A Little Talk with a Professional

Meet our professional colleague:

Rica Simora
Manager Trainee at McDonald's Philippines
Mary Mart Branch, Iloilo City

What do you do on a typical day?
I sleep, roam around the city. Sometimes I go back at McDo to finish some of my work.
As a manager trainee, what do you do?
I'm working as a counter manager and a manager-in-charge. When I'm assigned as a counter manager, you manage the counter, the crew staff and of course count the money. As a manager-in-charge, I am in charge in everything. The kitchen, inventory and lobby.
What time do you start to work?
For being a counter manager, I go to work at 5:30 in the morning to open the store. But if you were assigned to close the store I go to work 1:00 in the afternoon but you usually starts your work at 2:30.
What time do you go home?
I go home at around 12:30-1:00 in the morning if you were assigned at closing time but sometimes I hang out with my friends and goes home at around 5:00 in the morning.
What is the advantage and disadvantage of being a counter manager?
You don't have to mind if there's a short on your money. The disadvantage is it's really tiring to change   the cashier case.
What is the advantage and disadvantage of being a manager-in-charge?
The advantage is you roam around the store and find what is the problem. The disadvantage, meanwhile is your pressured if the restaurant manager is there.                                                                                                  

DCS held Eco-Camp 2012 in Alimodian Iloilo

The Development Communicator's Society held our annual acitivity, Eco-camp2012 last Feb. 10-12 in Alimodian, Iloilo where we learned how to make a campaign. The center of the said activity is on how to save and preserve our forests and the wild. The first activity we had is a seminar lectured by Ma'am Cora Buala in which she tackled the problems of the forest and the wild and on how to solve them. Most of us are nature lovers. The second activity we had is the Laro ng Lahi in which all members of the group joined the said game. The games in the said activity are sack race, chinese garter, limbo rack and pok-pok palayok.

After all the activities, dinner was served that night. We were surprised by the dinner that they served to us. They called it BOODLE FIGHT. I've always wanted to try this kind of dinner because they said it was fun. It is the style of militaries in which long tables are prepared and food are put on top of the banana leaves. Viands and rice ready to eat using your bear hands, jugs of water are put to the side to wash hands before the "eating combat". Everyone aims for their position at the signal to start the boodle fight. It is also the symbol of camaraderie in military practice. I ate a lot here. It's really fun. 

 

The second day of our eco-camp is full of surprises. We did the taebo. It was very fun. We stretched our whole body early in the morning. 

In the afternoon, we prepared for the rural challenge. First is the banner- making contest. After that is our cheers and yells. Every group's cheers and yells are very fascinating and full of fun. We only had little time to practice and some did their cheers and yells on the spot. We laughed our hearts out because of so much fun. 

After our cheers and yells, our most awaited activity is the rural challenge. This year's rural challenge is all about physical activities but you must still answer the questions in every station. It was very tiring because every group must hold a bamboo especially when your climbing up and down the mountain. Its very extreme for me and its my first time to do that.  But all your hardwork will be worth because of your teamwork and determination to win the challenge.Even though it's tiring but yet you learned many things from the challenge and its so full of fun and adventures. 

 

On the third and last day of our camp, we had our tree planting in Agony Hill. A place where people visits during the Holy week. It is a tradition in us Filipinos which will never be faded in our hearts and will always continue for other generations to come. It is very tiring to climb up the hill but your tiredness will be worth it because when you reach to the top of the hill you can see the 14 stations of the cross and you will be amazed and awed to the beautiful view of the whole Alimodian. 

 

 

Dinagyang Festival. It's more fun in Iloilo

The Dinagyang festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to honor the Christianization of the natives and to respect the Holy child Jesus. Last January 20-22, 2012, Iloilo city celebrated Dinagyang Festival in honor of Senior Sto. Nino. On this day, the streets of Iloilo will once again come alive as the Ilonggo celebrates the annual festivity.

The thundering of "Hala Bira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one. It is also a very popular tagline used by the Ilonggos to express their warm participation during the "Dinagyang" celebration. A tribute in honor of Senior Sto. Nino whom Ilonggos believe was very miraculous in time of famine and drought.

Iloilo is also known in very rich culture. You can also see their different productions in which every tribe shows the culture of the Ilonggos. 

Their costumes also shows how creative and resourceful they are. Here in the picture you can see that their costumes are usually made in chicken feathers. The colors of the chicken feathers that we usually see in their costumes are blue, red and yellow because it is attractive to the eyes and can be easily seen even if your far away. But now different colors are combined to make their costumes more attractive.

Aside from the tribes that are joining in the festival, another attraction is which is a friendly 6'9" tall aeta-kid mascot. He was once a black colored mascot but now it was changed to dark brown because it is the authentic color of the aetas. According to Jimena, "wherever Dagoy goes people will be reminded of the Dinagyang festival. Once Dagoy shakes your hand, it simply means that you are welcome to Iloilo".

The Ilonggos are very talented because of the the ethnic steps and dances that they showed during the festival. 

In the early times, Ilonggos believed that the animals are their gods which is called animism in ati culture. They imitate the ways of a particular animal in which they believed that it is the symbol and source of their strength and later at the end of their performance we can see that they are bowing to the Sto. Nino because they found out that someone is more greater and more powerful than the animal they are worshiping and that is God in the person of the Sto. Nino. An example of this is in this picture in which Tribu Pan-ay believed that the eagle is their god and imitated the ways of the said bird. 

All I can say is Dinagyang is the best festival ever in Panay and I'm proud to be an Ilonggo.