MikeLigalig.com

Quote from: buwadsanga on June 18, 2009, 08:43:58 AM
mahulog ka unta sa imong pag step down glo! maajo ra!

Gamita Bwad imong degree sa Siquijor Academy. Asa na tong imong classmate nga si Glace aron double effect?

Aduy,

Wala pa man tingali 10 percent sa total overseas Filipino population ang nagparegister as OAV, busa bisag sa mga national elective offices nga pwede moapil ang OFWs, mahimong swing vote lang ang OAV block kung close contest.

Pero bisag dili ta makaapil pagpili ug governor, dako man tingali ang multiplier effect sa overseas Filipinos, isip breadwinners, kung aktibo lang ta pagtabang sa pagpangampanya sa atong pamilya ug kaparentehan.

For a change, let's vote for Cesar!

Quote from: aduy on June 18, 2009, 04:36:39 AM

galing kay unsaon man pagkadaug ni cesar ani nga dili man apil botohan ang mga governor sa mga OAV voters. Ang pwede botohan lang ay president, vice-president, senators and party list representatives raman.

pastilan! 

Raq,

Sobra jud pud ka fast learner ning mga politiko kay niambak man gikan BS pagka PhD, gilaktawan man ang MA.

Sabagay, basta bug-at imong bulsa, mapalit man tingali ang grado. Si Manny Pacquiao gani, gasugod pa lang ug college, gitagaan ng PhD sa usa ka university sa Cebu.

Quote from: Raquelproud boholana on June 18, 2009, 01:54:05 AM
Once mo enter ka ug politics the same thing ra sad na nga mo study ka sa School of Arts in Corruption. Ang first term mao nay gitawag ug Associates of Political Corruption unya once magkadugay na ka sa School of Politics mao na makakuha na ka ug Bachelor Degree in Corruption then Ph.D .

Administration politicians are giving us a smoke of mixed signals, perhaps to confuse the naive. What's this latest news I heard that cha-cha choreographer House Speaker Prospero Nograles is actually against Arroyo running in Congress in 2010? Perhaps to give us the impression that Nograles is no palace puppet, and the palace has nothing to do with the machinations in Congress for cha-cha? Tsk, tsk. Somehow, I just can't believe that this guy is really his own man.

Quote from: bolingitboy on June 17, 2009, 08:51:50 PM
"Bilib ko ni Gloria. She can't go through the front door, so she's sneaking through the back door of Cha-cha. Ambot lang ninjo, pero para nako pwede kaayo siya nganlan nga political ninja, as adopted Bol-anon, courtesy of Chatto and Cajes. She is either obsessed with the premiership, or scared out of her wits to spend her retirement in court battles. So she doesn't mind if she goes down from the Palace to the House, because through the House, she can sneak back to the Palace."

the best way to counter the "back-door entry" of GMA to get back to power is to JUNK all administration candidates in the 2010 elections. this way, there won't be any people to support the move to change the constitution.

I think we should not underestimate Cesar. He has been working hard to earn public respect, the latest among his accolades being his degree in Mass Communications at the Lyceum. Let's also give him credit for promoting Bohol in his artworks, not to mention the free media coverage Bohol gets everytime he and fellow artists come to Bohol.

Besides, Cesar is a natural poster boy for Bohol--a handsome governor for a beautiful island.

As long as Bohol does not have an internationally branded hotel (Hilton, Shangri-la, etc.), it will remain a second-tier tourist destination or just Cebu's satellite that's good only for day-tour services. The entry of Best Western International, which has its own international marketing network, will firm up Bohol's position among the world's tourist destinations. With the slated completion of the international airport on Panglao in 2010, hotel chains will certainly be vying as to who will be the first to break ground here.

Best Western eyes 15 RP hotels by 2012

By Elaine Ramos Alanguilan
Manila Standard Today

Best Western International, the world’s largest hotel chain, plans to expand its network in the Philippines to 15 hotels by 2012 from only two amid optimism on the country’s potential as a top tourist destination.

Cyndy Tan Jarabata, president of Tajara Leisure and Hospitality, the local development partner of Best Western International that owns the Best Western brand, said yesterday that 15 hotels and resorts catering to the mid-range segment would be carrying the brand by 2012.

The hotel chain manages over 4,000 hotels and over 300,000 rooms across the globe.

“The present economic climate provides an excellent opportunity for developing hotels. The market is strong and not overcrowded,” said Jarabata.

“Investors, who own land, can build now because construction costs are relatively low while bank loans are competitive. There is also the prospect of a robust economic recovery by 2011 to 2012, so by building now, you can be ready for the uptick,” she said.

Two Best Western brands currently operate in the Philippinesâ€"Best Western Astor Hotel Makati and Best Western Hotel La Corona in Manila.

Three, meanwhile, are either undergoing re-branding or under construction. Jarabata said the Cebu hotel, which is under construction, would cater to the business and leisure markets while the Boracay facility would target the leisure and conference markets. The third one in Manila, which is also under construction, will be marketed as a business hotel.

Jarabata said Tajara Leisure as development partner looks for partnersâ€"either existing hotels or those that are going to be built ground upâ€"that want to make use of the Best World brand and infrastructure.

The investors are the ones that will fund the development of the hotels and resorts and neither Tajara nor Global Western would put in equity in the development. Owners would have to pay an average one-time joining fee of $56,000 for a 100-room hotel to be accredited with Best Western.

Jarabata said other priority areas for hotel expansion are Bohol, Palawan, Naga (for Camarines Sur), Subic, Tagaytay, Baguio and Davao.

Glenn Souza, Best Western International vice president international operations-Asia, said the chain’s expansion would enhance the Philippines’ potential as a top tourism destination.

“Every country has its own charm. The Philippines is a well-known destination, it will always attract tourists. The only difference it has with other countries is its lack of commitment from both government and the industry in marketing the country as destination,” said Souza.

He said the local industry has been more reactive than proactive.

“The Philippines ranked among the top three destinations in Asean, but it ranked below the top five in terms of the pace of progress in terms of infrastructure and security. The government has to take a serious look on it because the tourism industry brings in a lot of dollars. It has to be more aggressive in promotions, in putting in place the infrastructure and the kind of security that the market needs,” added Souza.

Sa parliamentary system, mahimo man gihapon bicameral o unicameral ang legislature. Ang Japan ug UK, bicameral man sila. Sa Japan, naay House of Representatives ug House of Councillors; sa UK, House of Commons ug House of Lords.

Ang dako siguro nga savings dili sa gubiyerno kundi sa mga politiko ug mga partido kay dili naman kinahanglan ug nationwide campaign para mupili ug prime minister. Sa electoral blocs or regional constitutuencies ra man pilion ang mga magbabalaod, ug ang mga napili nga magbabalaod, sili na'y mupili pud sa prime minister.

Usa pa nga maingon nato nga bentaha, dili na popularity contest ang pagpili ug pangulo sa nasod. Gamay na siguro ang tsansa sa mga artista kay di na direkta moboto ang tawo. Katong mga magbabalaod nga taas ug edukasyon ug naay kaalam ug kinaadman--supposedly--ang mupili sa ilang lider nga mao pud mahimong lider sa nasod.

Quote from: fdaray on June 17, 2009, 03:46:42 PM
Ako uyon  nga usabon ang sistema sa atong government from presidential to parliamnetary. Sa parliamentary, usa na ang law making body , and congress na.Dako ug saving ang atong governo. Gamay na ang hatagan ug pork barrel.

Manny is the latest free endorser of Bohol. See how his family has enjoyed their extended stay...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krnj9-63Y-4

Father, 3 children die in apparent murder-suicide in Hiroshima
Wednesday 17th June, 09:02 AM JST

HIROSHIMA â€"The bodies of a man and his three children were discovered Tuesday by the man’s parents who had come to visit him in his Nishi Ward apartment. The children, two 4 year-old twin boys and a 3 year-old girl, were all nursery school students. According to police, the four were laying on their futons and had no visible external injuries. In the room were charcoal cinders and a make-shift will scribbled on a piece of paper. Police believe the man forced the three children to commit suicide with him.

According to Hiroshima City officials, the man was receiving welfare for the three children.

Based on witness reports that the man and children had been seen in the neighborhood about a week before the incident and the state of the bodies, police believe the deaths occurred a few days prior to being discovered. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.

The three children lived together with their father, who was separated from his wife. The children had been absent from nursery school since mid-May.

The Hiroshima City child consultation office reports that the man had called them at the end of January and admitted he was having difficulty taking care of the three children. The office recommended he temporarily give the children up, but the man refused. From that time, a child welfare office contacted the family once per month, and when an officer visited the home at the end of May, the children appeared to be healthy and the man in high spirits.

Woman jumps to death from bldg; 1-yr-old daughter found dead in bedroom

Wednesday 17th June, 01:35 PM JST

TOKYO â€"A 32-year-old woman died on Tuesday after apparently jumping from the 14th floor of an apartment building in Nerima Ward, police said. Her 1-year-old daughter was found dead in the apartment, and police believe the woman strangled her daughter before jumping from the building.

Natsuko Yumoto was found lying in the apartment building car park at around 10.30 a.m. by one of the building managers. Yumoto was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after. She lived with her husband and daughter in an apartment on the 4th floor, but police said they found a bag belonging to her in a corridor on the 14th floor, and believe she jumped from there.

Yumoto’s daughter, Akari, was found dead in the 4th floor apartment with strangle marks around her neck, believed to have been inflicted with an electrical cord. A note was found nearby, which said sorry in addition to some other comments not made public. Police said the Yumoto’s husband was working on Tuesday.

Chronicle's 36 Years in Community Journalism not a Walk in the Park
by: ELY P. DEJARESCO

Your humble community newspaper, the NEGROS CHRONICLE, has turned 36 last Friday, Independence Day, and with no fanfare, we just say, this paper’s past 35 years of dedicated service to community journalism was not exactly a walk in the park. If you are a true blue Dumagueteno, you will know what we mean. It is because, our readers and audience are a unique breed, much different form the audience of other cities and provinces. Indeed, we can say with all candor that Dumaguete community of readers is unique and we love Dumaguete for what it is.

As journalists, we tell you, if you only know how lucky we are to work with you here in Dumaguete. I was born in Bohol, finished my journalism and law studies in Dumaguete’s Silliman University. I started my journalism career in the defunct DYSR-AM, indeed, a legend in radio broadcasting in the Philippines. My late father, Atty. Jun Dejaresco,

is a true blue Negrense, born in La Libertad in 1920, fought in the last World War here, and escaped to Bohol as he was hunted by the Japanese kempitai. It was there where he met his lady love, Charing, married, produced ten siblings, and established the award-winning pioneer in community journalism in 1954, and three radio stations. It was there where we got our hard knox training, starting as a newboy in the streets of Tagbilaran, copy boy, news reporter, associate editor, to running our own humble media enterprise in this native land of my father in Negros Oriental. My late dad is a proud and outstanding alumnus-awardee of the Negros Oriental High School. His favorite classmate was the late senator Lorenzo Teves. This is the saga about the Bohol-Negros media connection.

It was one Freedom Day Celebration in the Martial Law year of 1973 that we came out with our maiden issue. It was a 12-page edition, and our newsboys hit the streets during the Freedom Day rites at the Quezon Park. The next edition was a four-page affair. And then it went back to six pages.

The significant part of our history as a newspaper is that Marcos has just closed down all media in Dumaguete, all radio stations, all newspapers, and in the entire country for that matter.

The newspapers then were the Negros Express, the Negros Examiner, a very vigilant media run by the late local greats like Bert Pontiniella and Procs Montesino. They too had their own printing presses, that is why they are independent. We also had smaller papers like the People of Mr. Artes, The Bomshell of Paking Arrieta, and third one I forgot the name. Jobless, I thought of going back to newspapering since I was working with DYSR, the defunct radio legend of Dumaguete City, inside Silliman campus. I was handling the oldest running public affairs program “Dumaguete Tonight,” now handled by Florence Baesa in our own radio station, the first FM station in Dumaguete City which opened in 1980.

We then published on letterpress process, almost the monotype method and by linotype. Most of our journalism students now would not know that process ever existed in Dumaguete. Everybody now is on desk top publishing where you can publish as many pages, and in any part of the world. The rise of technology is simply unbelievable.

The humble rise of the paper during the last 36 years was seen through its increase in its number of pages, from an average of eight pages in the 80s to 12 pages in the 90s, and from 16 to 20 pages in the millennium years. Thanks to our readers, advertisers and friends.

