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Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.
His professional degrees came from the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
Now a corporate executive for a major airline, Siegfred is a former soldier and a lawyer by profession, a teacher and and inspirational speaker by passion, and a book author and a writer with a mission.
Onion powder
A lady-friend recently shared how her daughter resorted to buying and using onion powder due to the ridiculously rising prices of onions in our country. Quite the practical thing to do, especially since a bottle of 80 grams of onion powder only costs P53 and tastes like the real thing! Powder can also last longer than fresh onions. According to my friend, “lasang sibuyas naman, pumikit ka lang.” I am neither a fan nor an avid user of onions on any dish or sauces. But to my friend, nothing compares to the crisp and moist fresh onions especially when accentuated with watwat vinegar, fish sauce (patis), honey and Knorr seasoning. Truly, even this herb expediency dressed up in faux-unselfish casuistry can only step back when weighed against evidence of what’s raw and real. The issue is nothing of the feeble kind. A commodity as basic as onion runs straight to the lives and bellies of every household.
Ah-10-shun!
The command of “attention” in the Army is given with much authority that those who hear it truly give their full and undivided attention lest they be punished! Nobel Laureate Herbert A. Simon said that attention was the “bottleneck of human thought.” Attention limits what we can do as in the case of multitasking, which seems to make people do many things at the same time albeit improperly if not poorly. In an article posted in Berkeley Economic Review way back in 2020, Ally Mintzer, echoing what Simon said, wrote, “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
Fog in our wars
AS defined, fog is a weather condition wherein small drops of water accumulate to form a thick cloud that limits visibility, whereas war is any conflict, usually between armed adversaries. When taken together, “fog of war” is a situational awareness that causes difficulty in making decisions. In the military context, fog of war means that there are instances, especially in the middle of a battle, when commanders simply lack the necessary information concerning their own troops and the opposition’s troops to arrive at a decision.
Of Philip, Andrew and Martha
Many of us have friends, relatives, or acquaintances at the very least named Philip, Andrew and Martha. Not that there is an urgent need for any roll call, but these first names inescapably ring an accuracy of certain inevitable truths. If the name Maritess is to a gossipmonger and the name Bogart is to a gigolo (no offense meant to people actually identified with these given names), the names Philip, Andrew and Martha represent a volley of circumstances that are too close to us to be ignored. Again, no affront intended.
Best ‘change’, promise!
Every New Year allows us to reflect upon the achievements of the past year while redirecting our efforts towards the future. I think it is more of a psychological tendency for people to make promises, targets, and goals at each starting point. In the corporate setting, budgets are prepared and subsequently approved a few days before the end of the year and implemented at the start of another. Key performance indicators (KPI) are measured at the end of the year and recalibrated at the start of another. Necessarily, changes are a common theme whenever there can be a fresh start. Of course, the more common New Year’s resolutions at the start of every year are more on the diet or workout variety side considering how the holiday celebrations can make us all eat more than usual.
The why of our Christmas story
Most believers should know the story of Christmas like the palm of their hand. It basically started with the visit of an angel named Gabriel to a virgin named Mary. As to the infant’s name, Mary was to call the child Jesus. We all learned about the birth of Jesus in a manger, as depicted in a modern day Belen, as in a Nativity setting, and seen in almost every place this Christmas season. There were three kings who were guided by a star towards a manger in a little town called Bethlehem. Shepherds stood as witnesses, whose presence was symbolically significant for the child born on that night that would turn out to be the Great Shepherd of mankind. Of course, the narrative would not be as interesting without a sinister plot, which, in our Christmas story, came from King Herod who issued an edict to kill all babies in his quest to eliminate threats to his kingdom.
His name is Grace
I often wonder why there seems to be a boom in the naming of girls with typically boys’ names. Women like Alex, George, Shannon, and Austin have been growing in numbers! Even American celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have named their daughter James, as did Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis who called theirs Wyatt. Parents of baby girls from the recent decade seem to have gone a “generational shift”—they do not call their sons Sarah or Maria; they name their daughters Robin as demonstrated by statistics from government data in the United States.
Finding joy: A mission possible
NOTE: Below is a written collaboration with my daughter Regina Victoria as I asked her to share insights during this season of giving and sharing.
A different kind of cancer statistics
IN 2022, cancer remains as the second most common cause of death in the US, after heart disease. In the same year, 21 percent of cancer deaths in the US come from lung and bronchus, 9 percent from colon and rectum, 8 percent from pancreas, 7 percent from breast, while 55 percent comes from all others. According to a US study, pancreatic cancer is the least survivable and quickest killing cancer while breast cancer and prostate cancer are supposedly the most curable.
