MikeLigalig.com

Thousands of people have joined celebrations in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, as the country marks 50 years of nationhood.

Dancers and drummers paraded though Merdeka Square, where Malaysia's first prime minister announced independence from Britain on 31 August 1957.

Dignitaries from around the world are attending the celebrations, which began with a midnight flag-raising ceremony.

There Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi urged people to unify as a nation.

"The struggle is for all Malaysians," he said. "We must ensure that no region or community is left behind."

"We will hold true to the concept of justice and fairness for all citizens."

The celebrations come at a time when debate is growing about what it means to be Malaysian in the ethnically diverse nation.

source: news.bbc.co.uk

Can the Philippines catch up Malaysia's economic status?

The last seven South Korean hostages held by the Taleban in Afghanistan have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

They were released in two groups, within the space of a few hours, late on Thursday.

On Wednesday, 12 of their fellow Christian charity workers were released after a six-week ordeal.

The Taleban seized the group of 23 last month as they travelled by bus on the main highway from Kandahar to Kabul.

Two male hostages were subsequently killed.

The last three captives, two women and a man, were handed over to ICRC officials in Ghazni province late on Thursday.

source: news.bcc.co.uk

Our country is running out of doctors, too.

Thousands of Philippine doctors are taking up nursing courses. Many Filipino doctors are already working as nurses in the West.

Holy Name University has a special class for doctors taking up nursing course.

Australian calling cad operator, gotalk, has struck a deal with Philippines telco, Globe Telecom that will enable gotalk customers to buy call credits in Australia and transfer these to friends and relatives in the Philippines.

Holders of globetalk's 'Sariling Atin and 'It's Green' phonecards in Australia and 'Happy Calling' and 'Ratesaver' cards in New Zealand will be able to transfer call credits of between $5 and $50 to accounts with Globe Telecom. Globe is the second largest mobile phone company in the Philippines with more than 16.9 million mobile subscribers.

Gotalk's deal with Globe Telecom follows its June 1 announcemen t of an agreement to purchase Telstra's prepaid international calling cards, Say G'day and Super Buzz which service a customer base of 110,000 international phone card users in nine ethnic languages - English, French Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Indonesian, Japanese Korean and Thai.

source: itwire.com

The founder of Philippines coffee chain Figaro is looking for regional partners to expand into South East Asian nations where the coffee culture is not yet strong.

CEO and president Pacita Juan grew a single cafe in Manila into the Figaro Coffee Company.

By the end of this year, the chain will have 75 outlets in the Philippines and two in Shanghai. The arrival of Starbucks knocked Figaro from first place to second in the coffee market, but it retains a 30% market share and plans to add 20 stores a year over the next five years.

Juan is looking at more opportunities in China, along with Singapore and other regions to drive up revenues.

“We’re looking for partners overseas because we believe local knowledge is important,” she said.

Juan is in Sydney for the APEC business forum and her story features in today’s Australian Financial Review.

Through a foundation set up by her company, Juan aims to revitalise the Philippines coffee industry and its distinctive Barako bean.

“We would like higher taxes on imported coffee to further speed up our work with farmers so the coffee industry will be vibrant again,” she said.

source: www.insideretailing.com.au

The Bollywood song-and-dance routine, which has won the hearts and minds of countless moviegoers around the world, is being cited in the Philippines as a shining example of a curative for the country's ailing film industry.

The bump-and-grind routines and all that running around trees that so typically characterise Bollywood blockbusters may be what it takes to administer the kiss of life to the Filipino film industry that's being taxed to death, in the estimation of Senate president and Nacionalista Party leader Manny Villar.

"Why don't we have films that feature dances and songs, just like Indian movies?" Villar asks. After all, "Filipinos are great dancers and singers."

But beyond the glitz and the glamour of songs and dances, Villar acknowledges that it's important to study how Bollywood came to be a global success, and perhaps learn lessons from it. In the Philippines, for instance, the film industry faces a string of taxes that render it unviable to make films in the first place. Villar notes that the return on investment for Indian films is substantially high.

A research study, titled Can the Philippines follow Bollywood? and conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, says that low production costs and high revenues ensure that Indian films offer high return on investment. It cites Monsoon Wedding, the Mira Nair film which earned $30 million worldwide on an investment of just $1.5 million, as an example. "Film production in the US is a hundredfold costlier than that in India, where an average film costs less than $500,000 to produce," it says. 

source: dnaindia.com

My reaction: Salamat nalang. Papalita sa ug Rexona nang mga Indians.

Quote from: Bohol on August 31, 2007, 11:25:09 AM
Vidz, we'd like to give the donation as one group.

That will show unity of the Boholano people.

Quote from: Melrose on August 31, 2007, 10:31:56 AM
guys, we can directly give it to the widow.

delaguna, gec: what can you say about this? 

Vidz, we'd like to give the donation as one group.

Pinay, the best. No. 1.

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on August 29, 2007, 08:31:48 AM
Oist ... gising ka na, Dong Mike?  Ang bilis ng response, ah!  Logout na usa ko kay mokayod pa ang pobreng OFW --- mosamot unya nga malait ta sa atong pagpaningkakay dire sa layong nasod!  Waaa! I hope you have a very nice day!  Palayo lang unta ka sa mga katulad ni Malung manlalait!!! 

Ate Belle, usually I'm already awake at 3 in the morning.

Hundreds of Telstra customer service staff made redundant today would be replaced by workers from The Philippines, a union official says.

But a spokeswoman for the telco said the 244 redundancies were part of a customer service revamp announced in June, and that the use of foreign workers was a short-term measure.

Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) national secretary Stephen Jones said Telstra managers were secretly in The Philippines assisting American labour hire company Teletech to set up the new operation.

"(The sacked workers) are the people who work in customer service support dealing with your bill problems, dealing with services, dealing with problems with contractors and sales support," Mr Jones said.

"We have concerns with the quality of the service (overseas workers) will provide and issues with information sent offshore that certainly will not be under the jurisdiction of Australian law."

The redundancies "make a mockery" of Telstra commitment to keep staff and investment in Australia, Mr Jones said.

Telstra announced in June it would make 244 staff redundant because new technology and more efficient customer service processes replaced them, a Telstra spokeswoman said.

source: australianit.news.com.au

Now that most of the members of the Casimero “Meloy” Garcia Robbery Group have been arrested, Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said they will shift their focus to monitoring and running after the robbery group reportedly headed by Roy Fernandez.

The Roy Fernandez Robbery Group, according to Comendador, used to be the unit where most members of the Garcia gang belonged.

Although the Cebu City police have not received reports on the presence of Fernandez’s group in Cebu City or in Central Visayas, Comendador said, “We cannot afford to let our guard down.”

Meanwhile, questions as to who should get credit for the arrest were raised yesterday, following the statement of former Panglao, Bohol mayor Doloreich Dumaluan that it was his in-house security guard who was at the frontline.

Dumaluan, in a radio dyLA interview, said the responding policemen were hesitant to enter the room Garcia occupied in his beach resort, knowing that the suspect was armed with an Ingram submachine pistol.

“My guard, who is a former policeman, went in first. The police only followed. They lacked briefing and crisis management that time,” Dumaluan said, referring to the responding policemen.

Dumaluan, however, clarified it does not matter to him where the credit goes because the arrest was a result of a joint operation by the police, his men and other agencies.

Garcia, his 17-year-old girlfriend and Gilven Nuez were arrested inside the Dumaluan beach resort more than five hours after the midday heist on the Bank of Commerce at the corner of CPG Ave. and Borja St. in Tagbilaran City last Tuesday.

The owners of Eskaya Beach Resort and Spa also corrected a Sun.Star Cebu report yesterday that the suspects checked in at their resort.

Cresencio “Bruts” Reguya, another member of the group, was earlier arrested after getting injured in a shootout with the bank’s security guards.

Dumaluan said the first to check in at the beach resort was Nuez, who arrived in a van.

Around 5 p.m., Garcia and his girlfriend arrived at the resort.

Dumaluan said the resort staff had became suspicious of the group, especially that one of the security guards noted Nuez’s injury.

Dumaluan said they did not waste time in calling up the Tagbilaran Police Station, Panglao Police Station and the nearby Bohol Tourist Police.

He also called up Chief Insp. Germano Mallari of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7 for assistance.

Chief Insp. Jacinto Cesar, Tagbilaran City police chief, in the same radio interview, said he would not mind where the commendation goes.

source: Sun Star Daily Cebu

Now I will forgive any woman who may disturb my peace.

Quote from: Franklin on August 30, 2007, 10:39:27 PM
Mike
I agree.
In the US, crimes in the cities are mostly black against black.

Mike,
Why are their much lower rates of crime in Thailand?

Thai rak Thai. Translation: Thais love Thais.

The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has been active in the Philippines for more than 40 years and established an office in Manila in 1977. To complement its growing investments, IFC is expanding its advisory services to include public-private partnerships and private sector development. IFC, with support from the Governments of Australia and Canada, established a multilateral program to support the development of small and medium enterprises.

To further its Advisory Services work, IFC is currently seeking a Consultant on SME Banking

SCOPE OF THE JOB

This consultancy will result in the production of a report that will include the following:

Market Sizing and Understanding:
•     Assessment of the reachable small business and medium-sized business markets;

Defining and Pricing Needed Capacity Building Advisory Services
•     Provide a deeper analysis of the gaps in a bank’s current microfinance and SME lending methodologies and capacity;
•     Proposed changes to a bank’s SME strategy,
•     Details of all the consultancy assignments that are estimated to be required to achieve efficient, safe and profitable SME
      banking,

Cost and Revenue Projections
•     A detailed assessment of the volume of extra revenues and profits that can be expected from SME banking,
•     A detailed description of all the costs involved in implementing the SME banking strategy

Provide a Baseline for Understanding the Impact of SME Banking
•     Obtain baseline figures for all output and impact parameters
•     Future targets for all listed indicators, per period.

QUALIFICATIONS AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS

The consultant chosen should be:
•     A highly experienced, internationally recognized banker with SME banking experience as Project Manager;
•     Should have at least 10 years’ banking experience, including min. 5 years of SME banking, with a good reputation and strong       track record;
•     Proven, documented successes in SME banking projects;
•     Experience in East Asia, ideally in the Philippines, is highly desirable.

For more information and to view the detailed Request for Proposal, click this link: http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/eastasia.nsf/Content/Opportunities.

Please submit your CVs to contactuspepp@ifc.org on or before Tuesday, 11 September 2007.


Please share this information with your colleagues and network partners who might be interested and qualified to apply for this position.

ELSA BAYSIC - SUMIDO
General Manager
Philippines-Canada Cooperation Office (PCCO)
The Program Support Unit of CIDA in the Philippines

Japan's health minister has pledged to address the shortage of doctors in the country after a woman in labour was turned away by eight hospitals.

A ninth hospital refused to admit her even after she miscarried in an ambulance and her baby died.

The woman, who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, lived just three minutes away from a hospital.

