"bro nasa corporate world ka na may pera ka na tyaka ka pa naging aktibista"

The fact that I'm in the Corporate world means I know how decrepit our situation is. Which only pushed me to the left HARD.

I came from a Uni which unfortunately was left untouched by (cont)

NDMOs. That meant that neoliberal education was unopposed. The university prided themselves on producing employees and catered their education towards that end.

I was one the students. Classmates always told me I should use my Psych degree to pursue the corporate field (cont)

Because they couldn't fathom the idea that I'd be working as a clinical psychologist, or, god forbid, a guidance counselor. They always said the industrial field was made for me. A corporate executive in the future. And it flattered me to no end. And lo and behold, (cont)

I got a call from Jollibee Worldwide Services not even a day after graduation. They were offering me a job most fresh graduates would kill for. And of course, a star eyed fresh grad like me lunged at the opportunity. And, well. That's where it started.

It was a good job at first. I was surrounded by people I wanted to be like. Vice Presidents and Chief Executives, and they all told me that I'd "make it big," if only I worked harder because "I had potential," Hilariously, I'm pretty sure they told this to EVERYONE.

Then, I got my first dose of pagkamulat when I came across an applicant. She was a contractual crew from a Jollibee Franchise in General Santos City. She was told to come to Manila so she could be interviewed so that she could finally be regularized.

Nevermind the fact that she had to spend her own money (they don't provide transpo allowances.) To cross half the country for a twenty minute interview. She also had to pass the written assessment. If you fail the assessment? You're not getting regularized.

Not for another five years, at least. So when she was taking her assessment, I noticed that she was struggling. I came over to help her and realized that she didn't *know* how to use a mouse and a keyboard, and she was embarrassed to tell me or anyone.

She told me, "Pasensya na sir, di kase ako nakapagaral. Wala din ako pambili nito."

It struck at my very core and I elected to help her go through the assessment, even if it took us a full two hours to answer a thirty minute questionnaire.

The questions were irrelevant with regards to her profession. It wasn't a good measure of her capability as a worker, nor as a person. Yet her entire job lingered on passing the arbitrary assessment. And, although she failed the assessment, I decided to pass her still.

She told me, with barely contained gratitude, "Salamat sir ah, di kase ako marunong niyan. Paglutuin niyo po ako don madami akong alam."

I felt like I helped her out a bit with what I did. That among our candidates, I managed to help one feed their family.

Then I learned that my supervisor failed her in the interview because "di ko siya feel."

Not only this, but they immediately sent her on the way to GenSan because the store she was working in was undermanned and she had to make do with fifty pesos in her wallet.

Oh, and my coworker told my boss about what I did and they gave me a verbal dress down for passing "an undeserving applicant,"I left not long after. The corporate world is unforgiving. It pits people against each other for an empty title and an office.

And all the while using them to oppress the working class, all the while the executives at the very stop laugh and snort at the employees. Despite the lies they say, corporate culture is shaking hands with your right while holding a rock with the left. It's founded on betrayal.