Roque says don't be choosy, avoid colonial mentality in picking vaccine

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Palace spokesperson Harry Roque takes a jab at those who prefer the COVID-19 vaccine of American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer. 

May bakuna na from China. Hindi tayo daw pwede picky. Huwag choosy! Roque said Filipinos cannot choose which vaccine brand they will receive in the government’s vaccination program. 

Roque: “Totoo po, meron tayong lahat na karapatan para sa mabuting kalusugan pero hindi naman po pwede na pihikan dahil napakaraming Pilipino na dapat turukan.”

Roque announced that COVID-19 vaccines developed by China-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac will start to arrive in the country this February. 

Roque said Filipinos included in the first batch of the government's vaccination program can't choose the brand of COVID-19 vaccine they will receive. 

They may opt not to take the vaccine but they will lose their priority status. 

The issue here is not colonial mentality; it's the procured vaccines' efficacy, and the overall health and safety of millions of Filipinos. Roque's mental gymnastics baffles me every single day.

Colonial mentality has nothing to do w/ picking vaccine. It doesn't matter whether the vaccine is from China, Europe, America, or Timbuktu. What matters is if it is the best for the Filipinos.

It's called logical reasoning. Palibhasa wala sila nun! Only blind obedience from Duterte!

Kung ikaw ba tatanungin, ano bibilhin mo yun low-quality na mahal, o yun mas mababa ang presyo pero de-kalidad.

Huwag mo gamitan ang tao ng co-colonial mentality. 

Mahiya ka naman sa mga pinagdaanan mo bago mo nakuha diploma mo.

Napakarami raw Pilipino na dapat turokan eh bakit doon tayo sa mahal at 50% lang ang bisa at maraming side effects? Bakit hindi doon sa mas mura na mas ma bisa ng kulang 100%? Mas marami tayong mabibili na vaccine kung yung mas mura ang bibilhin.

Paano naging pihikan ang pagpili sa bakuna na mas epektibo? Buhay ang pinag-uusapan dito. Bakit sila ang nasusunod eh tax Naman namin ang ipangbibili ninyo?

Talagang walang sense. Kung ikaw client, magkakanvas ka ng  good quality at ok yong price. Di yong wala na ngang quality mataas pa ang price!

Bakit hindi puwedeng pumili? Nasa communist country na ba ako nakatira o nalahian na tayo ng mga demonyong komunista from China?

Usually, when they say a person should not be choosy, that would be when the person is demanding for something better and more expensive.

In this instance, the people want the less expensive yet more effective product and this regime wants the more expensive, less effective one.

Kasi si Roque, ilulusot hanggat kaya ilusot..saan kaya kumukuha ng kapal ng mukha yan tao na yan. Halata Sobra na mas pabor sila sa gawang China dahil siguro may kickback sa Sinovac.

Kasi, merong kumita! Putang inang Korapsyon sa Pilipinas, sukdulan na!

Pumili kayo ng less effective, more dangerous, and lastly more expensive. Hindi nga kayo pihikan, hindi naman kayo praktikal. If you're talking about quantity, sinovac should be the last choice. Wala talagang reason to choose Sinovac, so anong pinagsasasabi mo?

Yung totoo, Roque. Mukhang nakatali na ang gobyerno sa China. Malamang ang laki ng utang ni Duterte kung pwede lang palitan na niya apelyido niya o baka nauna na yung citizenship niya!

Civil. Liberty. I should have a choice. No one should take it away from me. At hindi dahil pihikan ako. Pero dahil sa hindi iniisip ng gobyerno ang makakabuti sa akin. I have a right to protect myself. Even from the government.

We cannot compromise when it comes to health! Bakit ninyo ipinagpipilitan ang galing sa China eh ang dami negative news about it!

Pera ng taumbayan ang ginamit para mabili yan o kung inutang man kami din ang magbabayad kaya may karapatan kaming mamili.

With Roque as the ubiquitous woofer of lies & stupidity, Debold Mananita Sinas as the epitome of arrogance, & now, just in, Vitaliano Aguirre as the new Commissioner of Napolcom, ensuring that every Police Officer is 'above' the Law - if not THE Law, what else can you expect of Duterte's government?

But wait, there's more:

1. Koko Pimentel's quarantine breach

2. Mass gatherings c/o Mocha Uson, Manny Pacquiao, Harry Roque

3. Duque's incompetence as head of DOH

4. P15B PhilHealth corruption

5. Smuggled & Illegal Vaccines

6. Alan Peter Cayetano's unliquidated P2B SEA Games funds

HUWAG KALIMUTAN.