We not only circulate provincewide, regionwide, and in the NCR, but worldwide through the web. Modesty aside, we have recorded over 200,000 hits in our web page. Google is now advertising with us, and we have sold real estate thru the web with our associate editor Atty. Jay Dejaresco being himself (5th placer nationwide) a full fledge licensed real estate broker.

As we enter our 36th year of service to community journalism, we pledge our renewed commitment to serve the public with even much more vigor, vigilance and faith in the Almighty in that His Will be done through this informationministry. We shall endeavor to do our limited best in delivering the news and hearing your comments about public issues through the NEGROS CHRONICLE and STATION DYEM FM.

It's amazing how Bohol is blessed with uniqueness that is unrivaled by any of the other 7,106 islands.

Just mention any of the following words and everybody will instantly know you're talking about Bohol: calamay, Chocolate Hills, peanut kisses, tarsier, Loboc, Panglao...

The calamay especially symbolizes Bohol. From the outside, we seem just like any of the other islands or coco shells. But once you unravel that red band and just step ashore out of curiosity (in psychology, it's the red button that triggers curiosity), you'll find a lot of sweet wonders.

Selling "life in a nutshell"

by Rey Anthony Chiu

Tagbilaran City (16 June) -- Selling life, in a nutshell.

This is how 68-year old Demetria Bagoy unwittingly describes her close engagement in Bohol's calamay industry as a calamay maker in Alburquerque town and a vendor at the city port.

Rain and shine, sweat and tears, dedication and hardwork all packed in neat coconut-shell she offers to tourists and guests. It also describes the industry that has kept people sticking together to pick a new identity as calamay town here.

Almost daily, Demetria, or Demie and her family face stifling heat to stir cook milled glutinous rice in coconut milk and brown sugar solution for a couple of hours over low fire in their cramped kitchen.

All of these to bring out that sweet gluey stuff in spoke-shaved coconut shells banded in red which tourists in Bohol would not go home without.

Rain or shine, hell or high water, as long as the fast crafts come, Demie and other calamay vendors stalk the port and offer the "sweet fruit" of their labor to tourists.

When not selling, Demetria, or Nang Demie also sits as an officer of Alburquerque Calamay Makers' Association, an organization helping to improve the lot of people intricately stuck in a sticky industry for more than half a century.

Left with little capital, less technical know-how in packaging, Demie and many Alburanons tapped government and non-government help to aggressively promote their product.

When government aggressively pursued tourism for Bohol, calamay makers like her saw the perfect chance.

Now selling briskly to tourists passing by the city port, the family also sources the money for their daily rice and fish.

Demie has sold the product since 1962, has seen rough times but as long as tourists keep coming, selling would always be up, she said.

In the business that demands small financial capital but more hardwork, they have to sell daily and compete with other vendors.

But fully believing in "tourism bringing opportunities" not only for vendors like her, Bagoy and her organization have been religiously coming to the makeshift stall at the port to sell their toil.

Makapamugas man hinuon pod, Nang Demie shared in Cebuano when asked about the income.

Now tying up with Capitol and the Bohol Local Development Foundation for a display center project in their town, Demie and countless other calamay makers have been thankful for government direct and indirect intervention to promote the industry.

As long as tourists come, we are assured of our daily needs, she said.

Along with other stakeholders, the tourism boom in Bohol has opened countless job opportunities for people engaged in tour operations, hotel and restaurant, arts and culture and other support industries including agriculture. (PIA) [top]

hi ginger, welcome home! musunod na unya ko'g uli inigkahuman sa akong kamalig sa tagbi... kitakita ra ta unya ug magdugay ka pa.

Sori kaayo mdb, nalimot man ko nga di diay ni for-the-boys-only. Nagtagay ra man ko's mga laki.

A man who ages tastefully is usually with a woman who ages gracefully and graciously.

Quote from: ms da binsi on June 17, 2009, 10:11:35 AM
...as well as women?

Actor Montano declines Arroyo appointment

By Kit Bagaipo
Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 02:41:00 06/17/2009

TAGBILARAN CITY -- Actor-director Cesar Montano announced on Tuesday that he declined the position of film czar so that he could focus on his bid to run for governor in Bohol in the 2010 elections.

Montano has long been rumored to be eyeing the province’s top position but has not confirmed his political plans until Tuesday.

Montano, whose real name is Cesar Manhilot and a registered voter in the town of Baclayon, said he and his family felt honored by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s appointment of him as Presidential Special Envoy for Film and Digital Cinema.

“I am grateful … but I regret to say I could not accept it since this will sidetrack my preparations for a gubernatorial bid in May 2010,” Montano said in a telephone interview aired on radio station dyRD Tagbilaran.

Montano, who initiated the interview, said he wanted to bring in “change in Bohol politics,” which he said was being “used by politicians for business interests.”

The actor-director disclosed that he has the support of his family. Wife and actress Sunshine Cruz is actively involved in promoting tourism in this island-province.

Cruz, who talked briefly during the interview, said she fully supported her husband’s political plans.

Montano’s appointment, which was signed by Ms Arroyo on May 19, would have accorded Montano diplomatic status.

When asked if he would seek the support of Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado, Montano only said that he did not “need the blessings” of the governor.

Hi thegirlnextdoor,

Happy Birthday! I pray that you remain healthy and upbeat and not tire of bringing us the latest news in town as TB's eyes, ears, nose and throat (EENT)--someone who sees, hears, smells and speaks for us... As to the occasional bumps, remember they're part of the joy ride of friendship. As to the occasionally rough waves on Bohol's seas, they're just inviting you to learn how to surf. Keep that zest for life, that's what you were born for!

Gate-crash pud ko diris pikas party! Happy Birthday, Macky. Unya na lang pohon atong red wine, aron maedaran pag dugang. Men, like wine, are better the older they get.

Happy Birthday Macky! Let's thank God that best days of our lives are still ahead of us, even when they call this mid-life!

He left his three children in Bohol to make this quick trip to New York, where he got a very warm reception from the American fans. Pacquiao's eldest son reportedly called Dad and Mom up to allow them to stay longer in Bohol.

They  must be having a good time with the dolphins and the tarsiers. This is another free endorsement for Bohol, after Claudine, Kris and Gretchen.

As to Pacquiao, this guy sure knows how to maximize his gain in every move.

How true! In my job as interpreter/translator, I usually interact with clients on the basis of number of hours rendered or number of pages of job order. I have to thank God for this work (even if it's stressful)  that takes me to courts, public offices,employers--anywhere where people need my language skills in Japanese, English, Bisaya, Tagalog, etc.

My most fulfulling moment in this job was when I rendered my service for free. A Filipino-Japanese father, just a few years younger than me, visited me at a busy time and was crying inconsolably. We have met casually about two or three times before, but I couldn't remember his name anymore. I learned that his 16-year old daughter was afflicted with a life-threatening illness that he couldn't understand, as the Japanese doctors couldn't speak English and were themselves not sure at that point what the exact ailment was. He said that he had been in limbo as to the nature of the daughter's sickness for more than two months, and was almost losing hope. To make matters worse, he and his wife were just barely scraping by on their part-time jobs.

When I saw his 16-year old daughter, barely able to straighten her back because it was her vertebra that was affected, my heart was broken. I saw in her my own 16-year old daughter... and the promise of an abundant life that the young should be holding in their hearts at this age. And I thought, how could anybody so young, who could very well be my own daughter, be so close to the brink of death?

To make the story short, I dropped everything I was doing for that day. I accompanied them to two major hospitals in two different cities. We were given a run-around before we were finally accommodated in a university hospital in another city with state-of-the-art equipment. The head doctor, apparently one of the leading experts in orthopedics in Japan who is also fluent in English, quickly buckled down to the series of tests, came up with a definitive diagnosis, operated on the girl, and now she is recovering remarkably. We are now working on seeking welfare assistance for the medical costs. The important thing is that the girl has crossed the most critical stage and is now recuperating.

Doing good to others is not only helping them, but helping yourself as well. You're right, it makes you feel happy and makes them feel happy as well. A good act makes us all affirm hope in this world.

Quote from: lore_meeh on June 15, 2009, 09:36:11 PM
It makes me happy when I help others and in doing so it also made them happy.. I guess when you learn to be contented with what you have and appreciate every little thing that this beautiful world offers.. Despite of all cruelty, you still believe that there is sooo much in life worth celebrating for.. Learn to look at all things and experiences in a beautiful way, then you'll realized happiness is not something you have to search all your life for.

Bitaw, Belle, taud-taod na gyud ta wa nagkahimamat. Sakto gyud ka, tanang tawo, butang ug panahon sa kalibutan mulabay lang gyud.

Busa bitaw naay panihundum nato sa Ecclesiastes nga di gyud ta musalig nga mahibaw-an nato kung unsay naa para nato inigkaugma.

I've also learned to take life as it comes and live one day at a time.

I've learned to laugh when there's something to celebrate, and to cry silently when there's something to mourn. God has broken down the seasons of the year into four equal parts. I am sure the same Wisdom has prepared for us equal portions of happiness and sorrow. Salamat lang gani ko nga wa pa ko kaagi ug kalipay nga gaawas-awas, kay basig bawion sa luhang makalumos inig kasunod.

Through it all, I try to find anchor in an inner peace that is not affected by the change of circumstances and people around me.

Quote from: ms da binsi on June 15, 2009, 08:55:02 PM


FINALLY!!!

Bene san, taud2x na ko nag basa ani nga thread an i could never ever  say anything because i dont really know what to say. I really believe that there is no such WHAT MAKES... or  WHAT IS... to me. Happiness or Joy is the same. I have done so many things to gain happiness and joy, materially and spiritually respectively but none is PERMANENT! (Im just honest)

So i stopped my quest and live by the day whatever comes (come what may) happy or sad.

True, you can never appreciate the joy and happiness when you never were sad.  Maybe it is so boring noh?

Ecclesiastes 7:14 (NIV)
      When times are good, be happy;
       but when times are bad, consider:
       God has made the one
       as well as the other.
       Therefore, a man cannot discover
       anything about his future.

We have to take both the good times and the bad, the happy times and the sad ones. As the Bible says, it is not for us to know when God will give us the happy and the sad times. But we have to be thankful for both times, because sad times make us appreciate the happy days, and happy days remind us that a reward awaits those that bear the sad times graciously.

Constitutional amendments, especially on provisions that will change the fundamental structure of government, should be done in the best of times--in peace time, in times of economic stability, in times of political consensus, in times when the incumbent administration is not on its way out.

We should not treat constitutional amendment like an emergency first aid or an instant solution to a short-term or time-specific crisis, to benefit specific vested interests, partisan or individual agenda.

We've had two decades to experience, test and think about the present constitution. Why now?

Kung bisag hustisya panginlabutan pa sa pulitika, lisod gyud muugmad atong katilingban.

Foreclosed Churches: Finding a Place to Pray
Worshippers Without Churches Turning to Homes, Cafes
By G. JEFFREY MACDONALD
ABC News
June 14 ,2009


When Barry Diamond first told fellow ministers that his Las Vegas church was preparing to leave its 12,000-square-foot rental space in April and worship instead in members' homes, they warned him he was "committing ministry suicide."

Worshippers have been turning to cafes and each other's homes after their churches closed due to foreclosure.

But Pastor Diamond and The Village, as his nondenominational church is known, have survived. Fifteen homes now hold intimate services twice a month. On other Sundays, they dip into funds previously earmarked for rent and use them for special events and outreach, such as a May block party for local African refugees. Now other church leaders want to know how they might follow suit.

"I don't know if we uncovered a model that people are longing for or what," Diamond says. "But I have six appointments over the next three or four weeks with [church leaders] who are flying into Las Vegas just to meet and talk about it."


Leaving a building with no plans for a new one used to be a hallmark of a failed congregation. In this recession, however, a growing number of hard-hit churches are struggling to pay rents and mortgages. That has some thinking about the formerly unthinkable: being a church without a building -- and they are getting encouragement from building-free congregations who wouldn't have it any other way.

Since the economic downturn began, six financially stressed churches in various states have sought advice from The Well in California's Orange County. It's a 57-year-old Southern Baptist congregation that quit its $5,000-per-month lease in 2005 and formed what has become a network of five house churches. Sensing a need among financially strapped churches, Pastor Ken Eastburn in April launched a website --leave the buildingblog.com -- to assure struggling churches there's spiritual life after bricks and mortar.

