MikeLigalig.com

Quote from: junayag on March 06, 2008, 12:05:59 AM


Hi Benelynne,

Nice to hear that we could relate stories of where we came from... for sure ang mga Tutor sa Mabini mga relatives sa Candijay kay magdool raman ning mga lungsura.  Though I don't have the competency to trace coz I've been away since 12 years old ... but my Mom could do that...

Mouli ba ka karong Grand EB? maayo unta aron magkahimamat ta... mouli man sab akong Mama ang sister from the US...for sure Mom has a lot of stories sa atoa...

Hi Jun,

I'll be home very briefly in May. I look forward to meeting some of our long-time friends here at TB, so I will do my best to attend the EB that you are organizing. But I will make my confirmation later. Best regards!

1. Apple Inc
2. Berkshire Hathaway
3. General Electric
4. Google
5. Toyota Motor Corp
6. Starbucks
7. FedEx
8. Proctor & Gamble
9. Johnson & Johnson
10. Goldman Sachs

By the way, where's Microsoft? Unbelievable, it lost its luster to Apple and Google!

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the city of Obama for your support and encouragement and thank you for your thoughtful gift," the Democratic front-runner wrote in a letter mailed from Washington carrying a Feb. 25 postmark.

"We share more than a common name," Obama wrote. "We share a common planet and common responsibility. I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and shared commitment to a better, freer world."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_GEN_JAPAN_OBAMAS_TOWN_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html

“Bohol is a perfect example of a balanced and sustainable eco-tourism and nature preservation,” Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano exhorted Cebu tourism stakeholders as he lamented his hometown's "undisciplined development".

Durano also praised the Bohol tourism industry  and the local government units “who have become the pillars in making the province one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the Philippines.”

Source: Sunstar Cebu

Gov. Erico Aumentado said progress in tourism is not a singular objective but had to be undertaken alongside poverty reduction and control of insurgency. Had Bohol remained the 16th poorest province, which was its rank in the Club 20 was when he assumed the post in 2001, it would never be the "model" it is being looked up to now.

For more on this, check out http://www.theboholchronicle.com/mevents.php?issue=324&s1=4320&s2=4329&s3=&s4=&s5=4324&s6=&s7=&s9=&s10=

Quote from: junayag on February 13, 2008, 12:18:22 AM

To boyb: (ambot ug active pa ba?, sa October pa man ni nga question ).

As far as everybody knows, the biggest clan in Mabini is the family name of AYAG....  Talking about family names associated in Mabini, these are Bernales, Vallespin, Vallecera, Jotojot, Udtohan, Rances, Tuyor, Tutor, Olaivar, Piquero, Vallejos, Salaum, Simeon, Orias, Datahan, Simbulan, Talili, Vergara, Miano, Bayron...mao pa niy akong nahinumduman kay we left Mabini when I was 12 years old (pero magtandaan gihapon )...

Hi Jun,

I am a Tutor. My father comes from a huge family in Candijay, of whom the best known was his late brother and my uncle Judge Beato Tutor. I spent my childhood in Jagna, but our family moved to Mindanao since I was 7. My parents went back to Tagbilaran only in the early 90s. I guess we must have moved in the same orbit at some point in our lives.

Danao to resurrect Bohol 'extinct trees'

by Rey Anthony Chiu

Tagbilaran City (29 February) -- KAMUNGGAYON. Anislag. Putian. Malapapaya. Baulingan. Familiar?

Well, perhaps not. That's because those tree species common to Bohol then may not be as common to all areas in the island's forested lands now, in fact some may be considered already extinct in some places.

But, given the right amount of nature nurture, environmentalists are confident that the same tree species may sprout back with hardly any toil at all.

Human activity in the past centuries had its toll on the forests and natural regeneration of these species of tress have been hampered by the aggressive grasses and other invading species. By this, regenerants of hardy pioneer trees, bushes and herbs have lain buried under it, shared Paul Manalo.

Only the application of assisted natural regeneration (ANR) is for him the best option as it is the most effective low-cost forest restoration.

Luckily for him and his Bagong Pag-asa Foundation, even the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Forest Management Bureau and the Food and Agriculture Organization is looking at the same way.

Now in the mainstream of the country's forest regeneration program, the ANR is implemented in a twenty hectare grassy patch in Barangay san Miguel Danao, one pilot project in Bohol.

