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Governor to put up govt centers in all barangays in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Jan. 31 (PNA) -â€" Envisioning clean and orderly government centers with adequate facilities in impressive greener surroundings, Governor Jose Alvarez met the barangay officials of the 19 barangays of the municipality of Aborlan, the first town in the south of Puerto Princesa City, during the weekend to discuss the Barangay Infrastructure Project which is expected to take off this year.

Aiming to fast-track Palawan’s long overdue development, Alvarez is initiating this grand project to steer economic growth in the barangays, which he believes has been neglected for so many years.

In his message to the barangay officials of Aborlan gathered at the multipurpose hall of the municipality, Alvarez said in the vernacular, “Alam ba ninyo na 100 years na and Provincial Government of Palawan pero hanggang ngayon kulang pa rin tayo ng facilities sa mga barangay. Ang ating suhesityon ay habang nandito po ako, tapusin na natin ‘tong probelma sa barangay.” (“Are you aware that the Provincial Government of Palawan is more than 100 years old? Yet our barangays still lack the basic facilities and amenities such as a covered court. My suggestion is that while I am still here, let’s work together to address the needs of our barangays.”)

The Governor presented a perspective of the Barangay Infrastructure Project, designed by the provincial government’s Architect Kim Arvin G. Orar, to the barangay officials and the town Mayor Jaime Ortega together with other local officials.

The proposed barangay government center includes a barangay hall, health care center, day care center, senior citizen center, women’s center and a multipurpose hall which shall also serve as evacuation center in case of calamities.

According to the plan, the seats at the bleachers section of the multipurpose hall should be one meter wide so it can be turned into sleeping boards for evacuees. It should be equipped with clean, comfortable and convenient rest rooms for public use and of tourists as well.

Incorporated in the plan are road network and landscaping to ensure accessibility in a pleasant green environment that should also serve as barangay plaza. It should also be provided with a well-planned drainage system as a flood-control measure.

Regarding the financial and logistical requirements of this massive Barangay Infrastructure Project, the three levels of governance from the provincial, municipal to the barangay have agreed to adopt the bottom up planning and budgeting or BUB which is also tagged by the Department of Budget and Management as grassroots participatory budgeting.

Under this scheme, the provincial, municipal and barangay governments will share the project's funding requirements.

The barangay share would come from its 20% Development Fund to be remitted to the municipal government and in turn remit the same to a trust fund of the provincial government for the said project.

According to Atty. Gil Acosta, Jr., Legal Officer V, the municipal government should also remit its own counterpart fund to the project.

Both shares of the municipal and provincial government should be higher than the barangay share. To start up the project, the provincial government will advance the required funds.

The meeting ended with the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement by representatives of the three agencies namely the Barangay, Municipal and the Provincial Government. Expected completion of the Barangay Infrastructure Project province wide is 2017.

Alvarez is hopeful that with the support and cooperation of the barangay and municipal officials of Aborlan, other barangays will have a model to look up to in the implementation of the project in their respective barangays.

There are 367 barangays all over Palawan. (PNA)

Like a blast from the past, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, who approved the controversial sale of the twin provincial public utilities (light and water) to the Salcon Group of Companies in year 2000, were confronted anew with the allegation of “having received money from the deal.”

Tossed into the limelight is former board member and now provincial administrator Atty. Tomas Abapo, Jr. who was then the defense counsel of the provincial government when it faced a suit in the regional trial court questioning propriety of the sale of the twin facilities (formerly under the Provincial Public Utilities Department -PPUD).

He was emphatic in saying “he did not received a single centavo from that joint-venture-agreement” entered into by the provincial government under former governor Rene Relampagos.

“Kinsa tong, mo-ingon nga usa ko’s nakasapi, I will look at him straight in the eye and say I received not a single centavo,” Abapo said when confronted on the issue during the regular Friday radio program Governor’s Report.

“Gani kon buot hunahunaon, alkansi pa ko,” he added.

He said he was not paid by the provincial government when he acted as lawyer in defending the propriety of the deal in the lower court and up to the Court of Appeals.

Abapo had to explain further, answering the question posed by Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Bohol Chapter president Atty. Salvador Diputado who recalled that the previous public consensus was that the PPUD was not well managed by the government and that private operators can do it better.

“If the propriety of the sale to Salcon was right, then why tinker with the idea of buying it again?” Diputado threw the question to the former Relampagos lawyer.

“There was a meeting held last week at the Bohol Beach Club with the Governor, Vice Governor and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Those board members who previously supported the Salcon deal are now backing the buy-back plan because they are disappointed too”, Abapo revealed.

JVA violations
The lawyer-provincial administrator revealed that there are violations that discouraged the provincial government in continuing with the joint-venture-agreement.

First, there is no accounting report submitted to the provincial government in the last five years of operation; second, the government is not receiving any share of the profits of the operation despite being the second majority stockholder (with 30% share) in the twin utilities.

The final point that triggered the plan to end the joint-venture-agreement is in the decision-making which was supposed to be made unanimous among board of directors as stipulated in the JVA.

Abapo cited the water rate increase petition of 40.79% submitted by the Bohol Water Utilities Inc. which was subsequently approved by the National Water Resources Board in Manila on September 20, 2006.

The BWUI board resolution submitted to NWRB was approved without consultation and the signature of the provincial government representative Engr. Francisco Ceniza.

“The resolution therefore was null and void from the beginning since it has no approval of the whole members of the board which include two representatives from the provincial government,” Abapo said.

Last week, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has authorized the governor and the two water board representatives to initiate appropriate legal steps to nullify the resolution and prevent the implementation and collection of the increased water rates.

Abapo said the Office of the Provincial Legal Office is now finalizing an intra- corporate complaint that will be filed in a regional trial court this week.

Political issue
The Salcon issue has been publicly acknowledge as the Waterloo of the then governor Relampagos.

Touted as the youngest ever-elected governor of the province, he spearheaded the idea of selling the twin public utilities to the Salcon Group of Companies in the year 2000; declaring that he is “putting at stake his political career” for such decision; eyeing a better water and light services under private hands.

Curiously, after a series of public hearings, members of the provincial board, including Abapo, were treated to a leisure trip to Malaysia where they allegedly received the fat pay-off from the multi-national Salcon firm.

And amid separate appraisals that the twin facilities were worth over P500-million, the Salcon deal was consummated in December 2000 for the amount of only P150-million.

It was a year before Relampagos’ re-election bid for his third and final term.

In the May 2001 elections, his contender, then second district congressman Erico Aumentado trounced him badly with a record-high total margin of 49,000 + votes in the final counting.

Light and water consumers in Tagbilaran City also delivered close to10,000 votes for Aumentado in expressing their disagreement in the controversial Salcon deal.

The same issue dealt another defeat for Relampagos in his second attempt in May 2004 to regain his former Capitol seat. - January 7, 2007, The Bohol Standard

PCCED's Rehabilitation Program for Bohol

The Basque Agency for Development Cooperation has extended for another 8 months its support for PCCED's Rehabilitation Program in the province of Bohol. Since early this year, PCCED has been implementing various aid and rehabilitation program for the victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the Visayas. These programs were focused on livelihood, shelter, food aid, repair of classrooms, infrastructure and health and nutrition.

The programs were implemented in the two municipalities of Loon and Antequera over a period of 8 months. According to program manager Ms. Raiza Cusi, the first phase is already on the exit phase. "We are currently in the process of doing the exit meetings with the communities so this extension is really good news."

While the first phase also included Palompon, Leyte, the new grant will only focus on Bohol and will only include the continuation of the shelter and livelihood programs. Jaime Bernar, Zabalketa's director general, stressed the importance of sustainability. "We need to make sure that these communities become resilient and not dependent on dole-outs." Zabalketa is an NGO based in Spain and which has been working with PCCED in the Philippines since 2007.