But she was forced to travel 70km (45 miles) by ambulance looking for a facility that would admit her.

The woman, who lives in the countryside, called an ambulance in the middle of the night because she was suffering from stomach pains and bleeding.

For more than an hour the ambulance crew tried to find a hospital to accept her. Eight refused.

Then on the way to a ninth hospital the ambulance crashed and the woman miscarried. The hospital then changed its mind and refused to admit her.

An official told ambulance staff that treatment would be difficult and they were already busy with an emergency operation.

Eventually, almost three hours after they first arrived to pick her up, the ambulance crew found a hospital that would take her.

source: news.bbc.co.uk

Quote from: Wyble on August 30, 2007, 09:52:49 PM
pila man diay ka posts???

500 posts. 

Mitzi Ibaya?

(Reuters) - Real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley left $12 million in her will for her dog Trouble but cut out two of her four grandchildren entirely.

Helmsley, the "Queen of Mean" who was famously quoted as saying "only the little people pay taxes" before going to jail for tax evasion, died August 20 at 87.

The 14-page will was made public in Surrogate's Court on Tuesday and reported in New York media on Wednesday, with the New York Post headlining the story "Rich bitch," referring to the female dog.

Trouble, a white Maltese, will be cared for by Helmsley's brother Alvin Rosenthal, who was left $10 million.

Two grandchildren, David and Walter Panzirer, will be left $5 million each as long as they visit their father's grave at least once a year -- Helmsley's son, Jay Panzirer, died in 1982 -- and her chauffeur will get $100,000.

"I have not made any provisions in this will for my grandson Craig Panzirer or my granddaughter Meegan Panzirer for reasons which are known to them," Helmsley wrote.

The will calls for Trouble to be entombed alongside Helmsley and husband Harry Helmsley, who died in 1997, in their $1.4 million mausoleum, for which Leona Helmsley set aside $3 million for upkeep including annual cleanings.

reuters.com

The Philippine Madrigal Singers won the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing Sunday night (Monday morning, Manila time) in Arezzo, Italy.

The Madz, as the choir is popularly known, is the first and only choir to win twice in what is known as the choral Olympics of the world.

It won the European Choral Grand Prix (GPE) for the first time in June 1997 when the Madrigals represented the Tolosa Competition, the first and only Philippine choir to win this competition.

When it won the Florilege Vocal de Tours in France in 2006, the Philippine choral group earned the right to represent the Tours in this year’s choral Olympics, held on Sunday at the Church of Sta. Maria della Pieve in Arezzo, Italy.

The Madrigals beat formidable choirs such as Russia’s Vesna Children’s Choir, Hungary’s Cantemos Mixed Choir, Cuba’s Schola Cantorum Coralina and the Taipei Chamber Singers.

“Its overwhelming. Up to now we are very happy and pleased. No words can describe it,” Mark Anthony Carpio, the Madrigal’s choirmaster told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone from Italy.

Carpio said the choral group performed a 20-minute program for the competition which included: John Pamintuan’s arrangement of “Pater Noster,” a French madrigal, a German art song, the American contemporary song “We Beheld Once Again the Stars” by Z. Randall Stroope and a children’s song from Maguindanao titled “Kaisa-isa Nyan” by Nilo Alcala.

source: inquirerbloggers.net

My doctor noticed a small spot on my skinâ€"one that he thought needed some attention. It was a tiny problem that had to be treated so it would not grow into something worse. I hadn’t known it was a problem until he pointed it out.

He prescribed a special cream that, when applied, helped the good cells in my body to come to that spot and fight off the bad ones. In other words, the medication started a little battle between the diseased cells and the good ones.

There’s a similar battle going on inside each of us as believers. It goes like this: Sinful thoughts dwell within us. They need to be treated by the Holy Spirit, who helps us to fight off the bad ideas that are fed by our flesh. The flesh introduces things such as immoral thoughts, impurity, discord, hatred, and jealousy (Gal. 5:19-20). But if we call on the Holy Spirit to come to our rescue, He combats those ideas with the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (vv.22-23).

Are you taking the treatment that calls on the Holy Spirit to fight against the flesh? That’s how we win the battle within. â€"Dave Branon

O God, may the life
Of Jesus within
Give strength to restrain
Our urges to sin. â€"D. De Haan

God’s Spirit knows no defeat.

source: www.rbc.org

Quote from: Gervistill on August 30, 2007, 09:19:47 PM
where are we? ..

fyi.
Thailand economic engine is tourism, 14billion USD a year.
Philippine tourism generated only,  3.5billion a year..

imagine if our tourism industry generate equivalent to Thailand, 14billion & 14billion for OFW..
what do yout think guys?

Gervistill: Think about this. Inhale. Breathe. Meditate. Imagine the CR of Chocolate Hills complex.

That explains all.

Quote from: adexter007 on August 30, 2007, 08:04:20 PM
There are different types of crimes. The one with Cain/Abel is of different order than when somebody robs a bank or a jewelry store...These city structures, filled with glittering things...the celfon that we carry in our hands as we walk...these are related to the crime comitted unto them. Celfon snatching, banks..these already belong to the same class of crime. Even the media globalization and the internet, some radicals would want to cease the attention of the world just to prove a point...confident that all the world will come to know them.  Without global media, most forms of terrorism would have been less meaningfull as it would not gain the attention of the globe. We, the citizens, have the luxury to believe that we will progress without crime going with it...because we are just the citizens and most of us deserve certain form of encapsulation from certain harsh conditions out there in the wild. However, the rulers, whose very job is to give protection must not think naively this way. They must confront the actual conditions right here, now...and because the city is growing, many people come...by statistics alone -- mathematically it is valid to argue that progress equates with rise in crime.

I have already pointed out that there are many progressive cities all over the world that enjoy rapid economic growth, yet the people living in those cities are not horrified of fresh stories of robberies and murders right there in their own backyards.

Crimes in the Philippines, or in Bohol, to be specific, are rooted in the wickedness of the hearts of some men and women. I will not and cannot blame poverty as motivation of doing evil in society. People's wicked hearts want easy ways to extract money from others - worse by force and intimidation. Our politicians have exemplified that. 

Illegal recruitment is a crime. Who are the victims of illegal recruitment? Filipinos. Who are the perpetrators of illegal recruitment? Filipinos.

Who steal money from public coffers? Filipino politicians. Who are the victims? Filipinos.

Bank robbery is a crime. Who robbed a bank? Filipinos. Who are the victims? Filipinos.

Our nation is spiritually lost. Our people are groping in spiritual darkness. This spiritual darkness has decapitated our men and women that they cannot exercise love and respect for our fellow Filipinos.

I have mentioned in my earlier post that in my whole stay in Thailand I have been enjoying the kindness and generosity of the Thai people and I never had any single problem living and dealing with Thais and other nationalities. But my peaceful, smooth stay in Thailand became miserable at one time when a Filipino from Bukidnon province, whom I accommodated in my rented apartment out of compassion, ran away my money and my personal stuff.

Who is the victim? Michael Ligalig, a Filipino. Who was the culprit? Filipino.

I rest my case.

Heavily-armed Philippines police surrounded a Manila bank for hours on Tuesday after its alarm went off, only to have the intruders, a pair of cats, escape.

The Special Weapons and Tactics unit in the Marikina district rushed to the bank at dawn and made sure no one could leave the bank except through the front door.

The police then entered the building only to see a stray cat slip through the door and escape.

Once inside, the police saw another cat flee through a small hole in the ceiling. Nothing was missing from the bank although cat droppings were all over the place.

"Those cats just came through the ceiling. There is no sign of forced entry so it looks the cats set off the alarms," said precinct commander Senior Inspector Ben Mabalot.

Police said the bank manager later said that he noticed a hole in the roof, large enough for a cat but did not do anything about it because the hole was too small for a person.

source: news.yahoo.com

The Philippine economy grew 7.5 percent in the second quarter compared to a year ago, the fastest rate in two decades, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Thursday.

"Our economic plan is working. Today we have the latest glowing indicators to show it," a beaming Arroyo told a nationally televised news conference on the better-than-expected data.

She said gross national product, which includes income from abroad, rose 8.3 percent for the second quarter from a year ago.

First-quarter economic growth, excluding the overseas income, was revised upward to 7.1 percent from the original 6.9 percent, pushing first-half GDP to an average 7.3 percent from a year ago, she added.

source: forbes.com

Ms. Malu Fernandez’s travel columns “From Boracay to Greece” (People Asia, June 2007) and “Am I being a diva? Or do you lack common sense?” (Manila Standard Online, July 30, 2007) continue to draw negative reactions from Filipinos here in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

While we, the Filipino Press Club in the UAE, believe in press freedom and the wide latitude given to writers in expressing their conscience, we believe that Ms. Fernandez and her editors overstepped the bounds of responsibility with these stories.

The incident recounted in her flight via Dubai to Manila in which she berated fellow Filipinos (who had already endured the misfortune of working away from their families) on board Emirates for wearing “cheap” perfumes had no significant bearing to her story.

This particular anecdote did not provide any form of entertainment, learning opportunity or even delightful trivia to the readers. To suggest all Dubai-based OFWs smell awful because they are unable to afford expensive perfumes like the one she’s wearing is high-brow snobbery.

It is the same snobbery stamped on the psyche of some members of the Philippine society’s elite that has caused the yawning gap between our rich and poor, and the economic exodus of which millions of us Filipinos have now become a part.

To enlighten Ms Fernandez and her editors, Consul General Maria Theresa Taguiang from the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi cited unofficial estimates (as of December 2006, submitted to the Philippine Congress) that there are now 250,000 Filipinos in the UAE. Of that figure, 24 percent are professional workers, 35 percent are skilled, 24 percent unskilled and 16.89 percent household workers (housemaids, personal drivers, nannies, cooks, tutors, gardeners, among other household staff).

More local as well as foreign companies in the UAE are employing Filipino workers because of their proficiency in English and admirable work ethics.

A print medium that aspires for relevance in today’s competitive media world cannot hide under the skirt of press freedom for its licentiousness to insult a group of people. One’s freedom to poke her fingers begins where someone else’s nose begins.

Ms Fernandez’s unrepentant response to the barrage of angry reactions from OFWs and their loved ones (“I obviously write for a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading”), simply adds fuel to the fire.

A nation like the Philippines that aspires for renewal and regeneration needs a responsible press with a high level of sensitivity to all sectors that comprise it.

We strongly demand that the publishers of People Asia and Manila Standard Today to take full responsibility and do the right thing: give Ms Fernandez and her editors a disciplinary action and apologise to the people insulted by these articles.

THE FILIPINO PRESS CLUB-DUBAI - A mutual support group of Filipino professional journalists from the print, broadcast and web-based media in the United Arab Emirates.

Complaints sent via the Internet and through other types of media led a Manila-based society columnist to resign from her job following her negative comments about overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau reported Thursday.

Bureau chief Dindo Amparo reported that Filipinos in the Middle East proved they can make a difference by uniting for a cause against columnist Malu Fernandez.

