Just compensation is really a mere ideal that is often unfulfilled. Human want is insatiable that no amount could approximate satisfaction. The craving for more makes us feel the empty than the filled portion. While the worker deserves just wages according to standards set by law, the same may still not be enough compensation for his labor. Ones pay may be in accordance with minimum standards but may fall short of what is just in relation to the nature of work. The worker’s needs are not often met even with standard wages. The situation is even worse for workers who are not given the minimum wage that is mandated by law. Such situation will place the worker at a miserably disadvantageous position as his unmet needs increase. The gap is not much due to the insatiable wants of the worker but the utter lack of the pay due his labor.
We start complaining when we do not get what is due us. The tendency of workers to seek for just wages according to standards set by law must be respected. It is their right to demand for what is due them according what is prescribed by law. In many instances, workers are forced to complain over unjust wages that fall short of the minimum. These workers do not care too much on getting what is just compensation for their labor, all they need is the fulfillment of the pay due them. The predicament is often caused by employers who deprive their workers of just wages as mandated by law. While they demand honest work beyond regular hours, these employers refuse to give honest wages in return. Many workers, both in private and government, are into this inequitable pit of underpayment.
Good workers must be uncomplaining in doing his task assigned by the employer. For the agreed pay, the worker is bound to perform his duty. As long as the worker is given the pay agreed upon for the work he is to render, there is no reason complaining. Unfortunately though, some workers would want to change the terms of employment for convenience. Instead of doing his task, he would chose to watch over the work of others and assume a different role of his own choice. After agreeing for a particular task at a specific pay, the worker would want to impose changes that will modify the work setup and relationships. Attending to the work of other workers, he starts retrogressing in his performance. The trouble comes when he seeks for the standard pay even while failing in the performance of his duties.
On the other hand, employers who take advantage of the labor of his workers are getting richer at the expense of others. These employers do not deserve raking in the profits of other people’s labor. This is where the inequity between employers and workers need just rectification. It is grossly unfair for workers to be humiliated and berated by employers for failing to do tasks that are in fact beyond their regular duties. Seldom could we find generous employers are depicted in today’s gospel. Nevertheless, we are called to be thankful for what we get for an honest day’s work. If the pay we get is less than what is due us, it is not ours to answer before God. Let us just learn to count our blessings and avoid envying other people. Our feeling of emptiness is often caused by our enviousness of others. We entertain self-pity for getting less than the next person. Let us just pray that we may learn to accept and be contented with our blessings so that we will find happiness and contentment in life.
comments to alellema@yahoo.com

We have to commend Senator Richard Gordon for his courageous and timely initiative to investigate the suspicious influx of funds and its relations to Philippine offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has been remiss in taking action on the suspicious influx of over $600 million in cash brought in by Filipino and Chinese couriers in the last 7 months. The AMLC tolerated the huge amounts of dollars believed laundered in the Philippines.
The influx of cash dollars was detected as early as September 2019 and there might be a collusion among officials of concerned government agencies, the reason why the entry of the dollar currency continues.
The AMLC, Department of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Bureau of Customs could have first raised alarm on the matter and filed cases that would have forced the real owners of the money to come out.
The POGOs are not desirable economic activities for any country and should therefore not be allowed in our country. Revenues must come from healthy and proper economic activities not from criminal activities. POGO is the natural partner of various crimes which have significantly increased since the inception of POGOs. These crimes are prostitution, human trafficking, money laundering and exposure of government personnel to all kinds of corruption and bribery.
Visa upon arrival to Chinese people should not be allowed. Our country should not give Visa-free entry to 1.4 Billion Chinese citizens.
There is also the weakness of our law enforcement. How can anyone manage to bring in millions of dollars regularly through the NAIA without informing the AMLC. Little wonder that dirty money continues to find a haven in the Philippines.
There should be a lifting of bank secrecy laws in cases of money laundering.

If everything in society will cease normal operations and reduce human beings to nothing, we’ll have no choice but to go back to the basics of survival.
It can be noted that, as time passed by, human inventions and discoveries had pampered people so much that, instead of helping, they had spoiled the latter who, in turn, had become so dependent they can no longer carry out tasks the traditional way. They can’t walk down short distances anymore, can’t write with their pens on paper, can’t peel off fruit and vegetable skins manually, can’t do this, can’t do that, without using technological breakthroughs intended for various activities.
In short, with the advent of cutting-edge breakthroughs, humans had become too lazy, pampered, and spoiled. Come that day when these things are withdrawn from them, they would end up helpless, unable to survive and live on.
Unfortunately for them, there are unusual phenomena sometimes that could deprive them of these technological advancements. Either these things will malfunction, or they won’t anymore be available for reasons such as non-production or the like. Man-made as well as natural calamities could cause such stoppage and paralysis of operations. What happens next is the desperate struggle of people to survive. For having been dependent upon inventions through the years, they find it hard to do so.
Take, for instance, the disruptive effects to societal operations of this COVID-19. China has been severely affected their multifarious activities are now paralyzed under all institutions. From public transport to manufacturing of goods, etc., operations are almost stopped. To think that China is the maker of almost everything we use in daily activities, the entire world is likewise affected, not to mention the fact that the virus has already spread all over the world.
In the absence or paralysis of technology we have been dependent upon, what shall we do to survive and continue on with our lives? If processed food products are no longer available, if grocery items are all gone, if gadgets are no longer functional, if internet providers no longer operate, if gadgets will run out of signals, if the internet will no longer work, what shall we do to survive?
The answer to all this is to go back to the basics of human existence. How did the ancients lead their lives? How did they overcome the heat, the cold, the long travel distances, the need to preserve foodstuffs, the absence of cosmetics, the need to document their experiences, the necessity to plant crops, the hygienic demands, the production of medicines, the manufacture of hardware materials, etc.?
Well, they lived simply, by just addressing their basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing. This could be the formula that we have to adopt in order to survive. To live simply, to forget about the complexities inventions and discoveries had afforded us with.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has recently declared that the illegal drug menace of our land will become an issue of the past already when he ends his term as Chief Executive of the land in 2022. Our youths the future leader of the country will be safe from this ugly happening that effectively cripple their future.
Of course we will all be happy if it gets realized. The illegal drug menace in our land has practically wrecked havoc over many of our youths’ future as victims of drug addiction.
-oOo-
Human rights groups however have revealed that the anti-illegal drug campaign created some unacceptable effects in the process. They exposed the terrible results in thousands of people (70,000?) a good number of them only suspected victims who were killed, though unproven yet, so innocent. The president criticized human rights-group of these exposes.
-oOo-
These human rights groups are simply doing their role in our democratic society. But if they indeed violated our laws in exposing these alleged extra judicial killings, then government can simply charge them in our courts and be punished accordingly based on our democratic standards.
If the President committed unlawful moves or has seemingly abused authority he must simply review what happened and make adjustments in the anti-illegal drug campaign.
It is as simple as that. But based on our observation, in all these four years as leader of the land the President has shown one of his weaknesses that of his being so sensitive to criticisms. Whenever he hears criticisms he immediately gets angry. Well…… and So….!!