Any reactions from the management?
We have shouted and we have been heard. But they were not listening to us. Our appeal for Mr. Palengke remains an appeal. We hope that he will not wait until a million or more people will visit this site and see that our appeal is still not acted upon . (For the information of Sen. Mar Roxas, this website was visited by more or less 3,500 people in 7 days. Please ask your IT people on the significance of this number of unique hits).
Our appeal has also been posted on the Inquirer Online (http://opinion.inq7.net/inq7viewpoints/letters/view_article.php?article_id=10362)
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Management through the IT department decided to suppress our voices by blocking this website and preventing us employees from reading and posting our own comments.
They were even trying to identify the true identity of the people who posted their own comments.
We are not just asking for the PMS of 2005. Hear our voices… And listen to us….




I was once like you, a victim of mis management inside Araneta’s Organization. It’s been like that since immemorial. I understand, they (the Aranetas) are in the business of making money and not a social welfare type of organization. With the exception of Bb Pilipinas, Foundation kuno, for the benefit of the Doubt.
But, come to think of it, if they have not done that to us, we are still connected with Progressive Development Corporation, maganda and bihis, kapita-pitagan tingnan, pero kumakalam and sikmura dahil, low-salaried, and what do you expect, baun sa utang, para makabayad ng tuition at makaraos sa pang-araw araw. The way of life of Araneta employees.
Pasalamat tayo that we were treated by Araneta ng pareho ng nararanasan ng mga kasalukuyand empleado. Na naging bleasing in disguise, at gumanda ang ating katayuan sa buhay dahil sa bago nating employer, na marunong magpahalaga sa kanilang empleado that treat us as partners and not as muchacha.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH araneta
From Tedy (sent to the email of the moderator)
Our website: Life and Work in Araneta Center ( http://aranetacenter.wordpress.com) is already no. 1 on the Google seach engine:
Try searching using the following words:
janet solsoloy
araneta center website
aranetacenter website
these search words put the website on the top of the list:
Using different words, like araneta center or aranetacenter, the website is on the top 20 of the Google List.
As of 8:00am August 1, 2006 the website has 5,093 unique hits. That means more than 5,000 individual IP addresses or computers or people have gone to the site.
What are the implications of being on top of the Google list and the 5,000 unique hits?
1. The website is more popular on the internet than the official website of aranetagroup or araneta center
2. More people will be able to see the website and see the comments on the website
3. More people have known what is the true life and work in araneta center
4. Blocking the site inside the network of araneta center won’t prevent the employees from viewing the site outside the office
5. Marketing or counter marketing is successful.
If you have not known yet, Inquirer online has posted our appeal related to this website: you may go to:
http://opinion.inq7.net/inq7viewpoints/letters/view_article.php?article_id=10362
What do we get from this?
- If you won’t listen to us, the employees, we will continue to post our comments on the website. Thus any marketing effort is being countered by this.
Can management of araneta center benefit from this “popularity” on the website?
- YES. If the management treat the employees HUMANELY, by giving to them their due as employees, definitely good comments about araneta center and the management can be posted on the website. This will change the TONE of the postings.
What is the next step?
- The decision is in the hands of JLA.
WE ARE WAITING……
You should be VERY aware that if you even try to access this site within the Araneta Center’s network, they will find out. How do I know this? I designed it.
I read with curiosity about your grievances and concerns, but you should know that you are not entirely correct. You should know that the people at the top of the food chain are actually good people – the people below them are the ones you have to watch out for. JLA, JAR, MR, etc. are good, caring people.
Imagine yourself in this position: you are the offspring of perhaps the most amazing leader that the Philippines has ever known. You are the son/daughter of someone who wanted to make the country better throught your investments and a commitment to the PH people. JDA was such a person, but he was wholesale betrayed by the Marcos regime. All you know is covering your back and worrying whether or not you can adequately keep the faith in your father’s legacy. Imagine having the great responsibility of trust and having to move forward with such great wealth – while always wondering whether a dictator was right around the corner. What would you do?