In her column titled "From Boracay to Greece," which saw print on "People Asia" magazine, Fernandez detailed her unusual and spur of the moment Holy Week vacation in Greece.

Fernandez said that following a friend's advice, she flew on economy class to Greece.  The plane made a stopover in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It was her written observations during the flight and while in the city that got Fernandez in trouble.

“I forget that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of OFWs were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them,” she wrote.

Fernandez said this was aggravated when one of her fellow passengers spoke to her and said, “Hey there? Where are you from? Are you a domestic helper as well?"

The columnist went further by insinuating that due to the large number of OFWs in the plane wearing cheap perfumes, the expensive brand she had on immediately evaporated into thin air.

“I  had resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while my Jo Malone evaporated into thin air,” Fernandez said.

Based on prices from the Jo Malone Web site, a 100 ml bottle of cologne ranges from 30-59 British pounds (around 2,800-5,500 Philippine pesos).

Who's the diva?
Fernandez's statements spread like wildfire on the Internet and earned the ire of communities of Filipino workers abroad, especially in the Middle East.

The migrant workers immediately issued statements and sent e-mails to blogs expressing their anger against Fernandez.

The statements can be found at this special blog (http://selvo.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/mahaderang-matapobre-sa-ofws/#comment-1042).

To make matters worse, Fernandez wrote in her succeeding column in the "Manila Standard Today" that she was only being true to herself.

"Many people often find my direct attitude to be rude or obnoxious. I really don't mean to be anything but true to myself," she said.

"Now, I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense? Perhaps it's a little of both!" she added.

Her statements further enraged the Filipino workers. She later apologized.

“I am humbled by the vehement and heated response provoked by my article. To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world,” Fernandez said in her latest statement on the online version of Manila Standard Today.

She added: “I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked.
It was truly not my intention to malign hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.”

Fernandez admitted being insensitive and offensive, as she apologized to the OFWs for whatever she had written. 

Sought for an interview by ABS-CBN, Fernandez declined.

She, however, sent a letter, saying, "I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest.”

Not yet finished

Meanwhile, abs-cbnNEWS.com received dozens of feedback e-mails against Fernandez after news broke out about her anti-OFW statements.

“We are already having a hard time here working under the hot climate, then we get a strong below the belt blow by our own kabayan who has totally no idea on being an OFW,” Francis Sangalang wrote from Dubai.

Another OFW, who declined to be named, said: “I seldom come across articles that bring my blood pressure up to a record high. This article by Malu
Fernandez has led me to set a new personal record. To say that this is ‘nakakakunsumi’ (troubling) is an understatement of the highest degree.”

The special blog was also created to compile comments against Fernandez. The comments ranged from defending her column as being about perfumes to to downright below the belt statements.

Contract worker Florencio Laron wrote from Saudi Arabia and said, "All I have to say is that may breeding siya (masama nga lang) (only, it's bad) and she [doesn’t] deserve to be a Filipino.”

An anonymous e-mail sender, meanwhile, said, “Her side comments were uncalled for. She should have kept them to herself. This is bigotry at its purest. What’s worst is she did it to her fellow Filipinos. The bad part is her pathetic attempt to justify what she wrote.”

Information from the Web site of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said a total of 462,545 OFWs or 58 percent of the total number of Filipinos employed abroad were in the Middle East as of last year.

Last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said OFWs sent a total of US$12.6 billion in remittances to their families in the Philippines.

I got an e-mail from a Tubag Bohol friend in Canada. He will donate pud alang sa pamilya sa security guard.

Anonymous lang siya.

Our Ginger of Tubag Bohol has confirmed she would donate too.

Thanks Ginger.

Quote from: Melrose on August 30, 2007, 03:38:17 PM
Mike:

How can I help? I don't want to handle the money. I'll ask DYRD if they can help  or Bank of Commerce mismo.

Talking about the pictures, the local newspapers are unethical. They showed a colored close up shot of the slain security guard with blood all over.

My cousin who works at china bank, which is stands next to city savings bank and bank of commerce got a video of the slain security guard and the wounded suspect on her camera phone.

Snowhite/Melrose,

Can we use your bank account there where we can deposit the donation? For those who are living in Bohol, they can give the donation directly to you.

Once all the funds are gathered, we'll then contact DYRD and Bohol Chronicle to channel the donation - only for the purpose of letting the public know that there are unknown Boholano souls out there who care for Bohol and its people. Let's hope Tubag Bohol community's gesture of compassion would inspire others to step out and give donation, too.

Tubag Bohol has received a message from our friend in the U.S.A.
She is not a Boholana but a daughter of Easter Samar.

She's a frequent visitor of Tubag Bohol and she said she will also donate
to the family of the slain security guard.

I hope the generosity of this non-Boholana would inspire us all.

BOWACC, as represented by Jun Ayag and Macky Ferniz, has pledged to donate.

To Macky: I don't have pictures of the slain guard. You can PM Ryan Macalandag. Maybe he has a photograph. Or Fiel Gabin.

There is one picture in the Bohol Chronicle website but I cannot download it because it is protected by a copyright notice. The picture is too bloody.

Dear Melrose,

Tubag Bohol community members would like to help the family of the slain security guard. There are members who have pledged to donate. Our concern is that we need someone who can handle the funds. We would like to donate as one group to signify our unity as sons and daughters of Bohol.

In the name of Bohol, can you stand as treasurer of the donated funds?

So far we have the following donors:

Capitan Berong P500
GEC                P500
Wyble             P500 (am I right?)
Mike               P500
Bambi             P?
Proud2bBohojalana P?

Did I miss any names here? Please post your intention to donate.

Remember that because of the bravery of this one security guard (he was the first guard who disembarked from the bank vehicle to confront the robbers), it led to gunfire and one robber was wounded and was left behind and the other wounded managed to flee but was arrested in Dumaluan Resort - it paralyzed the strength of this Bohol robbery group.

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on August 29, 2007, 07:16:15 AM
Nan, karon Mga Sano Ug Sana ... naa ba intawon tay matabang sa namatay nga guard?  Intawon pod ug gagmay pa ang anak sa namatay?  Will it be possible to maybe raise money gikan dinhe sa Tubag Bohol for the family of the late guard? 

Pananglitan may mohatag ug gamay nga amount, kinsa bay maka facilitate nga makaabot intawon ang kuarta sa pamilya ng pobreng guardia nga namatay?

Come on!  Let's do something ... BESIDES always moaning about how our beloved BOHOL's peaceful situation had drastically deteriorated of late!!!

Some kind of Trust fund or Scholarship fund for the late guard's kids kon duna man galing to siya mga anak? ... o tabang ba kaha sa mga ginikanan nga nag-ugod ugod na tingali?

Paypal is already available in the Philippines, I have heard ... Mike, can we be able to send money to you, for you to forward to the said late guard's family?  Or kang Inday Fiel na lang kaha i-c/o?  Or can anyone find out the late guard's exact address aron makapamalihug ko paadto ...

Te Belle, I suggest you send it directly to the Philippines. Though I have a Paypal account, I would still have to transfer the money to the Philippines and this will be costly (read: Western Union).

Fiel has declined to handle this matter. We're scouting for a volunteer who is willing to handle the donated funds.

My Rebuttal:

Quoted: This is the natural course of things for every advancing society...

I believe that it is a wrong concept to equate progress with crime. I've been living in Bangkok for nearly one and a half years and this is a city of 7 million people and like any other metropolitan cities, Bangkok has the face of progress and development to speak of - but I am yet to hear or read a story of robbery in Bangkok or in Thailand provinces. The only problem that besets this country is the fanatic Muslim extremists in the southern part who terrorize the residents there.

You're trying to say that because Tagbilaran is growing in terms of physical development, it is normal for crimes to take place. I beg to disagree. The parameter of your argument is that "this is the natural course of things for every advancing society."

As I've said, I am yet to see a bank robbery in Bangkok, a city much more progressive than Tagbilaran. You can never find a security guard in any banks or in any malls here.

Progress and crime are two different things. Crime should not be deemed the sum or product of growth and development. Abel was murdered by Cain when there was no city yet. African countries are destitute, and look, crime abounds. New Zealand is a progressive place, but have you heard of a bank robbery as deadly as that had happened in Tagbilaran? Singapore is an advanced society, but have you heard of a bank robbery in Singapore?

We can move forward economically without resigning to the wrong belief that crime should go with it.

Reaction
A Personal Message (PM) from one of our friends in Tubag Bohol:

Getting worst? Of course, what do we expect? This is the natural course of things for every advancing society...The pier expanded, roads widened, new buildings constructed daily, events held in ICM, BQ etc. Bohol has attracted a huge mindshare both for tourist and sadly for the bad elements as well. And with cellphones, the coordination becomes much easier. Our Bohol authorities and programs should recognize AHEAD this Bohol's changing landscape and must anticipate for these dark sides of every progress. Not only so long ago, IslandMall site used to be jungle but now it is flooded with crowds. I've been moving IN and OUT of Bohol and I've been noticing at a close level of its transformation. There is a price for every progress. Buildings, roads, and lights is balanced with an increase in crime. After all, neverLand utopia is only in fairytale...like the green grasses and the one-tree-hill? I see the need for a budget restructuring..our local officials MUST DO THIS! Install checkpoints, and strengthen police force. Bohol's promise is still very bright and it has yet to reach higher heights..there is no ceasing still in sight...i sense ahead an increase of these crimes more. Our local officials could be a little naive,...Bohol's rise will be meteoric like no other. And this calls for a heightened sense of vigilance and security for our local authuroties...because Bohol is GOING TO STILL RISE FURTHER, despite these crimes...and these two will come side by side....there is no stopping. This is something to think about. This crimes will never slow down Bohol's rising, as its momentum is much stronger...in contrary, as Bohol continues to progress, this will attract more crimes.

Charges are to be dismissed today against a 39-year-old Goldsboro man who has spent nearly two decades in prison for a 1987 rape.

DNA testing has excluded Dwayne Allen Dail as the man who entered through the window of a Goldsboro home and raped a 12-year-old girl in 1987, Wayne District Attorney Branny Vickory said late Monday.

Vickory got the test results from the State Bureau of Investigation on Monday afternoon and plans to ask a judge to dismiss the charges against Dail today.

"The science has proved that Mr. Dail is innocent," said Vickory, who worked in the district attorney's office when Dail was prosecuted. "He didn't do it. The evidence is so overwhelmingly strong, there's no need to wait."

The exoneration follows a lengthy inquiry by the nonprofit N.C. Center for Actual Innocence, which uncovered evidence that authorities thought had been destroyed after Dail's trial.

Dail was sentenced to two life sentences plus 18 years in 1989 on charges of first-degree rape and other charges stemming from the incident. The victim identified him, and hair found at the scene was found to be consistent with his.

But even prosecutors wondered about the case, Vickory said. The trial took place in the days before DNA testing, and the hair test could have been a match with many other Caucasian males.

