To Whom It May Concern,
My heartfelt thanks to your reply to my concern. However, I regret to tell you that I am not satisfied with your findings and action. I am not after any disciplinary action to be imposed unto your staff but to recognize and reconsider as to the truthfulness of my statements/claims as far as his treatment, voice and intonation in our conversation are concerned.
In your reply, re: With regard to the phrases "ANO PA SA ANG GUSTO NIYO" and "ANO PA SA ANG GUSTO NIYONG MALAMAN" which were spoken during your conversation with our staff that day, we have learned that the intention of the concerned staff was to ask if you have any more queries on the matter in order to address them and they were not intentionally said in disrespect to you or in a discourteous manner. Please be considerate that the second phrase "ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO NIYONG MALAMAN" was just a rephrasal in his attempt to cover-up his being rude and disrespectful when he first said "ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO NIYO". Perhaps he noticed his being rude when I asked him "ANONG IBIG MONG SABIHIN NA 'ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO KO'?" so he rephrased his first words.
With all the due respect, please do not reply this email anymore. After all, there is nothing more I can do than to treat this as an accepted practice by some government employees which must not be tolerated.
I retrospect, my apology for bringing to your attention this matter.
Respectfully yours,
Ranie F. Cuaresma
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A Reply from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh
LOC-57-2010
06 January 2010
Mr. Ranie F. Cuaresma
Email: ranie070@yahoo.com
Dear Mr Cuaresma,
Greetings from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh!
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh wishes to acknowledge receipt of your email dated 03 January 2010, and would like to inform you that the Embassy had looked into your concern. On Saturday, 02 January 2010 being a non-working day, the Embassy has designated one of its staff as duty officer to attend to telephone calls from the Philippines and other countries as well as Filipino citizens living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With regard to the phrases "ANO PA SA ANG GUSTO NIYO" and "ANO PA SA ANG GUSTO NIYONG MALAMAN" which were spoken during your conversation with our staff that day, we have learned that the intention of the concerned staff was to ask if you have any more queries on the matter in order to address them and they were not intentionally said in disrespect to you or in a discourteous manner. We wish to inform you that the Ambassador has always emphasized and enjoined the officers and staff of the Embassy to be courteous and efficient in serving our Kababayans as well as the foreigners who are transacting business with the Embassy.
With regard to your request for information on the Foreign Service Officer Qualifying Test, we would like to provide you with the enclosed copy of the Embassy's Press Release No. RVMI -71-2009 dated 20 December 2009 announcing the holding of said examination simultaneously on 28 March 2010 at the Philippine Embassies in Washington, DC and Vienna, Austria, and Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and other examination venues in the Philippines. The press release can be downloaded from the Embassy's website: http://www.philembassy-riyadh.org/.
The Embassy hopes to be of service to you and will be happy to entertain any further queries on this matter by contacting the Administration Section at telephone numbers (01) 482 3559 and 4821802 extension 2127.
Sincerely yours,
ROMULO VICTOR M. ISRAEl, JR.
Charge d'Affaires, a.i.
06 January 2010
Mr. Ranie F. Cuaresma
Email: ranie070@yahoo.com
Dear Mr Cuaresma,
Greetings from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh!
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh wishes to acknowledge receipt of your email dated 03 January 2010, and would like to inform you that the Embassy had looked into your concern. On Saturday, 02 January 2010 being a non-working day, the Embassy has designated one of its staff as duty officer to attend to telephone calls from the Philippines and other countries as well as Filipino citizens living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With regard to the phrases "ANO PA SA ANG GUSTO NIYO" and "ANO PA SA ANG GUSTO NIYONG MALAMAN" which were spoken during your conversation with our staff that day, we have learned that the intention of the concerned staff was to ask if you have any more queries on the matter in order to address them and they were not intentionally said in disrespect to you or in a discourteous manner. We wish to inform you that the Ambassador has always emphasized and enjoined the officers and staff of the Embassy to be courteous and efficient in serving our Kababayans as well as the foreigners who are transacting business with the Embassy.