"We didn't really start out encouraging churches to do this, but people who would hear our story started to contact us over the last year," says Pastor Eastburn, whose church has grown from 50 to 75 members since leaving its rented facility. "If this model is something that works, and if we can help other churches [adopt it], then maybe this is what God has us doing right now."

The world is not fair, and never will be. If it gives some comfort, we can think that at least we never get hit in the body or the face to earn our three daily meals, never be around so many people trying to get a piece of you.

I heard about an explanation of a type of cyclone or weather abnormality in which the wind sucks up the water and the living things in it and transports them skyward, then dump the water together with the fish on land.

Quote from: mistyeyed on June 13, 2009, 06:30:16 PM
BENELYNNE

Tan awa ra gu ni
Piskay lagi
Benelyn-ne
Unsa man diay ni
Ingon dayon ka
Benelyn-ne
Ayaw intawon hilabte
Aw kaingon man gud ko ug baligya ni
Benelynne diay ni
Piskay ra ba unta ni
Mao pa ako pagka kita ani
Benelynne
Nitubag si Ate
Ibaligyan nalang gud te ni pauli-e beh
Diko oi,ingon si ate
Benelyn-ne
Kasab-an tas tag iya ani
Sunod ra ug ang tag iya mo ari
Atong ingonon ug
Belene me.
hehehe.

Seryoso lagi'g pangita sa kalipay,
imong balak diri akong gisubay.

Abi naku'g bahin sa kalipay
Benelynne diay nga imong ibaligyaay

Kasagara sa mga benelynne
Lisud gyud mahalin

Pero ug imo gyud idayon pagbaligya
Siguraduha lang dili sa tag-iya

Seryoso mangitag kalipay.

Unsa bitaw seryoso naku, ang nawong o ang akong gisulti? Busa bitaw I'd rather be joyful than happy, kay bisag seryoso ang nawong, naa man kuno sa sulod ang katawa.

Quote from: mistyeyed on June 13, 2009, 02:18:14 PM
Seryoso kaayo ka Ben oi. Saludo ko nimo Bay.

Pinoys still want to retire in RP

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 06/13/2009 12:27 PM

Filipinos, particularly those nearing retirement in Vienna, Austria, still wants to spend their hard-earned money and pension in the Philippines.

"Gustung-gusto ko talagang sa Pilipinas mamalagi. Iba na ang atmosphere natin sa Pilipinas. Matanda na tayo. Iba talaga kapag kamag-anak natin titingin sa atin,” said Fermin Torres, a member of the Ilonggo Community in Austria.

Some would like to retire in the Philippines because, they say, life in Austria is harder especially since the country has been affected by the global economic crisis.

"Mas masarap ang buhay sa atin talaga kung compare mo dito. Dito talagang kayod ka talaga ng kayod. Kung nasa Pilipinas ka, kung may kaunting puhunan ka pwede mong mapalago,” said OFW Brazzi Yanson.

Convenience is also one of the reasons why Filipinos in Vienna would like to return to the country.

"Medyo relax ako sa Pilipinas. May katulong ako doon. Medyo hindi na ako magta-trabaho. Samantalang dito sa Vienna lahat ako ang gumagawa. Ako na katulong, ako pa din ang boss,” said medical technologist Rey Reyes.

Others whose families are with them in Austria also expressed their willingness to spend their vacation in the Philippines. report from Hector Pascua, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Exclusive: Manny Pacquiao's 2008 BWAA Fighter of the Year award acceptance speech
Dennis dSource Guillermo
Indianapolis Fight Sports Examiner
June 12, 11:19 PM


Manny Pacquiao received his award for the BWAA's 2008 Fighter of the Year in New York just moments ago. The BWAA awards is considered as the most prestigious in boxing, and the biggest names of the sport all came out in full force. None however was bigger tonight than the 2008 Fighter of the Year Manny Pacquiao.

I have transcribed Manny's award acceptance speech for those who failed to see the ceremony and not lucky enough to be among the few invited at the dinner. Here's Manny Pacquiao's acceptance speech.


    “Pleasant evening to all the guests, my fellow awardees and the esteemed members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. I would like to congratulate the Boxing Writers Association of America for it's 84th annual awards night. Your long existence only proves that there no association more prestigious than the Boxing Writers Association of America. (applause)

    You have passed the test of time. It is my great honor and privilege to be chosen as the 2008 Fighter of the Year. It is for this reason that I chose to travel half across the globe to personally receive this award tonight. (cheers and applause)

    Choosing me as the fighter of the year in 2006 was the highest accolade in my boxing career. Giving it to me for the second time leaves me with no words to express the joy and how grateful I feel. It would surely pain me not to come accept this prestigious award personally. I want to let you know that it is a privilege to personally receive this award and thank everybody for their trust and confidence you have given me. Deep in my heart I know how the BWAA has supported me in my boxing career. The members have been kind and wonderful to me in the write-ups.

    Who I am, not only in America but the whole world is something I owe to you my friends. And for that, I will be forever grateful. (cheers and applause) For honoring me with this prestigious award, I promise the Boxing Writers Association of America that the boxing fans will see a more exciting Manny Pacquiao, every round, every minute, every second I fight on the top of the ring…

    I also hope that this award will serve as an example and an inspiration for the young fighters to believe in themselves and keep on dreaming big. Always remember, your dreams will always be inside you. No one can take it away.

    Having this award now is really larger than life; having to follow the footprints of the legendary fighters. But I didn’t do it all by myself. I had the help and support of many people. I’d like to take this rare opportunity to thank all of them, especially to our God. Without God I am not here. For all the blessing he gave me, Thank you.

    And to my wife and kids: Jinkee, Michael, Jimwell, Princess and Queen Elizabeth and to my family who supported me- advice, encouragement and comfort over the course of this endeavor having more than I can express.

    Mr. Bob Arum, my promoter Bob, Thanks for believing in me.

    To my trainer Freddie Roach, Congratulations coach for being the trainer of the year. You deserve it!

    To the members of Team Pacquiao, it has been a wonderful year for all of us.

    To the Filipino nation who continue to inspire me to do my best. To all the boxing fans, to my fellow nominees who are equally great and excellent in their own way. And to all the people and institutions that I forgot to mention who in one way or another contributed a lot to making everything possible for me. Thank you! This is for you!!!"

Bitaw, jj ug mdb, maaayo ra ba unta kung mabaligya nimo ang halin igo ipalit ug tuba.

Pahinumdum tingali sa kaitas-an ning panahon sa kalisod nga, "it's useless to give a person fish; teach that person how to fish." Kay nipaulan man gani'g isda, dunot pa. Pamasol daw mo uy...

Quotemas nindot untag, moulan og warta....  Grin Tongue Grin

Quote from: ms da binsi on June 13, 2009, 12:35:22 PM
Bene san nindot unta ug mag uwan ug kwarta! di lang unta bangkaw! hahahaha

It's not only an idiom, like "it's raining cats and dogs." It's literally raining fish and tadpoles in this town in Japan, and nobody knows why or how, yet. Read on.

First tadpoles, now it's raining fish

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2009/6/12

NAKANOTO, Ishikawa Prefecture--They dropped out of the sky, apparently--the fish, that is.

About 10 small fish, all dead, were found Tuesday near a road in a residential area here. The fish, each 3 to 5 centimeters long, appeared to be crucian carp.

A 78-year-old man in Nakanoto spotted the fish on the rear roof of a van and in a roadside ditch Tuesday evening.

The unusual sighting comes after about 100 dead tadpoles were found in Nanao, about 15 kilometers north of Nakanoto, and more than 30 in Hakusan to the south on June 4, 6 and 8.

Opinions on the cause of the incidents include birds spitting out tadpoles or a tornado, but no one has come up with a convincing explanation.

Bilib ko ni Gloria. She can't go through the front door, so she's sneaking through the back door of Cha-cha. Ambot lang ninjo, pero para nako pwede kaayo siya nganlan nga political ninja, as adopted Bol-anon, courtesy of Chatto and Cajes. She is either obsessed with the premiership, or scared out of her wits to spend her retirement in court battles. So she doesn't mind if she goes down from the Palace to the House, because through the House, she can sneak back to the Palace.

Arroyo seeking House seat in 2010

DAR chief: She often tells close allies of plan
By Charlie Señase
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 00:53:00 06/13/2009


COTABATO CITYâ€"President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will definitely step down in 2010 and run for Congress in her home province of Pampanga, a Cabinet official said Friday.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman gave this apparently categorical statement on Ms Arroyo’s political plans when he spoke to reporters at the sidelines of the Independence Day celebrations in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), where he was a guest speaker.

“Definitely, she is running for Congress and would represent the people of Pampanga,” Pangandaman, one of Ms Arroyo’s staunch supporters, said. “She is definitely stepping down after her term.”

Pangandaman said Ms Arroyo had always told those close to her about her plans to run in the congressional race in Pampanga.

He said Ms Arroyo made her latest statement on the matter during a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) earlier this week.

“This should allay the fears of the opposition about the no-election scenario,” Pangandaman said.

No Cha-cha now

The opposition has warned that the Charter change (Cha-cha) being pushed by Malacañang’s allies in the House of Representatives through a constituent assembly (Con-ass) was meant to extend her term beyond 2010.

But Pangandaman said Ms Arroyo had no hand in the Cha-cha efforts and that it was the initiative of Congress, particularly Speaker Prospero Nograles. He said Ms Arroyo herself was not in favor of Cha-cha under her administration.

“She said it could come later. Let the people decide after the elections,” Pangandaman said.

He said Ms Arroyo’s decision to run in Pampanga was not dampened by recent surveys showing increasing dissatisfaction with her performance.

Part of democracy

“The President gives little attention to surveys as she continues to urge her official family to hasten the completion of Malacañang’s priority projects on infrastructure, education, health, agriculture and other social services,” Pangandaman said.

He also said Ms Arroyo wanted the people to decide if they wanted her as their representative in Congress.

Pangandaman said Ms Arroyo looked at recent protest rallies in Makati and elsewhere in the country against Cha-cha as part of a healthy democracy.

“In a democratic form of government there must be the pro and con, the administration and the opposition, provided that arguments and differences do not end up in violence and disorder,” he said.

In Manila, Undersecretary Gary Olivar, deputy presidential spokesperson on economic affairs, said “there is no reason to expect otherwise,” when asked if Ms Arroyo would step down when her term ends on June 30, 2010.

“This is something she repeatedly said directly and through the people who speak for her,” Olivar said.

Responding to another question, Olivar said: “The important point to make though is that the President has no intention of staying beyond 2010.”

A latest Social Weather Stations survey shows 43 percent of Filipino voters do not believe Ms Arroyo intends to step down next year.

Defensor downplayed

In Tacloban City, presidential adviser Gabriel Claudio downplayed the statements made by Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor, another staunch Malacañang ally, that Ms Arroyo should say goodbye to public office after her term expires.

Claudio said the 2010 elections would be held as scheduled and Ms Arroyo had no intention of prolonging her stay in Malacañang.

“[Defensor] has already explained … that he has the best intentions for the President and he continues to support the President and her administration. Let us not put any meaning or intrigue to what he said,” Claudio said.

Claudio was in Tacloban to lead the celebration of Independence Day at the convention center there.

No basis

Both Claudo and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, another Arroyo ally, stressed there was no basis to fear that the recently approved House Resolution No. 1109 setting up a constituent assembly would lead to the scrapping of next year’s polls.

“House Resolution 1109 does not contemplate a single proposed amendment but rather it is just a call for Congress to convene into a constituent assembly to enter any and all proposed amendments,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez, who is the senior vice president for finance of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said it was “very clear in black and white … that there is no term extension for the President.”

Big irony

In Koronadal City, where Ms Arroyo led Independence Day celebrations, the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) denounced what it said was a violent police dispersal of its rally Friday.

About 100 militants were dispersed while protesting against the proposed Con-ass.

“The big irony is they did it during our Independence Day celebration,” Edward Flores, the group’s spokesperson, told reporters. With reports from TJ Burgonio in Manila, Aquiles Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao, and Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas

Loboc is the cleanest of Pasig and Marilao rivers, as featured in the GMA documentary below. Let's not oversell Bohol, basig mapuno na unya'g floating restaurant ang Loboc ug samot mahugaw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZNHa6n8nNs

Ka luya ba kaayo sa gesture ni Gloria sa pagpahunong sa con-ass, murag di man klaro kon supak ba gyud siya o "just for the record" aron kung mamugos gyud ang Congress ug mag-weigh in pud sa ila ang Supreme Court, pwede siya muingon, sama sa kanunay n'yang isulti, "You know that I don't care much about politics, my mind is only on economics."

