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Magnitude 7.2 quake rocks Bohol
BY RAPPLER.COM
POSTED ON 10/15/2013 8:33 AM  | UPDATED 10/15/2013 9:02 AM


MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) â€" A shallow magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Central Visayas Tuesday, October 15, state seismologists said.

The quake struck at 8:12 am, and was centered 2 kilometers southeast of Carmen, Bohol (09.80°N, 124.20°E).

The quake's depth of focus was 33 kilometers, and was of tectonic origin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its initial report.

The quake was felt across the Visayas and Mindanao. People as far as Zamboanga and Davao cities reported to have felt it.

Phivolcs said the following intensities were felt:

Intensity VII - Tagbilaran, Bohol
Intensity VI - Inigaran, Negros Occidental
Intensity V- Iloilo City; La Carlota
Intensity IV - Masbate City; Roxas City; San Jose, Culasi, Antique; Guihulngan, Negros Oriental
Intensity III - Davao City
Aftershocks and damage are expected, the Phivolcs added.

Initial data released by the USGS said there were two earthquakes, both centered in Bohol. â€" Rappler.com

A crowd gathers in the evacuation area in Cebu, Philippines after 7.2 earthquake - @iLuvCebuTeam  http://breakingnews-www.appspot.com/topic/philippines-earthquake-oct-15-2013

Strong quake strikes Visayas
By: InterAksyon.com
October 15, 2013 8:35 AM





MANILA - (UPDATE 2, 8:53 a.m.) A strong earthquake has hit Central Visayas around 8 am on Tuesday.

The US Geological Survey says the 7.2-magnitude quake's epicenter is about 2 kilometers south of Carmen, Bohol. This was confirmed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

This was also felt in Bacolod City, Negros Oriental where it registered magnitude 5. The quake was felt for a minute, enough to sway picture frames on the wall to sway, residents said.

According to Cebu City residents, buildings along N. Bacalso Ave. have reportedly collapsed. Electricity was also down.

A 5.4-magnitude aftershock has hit Nueva Fuerza, Bohol at 8:29 a.m.

Earthquake Location:

24 miles (39 km) ENE of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines; 38 miles (61 km) SSE of Cebu, Cebu, Philippines; 69 miles (112 km) ENE of Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines; 398 miles (641 km) SSE of MANILA, Philippines


Source: U.S. Geological Survey



http://welovecebu.com/october-152013-earthquake-7-2-magnitude-rocks-bohol-cebu/

Event Time

2013-10-15 00:12:37 UTC
2013-10-15 08:12:37 UTC+08:00 at epicenter
2013-10-14 17:12:37 UTC-07:00 system time
Location

9.765°N 124.022°E depth=56.8km (35.3mi)

Nearby Cities

5km (3mi) E of Balilihan, Philippines
21km (13mi) SSE of Tibigan, Philippines
22km (14mi) NE of Tagbilaran, Philippines
35km (22mi) NE of Danao, Philippines
629km (391mi) SSE of Manila, Philippines

More at: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000kdb4?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook#summary

7.2 quake hits Boholâ€"Phivolcs
By Frances Mangosing
INQUIRER.net
8:39 am | Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines â€" A 7.2 magnitude quake was recorded near Bohol Tuesday morning.

The US Geographical Survey said that the quake was recorded two kilometers south of Nueva Vida Sur in Carmen town at 8:12 a.m. Philippine time.

It had a depth of 33 kilometers.

Residents in nearby province Cebu also posted on Twitter that they also felt the earthquake there.

No other details were available as of posting time.

Easy does it...

Pa-8z...

Agoi, double whammy...

From Wikipedia

American Idiot is a one-act, through-sung stage musical, an adaptation of punk rock band Green Day's rock opera, American Idiot. After a run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2009, the show moved to the St. James Theatre on Broadway. Previews began on March 24, 2010 and the play officially opened on April 20, 2010. The show closed on April 24, 2011 after 422 performances. While Green Day did not appear in the production, vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong performed the role of "St. Jimmy" occasionally throughout the run.