It is completely unfair for you to point to the Araneta’s as the source of your grievances. You should a) continue to appeal for growth in your positions, b) look inside – so MANY times I would go to look at an IT situation and I would see people sleeping or screwing around, c) keep it up, but be careful – you will be branded as a troublemaker, but the fact is that the world is no longer a place where secrets sleep – perhaps there can be change.
As for my own situation, I gave two years of my life to help Araneta Center to get where they could compete with the Ayala’s of the world. JLA invested (rightfully) in a lot of things that would a) improve productivity and b) reduce problems in technology. We cut expenses in printer consumables by about $70K US dollars in one year. We all but eliminated viruses from the network. We brought order to what was previously chaos from a technology perspective.
At the time of the cutover from ISTD to my company, you should understand that DQT was the biggest hindrance to progress. Any salutes to him are unfounded – he was just short of worthless. I would go into his department and there would be a bunch of guys sitting around playing video games – meanwhile our 5 people would be managing the network. I cannot say enough about how unbelievably incompetent and a hindrance to progress DQT was. Something had to be done.
I personally implored people to rid the organization of DQT. I was not really sure if it was the right thing to do considering where I was located, but I had the commitment of MClemor and FMangio to continue things – progress. Once I had their firm commitment, I was willing to go out there. In hindsight, it still was the right thing to do. Nobody would have gone anywhere with DQT being in charge of anything. I tried on so many occasions to get DQT to do something about his team – get training, do anything – but it was always status quo and bullshit from every angle.
As for criticism of what happened in ISTD, I take full responsibility. I thought the people who were onboard were onboard. RReynaldo, MClemor were the few who lived up to their responsibilities. FMangio bailed and JBeltran bailed – they were the linchpins that made me bail. I can make a lot more money where I live so it was not a hard choice – particularly after not even getting a call from JLA when I was wavering. But the people commited the company were MClemor and RReynaldo – good men who want to do their best.
You can take my input however you would like to translate it. The following items are my final observations:
- Your thoughts on JS are true – she is a bitch – she was not interested in learning about anything. In fact, one of the people that was let go accidentally during the transition she did not want to even deal with – I had to intervene – She said, “It’s a done deal.” Fortunately, the guy was retained – don’t know if he’s still there, but he should tip his hat to RBC for being someone of integrity.
- JLA is a cool guy. You’ll probably never have an opportunity to interact with him, but you will never meet someone so down to earth. He is as solid as they come. Good person who wants the organization to succeed. Don’t ever discount JLA as someone who does not hear you – he is surrounded by managers that don’t want him to know what goes on…. I just wish he’d do the right thing and send me my property.
- The only way an organization becomes world-class is respecting everyone from the entry-level staff to those just below the chief. Your efforts to unionize will force this. Unfortunately, your efforts will require the Araneta’s to raise rents and may leave people without jobs. You are in a crossroads of Manila’s progress, let progress take its course before you ask for more.
Best.
You Know Who!
While I agree with your assertions regarding some IT personnel, I beg to differ with your view of the Araneta top brass or perhaps, we just have a different definition of caring. Have you ever seen JLA cuss and heap insults on executives in the manner that feudal lords of yore do? I know people who had been forced to go out of the elevator for the mistake of being in there with him. I agree that he can be charming at times but this far and in between. Ever heard of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide?
I hate to prick your balloon but your view of these people is naive. The buck in the company always stopped with the family so much so that the company executives are mere puppets. Even the likes of TRA – notwithstanding his experience and credentials had been micromanaged to death.
But the bone of my contention lies with their lack of integrity. The fact that the performance management system is in shambles do not speak well of the people you so praise. When the change management program was started a few years ago, the PMS was implemented. The change program was a JLA – initiated program. It was agreed that employees would get bonuses commensurate to the company’s performance instead of the usual one month automatic bonus. Unfortunately, when it appeared that the company has had to shell out bonuses worth more than one month – all hell broke lose. And so started the annual one month “ädvances” – kesyo hindi pa na-a-audit ang FS. But then this dragged on for years (in case you do not know, stuff like this must be resolved within the April of the following year as this is the deadline for the filing of the annual FS with the SEC). The poor people who had to retire or resign had to see their retirement benefits deducted by the “pautang” and the resignees not getting their clearances “dahil may utang ka pa”.
