June 2011 - GGS Residents' Meeting & my Dangling Modifiers

.... Men are forever creating [...] organizations for their own convenience and forever finding themselves the victims of their home-made monsters - Aldous Leonard Huxley. 

This is something to ponder on now that the first ever official GGS Residents' Meeting has taken root as one of the potential annual events inside Greenhills Garden Square . Imagine my surprise that it was attended by less than 20 people - residents, I hope. I state that with profound sadness mixed with longing for genuine hope, because the previous general assembly last March was peppered with non-members of the GGSCAI.


Remember that outspoken gentleman? The other distinctly assertive fellow who was not Kiko? Well, my reliable source tells me he's not a member of the association. 

There is an official document somewhere with a blotter stamp that supports this claim, too.

Anyhow, that's only one monster in our homes...

Inquiries regarding monthly dues and 'aggressive reactions' were naturally present.  Those left unanswered, they will be clarified slowly, with time, and I apologize if that is neither swift, nor promising enough to be considered as an appropriate response from my fellow board members and myself. Unfortunately, that is all that exists for the time being. Trust and patience are paramount where matters of these nature are concerned. The pyramids, after all, were not built in a year...

However, I can sympathize, and to a certain extent agree that there is hardly any point for the present and future residents to be building yet another elaborate tomb for a mummy and its riches when there is an interest to constantly unearth them. Some attest that we can practically build a museum for all the artifacts that surface every now and then...

Parking

There were few interesting suggestions but one that truly stood out was tire-locking parking offenders, so that the drivers would have no other choice but to cough-up the exorbitant offender's fee amounting to P100.00. (I say offender because I am not absolutely convinced that they are general parking rule/law-violators) At the same time, this counter-offender system takes the brunt of responsibility from the poor security officer who cannot defend himself when some arrogant resident breaks into tirade.

It is a very interesting idea, however. I can honestly imagine a back-and-forth yelling, but at least it now happens in the confines of the Admin Office, where all matters of consequence must be resolved anyway.

Swimming Pool

Someone from Cluster 5 mentioned how embarrassed he is about the state of our swimming pool cabanas, which no longer have shower doors - in the men's room (in women's,  too - River). Worst, he can no longer enjoy the facility in that manner as he had once envisioned. (Me, too. - River) Quite honestly, the way he worded his sentiment was that he'd never been able to enjoy it at all. Sad really. But his reaction was not all that unique, as aI am sure you have all at one point have bare-witnessed to.

Solution:

Rehabilitate the pool and its cabanas.

What are your thoughts?

My proposals are found here: 

1. Change the shower heads;

2. Put an aluminum door to enclose the shower areas;

3. Correct the flooring, so that the drain functions as how it should be, to drain!

4. Add lockers, as provided in the master deed, so that we will not see any more towels or clothes, or bags, scattered everywhere;

5. Improve the permission-procedure on how and when to use the swimming pool;

6. Restrict the use of the swimming pool to certified unit owners and certified lessees only.

E.g., In South of Market, a DMCI project at The Fort; the facilities are only for the exclusive use of the registered residents, anyone else need to pay P100.00 to extend the use. 

7. Put-up a creative covering on the side that faces the main gate, so that privacy is ensured;

E.g., We can copy the creative green-friendly manner how Rockwell hides their construction, by using fake hedges in the form of christmas garland. 

In time, we can re-landscape, when the budget permits.

8. Purchase sun lounge seats/ decks for the swimming pool users to sit/ lie on to, so they will be prevented from using the clubhouse as their out-of-water shelter.

9. Get a pool expert to manage the facility. Someone who will come to visit and check the manner how the pool is maintained by the in-house staff;

E.g. Mang Roy and his people maintain some of the swimming pool in Corinthian Gardens and White Plains Subdivision. Their company charges about P2,200, for once/twice a week maintenance. They bring the treatment at no extra fees.


10. Reserve a portion of the pool to lap swimmers by providing one of those pool dividers we see in country clubs. This will announce encourage regular users, and encourage active payment of the monthly dues;

11. Connect with Swim lesson providers, to teach continuous swim courses;

E.g., Swimming teachers composed of members of PASA (Philippine Athletes Swimmers' Association)  teach at my daughter's school. This is the same group where our country's Olympiad, et al., comes from. (I know some of them, because during the recent Olympic year, I represented the national swimming sponsor ARENA.) They charge P12,500 for the whole academic year. Two-hours a week. 