Vietnam, Thailand look for garment, textile cooperation

The garment and textile industries in Thailand and Vietnam should strengthen cooperation to improve competitiveness and exploit the ASEAN market, delegates said at a meeting held in HCM City yesterday.

Nguyen Van Tuan, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, said in recent years that Vietnam had emerged as a production hub for garment and textile products.

However, the industry has had to import up to 85 percent of materials needed for production.

He said cooperation with Thailand was necessary as it has advantages in textiles, design and administration.

Phasiree Orawattanasrikul, vice chairwoman of Thai Garment Manufacturers Association's (TGMA) Trade and Investment Promotion sub-committee, said Thailand's textile and garment industry had an entire supply chain cycle from upstream to downstream, from yarn manufacturing to apparel manufacturing. It also includes fashion design.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has the skills and ability to become an apparel production hub for international buyers, but it lacks upstream and midstream channels, she said.

"Therefore, establishing fully vertical integrated-supply chain between Thailand and Vietnam is one of the big steps toward granting and sustaining our competitiveness," she said.

Tuan said total global apparel trade was worth USD 800 billion last year, and is expected to top USD 1,664 billion in 2030, offering a huge opportunity for the industry.

Asian production will account for 60 percent the world's total production by 2030 from the current level of 50 percent, he said.

With increasing costs in China as well as competitiveness with other industries, many garment and textile producers have shifted their production base to ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

Vietnam has signed, and is negotiating, a number of free trade agreements, including the Trans Pacific Partnership, which are expected to bring huge benefits to the garment and textile industry.

However, to enjoy benefits, Vietnamese companies must meet product origin as well as yarn-forward regulations.

With Thailand not included in the TPP, Thai enterprises should enhance cooperation with Vietnamese firms to produce fabric and materials in Vietnam to take advantages of benefits brought from trade agreements, he said.

The cooperation of the two sides would also help the industry better exploit the ASEAN market of 600 million people, when the ASEAN Economic Community becomes effective by the end of the year.

Vietnam's textile and garment industry is always on the lookout to improve competitiveness and achieve higher productivity, thus increasing its edge in the world market, he said.

ASEAN apparel shows

The upcoming GFT, the most comprehensive show for garment and textile manufacturing industry in ASEAN, will bring opportunities for Vietnamese firms in the field to broaden knowledge, and update trends and latest technology and network across ASEAN, Duangrat Udomsomporn, senior manager-portfolio Reed Tradex Company, said.

To be held in Bangkok from July 9 to 12, the GFT will be held concurrently with the Garment Manufacturers Sourcing Expo 2015 (GMS), ASEAN's only exhibition on materials, accessories, and equipment for garment and textile manufacturing. It is expected to meet the needs of manufacturers from downstream to upstream, she said.

Besides exhibiting technologies and solutions from around 250 leading brands from 25 countries, the expo will also include the ASEAN garment and textile summit and business matchmaking, allowing participants to receive exciting and in-depth perspective on current and future trends of the industry.

Trade turnover between the two countries totalled USD 10 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 12.5 percent, Malinee Harnboonsong, Thailand's Director of International Trade Promotion, said.

Last year, Vietnam earned USD 76 million from yarn exports to Thailand and spent USD 194 million to import fabric from the country, she said. (PNA/VNS)

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas ordered all local chief executives (LCEs) to ensure a peaceful and safe observance of Holy Week in their respective localities.

In a memorandum circular, Roxas ordered the LCEs to convene their local peace and order councils to plan actions in anticipation of the “heavy movement of people from various places that shall focus on ensuring adequate transportation, [and] medical emergency services.”

He also directed all LCEs to “establish close coordination with concerned local authorities, cause the mobilization of law enforcers, traffic enforcers, barangay tanods, Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams, public safety officers,” and “ensure cleanliness and orderliness by mobilizing all resources in garbage collection and disposal, and clean-up operations of public places.”

Earlier, Roxas called on all DILG employees to consider applying a “programmatic, deliberate and sustainable” approach not only in their work but even in their personal lives, as they reflect this Holy Week.

During the flag-raising ceremony, Roxas said this is the framework that he and the other DILG officials employ in implementing programs and projects.

He explained that programmatic means “coherent across disciplines - hindi silos. hindi kanya-kanya,” while deliberate means “malawakan, integrated na pagtingin sa isang programa, sa isang gawain; hindi bara-bara, hindi patsamba. It’s the same every time, all the time.”

On the other hand, he explained that a sustained method is “an approach to work, an approach to life, that is stable, hindi pansamanatala lamang, hindi ningas-cugon.”

He also advised DILG employees to “plan your work, plan your approach then work your plan, para hindi ka naliligaw. That’s the reflection that I wanted to leave with you this morning."

How Often Do You Shower?

Emma Stone on Red Carpet

Comet Can Be Seen Until End of January 2015

What is the Asian Highway?

Proper Way to Poop

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Mobibo ug samot ang Starbucks ani.

Apil ba ang 3 in 1 coffee ani?

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Don't Be Like Him

Peligro ug Maoy Magdaghan

9,000% overpriced
Stolen health funds could have benefitted Makati residents â€" Cayetano

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter “Companero” S. Cayetano said Makati City residents had been shortchanged of healthcare benefits after the Commission on Audit (COA) bared an overprice of more than 9,000% in several hospital equipment purchased by the local government.

"This means barya barya na lang ang umaabot sa mga residente ng Makati sa laki ng overprice ayon sa COA. Lalo sanang napaganda ang mga proyekto kung walang tongpats o walang kurakot. Ang kailangan ng mga Pilipino ay mga opisyal na aaksyon nang walang korupsyon,” Cayetano said.

COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza revealed during Thursday’s Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing that several medical equipment purchased by the local government of Makati during the term of Dra. Elenita Binay, wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay and mother of incumbent Mayor Junjun Binay, were overpriced by more than P61.2 million.

Mendoza said a special task force discovered that medical equipment purchased for the Ospital ng Makati back in 2000 to 2001 were bought for P70.56 million when the actual worth was only P9.31 million.

What is also appalling are the purchases of the following: autoclaves/sterilizer for P1,465,000 when the price is only P16,000 l; fetal monitoring system for P2,680,000 but originally priced P538,000; regular hospital bed purchased at P148,000 and priced at only P9,032.76; ICU bed for P545,000 when its price is only P34,123.76; Orthopaedics bed for P480,000 when it is only worth P24,087.36; ultrasound machine priced at only P1,299,750 abd purchased at an overpriced P7,980,000; and hospital cabinets worth only P2,258 purchased at P17,850.

“Ang serbisyong pinangako nila sa bayan ay dapat hindi nauuwi sa nakaw na yaman,” the senator said as he challenged anew Vice President Binay to produce his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) and subject himself to questioning from the members of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee.

Cayetano said it was the residents of Makati who suffered because of the “pattern of corruption” under the leadership of the Binay family.
“Panahon na ng pagbabago. Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang maling pamamalakad sa Makati. Hindi dapat nakukuntento sa barya o pa-tingi-tingi ang mga residente dito,” Cayetano stressed.

