EntrePinoy

5-6 To Pay The Rent

No doubt that recession had hit the Philippines, I agree to the documentary show that loan sharks or commonly called 5-6, pawnshops and other same business are continue flourishing during global crisis in the Philippines.

Last year, when recession was predicted, some was already prepared, some didn’t bother to save and sad to say there are some that didn’t understand what will happen (already happening) in time of recession. I belong to the first group but no matter how I save for rainy days, business is not doing well. Savings are not enough to pay for the taxes, license, permits, utilities, salaries and other expenses. I assume, blog income is also affected to most pinoy bloggers.

Few years ago, I told my mom that I have plans of investing my small savings to lending. She told me that a 10% interest is against the bible. I don’t know if its true but never bother to continue with my plan. Then when I saw that documentary saying that its in the law that maximum interest is 12%. Correct me if I’m wrong here. But… Arggh! That was too much.

Pawnshop offers as low as 4% per month but since its a pawnshop, your valuable item serves as your collateral. If you haven’t paid in time, your collateral will be gone. What if you don’t have collateral? 5-6 is the solution for the immediate need of money.

Let me share this. One of our tenants continue borrowing money (for years) from different people to pay her rents and other business expenses until such time that she can’t handle paying them all and including us. She paid her taxes and business permits first, forgetting her obligation to pay the rent. We don’t want to play hide and seek anymore, we have lease contract and signed written agreement in Barangay Hall. Her business will be closed within the week for not paying her rent of 4 months. Actually, she asked for one week allowance to pay starting today. We could have use the money for our own obligations but we end up using our savings.

I’m hoping that she can settle this. Otherwise, there’s no income to vacant commercial establishment. If business is not doing well in our place, then its hard to choose the tenants on a first come, first serve basis.

Tongpats Of Kotong Cops

I don’t know what should I call this new modus operandi… tongpats (slang word of filipino word patong, means padding in accounting) or kotong (extortion)? Judge it yourself.

This is the current problem of small night establishments in Paranaque. Last week, almost every night, a group of cops headed by an intelligence agent talked to each of these small establishments encouraging them that they should get the liquor supply from them (cops). A case of San Miguel beer costs php372, price per case they offer is php420.

No normal businessman would get his merchandise at a higher price, that means more expenses and less income. Of course, nobody want to get their supplies from them and this team manipulated everything. They talked to all possible beer dealers and asked them to make a markup of php48 if any of these establishments buy their supplies from them. They said they would know if any of these small establishments get their beer to other dealers at normal price, they will be raid. Knowing their old system, it will be a frame up raid. Please read Buwaya sa Dilim to have an idea of how it will be done.

According to this “intel” (short of intelligence), “utos ng nasa itaas” (means it was ordered by their superior). Who are their superior? To where the markup goes? I don’t know. My concern is the effects of this wrong doing of these supposed to be protector of the nation.

I thought the new PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa will continue the PNP programs. He already made a new memorandum on human rights and still revising it as of this writing after earning negative feedback from media. I hope after doing the new memorandum, he will take care of all kotong cops and their superiors accordingly soon. Kotong cops are additional burden to small establishments especially now that Philippines is affected by global crisis.

No One Is Above The Law

National Capital Ragion (NCR) is consists of 14 cities (Caloocan, La Pinas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon, Taguig, Valenzuela City) and 3 municipalities (Navotas, Pateros, San Juan). These are under jurisdiction of Philippine National Police NCR.

It just so happen that I live and run our family business in one of these municipalities. Does having a KTV bar business is immoral? Does employing Magdalena (GRO) just to help the nation lessen the unemployed immoral? Does being immoral gave the right to kotong cops to violate GRO’s human rights? Is there such thing as human rights for Magdalena?

I’m sorry for these questions, GRO have a soft spot in my heart knowing how they fall to this kind of work. Did you know that most of them are bread winners of their family in the province.

Saan ka hihingi ng tulong kung ang involved ay ang kapulisan? Dapat ba na sumayaw kung ano ang tugtog? Sumabay kung saan ang agos? Magbigay kung ano ang hinihingi? Paano kung mali? Paano na ang mga matitinong pulis kung napapligiran ng mga anay na sumisira sa pangalan ng kalahatan?

Nobody is above the law… I don’t think it is true in the present situation. Another Police will take the position of soon to be vacant seat of PNP Director Avelino Razon Jr. because of his retirement. I hope, there will be a campaign against kotong cops just like in Palawan. And update their site where Filipinos can contact them through email.

I do what I believe is right. I do what I believe is good. I fight for justice. I fight for freedom. I am Ninoy.

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Kotong: Buwaya Sa Dilim

TGIF? TGIF (Thank God Its Friday) to kotong cops but bad day to small businessmen in NCR (National Capital Region). What am I saying?

Robbers In Uniform?
They are not actually wearing their uniforms, they claimed they are under Intelligence division of PNP NCR, as expected they are wearing civilian clothes and will disguised as typical KTV customers. They will choose a not so big KTV Bar with VIP rooms and GROs working in the establishment.

Modus Operandi
A man or two men will enter the establishment, posed as customer, order for food and drinks. Then the man will ask for a GRO so he can have a drinking companion. After a while, they will transfer to VIP room. VIP room is a small room, dim-light with a table and two chairs… to some, cubicle with see through curtain is also considered as VIP room. On the other hand, other cops are scattered outside, waiting for the “go signal”.

