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14 Call Center Interview Questions & Answers

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The call center industry is one of the fastest growing in the country these days. As recently as ten years ago, there were only a few call center agents and the word call center was hardly ever used in the country. Today, almost every family has at least one member working in the call center industry. The reason for this boom is partly economics. In the Philippines, low paying jobs are very notorious and while call centers set up shop here because of the low labor costs, Filipinos decide to work for the call center industry because it pays higher than average wages. Consider this: if you are an average worker with an entry level position, you probably are getting paid seven to ten thousand a month; meanwhile, an average employee in the call center industry with an entry level position will get around fifteen thousand pesos a month, plus free dental and health benefits (HMO). Call centers also will pay your SSS (Social Security), PAGIBIG (home building fund), and PhilHealth (health ins...
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Medal Restoration Project

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A few days ago, I bought a set of collectible medals online. Haul: 1. Marcos Inauguration Medal 2. Imelda PICC Inauguration Medal 3. Marcos and Imelda Medal 4. Kamagi Medal 5. 1933 Vatican Jubilee Medal 6. Opus Dei Medal What started as a simple cleaning experiment turned into a surprisingly satisfying restoration journey. Many of these medals had stubborn rust spots and tarnish that wouldn’t budge with regular metal polish, especially the Kamagi Medal. I tried a few methods, including hydrogen peroxide and a vinegar–baking soda soak. The result? A much cleaner surface, with the original bronze and brass tones finally showing through again. They’re still far from mint condition, but I think they look much better than when I first bought them. I decided to turn the medals with loops into wearable vintage jewelry pieces. Interestingly, I hadn’t seen a Kamagi Medal in mint condition before starting the restoration. I later discovered that the black patina was part of the original design. ...
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The DTI has spoken: businesses must accept cash

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In an age where QR codes, e-wallets, and cashless payments are everywhere, many Filipinos may have probably experienced being told, “Cashless Payments only”. At the Land Transportation Office (LTO), for instance, several applicants recently complained that they were required to use GCash and even charged a “convenience fee” for doing so. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) have made it clear that this is not allowed. In a recent advisory, the DTI reminded all merchants and establishments that cash remains legal tender in the Philippines and must be accepted without discrimination. While digital payments are encouraged for convenience, consumers still have the right to choose to pay in cash. Why this matters Even as cashless options like GCash, Maya, and QR Ph have become more common in recent times, many Filipinos still rely on physical money. Refusing cash payments excludes these consumers and goes against both consumer protection and f...
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Relive the Golden Age of the Philippines

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Step back into the Philippines’ so-called golden era under King Ferdinand and Queen Imelda with this vintage bronze inauguration medal, a true relic of history, politics, and pageantry. The back boldly declares “This Nation Can Be Great Again”, words that sound strikingly familiar in today’s world (👀 yes, long before Trump said it!). In fact, I wonder what time they were alluding to. Were we a great nation before the Spanish invasion in the 1500s? Condition: Good overall vintage condition with visible age-related wear and patina consistent with its age. Some surface marks and light oxidation in recessed areas, particularly around the lettering and design details, but both obverse and reverse remain clearly legible and well-defined. The medal retains a warm bronze tone and a pleasing aged character that reflects its history. Available via Carousell: Check out 'VINTAGE 1965 Ferdinand Marcos Inauguration Bronze Medal', available at PHP 1,350 on #Carousell: https://carousell.com/p...
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Collecting Stamps in the Age of E-commerce

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There was a time when collecting stamps was one of the most popular hobbies in the world. It connected people across countries, cultures, and even generations. Each small square of paper carried a story, a piece of history, or a face that once symbolized a nation’s pride. Today, with the rise of digital communication and online marketplaces, the world of philately has quietly transformed. When my father gave me some stamps as a kid, stamp collecting was already a dying hobby. It was very hard to grow a collection because the only time I could get my hands on stamps was when someone received mail.  When I started collecting stamps, exchanging stamps with other collectors was no longer a thing. It wasn't until my father studied in a different country where they had hobby shops that sold stamps that I was able to grow my collection significantly. Perhaps things were different in Manila, because I remember seeing used stamps for sale at some antique shops in SM Megamall, as well a...
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The Silent Little Night Watchman

