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Bohol State U grad tops mechanical engineer board exams

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 2,960 out of 3,841 passed the Mechanical Engineer Licensure Examination and 32 out of 59 passed the Certified Plant Mechanic Licensure Examination given by the Board of Mechanical Engineering in Manila, Cebu and Davao this October 2014.

The members of the Board of Mechanical Engineering who gave the licensure examinations are Engr. Leandro A. Conti, Chairman and Engr. Vicente B. Vosotros, Member.

The results were released in 2 working days after the last day of examinations.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on October 20-21, 2014. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2014-2017 for MECHANICAL ENGINEER; Initial Registration Fee of P450 and Annual Registration Fee of P420 for 2014-2017 for CERTIFIED PLANT MECHANIC. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees in the said examinations WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER.

The successful examinees who garnered the ten (10) highest places in the October 2014 Mechanical Engineer Licensure Examination are the following:

1   GREMERSON IDULSA ALADAD   BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY (FOR.CVSCAFT)-TAGBILARAN   93.80
2   NOLI MEDINA AVILA   BICOL UNIVERSITY-LEGAZPI   93.45
3   PAUL LAWRENCE GONZALES PRADO   TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MANILA   93.10
ROWELL BRYAN ESCALA QUIJANO   TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MANILA   93.10
4   RAYMARK ABANES GERALDO   LAGUNA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIV-STA CRUZ (LSPC) 92.75
LESTER SAMSON SANTOS   COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN-CALAMBA   92.75
5   JOEMAR FLORENDO ANCHETA   ADAMSON UNIVERSITY   92.70
6   VHAL JOSEPH VALENCIA MANTUA   MAPUA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-MANILA   92.65
7   ERNEST VINCENT DULHAO RASONABLE   CAGAYAN DE ORO COLLEGE   92.60
8   ELY RICK PEREZ MANLAGNIT   DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY-SAN FERNANDO   92.45
9   JOSAFAT ESPARTINEZ COLINA JR   BICOL UNIVERSITY-LEGAZPI   92.40[/font]

Board exam for Mechanical Engineers  Licensure Examination released and the top is the BISU CVSCAFT Tagbilaran name GREMERSON ELEDAD ALADAD with percent rating 93.8% CONGRATS BOHOLANON we proud of you Sano

LOS ANGELESâ€"Hailee Steinfeld has done seven films, including “Romeo and Juliet,” since her Oscar-nominated feature-film debut performance in “True Grit.” So, the talented 16-year-old, pretty in a pink printed blouse and miniskirt, said in my recent chat with her, she has not seen much of her family, including Filipino relatives.

“Not as often as I’d like to,” Hailee said. Her mom, Cheri, who was in the back of the room, traces her roots back to Bohol. Hailee fondly calls her maternal grandpa, Ricardo Domasin, “Papa.” Her great grandfather, Peter Domasin, was the one originally from Bohol. Hailee’s dad is also named Peter.

“I have been traveling so much lately,” Hailee added. “But when the family does get together, it’s definitely an occasion.”

I took the chance to give copies of my book, “My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood,” to Hailee, who quickly noticed that Darren Criss was one of her fellow Fil-Ams featured along with her on the cover. Cheri said she looked forward to showing the book (available at National Book Store in the Philippines and on amazon.com) to her family.

In the book, I mentioned that Hailee’s uncle, Larry Domasin, was a child actor whose credits include costarring with Elvis Presley in the 1960s film, “Fun in Acapulco.” I asked Hailee if her uncle Larry’s acting stint somehow inspired her to become an actor, too. “It’s interesting because I [can’t really say I] come from a family of actors,” she replied. “There have been a few [relatives] like my uncle Larry, who has done a few things. The thing I admire the most is that he did [some acting] because he loved it and had a great time. He did it as long as he wanted to. And he has a great life now. I love seeing him. He’s great.”

Been busy

Hailee said she still dreamt of seeing the Philippines, especially Bohol. In fact, with a blooming career, she hopes to make a film in the Philippines. “Every place I want to go to is a place where I hope to shoot a film,” she said.

(After the interview, we chatted briefly about Filipino food. Saying she was picky, Hailee singled out one good meal she had in a Filipino restaurantâ€"in Glendale or Pasadena, she was not sure.)

“I have been busy,” she said with the sweetest smile. Quite an understatement. “I have done ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Ender’s Game.’ Two of my films, ‘Can a Song Save Your Life?’ and ‘Hateship Loveship’ were bought in Toronto. I have a few moreâ€"I am losing track!â€"‘Three days to Kill’ and ‘The Keeping Room.’” Add Tommy Lee Jones’ “The Homesman” to that list.

Hailee said she would always be grateful for her major break in the Coen brothers’ acclaimed “True Grit.” “I always refer back to my experience on ‘True Grit.’ That was my first film and every single thing that I learned in those three months has traveled with me everywhere. I have since had the opportunity to work with so many incredible people. In ‘Can a Song Save Your Life?’ I worked with Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, whom I admire and look up to. They were so supportive and helpfulâ€"like everyone else I have worked with. In ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ my experience with Lesley Manville (who plays the nurse) sticks with me.”

Huge honor

Landing the Shakespearean heroine was a coup for the young actress. She plays against Douglas Booth’s Romeo in director Carlo Carlei’s retelling of the classic story, as scripted by Julian Fellowes (“Downton Abbey”). “The casting came about very quickly. I received a phone call and, I remember thinking, to even be considered for a part like this is such a huge honor.

“After that, I went immediately into dialect training. We spent a week or two in Italy before we started filming. That always helps so muchâ€"immersing yourself in the culture and working with the wardrobe, locations. Everyone and everything has such an impact on my performance that I am truly thankful for.”

I urged her to talk some more about her coming films. She obliged: “‘Ender’s Game’ is an epic adventure. I play a character named Petra Arkanian, the only girl in the army that Ender is placed into. They become really good close friends, and help each other out in that world.

“In ‘Can a Song Save Your Life?’ I play Mark Ruffalo’s daughter, a lost teener trying to fit inâ€"she basically does what she can. Her dad comes into her life at a time when she really needs him. They rekindle their relationship. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age story.

“In ‘Three Days to Kill,’ I play Kevin Costner’s daughter. In some ways, she is similar to my character in ‘Can a Song.’ This is a girl who is, again, trying to fit in. She has moved to Paris with her mom. It’s a whole different world. She takes the Metro to school. She is trying to make it as if it’s normal for her.  She puts on a façade until the end of the movie, where you see her for who she really is. She reconnects with her dad. It’s a really beautiful story.

“‘The Keeping Room’ is about two sisters and their female slave during the Civil War. I play the younger sister to Brit Marling. It’s about these women who are by themselves on their property. Two Union soldiers who have broken off from the war come to invade their space. It’s a really beautiful story of three powerful women fending for themselves.”

Back to “Romeo and Juliet,” Hailee said filming in Italy was quite a contrast from acting in front of a green screen in “Ender’s Game.” “Very different,” she stressed. “It was one of the most interesting things I’ve doneâ€"going from filming a story in the actual location it was set in to going in front of a green screen for three months. So that was definitely a departure, really opposite sides of the spectrum but it was really interesting.

HOLDING up a copy of author’s book of celebrity interviews. Photo by Ruben Nepales

“I really enjoy doing period pieces like ‘Romeo and Juliet’ because you have everything there around you to use and take advantage of. But I’ve also learned that I really enjoy doing a film where I am required to use my imagination. That was really fun for me, a new experience that I really enjoyed. ”

The teenage actress admitted that she had never fallen in love. “I can’t really say…I would be able to tell you if I knew, but I haven’t. I have to agree with Julian (Fellowes) that ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a symbol of first deep love. Obviously, the way that story is told is very dramatic. Everything, apart from their loveâ€"the inner conflict, the feuding families, and just everything going on makes it so exciting when they are together. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, that no matter what anyone is telling you on the outside, you should love who you want to love. But I’m 16 and I don’t really know much about love.”

Social media

Poised and articulate, Hailee is growing up into a young lady. On how she kept herself solid in a profession where drugs and alcohol claim many young lives, Hailee explained, “I owe my parents a lot, the way they brought me up. It was sort of a strict household, where I learned right from wrong. I am home-schooled. It’s interesting because, as much as I feel that I am not part of that stuff, I do see it happen all the time. I am actually fascinated by it because I don’t really understand it.”

Hailee has taken to social media, especially Twitter, very well. “I recently became very big in the social media. It’s so interesting to me that I will get a message from somebody on the other side of the world, saying that they are so excited to see ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ It’s so crazy because, first of all, I always think, how do they know? Other than that, it’s incredible to connect with your fan base and talk to people who are excited about and admire your work. It’s always really flattering. I have yet to have one of those crazy fan experiences.”

On being the face of the fashion house, Miu Miu, Hailee recalled, “I did a campaign for them a couple of seasons ago. It was a wonderful experience. After I was flown to Paris to see the Miu Miu fashion showâ€"t was my first fashion show, my first Fashion Week, it was unreal. The designers, models and the showsâ€"they put on such a production. It’s so incredible. I really felt like I was introduced to fashion on another level. Fashion has become a really big part of my life.”

Day by day

As Hailee plunges from one film project into another, does she have time to map out the kind of future she’d like to have? “I have moments where I will sit and think about what I will be doing in a couple of months or years from now. But because there is so much going on right now, I find it easier to take it day by day. Before you know it, you will find yourself thinking about many months and years into the future so I think it’s less stressful to take it day by day. It’s easier to take it all in that way. But I definitely have times where I am really interested in what the future will be like but there’s only so much you can do thinking about that.”

Read more: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/114457/hailee-steinfeld-hopes-to-visit-bohol#ixzz2gFdaC4I0
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January 23, 2013, 6:23pm

More and more foreign students are coming to the Philippines to study. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on January 17, 2013, that it granted a total of 42,478 student visas and special study permits (SSPs) in 2012, 14 percent higher than the 41,443 foreign students in 2011. There were 31,000 SSP holders, mostly based in the provinces, and 16,478 student visa holders. Of the students visa holders, 3,302 were new enrollees while 12,949 were old students.

A student visa is issued to foreigner aged 18 years and above, who takes up a course higher than high school in a university, seminary, or school authorized by the BI to admit foreign students. An SSP is issued to a foreign student below 18 years old who studies in elementary, secondary, tertiary institutions and enrolls in a special course of less than one year.

Only schools accredited by the BI, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and Federation of Accrediting Agencies are authorized to accept foreign students. There are over 2,100 private, state-run, and small institutions nationwide offering a wide array of courses.

The upsurge in the number of foreign enrollees is a testament to the quality of the Philippine educational system. It is also attributed to the proficiency of Filipino teachers in English and its use as a medium of instruction in most schools. In the 1980s, the government began inviting foreign studetns to study in specialized fields such as medicine and agriculture. In the 1990s, many schools were established to offer courses in English language, aviation, and hotel and restaurant management. In 2000, the government relaxed the issuance of visas for foreign students and established exchange programs between Philippine schools and universities in Australia, the United States, South Korea, Canada, and Europe.

We congratulate the Bureau of Immigration headed by Commissioner Gen. Ricardo A. David Jr. and Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, in their efforts to promote a conducive learning environment for foreign students in the Republic of the Philippines. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

Philippine Daily Inquirer
2:57 am | Monday, August 22nd,


Zamboanga City, Philippinesâ€"Twenty eight Boholanos began a 452-kilometer run on Sunday from this city to Cotabato City in support of ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Augusto Miclat Jr., director of the International Initiatives for Dialogue (IID), said the marathon involving Boholanos showed that the peace process was not only the concern of people in Mindanao.
“These runners are not activists, they are ordinary people who share the sentiments of the Mindanao people longing for peace,” Miclat said.
The run, dubbed Duyog Mindanao 2011, is part of civil society’s participation for sustainable peace in Mindanao, he said.
Judito Cabusao, IID program manager, said the Boholanos committed “to run for peace in Mindanao because they want to be part of the peace process, especially in policy advocacy and they too share the sentiments of Mindanao people.”
The runners, whose ages range from 20s to 50s, were expected to complete the course in 11 days

By ELLALYN B. DE VERA and GENALYN D. KABILING
April 8, 2011, 8:34pm
MANILA, Philippines â€" The number of Filipino families who claimed they have experienced hunger due to lack of anything to eat in the past three months reached 4.1 million households, up by 700,000 families from the previous survey period, based on the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results.

The survey showed that 51 percent or an estimated 10.4 million families consider themselves mahirap or poor, or two points higher than the 49 percent last November.

But President Aquino does not buy the survey results.

He said he could “not reconcile” the survey figures showing more Filipinos are supposedly poor and hungry with the many jobs generated from the influx of investments in the country.

In the nationwide survey conducted last March 4-7 by SWS-BusinessWorld showed that of the 1,200 respondents, 20.5 percent or an estimated 4.1 million families claimed they experienced hunger at least once in the last three months.

The measure of hunger refers to involuntary suffering because the respondents answer a survey question that specifies hunger due to lack of anything to eat.

Survey questions about household hunger are directed to the household head, using the phrase “experienced hunger, and did not have anything to eat (nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain).”

SWS noted that the latest figure is higher by 700,000 families from the 3.4 million (18.1 percent) households last November. SWS said the increase in overall hunger resulted from the gain for both moderate and severe hunger rates.

Moderate hunger, which refers to those experiencing it only once or a few times, rose to 15.7 percent or an estimated 3.2 million families from 15 percent or 2.8 million families in the last survey period.

Severe hunger, which refers to those who experienced it often or always increased to 4.7 percent or 950,000 families from 3.1 percent or 588,000 families.

Concerning geographic area, overall hunger is at its all-time high with 25 percent or 2.2 million families in Balance Luzon from 18.3 percent or 1.5 million families.

Self-rated poverty rose in all areas except Metro Manila, where it fell 10 points to 34 percent from 44 percent.

An eight-point increase was recorded in the Visayas (61 percent from 53 percent), a five-point gain in Mindanao (49 percent from 44 percent), and by a three-point rise in Luzon (54 percent from 51 percent).

It also rose by four points to 59 percent in rural areas and by three points to 45 percent in urban areas.

Self-rated food poverty fell by four points to 24 percent in Metro Manila but increased in other areas, 51 percent in the Visayas, 42 percent in Balance Luzon, and 38 percent in Mindanao.

President Aquino questioned the manner by which SWS determined its survey respondents on the issue of poverty and hunger, saying the pollster did not consider the beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

Aquino, speaking to reporters during in Pangasinan, said the bulk of the survey data came from the National Capital Region and the rest of Luzon, which had fewer recipients of the cash subsidy.

“The bulk of the beneficiaries of the CCT are in Visayas and Mindanao. The statistical sample used in the survey did not capture those who benefited from our CCT program,” he said.

Despite his uncertainties on the survey method, Aquino still said he has asked Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to verify the hunger and poverty figures and make the necessary measures to uplift their conditions

(SPOT.ph) Seven Filipinos have been suspected of stealing a diamond-and-emerald necklace with an estimated worth of US$1 million in Istanbul, Turkey, reports ABS-CBN News. Citing the news site Today's Zaman, ABS-CBN reports that the suspects allegedly stole the necklace from the Zela Jeweler booth at the 32nd Istanbul Jewelry Expo last month.

The suspects reportedly flew to Dubai after the heist and went back to the Philippines. Six of them were identified through security camera footage: Janice Apostol, Armando Fajardo, Edgardo Ramos, Cesar Galvez, Rosita Panlilio and Herbie Cruz.

According to Today's Zaman, some of the suspects supposedly distracted the employee that manned the booth, while one provided cover and another served as the lookout person. Apostol and Panlilio reportedly  entered and exited the jewelry expo's security checkpoints frequently to distract the security guards.

Immigration officers in Turkey supposedly "became stricter to Filipinos entering the country" after the heist, reports ABS-CBN News.

MANILA, Philippines -  President Aquino yesterday appointed Finance Undersecretary Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan as chairman of the Commission on Audit (COA), while whistle-blower Heidi Mendoza was appointed commissioner.

Tan replaced Reynaldo Villar with a term expiring on Feb. 2, 2015, while Mendoza was appointed vice Evelyn San Buenaventura with a term expiring on Feb. 2, 2018.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said Tan was undersecretary of the Department of Finance until 2005 for revenue operations while Mendoza was a career officer of the COA.

ako wala na makadungog ani kay sosyal naman pod mga bol anon mommy daddy na tita ,tito ..unya naa ngutana. Asa man diay imoha daddy? tua pa nananggut..imoha mommy tua pa nanginhas..

Siguro guba and  x ray sa airport unya nahubog pod siguro ilahang  iro.mao wala maka simhut sa heroin nga dala nila.kinahanglan siguro imbestigahan pod nila ang mga airport authorities.

OK, so the three drug mules scheduled to die in China at the end of the month are Filipinos and they deserve humanitarian assistance from our government. But do we have to spend more than we should for the drug offenders? Shouldn’t we spend our scarce resources and political capital for the OFWs who truly need government aid?

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has admirably responded to the petition of the families of the drug carriers. He sent Vice President Jejomar Binay to China to appeal to the Chinese government for leniency, if not clemency. Out of respect and in deference to the Vice President, the host government stayed the execution indefinitely “in accordance with our laws.”

The temporary reprieve was a small victory. If you ask me. President Aquino and Vice President Binay have done their part. And they did well. They have clearly shown their concern for Filipinos in distress. There is nothing more they can do.

The drug mules knew what they were doing and were fully aware of the attendant risks and consequences when they took on the job offered them by the drug syndicates. It’s clear that they accepted the job for the money. It would be interesting to know how many times they had slipped through immigration inspection at the airport with illegal drugs in their luggage. How were they able to smuggle the heroin out of the airports? Who were their accomplices?

While I commiserate with them, I find the public attention generated by the prospect of execution a little misplaced. They are not overseas workers in the first place. They went to China to trade or to conduct business or, more to the point, to smuggle illegal drugs to that country. And they were handsomely paid for their services. That, in effect, qualifies them as members of the drug syndicates whether by circumstance or by profession.

I am not saying that we should not take pity on them. We should. I do. As a Christian, I sympathize with them and their families. Besides, I don’t believe in the death penalty. Ours is a borrowed life. Only our Creator has the right to take it back, on His own terms. Life is not a privilege; it is a gift. Executions or death penalties are inhumane. Cruel.

But there’s a consolation to all this. We should seize that comfort. With the fervid media attention generated by the forthcoming executions, the campaign against illegal drugs has received a big boost. Ironic, isn’t it?

I may sound unchristian, but that’s how I see the meaning of the execution of three countrymen on foreign soil. Their date with the hangman should discourage and scare the “carriers”â€"active and prospectiveâ€"from plunging into the sordid drug business. Their death should serve as a deterrent against illegal drugs.

It’s time to tackle more pressing, humanitarian concerns that need the undivided attention of the President. Let’s mobilize more money, time and energies for our OFWs in Japan and those in hotspots in North Africa and the Middle East, like Libya, Bahrain and Kuwait trapped between the government troops on one hand, and the opposition and the United Nations forces on the other.

Our OFWs in Japan and Libya, in particular, are crying for help. They are the real heroes of our time. They are a vital part of our country’s life-support system. Our hopes and dreamsâ€"education for our children, roof over our heads and food on our tableâ€"are kept alive by their hard-earned remittances. Our march to progress is made much more certain by their sacrifices, their families and the public institutions that support them.

PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino 3rd’s satisfaction ratings are now straddling negative territory. He is the only president in the last quarter century whose satisfaction ratings dropped in the first eight to 10 months of office.

The euphoria that carried him to a landslide victory in May 2010 is gone. He has lost the trust and confidence of a largeâ€"and growingâ€"segment of the population. He has disappointed them. He is no longer invincible. He is vulnerable and he knows it.

Aquino’s net satisfaction ratings have droppedâ€"precipitously. People are beginning not to like the way he handles his job. Noynoy is unique as a president. Barely a year ago, he was the most popular president in history.

Per results of the Social Weather Stations survey of March 4 to 7 (four days), Aquino’s net satisfaction rating is down 13 points, to just 51 percentâ€"69 percent satisfied minus the 18 percent satisfied.

