FTS Learnings

Major FTS Day One

                From the beginning of our Field Trip I already learned new things. First of it was when we arrived at the airport, since that was my first time to enter inside the airport I learned that before you go inside the airport your ticket must be presented with your Identification card to the guard assigned on the entrance of the arrival area. After that you must take off the metals that you are wearing such as belts, eyeglasses, watches, etc. you should also put away the coins inside your pocket. Then you will put your bags in the x-ray machine so that the guard can check your bags. Once you get inside, you will check-in your ticket in the counter designated by the airline that you will be boarding, then your bags will be weighed so that they will know if you exceed the maximum weight for the bags. After you check – in, you will go upstairs and pay the terminal fee and claim your boarding pass, after that another x-ray machine will check your hand – carry bag. Once you are done with that you are ready to board the airplane. When we are boarding on the plane I am so excited to see what will be the experience that you could if the plane is flying above thousands of feet above the ground. I am amazed by the beauty that I saw when the plane is passing in the clouds and it also beautiful see the reflection of the rays of the sun in the clouds since it was sunrise during our plane ride.

                In the afternoon, since we did not go to our first company in the morning because of the delay of landing in the airport due to weather conditions and also because of the heavy traffic along the Villamor airbase, we go to the main office of the Social Security System (SSS).I learned that the Social Security System (SSS) has many benefits that are offering for their beneficiaries such as, sickness benefits, maternity benefits, disability benefits, retirement benefits, death benefits, and funeral benefits. Sickness benefit is a daily cash allowance paid for the number of days a member is unable to work due to sickness or injury, a qualified member must have these following conditions: the member is unable to work due to sickness or injury and is confines at a hospital or at home for at least four days, the member has paid at least three months of contributions within the 12month period, the member has used up all the company sick leave with pay for the current year and has duly notified his/her employer and the member must notify the SSS directly by filling a sickness benefit application if he/she is separated from employment or self-employed. Maternity benefit is a daily cash allowance granted to a female member who is unable to work due to childbirth or miscarriage, a qualified member must have these following conditions: the member has paid at least three months of contribution within the 12-month period immediately before the semester of her childbirth or miscarriage, if employed, she must has given notification of her pregnancy through her employer, and she must directly notify the SSS if she is separated from employment or self-employed member. Disability benefit is a cash benefit granted – either as a monthly pension or a lumpsum amount – to a member who becomes permanently disabled, either partially or totally, the qualified member must have the following conditions, the member has paid at least one month contribution before the semester of disability, to qualify for a disability pension, the member must have paid at least 36 monthly contributions prior to the semester of disability, and if with less than 36 monthly contributions, he/she is granted a lump sum amount.

                Retirement benefit is a cash benefit granted – either as a  monthly pension or a lumpsum amount – to a member who can no longer work due to old age, the qualified member must have the following: the member is at least 60 years old, separated from employment or has ceased to be self-employed; and had paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of retirement, or the member is 65 years old, whether employed or not employed, and has  paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of retirement, to qualify for a retirement pension, the member must have paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of retirement, and if less than 120 monthly contributions, the member is granted a lumpsum amount. Funeral benefit is a funeral grant of P20, 000 to whoever paid for the burial expenses of the deceased member. Death benefit is a cash benefit granted – either as a monthly pension or a lump sum amount – to the beneficiaries of a deceased member, to be given by this grant the beneficiaries must have: a monthly death pension is granted to the member’s primary beneficiary (legitimate spouse until he/she remarries, and dependent legitimate, legitimated or legally adopted, and illegitimate children) if the member has paid at least 36 monthly contributions prior to the semester of death, a lump sum amount is granted to the primary beneficiary if the deceased member has less than 36 monthly contributions, if there are no primary beneficiaries, the member’s secondary beneficiaries (dependent parents) shall be given a lump sum amount, and in their absence, any other person designated by the member as beneficiary in the member’s record.

                The SSS also have loans like salary loan, it is a cash loan granted to an employed, currently-paying self-employed or voluntary member. It is intended to meet the member’s short-term credit needs, to qualify the member must be: an employed, currently-paying self-employed or voluntary member who has six posted monthly contributions in the last 12 months prior to the month of filling of loan application, for one-month loan, the member must have 36 posted monthly contributions prior to the month of filling of loan application, for two-month loan, the member must have 72 posted monthly contributions prior to the month of filling of loan application, and if employed, the member’s employer must be updated in contribution and loan remittances. The member must also be updated in the payment of other loans with SSS.