Vickory said the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, Donald Strickland, and Dail's defense attorney had both singled Dail's case out as one that troubled them.

"They both over the years have talked about that case," Vickory said. "[Strickland] has mentioned several times that was the one case that always seemed to worry him the most."

The victim identified Dail from among a group of men she saw near her home days or weeks after the rape, Vickory said.

"The way everybody described it, she just froze and said 'That's the man, that's the man,' " Vickory said. "That led to very powerful evidence with the jury."

Dail never admitted guilt. Chris Mumma, director of the innocence center, said he had turned down a plea bargain that would have given him three years of probation.

"The jury thought he was arrogant in court," Mumma said. "He told me, 'Of course I was arrogant. I knew I was innocent.' "

The center, staffed by law and journalism students at several Triangle universities, took on the case in 2001. All of the students who looked into the case believed strongly in Dail's innocence. But Wayne County authorities were convinced all physical evidence had been destroyed.

Years later, Mumma decided to try one more time. A helpful clerk told her that one police officer, already deceased, had kept evidence from all of his cases. It turned out that officer had worked Dail's case, Mumma said.

source: newsobserver.com

Security guards played pivotal roles in the capture of members of the Casimero Garcia Robbery Group, a gang notorious for its brazen attacks on guards during robberies.

It was a security guard from a nearby establishment that wounded members of the group, leading to their arrest.

It was another security guard that gave a tip to authorities in Bohol that group leader Garcia and two other companions checked into the Escaya Beach Resort in Barangay Tawala, Panglao.

With these incidents, Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Supervision Section (Fesagss) 7 Chief Rey Lyndon Lawas recommended that the security guards be given commendations.

Lawas particularly noted the guard who was not assigned to the Bank of Commerce in Tagbilaran City and yet fought the group following last Tuesday’s robbery.

Lawas still has to receive a report from the Bohol Provincial Office on the identity of the guard, though.

Two security guardsâ€"Terson Poledo and Meliton Lamosteâ€"were injured in the shootout, while another one, Remegio Cajes, was killed.

Concentrate

Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim offered assistance for the two wounded guards and assured that Cajes’ children will finish college.

A top police official in the region asked establishments not to let their security guards do jobs like sweeping floors, carrying belongings, flagging taxis for employers, and even acting as waiters.

Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Deputy Director for Administration Ronald Roderos said guards should concentrate on what
they are hired to do.

Roderos said he wants to give a commendation to the civilian tipster who led policemen to members of the group.

Lawas said he will study what appropriate medal can be given to the guards.

He will also ask the Philippine Association of Detective and Protective Agency Operators Inc. (Padpao) to give a cash reward, if possible.

“They are part of the support group as we have the same goalâ€"the protection of lives. They play a vital role in the maintenance of peace and order,” Lawas said.

In Cebu City, Mayor Tomas Osmeña also reminded security agencies and their clients to train their guards so they are able to fight back, instead of surrendering to robbers.

He congratulated Bohol authorities for the capture of Casimero “Meloy” Garcia and most members of his group, saying robberies will stop in Cebu “until the formation of the next group.”

“Good thing that the group did not survive long. I congratulate the Bohol police. But give the credit to the security guards who were able to fight back and injure one of them (robbers),” he said.

At the Capitol, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia also commended police for capturing members of the group.

Garcia said that in the next meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council, which she heads, she will make sure that proper commendations will be given to those who should be recognized for the arrest of the robbers.

Roderos, meanwhile, ordered Padpao and Fessags to attend the next meeting of the Cebu Bankers Club (CBC).

He said Padpao should be more active in monitoring its ranks and the Fessags in supervising the guards in the light of recent bank robberies, one of which was staged with the help of a former security guard.

Police have tagged a former guard as one of five suspects in the P2.5-million robbery of a Metrobank collection teller outside La Nueva Supermart within the vicinity of the Cebu City Hall last Aug. 13.

Roderos said he will also join the CBC meeting, held every first week of the month.

He also said that the security agency that provided guards to the Peninsula Rural Bank Inc. (Penbank) Ibabao branch in Mandaue City is under investigation after two men armed with pistols robbed it of P2.5 million last Aug. 21.

29,000 guards

He said the agency should explain why it failed to replace as sentinel the bank’s guard, who left his post for a toilet break.

Roderos said that Padpao, Fessags, and CBC members need to meet to thresh out security problems.

He said the region’s 29,000 security guards, if they are tapped, are capable of holding their own against robbers.

Osmeña agreed. He said security agencies should spend for their guards’ training, especially on marksmanship, so they could fight “seasoned, ex-military robbers.”

Cresencio Reguya, who was among those tagged as suspects in the La Nueva robbery, is a former Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit member.

The mayor suggested that security agencies be ranked according to their security guards’ firing proficiency to guide
prospective clients whom to pick.

Lawas said that with the proper guidance, security guards can assist policemen.

In Central Visayas, there are 29,000 private security guards. There are 92 private security agencies and 88 agencies based outside Central Visayas that deploy security guards in the region. (RHM/JGA/with MBG)

source: Sun Star Daily Cebu

By Jhunnex Napallacan, Rene F. Alima, Kit Bagaipo
Cebu Daily News

He eluded police for months but on Tuesday night, robbery gang leader Casimiro “Meloy” Garcia was finally captured with a wounded cohort in a beach cottage on Panglao Island, Bohol province.

Garcia had just finished his latest caper, a P90,000 bank heist in Tagbilaran City and was trying to make a quick getaway.

The gang leader was arrested past 7 p.m. in a cottage of the Dumaluan Beach Resort where he had gone with Gelvin Nuez, who was still bleeding from a gunshot wound in his right hand.

Police said the two men were carrying P33,000 cash in P1,000-bills. It was not clear what happened to the rest of the loot taken from the Philippine Bank of Commerce (PBC) branch in Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, where a shootout resulted in the death of one security guard.

The suspects did not resist arrest, according to police, who seized an Ingram assault rifle, three fully loaded magazine and one 9 mm loaded magazine from the beach cottage.

Several citizens tipped off police about the suspicious movements of the gang. The guard at the Dumulauan resort noticed their arrival. The driver of a van-for-hire used in the getaway texted police after noticing one his passengers was a wounded man.

Police authorities said they scored a victory with the arrest of Garcia, whose gang was earlier tagged responsible for a string of daring daylight robberies in Metro Cebu and Bohol province.

The robbery gang led by Garcia was earlier linked to the August 13 robbery of La Nueva supermarket in Cebu City and the August 21 robbery of Pen Bank in Mandaue City.

A third suspect, Cresencio Reguya, was arrested on Tuesday after he was wounded in the shootout outside the PBC bank and was left behind by his gang mates.

Reguya was earlier named in robbery charges filed in connection with the P2.7 million robbery of La Nueva supermarket.

Before noon on Tuesday, six armed men held up the PBC branch in Tagbilaran City. Their modus operandi bore similarities with the La Nueva supermarket heist, where robbers timed their attack for the arrival of a bank vehicle carrying cash collections.

In the Bohol heist, the robbers sprung to action after a PBC vehicle, a Mitsubishi Adventure, had finished picking up cash collections from client establishments and returned to the bank at about 11:45 a.m. The vehicle had just collected deposits from Unitop and DES Marketing, two separate stores in Tagbilaran City.

When the bank teller disembarked from the vehicle, the robbers grabbed the collection, a bag containing P90,000 cash and checks and started firing.

Robbers immediately fired shots at 38-year-old security guard Remegio Cañizar, the escort who stepped out of the vehicle.

Cañizar, an employee of the Pacific World Security agency, died on the spot from a gunshot to the back of the head.

Two other security guards came out of the bank, gave chase and returned fire. They were able to hit one of the suspects, Reguya, who was injured in the back and left arm. The security guards, Tirso Fullido and Meliton Lamoste, were also injured.

Reguya, who uses the alias “Bruts”, is a native of Barangay (village) Magsaysay, Talibon, Bohol. He first lied about his identity and gave police a false name with a Cebu City address but authorities saw through the ruse. He gave his real name later at the hospital.

Chief Inspector Jacinto Cesar, chief of police of Tagbilaran, said the injured security guards and Reguya were taken to the Governor Celestino Gallares Hospital in Tagbilaran City for treatment.

Some Bohol officials, meanwhile, complained about reports referring to the suspects as belonging to the “Bohol robbery group,” a term used by police investigators. The use of the label was offensive to peace-loving Boholanos and gave the province a negative image, said the officials.

During police interrogation, Reguya claimed that Meloy Garcia was in Davao and did not participate in yesterday’s robbery. Police said he was able to mention names of his cohorts, Roy Fernandez from Mindanao and Albert Almedilla from San Miguel, Bohol.

Police said they continued to conduct hot pursuit operations for the remaining robbery gang members, who may have used pumpboats to leave Bohol.

Edwin Amahan, area manager of the Bank of Commerce in the Visayas, said the robbers actually left behind the bigger portion of the loot.

Amahan said that while the robbers initially grabbed the money representing collections from two client pick-ups, they left behind the bulk during the shootout.

“Gamay ra kaayo nga kwarta kay nakuha unta nila ang tanan, nahabilin man ug na-retrieve man. May nakuha, it’s less than P100,000”, he said.

He assured that the cash deposit was insured and that bank operations resumed a few hours after the heist.

While all bank branches have security cameras, Amahan pointed out that the heist took place outside the bank premises.

Amahan said it was up to the police to solve the crime now.

“Sa nahitabo sa Tagbilaran makaingon mi nga gibarugan gyud sa among mga security guards ang ilang trabaho kay nakig-away man gyud sila sa mga hold-uppers”, Amahan said.

There were conflicting reports about the number of robbers involved. The police first reported three, but Major Cesar later said there were six in the operation and that the suspects used three motorcycles. /With a report from Chito Aragon

sinulat ni M. O. Ligalig

Dili na ko buot mahinumdum niadtong gabii
nga wa koy umoy nga naglakaw sa dalan M. Parras -
nga diin ang kalibutan buot modat-og kanako -
diin ang mga tingog sa kangitngit nagpanudya kanako -
mga tingog nga buot motuok kanako
aron ako hayaon diha-diha dayon

Nabati ko ang kalaksot sa ngiob nga kalangitan,
Daghan nga mga tingog sa pagpanghimaraot,
mga siyagit sa impyerno nga nagsunod kanako

Nasilag ka sa akong kasing-kasing
ug buot mo kining gupok-gupokon ug busa
imong gitamak-tamakan ang akong dughan
hangtud magusbat ang tibuok kong kalibutan -
imo akong gipatagamtam sa imong kabangis
ug nahisama ang imong matulisokong tingog
sa dakong bato sa kawanangan nga buot moligid kanako

Apan dili na ko buot mahinumdum niadtong maong gabii
nga diin ang mga kamot sa kangitngit buot moduslak
sa akong pagtuo sa Kahitas-an aron ako mahimong alaot

Dili na ko mahinumdum niadtong maong gabii...

Dili na...