The underlying principle of the project involves man-nurturing nature. Here, man takes full advantage of the wildlings like pioneer trees and other species under the pesky grasses and use them as nurse trees, gap species or climax trees, Manalo said during the Kapihan sa PIA.

Aside from preventing fires, controlling cogon and the fire prone grasses from causing havoc to identified forest patches, the Danao ANR would have the community nursing the grown of existing the stock and young tree seedlings that sprout from the area, Municipal Public Information Officer Ma. Loinda Saluan added during the forum.

With DENR and United Nations' FAO assistance, the project proponents have launched Advancing the Application of Assisted Natural Regeneration here, one which also promises community involvement and forest resource management and massive livelihood potentials.

"For Danao, Bohol, it is a plus factor as it attempts to nestle its claims of the new eco-cultural and extreme adventure destination in Central Bohol", says a source identified with Mayor Thomas Louis Gonzaga.

The target is to re-grow the forest while educating the people that as always, watershed rehabilitation and other environmental objectives would be taken over timber production, though it may be a good added income later, he added.

And not only that, we wish to witness our young kids see the value of our forests and the trees our forefathers have so been used to, and which we might not be seeing right now, he concluded.

Over the attempt, it may not be long when the names pagoringon, binunga, tubog-putian, magsa-ing, logon, mangadlaw, laniti, anilao agasi and hagakhak may not sound funny anymore. (PIA)

Quote from: tarsier on February 26, 2008, 03:13:51 PM
The loss of the value of the OFW income is not the fault of the Phil. government. It's the fault of the US economy. Try to convert the dollar to other foreign currency, the result is the same. You will loss value.
The strenghtening of the peso will be good for the country. It's foreign debts will be reduced. Inflation will remain low, now at 2.5%, which means low pressure on purchasing power. The more the country is able to reduce its debt, the more savings will be available for public services. A strong peso also help mitigate the effects of a rising oil price. Had the dollar remained at over 50 pesos, the price of gasoline today would have been more than 55 per liter.

You'd qualify as a spokesman for Sec. Margarito Teves or the PR of BSP Gov. Tetangco. But you're right--the problem really is the weakening dollar. It's because of the festering subprime crisis in the US, and given the enormity of the problem, this trend is not going to take a dramatic turn in favor of the dollar anytime soon.

Our government is quick to take credit for the strength of the peso--claiming that our economic fundamentals are up.

Ironically, as long as OFWs keep sending dollars back home--we sent a total of US$14 billion last year, which is second only to our export of US$17 billion as source of dollar inflows--we are going to hurt ouselves even more.

DBP is offering such programs as Peso Insurance and Peso Protect, which will more or less guard OFWs' dollar earnings against foreign currency fluctuation within a limited range and time. I believe our Labor Attache offices overseas have informatin on these. But these are just palliative measures.

If peso gets even stronger--and our economy indeed gets better--perhaps we are just being called to home sweet home. We can join hands with Jun Ayag and do business locally to make the most of the situation.

It seems this is a must even when taking a domestic flight, as this vacationer recounts...

By Micky Fenix
Philippine Daily Inquirer
02/27/2008

MANILA, Philippinesâ€"The first time I was made to leave some pasalubong at the airport was in Bohol. They were sea urchins (uni) harvested fresh from the sea at the resort, where I stayed for three blissful days, and bottled without the shells.

I was sure the inspector was eyeing the fresh, slippery flesh of the two varieties there, the runny tuyom and the firmer swake, and grateful I couldn’t bring them with me.

My only consolation at being deprived of my treasured sea urchins was being given ube halaya by a cousin’s cousin who I chanced upon at the waiting lounge. She proudly proclaimed it was made from the best variety of purple yam in the country, the kinampay, that is Bohol’s pride.

I have since learned my lesson. Now I make sure that I transfer such wet food into plastic containers with the covers screwed tight and sealed with masking or packing tape.

That is how I pack the salted sisi (small oyster-like shellfish) bought from the Tacloban market whenever we go home to Leyte. More important, my sisi containers have to be checked in, never hand-carried.

Big styrofoam containers with non-liquid ice packs have made it possible to bring fresh seafood from the provinces to Manila.

I remember the time not too long ago when we had to fry the fish and steam the crabs and shrimps just to be able to bring those home in the freshest state possible.