by Carina L. Cayon
DAVAO CITY, Jan. 01 (PIA) â€" The decline of flood incidence and dengue cases in the city was part of the impact of the local government’s Food for Work program in 2011.
City Mayor’s Office consultant on special concerns Danilo Dayanghirang reported the program’s intensive clean-up drive in the communities has removed tons of wastes from canals and coastal areas.
Dayanghirang said that since May last year the food for work program salvaged 800 tons of debris in coastal areas and 2,186 cubic meters of wastes in canals.
“The program has created a lot of outputs,” the former city councilor said citing the reduction of flood and dengue incidence.
He estimated that dengue prevalence has dropped by seven out of ten cases. In rainy days, the floodwaters would immediately subside, he added.
The city LGU has intensified its clean-up campaign in the communities especially in the urban areas through the food for work program to address flooding concern in 55 barangays of the city.
Dayanghirang said volunteers who engaged in the clean-up activities were each provided food pack worth P150 in exchange for their labor.
He attributed the successful outcome of the program to the cooperation of the barangays which he said have been empowered with political will to be efficient in implementing the food for work program.
Dayanghirang was optimistic that the program would continue in 2012 as the office of the city mayor has considered allocating funding for the said project.
As a possible undertaking this year, he recommended for a decentralized implementation of the program in the barangays for communities to take full responsibility in cleaning up their respective environment.
He suggested for the realization of a “Harap ko, Linis ko” program.
He added that volunteers could be reshuffled and designated to other areas.
Dayanghirang stated that barangay endeavors were also strengthened by the City Ordinance on waste segregation which the official said needed strict enforcement to bring positive effects on the environment.
He disclosed that part of the provisions in the waste segregation program is the prohibition of the use of plastics in the city to be implemented three years after the program’s enforcement which will by end of this year.
“Plastics will not anymore be used in Davao City by that time,” Dayanghirang stated. (PIA-11/Carina L. Cayon)

ni Cherry Joy Discaya
LAOAG CITY, Jan. 1 (PIA) -- Mistulang Luneta sa dami ng tao ang paligid ng Provincial Capitol ng Ilocos Norte pagsapit ng gabi sa pagdagsa ng mga lokal na turista.
Naglalakihan at naggagandahan kasi ang tanawin sa paligid nito, lalong-lalo na ang pagningning ng mga ilaw na nakasabit sa lahat ng sulok ng kapitolyo.
Ang kapitolyo mismo ay maituturing nang agaw-pansin sa pagkakaroon nito ng dim-spot light na nakatutok sa kabuuan nito pagsapit ng gabi. Nakakaengganyo itong pagmasdan.
Sa mga puno naman, may mga nakasabit ding korteng ibon na malalaki na siyang nagsisilbing ilaw sa palibot ng kapitolyo. Sila ang nagbibigay liwanag sa kabuuan nito.
Sino naman ang hindi maaaliw sa mga higanteng halaman na ang mga dahon nito ay umiilaw, nakapuwesto ito sa magkabilang gilid ng kapitolyo. Mga higanteng halaman na para bang nananahon ng kulay lilac na diyamante sa kislap.
Hindi ka din maliligaw ng oras habang namamasyal ka dito sapagkat may built-in giant clock na hinulma gamit ang ‘garden soil’ at ‘bermuda’ glass. Sa paligid nito’y may mga bulaklak na eksakto para sa picture taking.
Ang kambal naman sa ‘fountain’ sa harap ng kapitolyo na may sukat halos dalawampung talampakan (20 feet) ay nakakapagparelaks sa buong katauhan sa tunog na agos ng masagang tubig nito.
At nalulula naman ang mga tao sa higanteng ‘Christmas Tree’ na tinatayang may sukat na mahigit-kumulang dalawampu’t anim na talampakan (26 feet), dinesenyuhan ito ng mga bulaklak na korteng poinsettia at nakabitan ng mga ilaw na mistulang naghuhulugan.
Lahat ng bumibisita dito ay kakikitaan ng galak at pagkamangha sa larawan ng kapitolyo. Karamihan sa kanila ay nangunguha ng litrato.
“Hindi mo talaga maiiwasang hindi tumigil at kumuha ng picture kapag napadaan ka dito, maliban sa maliwanag dahil sa dami ng ilaw, napaka-relaxing at maluwang ang paligid, tamang-tama para sa bonding ng pamilya,” patunay ni Jennifer Ramos sa kanyang pamamasyal kasama ang kanyang pamilya.
Kung tutuusin, hindi lamang ang Provincial Capitol ng Ilocos Norte ang kakikitaan ng malaking pagbabago, kung hindi pati na din ang mga programa na nakakapagpabuti sa ekonomiya partikular na ang turismo ng probinsya. Ito ay sa pamumuno ni Gob. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos. (JCR/CJD-PIA 1 Ilocos Norte)

Acquisition advances Leviton's international growth; expands capabilities in
                      the automation technology business

    Leviton today announced the acquisition of all shares of ClickOn
Technology, a South African manufacturer of automation technology for
residential and commercial applications. Leviton has a successful history with
ClickOn, using a number of the company's automation solutions to enhance
Leviton's Security and Automation product offerings.

    As part of the acquisition, Leviton will bring ClickOn's entire product
line into the Leviton family of solutions, including ClickOn's revolutionary
remote control system that provides convenient, secure and reliable control of
any electrical system and appliance from a single remote control.

    "As home automation continues as a growth opportunity for Leviton, we are
excited to add ClickOn's DIN rail lighting control solutions to our extensive
product offering," said Bruno Filio, Vice President of Sales and International
Business Development at Leviton. "This acquisition demonstrates Leviton's
commitment and understanding of the latest trends. It also provides our
worldwide customers with the best technologies and affordable easy-to-use
control solutions to meet their needs."

    The acquisition of ClickOn Technology continues Leviton's commitment to
strategic growth and innovation through acquisitions. Leviton has evolved its
business into a global provider of electrical wiring devices, data connectivity
solutions and lighting and energy management systems for a variety of end-use
markets.

    About Leviton
    Leviton is the smart choice, providing the most comprehensive range of
solutions to meet the needs of today's residential, commercial and industrial
buildings. Leveraging more than a century of experience, Leviton helps
customers create sustainable, intelligent environments through its electrical
wiring devices, network and data center connectivity solutions, and lighting
energy management systems. From switches and receptacles, to daylight
harvesting controls, networking systems, and equipment for charging electric
vehicles, Leviton solutions help customers achieve savings in energy, time and
cost, all while enhancing safety. For more information, visit www.leviton.com,
http://www.facebook.com/leviton, http://twitter.com/leviton or
http://www.youtube.com/Levitonmfg.

By: Dr. Dwight Lundell



We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong.. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries,today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.

I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.”  Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.

The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.



It Is Not Working!

These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.



The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.

Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.

Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year.

Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.

Inflammation is not complicated â€" it is quite simply your body’s natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.

What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body?  Well,smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.

The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream dietthat is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. Thisrepeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.

What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flourand all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

Take a moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day, every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that could be going on in your body right now.

Regardless of where the inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately with inflammation.

While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed withomega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.

How does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you sick?

Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.

When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.

What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.

While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common denominator â€" inflammation in their arteries.

Let’s get back to the sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell â€" they must be in the correct balance with omega-3’s.

If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.

Today’s mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That’s a tremendous amount of cytokines causing inflammation. In today’s food environment, a 3:1 ratio would be optimal and healthy.

To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetesand finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.

There is no escaping the fact that the more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process, nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6 oils.

There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.

One tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940 mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.

Animal fats contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about saturated fat is even more absurd today.

The cholesterol theory led to the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to heart disease and other silent killers.

What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.

August 2014, National Geographic

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Cebu water park to invest P1.2B for water park in Luzon
CEBU CITY, Sept. 19 (PNA) -- The JPark Island Resort Cebu in Lapu-Lapu City, formerly known as the Imperial Palace, will invest P1.2 billion to bring its water park facilities to Luzon in 2015.

JPark Island Resort president Justin S. Uy said the project will sit in an eight-hectare property in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and will retain the name JPark Island Resort.

“We’re still in the drawing stage now. We are planning to have it early next year but the completion will probably take 18 months,” Uy said.

The newest addition to JPark’s portfolio will have 150 rooms, smaller than the existing facility in Lapu Lapu City, which has 556 rooms.

The room rates in Sta. Rosa, according to Uy, will be lower than JPark in Lapu Lapu City because the former will only be a three- or four-star hotel.

0n June 1 this year, Philippine BXT Corp, the company running and managing the Imperial Palace, officially rebranded the facility to JPark Island Resort Cebu.

The move, according to officials, was to position JPark Island Resort as a property not only limited to a resort and hotel, but also as a waterpark and amusement park.