Unsaon Ko Pagsulat Karon
gitagik ni M. O. Ligalig

buot kong sulaton karong taknaa
ang pagkagun-ob ug pagkahugma
sa tanan kong gigambalay
nga kalibutan alang kanimo,
apan ang luha sa akong mga mata
buot moambak sa akong mga tudlo,
ug ang matag hunas sa dugo
nga naglatay sa akong kaugatan
buot molumos sa akong dughan
ug naglisod ako pagginhawa,
naglisod na ko paghinumdum
kung kinsa ko, asa ko paingon-
nalimot na ko sa mga dalan
nga akong gisubay kaniadto,

wa na ko makaila sa dagway
sa yuta nga akong gitumban-
tingali dili ko na masulat
ang angay kong sulaton karon,
tingali pasagdan ko nalang
ang luha mosagol sa akong dugo
aron mahubsan ako sa kaguol,
aron mapapas tanang handumanan,
aron mahanaw tanang sinugdanan

Quote from: Ginger on July 04, 2007, 06:12:54 PM
usa siguro na sa mga naha lambigit ni Mike kaniadto..ahaha (gi chismis pa)

pero sakit palandungon ning mga linyaha:

               Nabantang ang mga handumanan
                    sa pahiyom,
                    kaguol,
                    kahangawa,
                    kamingaw,
                    lakip ang kalipay.

              Ug gihaya ang akong mga pangandoy.

                      Gitukbil,
                      gikusi
                      ang mga luha
                      sa atong kagahapon.

 

Gen ug Ginger, ayaw nalang ako pangutan-a aron dili na maugkat ang mga uwat sa kagahapon.

Quote from: galen on August 29, 2007, 10:23:23 PM
dri man sad gud sa TB kay all-in-1 man sad... news info, tsika, tabang, ug uban pa...

Wa ta kabalo nga naay magdayon diri. But it's too early to predict.

By Michael Brush
articles.moneycentral.msn.com

In a few weeks, Gen. David Petraeus and the Bush administration will report to Congress on the progress of the U.S. military's troop surge in Iraq.

But some of the war's winners are already clear: military contractors who supply everything from bodyguards to bombs, clean socks to ready-to-eat meals. "For the companies involved, this has been a real gravy train," says William Hartung, who tracks defense spending for the New America Foundation.

The White House has proposed military spending of $647 billion in 2008. Adjusted for inflation, that would be the highest level since World War II -- topping even expenditures during Vietnam and the Reagan years, calculates Hartung. The current request for Iraq-related spending for 2008 is $116 billion, which would raise total Iraq war spending to $567 billion.

Who's getting all that money? Sometimes it can be difficult to tell. "There isn't good visibility on where the money goes," says Steven Kosiak of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. But you can get a snapshot of who's been getting a good chunk of the Iraq-related spending in two ways.

The first step is to scour a vast database of more than $400 billion in annual government contracts, more than 70% of which are from the Department of Defense. It's called the Federal Procurement Data System. I turned to a private contractor of my own, Eagle Eye, for some (free) expert assistance in navigating the database.

In the closing weeks of 1964, the US Central Intelligence Agency was gripped by anxiety in the wake of troubling news. On October 16th, a great mushroom cloud had been spotted towering over the remote Chinese missile-testing range at Lop Nur. All evidence had indicated that Chinese scientists were at least a year away from squeezing the destructive secrets from the mighty atom, but this bombshell underscored the agency's dangerously feeble espionage efforts in the Far East.

Details regarding the twenty-two kiloton device were scarce, but the US regarded the development as an unwelcome wrinkle in the already precarious Cold War. Officials from India were also distressed, having felt the business end of China's military during a recent border dispute. In the interest of self-preservation, the two nations made a secret pact to combine their China-watching efforts. Photo reconnaissance satellites were still too primitive for practical spying, and high-flying surveillance planes were too conspicuous, but there was one alternative vantage point. The intelligence agencies hatched a nefarious scheme to keep a sharp eye on China's weapons tests from atop India's Nanda Devi, one of the tallest mountains of the imposing Himalayan mountain range. It offered an unobstructed view of China's distant test site, assuming one could manage to hoist a sufficiently powerful electronic eye to its summit.

Several months after the Chinese nuclear test, a young doctor at the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle was doing his rounds when he heard his name paged over the intercom. Upon his arrival at the front lobby, he was confronted by an sinister-looking man clad in dark glasses and a trench coat. The peak of Nanda DeviThe peak of Nanda Devi"Robert Schaller?" The enigmatic visitor pulled back the flap of his coat to reveal something inside.

continue reading <a href="http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=830#more-830">HERE</a>

More and more Filipinos enjoy unlimited local calls to the Philippines through the MyWorld phone, a new mobile phone service provided by Next Mobile, Inc. (formerly Nextel Communications Philippines).

MyWorld phone comes with two phone numbers: a Philippine number and a U.S. number. Upon subscription, the phone is provided to the relatives of the U.S. OFWs/immigrants in the Philippines so that U.S.-based Filipinos need not make international long distance calls. Instead, they can just dial the U.S. number, so calls to the Philippines become local calls for them. Since it is a local call, no long distance toll charges apply. One can enjoy the benefit of unlimited calls for just a flat monthly rate. The phone can also be used to call other carriers in the Philippines or to make IDD calls.

It’s easy to subscribe to the service. One can visit the website at www.myworld.ph or call its toll-free number to subscribe via credit card, and NMI will take care of shipping the phone unit to the Philippine recipient. The phone is given away for free for those who subscribe to a one-year service.

NMI is all set to aggressively pursue the burgeoning market created by the millions of overseas Filipinos who stay abroad permanently as immigrants, or temporarily as overseas workers. The service intends to benefit Filipinos working and living abroad, as well as their relatives in the Philippines, by providing a means of communication that will nurture the close family ties value of the Filipinos and to compensate the physical loss by providing a stress free facility to call their loved ones.

NMI currently has a network covering the entire Metro Manila: from Baguio in North Luzon and up to Batangas in Southern Luzon. The MyWorld phone has expanded its services in European countries such as Austria, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and France.

source: www.philippinenews.com

Quote from: Melrose on July 28, 2007, 04:41:00 PM
according to our family tree, i'm a direct descendant of dagohoy. ika-9th generation. hehehe! kitang tanan, parente ra man tingali ta!

Gwapo diay to si Dagohoy.

Quote from: Mohandis Ban-alam on June 29, 2007, 02:59:18 AM
So, why did Yoyoy deny that he is a Boholano?....taga calape ray nakabalo ana!

Do we have people from Calape here? I really don't know if Yoyoy did deny his Boholano roots.

Thanks GEC for your pledge.

The slain guard has four kids who are now fatherless.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. â€"Psalm 116:15

What is the meaning of Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints”? God certainly doesn’t value or find enjoyment in the death of His children! If He did, why would the psalmist praise God for delivering him from death? And why did Jesus groan and weep as He saw the grief at Lazarus’ tomb? (John 11:33-35). I agree with scholars who render Psalm 116:15, “Costly in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

In this world, unless you are a celebrity, your passing will soon be forgotten by all but a small circle of relatives and friends. But Jesus showed us that God shares the sorrow and pain of the bereaved, and that the death of the humblest believer causes His heart great pain.

This thought came to me recently at the funeral of my brother Tunis. His family and his pastor extolled his compassion, kindness, and generosity. Afterward, people who knew him as a businessman spoke well of him. Though his name was just one of many in the newspaper obituaries, his death was a matter of great loss to us who knew and loved him. And it is comforting to know that God did not take his passing without feeling our pain. In fact, I believe He wept with us. â€"Herb Vander Lugt

When we are happy or when we are blue,
God is aware of whatever we do;
All of our sorrows He takes as His ownâ€"
And He will never leave us alone. â€"Hess

God shares in our sorrow.

source: www.rbc.org

Quote from: Mari on August 29, 2007, 07:52:33 PM
i can see nga daghan poets. makurat man sad ta. kataw anan.

There will be more surprises in the coming days.

An American woman and her newborn son were in hospital after she allegedly tried to flush it down a toilet at a McDonald's restaurant, Kansas City police said today.

No charges had yet been laid against the 20-year-old woman, who worked at the McDonald's, police Captain Rich Lockhart said,

The baby was fine after its ordeal, he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Police had interviewed the woman's co-workers and would speak to her later.

"She's being treated, and we haven't been able to talk to her to get her side of all of this," Capt Lockhart said.

The alleged incident occurred on Monday.

The woman's colleagues called paramedics after checking on her when she didn't come back from the toilet.

She allegedly told the paramedics she did not know she was pregnant and had tried to flush the baby down the toilet several times, Capt Lockhart said.

The child was still in the toilet and not breathing when paramedics arrived.

source: http://www.news.com.au

Sun Tzu has dozens of notable quotes, but the greatest may be, “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

Mosquito population in China quickly multiplies during autumn and a Chinese Web site trying to cash in on the problem, is offering Chinese consumers a special mobile phone software that claims to repel mosquitoes. The software, available on download over the Internet, claims to release mosquito repellent waves.

Over 1,000 Internet users downloaded the free software and answered the survey online attached to the file. But most of them said the software is not effective in repelling mosquitoes and claimed they have suffered severe headaches the morning after.

However, there were some that are supporting the repellent software, saying it works for them.

source: http://www.ncbuy.com

Colombia is to seek the extradition of an Israeli mercenary, convicted in absentia of training death squads, who has been arrested in Russia.

Yair Klein, a former Israeli colonel, was held at a Moscow airport on an international arrest warrant.

He was sentenced to 10 years for training drugs traffickers and right-wing paramilitaries in the 1980s.

Prosecutors say those trained went on to carry out some of the country's most notorious political assassinations.

"Colombia's government is going to make a formal petition to the Russian foreign ministry, so he is sent here to pay his sentence," Colombia's foreign minister Fernando Araujo told reporters.

The Russian authorities have refused to provide details about Klein's capture and have not commented on the extradition request.

source: news.bbc.co.uk

Quote from: Mari on August 29, 2007, 07:38:31 PM
go ahead mr. administrator. it's kinda funny. dunno why that Gecko wrote me that. nakutaw siguro ang utok.

Mari, there are many poets in this website. Men and women.

The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

source: www.reuters.com

Quote from: queen on August 29, 2007, 06:56:07 PM
I couldn't imagine the kind of nerves and guts this FAT woman has to "BRAVELY" say what she just said. Oink, oink, oink. 

She doesn't have your body.

Kobe Bryant, the U.S. basketball superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers, is expected to descend on the Philippine capital of Manila on September 5, local media reported Wednesday.

    During his one-day visit, Kobe Bryant will take part in a latest Nike shoe launch and share skills with young Filipino basketball players, the Manila-based GMA TV said.

    "Kobe Bryant serves as a basketball icon, inspiration and role model to a lot of our young Filipino athletes and we are proud to bring him closer to his fans," said Melissa Crucillo, Nike Philippines country marketing manager.