Leveraging on APIs to make real-world impact

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Open banking, which uses application programming interface or APIs for shared data, has democratized the delivery of financial services in recent years. With this, traditional financial institutions are faced with the challenge brought about by many fintechs which rapidly reshape the industry.

“At the end of the day, finance is about people and enabling people. It is not people living for finance.” This is from Dr. David Hardoon, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) Senior Advisor for Data and Artificial Intelligence, on how the Bank welcomed the rapid development of open banking.

Dr. Hardoon shared the Bank’s digital transformation approach when it comes to application programming interface or APIs and open banking in the Planet of the APIs discussion at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2020.

“Rather than treating it as a threat, we have to do two fundamental things. One, is to accept that this is going to be a reality... and the approach that we’re doing is to focus on the end goal which is financial inclusion, especially in the Philippines. It’s about making a difference and how to get to the 60-65% of the population which is not banked or underserved,” added Dr. Hardoon.

He also shared that UnionBank is focusing on how to leverage on data, the APIs and the evolving ecosystem. True to this mission, UnionBank was the first local bank to expose its APIs externally in 2016 during its first ‘Hackathon.’ The Bank’s developer portal now contains UnionBank’s set of APIs available for developers especially fintechs who want to create new technology to extend financial services to the public.

Because of this early adoption, UnionBank was able to use its innovations even during the pandemic. One of which is to help the government disburse social amelioration funds which provided financial support to those who were in need during the start of the pandemic. This was made possible by the Bank’s i2i network which connected rural banks and enabled distribution of the funds.

“This is about how we fundamentally leverage all these technology and capabilities. But at the end of the day, putting it together, not as not a theoretical concept or proof of concept that never leaves the lab, but an actuality. Putting aside our competitive nature in order to result in an impact and making a difference,” shared by Dr. Hardoon.


For the latest news, updates, and future features on UnionBank and its leaders, visit www.unionbankph.com and https://www.facebook.com/theunionbankerph.

Microsoft Philippines Recognized Among HR Asia’s ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020’

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Microsoft Philippines was recently named one of the ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020’ by HR Asia. The organization was recognized for its performance in workplace excellence, human capital development, and outstanding employee engagement.

"This award means everything to us as an organization both globally, and here in the Philippines. We exist to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—a mission that only comes to life through our people," said Jan Philippe Tanchi, Human Resources Director of Microsoft Philippines. “We’re proud to receive this great distinction and are committed to continue providing our people with an inclusive workplace and community that lives up to our values, and empowers them to be their best, most authentic selves every day.”

HR Asia is one of the most recognizable and authoritative HR publications in the world. Their ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia’ awards is the largest program of its kind in Asia and is held annually across 11 markets throughout the region, including Cambodia, China, Hong-Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This year, the awarding ceremonies were conducted virtually for the first time on December 31, 2020 due to the pandemic. The event highlighted the extraordinary efforts of organizations that exemplified dedication to their employees, especially in what has been a year of uncertainty and unprecedented challenges.

"We must never forget the sacrifices by our own employees to keep the economy going. Since 2013 we have recognized companies that placed their employees front and center in everything they do. This year is no different. The recipients of this year's awards have shown not only are you the best companies to work for in Asia but more importantly, you are able to show empathy and care for your employees during the darkest moments of fear and uncertainty," said Datuk William Ng, Group Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Business Media International, the publisher of HR Asia.

The awards were judged by the affirmative answers of employees based on HR Asia's proprietary Total Engagement Assessment Model (TEAM), which surveys 1.5 million employees across Asia. TEAM uses a 5-point scoring scale from employee feedback based on the three areas of employee engagement:

Collective Organization for Real Engagement (CORE) – culture and ethics, leadership and organization, and active initiative
Self: Heart, Mind and Soul – emotional engagement (heart), intention & motivation (mind), and behavior & advocacy (soul)
Group: Think, Feel and Do – collective consciousness (think), workplace sentiment (mind), and team dynamics (do)

Microsoft Philippines quickly shifted to a remote workforce in light of COVID-19, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its employees early on. Throughout the pandemic, employees and their families were given free access to health & wellness resources to care for their mental well-being. In addition, they’ve continuously introduced engagement and enrichment programs and initiatives to maintain employee morale.

Microsoft was recognized alongside 20 other companies in the Philippines. See full list of winners here.