American Idiot
The Musical





Music   Green Day
Lyrics   Billie Joe Armstrong
Book   Billie Joe Armstrong
Michael Mayer
Basis   2004 concept album American Idiot by Green Day
Productions   2009 Berkeley
2010 Broadway
2011 First National Tour
2012 UK and Ireland Tour
2012 Non-Equity National Tour
2013 Tokyo
2013 Seoul
Awards   Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album

Quote from: taga tigbao on November 06, 2012, 01:39:01 PM
Ako, murag sa panahon nga nagpangita ku ug mga Bisaya nga pulong. Nagsige ko ug pangita unja nahadagma ko didtos Binisaya section.

Daghan na ko ug nashare aning TB da! Hehehehe. Wa hibaw-i. Ang uban sa ahong mga naabtan nangawa na karon. Si Sabina, Blue, Cat, Misty. Nangahagbay na. Pero kanis Sabina, Blue ug Cat sa FB pirme mi magkabangga pero dili kanunay kay ug busy way FB, pero never nga way TB! Hahahaha.

Bitaw, hain na kaha to sila? Maayo untag mobalik sila aron mahaw-as ta sa pait nga kahimtang nga atong gisagubang karon...

Lowest P/E Stocks In George Soros Portfolio
http://www.forbes.com/

As of the Sept. 20, 2013 update by GuruFocus, the portfolio of George Soros of Soros Fund Management listed 203 stocks, 59 of them new, with a total value of $9.22 billion, and a quarter-by-quarter turnover of 19%.

He he, TB personalities...

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 15, 2013, 03:57:07 AM
ig si cleopatra gani, ikaw, you must have been ? si Caesar? si Antony?

Basin naydir ob da abab? Basin ang asp?

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/
Monday, October 14, 2013


THREE Filipinos were reportedly killed in a road accident in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last week, but the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to receive confirmation about the incident.

According to a report on the Arab News site, three of the 10 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) died on the spot when the tires of the small pickup truck they were riding suddenly blew out, throwing them out the car.

The report identified the fatalities as Gerardo Bernal, Jenefrey Monteclaro and Karamuddin Dimalaya. Bernal and Monteclaro were mechanics while Dimalaya was a company driver. Their bodies remain at the King Fahd Hospital.

"The staff of the Philippine Consulate General are currently attending to them while helping the employer in expediting the repatriation papers for the remains of the fatalities," a spokesperson for the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah was quoted as saying.

Bugaong ang iyang kuha ani ron...

Apparently, the INC doesn’t know President Noy very well.

The guy can never be forced to change his decision once he has made it.

Educated at the Ateneo de Manila University, a Catholic school, P-Noy was threatened with excommunication by the Church over the issue of reproductive health, but he didn’t back down.

Haven’t you noticed all his relatives on his mother’s sideâ€"the Cojuangcos, particularly his Uncle Pepingâ€"have not been given key positions in his administration?

That’s because P-Noy is his own man.

Reports reaching this columnist said the event was not only for what it was announcedâ€"to treat the sick and distribute relief goods to calamity victims.

It was more than that: Send a message to Malacañang about the religious sect’s displeasure over certain issues.

Among the alleged issues: The dismissal of Magtanggol Gatdula as director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the forced resignation of Virginia Torres as head of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), both of whom are INC recommendees, and the inclusion of an INC member from the revamp at the Bureau of Customs.

This is hard to believe, but if this is true, then the INC is acting like a spoiled brat who didn’t get his way.

Why would the INC make other people who belong to different faiths suffer the inconvenience of heavy traffic and the loss of a day of learning for students?

The minority rules over the majority
By Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
3:10 am | Tuesday, October 15th, 2013


Why was there a need to suspend classes in many parts of Metro Manila yesterday (Monday) just because a politically influential religious group, the Iglesia ni Cristo, held a medical mission and distributed bags of food in several places in the metropolis?