    After Manila visit, Kobe will fly to Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, as part of the Kobe Bryant's Supernatural Asia Tour 2007, the report said.

source: http://news.xinhuanet.com

Quote from: GEC348 on August 29, 2007, 05:28:18 PM

Without the flower, then I will have to smell the fragrance of your hair
They're smooth and shiny no one else's could compare.

Pwede ako ning himuon nga Bisaya nga balak?

Fiel,

Thank you for your efforts in getting this info. We'll do our best so we can send donation to the family of the slain guard.

Again, thank you, Fiel. I understand your situation. I know how it feels when you are in government fence.

Hawaiian Airlines has announced it will begin a nonstop service to the Philippines in March.

Hawaii’s largest airline said it will operate four weekly flights between Honolulu and Manila using its existing 767-300ER aircraft.

The new route, which requires approval from U.S. and Philippines authorities, will double the current capacity serving Hawai’i to Manila market.

About 170,000 passengers traveled between Manila and Hawai’i last year.

Hawaiian’s current international routes include Sydney, Australia, Pago Pago, American Samoa and Papeete, Tahiti.

source: Radio New Zealand International

Welcome Mari to Tubag Bohol.

So you are based in the Philippines or abroad?

Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. â€"Romans 12:1

In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell observes that struggling businesses are often turned around by one key decision. Many once-foundering companies are now thriving and successful because of a choice that became the tipping point.

Although targeted to those in business management, the principle also applies to those who are committed to advancing the cause of Christ. Sometimes we find ourselves up against a wall, struggling with a decision or situation that threatens to cripple our capacity for effective service to our King. It’s at those critical junctures that we can make a “tipping point” decision to turn things around.

The decision? Surrender your will and heart to God. James 4:7 says, “Submit to God,” and Romans 12:1 tells us, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.” Be willing to sacrifice your agenda for His greater purposes.

What if Noah had told God, “I don’t do boats!” What if Joseph had not forgiven his brothers and failed to protect them from the life-threatening famine? Or what if Jesus had refused to die on the cross?

Surrender is the tipping point. When we make that choice, God can use us to do great things for Him. â€"Joe Stowell

Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lordâ€"in me abide. â€"Orr
© 1986 Word Music

Surrender becomes victory when we yield to God.

This story appears in the official website of Vice-Governor Julius Caesar Herrera

By RIC V. OBEDENCIO

Was the reported sex scandal in Valencia town, that generated numerous complaints in the Internet, for real or a hoax?

But for senior board member Dionisio D. Balite of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, there are more questions than answers to the rumored sex racket victimizing high school girls here “offered to the rich and famous” in the town.

Balite told his colleagues during the regular session last Friday presided over by Vice-Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera what he believed the “sex-for-sale” is happening in his hometown..

His colleague board member Concepcion O. Lim, also of this town, confirmed what she also learned about the controversy that rocked this deeply pious and peaceful town.

She said that prominent families in the town are rumored to be “extravagantly” involved.

What is so dumbfounding was that some fellow Valencianhons, who already settled in the United States, particularly in California, were the first to notice this in the Internet, according to the sources who declined to be named.

Earlier, some Capitol employees were figured in similar scandal wherein lewd photographs found their way in the Internet. This prompted officials here to issue a memorandum ordering all employees and officials to close office at exactly 5 p.m., except those authorized to do overtime.

PROBE

Authorized by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in session Friday, Herrera swiftly created the “oversight committee” composed of Balite, board members Felix Uy, Godofreda Tirol and Ma. Fe Camacho-Lejos.

Concepcion Lim declined to be a committee member for delicadeza, but she emphasized that her family bears no relation with other Lims in the town allegedly involved in the “sexcapades.”

Herrera directed the committee to immediately start the probe in aid of legislation to prevent future victims and to identify the perpetrators and be brought to justice.

The move for an investigation is also an attempt by lawmakers to prevent further sex exploitation by perverts preying on innocents, Herrera said.

As this developed, the victims, whose names are withheld, came out to the open with the parents last week and execute sworn statements with the provincial prosecutor's office.

The Chronicle tried to contact Provincial Prosecutor Toribio Quiwag Friday afternoon for copies of the affidavit but was told by his clerk Letty Iyog the fiscal was already out of office.

The victims were supposed to seek assistance from DSWD-national office but only to be told it could not since its head Papiasa Bustrillos was on leave. This prompted them to approach the prosecutor's office instead.

In a separate interview, Valencia municipal social welfare officer Naomi Tagubar confirmed on the case while withholding names of victims. This writer tried to contact Mayor Henrieta Gan and police officer Tachelle Salas, women desk in-charge for comment, but to no avail. The mayor, together with BM Lim, was reported to have provided assistance to the known victims.

Tagubar said that at least two of the known victims executed their respective statements but the other two (victims), whom she referred as “recruits,” did not.

The Chronicle called up phone number 522-0045 to talk to Ma. Petra Ocio, principal of Valencia High School, but she's on leave.

MODUS

Another reliable source said that the modus operandi is allegedly perpetrated by a known photographer, who serves as pimp or “sex planner.” He is nowhere to be found after the scandal erupted.

Young girls have been preyed since year 2000 or even earlier.

The pimp reportedly lured young girls into the “trade” with a promise of a brand new “cell phone” or simply for “tuition,” jokingly dubbed “prosti-tuition.” Some residents here did not discount the possibility that girls were enticed into illegal drugs.

One victim reportedly has stopped her studies simply because she got pregnant after her sexual encounter with a “rich” fellow. Some of those involved in the “sex-ploitation” are married men. A rich balikbayan, as sugar daddy, regularly books a victim, aptly called “maintain,” the source said.

Cap,

I have a PayPal account. Donors can transfer funds to this PayPal account and I will forward the total donation to the Philippines.

There are Metrobank branches outside the country. Funds can be deposited directly to Ms. Gabin's Metrobank account.

Tubag Bohol admin would like to donate P500 as my initial expression of help. Pasensya sa nga ginagmay lang ni kay estudyante pa ko diri sa Bangkok, wa pay klaro akong income diri.

We'll ask Fiel Arao-arao-Gabin to help us facilitate this.

from Capitan Berong:

OK from home base, we humbly start the ball rolling.

I commit to donate P500 of my barangay allowance for the proposed scholarship fund for the kids
of the late SG Remegio Canizar from Cabantian, Guindulman.

In the meantime, I will have my donation coursed thru Mrs. Gabin (as suggested) until such time the
mechanics of the fund is finalized.

Re-posted from proud2bBohojalana

Nan, karon Mga Sano Ug Sana ... naa ba intawon tay matabang sa namatay nga guard?  Intawon pod ug gagmay pa ang anak sa namatay?  Will it be possible to maybe raise money gikan dinhe sa Tubag Bohol for the family of the late guard?

Pananglitan may mohatag ug gamay nga amount, kinsa bay maka facilitate nga makaabot intawon ang kuarta sa pamilya ng pobreng guardia nga namatay?

Come on!  Let's do something ... BESIDES always moaning about how our beloved BOHOL's peaceful situation had drastically deteriorated of late!!!

Some kind of Trust fund or Scholarship fund for the late guard's kids kon duna man galing to siya mga anak? ... o tabang ba kaha sa mga ginikanan nga nag-ugod ugod na tingali?

Paypal is already available in the Philippines, I have heard ... Mike, can we be able to send money to you, for you to forward to the said late guard's family?  Or kang Inday Fiel na lang kaha i-c/o?  Or can anyone find out the late guard's exact address aron makapamalihug ko paadto ...

Quote from: Capitan Berong on August 29, 2007, 08:40:12 AM

OK from home base, we humbly start the ball rolling.

I commit to donate P500 of my barangay allowance for the proposed scholarship fund for the kids
of the late SG Remegio Canizar from Cabantian, Guindulman.

In the meantime, I will have my donation coursed thru Mrs. Gabin (as suggested) until such time the
mechanics of the fund is finalized.

Cap, I'll repost this and we'll start a new thread for donation. Thank you.

You all can remain forever anonymous here in Tubag Bohol so when there are disagreements in opinion, these won't affect personal relationships or private lives.

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on August 29, 2007, 07:16:15 AM
Nan, karon Mga Sano Ug Sana ... naa ba intawon tay matabang sa namatay nga guard?  Intawon pod ug gagmay pa ang anak sa namatay?  Will it be possible to maybe raise money gikan dinhe sa Tubag Bohol for the family of the late guard? 

Pananglitan may mohatag ug gamay nga amount, kinsa bay maka facilitate nga makaabot intawon ang kuarta sa pamilya ng pobreng guardia nga namatay?

Come on!  Let's do something ... BESIDES always moaning about how our beloved BOHOL's peaceful situation had drastically deteriorated of late!!!

Some kind of Trust fund or Scholarship fund for the late guard's kids kon duna man galing to siya mga anak? ... o tabang ba kaha sa mga ginikanan nga nag-ugod ugod na tingali?

Paypal is already available in the Philippines, I have heard ... Mike, can we be able to send money to you, for you to forward to the said late guard's family?  Or kang Inday Fiel na lang kaha i-c/o?  Or can anyone find out the late guard's exact address aron makapamalihug ko paadto ...

Ate Belle,

Thank you for your kind heart. We'll devise a plan how to deliver our donation.
I have Paypal but I haven't tried using it. Besides, I'm in Thailand. I will consult with
other members of Tubag Bohol on how we can send our donation as one group.

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on August 29, 2007, 07:38:56 AM
Day, Aya!  Correct ka dyan!  Waaaa!  While I was reading all these, nakatujok sa ahong utak nga "Sus, ang nawong sa nanglait!  Mora pod ug guapa!  Sus ...  Waaa!  I'll keep my mouth shut na lang ... Sus!!! Ginoo!!! 

Ate Belle, maayo nalang dili Boholana. Kasagaran mga tao nga ing-ani ug utok mga taga Luzon.

If someone made a movie of your life would it be a comedy, a romantic-comedy, a drama, action, or science fiction?

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

When you like someone how do you get a date with him/her?

By DUANE MARSTELLER

A Filipino factory assembled the touch-screen machines that Sarasota County voters used in last year's disputed 13th Congressional District election, the manufacturer has confirmed to federal election officials.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission last week, Election Systems & Software Inc. said its iVotronic machines have been assembled at a sub-contractor's Manila factory since 1998. ES&S also said more than a dozen other contract manufacturers, including one each in China and Taiwan, make various related components.

"There was never any intent by ES&S not to disclose or to misrepresent" the Manila facility's involvement, the company said.

The commission, recently empowered to certify voting systems, said it didn't know about the plant until a television news report raised questions about it. That prompted the agency to demand ES&S supply the locations of all iVotronic manufacturing and assembly facilities within 30 days or risk suspension.

While regulators said they are satisfied with the company's response, the company insisted the Manila plant was no secret. It long had been "widely reported to federal authorities" and frequently inspected, as part of the National Association of State Election Directors' voluntary certification program, the ES&S letter said.

