MAPping the Future

When discussing stenography, some people reminisce about a mother or aunt who used to scribble writing on paper (actually, they were writing in Gregg shorthand). Other people have a question on their faces, “do stenographers still exist?” – many are surprised to learn that stenography is still an active profession. Stenographers are in demand in the Philippines and abroad despite the rise of digital recording, artificial intelligence, and automatic speech recognition technology.

 

In the Philippines, the stenographer works in the judicial court to make official transcripts from the words said in the proceedings. They use shorthand which is an abbreviated way of writing.

 

Philippine courts have two kinds of stenographers: pen shorthand and machine shorthand stenographers. In 2023, based on observational estimates, over 90% of Philippine professional stenographers are pen shorthand writers using the Gregg method. While shorthand pen stenographers are good, they have more steps to preparing the transcript. After taking dictation on paper, the shorthand pen writer must translate their handwriting to a word processing software, proofread, sometimes search within a recording to find a questionable sentence, and finally certify the transcript.

 

Recently, the most high-profile sighting of a court stenographer in the world was the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case in 2022. The judge in the case referred to the Depp vs. Heard court stenographer as a “rockstar”. Another high-profile sighting is America’s reality TV show Judge Judy wherein a certified court stenographer performs realtime shorthand via her steno writer and software.

 

Court stenographers are humble public servants that protect the truth and uncover the perjurer. They are the quiet superheroes of our courts that capture and convert the spoken word to text. The judge inks his decision when the stenographer submits all the transcripts of the hearings. Stenographers are important and underrated personnel in the court.

 

The 2021 Judiciary Annual Report from the Supreme Court Public Information Office states that there were 689,703 pending cases in the lower courts as of December 31, 2021. According to the Court Stenographers Association of the Philippines (COSTRAPHIL), there are about 5,000 stenographers nationwide to service these pending cases. For comparison, according to the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) in the United States, there are an estimated 27,000 stenographers (working in courts, working freelance for mostly depositions, and captioners for broadcast live events or for the hearing challenged). In both countries, there is a dire shortage of court stenographers. COSTRAPHIL president, Lala C. Velasco, estimates almost 130 stenographer vacancies in the National Capital Region. As of January 19, the Civil Service lists job opportunities via its website showing 397 vacancies for stenographers. The number of vacancies is expected to increase with the construction of additional halls of justice nationwide and retirements.

 

CHALLENGES

What are the problems hindering the proliferation of stenographers in the Philippines and the rest of the world?

 

First is a lack of awareness of the profession. Many schools in the Philippines can teach stenography to the next generation – it is just that the young ones need information about it.

 

The second hindrance in the Philippines is the hesitation to invest heavily in the tools and training needed for a stenographer to finish their work faster. In the last thirty years, stenography has advanced tools for transcription preparation. It is well known that the investment is sizable for the steno writers and software or other alternatives, but these tools are used for most of the stenographer’s career. Who is a delivery truck driver without the delivery truck to deliver the goods to the client on time?

 

A stenographer cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence. After all, it is the stenographer that certifies the correctness and completeness of the transcript. Courts rely upon the stenographer for the integrity of the transcript. Who will be held accountable if not them? A court stenographer is a civil servant that passed the Civil Service exam and is held accountable to the Civil Service Commission.

 

The third problem is the replacement and retirement of highly skilled court stenographers. During the pandemic, many older and highly skilled stenographers retired due to the COVID restrictions, mandatory retirement at 60 years old, or early retirement due to lack of tools to continue on with their work. Ms. Purita Salcedo Garcia retired last December from the Manila Regional Trial Court. Based on the Fastest Fingers contest held at the yearly COSTRAPHIL Convention, Purita was the fastest and most accurate machine stenographer. Even at 60 years old, she is skilled with a steno writer, laptop, and steno software. Purita would always say that she had no backlog of transcripts due to her skill. Her breed of Filipino stenographers is disappearing through retirement. Training for machine stenographers stopped during the first decade of the millennium by the Supreme Court.

 

HOPE

 

There is hope in the Philippines for a faster transcript process.

 

By evaluating the proper tools available and investing in sustainable programs, whether for steno writers or pen writers, all stakeholders should be involved in the process to discuss and thresh out the problems and available solutions – the Supreme Court, COSTRAPHIL, schools, Civil Service Commission, and vendors. Vendors with experience and knowledge of the realm have been left out of the conversation when maybe they have significant ideas to share. Not all vendors are evil, greedy, and looking to make a buck. There are those looking to help as part of their share to improve society.

 

Little is known that schools from Luzon to Mindanao are investing in teaching modern stenography using the latest steno technology for the next generation of stenographers. The question remains whether the graduates will have the equipment and software when they get a job in court. Hopefully, the next generation will be able to enter a well-equipped position rather than search for job alternatives, such as working for a BPO, decreasing the number of superheroes in the court.

 

(The author is Co-Vice Chair of the MAP NextGen Committee, and President of Pacific Sun Solutions, Inc. Feedback at <map@map.org.ph> and <ridoloso@pacificsun.ph>.)

 

 

Cultural tourism can be that distinct experience we can offer to travelers – a potentially lucrative touchpoint for both domestic and international market. Culture is unique in every destination. It mirrors the various influences and experiences woven into a living tapestry handed down from generation to generation. It is dynamic and constantly evolving, giving it a special character with facets that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

 

Cultural tourism cuts across all product offerings. Everything that we do is animated by our culture – the way we welcome visitors, in the food we serve, the activities and events we plan, in our festivals, in our local markets. Reciprocally, a strong culture-based tourism market enables inclusive development as crafts, arts, heritage sites, festivals – all these can generate and sustain employment and livelihood for the community, protect the environment and destinations, and celebrate the indigenous. It can bring travelers to our shores because who we are and what we have is something that can only be experienced where we are.