Biyahe na pud siya sa Japan ug Brazil... Wa lagi kuno siya'y kalambigitan anang kalihukan sa kongreso.

Just noticed your signature, capital man gyud diay ang Peace. My pleasure, if you'd like to use it...

Quote from: jamo2x on June 13, 2009, 12:12:26 AM
okies na bay bene. orig nimo ni bay...pde gamiton nahong singature line na hehehe.


i can fully relate to that inner peace. samot ka lifay og katapad naho si Joy 

Quote from: loyski on June 12, 2009, 02:47:28 PM
Familiar gud ky taga-bohol man ko.hehe...

Sir, daan pa lagi ko nga nakahimamat ta na ka. Murag ikaw gyud tong nangitag rason aron di makaadto sa Senado kay stressful. Now I undertand why you want them stricken out from the constitution.

Quote
Anyway, I think our country's situation is different from the USA. They have a very strong democratic tradition, and has been for hundreds of years, while we're a relatively new democracy. While they have not changed their Constitution, they have amended it many times already.

Ako lang punto, we'll never reach maturity in our democratic institutions because we keep changing our system before it has even gelled and before we've even learned the ropes.

I am not against amendments per se. Like bolingitboy, I believe that we can make amendments on parts and portions where the majority of Filipinos agree there is a need for. But a wholesale change of the constitution, rammed by a constitutional assembly (mura na man sila'g parliament wa pa man gani napulihan ug parliamentary system) on behalf of the entire populace at this time when we're approaching the next presidential election is simply beyond me.

Quote
I think we're the only country in South East Asia with a presidential form of government. Maybe we'll try something else to see if it will fit us perfectly. They say that if it ain't broken, why fix it? But our government is broken, and we can't fix it, so maybe we should try something else.  The presidential form of government is cause for too much political instability, especially when there are many ambitious politicians who have no shame or word of honor. Let's try a parliamentary form of government and have a prime minister as head of government, who we can replace if he/she doesn't do the job.

As I argued in the other thread, a parliamentary system also has inherent instability in that the executive and legislative branches are merged, and in times of legislative stalemate, it would always be a race between the prime minister dissolving the parliament or the parliament casting a vote of no-confidence on the prime minister. When a situation like this arises, it would be chaotic, since both the executive and legislative branches are affected.

In my opinion, a parliamentary system can work smoothly if we have a strong, stable party system (unsaon man nga daghan man kaayo balimbing sa atong mga politiko), we have a strong, stable, efficient bureaucracy that can carry on the day-to-day business of government even when there is parliamentary impasse, and when there is another ceremonial, non-political social institution such as monarchy that can mediate and bring a sense of balance through periods of parliamentary deadlock and transition.

Just my two cents' worth.

I have to defer to your opinion of these two men, since I've only read about them and don't have first-hand knowledge of their performance. I just have to admit that I was impressed and held them in high esteem until I've read their names in this list.

Indeed,  it's not fair to attribute Bohol's phenomenal rise as a premier tourist destination to a single individual, let alone someone like Edgar Chatto. Looking back now, it is more accurate to say that Chatto has benefited from Bohol's collectively driven rise to prominence in the tourist map and as a result has been given the recognition in Congress and by the president as a tourism leader. Chatto has forgotten that he is indebted to the Boholanos, not the Malacanang nor the majority party in Congress.

Quote from: bolingitboy on June 12, 2009, 09:35:48 PM
"Cajes was the chair of the House ethics committee that investigated the alleged hidden wealth of the Arroyos in Germany and cleared them."

to begin with, that investigation was a farce. cajes sought if there were properties in germany in the name of mike arroyo. with our experience of erap amassing ill-gotten wealth under the name of jose velarde, the direction with which the cajes investigation proceeded is obviously a sign of a farcical play.

"Edgar Chatto has a sterling legislative record and is largely credited for catapulting Bohol in the tourism map."

while edgar chatto may have authored a good number of house bills, i would beg to disagree that chatto is responsible for the brisk business the tourism sector in bohol has been experiencing. this fact is largely due to the inclusion of bohol as one of the 8 anchor tourism destinations in the country as identified, promoted and actively supported by the Department of Tourism (DOT). chatto does not even have anything to do with the inclusion of bohol in the list of 8 anchor destinations. chatto's contribution to tourism was his recently-approved tourism bill. long before the approval of this bill, thousands of tourists had visited bohol and that number can hardly be credited to chatto... as evidenced by his support for house bill 1109, he is nothing more than an instrument in the perpetuation of corruption in this country. if ever edgar chatto should run for any public office in the next elections, he should be junked on the basis of his shameful support for 1109. so should all administration candidates, especially if arroyo runs for a house position in the coming elections; we all know what this will be leading to.

Joy is inner peace that does not depend on outside circumstances. Yes, when you have joy, you can laugh hard, cry silently, and be free to express your feeling, yet remain anchored in that inner peace.

Quote from: inday_bulilit on June 12, 2009, 11:47:33 AM
With joy, you can either laugh so hard or cry a little bit!

The unicameral parliamentary system makes economic sense to the politicians, because they need to campaign and spend only within their district or local constituency during the parliamentary election. And then the president of the dominant party among the elected lawmakers is almost certain to be chosen as prime minister.

There is no need to have a nationwide campaign for any single candidate as in a presidential sytem. There is also no need to incur the gargantuan cost that he or she will later recover through backdoor ties to favored businessmen or cronies (as Marcos did) or jueteng lords (as Erap did) or through paddings to foreign-funded projects like North Rail, ZTE, national road projects, dams (as Gloria does or attempted to do).

Still, parliamentary system is not the cure-all to our social ills. Given the institutional instability of our ever infantile democracy, legislative deadlock may result in an endless cycle of the parliament instigating a vote of no confidence against the prime minister or the prime minister dissolving the parliament. The parliamentary system has inherent instability that is only mitigated by a strong, efficient bureaucracy which is capable of operating the day-to-day business of government even when there is legislative impasse. Parliamentary systems are also stabilized by the ceremonial, non-political role of a monarch, emperor or royalty, which our country does not have (although it has a lot of royal wannabes.)  Likewise, given the current state of our bureaucracy which is corrupt, ridden with redtape and kowtows to the incumbent political leaders, I don't think the bureaucracy can function as a stabilizing force either.

Look at Thailand, a parliamentary system with a well-respected monarchy. Just as we've all thought it has zoomed past us in terms of democratic progress, it's back in a political morass.

I still believe that it's not the constitution, it's not the presidential system of government, it's not the bicameral congress, it's not the opposition and whatnot that's binding us from governing this divided polity. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars or the forces outside us, but in ourselves.

Ang pangutana UGMA, dili GUGMA, mao ba?

Wa hinuon ko kadungog ani nga kanta. Pero talagsa ra man tingali ang LUOY mupaingon sa GUGMA. Pero ang UGMA, kinahanglan ug kaugalingong panglimbasog, dili paluuy-luoy.

The world loves overcomers. We love underdogs who fight back. We don't feel for underdogs who remain underdogs. Trusting in God, we claim control of our life and victory for tomorrow.

Quote from: inday_bulilit on June 12, 2009, 11:58:58 AM
For me, its true! Kun mahigugma ka, its not because nalooy ka niya but because LOVE gyud ang na-feel sa imong heart..It cant be described nor defined..LOVE is best expressed and experienced!

They say happiness and joy are two different things.

Happiness is an emotional disposition that makes a person look at life with bright eyes.

Joy is a state of the soul or a spiritual well-being that anchors a person through the different circumstances of life.

Some people are seemingly or outwardly happy, but are really suffering inside. But people who are joyful experience peace from the inside and project goodwill outside, no matter the circumstances in life.

Bitaw, kay nigawas man gud ning article pagkahuman bisita ni BB Gandanghari uban si Gretchen ug Pops sa Eskaya.

Quote from: jamo2x on June 11, 2009, 10:13:46 PM
thx for the info bene.

day tour diay na....

may na lng wa ma gay tour  = gator's fee

Linda Bolido of Inquirer's The Consumer shared the clarification of Boholano readers about "gator fee." Some of you gave the same explanation. This should clear the false allegation of alligators in Panglao.

I want to thank Nedo Sasing, a Boholano who now resides in Metro Manila, for clearing up the issue of “gator fee” that a reader said was being charged by some resorts on Panglao Island in Bohol.

It seems the resort guards were misunderstood or failed to clarify what the charge was all about.

Sasing said he had been to the resorts on Panglao Island several times simply to enjoy the facilities for a day. During those visits he was asked to pay the “day-tour fee,” consumable in the resorts’ restaurants.

He added that during peak seasons, like Holy Week, it would be very difficult to get a room in Panglao’s resorts without advance booking.

Another e-mail sender, Leila Ceballos, seconded Sasing’s statement.

Ceballos said the fee being charged walk-in visitors was meant to discourage curious people (usiseros) who just wanted to see the inside of a resort for free. “I think it is only fair that only legitimate customers should be allowed in because those resorts are private,” she said.

Australian Government Supports Road Improvement in Bohol
Business Mirror
June 11, 2009

AUSTRALIAN Ambassador Rod Smith, Interior and Local Government undersecretary Austere Panadero, and Gov. Erico Aumentado recently signed an agreement to help improve road infrastructure in Bohol.

The provincial-road management facility is a five-year, P3.8-billion program funded by Canberra to help Manila manage and maintain more than 1,000 kilometers of provincial roads in up to 10 provinces in Mindanao and the Visayas.

Bohol is one of the initial seven provinces to benefit from the program. Under the agreement, the Canberra, through its international development agency Austalian Agency for International Development, will provide about P35 million for the program’s first year of implementation to rehabilitate and maintain more than 25 kilometers of roads in Bohol.

Additional funding of up to P35 million would be available as an incentive should the provincial government achieve the agreed governance reforms.

The additional funds may be used for road-related infrastructure works and other provincial government development priorities to further improve service delivery.

“Infrastructure investment drives development. That is why Australia is working with the Philippine government, at both the national and local levels, to increase investment in transport infrastructure. Improving road transport will boost the local economy of Bohol,” Smith said.

In Bohol, road works for the first year will prioritize road segments that link key economic and social service areasâ€"tourism, agriculture, education and medical healthâ€"to people and markets.

“People will have better access to rehabilitated and maintained road networks, economic activity, public infrastructure and services that will improve their livelihoods. Better roads will also improve access to jobs, health services and essential social and educational facilities in rural and regional areas,” Smith said.

“The signing of this agreement is an important step in establishing the fundamentals for the success of the provincial-road management facility: strong relationships between provincial government, the Government of Australia, the Philippine Department of Interior and Local Government and local civil society groups.”

Australia is a long-standing development partner of the Philippines and one of the country’s largest bilateral grant aid donors.

Government deal with Lacson behind Gonzalez ouster?
Philippine Star
By Tony Calvento Updated June 11, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines â€" Incoming Palace chief legal counsel Raul Gonzalez’s removal from the Department of Justice may have been part of an exchange deal with respondents in the Dacer-Corbito murder case wherein prosecutors would go slow on them, sources said yesterday.

Gonzalez’s being “kicked upstairs” and the withdrawal of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is said to be involved in the nine-year-old case, from the presidential race may not have been a coincidence.

Gonzalez, who has threatened to quit from the Cabinet and return to his hometown of Iloilo if anyone “monkeys around” with the reinvestigation into the murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000, has offered to serve as lawyer for witnesses against Lacson.

Former police senior superintendent Cezar Mancao has returned to the country from years in the US to testify when the case is reopened, and his fellow former police official Glenn Dumlao is set to return this month also to testify.

“I hope they allow me to pursue the Dacer-Corbito case. I will lose face and my credibility with these witnesses, Mancao and Dumlao, after assuring them that I will help them tell all they know in the twin murders and that I will see to it that justice will prevail,” Gonzalez said.

“If I’m prevented from doing so I will just take a leave, attend to my ailing son and go back to my constituents in Iloilo,” Gonzalez added.

But sources suspect “a deal or arrangement” has been reached.

The same source said that someone close to a top ranking Cabinet member arranged a meeting between Lacson and the Palace official. “There was reportedly a ‘quid pro quo’ and this allegedly is the real reason behind Lacson’s withdrawal from the race,” the source said.

It was this same Palace official who had instructed Gonzalez to stop talking about the Dacer-Corbito case and the return of Mancao.