Major FTS Day Two

                In our seminar at SMX Convention for the annual seminar of the Youth for Information Technology or also known as Y4iT I learned many things. There many students who attended the said conference nearly 10,000 attend the conference. But because we have a scheduled visitations to the other companies in the rest of the week we only attended the day one of the conference which the opening of the program proper but even though it is the opening day the speakers of the conference are very inspirational. First we are welcomed by the vice president for external affairs of the Philippine Society of Information Technology Educators (PSITE), John Peter Abraham Ruero, he discussed about the history of the event which is started by UP System Information Technology Foundation, Inc. (UP SITF) way back 2003. He was very proud that the conference has inspired many IT enthusiasts for the first decade of its existence and now the Y4iT is a very well-known event throughout the country and even outside the country drawing hundreds of thousands attending the seminar every year. The next speaker discusses the Y-Combinator and Entrepreneurship and it was Paul Rivera the founder and CEO of Kalibirr which is the world’s first Massive Open Assessment & Training Platform that gets people jobs and delivers pre-qualified talent at scale to companies. The next speaker discussed IT for the Blind: The Key to a Brighter Future, and this speaker was actually a blind person, she is Rhea Althea Guntalilib works as a Software Development Analyst in Smart Communications, Inc. she also develops an application which blind people can read the messages or access the files in their computer through a voice which guides them to wherever they go in the computer. The next speaker talks about the Internet of Things, he is Kevin Leversee the Co-Founder and CEO of the StartupDragons. Next speaker discusses about who runs the internet, he is Winthrop Yu the President of the Internet Society (Philippine Chapter). Next is Sheryl Hermoso who discusses about the IPv6, she explained that the internet now a days are slowing down because of many users around the globe and this IPv6 will help to make the internet faster because only few internet subscribers uses IPv6 around the world. I also learned that we can make more money in making android applications for educational purposes that’s what Aurelio Vilbar and Kim Bondoc shared during their talk about Apps for Learning Empowerment. I learned and realized with myself that I could become one to have the biggest and well-known name in world if I would practice and continue to develop my skills and continue to learn new things and do not stop to explore many things. The sixth speaker is Monchito Ibrahim, the Deputy Executive Director for Policies in DOST-ICTO. He also served as Commissioner in charge of the IT-BPO Industry Group of CICT. The seventh speaker is Christy Book-Tsang. She is the Master of Affiliate of the Linux Professional Institute in Asia Pacific. She works extensively with the partners to promote Linux certification in the region, particularly in academic area. The eighth speaker is Aurelio Vilbar, an Associate Professor and the Principal of the University of the Philippines Cebu High School.

I am inspired by the youngest CEO who is Gian Scottie Javilona in his 19 years of existence, he already have his own company, the OrangeApps. His ultimate goal is “To build a revolutionary product that will definitely change the world.” The last speaker of the day is Chino Philip Adrian Atilano, a co-founder and CEO of TimeFree Innovations, Inc. He is a passionate technopreneur who left his corporate job. And if I would be given a chance to attend again in that event, I will grab it and learn many things again and again as soon as I could get it. Learning doesn’t have an end because we learn always for us to be a well-built person. I learned not only for pleasure but I keep it and serve as my power to fight for the right. I may not be an intelligent person but in myself that I could do something better in the future. And after the seminar we went to Tutuban Mall to have shopping ang buy some souvenirs.