With regard to your request for information on the Foreign Service Officer Qualifying Test, we would like to provide you with the enclosed copy of the Embassy's Press Release No. RVMI -71-2009 dated 20 December 2009 announcing the holding of said examination simultaneously on 28 March 2010 at the Philippine Embassies in Washington, DC and Vienna, Austria, and Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and other examination venues in the Philippines. The press release can be downloaded from the Embassy's website: http://www.philembassy-riyadh.org/.
The Embassy hopes to be of service to you and will be happy to entertain any further queries on this matter by contacting the Administration Section at telephone numbers (01) 482 3559 and 4821802 extension 2127.
Sincerely yours,
ROMULO VICTOR M. ISRAEl, JR.
Charge d'Affaires, a.i.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A Wanton Pursuit: The Ladlad Case
This is my comments to the news posted herein:
What is order in its philosophical sense? What is discipline in its moral sense? And what is morality in an undisciplined mind?
Order is harmony; a unity in diversity; the harmony of polarity. Harmony is the flow of melody, like a music, where all notes and tunes regardless of their ranges are sensibly arranged to soothe and calm even the most sensible ears of a baby. Harmony means peace, order and calmness; the marriage of the opposites, i.e. the union of a man and a woman.
In the beginning God created man and woman to be together for the divine purpose of procreation and to replenish the Earth. God created Eve from Adam's rib. God did not create a second Adam from the rib of the first Adam but a woman from a man's rib. This union of man and woman brings balance to the chaotic order of the inner cosmos which eventually produces the slightest beat of life.
Physics teaches us that two "negative" (-) poles of magnet cannot attract each others; that a magnet has both the positive and negative polarities in one single object; that no where we can find a magnet with only one polarity on both ends.
Now, what is discipline in its moral sense? Discipline means living in harmony with nature. Nature is a very broad term hence it means everything. This includes man's nature as a creation in harmony with the very purpose of his existence which is to procreate life through the blessings of love in harmony with the cosmos. We cannot promote morality without harmony, and we cannot promote harmony without discipline, and therefore there could never be morality and harmony in an undisciplined mind.
What is order in its philosophical sense? What is discipline in its moral sense? And what is morality in an undisciplined mind?
Order is harmony; a unity in diversity; the harmony of polarity. Harmony is the flow of melody, like a music, where all notes and tunes regardless of their ranges are sensibly arranged to soothe and calm even the most sensible ears of a baby. Harmony means peace, order and calmness; the marriage of the opposites, i.e. the union of a man and a woman.
In the beginning God created man and woman to be together for the divine purpose of procreation and to replenish the Earth. God created Eve from Adam's rib. God did not create a second Adam from the rib of the first Adam but a woman from a man's rib. This union of man and woman brings balance to the chaotic order of the inner cosmos which eventually produces the slightest beat of life.
Physics teaches us that two "negative" (-) poles of magnet cannot attract each others; that a magnet has both the positive and negative polarities in one single object; that no where we can find a magnet with only one polarity on both ends.
Now, what is discipline in its moral sense? Discipline means living in harmony with nature. Nature is a very broad term hence it means everything. This includes man's nature as a creation in harmony with the very purpose of his existence which is to procreate life through the blessings of love in harmony with the cosmos. We cannot promote morality without harmony, and we cannot promote harmony without discipline, and therefore there could never be morality and harmony in an undisciplined mind.
Mr. Nhazrudin “Rudy” N.D. Dianalan and the OFW's
Personally, I have no objection with Mr. Nhazrudin Dianalan's bid for a senatorial seat. I also have no objection on how his modus operandi be launched for a nationwide or wordwide campaign either by the internet or through other media available. It is his constitutional right to run for any elective position suffice he met all the qualifications and none of any of the disqualifications enumerated in the Philippine Constitution. It is his personal decesion and nobody has the right neither to question nor to empede his ambition. But what I am going to laydown are just my comments to some of his statements as per the news: "OFW asks Comelec to reconsider his Senate bid" posted in the Philippine Daily Inquirer dated 04 January 2010.