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"Guardia sereno! A las doce han dado.” That’s a line from Nick Joaquin’s May Day Eve. A year after moving here, I woke up in the middle of the night to find a cat walking toward me like it owned the place. My first thought was that it was a shape-shifter that would probably eat me. But when it saw me wake up, it quickly headed for the locked door and slipped out through the open window (which I assumed was where it had come in). Several days later, I woke up in the middle of the night to find a fat cat (literally) crying in the kitchen. It was terrified of me and ended up crashing into my oregano plants. I had to clean up the mess right then and there. For several nights in a row, different cats have been trying to get in through my window. But tonight, it seems like they (or at least one of them) finally got the message. At first, I thought I was imagining a cat sitting by my window. Upon closer inspection, there really was one. I even managed to take a photo. I don’t know if it’...
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A Generation Without Bomb Threats

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Today, I realized that there is now an entire generation of Zamboangueños who never experienced the constant bomb threats and rumors of rebel attacks that my generation did. I recently met a 17-year-old from Zamboanga City through my Chavacano blog, and he asked me if we also experienced class suspensions due to weather disturbances (maybe the climate change programming is finally working for this generation). He was surprised when I told him about class suspensions caused by bomb threats.  Of course, there were class suspensions due to rains and flooding, but they only happened when I was in elementary school. By high school and college, I never experienced flooding on our school premises. Perhaps it had more to do with the school's location or maybe there was La Niña when I was in elementary school (oh no, there goes MY climate change programming). It boggles the mind that there is now an entire generation of Zamboangueños who never experienced constant bomb threats as a way of l...
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The Smoke Machine is in Full Swing

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Never let a crisis go to waste. We are frogs slowly being boiled in water. As usual, the frogs do not notice it until it's too late. For several nights now, I have been having visions of a QR code and once a vision of a QR code, a calendar, and a signature (which I interpreted as a memorandum of a circular).  I don't know if you have noticed but recently, there has been an accelerated push towards a cashless society. I'm not talking about what has been happening since Covid (which was another case of never letting a crisis go to waste). I'm referring to the free train rides using the national ID (https://rssoncr.psa.gov.ph/content/NCRII/psa-dotr-move-free-mrt-3-and-lrt-rides-every-wednesday-national-id-holders), intensified pressure on banks to accept the national ID (https://philsys.gov.ph/psa-joins-bsp-forum-on-national-id-calls-anew-to-financial-institutions-to-integrate-with-the-national-id-system/) and digital senior IDs among others. I'm not sure if the vision...
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The Real Meaning of “Don” in 19th Century Spanish Philippines

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Today, I learned that Don was an actual hereditary royal title during the 1800s in Spanish Philippines. In popular media, the title of Don was associated with a rich person. I'm not sure if this practice extended or even came from Latin America, but I always had this impression that it did because in Tagalog-dubbed telenovelas, the servants would always call the head of the household as Don and Doña . Much later (when my Spanish proficiency allowed it), I was able to confirm that even in the original Spanish, they were using Don and Doña . I can’t remember which book it was, but I remember reading that it was actually the Americans who popularized calling the hacienda owners as Dons. When I was working with Spanish-speaking clients in Latin America, I noticed that in certain countries, some people called their customers as Don . When I did some research on the usage of Don and Doña in Latin America, it appeared that this was the equivalent of calling someone ‘Miss’ or ‘Mister’...
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Navigating Security and Evolution: The Dual Dance of Human Life

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I think I had a download last night through a dream. It was a message about why we are here. I can't recall the dream anymore but I remember the message that I was given.  We are here to sort of strike a balance between our need for safety as well as our need for growth. There is no growth in safety. However, we can't be in growth mode perpetually either.  When we left the garden of Eden, we chose growth over safety. Stay too long in safety and we become restless and stagnant. However, too much growth will soon burn us out and we start craving for safety again. In fact, I realize that our lives in this planet is often composed of periods of safety and growth. Often, we build and crave for safety only for us to get bored in the end and then we start to yearn for growth again. Therefore, we live in a perpetual cycle of oscillating between growth and safety. From Eden, to exile, to return. From comfort, to quest, to home again. Does this make sense to you? Our life on this planet...
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More Distractions

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Well, once again we have been outsmarted. Just a few days ago, people were angry about the lack of flood control and finding out about the 20% tax their savings. Now their attention is on a boxing match between the PNP Chief and who else but Sebastian Duterte. The media, being used by the government to broadcast this spectacle is no ally to the masses. I have said it before and I'll say it again. The elites are laughing behind our backs. Is it a coincidence that the SC decision on Sara's impeachment came out two days before the "Boxing for Charity" event? You decide. If you ever wondered how so few people at the top is able to control the billions of people in this planet, well this is how. Official poster of Torre Vs. Baste charity boxing match Bread and Circus. A strategy used since Roman times. In the end, the house always wins.
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We Got Played... Again!