Major FTS Day Three

                I learned many things in our company visit at the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company or well-known as PLDT. We go to their Innolab or also known as Innovation Laboratory and Telecommunications Education Center of PLDT and Ms. Annie Ferrer was our company visit facilitator because the company did not allow our travel agency tour enter the Innolab for security purposes, Ms. Ferrer explained the background of the company. She said that PLDT was established on November 28, 1938 with 28, 579 lines, but on 1939 – 1948 faced a massive fall down on its resources and manpower due to the World War II and they called it as the age of destruction because of this stage the company only have 315 employees. After the company’s age of destruction, in the year 1949 – 1958 becomes the company’s age of hope, hoping that the company will rise again from its massive destruction from the war. As the years go by, the company increases its resources into 60, 066 lines with a manpower of 1, 304 employees. And as the end of 1958 a new age for company awaits, and it is the age of change and it was along the year 1959 – 1968 they evolved having modern technologies serving their consumers and between this age they increased their resources and manpower three times more as for the age of hope. They had established 184, 782 lines with 3, 208 employees working for the company by the time of the age of change. The year 1968 becomes the end of the age of chance and in the year 1969 becomes the age of control between the year 1969 – 1978 they already established 496, 266 telephone lines around the country with 6, 716 employees working for the company. In 1978 the age of control ended and the age of revolution was started in 1979, between year 1979 and 1988 became the company’s age of revolution. In this age the company became the major key for the communication as the revolution was happening in the time of reign of the Marcos Regime. Between these years the company’s resources and manpower had increase with 926, 006 telephone lines and 14, 856 employees working for the company. As 1988 ended the age of revolution also ended by the start of 1989 a new age of the company was born it was the age of gatekeeper, along this age the company established 1, 596, 856 telephone lines for its resources and 14, 023 employees working for the company. On 1998, the age of gatekeeper of the company ended and the start of the age of transformation on 1999, in this stage the company introduces modern devices that can be used for communication, they transformed their telephones into a much modern and portable gadget. They introduced the wireless telephones on their consumers, and in the year 2000 the PLDT merged with Smart Communications for a much reliable and fast communication. And in this age of transformation the company increased their resources with 1, 782, 356 telephone lines established around the country and having 14, 023 employees working in the company. And on 2008, the age of transformation ended and in the start of the year 2009 the age of fast forward was born and until now the company was on the age of fast forward.

                After Ms. Annie Ferrer explained the background of the company, we go to the Business Solutions Center of the Company and that time, Mr. Gino Francisco was our company’s tour facilitator. In general, the Business Solutions Center is comprised of four divisions: the Home Solution, Enterprise Solution, IT Technology Center, and the Solutions Laboratory. The Home Solution is the division that incubates the technologies that are introduced in the home, like the one that was being presented into us, the Automatic Power System, it is a technology that controls all the power supplies of the appliances in the home. It is a web – based monitoring system that automatically power off the appliances once the owner turned off the specific appliance in the Automatic Power System through internet. The Enterprise Solution is the division that incubates the technologies that are being introduced in the industry such as: Warehouses, Call Centers, Manufacturing Companies, Companies that are related to Retailing, off – shore Offices, Head Offices, and Banks. The IT Technology Center is the division that showcases all the products of a company that partners the PLDT. In this division, we have seen many devices such as: touched screen monitors, they also have a computer that do not have a monitor but only a projector that displays the outputs and it is good for board room. The Solutions Laboratory is the division that simulates the projects of the company, as we look inside, we had seen a group of innovators that simulating their project. Their project is an application that can track a vehicle with a real time feedback to the user. The Project Noah was also simulated in this division during its testing period.

                After we finish touring the Business Solutions Center, we went back to the conference room and meted Mr. Edmund Mamboyo. He explained how PLDT do transmits data to their consumers, and he also explained the different backbones that are being used by the company for transmitting data from the sender to the receiver. He also showed us the structure of the telephone lines that are being established all over the country. He also tells us that their company is planning of making the whole transmission line of the PLDT to become fast by using fiber optic wires.

                In our company visit on IBM Philippines Techno hub, the facilitator for our company visit was Mr. Alexis V. Pantola, he is the technical manager of the IBM Philippines Techno hub. He, introduced to us how do IBM help people in innovating technologies, he also explains the advocacy of their company and this is all about the Smarter planet: Smarter Food Systems, Smarter Retail Systems, Smarter Energy, Smarter Cities, he also explain how they manage their services.He toured us around the server room of the techno hub where their different servers can be found such as: the blade servers and other group of servers that stores different data from different clients and mostly their servers are Intel based machines. He explained to us what will happen if the hard disk will have insufficient memory and what will happen to the servers if there will be no maintaining temperature that will cool the running servers all day, he said that you should place the servers into a room with a cool temperature because servers will easily heat itself. He also gave us an amazing fact that there are almost 2.5 quintillion (2.5 million trillion) bytes of data that are being processed per day in the whole world. He also taught us how the data passes to one another, and also how the data are being saved as well as retrieved from the database. He also explained to us what are the kinds of data and give examples for that kind. He also taught us how to make flowchart for databases to make the analysis easier. The most interesting part for me in his presentation is when he talked about the Smarter Analytics. He taught us what the types of analytics are, how to do prescriptive, descriptive and predictive analytics and when to use those types of analytics.