In the past three years, Philippine BXT Corp franchised the Imperial Palace brand and personally ran and managed the facility.

“We were initially managed by Imperial Palace of Korea for the first two years but after that we managed it but we still used Imperial as a franchise. Starting June 1 of this year, we were finally strong enough to come up with our own identity, we are now called JPark, which we can call our own, a Filipino brand,” Uy said.

JPark is a combination of Uy’s first name and his Korean partner’s name Park Yong Jun.

Park serves as chairman of Philippine BXT Corp.

Uy said that the company is also planning to set up hotels and resorts in Boracay and Bohol but no definite plans yet as to when.

The official also welcomed the possibility of international expansion. (PNA)

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Gulong ng Palad

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Belorussian shoppers may soon get new potato breeds, which will brighten up the traditional range with blue, pink and purple colors, Minsk Novosti news website reports.

Belorussian scientists have developed new types of traditional local bulbs with colored flesh, but the quality of the new blue, pink and purple breeds will be no different than that of the common white-yellow ones, says Ivan Kolyadko, the Head of the Research Centre for Potato Cultivation and Horticulture at the Belorussian Academy of Sciences.

After nine years of selective breeding, the new potatoes are ready to undergo state testing. If successful, the bulbs will be used for making chips, crisps and instant mashed potatoes.

“Bul’ba” - the Belorussian name for potato, is widely used in the local cuisine. The most popular dish in Belarus is “draniki” â€" savory pancakes made from grated potatoes, eggs and flour. (PNA/RIA Novosti)

All stocks of the toxic gas of sarin removed from Syria have been fully destroyed, Col. Steve Warren, the Pentagon's spokesman, announced Tuesday.

Colonel Warren said the crew of the Cape Ray American naval ship completed the destruction of 100 percent of sarin. According to Warren, this refers to the neutralization of about 581 metric tonnes of the toxic agent.

Warren also pointed out that specialists on board the Cape Ray had set about neutralizing almost 20 tonnes of mustard gas.(PNA/ITAR-TASS)

By Noel Y. Punzalan

COTABATO CITY, Aug. 13 (PNA) â€"- Some 100 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) attacked two military installations in Maguindanao Tuesday night but were repelled by government forces, an Army official here said.

Col. Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said the BIFF terrorists attacked the Army detachments in Barangays Magaslong and Buayan in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao, sending Moro villagers running for their lives.

No casualty was reported on the government side.

The simultaneous attacks on the roadside detachments of the 6th Infantry Division Reconnaissance Company was apparently a retaliatory attacks by the BIFF after four of its members were killed in similar harassment four days ago, according to Hermoso.

He said about 100 BIFF bandits crawled near the Army detachments in Barangays Magaslong and Buayan and, without warning, fired assault rifles and anti-tank rockets on the bunkers of soldiers at past 10 p.m.

“Of course, we returned fire to drive them away, forcing them to retreat back to the marshland,” Hermoso said.

He said the same group repeatedly harassed last week combatants of the 45th Infantry Battalion and the 6th ID’s 61st and 62nd Reconnaissance Companies guarding a former BIFF camp in Barangay Ganta, situated in the boundary of Datu Piang and Sharif Saydona towns.

He said the harassment sent several families fleeing to safer barangays.

The humanitarian agency of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had already extended assistance to the displaced families, the same families from the two villages who have been fleeing every time soldiers and BIFF members trade mortars and bullets.

“The lives of civilians are becoming more and more miserable because of these activities by the BIFF. Their acts scare civilians,” Hermoso said. (PNA)

Bulacan RTC judge orders NBI to immediately present Palparan in court
By Emil G. Gamos

MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, Aug 13 (PNA) -- The Bulacan Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge handling the case of captured Retired Army Major General Jovito Palparan on Wednesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to present to the court the controversial military officer and be detained at the Bulacan Provincial Jail so he could be formally arraigned.

Bulacan RTC Branch 14 Judge Teodora Gonzales issued a commitment order on Wednesday morning instructing the country’s premiere investigation body to present “immediately” the retired army general who earned the moniker “Berdugo” (Butcher) for his relentless campaign against insurgency and alleged involvement in numerous cases of political killings.

Palparan was arrested by NBI agents in an old house in Sta, Mesa Manila early Tuesday morning.

Two other persons were also taken into custody and undergoing investigation for alleged coddling of a fugitive from justice.

A team of NBI agents went to the Bulacan RTC on Wednesday morning and returned the warrant of arrest without bringing Palparan with them because of alleged “risk” in the life of the controversial retired army general.

A visibly irked Judge Gonzales questioned the NBI agents and even has to contact the NBI-Bulacan office to confirm if they were indeed NBI agents.

The judge issued the commitment order and told the agents to present Palparan immediately to the court.

The judge also set the arraignment of Palparan on August 18 and ordered his detention to the Bulacan Provincial Jail.

Palparan is facing charges of kidnapping with serious illegal detention on the alleged abduction of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Meanwhile, provincial jail Warden Pepito Plamenco said that the BPJ is ready to accommodate high profile detainees like Palparan.

He said Palparan will be locked up in separate cell with a bed and toilet and assured that he will be safe while in the custody of the Bulacan Provincial Jail.

Plamenco also said he has also coordinated with Bulacan acting police director Senior Supt. Ferdinand Divina to send additional policemen to help in securing the controversial general while his case is being heard at the Bulacan RTC.

Palparan has earlier stated that he feels safer in the custody of the NBI but will obey and respect the order of the court. (PNA)

Britain is going to transport arms to Kurds, fighting against Islamic State insurgents, as radicals lay siege to the Kurdish capital Arbil in northern Iraq, according to Associated Press.

The United Kingdom has reportedly “agreed to transport from other contributing states some critical military re-supplies for the Kurdish forces,” the AFP cited Prime Minister David Cameron’s office as saying.

On Tuesday, the Royal Air Force dispatched two Chinook helicopters to the region “for use if we decide we need further humanitarian relief options," Cameron’s office said.

The Islamic State is a Sunni group that has been fighting in Syria and launched an offensive in Iraq in June. The group has taken over large parts of the country, with the goal of seizing Baghdad. Also in June, the group announced the establishment of a caliphate on the Iraq-Syria border.

Iraqi Kurds have already re-established military cooperation with Baghdad in an effort to drive the IS fighters back. But tens of thousands of Yazidi Kurds are still stranded atop Mount Sinjar after fleeing the IS insurgency. Yazidis are a religious minority in the country’s north, who now run the risk of being massacred by the radical Islamist group.

Like Moscow, the United Nations Security Council has called on all Iraqi communities to unite and respond to the threat to Iraq’s future. (PNA/RIA Novosti)

Alcala says high rice prices mainly due to soaring production costs
By Cielito M. Reganit

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala on Wednesday said that the high cost of producing palay is one of the major reasons to the high price of rice and that increasing the level of farm mechanization would be a key factor to achieve competitive prices for the staple.

Appearing before members of the House Committee on Appropriations to present the DA’s proposed P51.7 billion budget for 2015, Alcala told lawmakers that the country has one of the highest production cost of palay in Asia because of farmers’ over reliance on manual labor.

He noted that while we are at the same level with China in terms of palay production cost â€" about P10 per kilo â€" Vietnam produces palay at only P5.40 per kilogram with Thailand just slightly higher than the latter.

“These two ASEAN countries are highly mechanized while majority of our farmers still rely on manual labor which is more costly,” Alcala explained.

“We also have much lower budgetary allocations for palay interventions compared to other Asian countries,” he added.

To address this, the Agriculture chief said his agency will be instituting interventions in the next two years that would lower production costs and make the price of the main staple competitive.

“These interventions include increasing farm mechanization, lowering the cost of credit and improving rural infrastructure to enhance productivity, connectivity and integration of production areas to markets,” Alcala told member of the House panel.