In the news, Dianalan said "Kasapi represents the major regional groups in the Philippines: the Ilonggos, the Cebuanos, the Boholanos, the Ilocanos, the Bicolanos, the Warays, the Capampangans, the Maranaos, the Maguindanaos, the Tausugs, the Tagalogs, the Cordillera tribesmen. All these members and the OFWs in Saudi Arabia has pledged to contribute a minimum of one dollar each for (his) campaign."
He further added: “While most of (the 5,000 Kasapi) members cannot vote (as) their places of work did not offer an opportunity for them to register as absentee voters…they have instructed their respective dependents to deliver the message of Dianalan as the only candidate representing the voice of overseas workers."
In my more than a year of stay in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an OFW, I never heard of the "Kasapi" or any "Filipino organization" in this foreign land that is working or looking after the welfare of the Filipinos here. On this part, perhaps I am just a less-informed individual. Most Filipinos I came to know never heard nor mentioned about this "Kasapi" or the like, and there are more than the 5,000 figures mentioned by Mr. Dianalan who are not members of the "Kasapi" and therefore there is no truth, and I refute, that "all OFW's in Saudi Arabia have pledged to contribute (for his campaign)". This, I believe, is just an additional statement to add weight to his motion to Comelec but there is no truth on it.
I also do not agree that Mr. Dianalan is the only candidate who can represents the voice of OFW's. He has no monopoly to do so.
If this "Kasapi" is true to its very purpose, can (they) please state their accomplishments since its founding date which already benefited the OFW's? And how about this "little" amount they can/will collect from the OFW's which is already a sure count of chicks from the eggs? There is no assurance that these will be accounted and spent for its very purpose. Imagine a P45 million collections without transparency? This is already something I am doubtful of its fate.
I just hope and pray that nothing personal will gain from it, if not for the common good.
In the news, Dianalan said "Kasapi represents the major regional groups in the Philippines: the Ilonggos, the Cebuanos, the Boholanos, the Ilocanos, the Bicolanos, the Warays, the Capampangans, the Maranaos, the Maguindanaos, the Tausugs, the Tagalogs, the Cordillera tribesmen. All these members and the OFWs in Saudi Arabia has pledged to contribute a minimum of one dollar each for (his) campaign."
He further added: “While most of (the 5,000 Kasapi) members cannot vote (as) their places of work did not offer an opportunity for them to register as absentee voters…they have instructed their respective dependents to deliver the message of Dianalan as the only candidate representing the voice of overseas workers."
In my more than a year of stay in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an OFW, I never heard of the "Kasapi" or any "Filipino organization" in this foreign land that is working or looking after the welfare of the Filipinos here. On this part, perhaps I am just a less-informed individual. Most Filipinos I came to know never heard nor mentioned about this "Kasapi" or the like, and there are more than the 5,000 figures mentioned by Mr. Dianalan who are not members of the "Kasapi" and therefore there is no truth, and I refute, that "all OFW's in Saudi Arabia have pledged to contribute (for his campaign)". This, I believe, is just an additional statement to add weight to his motion to Comelec but there is no truth on it.
I also do not agree that Mr. Dianalan is the only candidate who can represents the voice of OFW's. He has no monopoly to do so.
If this "Kasapi" is true to its very purpose, can (they) please state their accomplishments since its founding date which already benefited the OFW's? And how about this "little" amount they can/will collect from the OFW's which is already a sure count of chicks from the eggs? There is no assurance that these will be accounted and spent for its very purpose. Imagine a P45 million collections without transparency? This is already something I am doubtful of its fate.
I just hope and pray that nothing personal will gain from it, if not for the common good.