                The IBM Techno hub also accepts clients that want to use their servers for free of charges; the clients can come any time to store and host the system that they are innovating. But there is a limit in hosting from the server of the IBM, it only limits one month so that others can use it.

Major FTS Day Four

                In our company visit on Toshiba Storage Device, I learned that Toshiba is a merged from the companies that are based on Japan. These companies are the Tokyo Electric Company and the Shibaura Engineering Works Co. Ltd. which results to become a bigger company that known as Tokyo Shibaura Electric Company Ltd. and 1984 it was finally named as TOSHIBA. The Toshiba Information Equipment Philippines (TIP) was established on July 7, 1995 and inaugurated by the former President Fidel V. Ramos on October 1, 1996. I have learned that Toshiba Storage Device here in the Philippines are the one who manufactures the hard disks that are being installed on the laptops of the Toshiba. They also the one who exports the hard disks to the other countries around the globe. The company practices cleanliness so when we arrived there we have to put off our shoes and wear the prescribe shoes that are allowed to be entered in the company. They also practice to become a good employee so when you pass a co-worker you greet him especially to the Japanese managers at the company.

                The Toshiba Information Equipment Philippines only manufactures storage devices specifically hard disk drives that are being installed on the laptops since the other products of the company are being manufactured in the branches for example in China, the Toshiba company manufactures the laptops. The company always value their products so they always check their products with a high secure manner. The hard disk drive are being assembled by the machines and assisted by the workers of the company. As I observed during the tour there are many divisions that comprises the company, the logistics division where all the parts of the hard disk drives are located and I think like the other manufactured products by the other companies they have specific number of part to be installed in the product, another division is the assembly division where the hard disk drives are being made, I am amazed by the room where the hard disk drive are being assembled because it is an oxidized room but I am not really sure about the term that I used to name the room but it is quite amazing because the room is a dust-free room and the employees that are being assigned there are wearing a suit just like in the chemical laboratories and they are very well trained. Another is the testing area where the hard disk drives are being tested for almost five weeks and inside the testing area there are robotic arms that automatically get the hard disk drives and put into where the hard disk drive will be tested, during the test they will examine the performance of the hard disk drives on different room temperature because they said that the performance of the hard disk drive can be determined based on the temperature that is being place. Another division is the investigative division, when the hard disk drive fails from the testing area it will be delivered to the investigative division where it will be examined by the workers that are assigned in the division. When the hard disk drive fails they will check if there are minute objects that are mixed in the parts of the hard disk drive when they are being assembled, they also check if the parts of the hard disk drives are properly installed and if they do not find a problem within the naked eye, they use a microscope that can see a nano – sized object.

                They even manage activities to help the environment, as well as helping the charities, were employees can donate their old clothes and give to the charity that they select or sell the donated items and go for bidding. After the bidding, they will donate all the profit to a public welfare institution. They also do environmental care were their employees adopt plants to create a better working environment and enhance environmental consciousness.

                After we visit in the Toshiba Storage Device, we proceed to Tagaytay City for our sightseeing in the Taal Volcano. It is very beautiful seeing the panoramic view of the Taal Volcano no wonder it is visited by many tourist over the year. Then we go to the highest peak of Tagatay which is there People’s Park in the sky, in there you can see the whole view of Tagatay and it is very cold in there when you are going up to the top of the park it is very tiring because the slope of the road is very steep and when you are not fond of exercise you will be easily be tired. But when I get to the top my tiredness go away when I see the beauty of the view from above and breeze of the wind is very soothing. After the sightseeing in Tagatay City we go down to Laguna where the Enchanted Kingdom is located, it is memorable day because it is very memorable to ride the extreme rides in the Enchanted Kingdom. First, we take a ride on the Space Shuttle, and then we take a ride on the Anchors Away, after that we take a ride on the Ground Zero, and then we take a ride on the Roller Coaster, and then we take a ride on the Disc O Magic, and then we take a ride on the Swing, after that we get wet as we ride on the Rio Grande and lastly we ride the Log Jump.