By 2016, he said that their target would be to produce 10 metric tons of palay per hectare at P5 per kilo in production cost.

In the meantime, Alcala said the current spikes in the price of rice in the market are to be blamed on traders who jacked up the purchase price of palay to about P20 to P21 per kilo.

In comparison, the National Food Authority (NFA) buys palay at only P17 or P18 per kilo.

“In doing this, the traders have prevented the NFA from replenishing its buffer stocks and its ability to stabilize the price of rice,” he said.

He said this was the main reason why the NFA is importing 800,000 metric tons (MT) of rice â€" with standby authority to import another 500,000 â€" from Vietnam.

"These importations would boost our buffer stocks and give back to the government its ability to sell NFA rice at P27 and P32 per kilo," Alcala said. (PNA)

Six flights of the Cebu Pacific were cancelled on Wednesday due to "aircraft situation", the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced.

Via Twitter, the DOTC noted that among the flights cancelled include 5J-519 (Manila-Naga), 5J-520 (Naga-Manila), 5J-901 (Manila-Caticlan), and 5J-902 (Caticlan-Manila).

Also cancelled were flights 5J-383 (Manila-Cagayan de Oro) and 5J-384 (Cagayan de Oro-Manila). (PNA)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is ready to provide protection to the families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre, following reports about an attempt to bribe the widow of one of the victims, a Palace official has said.

"One of the things that we have really implemented is to make sure that the witnesses are covered under the Witness Protection Program," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

"That is very important for usâ€"to protect them. And for those who are not covered by the Witness Protection Program, we would ask them and request them to join the program, so that they will not be put in harm’s way," he added.

Lacierda advised those being offered money in exchange for their silence to file a complaint in court so that the Department of Justice could conduct an investigation.

“Otherwise, we won’t be able to act on it,” he said.

Lacierda however said it is not clear when the bribery attempt was made, considering that the prosecution has rested its case in the trial of the massacre.

The public, he said, is waiting for the defense to present its evidences. (PNA)

A top Malacañang official has lauded the programs of the European Union (EU) to promote peace and development in the Mindanao region, especially in the areas of poverty alleviation, promotion of human rights, and good governance.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said on Wednesday the EU has been an active partner in the peace process in Mindanao and has provided grants to civil society organizations that spearhead programs in peacekeeping and monitoring, confidence- and peace-building actions, as well as facilitate workshops and dialogues among stakeholders in the region.

“The EU is a member of the International Monitoring Team and has been a major development partner in Mindanao,” Coloma said. “We thank the EU for its decision to double its bilateral assistance to the Philippines of up to P19 billion for the next five years.”

Coloma’s statement comes on the heels of the visit of Lady Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Vice President of the European Commission, who visited the Philippines last month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the EU and the Philippines.

According to data from the Department of Trade and Industry, the EU is the largest investor in the Philippines by stock, with total investments amounting to an estimated P440 billion, which have created an estimated 400,000 jobs in the country.

Data from the Board of Investments show net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow from the EU amounted to about P645 billion last year, up from P551 billion in 2012. The EU bloc is the country’s third largest trading partner.

Coloma expressed appreciation to the EU for the bullishness in the country with increased investments in recognition of the significant reforms implemented by the Aquino administration to strengthen transparency and good governance. Early this year, the EU lifted its sanctions on Philippine carriers.

He also commended the EU’s call for a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said there was heavy traffic buildup along the southbound lanes of Epifanio Delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) toward Pasay City due to the congestion caused by a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 train that crashed into a barrier at the MRT Taft Ave. Station Wednesday afternoon.

In an advisory, the MMDA told motorists and commuters to avoid the area because of the "derailed MRT train at Pasay-Taft Station. MMDA Rescue and enforcers on location. Expect heavy traffic."

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino personally went to the area to help supervise traffic clearing operations.

Joey Wahe of the MMDA Metrobase said that as of 5:30 p.m., the traffic situation was heavy along EDSA southbound starting from Boni Ave. in Mandaluyong City to Taft Ave. in Pasay.

Wahe said the traffic management office of the city government of Pasay advised the motorists to use the flyover toward Tramo Ave. due to the heavy traffic situation in the area.

As of this posting, 20 injured passengers of the MRT train were undergoing treatment at the Pasay General Hospital.

Meanwhile, the MRT3 management said in its Twitter account: “We are running south- and north-bound but expect delay approaching Taft Ave. station because we are utilizing single tract reversing.” (PNA)

The Onion. This mighty vegetable packs far more potential than just adding flavor to our meals. Onion juice has been shown to increase hair growth due to their high in sulfur content, and are beneficial in decreasing inflammation. Onion juice helps by providing nourishment and circulation to the hair follicles. It kills germs, parasites, and treats some fungi infections, all of which can aid in prevention of hair loss. Research also shows that gray and thinning hair is caused by a buildup of hydrogen peroxide and a decrease of the natural antioxidant, catalase. When a buildup of hydrogen peroxide occurs in the hair follicles it causes oxidative stress resulting in graying and thinning hair.

DepEd, partner orgs give away boats, bikes to students in remote areas
By Jade D. Miguel

Access to basic quality education has been quite easy for some students in urban areas, but not for those children who travel for a minimum of three hours to get to school.

Children in far-flung areas have been used to walking several kilometers treading rivers and mountains and sometimes riding horses and boats just to step into the classroom where learning is gold and rare.

Provinces like Aklan, Bohol and Zamboanga are just some among the other rural areas in the country wherein schools are less but many are the students who are thirsty for knowledge.

According to the Department of Education (DepEd), one of the most striking disparities between children from urban and those from the rural is the time it takes for the students to get to school.

On Wednesday, the DepEd has partnered with Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation and Bikes for the Philippines in giving out bikes and boats to children and communities in remote areas that would serve as their means of transportation.

There are some children who are quite lucky enough to get to school for only two minutes like those students at Janlud Primary School in Libacao, Aklan. However, their fellow students at Pangabuyan Elementary School have been otherwise traveling for 50 minutes by boat.

Moreover, an even worse situation is being suffered by students at Samwill Elementary School in Masbate. A minimum of two hours is what it takes for them to get to school, and that is on foot.

Through the DepEd's partnership with the two foundations, Luistro has ensured that within the "last two minutes" of Aquino administration, no student will be left behind.

The Education Chief has further dubbed the project as BBB and PPP which means "Bayanihang Bangka at Bisikleta" and "Pedals and Paddles Project" respectively for the initiative to gain more recall.

"Missing out on a class can have a huge impact on comprehension and retention which could affect students' performance, as well as their attitude towards learning," Luistro said adding that reducing the travel time for children encourages them to go to school.

Certain areas such as Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Marikina, Tacloban,Zamboanga, and Palawan have been benefitted by the giving out of bikes and boats of theYellow Boat of Hope Foundation and Bikes for the Philippines.

To date, more than 800 boats have been distributed by the Yellow Boat to the communities in the said areas while an estimated 1,000 boats have been given to Yolanda-hit areas.

Around 200 bikes have been provided by the Bikes for the Philippines in two high schools in Bohol.

Each boat is worth PHP 10,000 while a bike costs PHP 2,000.

According to Joel Uichico, Project Director of Bikes for the Philippines, bikes are being given to Grades 7 to 12 provided with an eight-day training module so that students can actually prevent accidents while on their way to school.

Since mountain bikes are being distributed by the foundation, Uichico explained that they have chosen Grades 7 to 12 students due to their more mature physique than those of Grades 1 to 6 students.

To be able to reach students in far-flung areas which have not yet been benefitted by the program,the two foundations are urging interested individuals to donate to the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, Inc., through their BDO Account (Peso Acct. #003170-134579 and Dollar Account # 103170-148588), and online through PayPal.

Currently, the Yellow Boat does not recommend the donating of boats as they are encouraging the beneficiaries to give sweat equity by building, painting, and installing the outrigger of the boat.