This 51 percent looks good, but not if you consider that the SWS survey has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percent. Add three percentage points to 51 percent and you get 54 percent. Deduct three percentage points from 51 percent and you get 48 percent.

For all practical purposes, Noynoy Aquino’s public approval rating is now in negative territory, below majority. He is skating on thin ice insofar as his job and popularity is concerned. People are beginning to be pissed off with him, and they are telling him.

The 13 percentage points is the steepest drop in a nine- to 10-month period for a sitting president starting with Corazon Aquino during whose presidency SWS began the job survey ratings for presidents.

On the other hand, the Pulse Asia survey of February 24 to March 6 (11 days) is kinder to PNoy. It said 74 percent approved of his performance, 7 percent disapproved and 18 percent were undecided. Using the SWS formula of deducting disapprove (seven) from approve (74), you have a net approval rating of 67, very high compared to the 51 (“net satisfaction”) of SWS but still a significant nine-percentage-point drop from 76 percent (79 approve minus three disapprove) in Pulse Asia’s October 2010 poll.

There is one explanation why Aquino’s net satisfaction rating was 51 percent in SWS and 67 percent in Pulse Asia: The People Power euphoria.

Pulse Asia began the survey at the height of the February 22 to 25 25th anniversary celebration of People Power, when many were in a party mood.

SWS conducted its survey in early March when the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa were in full swing, sparked by popular unrest over massive unemployment and lack of opportunity for the poor while their leaders wallowed in luxury.

Disturbingly, in the same February 24 to March 6 Pulse Asia survey, more Filipinos now trust (81 percent) and approve (83 percent) of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s performance than President Aquino (75 percent trust and 74 percent approval). The six percentage-point difference in trust ratings (Binay’s 81 vs. Aquino’s 75) is significant since 6 percent of 95 million (the population) is 5.7 millionâ€"the equivalent of half of the population of Metro Manila.

Back in October 2010, more Filipinos (80 percent) trusted Aquino than Binay (78 percent). In just five months, 5 percent of Filipinos (equivalent of 4.75 million) lost their trust in the President.

The May 1986, SWS survey, Cory Aquino had a net satisfaction rating of +53. In March 1987, after 10 months, she had a net satisfaction rating of +69â€"a huge gain of 16 percentage points.

Fidel V. Ramos had a net satisfaction rating of +66 in September 1992. In April 1993, after seven months, the retired West Point-trained general had a net satisfaction rating of +67, up one percentage point.

Joseph Estrada had a net satisfaction rating of +60 in September 1998. In June 1999, after nine months, the veteran actor turned politician, enjoyed a net satisfaction rating of +65, up five percentage points.

Gloria Arroyo had a net satisfaction rating of +24 in March 2001. By November 2001, a lapse of eight months, she enjoyed net satisfaction rating of +27, up three percentage points.

Thus, Noynoy Aquino is the only sitting president in a quarter century whose job satisfaction rating declined and the only president whose job rating didn’t rise after barely a year in office.

UPDATE 5) Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman wrote on Monday, March 28, a letter of protest to TV5 management, headed by its chairman Manny Pangilinan, over another controversy involving "Willing Willie" host Willie Revillame.

Soliman had appealed to the network not to allow children to endure ridicule and embarrassment on national television after its early evening program allowed a six-year-old boy named Jan-Jan Estrada to perform dance moves akin to male erotic dancing. During the routine, Jan-Jan was crying amid laughs from the audience and strikingly from Revillame himself.

In an e-mail to Yahoo! OMG! Philippines, Soliman said: "I will write a letter of protest to Channel 5 (and) to Mr. Manny Pangilinan regarding the case and we should all write him and demand that children should not be part of the show. They should not be used as instrument for enjoyment and to be laughed at. I will send the communication today."

At one point during Jan-Jan's performance, Revillame said: "Umiiyak pa yan…Ngayon pa sa hirap ng buhay ng tao…si Jan Jan siyempre sasayaw bilang macho dancer sa edad na yan para sa kanyang mahal na pamilya…pinahanga mo ako Jan Jan."

"Lumuluha yan…parang sa pelikulang 'Burlesk Queen'…umiiyak na ganoon…ginagawa para sa pamilya. Masama ang loob pero kailangan kong gawin para sa mahal sa buhay," he added.

The show's spinner then repeated the song the child had danced to five times after, apparently forcing the sobbing child to repeat his "macho dancing," even in his final appearance on a rising platform on stage.

DSWD statement

A few hours after her e-mail, Soliman sent the protest letter to TV5 which was addressed to Pangilinan. In this regard, the DSWD sent Yahoo! OMG! Philippines its official statement:

"The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) condemns the emotional abuse and humiliation bestowed on a six-year-old child contestant, during the March 12, 2011 episode of the Willing Willie show aired on TV5.

The sequence shows the boy gyrating in a distasteful manner with the audience, including the host (Willie Revillame), manifesting no evidence of concern or alarm for the child. This incident is clearly a violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and a blatant manifestation of child abuse.  The term “child abuse” includes the following acts: “psychological and physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment,” and “any act by deeds or words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of the child as a human being.”

Putting pressure on children to do acts such as mimicking adult sexy dances, in exchange for a certain amount of money, and at the expense of being laughed at and ridiculed by hundreds of people, clearly traumatizes the child. This is a clear form of child abuse and will not be tolerated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The Department has already communicated to ABC Development Communication Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan asking that children should not be allowed to appear in TV shows like Willing Willie, especially those capitalizing on poverty as a source of immediate entertainment. In the formal communication with Mr. Pangilinan, the Department has also rebuked the insensitive actions and remarks of Mr. Revillame.

On a final note, the Department is also conducting its own investigation on the said incident and if warranted under the circumstances, legal action will be taken against the TV 5 management and other concerned parties in violation of RA 7610. The necessary counseling will also be awarded to the child and his parents, to prevent further trauma and abuse due to the media hype brought about by this saddening incident."

MTRCB action

For its part, the Movies and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has begun to act on complaints regarding the "Willing Willie" episode. In a brief published on its website, the MTRCB said, "The Board received numerous complaints about the 12 March 2011 episode of “Willing Willie” aired over Kapatid Network TV5 where a six-year old boy contestant was shown to be gyrating and impersonating the body movements of a macho dancer.

In accordance with the Board’s duty to enforce the Constitutional mandate that the State shall defend the rights of children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development, the Board has referred the matter to the Hearing and Adjudication Committee for appropriate disposition.

The Board further emphasizes that whenever children are featured in television programs, producers are mandated to observe legal standards stipulated in R.A. 7160 to avoid “psychological abuse xxx cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment” and “any act by deeds and words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of the child.”


Meanwhile, TV5 Head of Creative and TV Entertainment Perci Intalan told Yahoo! OMG! Philippines that the network and "Willing Willie" producer Wil Productions are aware of the issue and the comments of the public regarding the matter and are currently in discussions on appropriate action.

A village in Bohol province in Central Visayas was placed under a state of calamity due to flash floods that hit parts of Visayas and Mindanao in past days.

In its Friday 6 a.m. update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the floods had affected 35 families or 150 people in Balbalan village in Dimiao town.

Flash floods also affected Mayana, Calabasita and Alejawan villages in Jagna town; and Bugang Sur in Bilar town, the NDRRMC added.

It said the death toll remained at nine as of Friday morning, adding the floods and landslides had affected 3,130 families or 15,398 people in Bohol, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, and Southern Leyte in the Visayas; and Misamis Oriental and South Cotabato in Mindanao.

Of those affected, 2,878 families or 14,138 people had been evacuated
In Central Visayas, the National Highway linking Mayana and Calabasita villages in Jagna town (Bohol) remained impassable due to debris caused by flooding.

The road going to Barangay Bugang Sur, Bilar town was also impassable due to flashfloods.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ â€" For nearly half of last year, Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey’s oldest and largest Catholic University, had no president.

After the last president stepped down in July, Seton’s top officials have been searching. Their strict qualification: Only catholic priests are allowed to head this university of about 10,000 students.

But in a break from a 25-year tradition, a Filipino educator became its first lay president and the first Filipino to become president of an American university.

“We’ve been blessed, my family and I, to be asked to play this key role at the key point of the history of Seton Hall, as a Filipino-American. At least, from what I understand at this point I’ll be the first Filipino-American President, it means a lot,” said Dr. Amado Gabriel Esteban said.

Seton’s Board of Trustees then made an exception to the University’s by-laws to allow the appointment of Dr. Esteban as president eventually.

“I try not to get out-worked, so hard work goes a long, long way towards ensuring that you’re able to reach your dreams. It doesn’t hurt to have some luck along the way, and I’d say prayer is a big factor,” he said.

Born and raised in the Philippines, 49-year-old Esteban comes from a family of educators. His father was a college professor and his mother was a high school teacher.

Before coming to the US in 1987, armed with his masters in business administration, Esteban taught at the College of Business at the University of the Philippines.

Esteban said, “I applaud our school teachers especially in the Philippines for what they do, they work with the future of our country”.

Being at the helm of the largest Catholic university is a big challenge. But Esteban is confident he could face their challenging new goal of becoming one of the top 5 Catholic universities in the nation.

Esteban said setting your dreams high often pays off big time. “If you set your goals low, then that’s what you’re going to achieve, so you have to set your goals high but never forget your priorities.”

Esteban said he may not be the priest they were looking for, but as a Filipino who embraces his Catholic faith like no other, it’s close enough

For the mayor of Panglao town and potential investors, it represents limitless revenues. But for the local fishers and environment advocates, the plan to build artificial islands off the tourism haven could mean destruction of their livelihood and vital marine life.

Patterned after the luxurious Palm Islands in Dubai, the proposed Panglao Oasis Islands in the waters off Bohol are envisioned as perfectly built enclaves that will accommodate upscale tourists.

"These islands are presenting a solution to boost tourist arrivals and double the paltry revenue of the country’s tourism industry," Panglao Mayor Benedicto Alcala told GMA News Online in an interview. Philippine tourism receipts are currently estimated at $2.25 billion a year, Department of Tourism (DOT) records show.

The project could also open up opportunities for both domestic and foreign investors, Alcala said. "There is a limitless possibility of investments that would pour into the country," he added.

However, the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) is opposing the ambitious reclamation project, saying profits should not take precedence over the livelihood of small fishers.

"These man-made islands will be put up where we catch fishes. Kung maitayo na ang mga ‘yan, lalo kami papalaot, lalo naming ilalagay sa panganib ang mga buhay namin," Pamalakaya chair Fernando Hicap said in a separate interview.

Hicap said the government will be engaging in "all-out destruction" of Panglao’s geography if it pushes through with the creation of the artificial islands.

“The construction will stir up so much silt that coral reefs and other creatures will be asphyxiated or chased away. Eventually, fishes will die or find new habitats," he explained.

A master-planned Boracay?

The proponent, Oasis Leisure Islands Development Inc. based in Bohol’s capital city of Tagbilaran, intends to create five interconnected islands off the seas of Panglao for the reclamation project.



The first island is for commercial and recreational facilities such as convention centers, hotels, and casinos, said lawyer and Oasis spokesperson Carlos Castillo. “We hope to upstage Macau’s development in this island," he said.

Schools, spas, and residential areas are planned for the second island, Castillo said.

The third island, he said, would house commercial establishments like boutique hotels, souvenir shops, dive shops, and theme parks. Apartment complexes for employees of the tourism facilities in the islands will also be located in the island, described in the project profile as a "master-planned Boracay."

A greater part of the fourth island would be developed as a nature park, with the remaining area utilized for camping and fishing grounds, Castillo said.

Finally, the fifth island would be for “those interested in owning a piece of paradise," said Castillo.



The provincial government of Bohol entered into a joint venture agreement with the company in June last year for the reclamation project, said Castillo, who refused to provide financial details about the proposal.

The Panglao Oasis Islands, according to the project profile obtained by GMA News Online, will “harness and sustain" Bohol’s vast tourism potential.

In 2009, a total of 313,317 tourists visited Bohol, according to DOT data. The provincial government is pursuing major transport infrastructure projects, including the Circumferential Roads and Panglao-Bohol International Airport, to cater to the expected exponential increase in the influx of tourists from all over the world.

The Panglao Oasis Islands proposal has found a major ally in Mayor Alcala, who is looking at the “building of trust between the public and private sectors" to realize the project. "It can be challenging… but when done correctly, such a partnership can have world-changing results," he said.

Also called land-filling, land reclamation has been employed by many countries to develop infrastructure and agricultural areas in places that are already crowded.

Mayor Alcala cited the examples of Japan, where boatloads of dirt and rock were hauled from a nearby mountain and dumped into Osaka Bay to create an island for the new Kansai international airport, and Singapore, which extended its terrestrial territory into the shallow waters around its main island with the help of the private sector.

He described the creation of man-made islands as "a dream project that will not only address the difficulty in acquiring property for investments in Panglao, but will also put Bohol and the country at the forefront of the international tourism landscape."

Tarsier habitat

The project is facing stiff opposition not only from fishers but also environmentalists, who are worried about its impact on the marine environment of Bohol.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap said creating new land masses will alter the sea current, lead to rising sea levels, and bury coral reefs, oyster beds, and sea grasses that nurture fish and other marine life. Scuba diving will suffer as a result, he said.

The huge volume of land needed to fill the waters off Panglao is expected to come from Maribojoc town in Bohol province, the non-governmental organization Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) said.

“It is inevitable that they need to quarry a vast area of land and cut trees. As a consequence, that small town of the province may eventually face massive flooding and soil erosion," ELAC executive director Raul Barbarona said.

He pointed out that there are already applications for quarrying in Maribojoc â€" home to the world’s smallest primates. “We cannot stand the desire of these selfish investors to destroy this small town, particularly the habitat of tarsiers," Barbarona said.

Solid waste from the reclaimed areas that may be disposed in a sanitary landfill in mainland Panglao will result in “adverse impact to the environment and people," Barbarona said.

The proponent has downplayed these concerns, saying an environmental and feasibility study will be done first. “It is our major priority to promote land sustainability and the availability of usable land to future generations," Castillo said.

While the mayor of Panglao favors the project, the municipal council is currently in the opposition camp. Last week, the local legislature passed a resolution banning all kinds of reclamation activities within Panglao’s territory, Barbarona said.

Yet, fishers and environment groups are far from complacent, knowing that the project is supported by the provincial government, he added.

OFWs who have successfully escaped from Libya declared that the only workers left in Libya are Filipinos. As of Wednesday, only about 3,500 Filipino OFWs out of 30,000 have been evacuated out of Libya.  About 15,000 are still trapped inside Libya. Compare that to China which immediately evacuated 29,000 of its nationals in 5 days. Pakistan, India, Korea, Nigeria and Thailand also quickly evacuated their people.

Why did it take 10 days to hire a ship from Greece to pick up 1,725 Filipinos in Bhengazi? Also, ten days to charter an airplane to pick up OFWs from Bhengazi to ferry them to Crete? It had to take Acting Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to go himself to Tunisia and to Libya to expedite action. Main reason for the delay is the lack of funds released. DFA claimed it released $150,000 to the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli. It was only a few days ago that OWWA released P125 million for the ship and airplane charters. Another reason could be that for the first 3 weeks of February, Malacañang was preoccupied with the preparations and activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Edsa. And then there were a small number of personnel deployed at the Philippine Embassy in Libya

WASHINGTON (AFP) â€" US scientists have said there is strong evidence linking oral sex to cancer, and urged more studies of how human papillomaviruses (HPV) may be to blame for a rise in oral cancer among white men.

In the United States, oral cancer due to HPV infection is now more common than oral cancer from tobacco use, which remains the leading cause of such cancers in the rest of the world.

Researchers have found a 225-percent increase in oral cancer cases in the United States from 1974 to 2007, mainly among white men, said Maura Gillison of Ohio State University.

"When you compare people who have an oral infection or not... the single greatest factor is the number of partners on whom the person has performed oral sex," said Gillison, who has been researching HPV and cancer for 15 years.

"When the number of partners increases, the risk increases," she told reporters at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington.

Previous studies have suggested that people who have performed oral sex on six or more partners over a lifetime face an eight-fold higher risk of acquiring HPV-related head or neck cancer than those with fewer than six partners, she said

MANILA, Philippines â€" We Filipinos are a unique people. We can joke and laugh at our faults and foibles. Our humor helps us cope with our present multifarious problems.the GOOD NEWS reported about Filipinos as the #1 givers to charity in Asia and Africa. This is the result of the latest MasterCard Survey on Ethical Spending conducted from September 13 to November 11, 2010, involving 10,502 consumers in 24 countries in Asia and Africa.In the survey, the Philippines topped the most charitable category at 68 per-cent. It was followed by Hong Kong, 66 percent; Malaysia, 63 percent; and Indonesia, 62 percent. Among respondents from Asia-Pacific, the most charitable consumers are 55 years old and above (57 percent) and married (51 percent

By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated February 12, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)   


MANILA, Philippines â€"  Looks are good but we need cash


This seems to be true for a majority of Filipino women who prefer to marry for money rather than looks, according to a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released yesterday.

The pre-Valentine survey showed 51 percent of Filipino women wouldn’t mind marrying a rich but ugly man.

This means the remaining 46 percent would rather marry a good-looking guy even if he were poor.

The women answered the question, “If you were to choose one of the following two persons to be your lifetime partner, who would you pick: A person who is rich but ugly, or A person who is good-looking but poor.”

Only two percent of the women respondents did not answer the question.

For Filipino men, looks proved to be the more important factor. The same survey revealed 52 percent of Filipino men are more likely to choose a good-looking partner even if she is poor.

For Filipino women, financial stability was a more important consideration, with 57 percent saying they would pick a rich but ugly partner, as against the remaining 41 percent inclined to marry a poor but good-looking guy.

Courtship is important in building relationships because it helps couples know each other better, it allows couples to decide if they want to be committed, it allows couples to decide if they are ready to be committed, it develops security, and it develops understanding and acceptance.

Courtship is one of the primary stepping stones for building a successful and long-lasting relationship. There are many different courtship practices and traditions all over the world and parents, couples and even relationship advisers have noted the importance of courtship.

Going through a courtship period is good relationship advice for couples who are thinking of pursuing a more serious relationship. Here are more reasons why courtship is important in building strong relationships.

It helps couples know each other better

Courtship is generally regarded as the period before a couple’s engagement and marriage. This period is a crucial time for the couple to get to know each other better and gain insight about their partners.

It is also during the courtship period that men and women see the personalities, strengths, weaknesses, interests and goals of their partners. As a result, it also helps couples assess how compatible they are with each other.

It allows couples to decide whether they want to be committed

Once a couple knows each other’s personalities, similarities and differences, they will be able to decide whether they actually want to spend the rest of their lives together, and if there is a potential for a more serious commitment.

It allows couples to know if they are ready to be committed

Wanting to be committed is one thing and being ready for a commitment is another thing altogether. Courtship allows the couple time to assess whether they are heading in the same direction and whether they share the same long-term goals. Having a commitment can influence your plans and decision-making.

Conflicts often arise when a couple jumps into a serious commitment without even considering if they are ready for the responsibilities involved or if they are willing to have someone else influence their decisions.

It develops security

It is during courtship that a man presents his best and tries to gain the woman’s affection. Hence, courtship is usually one of the most special and memorable periods for both the man and woman.

The hard work that the man does during courtship will make him value his woman and the relationship more. At the same time, the woman will feel more secure in the knowledge that her man is willing to strive to prove himself to her.

It develops understanding and acceptance

One of the most important elements that contributes to the success of a relationship is understanding and acceptance. Because courtship allows the couple to know and assess each other better, it consequently gives them time to settle their differences and nurture their strengths if they really want to pursue a relationship with one another.

When a couple is able to settle their differences, they learn to understand and accept one another. And if they are able to understand and accept one another, there is less chance that their differences will become a major issue that will be more difficult to deal with later in the relationship.

However you choose to spend your courtship period, the important thing is to invest time and effort with your partner during this time.