Why couldn’t those noble undertakings be confined in one big area like the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta, which can accommodate millions?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of the INC because most of its members are disciplined citizens.

But why did they have to hold the huge event in many places in Metro Manila when they could have done it the day before, which was Sunday?

That way, students wouldn’t have suffered in their studies.

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 12, 2013, 07:47:45 AM
In fact, people should be encouraged to visit clinicians if such feelings and thoughts are pervasive and persistent.

Bitaw. Aron makapahuway ang tanan.

From Wikipedia


Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer (10âˆ'9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from 0.1â€"10 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. The names nanobots, nanoids, nanites, nanomachines or nanomites have also been used to describe these devices currently under research and development.

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 06:47:48 PM
i did not dream.  i was.

Bwahaha! Boritski. Kinsa man kuno ka, si Cleopatra?

On their eight stubby little legs, Water bears lumber along in a cute sort of bear-like way, which is how they got their name. Small yet abundant, it is possible to find them all over the world, including most of Alabama. If you would like to see some, find some moss or lichen, and scrape some bits of it into a container. Add a bit of rainwater to make it very moist but not submerged, and wait about 36 hours. You'll need a strong magnifying glass or low-powered microscope, but a careful inspection should reveal some tiny little brown critters romping about and having a grand time. Let them dry out again, save the container, and show them off to your grandkids someday. They'll survive the wait. Being active only a week at a time per decade, a Water bear can probably live over 700 years.

That's Wild!

Once in this dehydrated state, known as "cryptobiosis," they become immune to pretty much everything that they aren't already immune to, such as being broiled at 300 degrees, frozen to one degree above absolute zero, crushed under 6000 Atmospheres of pressure, poisoned, blasted with 500 times the amount of radiation needed to kill a human, soaked with powerful acid, or even being left out in the hard vacuum of space. Bear in mind that they can already survive most of these things for awhile when wide awake! They really have been put out in space, too, in a little box attached to the side of the International Space Station, with no air, gravity, insulation from the swings in temperature, or protection from the unfiltered cosmic rays of the sun. Ten days later, the Water Bears were not only still alive and unharmed, they laid some eggs not long after having been brought back inside for observation.

An electron microscope is handy for photographing these amazing, yet very tiny animals. This little guy is practically posing for the camera. Photo by Science Photo Library


From the bottom of the sea to the tops of the Himalayas, all they seem to need is a little bit of moisture and a little bit to eat, and they only need these about once per decade or so to survive. One captive specimen even lasted 120 years! How can this be? Well, they cheat, in a way. The natural lifespans of the various Tardigrade species range from as little as a month to as long as a year or two, but the fun part is that they don't do all of their living in one uninterrupted period of time. When things become unpleasant for them, Tardigrades have the amazing ability to "hit the pause button" on their lives and nearly instantly eject around 99.7% of the water in their bodies, dehydrating themselves on the spot.

Water bears can live almost anywhere, able to thrive in places where very little else can even survive.

The 1,100+ species of Water bears can be found almost anywhere on Earth, including many places where almost no other life can survive. "Extremeophiles" are those weird species that thrive in very extreme environments, such as bacteria that live in icebergs or worms that gather around the volcanic vents at the bottom of the ocean. Most of these species are highly adapted to living in one particular such extreme environment, but the Water bear can live in almost any environment, making it a member of a very exclusive club, the Poly-extremeophiles. Not only can they live almost anywhere, not much can even kill them. They are widely regarded as the toughest creatures on this planet.

Latest update on our champion species...



The teeny-tiny Tardigrade is the toughest critter on Earth...and beyond ( That's Wild! )



Not completely soft and squishy, some Tardigrades have armored skin and protruding spikes. Photo by Ambergold.ru (Ambergold.ru)



http://www.al.com/
By Harry Tabb on October 14, 2013 at 4:30 AM, updated October 14, 2013 at 5:14 AM


In this blog I like to feature natural wonders great and small, and "small" is certainly the correct word to use this time. One of the most remarkably amazing animals on this planet, and on at least one occasion not on this planet, the Tardigrade, or "Water Bear," is only about one-fourth to one-third the size of a flea. What makes that interesting is the fact that despite it's size, it has a full set of eyes, arms, legs, claws, internal organs, etc..., and is the one of the smallest creatures on earth to be so well developed. It's tiny size, though, is only a very minor thing compared to everything else that makes it so very fascinating.