Pasalubong are gifts you give to family and friends when you return from trips for work or vacation. Sometimes you are asked for specific things (bilin). Those who do are warned that they will get their wish as long as I don’t have to look for it. But somehow they end up on my list of must-find.

Honesty and truthfulness are distinct traits of the Boholano, a former Boholano official seems to say.

"By nature, a Boholano is honest. By nature, a Boholano is truthful. At the end of the day, we are praying and wishing that Neri will tell the truth," former governor Rene Relampagos urges DepEd Chairman Neri.

To read more, check out http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080226-121311/Act-like-a-Boholano-and-tell-the-truth-ex-gov-tells-Neri

Tokyo (TB)--Who says only Filipinos are whistleblowers?

Freelance journalist Hakurai Ataka blew the whistle on the Japanese government-sponsored sex trips customarily accorded visiting dignitaries to Tokyo's Senzoku red-light district in Taito Ward.

Mind you, denominations here are not in hundred million dollars. Neither are these pure grease money for foreign-aid programs and trade deals.

"The ministry bureaucrats depend on me," he confides. "An interpreter who knows where to obtain information â€" like which shops have the best girls â€" is a precious asset."

"For a senior official, the budget is ¥100,000 per head; for those ranked lower, the outlay would be ¥60,000 to ¥70,000," Sakakibara relates.

"Before the girl takes a visitor into her room, I'll typically slip her a ¥20,000 yen tip," he adds. "Why? Well it's customary, you know. It also encourages them to keep quiet."

Cheap treat for cheap politicians. It seems politics is dirty everywhere.

By the way, Arroyo's economic team led by Finance Sec. Margarito Teves and Trade and Industry Peter Favila are scheduled to visit Tokyo to talk with government bureaucrats and industrialists in the first week of March.

I wonder how much budget the Japanese Foreign Ministry has for them--¥100,000, ¥60,000 or ¥70,000. I think this depends on the importance Japan gives to the Japan Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Benelynne

For more details, check out http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20080224t1.html

Guv calls for sobriety amid ZTE-NBN issue
Bohol Chronicle
February 24, 2008

Gov. Erico Aumentado has called on the Boholanos to exercise calmness and sobriety in the wake of the controversy stirred by former Philippine Forest Corp. executive Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr.

Lozada is the star witness in the ongoing Senate hearing on the scuttled $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp.

Aumentado issued the call in his weekly program The Governor Reports aired live over three radio stations in Bohol and delayed broadcast over a fourth. Two of the stations are also heard around the globe through the Internet.

"Let us rally behind our Constitution and the flag, and be one in our support for the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," he said.

"This is time for unity and prayer - not for noisy rallies - so that the many projects we have been proposing to the NEDA [National Economic and Development Authority] Board under President Arroyo will be realized," he said.

Under no other chief executive except President Arroyo has Bohol experienced progress by leaps and bounds, he added.

He also praised Bishop Leonardo Medroso of the Diocese of Tagbilaran for similarly issuing such calls to the faithful, and for giving his opinion and choice advice to his colleagues and the local clergy to also appeal for calmness - not stoke the fire of controversy now gripping the nation.

Aumentado emphasized that the Filipinos do not need another EDSA.

"What gains did we get from the administrations of former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada - the beneficiaries of EDSA 1 and 2?" he asked.

The governor does not find any wisdom in changing horses in midstream. "But if we must change leaders before her term ends, it should be by impeachment, with the process starting at the House of Representatives, not by people power," he said after Rep. Jose de Venecia (Pangasinan, 4th District) joined the opposition following his ouster from the Speakership.

So you didn't receive an invitation to the opening of Bohol's latest exclusive tourist destination? Double-check your mailbox, or better still, check the guest list below... Very likely you didn't really miss your crowd after all.

By Dolly Anne Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer


MANILA, Philippinesâ€"I am more than proud to be an “adopted” daughter of Bohol. My endless thanks to my super buot ninong Mayor Dan Lim of Tagbilaran, his charming wife Dr. Charlyn and mega couple Hans and Lani Schoof for spoiling me in more ways than I deserve every time I’m in Bohol.

Daghang Salamat also to ever dependable Mark Monton, KakuiOctura my pangga Tess Sumampong and Libby of Riverwatch Floating Resto, which is always my first stop in Chocolate Hills Country. The Schoofs invited me to the opening of their grandiose Peacock Garden Resort & Spa. It’s a chateau on a hilltop with an awesome view of the sea where dolphins play.