There’s so much about the company that you do not know of. By the way, with respect to the Marcos side story, I do not think Marcos ever betrayed the Aranetas. Their assets were never confiscated the way the Lopezes’ assets were. Moreso, shouldn’t the experience of oppression be a learning experience – that tyranny has no place ANYWHERE including the corporate setting?
As for the salaries, people at Araneta are among the lowest paid compared to other property management companies. With probably the exeption of Pizza Hut (who have much exacting standards probably owing to the regular franchise review),I can say that the Araneta employees are not exactly the luckiest employees on earth. I have reason to believe that you might have been an Ingenuit employee – you also have to consider your P45K salary with what the IT people had been getting. But I do agree with you that the department had many people more than it actually needed.
As for letting progress take its course, the Araneta’s had been progressing all along while many employees had to contend themselves with salaries that can’t even catch up with inflation. Considering that salaries do not eat up the lion’s share of costs, I do not think it is fair to put the onus of “progress” on the backs of hapless employees. While I agree that “respect” from ALL people in the organization (NOT JUST BELOW THE CHIEF LEVEL) will do wonders for corporate morale, strategy, innovativess, and vision are also necessary ingredients – something that is in short supply in Araneta – always keen to hark back to the good ole days when they were at the forefront of the shopping industry.
In the end Mr. Concerned, Araneta is only CONCERNED for Araneta, and THEREIN LIES THE RUB – call it Freudian slip, but your top of the food chain analogy is actually quite problematic. Organisms at the top of the food chain are NOT caring towards those below them. They actually DEVOUR them.
It is clear that Bob Anderson of Ingenuit posted the comments above with a name ‘CONCERNED”. Actually, he is not concerned about Araneta Center. He is concerned about his ass. At least JLA made the right decision when he knew that Anderson is just screwing his money. JLA is the typical JLA when he threw Anderson to the gutters. If he can only shout curses to the guy, slap his face and stomp him on the ground, he would have done it.
JLA realized that Anderson is a “wiseguy” trying to earn money out of the Aranetas.
At first, JLA believed in the guy. JLA thought that a white Microsoft certified computer technician with a long hair who helped him solve his laptop problems in New York would also help him start an IT company in Manila, and earn millions for the Aranetas.
Thus, JLA offered a Tourist Package to the guy. You all know what an American tourist does in the Philippines while scouring the night spots and the beaches, or making Manila as the jumping area for trips to tourist areas in Asia.
But after more than 2 years of Ingenuit Manila, JLA realized that Anderson cannot sweet-talk (fool) the IT departments of many Filipino companies. Anderson cnnot even fool the IT companies of American companies in Manila. Thus he was not able to get a contract outside of Araneta Center and the Araneta Group.
Thus instead of earning millions for the Aranetas, JLA was spending his millions for the guy.
JLA also realized that the white guy is just screwing him. So finally, he dumped Anderson. A typical JLA act….
I agree with “Not Bob Anderson” that the poster “Concerned” is actually Bob Anderson of Ingenuit.
He wants to grab all the credit for all the IT projects in Araneta Center.
The following were not original plans but were just copied by Bob Anderson and submitted to JLA and implemented as his own idea:
1. The network infrastructure
2. New servers
3. Software licenses for Microsoft
These projects were actually original plans as submitted by DQT to the ManCom and ExeCom since 2002. When Ingenuit came, Bob Anderson asked for these plans supposedly for evaluation. He then put the Ingenuit logo on the plans, and presto, he gets the credit for its implementation.
TRA and Maxie Martinez can confirm this.
Since the plans were not really his own, two years have passed but the problems remain.
So that the public may know, the original proposal for these projects were just about P15-18 million. When implemented by Ingenuit, Araneta spent about P30-35million aside from the service fees extracted by Ingenuit from Araneta Center.
Bob Anderson even bought licenses worth millions for Microsoft Office 2003 and Windows XP. But we all know that these software will not run on IBM PCs with 286 or 386 processors which comprises majority of the computers in the company.
So, it was a waste of money, buying software which cannot be used.