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) â€" Roughly two thirds of American teenagers are comfortable enough with their parents to have them as Facebook friends, according to a new study.

But 16 percent of students said befriending their parents was a precondition for joining the social networking site and 38 percent said they simply ignored friend requests from their father or mother.

"Facebook ... continues to be the new frontier in the ever evolving relationship between parent and child," said Kristen Campbell, of Kaplan Test Prep, which questioned 2,313 students, aged about 16 to 18, about social networking trends.

The study showed that 65 percent of teens "are not hiding and that is positive," said Campbell, an executive director at the company that develops college prep programs.

For many young Americans, Facebook offers an opportunity to remain independent from their parents, according to Campbell.

"Even though parents are very involved and very active, Facebook allows young people to exert their independence," she explained. "They want part of their lives to be private."

In some instances, parents and their children decide to mutually keep their Facebook lives separate. Even though many teens ignore friend requests from their parents, 82 percent of teens report that their parents are either "very involved" or "somewhat involved" in their academic lives.

Campbell described Facebook as a natural step in being connected for a generation that has grown up with the Internet.

"This is a generation that's communicating electronically and now the lines of communication are open in new ways."

Here are a few tips on how to lose stomach fat in a healthy way: drink plenty of water, fruits and veggies; engage in aerobic exercise; do some weight training; have a proper nutrition and diet.

Belly fats can be very annoying. And, to get rid of them fast is one major concern of almost all women who gained weight through time. What to do and how to do it effectively is the big question. Below are some helpful ways that you can follow to achieve your goal:

drink plenty of water, fruits and veggies

Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. Water will eliminate toxins from your body making it very important for your health. Drinking plenty of it can basically aid you in controlling your diet. Drinking vegetable and fruit juice is another healthy way of eliminating fat since they are rich in fiber. Fiber will naturally push calories out of your body.

Engage in aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise includes bicycling, jogging, walking, swimming, dancing and stair climbing. These exercises are great for burning belly fat. Any of these exercises should be done for about 30 minutes or more. Anything less than that would be considered as a exercises contributing to plainly cardiovascular benefits, but not in burning the fats in your abdominal area.

Do some weight training

Weight training need not be a strenuous one for you. Choose a program that fits just right for your body structure and need. This is a very good way to sculpt and tone your muscles. Weight training is able to burn fats fast and easier because of its capability to increase metabolism rate.

Have a proper nutrition and diet

In order to succeed in your fat elimination program, the key here is to integrate exercise and good nutrition and proper diet. You should have less intake of calories to expedite in getting rid of the fat in your belly. Eating in smaller portions of about 4 to 5 times per day is better that overeating in one or maybe two meal times. Choose natural and or organic food too. Take vitamins and supplements for a healthier you. Lastly, have a large amount of fiber and protein in your food intake. Foods rich in monounsaturated fats like beans, nuts and avocado can give you a feeling of being full, thus decreasing you cravings for more food.

Belly fat is caused not only by lack of exercise and increase in food intake. Studies show that stress can play a devastating role in your tummy. But, then again, with enough rest and exercise combined with a proper nutrition like that of Jillian Michaels diet, you know you have better chances of having the flat belly you so desire.

Poor husbands in India have set up rent-a-wife schemes, leasing their partners for up to £100 a month to richer men as the shortage of brides has reached crisis proportions.
The increasing scarcity of young women graphically shows the impact of the outlawed but widespread practice of aborting female foetuses because families want boys, not girls.
Atta Prajapati, a farm worker who lives in Gujarat state, leases out his wife Laxmi to a wealthy landowner for £100 a month - around ten times his salary.
Laxmi is expected to live with the man, look after him and his house and, of course, provide sex.
Female infanticide has been widespread in India for generations.
In 1870 the British colonial government passed a law to ban it, but with little effect. Girls must be married off. And to achieve that a daughter's parents usually have to pay the groom's family a dowry of cash and gifts - often a massive burden on the parents' savings and income.
Boys are also likely to provide more of an income than girls. Dowries were outlawed in 1961, but the practice is still common and the law all-but ignored.
The arrival of ultrasound technology in the 1980s, which made it possible to determine the sex of a foetus, made sex selection much easier.
Doctors were banned from revealing the sex of a foetus in 1994, but only one doctor has ever been prosecuted for doing so.
A report in the Lancet this year calculated that in the past 20 years, no fewer than ten million female foetuses had been aborted at the rate of 500,000 a year.
The nationwide figure for women per 1,000 men declined from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001, according to the census.
But in the under-sevens, the imbalance was far more acute. In the Punjab, there were only 790 girls for every 1000 boys of that age.
Officials say in parts of states such as Punjab and Haryana, the sex ratio could now be as low as 500 or 600 females to 1,000 males.
The lack of marriageable girls has led to booming business for bride brokers, who are paid to find a woman for a man to marry.
Brokers charge a groom's family up to £750 and the girl's family will receive around £200.
Dr Sabhu George, who has been researching the phenomenon for the last 21 years, warned: 'Over the next five years, we could see over one million foetuses eliminated every year. The future is frightening.
The world needs to know about this problem because it is going to get worse.'
His research, in New Delhi, shows that as ultrasound technology becomes available in more remote areas of India, the number of abortions of female foetuses increases.
'At this pace, we'll soon have no girls born in this country. We don't know where it will stop,' he said.
Only last week, an undercover Indian TV documentary sent a pregnant female researcher for a consultation with 140 different doctors.
In each case, she asked for an abortion simply because she was carrying a girl. A hundred of the doctors agreed.
Though police have been forced to investigate the programme's findings, to date only one doctor has been jailed for revealing the sex of an unborn baby.

Cow Urine Sales Skyrocket in India!

By David J. Stewart

       The Hindu Vedas say that the cow is holy and should be worshipped. These Brahmins also claim that cow dung ash has medicinal value. However, samples sent to a leading test laboratory in West Germany have purportedly proved this to be untrue. Even today Hindus smear their homes with cow dung, expecting a special blessing.

Hindus foolishly worship cows as gods... DRINKING COW URINE and EATING COW DUNG! As an outgrowth of this, products made by cows also have an enormous history of usage in that country. A popular urine soft drink was launched in India in 2009, to unite the faith of 8,000,000 Hindus. This is the work of Satan. God gave us milk, orange juice, water, and so many other wonderful beverages... why drink URINE with all it's impurities and bodily waste? And worse, Hindus eat the cow's dung. This is what the Devil does to people. Without Jesus Christ, people are capable of anything.

Cow products made from dung and urine (known as goratna) have seen an enormous boost in popularity lately. You can get lotions, potions and pills, some of which are cure-alls that battle everything from constipation, to irregular periods, to hysteria, to cancer, and much more. In addition to medicines, the goratna products range from cow dung toothpaste, to detergents, a skin-whitening cream, baldness and obesity cures, soap and a cow urine “antiseptic aftershave.” How about "cow-dung toothpaste"?

Of course, you’re not allowed to slaughter cows, but you are allowed to use the five following items, collectively known as "panchgavya": milk, curd, cheese, urine and dung. Panchgavya is used to make a popular drink in India, which is alleged to have healing properties. No thanks, I'll pass.

Hindus in India smile with happiness as a large cow craps on the floor of their home. They think this is a sure sign that their home has been blessed. Hindu's in India smear cow dung across the entrance of their homes, and require anyone entering their home to step through the dung. Needless to say, Hinduism is a bizarre, Satanic, and sicko religion. Hindus are in desperate need of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are Hindu and this article offends you... SO BE IT! I care about you and don't want you to burn in Hellfire. I am telling you the truth. Salvation is found ONLY through the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:10-12). Acts 10:43 states, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." There is NO other way to Heaven (John 14:6). 

According to the History Channel, in a segment called The History Of Dung, they state that there are 250,000,000 cows in India, and each cow produces 16-tons (32,000 LBS.) of dung per year. 

Tragically, in India people are dying of hunger. Why are low caste poor Hindus prohibited from eating beef? People stop their cars, and sit for hours waiting for a cow to clear the roadway, thinking it to be sacred. In India cow meat is cheaper than other available meats. Instead of these Brahmins taking care of the low caste peoples of India, they are doing their best to save their "holy" cows instead. This is evil. According to Valmith's Ramayana, God Rama "ATE" meat. So then "why" have these Brahmins given up beef-eating?  It's hypocrisy within their own religion. 


Drinking Cow Urine for Health?

Hinduism also teaches URINE DRINKING. One Prime Minister, Morarji Desai (Brahmin), boasted that he was drinking eight ounces of his own urine daily (pure and fresh!) in the morning in accordance with the Vedas claim that urine has medicinal value. With the same claim today the Brahmins are drinking cow's urine as if it is a DAILY TONIC. No scientists have ever claimed that urine has any medicinal value. On the contrary it is well known fact that urine is an unwanted organic substance that the human body needs to discharge. This is practice is another unscientific nonsense of Hinduism.

HINDU nationalists in India have launched a marketing exercise to promote cow’s urine as a health cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.

The urine, which is being sold under the label “Gift of the Cow”, is being enthusiastically promoted by the government of Gujarat, one of three states in India dominated by Hindu nationalists.

The urine is collected daily from almost 600 shelters for rescued and wounded cattle set up by the Vishwa Hindu Parisad (VHP), or World Council of Holy men, as part of a government cow-protection programme to save the country’s sacred, but often maltreated, beasts.

Advertised as being “sterilised and completely fresh” it is available for 20 rupees (30p) a bottle at about 50 centres run by the VHP in Gujerat, from 200 of their outlets in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, and at fairs and religious festivals throughout India.

It also comes in tablets or a cream mixed with other traditional medicinal herbs. Demand is currently outstripping supply.

SOURCE: http://rupeenews.com/2008/02/16/chilled-urine-drinking-hot-in-india-telegraph-reports

DENVER (Reuters) â€" A Colorado mother who told police her 13-month-old son drowned in the bathtub while she was playing a game on Facebook was charged on Friday with child abuse resulting in death.

Shannon Johnson, 34, was advised of the charge against her via a video hookup from the jail where she is being held on a $100,000 bond, said Jennifer Finch, spokeswoman for the Weld County District Attorney's Office.

Johnson requested a public defender during the brief hearing and another hearing was set for later in the month, Finch said.

Under questioning by police after the boy died at a Denver-area hospital last September, Johnson admitted she placed the baby in the bathtub and went into another room to play the Facebook game "Cafe World."

She also checked in with friends and watched videos on the site while the boy bathed alone, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

When she didn't hear any sounds from the boy after 10 minutes, she found him slumped over face down in the bathwater making "gurgling" sounds, the affidavit. Johnson then called 911, and the boy was airlifted to the hospital where he was pronounced dead from drowning.

When police arrived at Johnson's home in Fort Lupton, Colorado, they found a laptop opened to Facebook.

Johnson told police that she frequently left the boy unattended in the bathtub because he was "independent," he liked to be left alone, and she didn't want him to be a "mama's boy," according to the affidavit.

Police also questioned the boy's grandmother, who said he suffered a seizure while she was baby-sitting him a month before he died. She told police she warned her daughter about leaving her grandson alone in the tub after the seizure.

When police asked Johnson about the wisdom of leaving a young child with a history of seizures alone in water, Johnson admitted that "it was so stupid."

She faces up to 48 years in prison if convicted.

If you ask tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, it’s not only the Chocolate Hills or the tarsiers that make Bohol one of the country’s favorite destinations of local and foreign tourists.

“The tour guides in Bohol are the best tour guides in the country. We give standard training to local government units. For some reason, their tour guides are university professors or clergymen,” he said before congressmen in today’s briefing on the budget of the Department of Tourism (DOT

BOHOL, Philippines - Disaster officials are closely monitoring Bohol's Loboc River following the opening of the floodgates of a hydroelectric plant upstream.

Operators of the power plant decided to open the gates due to incessant rains resulting in rising water levels Loboc River, a popular tourist attraction.

Plant Engineer Alfredo Onez said 2 gates were opened at 5:50 a.m. on Thursday (Jan. 27) as water levels hit a critical 31.6 meters.

High water levels could destroy the plant's turbines.

The local disaster council recalled, the last time the dam was opened, downstream communities lost P6 million worth of livelihood.

River cruises along the Loboc River have already been cancelled for the day. The river cruise is a popular tourism attraction of the province.

Bohol's Loboc River has given livelihood to communities near the banks.

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino said Thursday he had splashed out on a luxury Porsche sportscar, sparking criticism in a country where a third of the population live on less than a dollar a day.

"It appeared to be out of character. He had campaigned against luxury cars and here he is buying a Porsche," Milo Tanchuling, secretary general of the activist group Freedom from Debt Coalition, told AFP.

"There is a danger that it will be viewed by many as a sign of extravagance and an unnecessary flaunting of wealth amid massive poverty."

Local press cited a recent Aquino order banning government units from buying luxury cars as service vehicles.

The 50-year-old bachelor said he sold his old BMW and took out a personal loan to buy the Porsche, which he said allowed him a relaxing drive amid his gargantuan responsibilities.

"I was happy with the deal because its mileage was less than 10,000 kilometers," Aquino said of the pre-owned vehicle, which local news reports said was a white entry-level model worth P4.5 million ($102,000).

Aquino's spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, defended his boss, saying the car's value had depreciated substantially compared with a brand-new Porsche.

"If it was not depreciated, the president wouldn't even buy it, wouldn't even consider it," Lacierda said.

Aquino won a landslide victory in the May election last year on an anti-corruption pledge of clean government and an end to wasteful spending that he said was the cause of widespread poverty.

by Othel V. Campos

THE government will allow private importers to bring in 440,000 metric tons of rice this year from 220,000 last year to head off a looming rice shortage, National Food Authority Administrator Lito Banayo said Friday.

“We will give the private sector a bigger share than last year. That was the directive of [Agriculture] Secretary [Proceso] Alcala,” Banayo said.

He would not say how much rice would be imported this year, but confirmed that at least 1.08 million metric tons will be brought in before the lean months for buffer stocking.

“The 1 million metric tons will form part of the security stocks that the government procures to tide the country over during the lean months of July, August until September, the typhoon months of the year,” he said.

The food agency plans its first rice tender this year in the first quarter, and to increase its buffer stock to 40 days from 30 to be prepared for calamities. The country’s average rice consumption is 36,000 metric tons a day.

The Philippines has so far extended to 2013 a rice supply agreement with Vietnam.

There has been a spate of criticisms against President Noynoy lately, some of them personal. Those who have sources at the Palace say he allegedly does not want to be disturbed until 10 am and he does not want to work beyond 4pm. They say he is lazy. He has not had a cabinet meeting for the last three months. And as an added fillip he can’t seem to keep close relations with women. Etc. etc. The trouble with these criticisms is that they have come too late. These should have been considered before he was elected.  

Christian Bautista raised $37,000 at a fund-raising affair for the building of St. Ignatius Church in Manado, Indonesia.

“Tickets were sold out at $30 each,” reported Carlo Orosa. “”For his last song, a bid was made to raise more money by letting Christian sing The Way You Look At Me, his biggest hit in Indonesia. Several girls in the audience pledged from $500 to $1,000.”

For his effort, Christian was featured on the front page of The Manado Post.

Noted Carlo, “Manado has the most number of Catholics and Christians, totaling 65 percent. Indonesia has a total population of 350 million, predominantly Muslim

Nagpunta sa Bohol sina Ogie at Regine pagkatapos ng kanilang kasal. Kasama nila sa Bohol vacation ang mag-asawang Michelle Van Eimereen at Mark Murrow, pati ang kanilang mga anak na sina Leila at Sarah.

Puring-puri ni Ogie ang kagandahan ng Bohol. Nag-enjoy ang kanyang mga anak kaya tiyak na babalik sila sa bayan ni Cesar Montano.

Marami ang nagsasabi sa akin na mas maganda ang Bohol kesa sa Boracay at naniniwala ako dahil masyado nang commercialized ang Boracay.

PAGASA’s 5 p.m. bulletin said the northeast monsoon is prevailing over Luzon while the tail-end of a cold front is affecting Visayas and Mindanao.

“Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over Leyte and Negros provinces, Bohol, Cebu, and Mindanao which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. The rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains," it said.

It said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over the whole country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough.

MANILA, Philippines - Kumilos na si Vice President at Presidential Adviser for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Concerns Jejomar Binay upang tulungan ang isang Pinay na nahaharap sa parusang bitay bunga ng pagpupuslit ng illegal na droga sa China.

Inatasan kahapon ni Binay ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na bigyan ng kaukulang tulong ang Pinay na isang guro sa Shanwei City na inaresto sa Baiyun International Airport matapos na makuha sa bagahe nito ang may 1,996 gramo ng heroin na nakalagay sa foil packet noong Oktubre 26, 2010.

“I am directing the DFA, particularly our consulate, to give all possible assistance to our kababayan. This is another unfortunate case,” ani Binay

Ayon sa DFA, noong Nobyembre 18 ay nagtungo na ang mga kinatawan ng Consulate General sa Guangzhou kung saan nakapiit ang nasabing OFW upang tingnan ang kalagayan nito.

Ang nasabing OFW ay nag-aantabay na ng kanyang paglilitis sa kaso na may katapat na parusang kamatayan sa China.   

Sa direktiba ni Binay, ang DFA ay magbibigay ng mga kaganapan sa kaso at nais din ng Bise Presidente na panatilihing may close contact ang ahensya sa mga kaanak ng nasabing OFW.   

Umapela naman si Binay sa mga OFWs na sundin ang mga batas ng mga bansang kanilang pupuntahan matapos ang pagtaas ng bilang ng mga Pinoy na ginagawang drug mules o courier dahil na rin sa malaking alok na halaga ng mga drug syndicates.

 The Philippine Air Force is buying a used C-130 formerly owned by the Tunisian Air Force for $38 million. The used C-130 had not flown for 15 years and had figured in an accident.

The bidding was done with specifications tailored to favor a Malaysian bidder. The C-130 Technical Coordination Group (TCG) of the PAF was not even consulted on the purchase. JUSMAG was also not consulted.

The $38 million price is reportedly overpriced by $8 million. Who hit the jackpot here? Why not buy a brand new C-130 which can be secured for $55 million? Or buy a used one still flying with the US Airforce for about $3 million?

Promising new hotel jobs and restaurant jobs at Alona Beach and other areas on Panglao island in Bohol province, this has been of special interest  to us. Boracay island  is well developed and now expensive. Panglao promises a low cost buy in for new hotels and tourist projects once the airport is built. The hotel jobs and restaurant jobs this would bring were eyed with anticipation. We have been following The Panglao International airport project in the Philippines for almost 2 years. The Panglao location has a locational superiority over Boracay since the supply chain for upscale recources is available in Cebu City, the second largest city in the Philippines. Cebu City is only an hour and a half away by a Fast Cat boat.

The original plans were laid by Cory Aquino’s administration and then taken over by GMA who promised to move forward quickly but failed to do so. It is also a pet project of the Governor of Bohol province. The original budget of PHP 4.6 billion became stale as costs rose to PHP 7.4 billion. Detractors and environmental objections that the pristine waters and marine life were at risk, abounded. When the new President Begnino Aquino III took power it looked like the project was dead.

But those who remembered that the project was first envisaged by  his mother Cory did not loose heart. Finally the New President has allocated the PHP 7.4 B. in the 2011 national budget and has personally voiced his support. Read more HERE. Aquino has renamed the Airport as the Bohol International Airport and reaffirmed the location in Panglao.

The boutique resort Eskaya, a member of SLH Small Luxury Hotels of the World is the only luxury hotel on Panglao. Now we finally anticipate new public announcements by hotel developers of forthcoming resorts and the associated hotel jobs and resort jobs. The major tourist groups that currently go to Panglao are Koreans followed by Japanese. Korean airlines have expressed interest in having direct flight to Panglao.

A small European community has been in Panglao for some time including an Austrian Bakery, a motorcycle club and a German villa hotel and restaurant

Umaabot na sa kalahating milyon ang sex workers sa Pilipinas at patuloy ang pagdami ng mga ito habang tumatagal kaya’t dapat umanong paigtingin ang kampanya laban sa sindikatong nagpapatakbo ng prostitusyon sa bansa.