“All I asked was that I be allowed to work on the Dacer-Corbito case and let the ax fall where it should. Unfortunately, I was not given that privilege despite all these things unfolding under my watch and through my efforts,” Gonzalez said.

In a farewell lunch with reporters covering the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday, Gonzalez said he is determined to help in the second prosecution of the double-murder case even in his capacity as chief legal counsel of President Arroyo.

“I will (help in this case). I told (Executive) Secretary (Eduardo) Ermita about it already. I just want justice to be done properly,” he revealed.

He said he doesn’t mind if his involvement in the Dacer-Corbito case would be questioned as it would suggest that the Palace has a hand and there could be a political motive. He believes there is no difference if he assists in the reopening of the case as chief legal counsel or DOJ secretary.

And if he would be barred from participating in the reopening of the double-murder case or should the case be mishandled in any way, Gonzalez said he might consider resigning from the Cabinet.

“If this case will not be handled well not because of the incompetence of prosecutors but because of some other reasons, I can always resign and offer myself as lawyer for these people,” he stressed.

He also vowed to expose “whoever will be trying to monkey around with the case.”

Gonzalez was pivotal in the reopening of the Dacer-Corbito case. It was during his term at the DOJ that Mancao and Dumlao agreed to return to the country and finally reveal the brains and motive behind the killings.

“I don’t want this case abandoned. It’s unfair to Mancao and Dumlao. I have pledged to protect these people who relied on my word and I will stick to my word,” he explained.

He reiterated that the case might be crucial as it “can open wider horizons.”

However, he admitted he is concerned about how the case would progress when he leaves DOJ under acting Secretary Agnes Devanadera.

“I do not know how passionate she will be with the case as I have been. But I’m confident that SolGen Devanadera would continue (pursuing the case),” added Gonzalez.

Gonzalez’s last act on the Dacer-Corbito case before leaving the DOJ tomorrow was the creation of a new panel of prosecutors that would handle reinvestigation of the killings.

In an order, he tapped Senior State Prosecutor Peter Ong, who also handled the investigation of the Kuratong Baleleng rubout case, as head of the panel with City Prosecutor Fidel Macauyag and State Prosecutor Mari Elvira Herrera as members.

In his first affidavit executed in 2001 which he will reportedly affirm, Dumlao had tagged former police senior superintendent Michael Ray Aquino as having ordered him to “case” and kill Dacer. But in 2003 he executed another affidavit claiming he was pressured to pin down Sen. Lacson in the case.

Mancao, on the other hand, reportedly executed an affidavit last Feb. 14 implicating Lacson as the former chief of the Philippine National Police who supposedly ordered the killing of Dacer and Corbito, prompting the daughters of Dacer to file a double murder case against the opposition senator.

Dacer’s daughters Carina, Sabina, Emily and Amparo executed last March 23 their nine-page complaint affidavit before the consuls general in New York and California in the US where they now live, according to their lawyers Demetrio Custodio Jr., Raymond de Castro and Love Joy Cecilia Brillantes.

“Sen. Lacson not only conspired with the accused in the murders of our father and Mr. Corbito but in fact orchestrated the same. Being then the head of the PAOCTF (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force) he exercised ascendancy over all members of the task force, particularly those who executed the killings,” the complaint stated.

Lacson headed the PAOCTF when he was concurrently chief PNP.

Aquino, on the other hand, was operations chief of the PAOCTF while Mancao served as chief of Task Force Luzon of the PAOCTF.

On Nov. 24, 2000, Dacer and Corbito were snatched at the corner of Zobel Roxas Street and South Super Highway at the boundary of Manila and Makati. They were subsequently brought to Indang, Cavite where they were killed and their bodies burned.

‘FIGHTER OF THE YEAR’
Pacquiao off to New York to accept award

By Chito A. Fuentes
Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 19:10:00 06/11/2009


TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines - Filipino boxing icon Manny will leave for New York on Friday to accept the prestigious “Fighter of the Year” award from a group of American sportswriters following two high-profile victories, his adviser said.

“He is receiving the award for the second year in a row,” Michael Konz said in an interview.

Pacquiao recently defeated British Ricky Hatton and Oscar dela Hoya, who retired after their fight.

But before leaving the country, Pacquiao sneaked a private visit to Bohol province with his wife, Jinkee, and their children, Emmanuel Jr., 8; Michael Stephen, 7; and Mary Divine Grace, 2.

Pacquiao was welcomed by the mayor of this city upon his arrival at the wharf here at 11 a.m.

Konz and boxing promoter Wakee Salud were part of Pacquiao’s 25-man entourage.

“This is supposed to be a private trip with his family,” Lim said.

Wearing a light-blue shirt and a white hat, Pacquiao feasted on a meal of crabs, prawns, native fried chicken, squid and lechon (roasted pig) at a lunch hosted by the mayor.

Pacquiao gamely posed with guests and restaurant staff. A small crowd gathered outside.

Pacquiao originally intended to take a break with his family in Panglao Island but had to cut his vacation short because he had to go to New York.

Michael Marley of the New York Boxing Examiner described Pacquiao as a "Reluctant Dragon" in his 8,506-mile trip from Manila to New York.

Marley said it was the "arm-twisting" of aides Salud and Konz that convinced the "Pacman" to travel to New York receive the award.

Marley said promoter Bob Arum was "quite pleased" to hear that Pacquiao cut short his family vacation to join his long-time coach, Freddie Roach, also an awardee.

"Give Manny credit because not many people will fly 14 hours to eat some rubbery chicken," Marley said.

It seems Manny Pacquiao is flying to the U.S. after all to attend the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) banquet at the Capitale in New York. Pacquiao originally declined the invitation to bring his wife and three of his four kids for a vacation to Bohol.

But handler Bob Arum was upset and warned him that the American media will never "let him live it down." The BWAA named Pacquiao as Fighter of the Year for 2008, the second time Pacquiao will get the award after being voted in 2006. Arum added that no awardee has ever snobbed the acceptance ceremonies. Pacquiao was on hand when he got the 2006 award at the Copacabana, also in New York.

Nalimtan man ug award si Nanay Dionisia last month ug, "Ulirang Ina" sa Mother's Day.

Another old wisdom says, "Happiness is not having more, but wanting less."

Murag familiar ka gali, loyski. Anyway, masabtan nako nga lain atong porfolio ron. But let me just put in my two cents' worth on this one.

Presidential system is outmoded? I think US should also revamp its constitution then. The problem is that we always blame the system, the form of government, anything but the politicians, for the ills of our society.

I think we are the only country that has overhauled the entire constitution 6 times since we have claimed our national identity in 1899, as opposed to most countries making partial or incremental amendments.

The fluidity and instability of our politics is rooted in our inability to allow our democratic institutions to take root. What we should do is strengthen the check-and-balance mechanism of the co-equal branches of government--the executive, legislative and judicial branches. We should also make the Commission on Elections completely independent, and push for long-overdue computerization so that the voice of the people will indeed be counted.

The change from a presidential to a parliamentary system at a time when we are preparing to elect a new president seems to me like an ill-planned political maneuver. This is something we should have done in 1987, when we had the latitude of choice to break away from the past. Why is it that we always talk of the need to change the political system when it is clear that it's simply the incumbent's political exigency?

Quote from: loyski on June 11, 2009, 06:55:49 PM
Who cares? People will still vote for them on the next elections anyway.

I want this Constitution changed. It's so full of defective and flawed provisions. It's no longer attuned to the times and globalization. I want a parliamentary and federal form of government.

If only the senators agree to this Con-ass, then there won't be any trouble. Some senators only want to become president that's why they can't accept a change in the constitution. LOL

Nganong gadali-dali man gyud ang lower house sa paglihok ani, nga wa na ma'y usa katuig nabilin para sa sunod nga piniliay? Matud pa ni Fr. Joaquin Bernas SJ, nga usa sa mga nagsulat sa 1987 Constitution, ang proposed amendments kinahanglan man muagi sa Senado ug pinaagi sa joint session, isugo ug ipatuman sa Commission on Elections ang plebisito ayha ma-ratify.

Nagpasumangil ra diay ni si Gloria ug gawas sa nasud aron ingnon nga wa siya'y kalambigitan aning kalihukan. Ang tinuod, sa listahan pa lang sa nagpanukala ani, duha ka Arroyo ug usa ka in-law ang nagpasiuna sa likod.

Ang dakong agenda mao ang pagbag-o sa sistema gikan sa presidential paingon parliamentary form of government. Kay sa parliamentary sytem, ang mupili sa Prime Minister dili na ang ordinaryong Pinoy kundi ang mga magbabalaod lang. Kung kusog ug lig-on imong party machinery, sigurado na ang kadaugan, bisag dili ikaw ang pinili sa mayorya sa Pilipino. Bisag sa presidential system, nga angay tabla ra ang gahom sa executive ug legislative branch, dali ra man gani kaayo ni Gloria imaniobra ang iyang mga "manok" pinaagi sa "pork" barrel (grabe gyud sa Congreso ang avian ug swine flu), labi na gyud ug mahimo ng parliamentary system.

I remember the cliche of a definition of politics in my PolSci class: "who gets what, when and how."

How true! Sadly, in the real rough-and-tumble of Philippine politics, deciding who gets what, when and how has nothing to do with ethics and morals, and has everything to do with power. Money is power. So even seemingly good men like Chatto and Cajes throw caution to the wind and make very uncharacteristically self-centered decisions.

Unsa man ning headlines sa Manila, murag gakagrabe ang sexual violence...

Sa niaging semana, Sex Video of Katrina and Hayden.

Karong semana, Gang Rape of the Philippine Constitution.

Sunod semana, Prostitution of the House of Representatives?

B'wad, murag similar ang hobby ninyo ni Kho da--pangoleksyon.

Quote from: buwadsanga on June 11, 2009, 08:32:15 AM
pabili sinong nsa malaysia dyan!

Laliman ka, 98 percent ang score sa Vancouver pero naa gihapon reklamo. There's really no heaven on earth.

Quote from: Angie Gulle on June 11, 2009, 10:18:31 AM
It's easiest maybe to live  in Vancouver if you have money..pero para namong mga kabos??? angal jud tawon sa kamahal.

Apil si Edgardo Chatto ug Roberto Cajes? Tsk, tsk. This is even more disappointing because they are two men I highly respect.

Cajes was the chair of the House ethics committee that investigated the alleged hidden wealth of the Arroyos in Germany and cleared them.

Edgar Chatto has a sterling legislative record and is largely credited for catapulting Bohol in the tourism map.

Both excellent lawyers and lawmakers. They've got a lot of explaining to do for their participation in this trampling of the Philippine constitution.

Manay, low-cost, high-quality ra ba akong deodorant--tawas. Murag Tagbilaran, low cost , relatively high quality of life. Not unexpectedly,  I found a lot of inconveniences during my short stays, but overall, if I had to choose a place to live in the Philippines, it will be dear old Bohol.

Quote from: hofelina on June 10, 2009, 05:51:51 PM
Ondoy Ben mahalokan nako imong ilok! With this posting you bouy my spirit!

Mercy be upon us.

Was the crime impelled by LTO's impoundment of the vehicle? It's one random crime too many. Where are the law-enforcers? As far as I know, that place is not too far from Camp Dagohoy.

Manay, according to an Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center, Tagbilaran is one of the 20 Most Competitive Cities in the Philippines in 2005 and 2007, and First in the Quality of Life Category for the same 2 years.

Siyempre, mabag-o gyud atong quality standard after living long years in the top-ranking livable cities in the world.

Still, there's no place like home, and home is where your heart is.

Quote from: hofelina on June 10, 2009, 05:07:26 PM
I have the intentions of returning back to Bohol when the time comes for my retirement, but Tagbilaran is not an easy place to stay.
After my long years of stay in Germany it has given me some second thoughts, aside  from the fact that my children are here.

Men can be brown, black, white or yellow. They can carry an attache case, drive a tractor, write a book, or fly a plane.  But the bottom line is, they all have the same base basic instincts. So help us God.

Hayden-Katrina sex video a hit in Malaysia
Manila Standard Today

SELLERS of pirated DVDs in Malaysia are selling the sex videos of cosmetic surgeon Hayden Kho and his celebrity patients for the equivalent of about P200, The Star newspaper reported yesterday.

The Malaysian daily said a retailer decided to stock the DVD after customers started asking for it.

“I sold about 30 DVDs a day last month. People do not mind buying it even though it is priced higher than the usual pornographic DVDs,” the retailer told The Star.

Sales had since dropped but people were still asking for it.