Beyond financial giving
Across the United States of America families and friends converge to celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, whose origin can be traced back to 1620. Coming from England, a group of “religious separatists” (eventually known as pilgrims) on board a small ship sought a new home where they could freely practice their faith.
The ‘Filipino alien’
Commissioned by Firefly Lightning PH, SM By the Bay showcases an interesting gamut of parols (Filipino ornamental lanterns) uniquely and remarkably designed by French-Filipina actress and TV host Solenn Heussaff-Bolzico. According to her, every parol she sketched was inspired by Pinoy festivities and resiliency. She pointed out how “we always love to come together and celebrate life…and how we have all been able to reflect these past years to prioritize the things that are important to us.” There are a significant number of foreign nationals, referred to as aliens under the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, who have contributed greatly to the promotion, if not preservation of Philippine culture.
Telenovela of resigning
AT one point in our lives, we decide whether to bid adieu or to stay the course. In my case, I experienced both—I voluntarily resigned from the Army but stayed put in the Bureau of Immigration until forcibly taken out, the back story of which is worthy of a season of telenovela. When it comes to relationships, I gave up on some personal ones when things became unbearable and irreconcilable, the back-story of which could be a great plot for a blockbuster movie.
Strength in numbers
The more the merrier; the more the better; the more the stronger. Such cliché statements hold true in most cases, more so in labor unions. In the past decade, the number of members of private sector unions is generally increasing, according to the statistics shared by the Philippine Statistics Authority. There are around 600 duly registered national trade unions, industrial federations, and plant-level unions from private and public sectors. Although they represent less than 10 percent of the Philippine workforce, unionization rate is on a steady increase.
The accusation that wasn’t
Former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Officer-in-Charge Rafael Ragos is no hero. Not that he wished to be called one, but there is really nothing much to extol for his recantation. Regardless of any personal conviction pertaining to his career or to the drug cases involving former Senator Leila De Lima, it was never right for Ragos to have lied in the first place. Honesty is expected from any person, especially from public officers. And to put it bluntly, if indeed he had both wits and valor, he would not have allowed himself to be “coerced” into making false accusations at the outset. Based on his recantation, no further explanation was given as to how he was purportedly forced: was a gun pointed at him by former DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II? Were there threats to his life or that of his family? Has any family member been abducted or killed to deter him from telling the truth? The prosecution team should put Ragos to task and make him truthfully answer what specific acts led him to say there was coercion.
Correcting the correctors
Controversies continue to hound the Bureau of Corrections, the latest of which is the supposed participation of inmates in the murder of media personality Percy Lapid. Urban legend has it that guns-for-hire abound in the prison facility in Muntinlupa where masterminds can easily engage assassin services at a “cheap” price. Local movies even portray situations where an inmate is let out temporarily solely for the purpose of killing a target for a fee, only to return to serve the rest of his sentence. Another relatively recent controversy involved the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance, which was abused to allow VIP inmates, such as known rapist Antonio Sanchez, to go scot free, only to be thwarted by the watchful eyes of media and human rights groups. According to the Justice Department, these loopholes are there because of a failed bureaucracy since BuCor officials have unbridled discretion in managing inmates and in implementing the GCTA. Back then, the DOJ leadership wanted more review power over the BuCor. This measure can only go so far. It’s a legal solution to an implementation problem.
An ‘addict’ father
Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III was arrested by anti-drug operatives for possession of over P1 million worth of high-grade marijuana (“kush”) in Las Piñas City. What makes this recent drug apprehension a piquant topic is the suspect’s lineage, as his father, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, is not just a high government official in the country but is also a defender of the previous administration’s anti-drug war and human rights’ record before the United Nations Human Rights Council. Naysayers have been quick to judge that the father pursues the archetype of a drug-free community yet within his family lives a drug-addict. Talk about preaching water but drinking wine, as the saying goes. And with some people anxious about the Justice secretary’s possible unsavory involvement in his son’s case, calls for his immediate resignation followed suit.
‘Two’ much
I am not an expert in election law and am vaguely familiar with the rules of procedure involving the Commission on Elections. Expertise, however, is not the sole yardstick for developing a worthwhile opinion since one’s analytical abilities may be useful. Incidentally, my humble practice in the legal profession has generated many a lesson beyond attaining proficiency in the law, such that even the simplest act of being patient with details can prove to be more critical. When a controversy is drenched with factual circumstances, subject to different interpretations, resolving it would certainly require more than a strict implementation of the wordings of the law. Otherwise stated, a holistic approach is sometimes called for.
You can’t change you
Change leadership is required to successfully react to opportunities for growth. To a certain extent, changes in the private sector are easier to attain, yet, according to leadership guru Dr. John P. Kotter, 70% of all major change efforts in private organizations fail because of the lack of holistic approach. In his article entitled Leading Change, Dr. Kotter shared his 8-Step Process where organizations can increase their chances of success of changing towards their prescribed direction. This article will share the first two steps.