We can easily adapt this to our community, while also generating added income to the association.

11. Extend the facilities to slowly build a wet floor. Like add steam and sauna. 

E.g. A small sauna facility made in Finland costs 90K to 120K. We can operate on a pay-per -use scheme, until we have fully recovered the investment. We can charge P500/visit, good for 3 to 4 people. It's for a maximum of 30-minute use only, because that is all that is allowed by health officers anyway. We can possibly ROI within the year, and continuously earn income, henceforth.

Gym

The gym requires a little bit more extra planning. Having suffered more than ten years of neglect, with no provisions in the history of GGS repairs. Personally, I am more inclined to have it bid to an outside source, whose expertise will be of great help, in its rehabilitation. 

No special assessment (Additional fees collected from residents/members)

As a member from Cluster 6 suggested, we can have it BTOd, build-to-operate, until it can function as a free-facility once again. Just like how the expressways were built. We get someone to rehabilitate it, waive the rental fee of the room, and allow them to charge a minimal fee on a per-use basis.  This way the cost is equally shouldered by the frequent users (who pays for the refurbishment) and everyone else (who pays by the waiving of the rental fee to the supplier) In time, the gym will be free-for-all again.  


This way, we do not need to collect special assessment, and put the burden of the rehab on those who have no interest whatsoever to use the gym today or in the near future.

With special assessment

We assess for the rehab of the gym, and then get additional personnel to maintain it. We possibly need two, an AM shift and a PM shift. Or we can have just one, and put the burden of responsibility to those who wish to use it at a before-and-after shift, with bond. 


This way, we can expect that the newly acquired gym equipment will be respected and taken cared of...

Safety and Security

Ah, we currently have fourten (14) security guards. Admittedly, they are not enough. So I propose the following:

a) Additional ten (10) guards to make a one-(1)-per-lobby and three-(3)-in-the-front shifting. This will cost additional P317.00 in the monthly dues;

b) Install security camera-DVR tandem in each elevators, which should cost around 20K to 30K per building, as per my recent service shopping. Although this one by Qube CCTV seems quite interesting.

c) Install 10- to 18-channel CCTV, depending on each building, in the garbage chute areas, to prevent fire, smoking, and vandalism/violations.  Hopefully, they will function as preventive, rather than investigatory;

d) Separate the entrance/exit of the residents and visitors/deliveries/household help, so that the ID system can easily be monitored. 

I have stood and observed by the guard house, from cluster 9 first-floor balcony, and watching closely the passing and going of people. One cannot blame the security guards for missing out on some precious details sometimes, because , believe it or not, some residents are so abusive of their status that they either bulldoze-on-foot through the narrow pedestrian entrance, or honk their cars like their lives depended on it, when waiting in queue, as the hapless front guards entertain or restrict the queries of visitors. 

I am only happy to realize that none of those ill-bred honkers on that day were people I know. If there were, I would have yelled from the balcony, 'Dude, buy your own f-gate!' Foul language intended. 

Be the guard. See, if that honking won't rattle your brain.

Parking Building

I decided to decline responding to any inquiries regarding the parking building because I have no access to such legitimate information at the moment. While I shall confirm that we shoulder its upkeep via our personnel's time, and maintenance via its utility payments. I shall also include that we afforded its entrance one of the four-channel security camera that we have.

Monthly Dues

The total technically-correct increase of GGS monthly dues from 2010 to 2011 is only P80 pesos and change. The bulk of it is because the RPT which was once scheduled as a quarterly billing was integrated into the monthly dues collection.

The breakdown of the monthly dues will be published after approval. But it is available in the 2011 Report given out last March.

I disagree in integrating the RPT, but since it has already been, I propose that it be re-appropriated instead to funding additional security personnel.  Thus, reverting to the old collection scheme for the RPT amounting to four thousand pesos (P4000+), thereabouts.

Why?