A Reply to My Letter to Hon. Ezzedin H. Tago, Philippine Consul General, Jeddah, KSA
From: Ezzedin Tago
To: filembry@sbm.net.sa; pc.jeddah@gmail.com; vp@ovp.gov.ph
Sent: Mon, January 4, 2010 3:35:45 PM
Subject: Your email re concern with an embassy staff
Dear Ms. Cuaresma,
I refer to your email sent to the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah's email address pc.jeddah@gmail.com on 3 January.
I regret to inform you that, from the area code, the number 00966 2 482 3615 which you called is in Riyadh. You may have called the Embassy in Riyadh and not the Consulate in Jeddah. I note however that you have sent a copy of the email to filembry@sbm.net.sa which is the Embassy's email. I trust the the Embassy will appropriately address the situation you mentioned in your email.
In the meantime, the FSO exam you read about is for entry to the position of Foreign Service Office class IV. The position is not for locally-hired employees in Saudi Arabia. You do not have to be a graduate of a foreign service course to take the exam. There will be a qualifying exam sometime in March this year in Dubai.
Sincerely,
Ezzedin Tago
Philippine Consul General
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
To: filembry@sbm.net.sa; pc.jeddah@gmail.com; vp@ovp.gov.ph
Sent: Mon, January 4, 2010 3:35:45 PM
Subject: Your email re concern with an embassy staff
Dear Ms. Cuaresma,
I refer to your email sent to the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah's email address pc.jeddah@gmail.com on 3 January.
I regret to inform you that, from the area code, the number 00966 2 482 3615 which you called is in Riyadh. You may have called the Embassy in Riyadh and not the Consulate in Jeddah. I note however that you have sent a copy of the email to filembry@sbm.net.sa which is the Embassy's email. I trust the the Embassy will appropriately address the situation you mentioned in your email.
In the meantime, the FSO exam you read about is for entry to the position of Foreign Service Office class IV. The position is not for locally-hired employees in Saudi Arabia. You do not have to be a graduate of a foreign service course to take the exam. There will be a qualifying exam sometime in March this year in Dubai.
Sincerely,
Ezzedin Tago
Philippine Consul General
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A Letter to Consul General Hon. Ezzedin H. Tago of Jeddah, KSA
Below is an email to the Consul General Hon. (Mr.) Ezzedin H. Tago of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at pc.jeddah@gmail.com, philcongen@pcgjeddah.com, courtesy copied to H.E. (Mr.) Antonio P. Villamor, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, KSA at pe.riyadh@dfa.gov.ph, filembry@sbm.net.sa, and to the Office of the Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines at vp@ovp.gov.ph. Please spend some times reading it.
Hon. (Mr.) Ezzedin H. Tago
Consul General
Dear Sir,
My name is Ranie F. Cuaresma, working as an Overseas Filipino Worker with Saudi Diyar Consultants – Architects and Engineers here in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and holder of a Philippine Passport No. XX00000 issued on 02 August 2008 at DFA Regional Office 1, San Fernando, La Union.
I would like to call your attention concerning the attitude/behavior/treatment of one of your embassy staff, and I want to relate to you the whole story:
That on 02 January 2010 at around 1:05 P.M. Saudi time, I called up this mobile number “0096614823615” believing it to be the contact number of the Philippine Embassy in Jeddah, as this number was sent to my mobile phone by the Mobily Telecommunication Company as a welcome message and information when I arrived in this foreign soil. My call was received and entertained by a “male” (voice) attendant.