Major FTS Day Five

                In our company visit on Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or also known as MMDA specifically in Flood Control Information and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operation Center, I learned that they are monitoring the traffic events and weather events in Metro Manila. They have CCTV cameras that are being installed all around the street of Metro Manila so that they can monitor the traffic in the different places in Metro Manila, their CCTV cameras can turn 360 degrees to view if there are traffic accidents that are happening in the roads. They can also see if there are metropolitans that are violating the traffic rules such as jaywalking. They can also zoom in the camera view so that they can see the plate numbers of the vehicle that is violating the traffic rules in the highway.

                They also have an ambulance so that they can rescue immediately the person that is caught in the camera who is currently in accident. They have many computer monitors that are being install in the walls of their Command Center to have a better view of the traffics in the roads of Metro Manila and also they can suggest motorists if there will be a heavy traffic to detour and go to a specific road so that they can minimize time of delay in the traffic. And they can store the video files for at least a month because they a huge memory to store all the files in there. Aside of monitoring traffic violations they also monitors the weather conditions in Metro Manila because they are coordinating with PAGASA so that they can inform immediately the people to evacuate their houses if there will be a flash flood that will happen. They also monitor the rivers of Metro Manila if there will be a heavy rain because they can control the dams and they can open the gate of the dam or close it to minimize the possibility of having a flood in the vicinity.

                We also go to their Shake, Rattle and Learn House which simulates how earthquakes affect the house. And I also learned the difference between the intensity and magnitude, where intensity describes the degree of shaking caused by an earthquake at a given place and decreases with distance from the epicenter while the magnitude is a measure of earthquake size and remains unchanged with distance from the earthquake. The earthquake is also graded according to the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) intensity scale, 1 is an earthquake that is not felt, 2 is scarcely perceptible, 3 is a weak earthquake and felt by few, 4 is largely observed earthquake, 5 is a strong earthquake, 6 is a slightly damaging earthquake, 7 is a damaging earthquake, 8 is a heavily damaging earthquake, 9 is a destructive earthquake, 10 is a very destructive earthquake, 11 is devastating earthquake, and 12 is a completely devastating earthquake.

Minor Field Trip

                Last October 1, 2013 we visited the Public Safety & Security Command Center or also known as PSSCC that is located at Daang Patnubay, Davao City. PSSCC is also like what MMDA doing, monitoring the traffic and the safety of the people of Davao City. Unlike the MMDA Command Center facilities, the PSSCC facilities are very improved. Just like the video feedback from MMDA it is quite delayed for seconds while the video feedbacks that are coming from the cameras of PSSCC are real time. The monitors that display all the video feedbacks from the CCTV cameras are located at the second floor of the PSSCC we saw it from the board room of the PSSCC just like the board room in the PLDT the monitors can be seen through the glass walls of the board room. And those monitors are for traffic viewing only, but when the traffic accidents or other violations that results in accidents will be tackled they are being reviewed in the third floor of the PSSCC building which all their facilities are sponsored by IBM Inc. which is the Intelligence Division. The Intelligence Division in PSSCC is new here in Davao City according to the facilitator it was established last June. The Intelligence Division has many video feedbacks that are being projected on the wall, and it is divided into five dual-monitors. In the first monitor the person who is assigned in there, is working in the Unified Radio where all call will be received from there and it will be the one to call from 911, in the second monitor, the person who is watching and monitoring in the video feedbacks is working in the PSSCC, in the third monitor, the person who is watching and monitoring the video feedbacks is working for the PNPA, in the fourth monitor, the person who is watching and monitoring the video feedbacks is working for the 911, and in the fifth monitor, the person who is watching and monitoring in the video feedbacks is working for the TMC.

                And even though how fast is the vehicle running, the cameras of the PSSCC can record the plate numbers of those who are violating the rules and regulations of Davao City. They can zoom in more or less 30 feet from the camera to have a clear view of the image that they want to see. As for now, the PSSCC have already installed more the 100 CCTV cameras all over Davao City so that they can keep the peace and order of the city. And they can easily capture criminals and investigate if there will be a crime that has done in the city.

In summary, our major and minor field trip and seminars are much enjoyed and many experience that I only experience in that time. There are many first times that I experienced during the trip. There are many lessons that inspire me a lot. I am very happy that this field trip and seminars gave me a lot of knowledge from the different speakers on the different companies that we visited. I am also very happy that I visited many places with very beautiful scenic views.