If the argument is based solely on the difficulty of RPT collection, integrating it cannot possibly improve to the point of significance. While it seems to help in the physical collection itself, like taxing a regular employee who cannot escape his government dues, it doesn't prove so much for the over-all improvement of the association monthly dues. 

The collection rate was at a staggering 60 to 65 percent before the 2011 increase. This year, the collection rate averages the same.  And it's June now, and no proof. Therefore, all it did was to break it down for all of those who are already paying anyway. What good is that?

It is my understanding that the association collection is for the maintenance and operational expense. In my humble opinion as a resident, it is more logical to separate the tax collection, because there is after all, a separate penalty for that. There is also a separate consequence, which may or may not be a notice from the board, telling one tax-delinquent unit off. Of course, the same fate is possible for association dues-delinquents, but well, taxes are inherently different.

Pardon my saying it, what is the reason the members are not paying their taxes anyway? Maybe we can resolve this, like how I have taken the liberty of resolving the monthly dues inquiries.

Some accounting people should be able to choose their priorities. Seriously! 

I think, this should be resolved in the next resident's meeting, which I shall now call The Residents' Assembly Part Deux!

What if we re-appropriate the P369-something worth of RPT to the P317-something monthly amount required to pay for additional guards? Do you think this will help in resolving the issue to eradicate altogether the suspicion of a lurking arsonist? Or that bugbugero who has had jail-time as a result of his criminal activity, and the pesky smokers in the elevators so addicted to their cancerous vice that they couldn't even wait thirty seconds until they get to the ground floor?

I am just saying. Don't you wish there existed smoker-locks, as in tire-locks? So their feet can be locked inside the elevators! With the grace of the all-fair, Karma, maybe the elevator will get stuck, and they get to inhale the by-product of their poison.

Hey, I smoke, too, to calm myself down. It's my happy-drug, ciggy or Coca Cola, actually, depending on the occasion. But in spite of my need to kill some of my brain cells to lower my adrenaline, I do not knowingly inflict my poison upon any unsuspecting neighbors, not even to the rude-honkers who certainly deserve a crank of their own pollution, or to some of the most patronizing neighbors who tragically darken any room by simply making an appearance.

I hope I don't do that to any of you.

Anyhow, let me just end paraphrasing  Huxley. And he said, Rational and kindly behavior tends to produce good results and these results remain good even when the behavior which produced them was itself produced by a pill." 

In my case, it's a puff of a cigarette or a gulp of Coca-Cola, and they generally produce the greatest results for me, and ultimately, the people around me. 


This gig of tending to people who mostly cannot be bothered is also a certified pill. Will it produce good results?

I am rational, mostly. I just can't vouch for my kindly behavior, because I don't think being kind and being just could be bound by the same rope. And I am solidly a JUST person. (I can never be a career politician) I think that this trait is inherent for people born 'special,' you know, as in not quite normal. I take in the evil and the good with a kind of measure that is quite unique to people like me. Like, while I don't abide by one rule-of-the-many, I practice some sort of flagellation, to pay for that sin.

Why do you think I work doubly hard now to help make sure our lives in Greenhills Garden Square are a tad more secure and our money sort of well-accounted for? Not to put down any one of those who profess to have lost 'some' because of minding GGS matters but I have clocked more hours in the Admin Office than any member of the association in its history. I have done so much visiting, in fact, that I actually took a service call this weekend. That was refreshing, by the way!

Declaring so, I do not mean to be arrogant, but instead, to put to rest any more talks on who-did-what-and-how-much for the greater good. We can all quit volunteering. It won't make anyone a bad, uncaring person. Like I said, this gig can be, in my case, is, a pill.

Honestly, I want to help, but mostly, I don't want anyone with the specific duty, paid or not, to get away with not helping, and then some.

And by making myself an example, any single one of you who count their efforts should be ashamed of yourselves, and start doing more than talk. Or help those others who are in need of help. There were more people who did plenty significant deeds in the years past, and we don't hear them asking for anything. Besides, I do not get paid (not yet-LOL) and neither any one in the current Board members, as far as I legally know... 

I hope, for the sake of both the believers and the non-believers of the Board, 

this issue of  SERVICE will never be brought up again...

Try to just DO, no matter how little, and it will all work out in the end. You'll see.


May your suggestion come in troves.

River