In a test of the device, the researchers analyzed tissue samples from 302 patients in the lab, creating a reference collection of 1,624 cancerous tissue types and 1,309 noncancerous types. Then they tested the iKnife in the operating room in 81 cancer surgeries.

In all of the patients, the iKnife distinguished between cancerous and noncancerous tissue types as well as postoperative analysis did, the scientists reported in July in the journal Science Translational Medicine. And the iKnife identification took only one to three seconds (by contrast, conventional methods can take up to 30 minutes).

"The technology works well; however, surgeons cannot make decisions based on the mass spectrometry data yet," Takáts told LiveScience.

The iKnife gives surgeons real-time diagnostic information about the tumor, including whether the tumor is growing at the site where it began or has metastasized. The speedy readout would help surgeons work more efficiently, minimizing the time a patient spends under anesthesia.

The team plans to start a clinical trial of the iKnife next year. The researchers are also developing a version of the iKnife called the "iForceps" for brain surgery and the "iEndoscope" for colon surgery.

LiveScience.com
By Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer
1 hour ago


When a surgeon is removing a tumor, it's often hard to tell where the patient's cancer ends and the normal tissue begins â€" which is important in ensuring that all of the cancer is removed. Now, an experimental surgical knife aims to detect cancerous tissue as it cuts.

Developed by researchers at Imperial College London, the intelligent knife, or "iKnife," sniffs out cancer cells in the smoke given off by tissue during electrosurgery, which uses an electrical current to rapidly heat and cut through the tissue.  Surgeons could use the iKnife to determine whether the cells are healthy or cancerous in a matter of seconds, its creators say.

Chemists have known for several years that lipids, the fatty molecules inside cell membranes, can be used to identify cancerous tumors. But the traditional way of detecting them requires removing the cancerous tissue and analyzing it using a mass spectrometer, a device that measures the mass and structure of its component molecules.

To speed up the process, chemist Zoltán Takáts and his colleagues developed a surgical knife that can analyze lipids in the smoke given off when surgeons cut or cauterize blood vessels. In animal studies, the researchers showed that analyzing the smoke in a mass spectrometer reveals different tissue types.

Yes, yes...

Feeding stray cats...

Kinsa may bff ni Mr. Go, si Mr. Ong?

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 04:45:07 PM
Not your usual family-oriented film with a formulaic plot, Mr. Go offers a rather engaging narrative packed with ape-sized laughs and emotions that could warm anybody's heart and make it pound with thrill.

Agoi, di ba kaha mosamot ang hypertension ani. Heart attack man kaha hinuon ang resulta...

Quote from: taga tigbao on October 13, 2013, 09:40:09 PM
Makatun pa unta sija ug kuwarta nga matuk-an.

Aw, dili sa karon. The Filipino people need her to expose all the politicians who are involved in her modus. May they rot in their seats!

May their butts (particularly the smelly parts thereof) rot first!

You're welcome, my friend Islander. Truth to tell, I gave up 11 things in exchange for happiness...

Where are you, my friends...

Sa akong tan-aw, morag kalibangon ra ni siya...

Quote from: Mike Ortega Ligalig on October 18, 2008, 09:20:29 AM
Classes in a public high school in Panabo City, this province, have been temporarily suspended on Wednesday when an 18-year-old male student was believed to have been possessed by another spirit and suddenly collapsed. - PNA

Quote from: Lorenzo on October 18, 2008, 10:43:43 AM
By another spirit? Something similar happened before?

Hmm, looks like the first spirit changed the victim's gender from female to male, then the second one changed the victim's orientation--suddenly--from portrait to landscape...