Ang masaklap, sa na­sabing bilang, 100,000 dito ay mga menor-de-edad na karaniwang mabenta sa mga parokyano ng nasabing industriya.


Ito ang nilalaman ng House bill 1706 ni Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap na nag­lalayong ilibre sa kaso ang mga prostitutes dahil karamihan sa mga ito ay mga biktima lamang ng sindikato.


Sinabi ni Yap na base sa report ng Philippine Womensâ€,Commission, eksaktong kalahating milyon na umano ang bilang ng mga kababaihan na nagbebenta ng laman sa bansa.


Karamihan sa mga ito ay nasa Metro Manila na nagtatrabaho sa mga bahay-aliwan at kapag nahuhuli ay sinasampahan ng kasong kriminal gayung karamihan sa mga ito ay mga biktima lamang.


Nais ni Yap na baguhin na ang sistemang ito at sa halip ay itutok ang kaso sa mga sindikato at mga may-ari ng mga bahay-aliwan na nagbebenta ng mga kababaihan.


“We should not view the prostitutes as the source of the problem of prostitution. We should instead run after thos who lured them into this kind of business,” pahayag ng lady solon.

Learn about early detection and risk reductionBy HEIZEL LARU-AN MAINARDecember 13, 2010, 1:19pm

In 2005, the Philippines had recorded over 4,000 new cases and 2,000 deaths due to this cause.  Worldwide, it claims one man’s life every 19 minutes.  Despite these numbers, symptoms are rarely made known until it is too late.  The disease is known as Prostate Cancer (PCa).

According to 2010 statistics, there are about six million Filipino men over the age of 50 who are susceptible to develop PCa.  Probability increases when there’s a family history of cancer.  Aside from this, an elevated Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) also triggers the development of PCa. 

In lieu of promoting prostate health awareness among Filipino men, Healthway Medical and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have joined hands in partnership.  And while testing is one way to protect men from PCa, GSK shares the first and only approved medication that can help in the reduction of prostate cancer risk â€" the Dutasteride.

“The company conducted a study for the reduction of risk of PCA involving 4,000 patients from different countries while studies for the reduction of BPH involve patients from the Philippines.  In one study, 31.4 percent of patients with family history of PCa reduced the risk by 23 percent,” shares GSK medical director Dr. Joven Tanchuco. 

Meanwhile, urologist Jason Letran shares his observation over a marked evolution in the attitude of patients in his 12 years of practice.  “Before, I see prostate cancer patients to be in their 70s and in a very advanced stage.  Nowadays, we have patients even in their 40s or 50s, in their earlier stage, where cure is still possible,” tells Dr. Letran.

Diagnosed patients with PCa may opt for open surgery or laparoscopic surgery of which Dr. Letran is quick to note two potential effects associated with the removal of the cancerous prostate gland: loss of control of urine and loss of erectile function.

“With so many cases we have done, we’ve been able to preserve at least their control of urine quite satisfactorily.  With regards to the sexual function, we were not as successful as our American counterparts. However, with the new system like the robotic system, we would be able to identify the nerves better than the naked eye.”

Incidentally, the first robotic surgery in the Philippines was recently performed in The Medical City by Dr. Letran himself.   â€œWe still have ways to preserve their quality of life, prolong their survival.  Even for patients who are already far advanced, we still have ways to maintain their bodily function.  So they may live their longest pain-free survival as possible without very much jeopardizing their quality of life.”

In conclusion, Dr. Letran stressed that early detection and probably risk reduction is the best way to battle PCa. “If you love your family, you will go for a check-up.  If detected early, you can be cured.  You can be spared of your bodily function, you can be spared of your macho image plus the treatment can be done in a more humane way, and in a more elegant way.”

Girls and women acting out the sexual fantasies of online voyeurs around the world are part of a worrying offshoot to the Philippines’ booming outsourcing industry, authorities said. Cybersex dens are a growing problem in the Southeast Asian nation that has long struggled to curb child prostitution, according to law enforcers and social workers.

They said that cyber pimps are offering cheap services via the Internet in a seedy mutation of the country’s sunshine outsource industry in which call-center work and other back-office operations are done for companies in richer countries.

In one recent police raid on a house in Olongapo City in Zambales province in northern Philippines, five girls aged 14 to 18 and three women were found performing sex acts in front of web cameras for clients sitting at computers overseas.

“It’s a lot like working for a call center. We do shifts and we chat. They can also make us do anything, as long as they pay,” said one of the girls picked up in the raid who used the working nickname of Rainbow.

The girl, 15, and her sister, 17, told Agence France-Presse that they left their rural home on a northern Philippine mango orchard to work for their aunt in Olongapo City but that their planned employment as babysitters turned into cybersex work.

“It took us about a week to adjust, but after that, we became blase about it,” said the elder sister, adding that their aunt had stayed beside them during their work to ensure the online clients’ demands were met.

The aunt was arrested in the raid in October and has been charged with trafficking in children for prostitution, which carries a maximum penalty of life in jail.

A police report of the raid shown to Agence France-Presse said of the younger girl, “One of them was naked while in the act of inserting a sex toy in her mouth in a scandalous position.”

The girls are now undergoing counseling and rehabilitation at a local children’s center run by an Irish Catholic priest.

The center’s lawyer and counsellor, a trained psychologist, gave Agence France-Presse permission to speak with the girls.

The counsellor was present when the interview took place.

MALAKING debate ngayon ukol sa hindi pagdalo ng Pilipinas sa pagbibigay ng Nobel Peace Prize sa isang disidenteng taga-China. Si Liu Xiaobo ay nilalabanan ang China para umiral na ang demokrasya sa nasabing bansa. Kaya ang tingin sa kanya ng gobyerno ng China ay kalaban ng bansa. Pinrotesta ng China ang parangal kay Liu Xiaobo dahil insulto raw ito sa kanilang bansa. Maiintindihan natin ang mga reklamo at protesta ng China, pero anong kinalaman ng Pilipinas dito at bakit hindi tayo dumalo at tila nakisama sa China?

During the SONA address in late July, President Aquino claimed that prices of prime commodities were stable.

Barely 4 months after, his administration approved the National Food Authority decision to increase the retail price of NFA rice from P18 to P27 a kilo last Tuesday without previous notice or public consultation.

But why should the NFA lead the way by increasing the price of the poor’s basic staple, rice? When the P-Noy Administration assumed office, the price of NFA rice was only P18/kilo GMA admin price. It has gone up to P27 in less than 6 months. NFA Administrator Angelito Banayo justifies the increase by the need of NFA to reduce losses. But sir, the main cause of NFA losses is the overprice or tongpats on rice imports which ranges from P100-P500 million per total procurement depending on the quantity and the timing. When then Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap bought about 2 million metric tons of rice at about $1,000 per metric ton, the Binondo rice traders suspected a $200/MT overprice. This is ultimately passed on to the poor consumer.

When will Malacañang’s student council, as Sen. Joker Arroyo calls the Palace officials, stop its nasty habit of making boners? Indeed, Malacañang’s propensity to follow a boo-boo with another boo-boo ceases to amaze me.
Amnesty Proclamation No. 50 issued by President Benigno Aquino 3rd had many flaws, as pointed out by well-meaning critics. Malacañang acknowledged this and withdrew it pronto, replacing it with Amnesty Proclamation No. 75. All’s well that ends well? Not so fast. The Palace followed this with another boo-boo!

When asked by the Senate to submit a list of potential beneficiaries of the amnesty, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa gave one that included Sen. Gringo Honasan. I commiserate with Gringo who had also been charged with leading the various coup attempts against the administration of the late President Cory Aquino. “I feel like I am a serial suspect,” he said on his inclusion in the list.
The list submitted by Malacañang to the Senate Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation headed by Sen. TG Guingona demonstrated the cavalier attitude of Malacañang to Senate hearings. It did not even subject the list to a thorough review. All it did was get a copy of the charge sheet against those involved in the various mutinies against then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyoâ€"and it so happened that Gringo was on that list.

Oh yes, four persons allegedly belonging to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army were also in the list. Could they qualify then for amnesty? And how about those on the Malacañang list who are already dead? Is there such a thing as a posthumous application for amnesty?

Aside from the inclusion of the names of persons who should not be there, the list is also remarkable for the omission of the names of persons who should be there. Retired Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim said that 40 former Scout Rangers were not on the list. He said that these Rangers were detained for two years without any investigation or charges, and then dishonorably discharged “at the whim” of Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, the former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Danny Lim, who was once connected with the office of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, is pushing for the inclusion of the 40 Rangers on the list of potential amnesty beneficiaries. If they are included, then they could qualify for either reinstatement or retirement benefits

 Over a thousand raffia weavers from Bohol will most likely benefit from the growing demand for raffia products from international markets such as Europe, United States, and Japan.

With the help of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7), Bohol raffia weavers set the trend of produc-ing products made of raffia mixed with other sustainable materials for the global market.

Orders started to come in volume after finished products of the raffia weavers were showcased in various international shows such as the Bijoux Cebu 2010, Manila FAME exhibit, and the Sandugo Trade Expo in Bohol.

From the 83 materials developed by the project called "Business
Accelerator and Materi-als Innovation," 44 materials were chosen by the project's eight stakeholders namely; Bon-Ace Fashion Tools, GracieQ, Ferimar Import-Export, JimCaster International, Pa-cific Traders and Manufacturers, Design Ventures Inc., Hacienda Crafts Inc., and Bohol Beads and Fibers.

These stakeholders and exporters
converted the materials into fashion accessories, bags, gift items and furniture, which gained modest success and orders from both local and for-eign buyers, said Ingrid Haufe, ECCP Materials Research and Development project man-ager of ECCP.

The program, which is also assisted by the European Commission's MART-Cebu (SMEs for Environment Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency), is also trying to de-velop a pool of weavers that are capable of making new design patterns and mixed media applications based on the latest trends.

According to Haufe, indigenous materials are gaining popularity among foreign markets due to the increasing preference of many consumers for environment-friendly products.

"Bohol is one of the provinces in the region that supplies good quality raffia along with innovative and artistic designs by weavers, Filipino products will make a big hit in the international market. It is a win-win situation for everyone - more demand means an in-crease in profit for exporters and more work opportunities for weavers," Haufe said.

This development, Haufe said will set the trend in the global market thereby creating de-mand for Raffia-made products, incorporated and mixed with recycled materials such as newspaper and softdrink straws, among others.

Raffia is a straw-like material that is used in many different craft projects. It is an inex-pensive product that can be found in any craft store. There are many uses for raffia, rang-ing from gift embellishment to a special kind of massage therapy. Although it is mainly used as a fiber, it can also be woven. This palm tree is abundant in Bohol, and other parts of the Philippines.

From August until September of this year, 150 weavers in Inabaga and Tubigon towns in Bohol were trained to weave the materials for volume production. This time, they are taught for strict international standard and quality, said Haufe.

Currently, the project is focusing on upgrading the quality management systems of the weaving centers to ensure quality and volume orders.

Raffia weaving is one of the oldest crafts of Boholanos. In the past, weavers only enjoyed selling their products to local market or tourists. With the entry of exporters placing or-ders coupled with the effort from private organizations in improving the quality of craftsmanship and innovation, these weavers are projected to become global players in the next few years

Congratulations and our admiration to Dr. Welthy Villanueva, a breast cancer patient, who crosses several mountains and 30 rivers in Palawan to reach the Batak tribe, who are still living in the stone age and minister to their medical needs.

The Bataks who are “negrito” still hunt and fish for their food. The adults are skimpily dressed in loin cloth, with the women bare breasted and children naked.

Dr. Villanueva’s example is truly heartwarming. His story raises a disturbing question of the DOH health personnel still not reaching distant barangays, especially indigenous tribes. And the Governor and Mayor? Shouldn’t they be visiting all their constituents?

National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) warns the public of double dead ham and processed meat being sold in public markets. This should be sufficient to warn everybody not to buy ham not coming from reputable companies.

Up to now, the Bureau of Customs has not acted to explain the presence of tons of imported frozen meat from CHINA flooding the markets from Balintawak, QC to Cebu.

There are more serious priorities like setting up more dialysis machines in government hospitals or hiring more nurses to reach distant barangays HILABI NA SA BOHOL .

Crying Dinky
Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman being interviewed from out of the country (Singapore?) and reportedly lamenting the brickbats that her proposed P21-billion conditional cash transfer fund has been getting.
Sorry, but we are constrained to say that Soliman’s lachrymose efforts are not working. She apparently wants to portray herself as crying for the “poor” who would not have their fill from the P21 billion she wants to dole out. That tear-jerker of an interview could only be interpreted as a Soliman-ic tantrum of one who was used to getting what she wants from the sitting President.

Soliman apparently wants to portray the critics of her P21-billion dole-out fund as anti-poor. That’s trash. Soliman’s crying bouts should not distract us. It is clear to everyone that she wants to spend P21 billion of our hard-earned money for a dole-out binge that does not have any clear benefit either to the poor or to us who will be made to spend for the money Soliman wants to give away.

Is Soliman crying because her P21 billion give-away fund is being scrutinized and questioned? This is childish. She should realize that what she wants to give away to her “poor” is our money. As such, we have the right to ask how spending our money would benefit the country. How that money is to be given away. By whom, through whom.

Soliman should heed the wisdom of Senate President Enrile who told media that the P21 billion “is the money of the people; none of it belongs to us in government”. Soliman should not portray herself as the only Filipino whose heart bleeds for the poor in this country. We cry for them too and we want to help alleviate their plight.

We are also willing to have our money spent for them. But it must be done right. And maybe, not by Soliman.

We hope our good senators do not succumb to the apparent emotional manipulation strategy of Soliman. Her crying bouts should not serve as a smokescreen to the many defects apparent in this P21-billion scheme. She has to stand up and face scrutiny. Tears cannot take the place of direct and transparent answers that satisfy all of us who are funding her itch to play Santa Claus to the poor.

Tourism junks ‘Wow,’ goes for ‘Kay Ganda’

THE Tourism Department has launched a Tagalog brand for the Philippines to stand out from the usual English brand of other Asian countries, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said late Monday.

“We need to be more daring in expressing our brand if we are to rise above the clutter,” Lim said as he unveiled the new Philippine brand that focuses on the country’s beauty and the warmth of its people.

The brand has the tag line Pilipinas Kay Ganda [literally, Philippines How Beautiful] and a colorful logo that incorporates the coconut tree, the Philippine sun and the tarsier, probably the world’s smallest primate.

“It is the result of intensive market research and a rigorous branding process done by one of the large agencies in the country,” Lim said.

But the brand was not yet final as it would still undergo market testing and focused group discussions to be refined.

Vicente Romano III, Tourism undersecretary for planning and promotions, said the use of Tagalog words in the tag line was aimed at promoting the Filipino character.

“We are using our own native name and the local vernacular to express our national pride and tell our story in our own way to make it rise above the competition,” he said.

He said the Tourism Department expected that some people would resist its launching of the new brand instead of maintaining the 8-year old “WOW Philippines.”

But Lim said a new brand always generated a buzz that translated to more media mileage for the same promotional budget.

“Even more importantly, this is a good opportunity for us to express in a fresh manner the hope and optimism that the Aquino administration represents,” he said.

But the new brand “cannot guarantee success” because “it is the faith and trust in the brand of various stakeholders that can make or break a brand.”

PAL is laying off 3,000 employees. Maybe, 500 more. PLDT announced it planned to cut 1,200 employees. Globe Telecom just reported a 24% decline in profits and may follow PLDT. Keihin Philippines, a Japanese car parts manufacturing firm has decided to close its Laguna Technopark facility at Biñan Laguna. Thousands of employees and consultants have been dismissed from their government jobs. More will be laid off if the proposed budget cuts of several departments are approved by Congress. Thousands of farmers who are typhoon victims will have no income this year. Many countries are reducing hiring and entry of foreign workers. Thousands of kuliglig (tricycle) drivers will be jobless by December 1 when they will be banned in Manila streets. Phil Export President Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. reported that BPO centers are transferring expansion plans to Indonesia because of the strong peso. There are 200,000 unemployed registered nurses.

Many voted for P-Noy hoping to find jobs under him. It certainly wouldn’t happen this year or in 2011. The promised 43,000 jobs generated by his US visit two months ago are still up in the air and may materialize only in three to five years. The so-called public private partnership projects will also materialize not earlier than three years.

This is one of the major causes of US President Barack Obama’s shellacking in the recent US midterm elections. He has not created enough jobs for Americans. On the contrary, hundreds of thousands lost their jobs.

Malacañang says that P-Noy should not be compared to Barack Obama. After all, he has been in office only five months. Maybe true, but nothing has been announced so far on a positive job creation program. Economic planners are still asking, Where’s the roadmap?

Certainly, the bad peace and order situation now highlighted by travel advisories issued by six countries is not going to convince new foreign investors to come in and create new jobs. In its latest report, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation said doing business in the Philippines is not easy. It’s easier in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Mai Mislang’s now-infamous Tweeting about sucky wine, ugly men and the dangerous streets of Hanoi will now go down in history as one of the dumbest things any presidential speechwriter and member of a diplomatic entourage has ever done.
Way to go, Team Pilipinas. It’s already hard enough to get respect in the world arena, and we got Manny Pacquiao and Charice busting their butts in the realms of sports and entertainment to bring glory to the country. While here we have, in the other corner, the president’s own speechwriterâ€"an assistant secretary at that - creating this controversy by simply posting her discourteous opinions for the world to see.

I can see her now, wine glass(es) in hand (you recall she sampled both red and white), curling her nose up in disdain at the plonk that the Vietnamese dared serve her, then tapping out those fateful 140 characters-or-less for her tweeps. Send.
There are a great many speechwriters out there, more trustworthy, with delicadeza, and with infinitely better writing skills. Mislang is lucky, very lucky indeed, to still have the support of her bosses.

A REMARK by President Aquino earlier this week reminded us once again that there are two sets of rules in this administrationâ€"one for friends and allies, and another for everybody else.

Asked over the weekend what the government would do about communist demands that their detained consultants be freed before the peace talks resumed, the President said: “If these consultants have already been charged in court, the executive branch cannot just take unilateral action to have them freed.”

The explanation makes perfect sense until we remember that this is exactly what the President did when he granted amnesty to military rebels led by his ally, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, last month.

Like the National Democratic Front consultants, Trillanes and his cohorts had already been charged in court when Mr. Aquino took unilateral action to have them freed.

The double standard that the administration applies can also be seen in the President’s decision to create a Truth Commission to investigate corruption charges against the members of the previous

administration. In the face of this massive effort to prosecute grafters, however, the President is quick to dismiss accusations against his closest lieutenants.

The dissonance that results from all this is the logical result of this administration’s penchant for ad hoc decision-making that targets enemies while favoring friends, and failing altogether to consider the full implications of official actions. This is aggravated by the administration’s antagonistic attitude toward the Judiciary.

When the Supreme Court stopped the Palace from firing the chairman of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos because she was a “midnight appointee” of the previous administration, President Aquino accused the justices of  “testing the limits” of their constitutional authority.

“The potential result of this will be chaos and paralysis in the Executive branch of government, as the legitimacy of officials appointed to replace those already removed will be cast in doubt,” he said.

Later, when commenting on an international survey that placed the Philippines among the world’s 12th most corrupt countries, Mr. Aquino singled out the Judiciary as an obstacle to reform.

In making those declarations, the President showed no apparent concern for the wider chaos and paralysis that would ensue in society if nobody respected court decisions. That is a dangerous road down which we should not travel

Kamo na diay manulis ang Bol anon?

CEBU   , Philippines - Most wanted ug lider sa grupo sa tulisan ang usa sa duha ka tulisan nga napusilan sa pulis atol sa pinusilay human sa pakyas nga pagtulis nila sa lending firm niadtong Lunes sa gabii diha sa dalan Uytengsu sa barangay Sambag 2.

Si Sr. Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, hepe sa Theft and Robbery Section nga nahinabi sa Banat News mitug-an nga si Alberto Aniedez Torregosa nga taga Magtangtang Danao, Bohol maoy lider sa Torregosa Robbery Group nga nagbase sa lalawigan sa Bohol.