On the other hand, donation for bikes may be sent to Bikes for the Philippines Foundation, Inc. through their BDO Accounts (Peso Acct. #5420-128374 and Dollar Acct. #10-5420-128803).

Donations abroad for Bikes for the Philippines may be coursed through the following address: Jo Grant, Bikes for the Philippines, Inc., 15 Amber Rd., Westminster, MA 01473.

Interested donors may also contact the Office of the Undersecratry for Partnerships and External Linkages at (02) 633-7207, 638-8637, and 638-8639 or email the adopt-A-School program at aspprogram.center@gmail.com.

Yellow Boat may be contacted through captain@yellowboat.org and Bikes for the Philippines via info@bikesforthephilippines.org. (PNA)

Pwede himoan ug short fiction based on this story?

Microsoft continues to gain share in the search market, growing slightly faster in December than any of its competitors, according to a report by comScore.

Its share of searches in the U.S. reached 10.7 percent last month, up 0.4 percentage points from November, comScore said.

Google is still attracting the majority of searches, with a 65.7 percent market share in December, up 0.1 percentage points from November, comScore said.

Microsoft’s growth came at the expense of its partner Yahoo, as well as Ask and Aol. Yahoo’s share slipped slightly from 17.5 percent in November to 17.3 percent in December. Aol also lost share, slipping from 2.8 percent in November to 2.6 percent in December.

Since it launched Bing in June, Microsoft has steadily if slowly been gaining ground. The company has added new features over that time, perhaps contributing to the growth.

In mid-November, Bing results began relying on computational information from Wolfram Alpha, allowing people to type complicated math equations or ask Bing to display a graph plotting an equation. The update also allows people to type in the name of a food item and receive nutritional information.

The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday he has activated the level of the agency's response to the West African Ebola outbreak to its highest alert status.

"I have activated the CDC Emergency Operation Center at level one for this outbreak. This is our highest level of response," CDC Director Tom Frieden told a congressional hearing. "It doesn't mean that there's an increased risk to Americans, but it does mean that we are taking an extensive effort to do everything we can to stop the outbreaks."

Calling it "a crisis" and "unprecedented," he said at the current trend there will have been more cases in this outbreak than in all previous recognized outbreaks of Ebola put together " within another few weeks."

And the best way to protect everyone worldwide is to stop the outbreak at the source in today's interconnected world, Frieden said.

"That is the only way to get control," he said. "I am confident that if we do what works, we will stop this one. But it won't be quick and it won't be easy. It requires meticulous attention to detail, because if you leave behind even a single burning ember, it's like a forest fire. It flares back up."

Ebola, a severe disease that first emerged in 1976, kills up to 90 percent of those who are infected with it. This time, the average fatality rate is estimated at 55 percent.

While there is no known cure for the disease, two U.S. aid workers diagnosed with Ebola while treating patients in Liberia are reportedly both feeling stronger after receiving an experimental drug called ZMapp, developed by a U.S. company called Mapp Biopharmaceutical.

That has raised questions about whether the untested and unapproved drug should be used in the outbreak. The World Health Organization said Wednesday it will convene a panel of medical ethicists early next week to review the experimental treatment.

Frieden, however, said that it's too early to tell if the treatment is effective.

King Charles

Napaling â€" Tagnan, Panglao Island
Location: 45 minutes to 1 hour by banca from Alona Beach
Average depth: 15m
Maximum depth: 30m
Napaling boasts of a beautiful coral garden ideal for underwater photographers and snorkelers. Wonderful overhangs and some caves abound with soldierfish, squirrelfish, moray eels, scorpion fish, and table corals. White tip reef sharks are also spotted here.

Doljo Point â€" Doljo, Panglao Island
Location: 35 to 50 minutes by banca from Alona Beach.
Average depth: 20m
Maximum depth: 35m
Doljo Point boasts of a wall covered with sponges, colorful corals, soft corals, and large sea fans. Large pelagic fishes such as surgeon fish, jacks, and bat fish can be seen along with squid and the occasional white tip reef shark and hammerhead shark.

Doljo House Reef â€" Doljo, Panglao Island
Location: 35 minutes by native outrigger boat from Along Beach
Depth ranges from 3 to 25 meters
This site consists of a wall dive which is beautiful with many kinds of hard corals and sandy spots. Many cardinal fishes of different kinds, crabs, and shrimps, gobies can be seen here aside from nudibranches, harlequin ghost pipefish and clown frog fish.

Pungtud Wall â€" Doljo, Panglao Island
Location: 35 minutes by banca from Alona Beach
Average depth: 10m
Maximum depth: 20m
Pungtud Wall is a beautiful coral garden, great for snorkeling as well as for diving. There are good soft, leathery and stony corals with lots of small fish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and sea stars, angelfish, putterfish, butterfly fish, wrasse, and anemones with anemone fish. Fishes such as anthias, raggy scorpion fish, ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita), one-striped fusiliers (Pterocaesio tessellata) can also be seen here.

Kalipayan â€" Danao, Panglao Island
Location: 6 minutes by banca from Alona Beach
Average depth: 10m
Maximum depth: 20m
Kalipayan is the house reef of Alona Beach and is also known as the “Happy Wall”. Conditions here are normally calm, without currents, and a visibility of up to 25m. The wall starts at about 3m, and drops down to about 20m, and has soft and colorful coral heads, sea fans, small groupers and juvenile barracudas.

Garden Eels â€" Danao, Panglao Island
Location: 3 minutes by outrigger boat
Most interesting depth: 8-12m
At the beginning of the dive is a beautiful bow-shaped cliff with nudibranches. A beautiful coral garden is on the top of the wall with lots of small fishes like Red-Amethyst-Purple Fin Anthias. At the bottom of the slope is the splendid sand eels (Heteroconger preclara) and spotted garden eel (Heteroconger hassi).

Habagat Wreck Dive Site
Location: 9 minutes by pump boat or outrigger boat from Belleview Rock Resort
Depth: ranges from 8-34m
Seen above the wreck are Tall Fin Batfish (Platax Teira) and under the wreck the Big Lion fish (Pterois volitans), Giant Angelfish (Catenaries commersonii), different kinds of Cardinal Fishes (Apogonidae), Angelfish, and the Harlequin Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus Paradaxus).

Crystal Sanctuary â€" Danao, Panglao Island
Location: 1 minute by banca from Alona Beach
Depth ranges from 3-25m
The Crystal Sanctuary is the closest dive site to Alona Beach. The dive spot is picturesque with beautiful hard and soft corals, schools of jacks, bat fish, big-eyed trevally, lone barracudas, big mouth mackerel, fusilier, surgeon fish, snappers and damsels. There are also lots of gobbies, nudibranches, coral pipefish, and mantis shrimp. The area has sanctuary restriction.

Arco Point â€" Libaong, Panglao Island
Location: 12 minutes by banca from Alona Beach
Average depth: 10m
Maximum depth: 25m
Located near the exclusive Bohol Beach Club, Arco Point is also known as the “Hole in the Wall”. Along the short wall, small groupers, trigger fish, wrasse, butterfly fish, sea snakes and moray eels can be seen. The cave teems with Cardinal fish and Sergeant Major fish (Abudefduf vaigiensis) waiting to be fed. Inside the cave on the east are White-eyed Moray eel (Siderea thyrsoidea), and Black-finned Snake eels (Ophichthus melanochir).

Cervera Shoal or Snake Island â€" Libaong, Panglao Island
Location: 50 minutes by banca from Alona Beach.
Average depth: 15m
Maximum depth: over 60m
Cervera Shoal, is also known as “Snake island” or “Spaghetti Shoal because of the large number of black-and-white-banded sea snakes that can be seen here. There are many Black/White-Banded Sea Snakes (Luticauda colubrina), White-eyed Moray eel(Siderea thyrsoidea), Starry Moray eel (Echidna Nebolosa), Nudibranches, and the small reef fish.