There will still be blood, of course, but perhaps less by a good number of barrels...

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 03:03:01 PM
hahaha!  boritski.  i hope janet napoles sets her sights on you too.

Agoi, anhi na jud ko ani mahimong milyonir. Naa na jud koy ikaparang sa mga maykapangyarihan...

Quote from: Raquelproud boholana on October 14, 2013, 02:28:44 PM
Very good answer Toy. konpident jud ba. all the time;D

He he, mao jud. Ang nakaporke kon natakdan ra diay ko sa borit nga permi nakong mabasahan...

Here's a map showing how Jobar is connected to key government facilities at the heart of the capital:

As you can see,  Jobar is in the dark while regime-held neighborhoods closer to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's seat of power are lit up.

The view indicates the most heartbreaking reality of the 31-month civil war:  At its core, the war pits Syrians against Syrians. And it's tearing the country apart.

Yes, there are foreign jihadists fighting with the rebels as well as Iranian troops, Iraqi militias, and guerrilla fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah fighting with the Syrian army.

But overwhelmingly, the people that are dying, fleeing, and fighting are Syrians.

By Michael Kelley | Business Insider â€" 9 hours ago



Twitter/@MajdArar


n Thursday Majd Arar, a Syrian engineer, tweeted this photo taken by a group of activists in the neighborhood of Jobar in Damascus.

Jobar, a strategically significant area that leads into the very center of the capital, is a rebel stronghold of sorts and one of the first places hit by chemical weapons on Aug. 21. Heavy shelling and fighting followed.

Ay, salamat kay layo ra sa tinaig manok...

Quote from: AsPo on November 06, 2009, 08:06:24 PM
kanang walay buho,as in libon kaayo,unya ang gamay nga buho,mura ra og dagom,agi an sa ihi.ang mga tiguls sa una kudlit ra ,sa tipasi sa humay,pero karon nga panahon,cream ang ipahid para unti unti  nga ma open.

Unsaon kaha kon morag dagom kadak-a ang agi sa ihi. Di gani pwede magsugod og kudlit ginamit ang kumingking...

Confucius believed that the welfare of a country depended on the moral cultivation of its people, beginning from the nation's leadership. He believed that individuals could begin to cultivate an all-encompassing sense of virtue through ren, and that the most basic step to cultivating ren was devotion to one's parents and older siblings. He taught that one's individual desires do not need to be suppressed, but that people should be educated to reconcile their desires via rituals and forms of propriety, through which people could demonstrate their respect for others and their responsible roles in society. He taught that a ruler's sense of virtue was his primary prerequisite for leadership. His primary goal in educating his students was to produce ethically well-cultivated men who would carry themselves with gravity, speak correctly, and demonstrate consummate integrity in all things. --Wiki

The Analects, or Lunyu, also known as the Analects of Confucius, is the collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally believed to have been written by Confucius' followers. It is believed to have been written during the Warring States period (475 BCâ€"221 BC), and it achieved its final form during the mid-Han dynasty (206 BCâ€"220 AD). By the early Han dynasty the Analects was considered merely a "commentary" on the Five Classics, but the status of the Analects grew to be one of the central texts of Confucianism by the end of that dynasty. During the late Song dynasty (960-1279) the importance of the Analects as a philosophy work was raised above that of the older Five Classics, and it was recognized as one of the "Four Books". The Analects has been one of the most widely read and studied books in China for the last 2,000 years, and continues to have a substantial influence on Chinese and East Asian thought and values today.

All the time.

Home is where the trash is...

Bugsay would cry into his pillow...

Quote from: islander on October 13, 2013, 09:22:13 PM
sorry, i got some right, except 1-boots, 3-funk, and 5-purse.

Liar, liar. I'm sure you got #4 wrong.

Quote from: islander on September 26, 2013, 06:07:09 AM
P. Diddy
“Money doesn’t make you happy. It just makes you feel better.”