The company said it contracts with Pivot International, based in Lenexa, Kan., to manufacture the machines. Pivot, in turn, subcontracts the final assembly to Philippines-based Teletech Telesystems Inc.. ES&S previously informed the election agency of Pivot but not Teletech.

ES&S also asked the agency to further clarify the reporting requirements and criticized its handling of the issue.

"In this situation, the process through which you first posted a notice on your Web site and distributed it to election officials across the country, without contacting us first for explanation, created confusion and could undermine voter confidence in the entire field of elections," the company's letter said.

In a reply letter, the commission said it "felt it had to act in an expeditious, proactive and transparent manner." It also said it would clarify the reporting requirements.

Sarasota County is junking its 1,500 iVotronic machines after they registered more than 18,000 blank votes in the congressional race between now-Rep. Vern Buchanan and Christine Jennings. She is challenging official results that she lost by 369 votes, saying the machines malfunctioned.

Congress is investigating her claim.

source: bradenton.com

The United States of America has commissioned the construction of facilities in South Philippines for U.S. soldiers, local media quoted a U.S. Embassy official as reporting on Tuesday.

The construction projects are for medical, logistical and administrative services to be used by the U.S. soldiers, the Manila Times cited Karen Schinnerer, U.S. Embassy deputy spokesperson.

The structures are "definitely not permanent U.S. bases," said the spokesperson, adding that U.S. soldiers will use the facilities only on a temporary basis for them to "eat, sleep, and work."

Schinnerer was reacting to an exclusive story by The Manila Times, which reported Monday that the United States is building a host of projects across the Mindanao, southern Philippines worth at least 14.4 million U.S. dollars. The newspaper cited a report by the Bangkok-based Focus on Global South, an international research institute that monitors U.S. military activities in the Philippines.

Referring to the facilities, Schinnerer said, It has to do with support of military projects.

The facilities are temporary quarters and not a military base, she said, adding that the U.S. government does not even have plans of leading any kind of military operations against rebels in Mindanao.

Schinnerer said the U.S. troops are in Mindanao upon the invitation of the Philippines, adding that the project has been contracted privately.

The Focus on Global South reported that on June 6, 2007, the U. S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command warded a six-month, 14.4- million-dollar contract to a certain "Global Contingency Services LLC" of Irving, Texas, for "operations support" for the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines.

Source: Xinhua
People's Daily Online China

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune

A Philippine communist leader accused of commanding a rebel uprising for more than 20 years from his home in exile was arrested by Dutch police Tuesday, suspected of ordering the murder of two former allies in his home country, prosecutors said.

Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army, was picked up in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, authorities said. He was due to appear in a Hague court on Friday.

He was accused of ordering the killings in 2003 and 2004 of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara, who were gunned down in the Philippines on Sison's command, said a statement the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Spokesman Wim de Bruin said Sison, 68, will be put on trial in the Netherlands, not the Philippines.

"There is no extradition request," De Bruin said. "These are crimes that were committed in the Netherlands. Ordering murders is a crime according to Dutch law."

full story <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/28/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Philippines-Communist-Rebel.php">HERE</a>

Written By Abigail L. Ho
Philippine Daily Inquirer

After more than two years, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has finally approved the sale of some sub-transmission assets of the power grid operator of National Transmission Corp. (Transco) to Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. and Bohol 1 Electric Cooperative.

In separate orders issued Aug. 9, the ERC approved Transco’s sale agreements for the 13.8-kilovolt (kV) Tagbilaran-Dauis and Tagbilaran-Cortez lines with Boheco 1 and the 69-kV Davao-Digos line with the Abotizes’ Davao Light.

For the Boheco 1 contract, the approved price was more than P4.2 million. The amount included 20 structures along the 1.31-kilometer Tagbilaran-Dauis line and 127 structures along the 9.79-kilometer Tagbilaran-Cortez lines.

“The purchase price will be the regulatory value of the assets, which should not be adjusted unless investments in its refurbishments or life extension have been made,” the ERC said in its approval of the Transco-Boheco 1 contract.

Written By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

A security guard was killed after a shootout against five heavily armed robbers, three of whom are now in police custody after they held up a vehicle of the Bank of Commerce shortly before 12 noon yesterday.
Hot pursuit of police operatives finally led to the capture of Casimiro “Meloy” Garcia, leader of the San Miguel robbery group tagged responsible in several high profile hold-ups here and in Cebu City.

Garcia was cornered by security men of Dumaluan Beach Resort in Panglao where he checked in with his girlfriend and another cohort a few hours after the bank heist.

Garcia’s companion was identified as Gelvin Nuez y Reguya, 19, a resident of barangay Magsaysay, Talibon town.

The robbers carted away some P200,000 contained in one of the  two bags picked up by three Bank of Commerce security personnel from Unitop Department Store for deposit.

The slain guard was identified as Remegio Cañizar, 38, of Pacific World Security Agency, and a resident of Habitat Village, this city.

One of the suspects, identified as Cresencio Reguya, 29, a resident of Magsaysay, Talibon town, was seriously wounded during the gunfight.

Two other wounded security men of the Bank of Commerce were identified as Mileton Lamoste, 30, single, resident of Mantacida, Catigbian town and one Tirso Fullido, 30, single, of Biking, Dauis town.

The three were rushed to the Gov. Celestino Galleres Regional Hospital right after the shootout.
Police said three security guards picked up the cash amounting to around P400,000 from Unitop past 11 a.m.

The suspects were already positioned at the Bank of Commerce premises when the Mitsubishi Adventure, carrying the cash, pulled over in front of the bank.

When Cañizar disembarked, two of the suspects reportedly gunned him down.
He was hit in the head and left shoulder causing his immediate death.

Amid the shootout, the suspects were able to snatch one of the bags that contained P200,000.

According to police, one of the bank security guards was able to take the other bag inside the bank.
The suspect, Reguya, allegedly a former CAFGU, was hit in the back with a shotgun round as he tried to flee together with his cohorts from the gunfight. He sustained seven wounds from that single shot.

As of presstime, Reguya is still fighting for his life after doctors performed surgery to remove slugs from his back at the Gallares Hospital.

Both Garcia and Nuez fled the scene and contracted a van-for-hire going to Panglao.

Within range of the single shotgun blast, Nuez also sustained shrapnel wounds in the right arm. Due to his bleeding arm, Nuez became the object of clandestine scrutiny by Dumaluan Beach Resort security personnel.

Garcia and his girlfriend reportedly asked the resort’s reception if they could avail services of a doctor apparently to treat the bleeding Nuez.

While monitoring on the spot coverage of the holdup over station dyRD coupled by the unusual situation, the resort security immediately sought police assistance.

A joint police team of the Panglao PNP, City PNP and the Bohol Police Provincial Office responded to the call led by Insp. Alegado Quizon and Insp. Germano Mallari.

Even before the police team arrived at the resort, the security guards already collared the two suspects.
According to the resort security, Nuez attempted to draw his 9-mm handgun when the guards barged into the suspects’ rented room. However, the guards held them down.

Recovered from Garcia and Nuez were one Ingram assault rifle with three fully loaded magazines, a fully loaded 9-mm handgun and P33,000 in cash.

Police brought the two suspects at the city police station last night for tactical interrogation.
They were positively identified by two witnesses brought by police during the interrogation.

TWO GUARDS WOUNDED

Two guards of the bank who were injured in the shootout are being treated at the Gallares Hospital.
Lamoste was wounded on his left chest and arm while Fullido sustained a gunshot wound in his abdomen.
The Tagbilaran City PNP allegedly got the robbery alarm since Monday after a tip said they will strike here.

HOT PURSUIT, LAPSES

PNP provincial director SSupt. Edgardo Ingking said in an interview with the Chronicle yesterday that the suspects in custody have already provided them vital information regarding the whereabouts of their cohorts.

Two are still at large as of press time.
Police operatives are now in hot pursuit to capture the said suspects, according to Ingking.
However, the provincial police director said there are lapses on the part of the bank’s security.
He said, bank security should use armored vans instead of an ordinary vehicle when they pick up huge amounts of cash.

Armored vans are considered an extension of the bank, Ingking said.
On the other hand, according to Ingking, the successful neutralization of one of the robbers is a big contribution on the part of the guards.

The vigilance of the bank security triggered the shootout and their neutralization of one suspect, he concluded.

TWO SUSPECTS AT LARGE NAMED

Garcia and Nuez revealed during the tactical investigation last night that the two other suspects in the hold-up yesterday were Rodulfo “Dopong” Atega and Al Fuentes, residents of San Miguel town.
The two also revealed other members of their group.

Garcia named a certain Joseph Fuentes who did not participate in yesterday’s heist.
Joseph Moraga was also identified by Garcia. Moraga is currently detained at Camp Dagohoy and facing charges of robbery and homicide.

Atega is the brother of former San Miguel robbery group member Harry Atega who was murdered in Cebu City last January, days after the hold-up of First Consolidated Bank Foundation employees here.

OTHER ROBBERIES

Garcia owned responsibility in other high-profile hold-up incidents here such as the broad daylight hits of a Unitop cashier which claimed the life of the escort security.

He also admitted that the FCB Foundation, Island City Mall and Petron hold-ups were also their group’s job.

LISTENERS LAUDED

Radio listeners who were monitoring the up to the minute account of the robbery over dyRD were lauded as one listener provided a tip during the live broadcast that the fleeing suspects were spotted in a restaurant along lower B. Inting Street.

The tipster bared that one suspect was bleeding from the arm.

This report led to another tip from a listener who described the van-for-hire which the suspects boarded. The caller even gave the registration plates of the V-hire.

The security guard at Dumaluan Beach Resort is also credited for his vigilance in conducting surveillance on the suspects after he was alarmed by the live broadcast of dyRD on the robbery and the suspects still at large.

The dyRD-Chronicle news team provided on the spot coverage of the incident with the breaking news aired first thru the radio station by dyRD police beat reporter Willie Maestrado from the crime scene barely a few minutes when the robbery happened.

DyRD listeners were glued to the news account up to sign off time last night.

Eighteen Korean nationals, three visiting Filipinos from abroad, accompanied by 18 hired boatmen, had been stranded since yesterday afternoon on their way to the famed Pagsanjan Falls in Laguna, police said.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas, Laguna provincial director, said the 39 were stranded in the village of El Pueblo, Cavinti, Laguna while on their way to see the Pagsanjan Falls.

Rojas said the tourists set out for the falls around 3 p.m. yesterday on nine boats.

But the water level of the river leading to the falls started to rise when a heavy downpour hit the area.
“They sought refuge on higher ground and are now safe and sound,” Rojas said.
As of this posting, three Koreans and one balikbayan have been rescued.

“So far, wala namang report ng na-injure or nasaktan,” Rojas said. [So far, there have been no reports of injuries.]