The DVD is titled “The Philippines’ version of Edison Chen,” a reference to the Hong Kong actor at the center of a 2008 scandal, when photographs of him having sex with various women including actresses Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan, and Cecilia Cheung, were circulated on the Internet.

In Chen’s case, police said, some 1,300 intimate photographs might have been secretly copied when the actor sent his laptop for repairs.

Malaysian pirates even came up with the artwork for the DVD, showing superimposed nude photographs of Kho and starlet Katrina Halili.

The 113-minute DVD features several videos of Kho going beyond the usual doctor-patient boundaries with the starlet, two beauty pageant contestants and some commercial models.

State Commercial Crimes Department Chief Roslee Chik said they had not received any complaints over the DVDs, but warned that anyone caught in possession of them would be charged under laws prohibiting the distribution of pornographic material, an offense punishable by three years in jail or a fine or both.

In Manila, Mayor Alfredo Lim stepped up a campaign against the proliferation of DVDs of the sex videos, and urged the public to stop buying them.

At the City Hall quadrangle, Lim oversaw the destruction of 50,000 VCDs and DVDs as part of the city government’s drive against pornography.

City officials said most of the discs were confiscated from Quiapo. Michael Caber

Poor Manila, being heaped among the bottom cities.

And when you go to these top-ranking cities, which earned their place because of excellent health care, stability, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, you find out that many of those who provide health care, work as guards, policemen and military personnel, enliven the cultural and artistic life, teach the young and build the bridges, roads and canals are no other than FILIPINOS.

From Bohol’s Pride Magazine - Online Edition
By anyajulia • Jun 8th, 2009 •

He traces his roots in Duero , a town 73 kms. Away from the capital city of Tagbilaran . He strikes me as a simple man. An impression I thought otherwise before meeting him in person.

When I entered the inner sanctum of his quite elegant and very spacious office at the UP Dilliman campus for an afternoon interview (an appointment I had to haggle with his very hectic schedule) I wondered if indeed a Boholano of his stature still retains the rare traits of simplicity and humility.

The man, JOSE VELOSO ABUEVA, undoubtedly, is still very much a Bol-anon. His impressive career achievements make one realize that he rightfully deserves to be where he is now. As president of the country’s prestigious state university, the University of the Philippines (UP)

Known as Pepe, to family and friends, he spent his formative and growing years in the then congenial town of Tagbilaran and Duero, the hometown of his parents, Teodoro, Sr. and Purificacion Abueva (nee Veloso of Tuburan, Cebu ) who were both public school teachers. His grandfather, Manuel Abueva, was a “presidente” (equivalent to mayor today) in Duero who commanded a very high respect from his townspeople. It was in those years that Jose imbibed the Visayan culture and values of hard work, perseverance in the face of adversities, determination to get a good education and make an honest living. Evidently, public service was a legacy the young Abueva inherited from his elders.

“It is important to have a hometown. Bohol gave me my roots,” Abueva avers. In the town of Duero which to him has not changed much, he nurtures both fond and sad memories of his childhood and adolescent years. The best time were spent under the loving and caring care of his devotedly religious parents and in the playful company of his three sisters and three brothers (including the equally prominent Filipino sculptor Billy Abueva). But those times were killed during the war by Japanese guerillas in October 1944.

The tragedy needless to say brought a great deal of suffering to the orphaned Abueva children. Their eldest brother (Teodoro, Sr.), then 21 years old and still finishing college owing to the three-year war interruption, acted as the head of the family. It was a very painful experience for the young Pepe who worked his way to get an education by being a working student. After finishing his elementary ( Tagbilaran Elementary School ) and his high school (Central Visayas Institute, Jagna), he proceeded to the UP, Manila where he was a student assistant receiving P0.50 an hour. Then he was promoted as graduate assistant with a monthly pay of P100.00.

Despite his meager earnings then, Abueva was persistent and dedicated to his studies where he graduated cum laude. He became a scholar in political science and public administration, unknowingly courses that would eventually propel him to the presidency of the UP. His stint now with the university is actually a homecoming for him. For 20 years (1950-1970), he served at the UP faculty member, a good part of the time in directing research, academic instruction and the training of public officials.

As he continued to reap a number of scholarships, honors and awards, he authored several books and articles published in the Philippines , the United States , and in other countries. Before re-joining the UP, he has also served the Philippine Government in various capabilities. He worked with the Ford Foundation in Nepal (1973-1974) and in Southeast Asia, while based in Thailand (1975) and the Philippines (1976-1977). And from 1977 to August 1987 his career as a scholar and educational administrator was directed on his work with the United Nations University â€" a global university and international community of scholars and an integral part of the United Nation System.

Now going on his third year by September at the UP (with three remaining years to go), he can very well claim some hallmarks in his administration that even when he leaves the service, his name will forever be carved in the history of the university.

Going over his “First Sixteen Months” report, I chose to highlight some of his more dramatic reforms introduced to the university. For one, he put a stop to the practice of presidential discretion in allowing non-qualified students to enter the UP. He is a firm advocate of maintaining high standard of admission, for the sole intention of upholding the university’s image and integrity and even strives for enhancing academic excellence and relevance.

To democratize admission to the university he implemented the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFA) nicknamed Iskolar ng Bayan Program. Simply put, the program means UP students from the middle and upper income families shall pay more, while the lower income students shall pay less. In fact, in the last 30 years admission to UP favored students from the higher economic bracket who often come from superior high schools located mostly in urban areas, especially Metro Manila. In effect, UP was providing heavy direct subsidies ( about P10,400 per student per year on the average) to more higher income families while denying admission to many students from lower income families living in Mindanao and the Visayas, and STFA, therefore, changed the old scenario under Abueva’s stewardship.

Abueva considers his other achievement the institutionalizing of Filipino as medium of instruction in the university (now implemented in UP Diliman, Manila and Los Baños). He is vigorously supporting Filipino as the nation’s common language to foster national unity, identity, equality and development, while preserving our pluralistic society and cultures.

Medium in built and quite balding (a trademark of intellectual people they say) and simple dressed in casual polo shirt during the interview, Jose Abueva believes that his stints abroad gave him a wider perspective of the national situation.

“You can have a better view of the nation when you have good grasp of the different situations prevailing in various towns and provinces,” Abueva said. Thus, he thinks Tagbilaran has “grown a great deal.” He lamented though that his hometown has lost many migrants to Mindanao, Manila and abroad as probable reason for its rather slow development.

When asked if he be given a chance to be involved on Bohol ’s development, what priorities will he push. I was surprised for the man has been helping the province in his current capacity as president of the UP. As part of the university’s extension work, he closely coordinated with Gov. Constancio Torralba in bringing to the province five scientists to look into areas of assistance in marine horticulture, geology, fisheries and aquaculture. The project is a continuing one.

Likewise, he keeps in touch with the Kadugong Bol-anon, an organization of Boholano students at the UP, not merely for social occasions but mobilizes the group for more relevant and substantial pursuits. When UP added five more testing centers in 1989 for taking the UP College Admission Test, (UPCAT), he definitely included Tagbilaran City . A tremendous opportunity for qualified Boholanos to pursue a college education in the country’s premiere state university without having to travel to Cebu City . It was on this project that he tapped the Kadugong Bol-anon to help administer the UPCAT in Tagbilaran.

With the limited time for further interaction, a glimpse on the present private person of Jose Abueva could not be revealed. Except, of course that he is happily married to Ma. Socorro Fortich-Encarnacion who hails from Mindanao and Laguna. They have four children, two to whom are now residing in the United States , and the eldest daughter alresdy married. Their youngest boy is still schooling at the UP, Los Baños.

The proud Boholano achiever said that all his children considers Bohol as the “warmest part of the world” since they are showered with love, care and affection by relatives and friends whenever they pay a visit to their hometown. Duero . He too, believes that he has imbibed in his children the culture and values he cherished during his years in Bohol . For him, Bohol will always be where the roots of the Abueva remain for the old and young generations alike.

And wherever fame and fortune will continue to lead Jose Abueva and his family, the little province of Bohol will also continue to share in his success and glory.

Is Provincial Engineer Edwin Vallejos connected by blood to the Vallejoses in Mabini?

Ig-unsa siya ni Jun Ayag?

Six possible presidential candidates in 2010 will face off for the second leg of “Countdown to 2010: An ANC Leadership Forum” this Friday (June 5), 7pm Manila time at the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE) in Diliman, Quezon City. This will be aired live on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The event’s high-profile lineup includes former Philippine President Joseph Estrada, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. Vice President Noli de Castro and MMDA chair Bayani Fernando have yet to confirm their attendance. Sen. Manuel Villar has declined the invitation since he said he will be out of the country next week.

This second batch was unable to attend the first leadership forum that ANC and the Ateneo de Manila University sponsored last May 11. Sen. Francis Escudero, Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Manuel Roxas II, Gov. Ed Panlilio, and Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. each took the hot seat in the first forum, where they responded to a barrage of questions on their stands, issues, and competence as public servants.

ANC’s top anchors Cheche Lazaro and Ricky Carandang will anchor the second forum.

The second "ANC Leadership Forum" is a partnership between ANC and the UPSE and part of ABS-CBN’s “Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula” campaign, which aims to empower Filipinos, particularly the youth, to make a difference in the national polls next year.

“Through the forums, we hope to help the Filipino youth see who these potential candidates are and what they stand for,” said ANC Chief Operating Officer Glenda M. Gloria.

Visit www.abs-cbnnews.com/botomo for election news and “Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula” updates. 

ANC is available in the US, Middle East, Europe, Australia and Japan through TFC's multiple platforms.  To find out how you can get ANC, call 0120-TFC-VOD (0120-832-863) / 03-5414-2092.

Nakahinumdum ko sa una mga 5 o 6 years old pa ko sa Jagna, naay dako kaayo nga iho  naabtag hunas sa daplin sa baybayon dapit man siguro sa pantalan. Murag nagpista ang tibuok Jagna, nag-iya-yag hiwa ug karne bisag gapisik-pisik pa intawon ang iho. Akong Mama nga nag-eskwela sa Medalla Milagrosa, nangayog dakong hiwa pero gaduha-duha mig kaon kay basig makahilo.

Karon, ug naay ma-beach nga iho o dolphin, di naman siguro mahimong ihawon. Tabangan ug balik sa lawod.

Sa una, ug naa kas gawas sa Bohol, lisod mangita ug parehong Bol-anon kay kasagara itago ang ilang "j", "dis-a" ug uban pang trademark nga sinultian kay mauwaw basin kataw-an. Karon, bisag dili Bol-anon, maghisgot ug lolo, lola (bisag sa tuhod na) o layo nga paryente nga gikan sa Bohol aron lang naay koneksyon kuno.

Filipinos around the world are at the heart of the 15th anniversary station I.D. of The Filipino Channel (TFC). Featuring vocal performances from Charice Pempengco and Billy Crawford, the new station I.D. “Dahil Tayo’y Filipino,” shares ABS-CBN Global’s message of hope to millions of Pinoys worldwide.

As the singing phenomenon that captured the hearts of Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and mainstream America, Charice Pempengco lends her voice to inspire other Filipinos with her story of triumphs and humble beginnings.  Another international singing sensation, Billy Crawford, who made his mark across Europe, Asia and the US, mixes in a contemporary rendition in the song.  Charice’s ethereal ballad and Billy’s hip-hop style blend to embolden in every Filipino overseas his determination, resiliency, and courage through difficult times.

ABS-CBN Global dedicates TFC’s new station ID to the Global Pinoys as part of its mission to empower and rekindle national pride in them. It underscores its commitment of providing the most innovative products and services to bring Pinoys overseas closer to home, making every kababayan also a kapamilya. “Dahil Tayo’y Filipino” is a reminder that ABS-CBN Global remains in the service of Filipinos wherever they may be. 

A talented team brought this vision to life in TFC’s 15th anniversary station I.D. Joel Barquez, TFC’s head of on-air and broadcast design, was joined by Ariel Escasa and Fred Ferraz to capture in song ABS-CBN Global’s message of hope and encouragement. Awarded and experienced director Cholo Laurel led the team to make “Dahil Tayo’y Filipino” a testament to the strength of the Global Pinoys.  The creative team headed by Beth Siojo and production team headed by Aileen Paredes joined forces in producing this inspired effort.

Celebrate TFC’s 15th anniversary as “Dahil Tayo’y Filipino” is launched on April 19 in the Philippines’ premier noontime musical variety ASAP ‘09. 

bay buwadsanga,

wa pa man gani, ga shades ka na!