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Today, I found out that the rumors that the supreme court will be declaring the impeachment case against the VP as unconstitutional were true. When they arrested the former president several months ago, I watched an interview of Sara visiting her father in the Hague. My initial thought was that it was definitely not a daughter whose father was wrongly imprisoned. I even thought to myself what if she sold her father to BBM or the globalists controlling him so she could get out of the impeachment case? During the elections, several people voted for senators based solely on whether they thought that they were going to convict or acquit Sara. It was crazy because how do you even hold a senator accountable for their promises once they are in power? People keep on getting manipulated and the elites are laughing behind the scenes. Imagine all the people they were able to trick with their drama. These people are laughing their asses off while the masses are fighting one another. The elites hav...
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Why the CMEPA Law Isn’t Going to Cause a Bank Run

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People are upset to find out that there is a 20% tax on the interest they earn from their savings accounts but they do not get upset when the central bank lowers interest rates which devalues the currency. If you have savings accounts in digital banks or banks that do not have the same license but the same business model, you may have noticed a significant drop in the interest that you have been earning since 2024. This is because the central bank dropped interest rates for the first time since 2020 last year. A few days ago, I watched a video by a Filipino lawyer talking about a possible bank run because of the CMEPA law.  It's absurd that people (and a lawyer at that!) would even entertain such an idea because as mentioned before, interest rates have been trending down since last year.  In fact, money in banks has been going up. If a certain time deposit account is earning 5% per annum TAX-FREE, the depositor now has to pay 20% on their earnings. This sounds like a lot but i...
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We've Paid This Tax for 28 Years — So Why Are People Mad Only Now?

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After 28 years of paying 20% tax on interest earned from savings accounts, people are finally angry about it. Today, I was amused when I saw several posts explaining the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Law and the people in the comments section were having none of it. They were still very angry at this law as if all of a sudden they have come online and realized how unfair taxes are in general. I have gone through an awakening myself during Covid so I know how that feels like. Savers get taxed heavily both directly and indirectly. Aside from the 20% tax on interest earned from savings accounts, savers get battered heavily by inflation, which is an invisible tax. This is why Robert Kiyosaki says in his books that savers are losers. Over the years, people have come to accept inflation as a natural phenomenon like the rain. Perhaps now people will start being indignant about inflation. Perhaps this is the beginning of something glorious.
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Savings, Taxes, and Truth: A Wake-Up Call for Digital-First Filipinos

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Today, I found out that a lot of people are unaware that the interest they earn from their savings account is taxed at 20 percent. The internet is abuzz with disgruntled Filipinos talking about the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (CMEPA). Unfortunately, this has been fueled by the media itself framing this new law as a new tax that savers will have to pay. While this law affects everyone that has been enjoying a lower tax rate (such as long term time deposit accounts) it is not true that there will be an increase in the tax rate on interest earned from regular savings accounts. Some people even think that their savings will be reduced by 20 percent! It's so sad because a lot of people are inclined to believe misinformation simply because of their politics.  This is what we have become. The good news is there is now more awareness about the unfairness of savers getting taxed heavily.  Perhaps banks that do not display a breakdown of the interest earned and tax withheld...
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Choosing Hard Mode in the Game of Life

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If you were born here, you chose the hard mode. They say that people who chose young countries to be born in tend to be young souls as well. This choice gives them a greater chance at learning more in their lifetimes. In this Reddit post, this person is complaining about how life is so much better abroad than here. He only realizes that the grass is greener on the other side when he goes on a vacation in Taiwan. Personally, I think that I was able to shift to a better timeline when I made certain drastic life decisions. It was scary as hell but sometimes taking the road less traveled pays dividends. A friend told me that he doesn't feel enthusiastic about life on this planet as other people do. Personally, I think everyone is pretending.  Life on this planet is tough and I also feel like going back to the stars most of the time. But we asked to be here exactly to experience all the hardships that we are experiencing. And I don't think we would have asked to be here if we did no...
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A Glimpse of the Past as well as the Future through Numismatics

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After studying Philippine coins during US occupation, I realized that beginning in the year 1913 up to our independence, the economy may have been in deflation. I mean it makes sense since in the US, the great depression took place during the 1930s.  My fascination with US-era coins began when I visited my hometown for a vacation. During that time, I decided to repatriate my coin collection, thinking that it was full of silver coins. I started my coin collection when I was a child. Most are gifts from a family friend who used to be a seafarer and from my dad who accumulated them during his trips overseas.  When I inventoried the collection however, I only found three coins that had silver content in them. The rest were already nickel and copper coins. Still more valuable than our coins today that are made of steel but nowhere near valuable if it were silver. I decided to study and do more research on US-era coins. The US-era coins can be divided into three parts: 1903 to 1906,...
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