Giingong sila mga kanhi sakop ni Meloy Garcia Robbery Group nga nakapanulis na dinhi sa dakbayan. Si Garcia nabilanggo na didto sa Bohol.

Matud ni Garciano nga duna silay nadawat nga report nga dunay reward nga P50 mil sa Danao, Bohol si Torregosa gumikan gihapon sa kasong pagpanulis.

Si Torregosa padayon pang giatiman sa mga doktor diha sa Cebu City Medical Center kauban nga giatiman si Shyrill Ostea kinsa kauban niyang napusilan ni PO3 Osorio Ramiso Jr

MANILA, Philippines â€" A collaboration project in skills development and employment between the provincial government and several stakeholders is reaping success in many Bohol towns since its launch in January.

The Skills Training Advocating Reliance and Self-Employment (STARS) project in Bohol is a livelihood training project that offers free skills training that can help the trainees to get jobs.

STARS targets Boholanos in rural areas affected by insurgency. There are five provincial training centers, but these are not enough to serve the skills training requirements and provide livelihood opportunities to 1.3 million Boholanos.

It is a collaboration between the provincial government and the Local Peace Forum, Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, League of Municipalities in the Philippines, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the offices of the three representatives of congressional districts. The local government units are tasked to identify and recruit participants, designate training venues, and pay for the food and accommodation of trainers.

The project management board is currently headed by Bohol Governor Edgar M. Chatto as chairman, and Bishop Leonardo Medroso of the Diocese of Tagbilaran.

Total project cost is estimated at P26 million for two years. The three Bohol congressmen shared one million pesos each and the rest of the budget will be funded by the national and provincial governments.

Skills training programs will be conducted for free by a team of trainers. Tools, equipment, and training materials will be transferred without cost to the LGUs after completion of the training program. From the 1,109 barangays, some 26,616 Boholanos are expected to graduate from programs including welding, tour guiding, manicure/pedicure, hair styling/cutting, basic electricity, plumbing, therapeutic massage/reflexology, cell phone repair, driving, TV/radio servicing, household service worker, and small engine repair.

TRAINING OF TRAINERS

Prior to project implementation, TESDA trained 45 trainers. From January to June 2010, Project STARS had conducted 93 training classes and graduated 3,095 out-of-school youth, unemployed adults, and women trainees.

Graduates of Project STARS are assisted by the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) in finding jobs. Others join skilled workers associations organized by local government units. Those who have the necessary seed capital opted to put up their own businesses and service shops.

While a pair of new high heels can always make a woman instantly feel good and sexy about herself, they can sometimes be irritating and painful especially after using them for hours or dancing in them â€" when our feet are already full of blisters and we can’t almost feel our soles. It’s also the time when we badly want to get rid of them and slip into comfy shoes.

Two shoe companies in England have responded to this dilemma in 2009 by installing vending machines with such comfy shoes for women to slip into. And where else but in nightclubs!

Rollasole and afterheels both sell rollable flats that come in funky colors and offer extra comfort. Anyone can just ditch the high heels and switch to flats for 5 pounds. The shoes also come with duffel bags which can be used to carry the painful stilettos home.

But one thing sets apart the two brilliant companies.  While Rollasoles come in four colors â€" Hi Ho Silver, Gold Digger, and Back to Black and Pink â€" afterheels offers shoes that are more eco-friendly.

Here’s what afterheels has to say about its shoes:

The body of the shoe is made from natural, sustainable materials which biodegrade in the same time as an oak leaf. The polyproylene (PP) insole is fully recyclable where local facilities allow.

The duffle bag is currently made from a low density polyethylene (LDPE) which is also recyclable where local facilities allow.


But shoes like this aren’t only offered in nightclubs. Shoe company Asics, which also sells shoes in their stores, has also ventured to this idea through their roving vending machines with comfy sneakers â€" perfect for walking the long pedestrians in the city. A pair of sneakers, their popular Onitsuka Tiger, costs $75 per pair

Ipatuman gayod sa kagamhanang Aquino ang programang K+12 ug 4+2 para sa edukasyon sa nasud sunod tuig. Ubos niining maong programa dili na puwede nga dawaton sa Grade I ang mga bata nga wa mag agi og pre-school. Mahimo na usab nga unom ang upat ka tuig nga High School. Busa ang mga mogradwar unya sa High School anaa na sa 18 anyos nga pangidaron.

Rason sa Malakanyang mao ang mga survey nga gihimo didto sa gawas sa nasud diin nagpakita nga mas taas ug maayo ang performancce sa mga tinun-an nga gradwado sa unom ka tuig nga high school kay sa mga gradwado sa upat ka tuig nga high school lamang. Unya maayo usab ang performance sa mga bata nga miagi sa pre-school sa wala pa kini mutongtong sa grade 1.

Way ayo ug dili makaayo sa mga ginikanang kabus ang programang nahuna-hunaan ni pangulong Aquino. Ok lang ang K+12 nga programa alang sa elementarya tungod kay nauso naman gani kini karon. Ang pagpatungha sa mga ginikanan sa ilang mga bata sa pre-school gikinahanglan na gayod aron dili mabiyaan sa klase ang ilang mga bata nga matipon sa mga tinun-an nga nagsugod og pre-school.

Apan ang pagdugang og laing duha ka tuig sa secondary education sa nasud maoy makapahapla sa mga ginikanan nga nagsukarap na tungod sa tumang kalisod. Ang gisaad nga kalamboan sa edukasyon sa nahisgutang programa damgo lamang ug usa ka matang sa pagpanglingla sa mga ginikanan ug mga tinun-an kay kun tumong pa sa gobyerno ang pagpalambo sa edukasyon nganong gilaslasan man niya ang gahin niini.

Ang edukasyon sa nasud ug ang iyang produkto maayo bisan pa og dili usbon ang tuig sa pagtungha basta hatagan lang kini og igong suporta sa atong gobyerno.

Ang gobiyerno dili makapaabot og maayong produkto sa iyang edukasyon kun ang halos tanang gikinahanglan alang sa pagtudlo wa niya ihatag. Ang gobyerno dili makapaabot nga maayo ug dekalidad ang mga gradwado sa iyang tunghaan kun naghuot ang iyang mga tinun-an sa usa ka classroom tungod sa kakuwang niini ug kun nagniwang na ang iyang mga magtutudlo tungod sa kadaghang tinun-an nga iyang tudloan kay nagkulang ang ilang gidaghanon.   

Ako nagtoo nga ang edukasyon sa nasud molambo bisan dili dugangan og dugang duha ka tuig ang secondary education basta tubagon lamang niini ang nahisgutang mga kakulangan.

Suportado ni Pangulong Aquino ang Reproductive Health Bill na inaasahang ipapasa ng Kongreso. Dito ikakampanya ng gobyerno ang iba’t-ibang paraan ng family planning kabilang ang paggamit ng condom, pills at iba pang artipisyal na paraan.

Pero mariing tinututulan ng Simbahan ang panukala. Ayon kay retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz, labag ito sa prinsipyo ng Simbahan.

“Population is wealth and it's population in fact that keeps this country economically afloat by the OFW all over the globe,” dagdag ni Cruz.

Dismayado raw ang Simbahan kay Pangulong Aquino.

Kaya’t ayon kay Cruz, obligayon ng bawat Katoliko na tutulan ang naturang batas kung ito’y mapapasa. Kabilang dito ang pagsasagawa ng “civil disobedience” at malawakang kilos protesta.

"Pero pag talagang ipipilit nila ito at si Bishop ay kikilos, sigurado akong may iba pang kikilos. Ang problema dito, ang kikilos ay hindi lamang yun ‘pagkat ayaw sa contraception, kikilos din yung ayaw kay Aquino and dumadami ito, " dagdag pa ng obispo.

Nakikiusap naman ang Palasyo sa mga obispo na maghinay-hinay. Okay lang daw ang tumutol ngunit dapat naaayon sa batas.

Ayon naman kay Congressnab Lagman, isa sa author ng panukalang batas, tama lang na gawin ng simbahan ang obligasyon na pangalagaan ang ispirituwal na buhay ng kaniyang mga miyembro, ngunit dapat hayaan rin ang estado na tuparin ang obligasyong pangalagaan ang populasyon.

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) -  Controversial tour guide Carlos Celdran was freed on bail Friday but could face even more sanctions after disrupting Mass at the Manila Cathedral Thursday to protest the Catholic Church's stance against contraceptives.

Celdran walked free from the Manila Police District Station 5 in Ermita at 4:30 p.m. after posting P6,000 bail before the sala of executive judge Sara Almalin of Metropolitan Trial Court branch 15.

The tour guide was arrested and charged with violating Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code after raising a ruckus during Thursday's ecumenical service at the Manila Cathedral.

Police said Celdran, wearing a dark suit and top hat, started shouting and held up the placard with the word "Damaso" in the the middle of a homily.

"Damaso" refers to Father Damaso, an abusive priest who is a character in Jose Rizal’s novel "Noli Me Tangere."

Celdran has apologized for the manner of his protest but not the content of his message.

"I don't blame anybody for what happened. Wala akong sinisisi. Pinaninindigan ko yung ginawa ko. Wala akong regrets. No regrets at all," he told radio dzMM.

Celdran, a much sought-after tour guide in Intramuros, said he made the demonstration to protest the Catholic Church's position against contraceptives.

"I am a Catholic and born Catholic. Marami Catholic sa Pilipinas who are very disappointed with the position of the church because it is anti-women's rights, anti-gay rights and anti-human rights especially when it comes to reproductive health. Ngayong nasa kulungan ako, we can see na anti-freedom of speech din sila," he said.

"Nakakatakot ang precedent na ito, na they have the power to put people in prison like the time of Jose Rizal. If you protest against the church and the bishops, you get hauled to jail. It sends a very scary message to Filipinos when priests can put you in jail," he said.

In response, the clergy of the Archdiocese of Manila issued a statement condemning Celdran's action and urged the Intramuros administration to make him account for his actions. The clergy consists of 238 priests assigned to 85 parishes, 2 chapels, 3 shrines, and hospitals and schools.

The statement said Celdran "willfully and with premeditation executed his protest inside the Manila Cathedral the church of the Archbishop and the seat of the Archdiocese of the Manila. The church is the Mother Church in the Archdiocese and is the central place for worship of the entire flock of the Archdiocese. This is the church where the past Archbishops of Manila are buried (in its crypt). This is where the Cathedra (seat) and the seal (coat of arms) of the Archbishop of Manila are displayed to symbolize his office, an appointment that comes directly from the Holy See."

The clergy said Celdran showed blatant disrespect for Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams and the bishops and priests and representatives of other religions present during the worship service.

It said the tour guide "disrupted the religious proceedings which included reading from the Sacred Scriptures, and preened in front of the altar with his offensive poster. Unstopped (because no one was prepared for such brazen action) he repeatedly pointed his poster towards the religious leaders and at the sacred altar, and at one time even shouted. When he was being peaceably led out of the Cathedral he shouted invectives."

SA Oktubre 8, 2010 ay 100 araw na sa puwesto si President Aquino. Subalit wala pang nakikitang plano kung paano niya paaangatin ang buhay ng mga mahihirap. Liban sa pagsasabing pagkakalooban ng cash ang mga dahop na dahop ang pamumuhay, wala nang iba pang planong naririnig. At ang pagbibigay ng cash sa mga dahop na dahop ay hindi maituturing na magandang plano sapagkat tuturuan lamang umasa sa gobyerno ang mga dahop? Sa halip na turuang magbanat ng buto, magkakasya na lamang sa paglalahad ng palad ang mga dahop at babagsak na roon ang limos ng gobyerno.

Maganda sanang marinig sa kasalukuyang administrasyon ay ang paglikha ng mga trabaho para ganap na maging produktibo ang mga dahop ang buhay. Nararapat turuan silang magpatulo ng pawis para ang kakainin nila sa araw-araw ay manggaga-ling sa kanilang pinagpawisan. Ano ang mangyayari kung lagi silang pagkakalooban ng limos? Hindi na sila magsisikap sapagkat meron namang nagbibigay.

Ang nakaraang Arroyo administration ay ganyan ang ginawa. Pinagkalooban ng cash ang mga dahop na nagkakahalaga ng P500. Karampot na pera para makatulong sa pang-araw-araw na gastusin. Pero tinuruan lang maging tamad ang mamamayan. Nang mabigyan ng P500 ang mga dahop, marami sa kanila ang umasa. Maraming naglahad ng palad para maambunan muli ng P500.

Natanggap na ng Pilipinas ang $434 million grant ng United States. Ipinagkaloob ito nang magtungo si Aquino sa US. Sabi ni US Secretary of State Hil-lary Clinton, gamitin sana nang makabuluhan ang pera para maingat ang kalagayan ng mga naghihirap na mamamayan. Nanawagan ang US na durugin ang corruption para matamo ng mamamayan ang maayos na pamumuhay.

Ngayon ay ang pagkilos ng Aquino admimistration laban sa nararanasang kahirapan ang inaaabangan nang nakararami. Malapit nang mag-100 sa puwesto at nararapat lamang na may mga plano kung paano ia-address ang paglaban sa kahirapan. Hindi sana masayang ang ipinagkaloob ng US. Hindi sana masayang ang kanilang tiwala sa mga Pilipino.

Unahon nila ang big corporation.ila pa man daginoton pila ra bay kita sa mag pa load.

Mao ba ni mga tanamana daghan sa mga pilapil sa basak nga makita nato sa pag bakiro sa atuang mga kabaw?

Sa isang privilege speech kamakailan, binakbakan ni Iloilo Rep. Augusto ‘Boboy’ Syjuco ang sobra-sobrang importansyang idini-demand ng Chinese at Hong Kong government mula sa Pilipinas at sa sambayanang Filipino kaugnay ng pagkakapaslang ng walo nilang kababayan na nasa isang tour sa Maynila noong Agosto 23.


“Lahat ng paumanhin ay ginawa na nating lahat sa Hong Kong at China. Even President Noynoy Aquino apologized to the families of P/Capt. Mendoza’s victims. Lahat ng assistance ay binigay na natin sa kanila pati magandang embalm at mamahaling kabaong na nagkakahalaga ng P300,000 bawat isa. Bakit kulang pa ba sa halaga? Mas mahalaga ba ang buhay ng iba kesa Pinoy?” diin ni Syjuco.


Ang tinutukoy nito ay ang mapait na karanasan ng isang pamilyang Pinoy na nag-tour din sa Tiananmen Square sa Beijing, China. Kasama umano ni Filipino executive Emmanuel ‘Bong’ Madrigal ang kanyang asawa’t mga anak upang magbakasyon nang atakehin sila ng isang Chinese national na armado ng karit.


Pababa umano ang mag-anak sa isang sinakyang bus nang bigla na lamang silang salubungin ng suspek.


Una nitong inatake si Bong na agad nasawi. Agad na isinunod ang asawang si Vivian na lubhang nasugatan. Pa­ngatlong dinaluhong ng karit ang anak ng mag-asawa na si Regina Mia na nasawi rin sa madugong atake.


“Five years after that tragedy, there is no public record of any Chinese official acknowledging the tourist killing in Tia­nanmen Square and apologizing to the Madrigals or Filipino people for senseless murders of Bong and Regina Mia,” pagbubunyag ng kongresista.

It’s un-Christian

I have a message for Pastor Terry Jones, who has promised to publicly burn a koran on September 11:
Just don’t do it.

Rights are important. Constitutional rights to free expression are critical. But some things are more important than rights, and one of them is to do the right thing.
Burning a koran on September 11 is not a religious act, it is certainly not a Christian one. “Put away your sword,” as the Master pointed out. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.”

Worse, in this case, they may cause innocents to die.

Pastor Jones attempts to cite Acts 19 as the “scriptural basis” for his koran barbecue:

“Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices. Moreover, a large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces.”

But those early Christians were burning their own books, not someone else’s sacred scriptures. Books were expensive luxury items in the days before the printing press. They could have made money selling these books, and instead they tossed them on the fire in a costly act of sacrifice as a proof of their own faith, not as an act of aggression against another’s.

I could have more sympathy for Pastor Jones if he were running risks for a cause greater than personal self-expression. If he were stubbornly handing out Bibles in Kabul, even though Afghans rioted, for example, Pastor Jones’ action might be foolish and unwise in worldly terms, but it would at least be morally admirable.

If he were a plain Mr. Terry Jones, a performance artist, a New York Times editor or even a professional atheist, I might have more sympathy. The guys who sling elephant dung over a Madonna or dunk a crucifix in urine to prove their commitment to their unfettered artistic freedomâ€"if any of those guys were doing this, I might still think it unwise, but at least they would be, for once, taking a real risk in pursuit of art instead of doing only what will win plaudits from all their friends, grant directors, museum curators, art reviewers and cocktail party hangers-on.

I could perhaps understand it if on September 11 Pastor Jones were doing something that primarily endangered himself, but instead, from the safety of America, he is endangering the lives of others in far distant lands, not the least of which are American troops in Afghanistan, who may fight and die for his publicity stunt.

“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.” Already in Indonesia, thousands are protesting in front of the US Embassy and demanding the US government intervene to stop it. That would be wrong, of course; it won’t happen.

Pastor Jones is free to do what he knows will provoke murderous rage in less enlightened people and landsâ€"in order to accomplish what? To prove that he can? To provoke bad behavior he can denounce?

This is not a Christian idea or a Christian act. It is a childishly adolescent act of self-aggrandizement.
Pastor Jones: Just don’t do it.

 kulang pa man gani ang 100M sa pag pauli sa mga run away OFW sa uban nasod.ngano man dili nila hilabtan ang mga pork barrel sa mga politiko?mao na ilaha kuhaan para makatabang sa atong mga igsoon nga walay swerte sa panarbaho sa ubang nasod.mga tongresman at mga senatong billiones ang budget sa pork barrel.ang DFA para sa tabang sa mga OFW 26M lang.mao ba ni ang tuwid na daan ni Pnoy?

Reprinted from The Wall Street Journal Asia © 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Filipinos have high hopes for President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who took power two months ago with the largest margin of victory in two decades and an 85% approval rating. His popularity rested mostly on promises of good values and cleaner governanceâ€"promises his mother, democracy icon Cory Aquino, made too. Yet his first major test in office shows how early political compromises are exacerbating problems in the weak institutions he's promised to reform.

On Aug. 23, a disgruntled former police officer took a tourist bus hostage and after a long stand-off, killed eight passengers, all Hong Kongers. The government's response was an exercise in incompetence. In public hearings that began Friday, police and politicians admitted that untrained, ill-equipped forces were used while elite units were put on standby; that national leaders played no role in the crisis response despite foreigners' involvement; and that ad hoc, unclear lines of communication between local politicians and local police complicated matters. To add insult to injury, the authorities in charge left the scene to eat in a nearby Chinese restaurant precisely when the killings began.

The incident sparked outrage in Hong Kong, where the government has called for an independent investigation and compensation for the victims' families. But Mr. Aquino only belatedly realized the gravity of the situation. His first instinct was to blame the national media for covering the event live, a sentiment that citizens in the blogosphere and on Twitter quickly echoed. When the hearings did little to quell public anger on Fridayâ€"two weeks after the fiascoâ€"he claimed responsibility "for everything that has transpired."

There is truth in that assertion. The agencies tasked with resolving the hostage crisisâ€"the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Palace Communications groupâ€"are divided into two political factions, both of which are competing for political influence. Instead of choosing between them, Mr. Aquino rewarded both with high cabinet offices

Modern-day living is full of stress. Whether at home or at work, people are always under pressure. So it is important that our bodies are in good condition, ready to respond to any kind of demand.

In preparing our body, we have to eat right. There are essential nutrients that the body uses up during stressful situations, which eventually need to be replenished.

Here is a list of vitamins and minerals busy bodies need, the role that they play in the body, and the food items from which we can get them.

• Vitamin B1 â€" Also called thiamine, it is used to convert glucose to energy. Low levels of thiamine in the body leads to fatigue, memory problems, anxiety, and insomnia. Thiamine is found in pork, whole-grain cereals, yeast, liver, and brown rice.