Quote from: buwadsanga on June 08, 2009, 04:41:51 PM
dunay camera o wala hala tira! wala koy paki alam ana uy! hahahhaha!

Luli’s passion is in Bohol

By Marge C. Enriquez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:06:00 06/06/2009


FOR A TIME, Pamilacan, off Baclayon, Bohol, was terra incognita to First Daughter Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo-Bernas, a dedicated diver. Instead, she frequented Balicasag, off Panglao Reef, which abounds with jacks, sponges, gorgonians, and barracudas.

But when Joel Uichico, general manager of Bezo Recreational and Aquatic Activities for Bohol, invited Bernas to judge a competition of underwater photographs of Pamilacan, a friendship and a personal initiative ensued.

Bernas’ passion for diving and her international relations background have landed her a job as Southeast Asia’s policy officer of the World Wildlife Fund’s Coral Triangle Program.

She likens the Coral Triangle to the nursery of the ocean. Extending from Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands to Timor-Leste, the Coral Triangle has the highest convergence of marine life and coral species in the world. Its waters contain over 600 reef-building coral species, representing 75 percent of all species known in the world.

She points out that the Philippines enjoys the advantage of being at the apex of the triangle.

Best dive site

Bernas cites Bohol, particularly Balicasag, as among the world’s best diving places because of its biodiversity.

“There are mantas, dolphins, whales, a great number of marine life you don’t see in the world. Those are the things divers pay to see in other places,” she says.

Her job is to collaborate with government officials and communities in disciplined practices that help sustain the Coral Triangle’s marine and coastal wealth for future generations.

“I work on the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, trying to get people to adopt policies that will conserve marine life and make sure fishing practices are sustainable. Coastal communities can benefit from proper development of marine resources,” she says.

“I find that fishermen or Filipinos in general think that what we have in our waters are just passing through. Actually, you won’t find these things in other places, and they are spawned here.”

Due to ignorance, fishermen resort to destructive fishing practices. “If we destroy the marine life habitat, they go extinct and it’s on us.”

Off-duty

Bernas’ work in BRAABO’s Pamilacan project is done in her downtime. Since Bea Zobel Jr. and Uichico made their presentation to the provincial government, Bernas has been espousing the need for proper tourism development.

She lauded the unity among the local government officials. “The great thing was that the principal and municipal governments agreed to do it together. That was a big boost to Bohol’s growth.”

Bernas and her husband, former investment banker Jay Aloysius Luigi Bernas, also a diver, have been flying to Bohol to support Uichico’s programs. She has been donating seed money to such projects as dive guide training.

“Luli’s presence has made great impact on our projects. She loves to help. Everything she’s done is all out of pocket,” says Uichico.

After attending the blessing of the Municipal Tourism Center in Baclayon, the Bernases spent the week helping in the dive guide training. The program teaches guides to look for the best spots and meet the requirements of photographers who specialize in underwater images, a major target market for Pamilacan.

Bernas, who says she’s only an amateur in underwater photography, gives her feedback about the guides.

“Divers were not brought to Pamilacan. It’s just a recent phenomenon. The people who bring divers there are not from Pamilacan but from Alona Beach. It’s great that the locals are made aware of the richness of their marine life and how to manage them. The money goes directly to them and they appreciate what they have,” she says.

Catalyst

Bernas lauds BRAABO’s vision of being a catalyst for government leadership and partnerships with local communities to protect the ecosystem.

“Working with the community is the right way to do things. It’s not somebody coming in and telling people what to do. It’s cooperating with them to make sure what the community wants is translated into something that will last for generations,” she says.

Baclayon’s vice mayor Marilyn Uy agrees. The local government had focused on infrastructure.

“Before, you could not be proud to say you’re from Bohol. There was only the 30-minute land tour of the Baclayon Church and museum. Now we are developing more activities so that guests can stay in Baclayon for three days,” says Uy.

“We’re finally on the tourist radar.”

I'm sure Susan will make it. She's back to being the underdog that first brought her to our consciousness the first time. Her mistake was trying to play up to the showbiz glitz and glam (to which she can never be equal), when the world really roots for underdogs.

What a limp explanation from the country's top custodian of historical heritage. He seems like a child caught with his hand in a cookie jar, as shown by his last paragraph, which is neither a convincing explanation nor an honest-to-goodness apology.

Just because Ocampo has already committed the mistake of painting the shrine in garish green does not justify his smashing the historical tradition. So the original structure never stood there. But the present edifice was as close a representation of the original edifice as could possibly be reconstructed, and over the years has actually given rise to the tradition of being considered the original Rizal abode. The historical tradition is just as important as the structure itself.

Ocampo might as well have painted it red, and claimed that the colors represents the revolutions Rizal has inspired against the colonizers.

I'm forwarding this same comment to Ocampo's published e-mail.

These days, never assume that a hotel room is a private space. It there's a chance for you to have lovey-dovey moments with your spouse in a hotel room, hang your dark-colored mosquito net first on all four corners. That will spoil the voyeur's fun.

This is excerpted  from a full-length article on the importance of local academic institutions taking research leadership through regional polls:

Social Climate
The ABCs of survey research capacity

By Mahar Mangahas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Opinion polling tends to be threatening to traditional politicians whose power does not emanate from genuine public trust. A university engaged in survey work is not only research-oriented but also committed to democracy. Democracy should be fostered at both national and local levels. Metro Manila cannot serve as a political barometer for the entire country.

For instance, the scientific way to know the feelings of the Bangsa Moro on autonomy versus independence, or of Kapampangans on the performance of their governor, or of Negrenses about the need for agrarian reform, is for independent institutes in their communities to do their own polls. The Philippine exemplar is the Bohol Poll of the Divine Word University, in Tagbilaran City, which completed its 16th annual survey this year. (sic Divine Word University is now Holy Name University.)

For more, check out http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090606-209069/The-ABCs-of-survey-research-capacity

Here's an excerpt of the interesting blog from Pennie Azarcon-dela Cruz, Executive Editor, Sunday Inquirer Magazine:

What are the new ethics on lovemaking in these times of covert recordings and instant downloading?

A few suggestions:

1. Make sure to conduct all lovemaking under a blanket.  Take care that no heaving chests, throbbing appendages, slick and sweaty limbs and hirsute nether parts are visible to avoid any impression that you’re doing anything other than sleeping on that bed. You don’t want to give the bishops more nightmares than they can handle.

2. To save energyâ€"in all sense of the wordâ€"turn off the lights before you so much as unhook a bra or slip into pajamas.  To further frustrate the hayden camera that might have night vision capacity, cover up with a thick blanket as well, never mind if it feels like a sauna.  Think of all the pounds you’re bound to lose the morning after.

3. Invest in masks and complete anonymity and turn foreplay into fun and games.  A bayong like the Makapilis used during the Japanese occupation, or a Ku Klux Clan head cover might be a good idea for your mate, just in case he turns out to be a toad later.  (Hah, let’s see how the DVD pirates are going to title that:  Porky Pig and Minnie Mouse sex scandal?)

4. Be considerate of minors who might later be watching your video.  Before starting anything scandalous, be sure to hold out a notice reading:  “The following scenes contain adult material and may not be suitable for very young viewers.  Parental advice is encouraged.”  Due diligence is always appreciated.

5. Be sure to give credit where it’s due.  Couldn’t Hayden have pentel-penned on Katrina’s perfectly flat tummy the words she was paid to mouth at every instance, i.e. “Body by Belo” ?   He could have made a game of it, right?  We’re sure Vicky would be grateful.  Sayang! What a missed opportunity that was.

6. And finally, if you strongly suspect there’s a hayden camera but can’t locate it, relax, lie down and make sure you look really good.  Check that your make up is flawless and that your undies are billboard-worthy.  The whole world may be watching.

Susan shot to fame with the dismal, desperate song "I Dreamed a Dream" and closed her bid for stardom at the BGT with the same Les Miserables song.

If a nameless you suddenly woke up at 47 to find yourself being talked about from one end of the world to another (the greatest number of Youtube hits of all time), it would certainly be like waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

In the less than two months that she came to the world's consciousness, she seems to have lived out the lyrics of that song:

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

I really hope Susan will regain ground and unlike Fantine, keep her dream afire.

Susan Boyle leaves clinic, eyes U.S. success
Reuters - June 5, 2009 7:30 AM PDT


LONDON (Reuters) - Susan Boyle, who became a global star after appearing on a British television talent contest, has left the London clinic where she was being treated for exhaustion, her brother said on Friday.

The 48-year-old amateur singer from Scotland, whose performance on "Britain's Got Talent" in April was downloaded nearly 200 million times on the Internet, was admitted to the Priory clinic on Sunday amid concerns for her mental health.

"She's much happier," her brother Gerry told GMTV.

"She seems a lot more like herself. I think things are becoming clearer now and she's much more content. I believe she's in the middle of London, in a flat in London."

Dowdy and unglamorous, the unemployed church volunteer challenged viewers' notion of what a star should be.

Boyle was thrust into the media limelight with camera crews camping outside her home and Larry King and Oprah Winfrey inviting her to appear on their U.S. chat shows.

But as Saturday's final of the popular talent show approached, Boyle, who was starved of oxygen at birth leading to minor brain damage, began to show signs of strain, bursting into tears regularly and threatening to leave the show.

When she failed to win the final, despite overwhelming odds in her favor, she was admitted to the private clinic suffering from emotional exhaustion.

Boyle's financial future is seen as secure despite coming second to dance troupe Diversity, as Britain's Got Talent creator Simon Cowell and his Syco music label are expected to sign her up for an album.

There has also been talk of a Hollywood movie.

"The way forward now is to talk about where her career goes from here," Boyle's brother said.

"She's absorbing the fact that America has a huge appetite for her and she's now beginning to believe that yes, indeed, I will be a singer and there will be a recording career beyond it. It's all she ever wanted to do."

He backed Cowell to manage Boyle's recording career.

"Simon Cowell -- he's been around the dance floor a few times hasn't he? I'm sure that he knows that he's got someone who has broken down the barriers in America before she even gets there and I'm sure Simon will do a good job for her."

Boyle's brother also confirmed reports that Boyle was expecting to perform in front of U.S. President Barack Obama.

When a similar scandal happened in Hongkong to Canada-born pop star Edison Cheng, it was mostly the police who handled the incident. Like Hongkong, we have enough laws to prosecute the parties involved, and the Philippine Medical Association has enough rules and sanctions in its book to make erring members walk the chalk.

Nganong makigsawsaw pa man gyud ang Senado ani? Tan-awa hinuon, nisamot ka daghan ang circulation sa video sa Quiapo ug uban pang underground market (nadaghan pa ang na-involve nga ngalan aron padayon ang interes sa tawo). Bali na hinuon ang nahitabo sa ingon nila nga gusto ipahunong ang pag-abusar sa mga babaye.

In Edison Cheng's latest interview at CNN, he recounts how he has suffered enough from the public shaming and continuing exposure in the internet. Just google his name, and his entire artistic career has been completely eclipsed by this incident. It is an indiscretion that adults have committed. Let them face up to it and suffer the private consequences. And then just allow the laws on public morals and protection of privacy take their course.

I think politicians are just grabbing whatever opportunity there is to get media mileage as the election season begins.

Japan's cops are one of the most respected in the world for their professionalism and efficiency.

Yet things like this happens. Just a few months ago, another Japanese policeman who headed the metropolitan traffic safety division was also apprehended for a hit-and-run accident near where I live--and he tested positive for more than twice the legal alcohol limit!

I think it's not about whether the color looks good on the structure or not. It's about preserving a historical relic in its original state. Ambeth Ocampo should be the first to know that restoration and reconstruction of historical structures is a highly delicate, specialized job that should be done  to make the restoration work almost unnoticeable. You don't just hire a fence-painter to overlay the sheen of a historical artifact.

Hi girlnextdoor,

I'm doing fine. I might be in the neighborhood in late July.

This really struck me as hilarious. This wayward cop probably thought, "By the time this old lady gets home to call the police, I'll be on hand to pick up the phone."

Too bad he didn't forsee that his quick-thinking was no much to the quicker legs of the two teenagers.

Quote from: thegirlnextdoor on June 05, 2009, 10:01:04 PM
Ha ha ha you know the old saying it takes one to know one!
Howdy Benz!

It seems to me that Cesar Montano is gearing up for an important elective office, while Malacanang is grooming him up for it.

As if to dispel doubts of his being just a pretty face, or just another action star trying to jump fence over to political action, he finished his AB in Mass Communication at the Lyceum last month.

