i didn’t get my bachelor’s degree until i was 30 years old–i was out of school for many years. “academic” isn’t necessarily a bad word, but i understand what you might mean–i hate it when professors talk in a way other people (even fellow professors like me) can’t understand, or write in a manner most readers can’t relate to.

understandably, there will always be people who won’t like what i write; that’s par for the course for any writer anywhere. i don’t see that as a problem, or take it against anyone else. i do value clarity of expression. if my reader doesn’t get what i’m saying, then i’m in trouble. i really don’t know where brian’s phrase “studied english” comes from–i’ve never used nor advocated it myself; i suppose an argument can be made that all filipino usage of english is, in a way, studied or artificial, but that’s another issue for another time.

and many thanks for thinking that “soledad’s sister” should have won the man asian, but i of all people (and, at this point, i alone and the few others who have read the draft) know what its flaws are, and i’ll be working to correct them before sending it on to the publishers. i haven’t read the chinese novel that won, but it’s supposed to be something of an epic that appeals to the chinese on many levels (it’s already sold 2 million copies in china, plus many more in bootlegged copies), so i suppose it’s safe to guess that i lost to a superior–and perhaps only incidentally very popular–work. at any rate, better than the prize for me was being spurred on to complete the draft of my novel, which i look forward to revising these next few weeks.

if you care to learn more, just email me at jdalisay@mac.com and i’ll respond when i can. happy holidays to you all here. salamat!

And just to correct you, OTs have higher salaries than PTs. starting pay of PTs range from $24/hr to $30 compared to OTs with $30-$35/hr.

Marunong ka pa ay connected ako noon sa recruitment agency ng mga nurses at physical therapists.

At kasama ako sa nagbukas ng agency na naglalaay ng mga healthcare workers sa hospital on a temp basis.

OT is not a vocational course. in fact, OT is a specialized field of therapy.

In the Philippines,but in the States, it is just a short term course.

Marunong ka pa eh ako nandito.

Tama yang attitude na iyan, of what use is pride kung gutom ka. Ok lang, basta marangal na trabaho at kikita ka naman, bakit hindi.

My husband and I met a Filipino who not only makes digital maps with correct coordinates but also manufactures latest-technology GPS vehicle tracking equipment for commercial use. The software and hardware was designed by Filipinos (his chief engineer is actually female!) and it’s better than any Western technology I’ve come across. His units are now being used in several parts of the country (he also has international clients) and his guys are busy mapping areas his clients serve – including offshore for large fishing operations.

The next big step for the economy is manufacturing. IF ONLY we can let go of the “IF ONLY…” attitude. Proof is this company who doesn’t wait for government help but goes ahead and does things…

http://starcomm.com.ph/InsidePages/aboutus.htm

Also, it really bothers me as to why you won’t even allow people to make 10% gross margins. Parang ikaw lang dapat ang kumita sa mundo. The ability to earn money is the incentive for people to create, innovate and develop markets.

Sorry, but that’s the reason why I think of you as a communist. Everything that smacks of capitalism seems to be poison for you.

Di ko tuloy alam ano ba talaga ang ginagawa mo sa Singapore, that’s a purely capitalist country.

For as long as the buying power of the Pinoy does not reach critical mass, you will not get all the things you mentioned.

As I said, they serve their purpose. Online? How many percent of the population is actually online to buy? How many have credit cards? and lastly, how do you actually know they’re going to pay anyway? That’s part of the problem and that’s why the critical mass won;t get there f for a while.

I agree with Jon. It is more of lack of guidance or too much guidance (as in parents asking their children what degrees to enroll in) which cause job dissatisfaction.

totally agree with this. my father told me: love your work, and it will seem like work no more. and yet when i told him i wanted to write, he scoffed and said: sa talino mong yan gusto mo lang magsulat?

my mother on the other hand said: pwede mo naman gawin ng sabay yan (PT and writing), ba’t di mo gawin? at least with PT, you are assured of a job.

I bet those who enrolled in PT were advised by their relatives abroad who thought that this was the job that would be in demand in the US.

That was in the mid 90’s.

on the contrary, PTs are still in demand even today. Only that, employers are not that gung-ho in getting these employers, going so far as to sponsor everything. that’s why we PTs need to pay for everything ourselves, and take care of all paperwork, to attract employers. being licensed is the surest way for employers to vie for you.

They did not speculate that a hospital does not need more than one Physical Therapist unlike nursing where the nurse to patient ratio was mandated by the law.

it is not the patient to therapist ratio that is the problem here, but the fact that Physical Therapy as a field of medicine has never taken off and been accepted by most Filipinos as a serious field. too many misconceptions abound re it. foremost of which is PTs are seen as mere “manghihilot” or “massage therapists.” it is not only in hospitals that PTs can be employed. in sports, in gyms, in nursing homes. the problem was that PTs were boxed right from the start as masseuse, hence that perception of them clung, and its now very hard to change that.

Then the short term course Occupational therapy was offered in the US city and regional schools for those who wanted a career change. After six months, graduates of this vocational course were given preference in hiring instead of the five-year PT degree from the Philippines. They’re cheaper.

OT is not a vocational course. in fact, OT is a specialized field of therapy. preference cannot be given bec these 2 jobs each have their own expertise. in a clinical setting, PTs and OTs often work together. PTs handle the gross motor skills rehabilitation aspect of the patients, while we refer the rehabilitation of the patients’ fine motor skills, language deficiencies, hand to eye coordination to OTs. Our work is mainly muscle strengthening, balance training, etc.

And just to correct you, OTs have higher salaries than PTs. starting pay of PTs range from $24/hr to $30 compared to OTs with $30-$35/hr.

The hiring of PT from the Philippines was halted after a three year-hiring program which included exemption from labor certification for the applicants from abroad.

hiring wasn’t halted. it just became more stringent. hiring still goes on even now. for those who persevere to see through all the difficulties in acquiring their papers (legally, i might add) as i said, once you’ve passed their board exam, employers will be fighting each other to get you. it’s just that employers of PTs right now are gun-shy in sponsoring unlicensed PTs since there’s no guaranteed ROI if their sponsored candidate fails the NPTE (PT’s version of the NCLEX)