Hmm, as in, it lowers your bp?

Alyssa Quijano and Charice at the Yahoo Philippines office


And himaya nga gidalit sa gugma...

Every father's dream, I suppose, especially kon only daughter...

Hmm, I feel for the underdog, but I vote for the overcat anytime...

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 10:07:24 AM
how about you?  when will you give me some moolah?

Botooyah no moolah. Haw abawt wan sak sapal?

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 10:07:24 AM
the rich of us give; they don't lend.  they only want loyalty in exchange...

Loyalty? Which kind? Canine or feline?

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 10:07:24 AM
no one here will have a stroke.

Hmm, paukyab ra diay?

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 09:40:09 AM
best of all: poor ka aron ikaw ang mangutang, lain ang ma-stroke, hahaha!

Ma-stroke? Oi, ayaw paghisgot niana. Basin naay mo-feel being alluded to.

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 09:45:07 AM
but of course.  and the fact that she's one more member of the binay dynasty, which is proving tasteless.  whoever mocked her skin color must have been out of sorts.

The meme that backfired. That is, if it wasn't actually issued by the Binay camp.

It's funny, yes, Mr. C.S. Lewis. Heart-rending, too.

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 09:29:10 AM
always the genius on hindsight.

Hmm, what's the opposite of "genius on hindsight"?

Quote from: islander on October 14, 2013, 12:52:56 AM
moral lesson 1: ayaw kasuko palabi kun di mabayran ug utang aron di ma-stroke.

A better moral lesson: Ayaw pautang.

Quote from: Datu Dagohoy on March 02, 2009, 03:30:52 PM
kung sa bagay kanang mga foreigner nga anhi sa Pinas magpakamatay maayo man sab na sa atong juta pang pataba o abono ba para motambok ang juta.

He he, ang yutang tabunon mahimong yutang tisay...

My mom, I believe, is an example. She may not be a beauty title-holder but I have always admired her strength, kindness, and dedication. She is not fair-skinned but she has many qualities that transcend complexion.

This may be a cheesy way of ending this, but the truth is we have to focus on the more important things. True beauty is not skin-deep; it is timeless and doesn’t expire. â€" KDM/HS, GMA News


JR Lopez Gonzales is a senior law student at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City. This piece originally appeared in his blog in two parts on October 9. We are re-posting it here with his permission.

I’m not among the fashion-slash-beauty police but I guess we just have to be comfortable in our own skin instead of trying to change it. It is a personal issue, but hopefully Filipinas learn to love and accept things as they are.

For one, our brown complexion is a beautiful hue without blemishes and freckles. Our flat noses come in handy, too, perhaps even in boxing where there's less nose to be targeted and broken. Maybe that makes Pinoys better boxers? That theory still needs to be proven.

We don’t need to look foreign to be beautiful. That’s why I commend Pinays who are happy with their natural skin color and shape of their noses.

The adverts don’t help, either. Some ads tell us that we need their products to unleash our “natural whiteness.” Television commercials feature whitening product endorsements of aquiline-nosed celebrities who are already endowed with white skin, while another product promises “kutis artista.” Now, this makes me wonder: just what exactly is “kutis artista”? Well, for one, Tado is an artista. And so is Tsokoleit.

There's also rhinoplasty, skin bleaching, facelift, breast lift, face peel, tummy tuck, and what-have-you that are options just to make you happy about your appearance. For me, it seems that they are fixing parts of themselves that were never broken in the first place. But maybe it’s human nature? It’s that part of us that can’t be satisfied with the things we have.

With the grand slam win of the Philippines at the Miss World pageant, has this changed our perception towards those we call “black beauties”? Because most of these beauty titlists don’t possess the mestiza looks our society prefers. I don’t know, but one thing is for sure: in some ways, our international pageant wins lets us realize that foreigners appreciate the natural beauty of our Malay race; something we fail in.