Momo Beach Dive Site â€" Tangnan, Panglao Island
Location: 40 minutes by motorized banca
Most interesting depth at 3 to 4 meters
This site is good for macro diving and macro photography at the shallow depth. Divers will be rewarded with sightings of pajama cardinal fish, nudibranches, leaf fishes, red-eyed goby, many kinds of juvenile wrasse, harlequin filefish and the red spot cardinal fish.

Balicasag Island Dive Sites
Balicasag Island is located southwest of Panglao Island and can be reached in 30 minutes by boat from Alona Beach on Panglao Island. It is a small island belonging to the municipality of Panglao, and is home to a small community, two light-houses and one resort. The island’s 25 hectares can be easily covered in 30-45 minutes by foot.

Balicasag Island is known to have some of the best dive sites in the Philippines. Diver’s Heaven features an aquarium with a grand array of fish and marine life. Another site is the Turtle Point, named for the numerous turtles inhabiting the caves 60 to 70 meters down. On the southwest side is the Cathedral Wall, which is a section of a wall that has many recesses where divers can explore. Royal Garden is at the northern side of the island, covered with a thick coral forming a kaleidoscope of multi-colored reef full of an assortment of tropical fish. One of the most famous dive sites around Balicasag Island is Black Forest which is named for the forest of black corals which is rarely seen on a shallow 90-foot depth.

Reuters - Stocks ended lower on Thursday, continuing a recent streak of weakness as Russia's surprisingly harsh retaliatory measures in response to Western sanctions raised concerns about global growth.

In addition to Moscow's ban on imports of many Western foods, following sanctions imposed for Russia's support of rebels in eastern Ukraine, investors worried that the conflict between Russian and Ukraine is escalating, with the downing of a Ukrainian fighter jet.

The declines briefly dragged the Dow below its 200-day moving average in afternoon trading. The S&P 500 is now nearly 4 percent below the record closing high it set last month

While the full extent of the sanctions are still unknown, escalating tensions in Russia could continue to spur selling in stocks, analysts said.

"Before this point, U.S. investors have always thought of geopolitical concerns as being largely no more than a 24-hour event. Now, the growing concern is that the outlook for global growth is pointing down," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers Group in Greenwich, Connecticut.

"To that extent, investors seem more prone to selling, and asking questions later rather than buying the dip as they had become accustomed to doing in the past."

All but one of the S&P 500's industry sectors ended down on the day, backtracking from brief gains in the morning. Consumer staples shares .SPCOMS, the bright spot of trading on Wednesday, slipped 0.8 percent on Thursday, while utilities .SPCOMU shares posted the sole sector gains.

Health insurer stocks were poor performers, dipping after Goldman Sachs downgraded Aetna (AET.N) to "neutral" and cut earnings estimates on a number of its peers. Aetna (AET.N) shares slid 4.0 percent to $75.22, UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) shares lost 2.7 percent to $79.26 and Cigna shares (CI.N) fell 3.0 percent to $88.75.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 75.07 points, or 0.46 percent, to 16,368.27, the S&P 500 .SPX ended down 10.67 points, or 0.56 percent, to 1,909.57, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 20.09 points, or 0.46 percent, to 4,334.97.

Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA.O) surged 5.1 percent to $33.97 after the company's quarterly profit beat Wall Street's expectations.

Jobless claims reports lent optimism to the market in the morning as the four-week claims average fell to its lowest level since February 2006, suggesting labor market conditions are continuing to improve.

First Time Car Washer

Reuters - Taiwan's financial regulator has warned banks it will treat improper derivative contracts as fraud as it scrutinises the rapid growth of structured derivative products tied to the yuan, local media reported on Friday.

The warning is the Financial Supervisory Commission's latest move in a week the FSC said it will penalize three more banks, after already punishing the banking unit of Sinopac Financial Holdings for failing to disclose risks associated with structured yuan derivatives..

The Economic Daily said the FSC chairman would meet with the presidents of Sinopac and the three other banks, and does not rule out removing them from their jobs if their institutions continue to sell suspect yuan products.

The FSC wrote to banks on Thursday, the Economic Daily reported, instructing them to analyse yuan products properly and fully disclose the risks in fair contracts with customers, the paper said.

Officials of the FSC were not immediately available for comment.

Since Taiwan and China signed a yuan clearing agreement last year, yuan deposits in Taiwan have grown rapidly. Such deposits reached 268.4 billion yuan ($42.88 billion)at end-March, up almost 9 percent on month, according to the latest data from the central bank.

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Formerly a barrio of the municipalities of Agoo and Aringay, Tubao was a “visita” of the Parish of Agoo. The early settlers in this barrio called it San Isidro de Tubao in honor of its Patron Saint Isidore, the farmer whose feast is celebrated every May 14 & 15 of the year. The Parish Church is also a must see attraction for its American-inspired Architecture which resembles the Baguio Cathedral. Tubao became a town on July 20, 1885 by virtue of a Spanish Superior Decreto.

Discovering Tubao is approximately five hour drive from Manila. Vacationers may stop over at Rosario, La Union. From Rosario, another 30 minute ride via tricycle or jeepney to Tubao town proper. The Tubao Adventure starts with a sneak peek of Masalip Dam at Brgy. Magsaysay, the Sangbay Falls at Rizal and the Mini Hydro Electric Power Plant at Brgy. Halog East.

Known as the “Home of Native Tobacco”, Tubao is famous for its tobacco cigars which local and foreign fellows truly patronize. Aside from tobacco, Green Corn also marks Tubao. Tourists love the taste of the processed green corn, which is Chichacorn and Banana Chips, which are perfect “pasalubong” to relatives and friends. - source - La Union official website

Some 284 kilometers away or five and a half hour drive from Manila, it is a major transit area for the Manila-Ilocos Bus Route 24/7. There are also jeeps and tricycles for short trips within the municipality.

Home to the National Apiculture Research, Training and Development Institute (NARTDI), it has made Bacnotan a pilot area for support, instruction, research and production on beekeeping. Based at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) Main Campus, it came into existence by virtue of RA 9151 which then La Union 1st District Congressman now Governor Manuel C. Ortega authored. Also located at DMMMSU is the Sericulture Research Development Institute which produces quality silk.

In Barangay Carcarmay stands the towering La Union Centennial Tree which was planted way back in 1896 as certified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Like a giant green parachute, its long branches and large trunk never fails to wow visitors. For those looking for challenging adventure, the Arosip Ecotrail is the perfect place. After a 30-minute ride from poblacion and a descending hike, tourists are greeted by Zim-sim-ug Twin Falls, Pad-tok Falls and Tekdag-aso Falls. For those looking for more accessible swimming area, Guinabang Falls and Sa-pilang Falls and its pristine beaches can also be considered.

From December 27 to 30, the town celebrates its annual town fiesta which is highlighted by the Honey Festival. Parochial Fiestas include September 29, feast of St. Michael the Archangel and May 1, feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Enterpreneur type   
Buyer - Exporter
Registered name   Alter Trade Corporation
Contact person   Norma G. Mugar (Chairman of the Board)
Province   Negros Occidental
Address   Blk 6-A, Lily St., Bata subd. Bacolod City, Negros Occidental/ Products: Fresh Banana, Fresh Mango, Muscuvado Sugar/ Website: altertradegroup.com.ph
Landline number   (63-34) 441-0051
Mobile number   Fax: (63-34) 441-0057
Email address   atcsales@info.com.ph

Enterpreneur type   
Seller - Producer
Registered name   ALTA VISTA AGRI. VENTURES INC
Contact person   mR. cARLOS z. Fajardo, Group Director II-Banana op
Province   Davao Del Sur
Address   Marsman Bldg, Lanang Davao City Product - fresh cavendish
Landline number   6382234-2353
Mobile number   6382234-8451,234-6306

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You

Naay balaod nga nagdili sa pag-ihaw sa kabaw. Daghan gihapon ang makalusot.