Roger Roger
When I was in the Army, I performed some radio operator duties, sending our Daily Operations Report from time to time. The DOR is sent to inform higher headquarters the state of my infantry company. On the receiving end, after going through 10 status reports, which usually end with the Morale of Troops as “High,” the recipient says “Roger” after receiving a transmission—simply saying “R” for “received.” I do not know the origins of the term “Roger,” but the practice of saying “Roger” stuck in my personal vocabulary. It became my way of telling someone that I understand his instructions, to which millennials say “noted” these days.
The longevity secret of Queen Elizabeth II
She died at the age of 96, after serving her country for 70 years as the Queen since her ascendancy to the throne in 1952—the longest reign in British monarchy. Much has been written about Queen Elizabeth II, especially how she selflessly accepted the royal responsibility at a young age of 25. As a Princess, Elizabeth was influenced greatly by her mother, who instilled in her a devout Christian faith. Sometime in 1940, as a 14-year-old princess, she inspired the youth whose parents were affected by World War II with a soothing radio broadcast—“that in the end, all will be well; for God will care for us and give us victory and peace.”
Living the lifelong learning experience
I was formally introduced to the lifelong learning concept in 2014. I was then recently appointed as the Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy (BOA) and I was asked by then Professional Regulation Commission Chair Teresita Manzala to join a group of PRC officials to a Kuala Lumpur conference. This was a gathering of Asean educators who discussed trending developments in learning and professional development, including the LL.
Live like we are dying
IN civil law, succession is a mode of transferring ownership of properties and rights effective upon the death of the decedent to his heirs. It is a unique mode of transferring ownership since it is unprogrammed for the most part—the transferor simply has to die for succession to open. For lay people, death entails grief for losing a loved one and a burden for preparing funeral and burial rites. For lawyers, death means a legal process where ownership is transferred from one person to another. Amid this ongoing pandemic, death is all around us.
More than just a body bag
Coconut investment
Being the second-largest producer of coconuts in the world, the Philippines specifically created coconut-focused agencies, such as the National Coconut Corporation (1940) renamed as Philippine Coconut Administration (1956), and the Coconut Coordinating Council. Today, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is the single governing body centered on the development of the coconut industry. By virtue of Presidential Proclamation 142 signed by the late President Corazon Aquino, the PCA founded “National Coconut Week,” celebrated every year from August 23 to August 30.
Naked discipline
AT the start of my Army career, I was already conscious about preserving the legacy that my father Salvador built in his 36 years of illustrious service in the military. I painstakingly took efforts to carry the onus, especially on the matter of discipline, lest I tarnish this heritage. The officers and soldiers I met always associated discipline with the Mison brand in the uniformed service. After all, my father once prohibited all soldiers from drinking alcohol in the entire Basilan province when he was the provincial commander in the seventies.
Thumbs up
Hand gestures have been with society ever since. Prior to the development of any spoken language, humans primarily conversed using their hands and eyes to convey their message. Over time, despite the advent of written and spoken language, hand gestures remain useful to communicate. For instance, getting both arms up is a sign of surrender, universally speaking. A thumbs up motion, on the other hand, indicate “all is well” or approval.
The ogres in our endless journey
The book “Endless Journey” is about the life of the infamous General Jose T. Almonte who served in various capacities under different presidents but with a role as simple as a crusader. Due to his “wealth and stealth” of experiences as a security and intelligence officer, General Almonte became a controversial public figure in his personal quest to build a nation and not to be an “ogre” in the process. A monster or a hideous giant in fairy tales is called an ogre. But to both General Almonte and former President Fidel V. Ramos, a well-meaning person, either a volunteer in an election campaign or an aspirant to public office, can potentially turn into an ogre if he or she is swallowed by the “snake pit” created by government power.
The downfall of ‘Marites’
IF gossip was human, she would have been named “Marites” in the Philippines. In Filipino pop culture, Marites refers to every netizen who digs up and keeps track of everything, preferably bizarre, usually on social media. Since the pre-Internet days until the advent of the blogosphere and digital mores, gossip has been called tittle-tattle, scuttlebutt, and hearsay, to name a few. Peculiarly, gossip has since been associated with women, which was rooted in the Anglo-American society where a gender-specific definition of gossip emerged.
Punishment beckons
‘NO person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law” is the due process clause enshrined in our Constitution. Always used yet misused. Often quoted, yet abused. Due process can be as simple as giving notice and an opportunity to be heard before being punished. Of course, law schools will teach us that there are various elements when it comes to substantive and procedural due process. Constitutionalists will take more than half a day to explain what due process is all about.