The Go Signal
Its a simple SMS to cops outside, sometimes, other cops are already drinking inside the bar. They will announced they are the raiding team and its a raid. They will get every employees, GRO, receptionists, waiters, janitor, cashier etc to ride in a vehicle already waiting outside because of the go signal. They will search the premises for possible employees trying to hide from the “raiding team”. They will also ask to bring the employees’ working permit (some call this as health certificates).

To The Batcave
The owner after learning the incident will follow them to Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan. Cops will now tell the violation, prostitution. Take note that the usual day of their “operation” is Friday nights where there is no fiscal the following day because its a weekend (no office days). If the employees didn’t released on the same night (Friday), they will stay until Monday morning. Employees stays in an empty room, the small jail serves not a jail but a stockroom of unwanted furnitures. The longer the employees stayed there, they will still continue looking for more violations by interrogating the employees.

Negotiations
What to do to release the employees? Employees with proper working permits will be released after questioning. But GROs doesn’t worked long enough to a certain KTV bar to obtain expensive requirements for their working permit. Plus, it takes 2-5 days for processing. So chances are, there are some employees without permit or not yet finished processing their permit. Negotiations will come between cops and owner. Whatever strategy the owner do, it will end up that he have to pay a certain amount for their release. Believe me, its not small money for small businessmen.

Rouge Cops
They are branded as rouge cops or kotong cops for doing hulidap. Hulidap is a slang word, a combination of huli (means caught) and holdup. Why they are “on operation” again? They are asking for “intelihensya” (milk money) on a regular basis to small KTV Bars in exchange for “security” after the raid. If these entrepreneurs are law abiding citizen, pay their taxes, no violations, no bold show, no prostitution… why they will give milk money? Did these cops forgot that their salaries came from businessmen’s taxes as well as their job description?

Human Rights Violation
No wonder why PNP is the top violator of human rights according to Commission of Human Rights. According to City Administrator, PNP have no right to conduct such raids on KTV bars without the company of local government as well as inspecting the working permits of employees. Employees are all detained without knowing their violations. Correct me if I’m wrong but it sounds like “illegal arrest”.

I forgot to mention that the KTV bar’s employees were brought to JCTIFC (Joint Counter Terrorism Intelligence Fusion Center). hmmn… I didn’t know that raiding KTV Bars is included in their job. Am I right that they supposed to go after the terrorists?

Milk Money
This PNP practice is long been circulating in these businesses because big establishments give milk money to kotong cops to avoid headache on their illegal business such as bold shows. Some establishments didn’t bother to complain for many reasons. Where to complain if the violators are the authorities? Afraid that these cops will get back on them. Sad to say, some establishments allowed the extortion to happen even if they have no illegal operation and the business is not good.

Thoughts To Ponder
Does reshuffle of their area of responsibility is the answer? I’ve read in the article PNP Integrated Transformation Program that the transformation will take place in 2015. We are all affected by the economic crisis we currently have in our country, big or small business, rouge cops are additional burden. Some businesses are already closed. The sad things is… because of these kind of cops, cleans cops’ image are also affected. Sad but true.

Magdalena

My post is not enough if I will tackle about the current problems Philippines is facing now. I will concentrate on “lesser evil problems” on my future posts but somehow they are related in many angles. I want to post this in my native language to express fully how I feel to this sensitive topic but I can’t.

Magdalena… babaeng mababa ang lipad… GRO… pokpok… prosti… puta… I know the difference… do you? Nobody will be happy if someone calls you these words. These are bad words.

What is a GRO? Guest Relation Officer are women (or men depends on the business) working at night in night clubs, KTV, Videoke bar, pubhouse and other entertainment establishments. Mostly, they have nightly allowance and commissions on the ladies drink the customer will give them. Their job description is to entertain customers. Easy money to young ladies but hard to older women. 18 years and above only.

Let me share the things I know how GRO fall in this kind of work. You never know how many hardships they’ve experienced. They looked pretty, lovely, fabulous and happy at night but most people didn’t know what they’ve gone through. I admit, at first, I also looked at them the same way as other people do, a makasalanan sinner. Until, I get to know some of them.

Rape victim. I may sound like a telenobela, some of them are rape victims. Some were raped by their own relatives, some by their own father.  Some are stow away from their province to get rid of their abusive relative. Without any relatives, credentials and money in their pockets.

Wife of convicts. Raising a family as a single parent is hard. Working alone in the province with many children tried her luck in Manila, worked as a housemaid. But her salary is not enough for the family, still pretty at her age she worked as a GRO to send money for her kids in the province.

Single Parent. Boyfriend left when she get pregnant, the guy is already married. She is afraid to go home to her parents. She is in Manila to study but end up as a GRO for her baby.

Student. She works at night at go to school in the morning. It is obvious that her family in the province can’t afford her studies. Some graduated and some are not. Some got decent jobs afterwards and work abroad.

Teen. Would you believe there are some parents pushing their daughter/son to work early for their family? Parents know the nature of their child’s job. Its sad but its the reality.

These are just some of the reasons I know. There are bad girls but I rather talked about some who don’t have any choices. Kapit sa patalim as they say but its not forever. They should save their earnings, prepare for the future and don’t forget why they are in this kind of work. GRO do come and go and its impossible to stay in the job forever.

They fell in love and get hurt. They were betrayed by their own flesh and blood. They were victims of poverty. And yet society continued victimizing them.

social issues GRO