A tour around Manila’s thoroughfares will make you realize that there’s not one dark-skinned endorser on the billboards. Products that are endorsed by fair-skinned gods and goddesses, who are commonly of mixed-race descent. The American tourist who made the “20 Things I Hate About the Philippines” video famously noticed this Filipino fascination with fair skin.

From the day we learned to use our eyes to watch the idiot box, we have been bombarded with images that project a nearly unattainable physical ideal, these images form the foundation upon which our generation’s self-esteem and body image are based.

For example, our brand of showbiz is dominated by white-skinned tisoys and tisays, that’s why the masses adore these mixed-bloods. But if one really thinks about it, it's just that these gorgeous people had the luck of the genetic draw.

It is like a mortal sin to have a darker skin tone. It seems that some sensitive racial barometer in the Pinoy still equates blackness with being dirty and unclean, or that having a darker shade of melanin is something to be ashamed of.

Many Pinays feel pressure to have whiter, lighter skin. Pinays want to be white; Pinays need to be white. In fact, dark skin is frowned upon and they are sometiems harshly called baluga, negra, uling, ita, kulay-duhat, etc. You'll notice it in the common Tagalog expression: Mahiya ka naman sa balat mo! Or jokes like “Black is beautiful. But too much is charcoal.”

Having darker complexion can make you a laughing stock here.

After the Spaniards came the Americans, and this pigment-less ideal of beauty was carried over, too. With the advent of technology and mass media, this love for the Western standard of beauty has been preserved by Pinoys up to this day. It is the kind of thinking where we consider the colonizers’ standards as better and superior; a standard we have to imitate.

That’s just how this white skin fascination of the Pinoys came to be. The more mestiza you look, the more you’re considered beautiful in this country of Malay slash Pacific islanders.

There was a controversy about Spanish chocolate bars branded as “Filipinos” in 1999. Accordingly, those chocolates resembled us Pinoys, who are “brown on the outside, white on the inside”. It’s quite unfortunate that the standards of beauty applied to Filipino women are still based on skin color.

Beauty makes one attractive to the opposite sex. It sells magazines. It gets high TV ratings. Beautiful people lure us into a purchase. Nothing sells better than an impossibly gorgeous face.

But the sad thing is, the Pinoy’s fascination with the standard of "unattainable" beauty makes everyone miserable and discontented. In a country where the majority possess the skin color influenced by genes from our brown, Malay forefathers, scouring and scrubbing their colors off doesn't seem enough. Our well-off ladies go a notch higher to attain beauty through bleaching and other surgical operations.

Historically speaking, the fixation with the mestiza standard of beauty is one of those cultural influences we got from our Spanish colonizers. During Hispanic times, when Filipinos were considered second-class citizens in their own country, the archetype of beauty was the standard of the conquistadores. That yardstick where indios are ashamed of their own skin color.

No wonder we had people like Doña Victorina who abused facial powder just to look more like the Caucasian colonizers.

Clearly, beauty has its benefits. Beauty can win pageants. It can make the masses vote for someone undeserving. It can make one famous and could even be the ticket to winning a political seat.

As an aside, though, I am not amenable with how Pinoys mocked [Nancy] Binay's complexion. She didn't deserve the position because of her inexperience, not because of her skin color.

"Ms Binay didn't deserve the position because of her inexperience, not because of her skin color."

GMA News Online â€" Sun, Oct 13, 2013


From the pasty white and plump standards of the Victorian times up to the tanned complexion popularized by Hollywood in the 1950s, humanity no doubt has changing ideas of beauty.

This doesn’t seem to apply to this country of Malays, though. Our idea of beauty has been fixed on the mestiza standard since the 16th century: that a woman has to have fair skin to be beautiful. Obviously, this proves how ingrained the Western-standard of beauty is to us Filipinos.

During those times, the mestiza beauty used to be a rare find. Now, it’s different. Everywhere we look, we can find “beautiful” faces. Our narcissistic and image-conscious culture is further amplified thanks to TV, Facebook, and the ever-reliable Photoshop.

Dili dead, oi. Wish you were dead lang...