaisipan ang nagbubunsod sa Simbahan para tutulan ang RH Bill; naniniwala akong ang panukalang ito ay labag sa kalooban ng Diyos kaya ito, ayon sa kunsensiya ko, ay imoral at makasalanan.

Panginoon, gabayan Mo ang Iyong bayan.

Source: CBCP for LIFE

BPI - Let's Make It Easy

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) will really make it EASY.

I have been banking with BPI since college. And now as an OFW in Singapore, I still enjoy banking with them. Everything is really "very easy", except for the queues in their ATM machines back home. :)

I do most of my transactions online. To save on my remittance charges, I only remit once to my personal account and transfer funds online to my parents, my wife and to my sister's brother-in-law. And since you are remitting your money on your personal account, you can also save funds for yourself before sending them to your family.

How did I applied for my parent's ATM card from Singapore? I just emailed BPI and requested them to assist me. EASY!

You can pay your credit cards online and you can transfer funds also to third party institutions, like funding your COL account (for investing in stocks).

Though I have not yet tried paying third party bills from my account, I think it should be hassle-free also.

Aside from emailing them for your concerns (which gave me 100% satisfactory replies and assistance), BPI's Facebook page is also very helpful when you have questions on their products and services. What I LIKE MOST (the reason why I write this post) is their app called "BPI Bankers Online".  With the app, you can Ask, Talk and Connect with BPI financial advisers. I tried the service because I just don't want to spend expensive overseas call to get their help. After a few conversations with BPI in the app, a phonebanker called me and helped me on my concern , THE SAME DAY. I just gave my details they required from me. EASY! I just don't know if they usually call their customers abroad, or maybe depends also to the customer's concern.

With the services I enjoyed from BPI, I am planning to have additional products from them in the very near future. Maybe, I will start a conversation with them again by their app, "BPI Bankers Online". :)

You can also contact them at BPI Contact Us.

Why I oppose the RH Bill...

Why RH BILL: if we have these existing laws to protect women and children that only lack implementation:

- People have ALWAYS the right to CHOOSE, refer to Article 3: Bill of Rights of the 1987 Constitution.
- RA 9710 - An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of Women
- PD 965 - A Decree requiring applicant for Marriage License to receive Instructions on Family Planning 
                  and Responsible Parenthood
- RA 8980 - An Act promulgating a Comprehensive Policy and a National System for early Childhood Care
                    and Development (ECCD), providing Funds therefore and for other purposes
- RA 9262 - An Act defining Violence Against Women and their Children, providing for protected measures 
                    for victims, prescribing penalties therefore and for other purposes
- RA 7877 - An Act Declaring Sexual Harassment Unlawful in the Employment, Education or Training 
                    Environment and for other purposes
- RA 9995 - An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Photo and Video Voyeurism, prescribing penalties 
                    therefore and for other purposes
- RA 6615 - An Act requiring Government and Private Hospitals and Clinics to extend Medical Assistance 
                    in Emergency Cases
- RA 9502 - An Act providing for Cheaper and Quality Medicines, amending for the purpose RA 8293 or 
                    the Intellectual Property Code, RA 6675 or the Generics Act of 1988, and RA 5921 or the 
                    Pharmacy Law and for other purposes
- RA 7875 - An Act instituting a National Health Insurance Program for All Filipinos and Establishing the 
                    Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for the purpose 
- RA 8504 - Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998
- EO 452 of July 30, 2005 - Directing the Enrollment of 2.5Million Indigent Families pursuant to EO 276 S. 
                                            2004 and for other purposes

Also approved in the House, HB 4484 - An Act Providing for A Magna Carta of the Poor  and
     HB 6048 - An Act providing for Universal Health Care Services to all Filipinos, further amending for the 
     purpose RA 7875, otherwise known as the "National Health Insurance Act of 1995, as ammended

and, a lot more at Philippine Commission on Women website.

Our taxes may just go to the pockets of our dear corrupt politicos. What if, there will be ghost condoms, ghost health centers, ghost health care providers and a lot more of ghosts in some of the barangays, municipalities and cities? SOP's in government agencies have been very active for years. We have a lot of laws, but are with flaws and loopholes. Why not implement the existing laws first or amend those with loopholes?

Can we put into law the Freedom of Information Bill first? Can we create a "Corruption Prevention Act" first? Can we have the National ID System first? Maybe, we can protect our taxes from the CORRUPT if we have these!

http://www.facebook.com/i.oppose.the.RH.Bill

-

On Engineering Exams

TRUE or FALSE?

Reasons why I am an Engineer

Welcome, Jan Leonard (JL)

Our dear prince was born last 06 February 2012 in Doctors Hospital, Iloilo. There was a 6.9 magnitude eathquake that day. JL's birth shoke Iloilo with that quake. :) Here are some of the photos...

Back to work...

Sacrifices, sometimes are essential in life. I fly away from home to work and earn a living, leaving my wife and son back home. Today starts living alone and away from family, it's sad, indeed very sad. To my fellow OFWs, cheers and mabuhay!

iPhone 4s: In My Hands

Have this as a Christmas gift for myself for a year of hardwork and sacrifice working away from my family. Posting from my 4s... =)