12 11 2011
The stay in Manila for the UP-PGH Fellowship Training in Supportive Hospice and Palliative Medicine has been financially tough for my husband and I. The reality is, the income that we are earning, when spent in Dumaguete City is far more rewarding than when spent here in Metro Manila. Dumaguete City is not the boondocks but we can get around the city just by walking or talking the pedicab; and it would not take us forever to get from one place to another. We have the convenience of cooking our own food rather than go for “dine in” or “take out;” Not be crammed in an apartment with many restrictions. But don’t get me wrong, with almost a year done here in Manila, I am grateful for the people we have met, the places we have visited and the events we have attended. The fun and excitement of discovery is something that cannot be bought or even exchanged.
A. A. On Moonlighting and Relieving
Among the many experiences I gained here in Manila was the opportunity to go into relieving/moonlighting duties. Straight from passing the physician licensure examinations, I went to residency training in Surgery then Family Medicine. My idea of moonlighting/relieving/racket stemmed from the accounts of friends and seniors. The monetary compensation was good and you have the opportunity to do 2-3 duties. The downside is, well, the travel time and there is no “permanency.”
On three occasions (2 at the BoomLand Kart Track for a Motorcycle Race and 1 WiLLing WiLLie Anniversary at Smart Araneta Coliseum), I was able to work with STAT Med – an ambulance service with its own team of EMTs. I had fun and the pay was just enough at P2500 for 8-10 hours of work with free meals. But, according to my companions who seem to be “perennieals” in the moonlighting/relieving seen – the pay is just small. That is okay with me, though, because they allowed my husband to tag along and I get to see the “artistas.” Happy na ako dun.
The other thing is my not so nice experience with the racket at Slimmers World which I ‘inherited’ from one of my companions. The schedule is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-8 o’clock in the evening for P8000 which translates to about P500/duty. The work is not that tedious –physical examination for those wanting to enroll in their fitness program with a few consults here and there. I shared this duty with a resident – she takes the Tuesdays and I do the Thursdays. Before I accepted to take this job, I knew for a fact that there was always a delay in giving out the cheque, about two weeks late, and if you will not follow it up with the assistant manager/accounting, it may take longer than that. I always hear Aliza complain about the delay. In our case, the cheque is placed under the name of the resident, because the management would only want one name. Logistics, I suppose.
December 8, 2011 – on this fateful day, I have come to realize that I have had enough of the delaying tactics; being treated like ‘second’ class, not being compensated for what I have studied and trained for. “Cge, kahit hindi sa pina-trainingan ko, kahit sa paging doctor na lang…” I am a specialist, a diplomate member of the largest medical specialty society in the Philippines. I thought it is about time to stand up for my ‘rights.’ Having said that, I do remember enjoying the duties that I had and fondly thinking that it is all well with me if there is a delay in the handing out of the cheque; so, I could just forget about it and place it under savings. The problem now was I did not give them the two-week notice; I just did not show up. At siyempre nagalit sila. I just said I am sorry. Simple; rather than risk saying something that is not called for.
However, when I learned from Loida, that our October and November salaries have only just been processed last December 6, 2011…. Grrrrrrrr! What are these people doing with our time cards of the last two months??? I felt really bad and quite frankly, I regretted not saying this to their face. Abuso na ito! Wala po akong ma-recommend na doctor po sa inyo kasi nakakahiya ang pasahod niyo at na-dedelay pa.
B. B. BPI Express Deposits
No matter how advanced the technology is, it still needs a good head to be able to operate it =)
I was eager to show my husband how to make a deposit on an automated teller machine but I made the mistake of not arranging the bills properly without the “kunot.” The machine ended up “eating” most the bills and was not posted to my account. To state the obvious, “syempre;” my husband scolded me for my carelessness and impatience – “Why didn’t I wait for morning to do the transaction..?”
I immediately sent an email to the bank and posted in twitter… in less than 24 hours, I received a call from a bank representative and promised to settle it in 3-4 banking days. And Promise Fulfilled.
Lesson Learned.
