Hello

Assalamu Alaikum w.b.t.

This is my first entry, and at the moment, I'm also trying to finish a report here at the office.
I work for the Philippine Government, thus qualifying me as a true civil servant. At least, I consider myself one.

I think that one's sense of altruism is something that is lost in most public officials, considering the number of scandals and graft&corruption cases that are being headlined as of late. It scares me, really, that one day, I will forget that I believed I am altruistic...that I have a selfless attitude of servitude to this country. Maybe that's the main reason I'm starting this blog, so that I can reflect in the future.

I used to pity government workers because of the low pay and almost lack of benefits that they receive. But when I became one, I started to admire them. Of course, not the corrupt ones. And I think corruption can come in different forms, not just the sensationalized multi-million peso illegal transactions advertised in the newspapers. Like, right now, if I wasn't using my coffee break to write this blog entry, that could be considered as corruption. I'd be using taxpayer's money to write this.

But altruism can only get me so far. If I even want to aspire for a promotion in my present office, I might have to wait for ten years to get some space in the plantilla until someone retires from the service. Security of tenure is pretty tight in the civil service, where its almost impossible to take out non-performing assets and replace them with high-potential recruits. I could share my thoughts on that some other time. When I said that altruism can only get me so far, at least in this office, I really mean that I don't intend to be a civil servant for long. But when the time comes that I do rejoin the private sector, I know that I will bring with me the selfless qualities that I've developed as being a government employee (bullsh*t). You know, I do not know why I am actually writing this. I must be bored out of my wits here. Actually, I need to do something other than work so that I can still function normally. And I'm out of coffee. And I don't smoke (a bonafide quitter, I am). Well, gotta go back to work.

My name is Khairy, and I'm a Human Resource practitioner responsible for recruitment, selection, and placement for a government office in the Philippines.

Wasallaam.