Chinese authorities have updated the death toll from the earthquake that hit southwest China's Yunnan Province on Sunday to 410 with 12 people missing.

As of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the 6.5-magnitude quake has also left 2, 373 people injured and necessitated the emergency evacuation of 230,000, said the provincial government.

The quake, the strongest to hit the region in 14 years, struck at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday (Beijing Time) with its epicenter in Longtoushan Township, Ludian County in Zhaotong City.

Nearly 80,000 rooms collapsed and 124,000 rooms were seriously damaged.

Thousands of police, firefighters and soldiers have been mobilized for rescue efforts which are being made difficult by poor road conditions in the remote mountainous area. (PNA/Xinhua)

DOJ panel in Maguindanao massacre raps denies Php50-M bribery
By Perfecto T. Raymundo

MANILA, Aug. 5 (PNA) -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) panel of prosecutors handling the Maguindanao massacre cases on Tuesday vehemently denied the allegations of state witness Lakmodin Saliao that they were bribed with Php50 million to compromise the trial of the cases.

According to a statement issued by the panel, they are condemning in the strongest terms the allegations of Saliao of Php50-million payoff to compromise the trial.

Based on the timeline, the panel said, it is clear that Saliao's allegations are false.

Saliao escaped from the Ampatuans on May 18, 2010 and he was admitted into the DOJ Witness Protection Program (WPP) on July 15, 2010.

In a separate statement, DOJ Undersecretary Francisco "Toti" Baraan III said he assumed as DOJ undersecretary on Aug. 16, 2010 and was designated as supervising undersecretary of the Maguindanao massacre cases only on Nov. 22, 2010, while the present panel of public prosecutors was created on March 9, 2011.

Because of this, Baraan said he was still not yet with the DOJ and he was not yet part of the litigation of the Maguindanao massacre cases when the bribery as claimed by Saliao took place.

As such, the DOJ official said the allegations of payoff and bribery against him and the panel of prosecutors are a complete fabrication.

In spite of these challenges, Baraan said they will remain steadfast and committed to securing justice to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre cases. (PNA)

Stakeholders must find common ground to resolve Metro Manila's traffic woes, says Palace

MANILA, Aug. 5 (PNA) -- The Palace has appealed to parties who disagree with the policies of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to work for an acceptable solution to the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, instead of just blaming the Board.

In a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the issue on Metro Manila's traffic situation is complicated.

The LTFRB has issued the new “no apprehension policy” for colorum or illegal trucks as well as an order allowing provincial buses to once again pass through EDSA.

Metro Manila mayors and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are blaming the LTFRB over the severe traffic congestion in the city.

Coloma, however, said the LTFRB and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) are doing everything possible to fix Metro Manila's traffic condition.

He said the LTFRB’s policies must be studied along with the proposals of other stakeholders to find the best solution to the problem.

"Iginagalang natin iyong mga pananaw na nailahad na tungkol dito at nananawagan tayo sa lahat ng mga sangkot dito na ilagay ang kapakanan ng mga mamamayan sa pinakamataas na antas ng konsiderasyon para matukoy ang mga problemang kinakaharap natin sa kasalukuyan," he said.

Coloma also said that Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras is spearheading a meeting this week to get inputs from other government agencies and find a common ground to come up with an acceptable course of action.

The LTFRB has defended its decision to allow illegal trucks to operate in Metro Manila, saying that banning them would have a negative impact on the economy. (PNA)

The government will continue to push for a moratorium on any construction in disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea, despite China’s refusal to cooperate, a Palace official said Tuesday.

“Ang ating posisyon dito ay malinaw. Unang-una, nais nating pairalin ang moratorium sa lahat ng lugar na sakop ng maritime entitlement claims; ikalawa, buuin ang Code of Conduct na dapat pairalin; at ikatlo, isulong ang proseso sa UN arbitral tribunal,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a press briefing in Malacañang.

He said the Philippines has earned the support of other claimant countries in the Southeast Asian Region.

“Sa lahat ng mga aksyon na iyan, umaani tayo ng suporta at pagkilala ng katuwiran ng ating posisyon mula sa iba’t ibang bansa sa daigdig. Ang pinakahuling natanggap nating ulat ay ang pagpapahayag ng suporta ng Brunei, Vietnam at Indonesia sa posisyon ng Pilipinas, ayon sa Department of Foreign Affairs,” Coloma added.

The Philippines has filed a memorial at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) against China, which has been carrying out construction projects at the disputed Spratly Islands.

China, through its Foreign Ministry, has rejected the Philippines’ proposal to freeze reclamation projects in the area, which is being claimed by several countries.

“Sa patuloy nating pagtahak sa landas ng kapayapaan at diplomasya, umaani tayo ng suporta sa mga bansang naniniwala sa ating posisyon na batay sa makatuwiran at makatarungang pagtukoy sa mga usaping ito. Kaya hindi tayo natitinag kung anuman ang pagtangi na gagawin dito dahil naniniwala tayo na makatuwiran ang ating posisyon,” said Coloma. (PNA)

Yellow rainfall warning over Batangas‬, ‪Cavite‬, ‪Laguna‬, ‪Zambales‬ and ‪Bataan -- PAGASA

MANILA, Aug. 5 (PNA) -- Due to continuous rains of the southwest monsoon enhanced by typhoon "Jose", the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a "yellow" rainfall warning in the provinces of Batangas‬, ‪Cavite‬, ‪Laguna‬, ‪Zambales‬ and ‪Bataan‬ at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Under the heavy rainfall warning system, a yellow rainfall advisory is raised when the expected rainfall amount is between 7.5 mm and 15 mm within one hour and likely to continue.

Communities given this advisory are advised to be aware of the weather condition and warned that flooding may be possible in low-lying areas.

It added light to moderate with occasional heavy rains will affect ‪Metro Manila‬, ‪Rizal‬, ‪Bulacan‬, ‪Pampanga‬ and portion of ‪Nueva Ecija‬.

Residents of the above-mentioned areas to take precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, PAGASA weather forecaster Julie Nines said typhoon Jose maintain its strength and continues to move north northeast.

Nimes said as of 4 p.m. the eye of Typhoon Jose was located based on all available data at 745 km East of Basco, Batanes (20.2ºN, 129.8ºE) packed with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

She added the typhoon continues to move North Northeast at 15 kph.

With its movement, Nimes said the the typhoon is expected to be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Thursday headed towards Japan.

She added the typhoon is not expected to make landfall and no public storm warning signal has been raise in any part of the country.

However, she said the typhoon continues to enhance the southwest monsoon affecting Luzon and will continue to bring rains over Ilocos Region, Zambales and Bataan which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.

She added Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have occasional rains while Visayas and Mindanao will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

She added fisherfolks and those with small seacrafts are advised not to venture out over the seaboards of Luzon due to strong gale force wind associated with the surge of southwest monsoon which enhance by typhoon Jose.

In its advisory, PAGASA said moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from the south to southwest over Mindanao.

The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough.(PNA)

Palace to Filipinos in Libya: value life over jobs

MANILA, Aug. 5 (PNA) -- Malacanang has renewed its appeal to Filipino nationals in strife-torn Libya to heed the government’s call for immediate and mandatory evacuation.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Herminio Coloma Jr. said one can agree with the proposition that when lives at risk, one should value life and save it.

“Kasi kung mangangatwiran pa tayo samantalang nagpuputukan na at nagkakamatayan na doon sa paligid natin at ayaw pa rin natin sumunod doon sa panawagan na mandatory repatriation at mandatory evacuation, tila masyado namang isinusugal iyong mahalagang buhay ng ating mga mamamayan,” he said.

The government already assured Filipino workers returning from Libya of new jobs or other means of livelihood in the Philippines or in other countries.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), of the total 13,000 Filipino nationals in Libya, only about 800 have returned home despite an urgent call from the government to leave amid the escalating conflict there. (PNA)