I'll give this guy a chance to prove himself. He is definitely one of those who has promoted Bohol directly and indirectly through his locally set films and frequent travels to Bohol.

In Japan, Okinawa, an island very much like Bohol, is known as the training center for artists. Many artists who shot to national fame, like singer Namuro Amie, received her training in Okinawa.

Since Bohol is home to many artistic talents including Cesar himself, he could take a pivotal role to promote Bohol as a talent development center, starting with local resources as he has already done in the past. Because he is a highly visible personality in the media, and now conferred with an international role, Bohol can ride on the coattails of such popularity to boost its exposure as a tourist destination.

Move over Martin Nievera.

Now your persecutor Ambeth Ocampo of the National Historical Institute should take his turn to be roasted for desecrating a national shrine.  Tsk, tsk. Which is worse, wrong tempo or bad taste? At least Martin can easily change his beat of the national anthem anytime, but now Ocampo has almost permanently damaged a national treasure.

Rizal’s 'green' house appalls Calambeños
By Maricar Cinco
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 11:33:00 06/05/2009

Filed Under: history, House building

CALAMBA CITY, LAGUNA, Philippines -- The Rizal Shrine that stood silently over the decades in this city has suddenly caught everyone's attention after it was painted green about three weeks ago.

Not only have irate text messages started going around the town, but emails and calls from other provinces and abroad have expressed "shock and horror" over the shrine's new hue.

"We don't like it," Linda Lazaro, who was for 15 years a member of the Rizal Day committee, said.

"We are not against the painting per se. But it (the house) symbolizes Rizal (and) it is an insult to his memory," she added.

The school teacher, who is in her 70s, claimed to be a descendant of the national hero through the wife of Rizal's brother Paciano.

The shrine that used to be gray was reconstructed in the '50s with the funds coming from 25-centavo contributions of students and their families from several schools.

The National Historical Institute recently repainted the shrine's outside walls in a light shade of green. The walls inside were painted yellow and the ceiling blue.

"Even the well (in front of the house) was painted green," Lazaro said.

In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday, Ambeth Ocampo, head of the NHI, wrote that the reason for painting Rizal's house green was to "highlight the meaning of his surname."

The surname Rizal had its roots from the Spanish word "ricial," which meant a green field ready for harvest, he said.

"It does not follow that your house should be painted the way your surname means," said a resident of Calamba, who preferred not to be named so as not invite the ire of Ocampo.

"It's a flimsy reason. It doesn't hold water," Lazaro said.

She said townsfolk have been joking about painting their houses according to the meaning of their surnames.

"If our last name is Guinto, should our house be painted in gold?" Lazaro recalled one sarcastic remark she received.

To placate irate residents, the curator placed a tarpaulin about four days ago, explaining why the house was painted in green.

People, mostly on educational trips, visit the Rizal shrine, especially during the weekends.

"That's all we have here in Calamba and we lost our symbol," Lazaro worried about losing the town's main historical and tourist attraction.

She said a British guest recently came to see the house and "was horrified" with the color.

"It's embarrassing. We are having a hard time explaining to them (guests) why it is green," she said.

It was a different reaction before the house was painted.

"Children would turn silent upon entering the house. There was a certain ambiance and romance, it being an old house," she said.

On Thursday, a guest referred to the Rizal shrine, with its green facade, as a "toy house,"
Lazaro said.

She said teachers, who were on a tour with their students in Calamba, were angry because they could not explain why the color had to be changed.

The office of the curator also received reactions, some containing invectives, about the changes in the house's color.

"We are being blamed (for turning Rizal's house green)," said Lazaro.

She said an elderly resident of Calamba even cried over the changes. Teenagers also started referring to it as a "disco house with neon colors."

A text message from a concerned individual read, "sansala po ako sa bagong pintura ng bahay na bato, kung mangalap kaya tayo ng pondo para po sa repainting sigurado ko po marami ang bukas-palad para dyan (I was surprised by the way the house was repainted. If we solicit funds for the repainting, I am sure many would give willingly.)"

Lazaro, however, said it would be too late to repaint the house in time for June 19, Rizal's birth anniversary.

Some people have mixed emotions about the repainting.

Another resident said Rizal's house "looks like a cake."

Dr. Virgilio Lasaga, tourism officer of Calamba, confirmed the negative feedback they have been receiving about Rizal’s green house.

Two teens collar cop who steals purse from 75-year-old woman in Okayama
Friday 05th June, 04:23 AM JST
Japan Today

OKAYAMA â€"A 29-year-old Ehime prefectural police officer, whose duties mainly involve investigating theft, was arrested Thursday for allegedly snatching a purse from a woman in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture, police said Friday.

Naofumi Nomura, a police sergeant, is suspected of snatching a purse that contained about 10,000 yen in cash from a 75-year-old woman around 7:50 p.m. Thursday, according to the Okayama prefectural police.

Nomura has been dealing with robbery and theft cases, including purse snatching, for over three years at Matsuyama Minami Police Station, Ehime prefectural police officers said early Friday, adding that his family said he had about 2.5 million yen in loans.

The police said he had not shown up for work since Tuesday.

Nomura fled on foot after taking the purse, but two high school students, aged 17 and 15, heard the woman’s cries and chased after Nomura by bicycle for some 250 meters before overpowering him, according to the Okayama police.

‘‘I won’t run any more,’’ Nomura was quoted as saying when the high school students seized him.

‘‘A detective investigating theft cases has committed a crime like this. We deeply apologize to the victim and those concerned,’’ said Kimiaki Hiraoka, chief inspector at the Ehime police.

Later, one of the boys told reporters, ‘‘I cannot believe that a policeman who is supposed to arrest people has been arrested.’’

The other boy said, ‘‘I thought this could be the end of the world.’’

Hi Gener,

Musta ka na? It's been quite sometime since I read your post. We always pick up gems of wisdom from your insight.

Quote from: Gener on May 31, 2009, 03:29:57 PM
It's one's ego, pride, or the need to be right, that keep us from getting close to our beloved.

Word of advise for us all:

Could your tongue use taming? Try not speaking ill of anyone today, including your spouse, even in jest. It’s a start.

Hi GEC,

Si Zec naa na ni hulagway nako, so I'm not second-guessing him now. Rhyme ra ba gyud diay ang ZEC ug GEC. Pero ikaw, naa pa gihapon ko'y gibutang nga margin of error. Mao ra man mog favorite smiley (kanang 'crocodile smile'), busa abi nakog usa ra mo. It would be nice to say "gator fee" with the croco smiley (see below).

Quote from: -<GEC348>- on May 28, 2009, 02:40:37 PM
If you are who I think you are, then I think it was you whom I saw  

I'll say, "gator fee" the next time we'll dump into each other

Bai Zec,

Paolo and I had a bonding time tonight just talking about soccer in Tagbilaran. We surfed the net for faces that are active in the CPG Grandstand scene that he is familiar with. Then he remembered about you and we decided to do some sleuth work together. You know how it goes with the net, just string a few related key words and voila, your face practically leapt from the screen! Paolo instantly recalled you, and remembers having talked to you. Sorry for "unmasking" you, Bai. I am glad about your advocacy for soccer and the youth. I'm with you here.

Now I know you have well-placed sources for your updates on the Panglao airport, so please keep us posted. PM lang unya ko if you'd care to talk about things other than soccer and Panglao.

By the way, did you say there is a call center that is operating in Tagbilaran now?

Quote from: ZecurB on May 27, 2009, 04:49:15 PM
BAI BENE! Yes, Paolo diay tuod iya ngalan. If he intends to come back and still enroll in HNU then he is automatically with the HNU tem because I recall that Parts is intent on keeping him with the team. A few days ago we had an election of officers in preparation of creating a registered and sanctioned organization devoted to football in order to have a recognized identity. Sooner or later we will be making preparations for creating by-laws and regulations as these are requirements of the SEC even if it's a none-profit organization.

Increasing the bandwidth was done but is still not enough, that,s why the largest call center now operating here in the city can only accommodate a maximum of 40 agents while others are have fewer. To be able to match demands in relation to our neighboring provinces who got a headstart, an FOC backbone has to be in place (which also can serve the purpose of signal redundancy). GLOBE and SMART are working together on this, for economical reasons (why have separate diggings when the two can share in the conduit). Other independent Cable-TV providers can also benefit from this infrastructure. And maybe even the power providers, if the plans of placing the wires underground instead of the traditional above-ground is feasible.

As to those of us who like to wallow in pessimism, yes corruption cannot be avoided. The question is what have we done about it? What steps have we contributed against it? Or we'll just go about enjoying criticizing. It's your call, shall we become "Ranting Swedes"or "Agents of Change"?...

In the dynamics of marriage, men sometimes call their wife unflattering remarks such as "ugly" or "fat" to prick her soft spot and gain the upper hand in the occasional war of egoes. According to Dr. John Gray in Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, the woman's deepest need  is emotional security and being loved. Men use such language, sometimes without being fully conscious, to bring down her defenses.

The equivalent of "ugly" to a man is to call him "inutil", "walay pulos", "being of no help", "good-for-nothing" or "impotent" because man's deepest need is to feel needed, to be looked up to as being capable and in control of things.

Truth to tell is that women are just as wont to sputter "inutil" as men are to say "pangit" (or indirectly, by saying "maganda ang kapitbahay natin"). To even things out, these lawmakers have to legislate scrapping foul language on both sides.

Belo the belt kasi ang pag Halili ni Katrina kay Vicky kaya tuloy na Hayden cam...

Police set 6 'gun-free zones'

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:21:00 05/22/2009

Filed Under: Police, Firearms, Local authorities

MANILA, Philippinesâ€" The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified six areas in the country that will serve as pilot areas for “gun-free zones,” as part of the crackdown on loose firearms, PNP Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said.

The six areas are: Zamboanga City in the south; Baguio City in the north; and three beach resort destinations, Boracay in Aklan province; Panglao in Bohol province; and San Juan, in Batangas province, Verzosa said.

Provisions in the proposed "gun-free zones" include the suspension of permit-to-carry firearms, Verzosa said.

“The display of firearms by uniformed and non-uniformed personnel will also be prohibited so that it will not be alarming to tourists and to maintain a peaceful community,” he added.

Patrolling policemen will not be allowed to carry their firearms in public, he said.

“Yung firearms nandun na lang sa patrol cars nila (The fireamrs will be left in patrol cars),” Verzosa said.

A partial gun ban has been implemented in Zamboanga City, which Verzosa said, helped contain crime in the city.

Since Panglao is now bidding to be an international tourist destination, I think our local authorities have to intervene to scrap this unique word usage before it gains currency.

"Gator fee" sounds awful.  Kataw-an man ta ani sa tourist blogs or travelogues. Panglao's attractions are dolphins, not alligators. "Gator" also refers to a spyware. Come on, there are better words. Entrance fee seems just fine. Better still, enforce the salvage zone rule and scrap all fees going to the seafront.

I think that's the reason that Manny is at the center of the ethics committee investigation. Their conjugal wealth is so glaring that their political foes are looking for chinks in their gilded armor. They are saying that the multi-million road projects that were approved because of strings pulled by Manny benefited his real estate projects towards the south, increasing the value of his land developments, and consequently of his net worth.

I remember that there was a time Manny's real estate projects faced rough sailing that his executives at the Crown Asia, some of whom I know, doubted that his foray into politics could help at all. There was even a time when they were servicing debts by dacio en pago (paying creditors in kind, that is, by land). We know of course that Cynthia booted herself out of and eventually sold Capitol Development Bank, which then had substantial exposure to the family real estate development projects.

Now it appears that they have tided over that critical period of cashflow bottleneck by their increased visibility in politics. Landed wealth, after all, is dependent on the market perception of your value and credit.

I guess Manny has mastered the art of melding business and politics, which not too many have been successful at. But it's too early in the day to tell if he can overcome the new obstacles he's facing. From the looks of it, his political foes have no intention on easing their bid to trounce him.

Quote from: Mari on May 27, 2009, 10:48:54 PM
'gator fee' man jud sad akong nadunggan. i had to say it again just to make sure i heard it right and the girl at the other end of the line said the same 'gator fee'

Mari,

Di gyud diay nato mabasol ang Tagalog kay kung mao pud ang pangdungog nimo, in-ana gyud siguro ang pagkasulti.

Nag-practicum pa man daw sa anatomy atong panahona ang medical interns nga si Hayden ug si Maricar, busa ayaw ninyo butangig malisya.