Joining the rescue effort were elements from an Army unit in the area, members of the Red Cross and the Cavinti police.

source: Philippine News Agency

Human Sa Hulaw
sinulat ni M. O. Ligalig

ug sa imong pagkakita kanako
gikusi ang imong mga mata

sa mga luha

imong gigunitan ang akong kamot
ug gipuga ang nahibiling yamog niini

hangtud naabli

ang atabay sa akong kasing-kasing
ug midungaw ka nga way pulong

misukod sa giladmon

unya imong giinom ang atong sugilanon
ug naligo ka sa akong kahilom

nga way panamilit.

By Jhunnex Napallacan and Kit Bagaipo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Between four to six robbers took away at least P90,000 from a teller of the Bank of Commerce in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, after killing a security guard shortly before noon Tuesday.

Chief Inspector Jacinto Cesar, Tagbilaran City police chief, said the bank teller had just returned to the bank from picking up the cash deposits of two corporate clients with a driver and an escort when the incident happened.

The robbers fired shots at the ban’s vehicle, killing security guard Remegio Cañizar, who was the first to step out of the vehicle, instantly from a bullet to the back of the head.

The suspects then grabbed a bag containing the money from the teller, but two other security guards inside the bank, Tirso Fullido and Meliton Lamoste, fired at the robbers who were about to escape.

A shootout ensued in which Fullido, Lamoste and one of the suspects were wounded.

Cesar said the police arrested Cresencio Reguya, 38, a resident of Barangay (village) Magsaysay, Talibon, Bohol, who was hit in the back and left arm.

Reguya allegedly belongs to the same gang that held up a Metro Bank teller in Cebu City and got away with P2.7 million last August 13. A security guard was killed while another was wounded during that heist.

The Cebu police also tagged the same gang as responsible for the PenBank robbery in Mandaue City, in which they took at least P2.5 million in cash.

Reguya first identified himself as Ariel Gomez of Guadalupe, Cebu City, but later on police investigators learned his real name.

Cesar said the injured security guards and Reguya are all confined at the Celestino Gallares Hospital in Tagbilaran.

He said there were six suspects but only four carried out the actual robbery. The robbers used three motorcycles as getaway vehicles.

Edwin Amahan, area manager of the Bank of Commerce in the Visayas, said the money the robbers took was a small amount. “It’s less than P100,000,” he said.

Amahan said that, because of the shootout, the robbers managed to take only one of the two bags containing the cash.

Be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing. â€"1 Peter 3:8-9

How do we react to hostile criticism? If it causes us to strike back angrily at our critics, we need to learn from colonial preacher Jonathan Edwards (1703â€"1758).

Regarded by scholars as an insightful philosopher, Edwards was vindictively attacked by the ruling body of his church in Northampton, Massachusetts. They felt he was wrong to teach that a person needed to be born again before taking part in the Lord’s Supper.

Although he was dismissed from his church, Edwards still maintained a loving and forgiving attitude. One supportive member wrote of him, “I never saw the least symptoms of displeasure in his countenance . . . , but he appeared like a man of God, whose happiness was out of the reach of his enemies.”

Edwards was simply copying the example of the Lord Jesus. When the Savior was insulted, He did not repay with an insult. When He was falsely denounced, He remained silent, “as a sheep before its shearers is silent” (Isa. 53:7).

Do you have an inner peace even when criticized? As you ask the Holy Spirit for His help, you can, as Edwards did, respond in a Christlike way to false accusations or gossip. â€"Vernon C Grounds

For Further Study
How do we know when to keep silent
and when to defend our beliefs?
Read Developing The Art Of Gracious Disagreement

The worst criticism of you can bring out the best in you.

source: www.rbc.org

A group of Israeli archaeologists is protesting about fresh excavations at Jerusalem's holiest religious shrine, saying it threatens priceless relics.

Muslim authorities at al-Aqsa mosque, also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount, are digging a 150-metre trench for water pipes and electricity cables.

Israeli critics say the work is causing irreparable damage, indiscriminately piling up earth and carved stones.

Mosque officials insist it is urgent infrastructure work doing no damage.

The Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound is the Middle East's most sensitive disputed religious site.

Competing claims have been a catalyst for violence in the recent past and determining its fate lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

READ the full story <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6967457.stm">HERE</a>

I'm just scared that now that she's so popular all over the world she'd be tempted to run as senator on the next election. And surprise: she will win!

Most of the infamous are now lazing away in the Senate.

press release sent to Tubag Bohol

JG Summit Holdings Inc. airline business unit, Cebu Pacific (CEB) announces that it will further add another year round frequency for its Manilaâ€"Cagayan de Oro, Manilaâ€"Davao, and Manilaâ€"Iloilo daily service beginning November 2, 2007.

The year round frequencies to Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo is a more than 30-percent while the additional frequency to Davao is a 25-percent increase in frequency.

The Manilaâ€"Cagayan de Oro additional frequency will utilize a 179-seater Airbus A320 aircraft. The flight leaves Manila at 08:20am and arrives in Cagayan de Oro at 9:45am. The flight departs Cagayan de Oro at 10:15am and lands in Manila at 11:40am. The additional frequency will increase flights to Cagayan de Oro from three to four times daily daily.

The frequency for the Manilaâ€"Iloilo service will increase from three to four times daily. The additional flight departs from Manila at 4:50pm and arrives in Iloilo at 5:50pm. The return flight leaves Iloilo at 6:20pm and arrives back in Manila at 7:20pm. CEB's A320 aircraft will be used for this service.

CEB's 150-seater A319 aircraft will be used for the Manilaâ€"Davao additional frequency. The flight will leave Manila at 12:25pm and lands in Davao at 2:10pm. The flight will depart from Davao at 2:40pm and arrive in Manila at 4:25pm . The additional frequency will take CEB from four to five times daily in the Manila-Davao market.

Candice Iyog, CEB VP for marketing and product said, "We are increasing our year round frequencies to the major trunk routes because we see the growing demand for our year round low fares in these destinations. Iloilo, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro are very important local markets with their high potential to boost business and leisure tourism."

Iyog added that CEB's move to add frequencies to these destinations is in line with the airline's commitment to bring air travel closer to more Filipinos. She adds, "We are very happy that we will be able to provide more low fares with our increased frequencies. "

The lowest year round 'Go' fare for the Manilaâ€"Iloilo service starts from P288 one-way while the lowest year round 'Go' fare for both Manilaâ€"Cagayan de Oro and Manilaâ€"Davao service starts from P688 one-way. This is exclusive of government taxes and applicable surcharges.

The best way to purchase tickets is via cebupacificair.com. CEB advises people to book early to get the best availability of the lowest fares.

Now in its 12th year, CEB has the youngest fleet in the Philippines with an average age of just over one year. CEB operates 14 brand new Airbus aircraft to its 20 domestic and soon to be 12 international destinations with the addition of Shanghai , Xiamen, Guangzhou, and Macau in the coming weeks.

That sick woman is so ungrateful. She has no idea that the OFWs remittances is the only "salbabida" floating on our country's economy.

Quote from: ogie on August 28, 2007, 10:33:37 PM
oh my GOD, sa kagamay sa Bohol daghang ug tulisan . Basin pod ug dili sila taga Bohol ky nganong mga isog naman. Moramag ug pure taga Bohol dili man isog. Basin ug taga laing lugar tapos my mga amigo lang sa Bohol.

Ogie, two suspects were arrested today. They were all pure, lumad nga taga Talibon, Bohol.

I got a sketchy report that just recently ICM was also victimized of robbery.
But I think this was not reported in media.

Ang nakuha mao ang kwarta nga pangsweldo unta sa ICM/Alturas.

I still need to get more info.

17 years old.

She's taking up Computer Science in HNU.

This girl helped the robbers get a medical treatment as one of their comrades was wounded during the daylight heist.

This HNU girl is now under police investigation.

Initial report says that half million pesos was carted away by the robbers from the Bank of Commerce.

Reports also say that one of the robbers has a girlfriend who is a student of the Holy Name University. This girlfriend told the police that she would cooperate with the police in the investigation.

Macky, mga taga Talibon, Bohol sila. Two suspects were arrested few minutes ago.

The arrested suspect confessed that they are residents of Talibon, Bohol.

Sketchy Reports as of this hour:

Robbers checked in at Dumaluan Resort

Mayor Dumaluan alerted the police and resort guards.

Recovered guns .45mm, .38 revolver, and one high-powered gun recovered from the room.
Two suspects were able to escape with bags of bank money.

Victims of robbery and theft are marching to the police station
to check the face of the suspects.

Actually, the police were alerted of a possible robbery in Tagbilaran. I don't know why the police took it for granted. Like the 911 tragedy? The FBI already knew of the attack beforehand but the Bureau ignored the intelligence report.

source: http://www.newslocale.org/health

The West Nile Virus season appears to have taken a turn for worse in North America with many US states reporting increasing number of human cases. Additionally Canadian health authorities in Saskatchewan are looking into the possible death of a person from West Nile virus infection.

Saskatchewan Health revealed on its website that thus far it has detected seven confirmed cases of West Nile Neurological Syndrome, while one death has been attributed to it. West Nile encephalitis and West Nile meningitis are forms of severe disease that affect a person’s nervous system.

Encephalitis refers to an inflammation of the brain; meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

According to the CDC, West Nile virus infection is established as a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall.  West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness and this year is predicted to be the worst season in the United States.

California is the worst affected state with 147 people contacting the West Nile virus infection. Among them six cases have proved fatal this year. Furthermore 722 birds have tested positive for the virus in California this year.

California has experienced the worst West Nile virus season in the country. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared an emergency and has pledged $1.35 million to tackle the crisis.

In Canada, Saskatchewan Health is investigating 339 cases of West Nile infection. Additionally it has also identified 397 mosquito pools that have tested positive for the virus.

Although West Nile infection is mild in many cases, one in 150 people can develop severe symptoms, which include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Milder symptoms can include fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. The worst of the symptoms arise when West Nile virus invades the neurological system.

Last year there were a total of 4269 West Nile virus infections reported to the CDC among which 177 proved lethal.  The worst affected state in terms of fatalities was Texas with 32 deaths in the 354 cases reported to the CDC.

Today Tubag Bohol declares war against Malu Fernandez.

You can say whatever you want here.

Most countries are very proud of their workers bisan unsa nga trabaho basta lang diniyos ug limpyo.

Kabalo ba si Malu Fernandez nga kung wala ang OFW, dugay ra nga gipatimbang ang Pilipinas sa junkshop?

Quote from: Fiel Angeli AraoaraoGabin on August 28, 2007, 04:58:33 PM

Mike,

I am a pure Tagbilaranon - conceived, born, raised, educated, married, employed here...

Since birth, I have spent 37 "colorful" years in this city...

I am lamenting because I feel so much for Tagbilaran, the city that I love...

I know there are problems, but I can't do anything to solve it...I am deeply saddened...if only...

Fiel, you've done a lot for Bohol and Tagbilaran.

Do you plan to relocate to Siquijor where your husband is?

This girl is sick. She needs an urgent trip to a psychiatrist.