• Vitamin B3 â€" Or niacin, it is essential for the normal function of the nervous system. Insufficient amount of this vitamin causes agitation and anxiety. Food items that are rich in niacin are fish, meat, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and avocados.

• Vitamin B5 â€" Also pantothenic acid, it helps in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. It also helps in the secretion of adrenaline and cortisol. Among the sources of this vitamin are beef, eggs, whole wheat, avocados, and broccoli.

• Vitamin B6 â€" Or pyridoxine, this is essential for metabolism of amino acids and synthesis of serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin to keep us calm. Vit. B6 is found in meats, whole grains, bananas, spinach, and turnip greens.

• Vitamin B12 â€" This is needed for the production of red blood cells. It is present in is present in liver, organ meat, muscle meat, shellfish, eggs, cheese, and fish.

• Vitamin C â€" It protects from oxidative damage, aids in iron and copper absorption, formation of collagen, healthy bones, and fights infection. Good sources of vitamin C are green leafy vegetables, berries, citrus fruits, guavas, tomatoes, melons, and papayas, among others.

• Magnesium â€" It helps in formation of bone and teeth and assists the absorption of calcium and potassium. Sources of magnesium are dairy products, fish, meat and seafood, legumes, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, whole grain cereals, nuts, dark green vegetables, and cocoa.

• Calcium â€" It is necessary for bone and teeth development and blood clotting. Rich sources of calcium are yogurt, milk, cheese, molasses, and green leafy vegetables.

• Zinc â€" Zinc helps build the immune system and fight some skin problems. Good sources of iron are dark green leafy vegetables, chickpeas, dried figs, avocados, yogurt, brown rice, bran, and bananas.

• Manganese â€" This helps in the body’s utilization of vitamins B and C. It is found in green vegetables, eggs, wholegrain cereals, nuts, tea, and coffee.

• Potassium â€" Potassium is essential for growth, building muscles, transmission of nerve impulses, and heart activity. It is found in sweet potatoes, soybeans, avocados, bananas, yogurt and spinac

One of the problems of older women is insomnia or difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. But there is good news: according to a small study by Dr. Helena Hachul of the Universidade Federal de Sao Paolo and her colleagues, estrogen-like compounds in soy, called isoflavones, may help postmenopausal women get good sleep.

In the study, Hachul’s team randomly assigned 38 postmenopausal women with insomnia to take either 80 milligrams of the isoflavones or a placebo for four months. At the end of the period, it was found that in the isoflavones group, average sleep efficiency went from 78 percent at the beginning of the study to 84 percent, compared to that of the placebo group, wherein sleep efficiency increased from 78 percent to 81 percent.

Among women given isoflavones, 90 percent reported "moderate or intense" insomnia at the beginning of the study, while 37 percent did after four months; in the placebo group, the percentages were 95 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

Between one-third and two-thirds of postmenopausal women have insomnia, Hachul and her colleagues note, but the causes underlying those sleep complaints may be varied.

Without knowing the source of postmenopausal insomnia, the researchers cannot say why soy seemed to alleviate it for many of the women taking the isoflavones.

In addition, because the study is small, the authors caution, it "does not permit the assumption that soy will act with the same efficacy for every woman." Nevertheless, they conclude, given that insomnia troubles so many women during menopause, "phytoestrogen treatment should be considered an option to improve patients' quality of life."

Hearing loss is one of the leading disabilities among older people. But eating more fish will help lessen the chances of getting this.

It was found in a study from the University of Sydney, led by Paul Mitchell, that those people who ate fish twice a week had lessen their chances of getting hearing loss by 42%, compared with those who ate only less than a serving a week. It was assumed that this was due to higher intakes of omega-3, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA).

“Dietary intervention with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids could prevent or delay the development of age-related hearing loss,” wrote the researchers.

It could be that the blood vessels connected to the cochlea, a snail-shell-like structure in the inner ear, benefits from these fatty acids. However, more researching needs to be done in order to prove this theory.

Detection and prevention of hearing loss

It is sad to note that a number of people starting to suffer from hear loss don’t know it yet. It is important for older people to pay attention to their hearing and have their ears checked. For younger adults, prevention is advised. Here are some tips to care for your ears.

Use hearing protection

Sound that is already above 85 decibels is considered loud, and prolonged exposure to this is damaging to hearing. Common sources of this sound are construction machinery and power tools like bulldozers, hand drills, and chain saw. Examples of protection that you could use are earmuffs and ear plugs.

Lessen the use of earphones

This is very common among teenagers. For mp3 player users, you are advised to limit your use of the gadget to give your ears a rest. And when using mp3 players, keep the volume at a reasonable level.

Folic acid and magnesium

It was found that high levels of amino acid homocysteine increases risk of hearing loss. Folic acid regulates levels of homocysteine. A dosage of 400 mcg a day of folate from food and 400 mcg of folic acid from multivitamin is recommended.

Another nutrient that is good for the ears is magnesium. It helps prevent noise-induced hearing loss. A daily dose of 400â€"500 milligrams of this nutrient is recommended.

Sources:

Nutraingredients.com
RealAge.com
MedicalNewsToday.com
Vitatalks.com
.

SIMULA na ng buwan na may “ber” at kapag ganitong panahon aktibo na ang mga grupo na may “per” â€" holdaper, kidnapper, carnaper at iba pang may “per”. Banta na naman sila sa kaligtasan ng mamamayan. Ngayon, mas lalong malalakas ang loob ng mga k******n sapagkat kahit establisimentong nasa loob ng mall ang nanakawan, kaya nilang pasukin at limasin ang laman. At nagagawa nila ito dahil ang mga pulis ay natutulog sa pansitan. Bago pa makatunog o makaramdam ang mga pulis, nakatakas na ang mga k******n tangay ang malaking halaga ng pera. Kumain ng alikabok ang mga pulis.

Noong Lunes ng tanghali, hinoldap ng apat armadong lalaki ang automated teller machine (ATM) na loob ng isang mall sa Dasmariñas, Cavite. Tini-yempuhan ng mga holdaper na nilalagyan ng pera ng mga teller ang ATM at saka sinalakay. Lumaban ang dalawang guwardiya at kapwa nasugatan. Mabilis ang pangyayari at natangay ng mga holdaper ang hindi pa mabatid na halaga ng pera. Tumakas ang mga holdaper sakay ng isang van.

Walang police visibility sa lugar kaya malayang nakatakas ang mga holdaper. Walang nakahabol na pulis kaya malaki ang posibilidad na sasalakay muli ang mga holdaper. Magpapalamig lamang at saka dadagit. Sabi ng police director ng Region 4-A, nagsasagawa na ng manhunt operation sa mga holdaper.

Laging ganyan ang nangyayari kapag nakapagsagawa na ng pagnanakaw ang mga masasamang loob. Hinahabol na umano. Mayroon nang impor-masyon kung saan nagtatago. Bakit ba hindi panatilihin ng PNP na magpatrulya sa mga lugar kung saan ay maraming tao at kung saan may business establishment kagaya ng mga banko, money changer, pawnshop at iba pang negosyo? Bakit ba hindi magposte ng mga pulis sa mga mataong lugar para magdalawang isip ang mga k******n.

Hindi naman sana mahimbing sa pagkakatu-log sa pansitan ang mga miyembro ng PNP. Mas­yado na ngang apektado ang kanilang imahe sa naganap na hostage-taking, pati ba naman mga hol­daper ay kaya silang pagtawanan. Magbantay at magmanman lalo ngayong “ber” months.

THE government will continue subsidizing Metro Rail Transit commuters at close to P48 each, based on the proposed 2011 General Appropriations Act, but will find ways to eventually reduce this amount, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Sunday.

“The Transportation Department is now studying proposals on how to reduce the subsidy. There are two issues being raised,” he said.

“First, if commuters are willing to pay P20 to P30 for air-conditioned buses and other public utility vehicles, why can’t they pay the same for the MRT where they will not be bothered by traffic?

“The second issue is equity. Why should our taxpayers from the Visayas and Mindanao subsidize the fare of commuters in Metro Manila? All of these are being taken into consideration.”

In a statement released Sunday, House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo said the Aquino administration had asked for an MRT subsidy of P7.3 billion next year. That would be P2.2 billion or 43 percent more than the P5.1 billion subsidy to train riders this year

Ako manghinaot nga ilayo ra unta ang Bohol sa sakit nga Dengue kay lisod raba ning kwarta karon pangitaon.Daob daob na lang ta ug bunot.

Alas-11:00 ng gabi umano pumunta si Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa sa Malacañang. Tapos na ang hostage drama sa Luneta.


Kaya ang nangyari, si Pangulong Noynoy Aquino ang nagbigay sa kanya ng briefing sa halip na siya ang mag-report sa Pangulo tungkol sa malungkot na pangyayari na ikinamatay ng walong turistang Intsik na taga-Hong Kong at ng hostage taker na si Rolando Mendoza.


Bakit gabi na nag-report sa Malacañang si Ochoa gayung dapat alam niya na may nangyayaring hostage drama?


Aba, maniniwala ba kayo na marami ang nakakita sa kanya sa lobby ng Peninsula Hotel kasama raw si Vina Morales at nag-iinom? Nalasing tuloy. Nag-goodtime habang tuliro si PNoy kung ano ang gagawin.


Ang lumabas, mas maraming alam si PNoy sa hostage drama kaysa kay Paquito Ochoa. Kaya ang nag-briefing sa kanya ay ang Pangulo. Baligtad.


Ano ba ang nangyayari sa pamahalaang Aquino? Parang walang in-charge. Dapat ang nagmamando ay ang Executive Secretary, si Paquito Ochoa. Kung ‘di man, dapat alam niya ang nangyayari at magmumungkahi sa Pangulo kung ano ang dapat gawin.


Paano magmumungkahi? Alas-11:00 na ng gabi nag-report sa Malacañang. Lasing pa raw.


Kung kalahati man lang ng balitang ito ay totoo, dapat sibakin si Ochoa.


Mapapahamak ang Pangulo dahil kay Ochoa.


Siyempre nakarating na sa mga awtoridad sa Hong Kong ang paglalasing ni Ochoa.


Hindi sila matutuwa sa ganitong pangyayari.


Sa tingin ng marami, puro palpak si Ochoa. Unang araw ng panunungkulan ni Pangulong Aquino, nag-isyu si Ochoa ng Memorandum Circular No. 1.


Bago nalamang mali, naikalat na. Nag-isyu ng bagong Memorandum Circular No. 1 pa rin. Noon ding petsang iyon, Hulyo 1.


Ang sumunod ay isang Executive Order na naglilikha ng Truth Commission.


Walang pangil ang commission at hanggang ngayon hindi pa nabubuo. Masama pa nito, sa third level official mag-uumpisa ang imbestigasyon sa kurakutan sa halip na kay Pangulong Arroyo.


May bisa ang Truth Commission hanggang Dec. 31, 2012. Maikli ang panahon.


Ano ba ang akala ni Paquito Ochoa? Matatapos ang trabaho ng Truth Commission sa ganung kadaling panahon.


Baka kahit isa walang matapos na imbestigasyon.


Hindi napapansin ni Pangulong Aquino na ang Executive Secretary ay tinatawag na Little President.

Siya ay may kapangyarihan na gamitin ang pangalan ng Pangulo sa pagganap ng tungkulin.


Paano magaganap ng tama kung puro palpak ang desisyon? Pagkatapos sa panahon ng malaking krisis na ikinagalit ng Tsina at Hong Kong, naglasing pa si Ochoa kasama ang maganda at sikat na si Vina Morales.


Dalawang buwan na sa tungkulin ang pamahalaang Aquino. Wala pa kaming nakikitang maliwanag na direksyon kung saan patungo. Lalo na sa paghabol sa mga kurakot.


Maliban sa paglikha ng Truth Commission, wala rin kaming naririnig kay Ochoa kung paano maghahanap ng katotohanan sa hinalang malawakang kurakutan ng rehimeng Arroyo.


Para bang wala siyang maimungkahi sa Pangulo. Saan tayo papunta kung ganyan?


Sasabayan pa ng paglalasing ni Ochoa.


Ang ginawang paglalasing ni Ochoa sa harap ng malubhang krisis na umabot sa malaking kahihiyan kay Pangulong Aquino, dapat palitan na siya. E, parang walang ano man sa Pangulo ang ginawang paglalasing ng kanyang Executive Secretary.


Base sa mga nakaraang pangyayari na puro palpak, baka maubos ang tiwala ng tao kay PNoy. E, di balik tayo sa kawalang pag-asa. Parang walang mangyayaring pagbabago.


Nagkamali ba tayo sa pagpili kay PNoy bilang Pangulo? Ganu’n na nga ang labas.


Parang hindi mahawakan ng Pangulo ang mga tauhan niya. Parang hindi siya iginagalang.

CEBU, Philippines
- Gikasagmuyo ni Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale ang pamahayag sa kanhi Ms. Universe nga si Gloria Diaz bahin sa mga
Cebuana nga dili makamaong mo-Englis ug buot niya kining papangayuon og public apology.

Sumala pa sa resolusyong buot ipadayag ni Magpale sa sunod nga sesyon kini mipadayag nga usa ka dakong insulto sa usa ka Sugbuanon ang pamahayag ni Diaz.

“Expressing our strongest and highest disgust over the insulting anti-Cebuano remark of the former Ms. Universe, Gloria Diaz, which she made during a recent TV interview, and demanding from her a public apology for such remark” matud pa sa resolusyon. Kahinumduman sa interbyu sa ABS-CBN kang Diaz kini namulong og: “Kasi when you think about a Cebuana can hardly speak English and of course Tagalog. Maybe she should answer in Bisaya,” nga giisip nga usa ka matang sa insulto sa mga Sugbuanon.

Sumala pang Magpale, basin wala masayod si Magpale nga ang Cebu maoy adunay labing daghan og mga call center companies dinhi ug ang Cebuano-English maoy daling masabtan sa mga langyaw.

“Maybe wa siya kahibaw that we have the most number of call centers and the English we have is more understandable than a native foreign language. Even Koreans learn English here in Cebu,” matud pa niini.

“For a former Philippine Ambassadress of Goodwill and supposed exceptional woman of beauty, Ms. Gloria Diaz should have been more circumspect in waggling her tongue in public, uphold the highest norms of propriety and decorum, and maintain the dignity and finesse befitting of an international beauty titlist,” dugang pa niini.

Si Diaz sa pamahayag niini sa The Freeman mihimakak nga iyang gipuntirya ang mga Cebuano ug mipasabot nga buot lang niya nga mahitabo nga mas makatubag og maayo ang usa ka contestant kun ang kaugalingong lengwahe niini ang iyang gamiton.

Apan si Magpale miingon nga ang pamahayag ni Diaz daw nagpasabot nga ubos nga kaliwat ang mga Sugbuanon.

“Such arrogant remark makes Cebuanos as inferior breed of Filipinos. Ilang tan-aw nato murag maids and it is very unfortunate,” matud niini

Congrats to EMER JOY TAPIC VALE UNIVERSITY OF BOHOL 85.20

MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) - The Chinese embassy in the Philippines on Friday condemned the draping of the Philippine national flag on the coffin of slain hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza.

In a statement, the Chinese embassy said it condemns the brutality of the criminal and "expresses its strong indignation over this irritating act."

"The person who deserves a national flag at funeral should be someone of heroism, decency and integrity, not someone who inflicts atrocity on innocent lives. This is nothing but a smear on the dignity of the Philippine national flag," the embassy said

Flag removed; Rolando's kin ask: Do they want to remove his clothes, too?

That is what the acronym SWAT stands for in the Philippines, say many in the aftermath of last Monday’s hostage-taking bloodbath.
Former senior police inspector Rolando Mendoza’s frustration over what he perceived was an unjust termination of his bemedalled service in the police drove him to hijack a tour bus full of visitors from Hong Kong and demand his reinstatement. When this did not happen and instead an inept SWAT team took a sledgehammer to the back window of the bus, he slew eight of his captive tourists.

Hong Kong erupted in anger. According to the Associated Press, several dozen protesters chanted in front of the Philippine embassy there: “Strongly condemn the Philippine government for being careless about human life!” “Filipino police incompetent,” blared Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily News on its front page. The South China Morning Post said the incident was “a wake-up call” to improve gun control and security measures.

Interior Secretary Jessie Robredo, in charge of the police, was quoted by AP as having said, “Had we been better prepared, better equipped, better trained, maybe the response would have been quicker despite the difficulty. All the inadequacies happened at the same time.”

This painful admission underscored the galactic incompetence of those involved in the rescue attemptâ€"the negotiators; the SWAT team members; the government officials who panicked and could not be reached by indignant Chinese diplomats demanding news and the safety of their nationals.

It also pointed to another tragedy brought about by corruption. There should have been enough funds for equipment and training. The delivery of basic social services such as law enforcement should have been prioritized by government.

Sadly, this hostage tragedy was not the only violence that humans committed against their fellows around the world.

Last week, a South Carolina mother suffocated her two toddler sons, strapped their corpses into her car, and pushed the car into a river before fleeing the scene. Upon her capture, police officers said she showed no remorse for her deed.

On Sunday, a Virginia man killed three family members and wounded four others in a property dispute.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber killed 32 people at the Muna Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. The attack followed a day of fighting in the Somali city in which around 40 others were slain, bringing the death toll to over 70 in just 48 hours.

Why?

In her column about torture last Monday, MST opinion editor Adelle Chua referred to psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s theory of the “Lucifer effect”, or how good people turn evil through the “pervasive yet subtle power of a host of situational variables” which can “dominate an individual’s will to resist” and cause him to perform actions that he would ordinarily consider evil.

Yet could there be a deeper, underlying cause for all this human rage and cruelty? Eccentric intellectual Howard Bloom, in his controversial 1995 book The Lucifer Principle posits that human evolution can “explain the fundamentals of human nature and the broad sweep of human history”.

Primal rage, he says, lurks within our reptile brains, and “a strange thing happens when humans and other animals are cornered by the uncontrollable. Their perceptions shut down, their thoughts grow more clouded, and they have a harder time generating new solutions to their problems.”

Experiments with rats have shown that faced with electric shock punishments, those given some sort of control (being able to leap to an unelectrified platform) avoided a brain-dulling endorphin surge, “remaining perceptive and alert”. The rats without control, subjected to shock after shock, suffered from systems flooded with endorphins and were unable to “retain and act on vital information.”

In short, Bloom said, “Control, in humans and rats, energizes the mind. A lack of control can cripple mental powers”.

Perhaps this explains Mendoza’s actions. Freed bus hostage Ng (who did not give her first name) said that Mendoza at first “did not want to kill us, but since the negotiations failed, he shot to kill people.” His lack of control over the hijacking, adding to the loss of control in his own life, pushed a desperate man over the edge.

Many who watched the hours-long live coverage on TV said that it was apparent to them that Mendoza was not thinking clearly. Political science doctoral student and Lopez, Quezon Mayor Sonny Ubana said that Mendoza’s use of violence as a way of settling his problems is “not part of our culture; we tend to seek amicable solutions.” 

Moreover, by choosing foreign nationals as his victims, Mendoza violated the norms Filipinos hold most sacredâ€"that of hospitality and its accompanying accommodative behavior. His culturally and morally aberrant actions, many opined, were proof of his mental breakdown.

One cultural meme that he got correct was that of the angry man running amok.

Mendoza’s fatal move of taking and slaying hostages was his way of regaining the control he had lost over his employment situation, which had defined him. Being a cop was his identity. Shorn of his badge and rank, he was a nobody, only a shell filled with rage.

For the Philippines and the world, this lamentable crime points to the lack of control of law enforcers and government over extreme situations such as these; the lack of control over corruption; the lack of control of an entire society over one lone killer.

A recent survey says the Philippines ranks twelfth globally on the “net happiness” scale  despite low per capita income. Are we as a people too high on mind-dulling happy endorphins to think rationally and logically, so that we give police badges and guns to untrained men who either go berserk or who through their inadequacy botch the rescue of berserker victims?