That the purpose of my calling to above-quoted DFA contact number was to inquire about where to take the qualifying examination for Foreign Service jobs so I can apply for a possible post in our foreign embassies most particularly here in Saudi Arabia. I further told him that I cannot find in the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph) what exactly I was looking for, however, I further said that I have read about the Board of Foreign Service Examination in the said website believing that this is another kind of examination only for those graduates of Foreign Service course, so I decided to inquire in our Philippine Embassy through phone. The said male attendant who received my call clarified to me that this (Board of Foreign Service Examination) is the same examination I am looking for which I already understood at the onset of his explanations. However, at the middle of our conversations, he deliberately and intentionally uttered these words “ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO NIYO?” with the unpleasant, discourteous and disrespectful tune. I was a little bit flabbergasted so I asked him, “Anong ibig mong sabihin na ‘ano pa ba ang gusto ko?’” He replied, “ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO NIYONG MALAMAN?” with almost the same high-pitched voice. I sensed his being disrespectful to me which caused me to immediately stop our conversations, and with all the due respect I said, “A, akala ko kasi ibang eksaminasyon ito. But anyhow, you gave me the correct information. Thank you!”
My concern is to get the attention of this person, and perhaps a wake-up call to some of your embassy employees abroad to give at least the due respect to whoever is asking for help in their respective offices without discrimination in the name of public service, morality and ethics. We Filipinos abroad have nobody to trust, rely and ask for help, information or assistance that concerns our problems, issues and cases than our embassies and consulates. Their posts are not licenses to treat the least fortunate OFW’s unworthy of their attention and help. What’s more if those people calling for their help have lesser temper and lower education? They must remember that their offices are for public services and are public trusts.
May the guidance of the Divine Providence be always with us all.
Sincerely yours,
Ranie Cuaresma
Hon. (Mr.) Ezzedin H. Tago
Consul General
Dear Sir,
My name is Ranie F. Cuaresma, working as an Overseas Filipino Worker with Saudi Diyar Consultants – Architects and Engineers here in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and holder of a Philippine Passport No. XX00000 issued on 02 August 2008 at DFA Regional Office 1, San Fernando, La Union.
I would like to call your attention concerning the attitude/behavior/treatment of one of your embassy staff, and I want to relate to you the whole story:
That on 02 January 2010 at around 1:05 P.M. Saudi time, I called up this mobile number “0096614823615” believing it to be the contact number of the Philippine Embassy in Jeddah, as this number was sent to my mobile phone by the Mobily Telecommunication Company as a welcome message and information when I arrived in this foreign soil. My call was received and entertained by a “male” (voice) attendant.
That the purpose of my calling to above-quoted DFA contact number was to inquire about where to take the qualifying examination for Foreign Service jobs so I can apply for a possible post in our foreign embassies most particularly here in Saudi Arabia. I further told him that I cannot find in the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph) what exactly I was looking for, however, I further said that I have read about the Board of Foreign Service Examination in the said website believing that this is another kind of examination only for those graduates of Foreign Service course, so I decided to inquire in our Philippine Embassy through phone. The said male attendant who received my call clarified to me that this (Board of Foreign Service Examination) is the same examination I am looking for which I already understood at the onset of his explanations. However, at the middle of our conversations, he deliberately and intentionally uttered these words “ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO NIYO?” with the unpleasant, discourteous and disrespectful tune. I was a little bit flabbergasted so I asked him, “Anong ibig mong sabihin na ‘ano pa ba ang gusto ko?’” He replied, “ANO PA BA ANG GUSTO NIYONG MALAMAN?” with almost the same high-pitched voice. I sensed his being disrespectful to me which caused me to immediately stop our conversations, and with all the due respect I said, “A, akala ko kasi ibang eksaminasyon ito. But anyhow, you gave me the correct information. Thank you!”
My concern is to get the attention of this person, and perhaps a wake-up call to some of your embassy employees abroad to give at least the due respect to whoever is asking for help in their respective offices without discrimination in the name of public service, morality and ethics. We Filipinos abroad have nobody to trust, rely and ask for help, information or assistance that concerns our problems, issues and cases than our embassies and consulates. Their posts are not licenses to treat the least fortunate OFW’s unworthy of their attention and help. What’s more if those people calling for their help have lesser temper and lower education? They must remember that their offices are for public services and are public trusts.
May the guidance of the Divine Providence be always with us all.
Sincerely yours,
Ranie Cuaresma
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