I think JLA has come to his senses, thus Bob Anderson has gone back to New York…
Yabang talaga ng Amerikano. Mahiya ka sa balat mo…. Kaya ka naman pinaniwalaan ni kamote dahil mas maputi ang balat mo kay DQT.
Sinabihan nga minsan ni Maxie si DQT na dapat siguro magpa skin bleach para paniwalaan ni JLA, dahil ang kanyang mga proposals at recommended ni Maxie ay walang naging action si kamote, pero nang kopyahin ni Mr. Ingenuit at binigay kay JLA, kahit mas mahal ng di hamak ay pinagawa na for implementation.
Bahala ka mag-interpret nito..
Bob Anderson is full of air, but nothing in content. Just like his minions RReynaldo and MClemor.
RReynaldo and MClemor did not and cannot bail out because nobody would believe in them outside. FMangio and the others saw the light, thus they bailed out because they have more opportunities outside.
Bob Anderson’s people are very busy or seems to be busy because they did not know what they are doing… They use more time doing something when in fact it is nothing. So in effect, they are just wasting time.
They are busy doing the manuals or the “professional looking proposals” to impress JLA, but they actually mean nothing to the employees of ACI.
First of all, please allow me to address my concerns to Mr. “Concerned” and anybody else here who have a beef against “the Real MIS” (i don’t wanna call it ISTD since the inheritant managers of that name are not worthy of bearing the torch that we did not pass to them voluntarily). nor would i like to call them “successors” because they haven’t even succeeded in doing a mighty fine job themselves! so here i am and i speak in behalf of my fellow, often picked-on and now displaced, “all-original” MIS staff.
so you all think we’re too many, huh? well how can you expect any department to cover the whole center’s IT operations with just 5 or 10 wise-ass guys?
i mean, we’re talking about multi-tasking here! most of us just don’t handle one particular task… we also serve as tutors to our fellow dumbass co-employees who earn more than 20k a month and slavedrive their staff, own laptops and sip espressos at Starbucks, yet do not know how simple it is to cut and paste documents and save their work in the network drives. they just play Text Twist and Scrabble all day despite how many times we’ve already reformatted their PCs because their games and porno take up more space than important work-related documents that should speed up the red tape of to the company.
don’t you dare yakk around blowing your horn that we’re not working hard enough for all of you and that we’re too overstaffed. we cover every IT concern from sun-up to sundown! we even work so hard that most of you don’t even seem to care. did we ever got our much deserved kudos or “gratis” when we serviced hundreds of bad computer monitors for Pizza Hut? FYI to the un-informed… it was mostly done by only one technician! did Araneta increased his pay after inhaling all that lead?! the only thanks he got was to be retrenched! why? go ask Solsoloy why!
or how about the team that goes around the properties, checking on their tenants’ POS connectivity? we worked hand-in-hand with Audit everyday, so go and ask them (if they’re still there). we’re always checking on submitted reports even tho’ it’s impossible to make them all accurate. and mostly… it’s the fault of the service providers and tenants who refuse to correct their systems. so who’s ass is always on the line anyway? we always receive flack from budget because of inaccurate sales returns, and not all property managers are implementing penalties to erring stores as they’re supposed to… i mean it should be their job! we’re supposed to just maintain servers and hookups, and not go policing the Ali Mall and Gateway tenants.
and where else in the corporate world can you find true-blue computer experts wearing long sleeves and ties or polo barongs, pushing cartloads of broken computers and printers, crawling under the desks, getting dirty just to plug in your AVRs and network cables… and all the while you thought your computer was not powering on because you didn’t know you accidentally kicked off the power cord. hence when you thought you can’t work for the day just because your computer does not work.. you ought to spend the rest of the day shopping in Isetann or SM, or go in your sneakers and chat around with your friends from the other properties, right?
most of you treat us as lowly as your CBM slaves who does your plumbing, electrical, and janitorial services for you. Sheesh! you can’t even clean your own computers, so you tried bother calling in the IT hotline so we can brush your towers with Wipe Out? the hell…
and after all that sweat and humiliation, what do we get at the end of the day? we used to be a division with a force of 30 plus… and yet we still have backlogs and backlogs of work that never end just because you keep screwing around with your computers and printers.