Ours is not the only nation where violence takes place. The Internet is full of stories of murder and mayhem every day. Yet this particular incident could have been avoided or its tragic effects averted or mitigated.

Sorry, world. We aren’t trained to take control.

Less than two months ago, Quirino Grandstand was the site of an occasion of national prideâ€"the inauguration of a president who vowed to bring about real change. Now the place is bitterly remembered for a tragedy.

The Philippines’ reputation was another casualty of Monday’s hostage crisis.

The Manila police, in epic proportions, bungled the rescue operation that resulted in the deaths of eight Chinese tourists. The police also failed to restrict an overzealous media from announcing everything happening on the scene, including the supposed arrest of the hostage taker’s brother. The sight of his brother being dragged and forcibly taken by the police was said to have agitated Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza and driven him to take the lives of his hostagesâ€"despite early indications that he was willing to negotiate.

The next morning, everybody who was conspicuously missing during the crucial hour of the crisis became visible. The President, who reportedly could not be reached by the Hong Kong Prime Minister the night before, gamely went to “inspect” the scene of the crime. Everybody blamed everybody else and issued calls for resignations and investigations. Amateur tacticians offered ideas on how the matter could have been resolved with zero casualty.

How pointlessly belated all of it was.

Now Filipinos in every part of the world are livid at the bloody ending that could have been prevented. We are also overcome with collective guilt and shame that such a tragedy could happen to foreigners who were merely touring our country.

Advisories against traveling to the Philippines were issued almost instantly. No doubt, the killings will deal a blow to our tourism and investment efforts for a long time. The fear is not just about looneys roaming the streets and committing crimes randomly. The greater fear is that those tasked to enforce the law and protect the people are either crazy terrorists themselvesâ€"or fumbling buffoons.

Let us not forget the thousands of Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong. These workers now fear ill treatment from or dismissal by their employers in a kind of national backlash for the tragedyâ€"actor Jackie Chan’s assurances over Twitter notwithstanding.

Hong Kong authorities have arrived in Manila to conduct their own probe. They have all the right to do so, even though this tells usâ€"and resoundinglyâ€"that they do not think we can conduct a credible investigation on our own.

We do deserve some jolting. If shame in the international community is what it takes for our institutions to shape up, then let us be hard on ourselves. In other cultures, people kill themselves even with only the perception of committing a shameful deed. Let’s do the figurative equivalent; let’s shed the face of ineptitude and grow a new one that the whole world, and we ourselves, can respect.

The Asian Development Bank is offering as much as $280 million in loans for the Philippine government to finance a proposed re-fleeting program for tricycle drivers and operators shifting to electric motorbikes or e-bikes.

“The loan will be coursed through ADB conduit banks like Land Bank of the Philippines for re-lending to tricycle drivers who may want to shift into using e-bikes," Environment Secretary Ramon Jesus Paje told reporters in a briefing Tuesday.

He said ADB will give 30 e-bikes as donation to city governments in the Metropolis.

“ADB wants to us to sample the bikes to see for ourselves that these machines are totally pollution-free. No emissions, less pollution," he said.

If all Philippine tricycles are e-bikes, the country can save much as 20 million metric tons of carbon footprints a year.

“We could go into carbon trading. That will earn us dollar equivalent which we can use to offset a portion of the loan," said Paje.

Tricycle drivers can save up to P300 in daily fuel costs with the use of e-bikes.

“Four hours of charging would only cost P40 compared to P340 for fossil-based fuels. The acquisition cost is about 20 to 30 percent higher than fuel-fired motorcycles but the overhead cost is certainly lower," Paje said.

Of the total 5 million tricycles in the country, 2.8 million are in Manila.

The department said that the shift to e-bikes would reduce pollution 25 percent to 30 percent in the country’s urban centers by 2011.

As of 2009, the country's total suspended particulates - a concentration of micro pollutants in the air - in all cities and urban centers is 134 micrograms per normal cubic meters, which is 48 percent beyond the normal standard of 90 micrograms per normal cubic meters.

The major sources of these particulates are diesel vehicles and coal-burning power plants. Dust from unpaved roads and construction activities contribute to the rise in particulates especially during summer months.

Vehicles contribute as much as 80 percent to air pollution, while the remaining 20 percent are from industries.

Department monitoring shows that more than 50 percent of vehicles are registered without prior actual testing by accredited Private Emission Testing Centers.

“If all vehicles are tested for emission prior to registration, the 30 percent reduction in particulates will be easily realized,"

The Security Bureau of Hong Kong advised its citizens to avoid all travel to the Philippines an hour after the hostage crisis ended Monday.

In an outbound travel alert, the Security Bureau, changed its “amber alert warning" - meaning there were signs of threat - for the Philippines to a “black alert warning" indicating severe threats on the country’s security.

The Hong Kong warning stated that a “serious kidnap incident happened in the Philippines. [R]esidents should avoid all travel to the country; those who are already there should attend to their personal safety and exercise caution."

The travel warning came after the 10-hour hostage crisis ended with at least 4 Chinese nationals killed. Hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza, a former police office, was shot in the head by a SWAT sniper.

Do you teach your children to pray? One great way to teach prayer is to DO it WITH children. Praying with children puts both of you on the same humble plane under the Almighty God.

Learning from Kids

Praying with children is endearing. Children manifest humility and joyful helplessness in asking and praying to God. Adults can learn so much from them. They are “to the point” unlike adults’ lengthy mumbo jumbo. They pray “from the heart,” no guilt, no excuses or pretentions. They are candid in the most charming way.

If you want your child to be a blessing, bless your child with the gift of a prayerful heart

Cancer is the world's top "economic killer" as well as its likely leading cause of death, the American Cancer Society contends in a new report it will present at a global cancer conference in China this week.

Cancer costs more in productivity and lost life than AIDS, malaria, the flu and other diseases that spread person-to-person, the report concludes.

Chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes account for more than 60 percent of deaths worldwide but less than 3 percent of public and private funding for global health, said Rachel Nugent of the Center for Global Development, a Washington-based policy research group.

Money shouldn't be taken away from fighting diseases that spread person-to-person, but the amount devoted to cancer is way out of whack with the impact it has, said Dr. Otis Brawley, the cancer society's chief medical officer.

Cancer's economic toll was $895 billion in 2008 â€" equivalent to 1.5 percent of the world's gross domestic product, the report says. That's in terms of disability and years of life lost â€" not the cost of treating the disease, which wasn't addressed in the report.

The World Health Organization has long predicted that cancer would overtake heart disease this year as the leading cause of death. About 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2008, and about 12.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year.

Tobacco use and obesity are fueling a rise in chronic diseases, while vaccines and better treatments have led to drops in some infectious diseases.

Many groups have been pushing for more attention to non-infectious causes of death, and the United Nations General Assembly has set a meeting on this a year from now. Some policy experts are comparing it to the global initiative that led to big increases in spending on AIDS nearly a decade ago.

"This needs to be discussed at the UN â€" how we are going to deal with this" rising burden of chronic disease, said Dr. Andreas Ullrich, medical officer for cancer control at WHO.

The answer is "not a fight against each other," but more cooperation on areas that overlap, such as cancers with infectious causes, such as cervical cancer and HPV, human papillomavirus, Ullrich said.

Any review of priorities is sure to be contentious, though.

The cancer society's report is the first major effort to look at the economic cost in terms of global productivity. It was done with Livestrong, cancer survivor and cyclist Lance Armstrong's foundation. Authors plan to publish it in a scientific journal and to present it Thursday at a meeting of the World Cancer Congress in Shenzen, China.

Researchers used the World Health Organization's death and disability reports, and economic data from the World Bank. They calculated disability-adjusted life years, which reflect the impact a disease has on how long and how productively people live.

"That has become a more and more common way of looking at the global burden of disease," said Wendy Max, a health economist at the University of California, San Francisco, who is familiar with the work and the methods the researchers used.

Lung and related cancers account for $180 billion of the $895 billion total. Smokers die an average of 15 years earlier than nonsmokers, the report says. Heart disease follows cancer, with an economic impact of $753 billion.

"Heart conditions usually hit people towards the end of their life. The cancers struck people much earlier in their life cycle," said the lead author, cancer society health economist Hana Ross.

In a separate article published online Monday by the British medical journal Lancet, cancer scientists and advocates urged more money to fight cancer in poor countries.

Only 5 percent of cancer treatment and prevention money goes to the countries that bear 80 percent of the burden of the disease, said one of the authors, Dr. Julio Frenk, dean of Harvard's School of Public Health.

"We are literally being victims of our own success" â€" more people are surviving infectious diseases and living long enough to develop cancer, but treatment gaps remain, he said.

Dr. Lawrence Shulman, chief medical officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said cure rates for breast cancer are 80 percent or more in the U.S. and half that in many other countries.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd has called for the abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has drafted a bill containing, among other reform provisions, one that would abolish the SK. The Election Commissioners, according to Commissioner Rene Sarmiento and Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, favor the abolition of the youth council.

For many years now since not very long after its inception 17 years ago, the SK has been criticized by many right thinking Filipinos. They observed how elections in every barangay to choose the youth councilors have been tainted in most places by all the evils seen in adult politics.

Reports of cheating, bribery, illegal campaigning, massive spending, and of many youth candidates being “owned” (“hawak”) by “trapo” (corrupt traditional politicians) are pervasive. Neighborhoods know how true it is that, far from being a training ground for principled politics and good governance, the politics for control of the SK council only serves to give young people an early turn at dirty, corrupt adult “trapo” politics.

Another disgusting display of “trapo” politicking is seen at the town, city, provincial and nationwide elections for the federation of SKs. Perhaps, there have been instances when good-governance types get elected. Nevertheless, the politicking, the use of a lot of money, the dirty tricks are as reprehensible in the SKs as those in political contests in the world of hardboiled “trapo” adults.

Youth who get elected SK councilors benefit. They get honoraria for attending SK sessions. The SK councilor or chairman who gets elected president of the town, city, or provincial SK federation gets to sit as a member of the town, city or provincial council. He or she gets a salary or at least an honorarium.

The “trapo” politicians back up, finance and campaign for, youth candidates. For they become the “trapo” youth cadres and future adult leaders.

People working to establish moral politics and good governance in our country wish to innoculate young people against the virus of “trapo” politics. Hence, they want to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan.

President Aquino’s wish to see SK abolished is a logical application of his theme “Kung walang kurap, walang mahirap.”

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, years before President Aquino became the “moral change” candidate for president, was already a moral force in Bicol as mayor of Naga City and a champion in Dr. Jesus Estanislao’s Public Governance Scorecard system and a champion also of the Kaya Natin! moral politics movement. His move for the abolition of the SK is also a logical step for him as secretary of the Cabinet department in charge of local government units.

Comelec Commissioner Sarmiento’s main reason for seeking the abolition of the SK is his fear that the SK gives children the taste of corruption early. He equated being a young “trapo” with learning about getting commissions from construction projects.

It bothers him that politician parents of the “trapo” variety use the SK to give their children an early start in the kind of politics they, the trapo parents, are masters of.

The separation of husband and wife is never a happy matter. At worst, it is the failure of the most basic social institution, a source of trauma for the spouses and for the children, and the trigger to unleash the ugly sides to human natureâ€"bitterness and vindictiveness, among others. At best, it is the liberation from a miserable relationship and the opportunity to start life overâ€"as though it were ever truly possible.
In the Philippines, there are three legal means by which marriages can be ended.

A declaration of nullity voids a marriage. It is as if there was no marriage between the parties to begin with. There are conditions that can make a marriage null and void, such as defects in the process, but the most popular ground for nullity is psychological incapacity of one or both parties. Article 36 of the Family Code of the Philippines, enacted in 1988, makes this possible. The effect is that it is as though the parties have been single all along, that the marriage was one bad dream.

An annulment recognizes the existence of a marriage until the time it is invalidated. The consent of one or both parties to the marriage must be proven somehow vitiated at the time of the exchange of vows, so that “they did not fully know what they were getting into.” After an annulment, parties are restored to their single status.

Legal separation, on the other hand, does not dissolve the marriage. It is still there, but the parties are allowed by law to live separately from one another. Because the marriage ties remain, neither of the parties are free to re-marry.

Now comes House Bill 1799, filed by Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emerenciana de Jesus of the Gabriela Party List. The lawmakers believe that divorce should be made an additional option for couples with failed and irreparable relationships.

The bill says divorce can be an option in the event of:

• separation in fact: parties have been separated for 5 years wherein reconciliation is highly improbable;

• legal separation for at least two years wherein reconciliation is highly improbable;

• when the grounds for legal separation cause the irreparable breakdown of the marriage;

• psychological incapacity; and

• when parties suffer from irreconcilable differences that cause the irreparable breakdown of the marriage.

Pagtanggi ni Venus Raj sa ‘topless Miss U’ sinuportahan sa Kongreso

(Bernard Taguinod)
Suportado ng Kongreso ang desisyon ni Miss Universe Philippines candidate Venus Raj na huwag mag-topless sa pictorial kasabay ng pagpapa-body paint ng mga kandidata sa Miss Universe 2010 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Sinusuportahan namin siya sa kanyang desisyon na pangalagaan ang karapatan ng mga kababaihan,” paha­yag ni Akbayan partylist Rep. Evelyn ‘Kaka’ Bag-ao kaya dapat umanong ipagmalaki ng mga Filipino si Raj.
Ayon kay Bag-ao, wala siyang nakikitang dahilan para paghubarin at pintahan ang mga kandidata sa nasabing patimpalak dahil ang pinaglalabanan sa Miss Universe ay talino at hindi lamang kagandahan ng mga kababaihan.
“Exploiting women was never acceptable to all. Ang understanding natin sa Miss Universe pageant ay platform of women’s talent at hindi i-exploit ang kanilang katawan,” dagdag pa ng lady solon kaya dapat umano itong kondenahin.
Sinabi pa ng lady solon na walang esensya na paghubarin at pintahan ang katawan ng mga kandidata at saka isinalang sa pictorial kung saan kahit pinturado ay para na rin umanong pinaghubad ang mga ito sa harap ng buong mundo.
“Walang aesthetic value ang ginawa nila sa mga kandidata. And that is simple exploitation that should not be to­lerated,” dagdag pa ni Bag-ao, kaya dapat umanong magprotesta ang mga bansa ng mga kandidatong pinaghubad.
Kabilang sa mga nag-pictorial ng topless na Miss Universe candidates ay sina Miss USA Rima Fakih, Miss Albania Angela Martini, Miss Ireland Rozanna Purcell at Miss Trinidad and Tobago LaToya Woods.
Marami ring mga tumanggi sa pangunguna ni Venus Raj na sinaluduhan ng mambabatas dahil hindi ito puma­yag na maabuso ang kanyang pagkatao bilang isang babae na kumakatawan sa mga Filipina sa nasabing patimpalak.

 

WASHINGTON (AFP) â€" The bigger a person's waistline, the more likely they are to die of any cause, regardless of whether they are overweight or not, a study published Monday says.

Researchers at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta looked at the association between the waistlines of 48,500 men and 56,343 women aged 50 years and older, and death from any illness.

After adjusting for body mass index and other risk factors, the researchers found that men and women with very large waists -- 120 centimeters (47 inches) or greater in men, and 110 centimeters (42 inches) or more in women -- were around twice as likely to die of any cause as people with smaller waists.

The risk of dying was greater regardless of whether a man or woman was normal weight, overweight or obese, found the study published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study also found that men and women with very large waists were "more likely than those with smaller waists to be less educated, to have a high BMI (body mass index), to be physically inactive, to be former smokers, and to have a history of cardiovascular disease, cancer or respiratory disease."

Respiratory disease was the most likely cause of death among the very large-girthed, followed by cardiovascular disease and cancer, the study said.

Previous studies have associated large waistlines with heart disease, inflammatory illness, insulin resistance, high blood cholesterol and type two diabetes.

The link between waist circumference and mortality from a host of illnesses "may be because waist circumference is strongly correlated with fat tissue in the viscera â€" surrounding the organs in the abdomen â€" which is thought to be more dangerous than fat tissue under the skin," the study said.

"Our results suggest that, regardless of weight, avoiding gains in waist circumference may reduce the risk of premature mortality," the authors of the study said

Some Pharisees approached [Jesus], and tested Him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” They said to Him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” [His] disciples said to Him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

Mr. Wilfredo Yap OFW for 19 years and have been to the Middle East, East Africa and now Southeast Asia (other than the Philippines) in all these years. Mr. Wilfredo Yap ‘believes that if only 10 percent of Filipinos would shift to camote, rice import will become unnecessary’. “From what I have seen, I think Mr. Yap is correct. I was in East/Central Africa from 2006 to 2010, mostly in Burundi to be exact. I have visited Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda for short times during this period. The East Africans, indeed most of the rest of Africa, eat rice as their staple food.
But their staple food is not only rice. They rotate rice with bread, camote, potato, corn flour that they cook with water into ‘ugali’, banana (plantain), cassava starch (also into ugali) and past (nine starchy foods). They cook these saluted with vegetables, meat and fish or separately. And they have strong, sturdy bodies.
“I have tried and lived with the same diet for four years. In my fourth month I became used to the other eight staple food I would not even touch rice for three or four days. I did not become weak. On the contrary I felt I was stronger. When I left the continent I was a little more bulky than usual.
“It was just a case of having the wrong perception concerning rice of the absence of rice in my diet. I thought I would feel weak but this never happened. I even li9ked the variety of the food that I was consuming. And it was cheaper.
“In the Middle East, the West and in Europe, people rotate their staple food in the same manner. I think that Filipinos should be informed/educate about this to keep the Philippines off the list of rice importing countries.

any opinion?

Straight from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, the spectacular two-hour Miss Universe 2010 will be aired on Velvet via an exclusive double primetime telecast on August 24, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Home to the most beautiful night in the univese three years running, Velvet now rolls out the red carpet for our very own Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Maria Venus Raj, who joins women from around the globe to compete for the most coveted crown and title.

A resident of Camarines Sur, Raj began her climb to fame after winning Miss Bicolandia 2007. Later on, she was crowned Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2008. With a roaring fan base and her momentum after the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, Venus now carries our banner to a whole new level. Will she be the third Filipina to be crowned Miss Universe after 27 years?

Apart from her highly controversial dethronement and eventual reinstatement, Raj is now faced with a bigger challenge of ending the 11-year drought for the country in the beauty competition. It can be recalled that the last time a Filipino made it to the semifinals was in 1999 when Miriam Quiambao was ranked first runner-up.

This early, Raj is surprising the global community as she presently leads the online popularity polls on the official website of Miss Universe. Among the 83 Miss Universe candidates, she now has a rating of 3.58 followed by Miss Brazil Debora Lyra, 2.83; Miss Colombia Natalia Navarro, 2.77; Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson, 2.77; and Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete with 2.76.

The pageant will also be aired on ABS-CBN via satellite on August 24 (Tuesday) at 9:30 a.m. and on Studio 23.

Mobile security firm Lookout on Tuesday warned that a booby-trapped Movie Player application is infecting Android phones in Russia with a virus that sends costly text messages. Russia-based Kaspersky Lab discovered the malicious "Trojan" code hidden in a media player application people are enticed to download onto smartphones.

"The new malicious program penetrates smartphones running Android in the guise of a harmless media player application," Kaspersky said in a blog post.

"The Trojan uses the system to begin sending SMSs to premium rate numbers without the owner?s knowledge or consent, resulting in money passing from a user's account to that of the cybercriminals."

The Trojan has apparently only affected handsets operating on Google-backed Android software in Russia.

The Media Player program does ask users to authorize "services that cost you money" prior to installation, according to Lookout, which advised people to protect themselves by refusing to grant such permission.

"With the discovery of this new Android Trojan, it is more important than ever to pay attention to what you're downloading," Lookout said.

"Stay alert to ensure that you trust every app you download".