 

Cultural tourism can be transformative for travelers – eat, love, pray — travel, enjoy, respect. Destinations can engage the mission-oriented market because they will not exact the high price of a damaged biodiversity, and instead of intruding, can actually blend into the peaceful life of the communities.

 

The how is in solidifying this interest into a push factor so that this growing market segment will actually travel to the country. We have to highlight our stories so they can be heard in a travel marketplace filled with tourism vendors where the noise decibels can drown the messages. The usual shotgun marketing and promotion activities will have little usefulness in creating a compelling narrative that ticks all the boxes for the discerning travelers.

 

Careful planning with implementation strategies done in a sensible, creative, productive and sustainable manner will be needed to make our cultural tourism offering stand out. It should factor in critical issues such as:

 

• The need to balance profits and economic gains with maintaining cultural integrity. There is the danger of manufacturing heritage practices by staging events because it sells, even though they are only hanging by a thread in the cultural fabric. Commoditizing culture diminishes authenticity and disrespects our history.

 

• Adherence to the defined carrying capacity of destinations to conserve our heritage sites, preserve the cultural/natural treasures and protect the environment.

 

• Tourism is an industry that can be developed and promoted, but it must not be the only one. A tourism mono-economy poses risk when too much dependency will be at the expense of other industries. When crisis imperils this mono-industry, there might be lack of viable alternatives that can be tapped to take its place. This was seen in this pandemic when many tourism-dependent businesses fell because there were no other business options to consider for pivoting.

 

• Tourism drives the cost of living for local residents because they compete with the visitors’ requirements. This gentrification of tourism areas can limit the supply for local consumption, drive the prices of commodities up, and affect the quality of life in the community.

 

Instituting a policy framework that considers these challenges will enable destinations to systematically prepare for the requirements of cultural tourism. Steps can be taken to calibrate the growth of tourism numbers to maximize the value of cultural tourism while safety nets are in place to minimize disruptions in community lives.

 

Authentic culture sells. Being anchored to our roots gives us a sense of identity in a world where traditional and digital are fusing. We must preserve that authenticity to honor and respect who we are and where we come from. We can learn from cultural exchanges made more accessible with enhanced mobility and by welcoming visitors into our fold.

 

Culture can differentiate. It personalizes the experience in a destination, giving them character. Without culture and symbolisms, they are just another photo op – awesome to behold but forgotten when tourists see the next big one. Culture allows us to bring our legendary hospitality to the fore, develop local pride and a sense of identity among the people. The strands of our history and traditions weaves into our cultural fabric to create a whole that is colorful, respectful, and wonderful. That should be what our visitors can see, hear, enjoy, and learn from us, and like it enough to visit over and over again.

 

Formative and transformative culture influenced what we are today. We take pride in our unique identity as a nation and as people. Cultural tourism can create the thematic experiences, enable exchanges, and become constant reminders that we live in a beautiful country with a great tourism future.

 

What we do today will leave a heritage that the generation next can celebrate – and who knows, even immortalize in their museums in the distant future.

 

(The author is Vice Chair of MAP Tourism Committee, Chair of MAP CEO Conference Committee, President and CEO of Health Solutions Corporation, and former Undersecretary of the Department of Tourism. Feedback at <map@map.org.ph> and <alma.almadrj@gmail.com>.)

So, what exactly must be done in order to combat tax evasion on the international level? One thing that can be done is by amending the UNCAC to include tax evasion.

 

This, though it appears straightforward, is a difficult proposition as it first requires a State Party to propose the amendment, and for that proposal to be agreed to by a two-thirds majority of the State Parties.

 

To get this consensus, there are two global governance processes that can be undertaken: (1) issue framing and agenda setting, and (2) public standard setting.

 

On issue framing and agenda setting, it is important to underscore the connection between corruption and tax evasion. The similarities and links between corruption and tax evasion have already been discussed earlier. They are both serious financial crimes that hinder development and erode the rule of law.

 

The present proposal to include tax evasion in the UNCAC can be framed as an act that will promote transparency and accountability. Refusal to support the agenda could come with the reputational risk for the country and its public officials.

 

On the issue of public standard setting, it is crucial to set the basis for including corruption in the list of offenses provided in the UNCAC, as well as to include the imposition of sanctions that will deter the commission of these financial crimes.

 

The UNCAC already recommends the disqualification of public officials found guilty by the specific corrupt acts listed therein. The Philippines has similar provisions in its Tax Code. Specifically, those who have been convicted of tax evasion are disqualified from occupying any public office. However, at present, there is no mechanism by which bribe money or ill-gotten wealth can be investigated or assessed.

 

Overall, the international community must be made to recognize that tax evasion is just as damaging as any of the other financial crimes that the UNCAC presently considers corruption. Especially now, with the looming possibility of a global economic crisis, corruption in all its forms – including tax evasion – must be addressed.

 

(This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or MAP.  The author is a MPA/Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. He is a member of MAP Tax Committee and MAP Ease of Doing Business Committee, Co-chair of Paying Taxes on Ease of Doing Business Task Force, and Chief Tax Advisor of Asian Consulting Group. Feedback at <map@map.org.ph> and <mon@acg.ph>.)