now who would be the wise-ass to suggest to management that this division should be spearheaded by some yo-yos with Microsoft certificates? i mean… it’s been runnin’ fine for years with a BS Math grad at the helm… followed by his second in command who used to be a Veterenarian. or how about the former head of tech support who’s just an Edu grad and is a licensed teacher? mind you… the original team may be made up most of undergrads, 2-year technical/ vocational grads, and non-IT grads.. but we get most of the job done by the end of the day! go check out the other departments and ask how we worked before… (if you could still track them down unless they’ve resigned already).
productivity is not measured soley by certificates alone… they’re just paperwork. the real measure lies on the heart and dedication. it’s all on instinct and “diskarte”. it’s all about customer satisfaction! for sure during our term, we get good customer satisfaction feedback. but if management felt we’re too many, then it’s a good thing some of us (including moi) got paid during retrenchement… at least the acheivements we’ve done in the past were compensated.
so let me ask all of you… now that you have “certified” computer experts working for you… with you being as customers of ISTD… are you all satisfied with your IT people right now? go figure…
i apologize if i’m off-topic… but i couldn’t just help but point my dirty finger at the one who called my former boss, useless! mind you… you’re just half the man of what he truly is!
Reading the comments of Bob Anderson aka “Concerned” and the other comments after his comments, now I understand what happened to ISTD. Bob “Ass****” Anderson” thought that he can build his own kingdom here in the Manila.
For Bob Anderson, it is a good move to go back to New York. If not, you would be like JocJoc Bolante, the former Undersecretary of Agriculture who became afraid of his own shadow, and thought that everybody who is following him is an assasin of the New People’s Army.
I feel sorry for the mess that is happening right now in ISTD. I also feel guilty for blocking the access of the Araneta Center employees. I just want to impress JLA that this website is nothing because people cannot access the website.
DQT is my former boss. He is not worthless. If not for him, I would not be where I am today. He gave me the breaks and the opportunities to learn.
I want to talk about what happened to Ingenuit and ISTD.
Ingenuit was created as a separate IT company. One of its clients (actually the only client) is Araneta Center, Inc.
When Bob Anderson and his team started to implement the projects for Araneta Center, Bob Anderson and DQT would argue a lot. In most of these meetings, I was there. From the point of Araneta Center, DQT was actually asking Ingenuit to correctly implement the projects. Just like any IT project, Ingenuit had problems implementing them.
Examples:
1. For the servers, login and data were transferred from the old servers to the new servers. When they users cannot login, or they cannot find their data, Ingenuit was expecting that ISTD would troubleshoot the problems for them. How can ISTD help them when the project was not yet turned-over to ACI, and ISTD were not given access to the servers?
2. Ingenuit was suppose to give to ACI through ISTD, the manuals and documents for the projects. But frankly, they don’t know how do it.
DQT was asking Bob Anderson to be professional enough. But Anderson does not like to be criticised. I have seen the exchanges of emails between DQT and Anderson, and the discussions on the projects. And I know that from the point of view of Araneta Center, DQT is right.
There were meetings that because Anderson cannot answer the questions that DQT asked, Bob Anderson walked out. And it happened several times.
There was one meeting that I heard Maxie Martinez who sat down as a consultant for some projects of Ingenuit with ACI, said that it is a pity that JLA does not listen to DQT, but listens to Anderson just because he is an American. I am very sorry for DQT.
DQT, Sir, thank you for your support and your help. Araneta Center should be proud of you when you protected the interests of the company. I know that you have done the right thing.
Hi. I would like to thank DQT for giving me the opportunity to work here in Araneta Center. He was the one who hired me.
Comparing the programmers of ISTD and Ingenuit, I give my salute to the programmers of ISTD even though they don’t have a Microsoft Certification.
Kit Lanzanas developed the Leaves Monitoring System on Lotus Notes for about 4 months only. She is only receiving around P15,000 a month as her salary. When Ingenuit decided to replace Lotus Notes with Microsoft Exchange, Ingenuit has 3 people working on the project for about 14 months. The programmers are being paid around P40,000 each per month.
Kit also developed the PR Workflow System for about 6 months. Ingenuit did it for about 18 months with 3 people.