LABIMPITONG araw na ang nakalilipas mula nang isiwalat ni President Noynoy Aquino ang sobra-sobrang bigas na inangkat ng National Food Authority at hanggang ngayon, hindi pa napapagpasyahan kung ano ang gagawin sa mga bigas na nasa bodega. Sabi kamakalawa, ipapamahagi raw sa mga bata sa daycare center pero hindi bigas kundi lugaw na at may sangkap ng bitamina. Mabuti kung umpisahan na ito sapagkat sa susunod na buwan ay mayroon pang darating at madadagdagan pa ang mga nakaimbak sa bodega ng NFA. Saan pa itatambak ang mga ito. Idispatsa ang sobra para may kainin ang apat na milyong Pilipino na nagugutom.

MANILA â€" Tutol ang ilang mambabatas na aprubahan ang inihaing panukalang batas sa Kamara de Representantes na gawing legal ang diborsiyo sa Pilipinas. Bukod sa pahihinain nito ang samahan ng pamilyang Pilipino, lalo raw dadami ang “gold diggers" at wasak na pamilya.

Nitong Miyerkules, inihayag ni Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, na muli nilang inihain ang House Bill 1799 upang gawing legal ang diborsiyo sa bansa. Bukod pa ito sa umiiral ng “legal separation" at “annulment" sa mga mag-asawang nais ng tapusin ang kanilang pagsasama.

Nakasaad sa panukala na maaaring mag-aplay ng diborsiyo ang mga mag-asawa na hindi na nagsasama sa loob ng limang taon, at mga mag-asawa na “legally separated" sa loob ng dalawang taon.

“Grounds for legal separation may also apply when these same grounds have already caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage. In addition, psychological incapacity, causing one's
failure to comply with essential marital obligations and irreconcilable differences causing the irreparable breakdown of the marriage are also recognized as grounds for divorce," paliwanag sa panukala.




"Malaki ang magiging epekto nito sa magiging mga anak nila dahil dadami ang broken families. Bukod diyan, dadami rin ang kaso ng mga gold digger o iyung mga mag-aasawa lamang dahil sa pera at para makakuha ng settlement sa divorce" â€" Rep Sonny AngaraSinabi ni Ilagan na kailangang bigyan ng karagdagang paraan ang paghihiwalay ng mag-asawa bunga ng dumadaming kaso ng marital violence kung saan ang karaniwang biktima ay babae.

Sa talaan umano ng Philippine National Police (PNP) noong 2009, lumilitaw na 19 na ginang ang nagiging biktima ng marital violence bawat araw. Lumitaw din na ang pananakit sa asawang babae ang pinakamarami sa naitalang kaso ng pang-aabuso sa kababaihan.

“For women in abusive marital relationships, the need for a Divorce Law is real. It is high time that we give Filipino couples, especially the women, this option." Ayon naman Gabriela Rep. Emmi De Jesus.

Patatagin sa halip na pahinain

Ayon kay Aurora Rep. Angara, may-asawa at dalawang anak, mga panukalang batas na magpapatatag sa samahan ng pamilya Pilipino ang dapat pag-ukulan ng atensiyon ng Kongreso.

Iginiit niya na ang pamilya ang itinuturing haligi ng lipunan kaya hindi dapat na dagdagan ang mga paraan para mapadali ang paghihiwalay ng mag-asawa at pagkaraan ay papayagan muli silang mag-asawa.

Kung dadami at magiging mas madali ang hiwalayan, sinabi ni Angara na hindi imposible na dumami rin ang tao na magpapakasal na ang layunin lamang ay makakuha ng ari-arian ng taong kanilang pakikisamahan.

“Baka dumating ang araw na magaya tayo sa ibang bansa na basta na lang magpapakasal ang mga tao kasi alam nila madali naman divorce, at ‘di na siniseryoso ang pagpapamilya," pangamba ng kongresista.

“Malaki ang magiging epekto nito sa magiging mga anak nila dahil dadami ang broken families. Bukod diyan, dadami rin ang kaso ng mga gold digger o iyung mga mag-aasawa lamang dahil sa pera at para makakuha ng settlement sa divorce," idinagdag ni Angara, anak ni Sen Edgardo Angara.

Bukod kay Angara, nagpahayag din ng pagtutuol sa divorce bill sina Reps. Elpidio Barzaga (Cavite), Roilo Golez (Paranaque) at Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar).

Tinawag ni Golez na “weapon of mass destruction" ang divorce bill dahil magiging dahilan ito ng pagdami ng mawawasak na pamilya sa halip na maghanap ng lunas kung papaano isasalba ang pagsasama ng mag-asawa.

“Look what's happening in other countries with divorce. Half of my classmates at Annapolis (USA) ended up divorcing a few years after they got married, many because of flimsy reasons by their own admission," ayon kay Golez.

Hirit naman ni Barzaga: “I firmly believe that the family is the foundation of a good citizenry. Allowing absolute divorce would undoubtedly weaken the solidarity of the family. It would also encourage married couples who have differences to immediately seek divorce, though differences can still be reconcile."

Sinabi naman ni Zambales Rep Ma Milagros Magsaysay, na magandang talakayin ang panukala ng Gabriela upang mapag-usapan at makita ang tunay na kalagayan ngayon ng pagsasama ng mag-asawa sa loob ng isang pamilyang Pilipino.

“Though it will encourage a lot of debates, this will be good as it will really bring the real picture of the state of family and how we can ensure and protect everyone’s rights," aniya. - GMANews.TV    Share  Loading comments... Problems loading Disqus?

A Filipino publishing firm operating in the United States has been banned by the US Labor department from hiring temporary workers after it admitted committing violations of labor law.

The US labor agency said that the Asian Journal, publisher of the Southland Filipino newspaper, has been barred for one year from using the U.S. government’s H-1B visa program to hire temporary workers.

The publishing firm, which operates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and the Philippines, has agreed to pay $516,500 to 32 employees, aside from a $40,000 penalty.

Based on the Labor department’s investigation, the firm did not pay its workers the required wage rate.

It also misrepresented facts on the Labor Condition Application (LCA) that it filed, and did not follow the documentation required under the H-1B visa program.

Asian Journal had submitted an LCA saying it sought workers for positions as accountants, reporters, news writers, journalists, business analysts, public relations specialists and financial analysts. However, US investigators found out that most were working in sales as account executives.

“Misrepresenting the facts of the employment situation harms the workers who are hired for their professional expertise, and hurts domestic job seekers who may have otherwise been eligible for the positions," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

“We cannot allow employers to take advantage of temporary workers who might be reluctant to come forward in such situations, nor will we allow unscrupulous employers to gain an unfair advantage over competitors who play by the rules."

The company was also found obliging its workers to pay visa processing fees. As a result of the investigation, Asian Journal has agreed to pay the 22 workers hired using the H-1B program a total of $473,218 in back wages as well as a $40,000 civil money penalty.

The US labor agency also discovered that 10 employees hired from outside the H-1B program and working as delivery drivers and office staff were due $43,276, representing unpaid overtime pay based on federal labor law

BY JHOANNA PAOLA BALLARAN SPECIAL TO THE MANILA TIMES

Do you feel pain on your feet after your first few steps in the morning? Do you feel like a knife pricking the bottom of your foot after standing up from a long period of sitting? Well, do not ignore it. You might be suffering from an inflammation of your vital foot muscleâ€"your plantar fascia. Plantar fascia, what you often see on the arch at the bottom of your foot, is a string of muscle that connects your heel and toes. It is a thick muscle that functions as a shock absorber as well an arch support. It can be compared to a rubber band: As tension becomes greater, it will lose its elasticity and will suffer from tearing, thus will lead to a condition called plantar fasciitis.

Symptoms
“Pain is located usually at the forefront of the heel bone at the under surface of the foot sometimes extending to the midfoot’s undersurface,” said Dr. Noel Carilo, a consultant in Philippine Orthopedic Center and Saint Luke’s Medical Center Institute of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common heel pains that usually occurs on the first few steps in the morning. It gradually develops, and sometimes it may return after long periods of standing or after getting up from a sitting position. It feels like pins pricking the bottom of your foot, under the heel and usually on the inside.

Causes
According to Dr. Carilo, a medical practitioner for 27 years, plantar fasciitis is caused by constant stretching of the muscle, especially when a person carries heavy weights frequently. Increasing body weight and overuse of the feet in activities such as sports can also cause the condition.

“It can also be related to some rheumatologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and elevated blood uric acid. Poorly designed footwear with hard soles can [also] aggravate this condition,” he told The Manila Times.

Runners, women and overweight people are more likely to develop this condition because of the weight applied on the muscle. Ballet and aerobics might also trigger plantar fasciitis at an early age since dancers and fitness buffs are exposed to extensive foot exercise. Faulty foot mechanics, like being flatfooted and abnormal pattern of walking, can also affect how the weight is distributed on the foot.

Jobs can highly affect this condition, too. People who stand for hoursâ€"like waiters, factory workers, sales ladiesâ€"are more prone to have plantar fasciitis. Using high heels, for women, can augment and stress the fascia.

Effects
“[Plantar fasciitis] can be disabling . . . with pain, some people cannot put weight on their foot and it disables them for some time. Many can walk in its presence but they walk with limp,” Dr. Carilo warned.

This condition can also trigger the development of other possible pains in the knee, foot, hip and back because of the change in the person’s walking pattern.

Better than cure
Though cliché, prevention is better than any other treatment. It is very important to modify our activities through sports and dancing. Giving ourselves enough rest and relaxation will help a lot. Losing weight and modifying your footwear into something that has cushion on the arch will also be very useful.

Some exercises, too, play a very big role in treating the condition. Exercises, such as hill climbing, that stretch the plantar fascia can temporarily relieve the pain. “Putting your forefoot over a 2-inch thick piece of object and leaning forward to stretch your plantar fascia,” Dr. Carilo advised.

“There are factors that play an important role in its cause that can be modified and cannot be modified. Those that cannot be modified will be your age, your foot anatomy and the plantar fascia as well. Modifiable factors such as body weight, activities, footwear, uric acid, etc., should be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

Taking care of yourself is the most important thing to remember. Lifestyle change and consciousness about your body will be practical. After all, it is the cheapest way to prevent every ailment.

According to recent surveys, three out of every four Filipinos are satisfied with the Automated Election System (AES), which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) adopted on May 10.

Notwithstanding the protests filed by losing candidates, the stunning success of the AES is seen as helping to rehabilitate the image of the scandal-wracked Comelec.

The AES was made possible through the poll body’s partnership with the private consortium Smartmatic-TIM, which used the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) technology.

Although several PCOS machines acted up and caused delays in the voting at several precincts in certain parts of the country, misgivings about the AES quickly vanished as soon as election results began to be available within hours after the polls closed.

For the 2013 mid-term elections, the same AES has been proposed through the government’s outright purchase of Smartmatic-TIM’s PCOS machines. The arguments backing this proposal are sound and persuasive.

Buying the PCOS machines would, not only remove the need for another, expectedly contentious round of public biddings, it would also save government money and ensure that the 2013 elections, along with future polls, would be free from fraud and their results widely acceptable to the public.

The PCOS machines used last May were leased by Smartmatic TIM to the government for P7.2 billion by virtue of a contract that contains an option to purchase them for use in subsequent elections for P2 billion. The total bill for the purchase option would amount to a maximum of P5 billion, covering the machines and the automation technology services they require.

If the government were to opt for an entirely different technology, it would have to be ready to shell out at least P11 billion, which it already did for the last elections.

Critics of the purchase proposal claim that Smarmatic-TIM’s technology would already be obsolete by the time the next and other future elections come around.

To this, the consortium has responded with assurances that through its technology support services it would regularly update its softwareâ€"primarily to prevent potential hackers and would-be cheats from tampering with the machines.

Besides saving billions of pesos by acquiring the PCOS machines, the government would also save on training costs for election personnel who have already been trained by Smartmatic-TIM. Despite the isolated incidents of foul-ups and glitches, the vast majority of these personnel were able to put their skills and training to good use last May.

Other detractors of the option to purchase the PCOS machines continue to harp on the legalistic angle.
The proponents, however, point out that no less than the Supreme Court has already upheld the validity of the Co-melec-Smartmatic TIM contract with the Comelec.

The high tribunal even took note of the report of the Special Bids and Awards Committee-Technical Working Group (SBAC-TWG), which pointed out that Smartmatic-TIM’s AES system and PCOS machines had passed “all end-to-end demo tests” using a set of 26 criteria, including an accuracy rating of at least 99.955 percent.

Where then does the persistent campaign to discredit the AES come from?

Sources in the information technology (IT) sector point out that the most vociferous group of detractors of Smartmatic-TIM and its PCOS machines consists of losing bidders in the Comelec’s AES project.

These self-styled “IT experts” have filed a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Comelec officials and Smartmatic-TIM executives. They allege that many AES security features were abandoned or disabled during the elections to pave the way for widespread cheating.

They have been fueling the suspicion about a purported band of renegade Comelec-accredited technicians who had tampered with the election results by preprogramming the PCOS machines.

In fact, each and every one of the PCOS machines was under the joint control of the Comelec, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Smartmatic-TIM. The machines were only online for one to two minutes for the digital transmission of election results (ERs). They also adopted a security system similar to or even better than those used by banks for their Internet or ATM operations.

Soon after the May 10 elections Dennis Villorente, director of the DOST Advanced Science and Tech Institute, had testified before an inquiry called by the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chaired by then Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin during the 14th Congress. According to Villorente, the PCOS machines garnered 100-percent accuracy in reading results during the pre-election tests done by the DOST.

In addition, Al Vitangol III, a certified hacking forensic investigator, said during the same House probe that vote-counting results were automatically saved in write-protected files in the Compact Flash (CF) cards and thus could not be tampered with.

Demonstrations during the House committee’s inspection of Smartmatic TIM’s plant in Ca-buyao, Laguna, showed that PCOS machines did not count additional transmissions of the same election results, that audit logs could not be tampered with because the machine that was tested did not start up when it was fed a CF card whose log had been edited and that efforts to delete a file or write a file on the protected backup CF card both failed.

In view of these findings, why are some “IT experts” still bent on tarnishing the integrity of the country’s first-ever automated elections?

It needs reiterating that the most vehement detractors of the AES are executives of IT firms that lost in the bidding for the project.
Need we say more?

this is anti poor. nag lisod man gani ang  atung mga gikinanan sa upat lang ka tuig.dili ni ang solbad sa kalidad sa atong edukasyon.ilang dungagan ang mga maestra ug mag tukod sila ug mga eskwelahan kung gusto nila taas ang kalidad sa mga studyante.

Rogue soldiers sell to rebels, private armies
BY WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL REPORTER

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines has admitted that pilfered military war materiel were being sold by some unscrupulous personnel to enemies of the state and politicians maintaining private armies. The Armed Forces spokesman, Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr., made the admission on Monday in reaction to reports that the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was getting their firearms and ammunition from the Armed Forces.

“In the past, there was pilferage of firearms. This has been investigated and in fact we have prosecuted several personnel in this regard,” Mabanta said.

The guns, he added, were sold not only to the MILF but to criminal elements and other enemies of the state.

When asked if some of the pilfered firearms were also being sold to private armies, Mabanta replied, “That’s also a possibility.”

On the MILF acquiring the pilfered weapons and ammunition, the Armed Forces spokesman said that the military would investigate the matter if there were really a basis.

“The thing is we need data on this [pilferage] so that this will help us in determining really if there is truth to the report or not,” Mabanta added.

The war materiel finding their way to MILF has bolstered belief that stolen government-owned firearms and ammunition from the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP) also ended up on the hands of private armies of influential politicians, such as the Ampatuans of Maguindanao province in southern Mindanao.

According to the PNP Directorate for Intelligence, there are still 107 private armed groups all over the country, but only 65 of them are active.

It is also believed that some of the firearms and ammunition used in the November 23, 2009 massacre of 57 people, including 30 journalists, in Maguindanao came from the government armory.

Joint raids conducted by the Armed Forces and the national police on known Ampatuans residences and bailiwicks in December 2009 yielded some 900 high-powered firearms and thousands of pieces of ammunition, including a truck loaded with 330,000 bullets for M-16s, the standard firearm of the police and the military.

The pieces of ammunition were marked “Government Arsenal DND” and “Philippine National Police Camp Crame, Quezon City, Philippines.”

DND is the Department of National Defense.

The ammunition boxes were also found to have markings of Amscor, indicating that they came from the government arsenal in Bataan province, north of Manila.

Armscor supplies ammunition not only to the military and the police but also to civilians upon authorization of the government.

The head of the Bureau of Government Arsenal, Director Andres Pepito Bauto, earlier reported that in 2009, 9.4 million rounds of 5.56 ammunition, the standard government-issue bullet for M-16 rifles, have been deposited with the Armed Force’s logistics office or J-4.

The Armed Forces has “operational control” over the ammunition even if it is the Defense department that has administrative powers over the production of the bullets.

The military and the police have conducted separate investigations on how the guns and ammunition landed on the laps of the Ampatuans but they are yet to come up with their respective reports on the matter.

Marami ang nakikisimpatya sa sinibak na hepe ng Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) na si Prisco Nilo.

Bagama’t may malinaw na rason si Pangulong Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III sa pagsibak sa opisyal dahil makalawang beses na pumalpak ang ahensyang pinamumunuan nito sa pagbibigay weather forecast ay hindi pa rin tayo sang-ayon sa naging mabilis na desisyon nito.

Tama ang pag-aanalisa ng karamihan na hindi lamang ang sinibak na hepe ng PAGASA ang may pagkukulang sa kapalpakan ng ahensya at hindi ito lingid sa kaalaman ng Pangulo dahil mismong ito ay nakasaksi sa luma-luma at matatandang mga aparato ng PAGASA.

Sa katunayan ay nakaplano na ang pagbili ng gobyerno ng makabagong mga kagamitan ng PAGASA para lumapit sa katotohanan ang kanilang mga inilalabas na weather forecast na isang malinaw na pruweba na talagang pagkukulang sa aparato ng PAGASA para mabasa ang tunay na lagay ng panahon.

Pero siyempre, nakapagdesisyon na ang Pangulo. Naibaba na nito ang desisyong nagtatanggal sa pumalpak na opisyal at nakapagtalaga na ng kapalit.

Kaya sana nga, sa pagkakatalaga ng bagong pinuno ay wala na tayong kapalpakang maranasan dahil kung paulit-ulit itong mangyayari ay isa itong puntos para sa sinibak na hepe ng PAGASA dahil ibig lamang sabihin nito ay hindi sa liderato ang problema kundi ang lumang mga aparato sa PAGASA

MADALAS makita ang mga pangalan ng pulitiko sa ipinagawang waiting sheds, street signs, overpass, barangay hall, at maski sa mga basurahan. Nagdudumilat at malalaki ang letra ng pangalan ng pulitiko sa mga pinagawang proyekto. Pero alam n’yo bang hindi naman pera ng pulitiko ang ipinagpagawa ng mga proyektong iyon? Pera ng taumbayan ang ipinagpagawa niyon kaya walang karapatan ang mga pulitiko na ilagay ang kanilang pangalan doon. Sa buwis na ibinabayad ng taumbayan kinuha ang ipinagpagawa sa mga proyekto kaya hindi dapat angkinin ng pulitiko ang proyekto.

Matagal nang ginagawa ang ganitong praktis ng mga pulitiko. Mas lalong dumadami ang pangalan nila kapag malapit na ang eleksiyon. Epektibo nga naman ang paglalagay ng pangalan sa mga pinagawang proyekto sapagkat laging nakikita ng mga tao. Halim­bawa’y kapag inilagay ang pangalan ng pulitiko sa overpass, tiyak na marami ang makakakita sapagkat dinadaanan ng mga tao. Nakikita rin ng mga naka­sakay sa bus. Nakatatak na tuloy sa isipan ng mga tao ang pangalan ng pulitiko. At presto, pagdating ng eleksiyon, ang pangalan niya ang matatandaan ng botante.

Sa una ang mga Bol-anon pag pag abot sa 6:00 sa gabii tanan mga tawo motahod ug mangayo ug katahuran sa mga tawo nga mahinagbuan sa kalsada ug" Maayong gabii Nang o Maayong gabii Nong" nga atong na andan bisan wala ta kaila nila.Nakalimut na ba diay  ang mga Bol -anon ani?