Thus, I believe that a certification is still worthless if the people cannot deliver.
I can’t believe that RReynaldo and Mclemor have posted their own comments here in favor of DQT.
Is this true? Have they really come to their senses?
Speak up….
honestly speaking ACI-ISTD is the bastion of great minds as far as ingenuity,creativity and innovation is concerned. they can accuse us of being lax or fooling around but we know we get the job done! FYI, it was the men and women of ISTD who created and implemented the POS systems that run araneta’s malls created and headed by dqt. our programmers created lots of projects that many people used. including the program that JLA is using in managing his fighting cocks! Not so long ago. TSG spearheaded the repair or shall i say the revival of the so called dead IT equipments. ISTD fixed and revived Printers, monitors etc. that was then considered junk. ISTD was even the group that handled in the repair of more than 200 monitors of Pizza Hut something the PH-MIS couldn’t do. ISTD is the front force that handled the problems created by Ingenuit’s so called “modernization scheme”. it is ISTD who faced the scorn and the responsibility of their goof-ups. we are not certified we do not boast that. but one thing we do boast is this: we can move even with little or no supervision. we can do what is assigned. we have outdone many IT groups in the center and we are proud to claim it. co’z we survive the years and weathered down the afflictions passed on upon us. Though JMS reduced us as mere employees. Let others do what we have done and see if they can match it!!!
A VP once said this to us and I Quote: “Tignan niyo tong mga ‘to nawalan na ng mga trabaho pero nakangiti pa rin. Samantalang tayong mga may trabaho andito malungkot.”
When I look back almost a year now. IT’s not out lost.
Typical Filipinos. Your best men are corrupt and your best women are prostitutes. You probably wont post this as you are afraid of the truth. More than half of your population wants to get out of there and the rest are too afraid to do anything about it. You have people living on the railroad tracks and somehow it is their fault.
This is not some racist rant. Your culture is flawed. You accept poverty as business as usual. You accept wealth as some predetermined right. Yet, you do nothing. You sit by with anonymous postings and pussy crap that defines you as a people.
JLA is a businessman. Why would he entrust his money with some slacker Filipino when he could entrust a European, Australian or American with it when he would know that (at the very least) these people would not be whores or scandalous? My God, he has a non-Filipino wife and non-Filipino managers – SURPRISED? Get off of your pathetic “poor me” horse and do something.
PH is beautiful with lots of beautiful people. Unfortunately, you all spend so much time mired in pity that you cannot figure out how to get out of there. Corruption, greed, and f-in over the person who is supposed to be your neighbor that you tumble over each other.
Your country is terribly poor and you should accept it. Your work is 10X what it should be. If you want to get out, you should. The rest of the world is not polluted and disgusting. Get on a boat, marry a European, whatever…otherwise you are stuck in the shit…
At any rate, good luck!
Another thing that really makes this company suck, is when they ignore most of the good people and promote those who doesnt know anything but lick asses!!
This has been the situation to most of our departments… I just dont know how they do it, but they just simply go up even though they are not qualified to be in that position…
kaya ang kawawa ung mga mabababang mga subordinates pero ang nakikinabang ung mga promoted officer/manager na di naman dapat. Another sad thing is, kaya duamadami ung mga bobong boss dahil maraming malakas humimod.
my nalalaman pang team bldg para makapag date sila. you people make me sick! to think na sobrang uto-uto sa mga taong sip-sip ang mga boss d2. sobra! to us in this sinking company.
o kayo dyan, matauhan na kau, mahirap mabuhay sa companyang nagpapabonus ng utang, o ung tipong parang utang na loob mo pa na nagtatatrabaho ka sa kanila. beter yet, mahirap mabuhay sa utang!! kawawa ung mga tumanda sa inyo. they dedicated most of their fruitfull years in serving you people but in the end, kung san san nyo sila tinatapon at ibinibigay. tapos sinisibak nyo pag di nyo mapakinabangan!
correct ka d’yan, Cap10 Marvel!!!
Sa TEAM BUILDING daw kuno, maramimg nangyayaring milagro, ikinocover-up pa mga accomplished, sumisingaw naman ang baho ng milagro nila, pwe!!!