Also at the fete were Sunshine Cruz, Jericho Rosales, Rachel Alejandro, Bayani and Len Agbayani, Matt and Linda Ranillo, Rommel and Cathy Montano and PR man Donnie Ramirez. We kept teasing Shine because Cesar kept calling her like it was an hourly update. “Sarap ng feeling na nililigawan uli ng asawa,” she said, giggling. “We just need space for now though he visits me and the kids daily.”

Hi Orchids,

Belated happy birthday diay!

Duterte to Arroyo: Students can tilt power play
02/25/2008 | 09:34 AM

Sun.Star: DAVAO CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should not focus her attention on her political opponents, the military, and the police if she intends to continue her term.

Rather, she should keep track of how big and fast the student protests are growing because this can cause her downfall if unstopped.

The threats of the opposition and the armed forces will always be there, but the perception of strong dissatisfaction will be coming from massive protest actions of the young and that is when the elder ones start taking sides.

In his television program "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" Sunday, Duterte revealed that this was the advice that he gave the President when she called him up sometime last week.

He told her to be wary of the growing sentiments of the students against her administration, and should thus focus her attention on this sector.

"Ang pinaka-delikado ang mga estudyante. Kung mu-apil na sa mga rally, imo diay nang pamusilon (It's the student sector you have to keep watch of because if they all join rallies, you cannot just shoot them down)? If you give them reason to join the rebel group, musaka gyud dayon na sila sa bukid. Once masudlan ug bakukang sa utok ang mga estudyante, maglisod na gyud ka'g pugong (the young will go ahead and join rebel groups. Once the student sector takes up something, you can't stop them)," he said.

There is nothing much that parents can do to stop their children from taking up actions, and thus anyone who wants to stay in power should ensure that the massing up of students does not grow as it did before.

The mayor recounted how his daughter, Vice Mayor Sara, joined the massive rally against then President Joseph Estrada. Duterte said Sara joined the protest actions despite his strong opposition.

"Kalit lang to mi-abot sa among apartment ug nagdali-dali ug butang ug sanina ug tubig sa iyang bag. Muapil daw siya ug rally. Tapos milakaw na dayon (She just arrived at our apartment in a hurry packing clothes and water and saying she was joining the rally. And then she left)," Duterte recounted.

Duterte admitted he had some misgivings about what the Arroyo administration was doing with the controversy over the ZTE-National Broadband Nework project deal.

He said he blurted out all his frustrations to the President's regional adviser in the city who in turn informed Arroyo about his stand.

The President called up Duterte to discuss what he said.

Among the government's actions that he did not like, Duterte said, is the monitoring of personalities who are against the administration through the putting up of surveillance cameras.

"Such a stupid move. It's simply fascistic," Duterte said.

The mayor said the President simply accepted all his observations and bade goodbye thereafter. The phone conversation between the two was witnessed by city councilors who were in a meeting with the mayor that time. - Sun.Star

"We are very optimistic about Bohol. We think it may even overtake Boracay."

Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines chairman and president Humphrey O’Leary III, saying that international investors, such as European leader in hotels the Accor Group, are looking to tourist destinations outside Metro Manila to expand investments.


To read more: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=110219

Kani siguro nga away di na healthy:

Couple fight as man clings to car roof
02/24/2008 | 08:26 PM

HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. - A man fighting with his girlfriend clung to a car roof and punched her through the window as she drove more than a mile on a busy road, hitting several other cars, police said.

Both were hurt in the brawl Saturday and were arrested, police Sgt. Manfredo Figueroa said.

The man, William Kremer, apparently jumped onto the car and held on as girlfriend Stacey Sperrazza wove along Route 202 with the car's air bag inflated, police said. She eventually stopped the car and hit him with it, police said.

Sperrazza, 37, of Stony Point, was arrested on a felony charge of reckless endangerment. Kremer, 42, of Haverstraw, was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge.

No telephone numbers could be found for the two. Police had no immediate information early Sunday on whether they had lawyers.

He was treated for a foot injury, she for eye and head wounds, police said. - AP

Guess what, in Mexico, a lawmaker is passing a bill that can possibly compel the runaway bride or groom to reimburse the wedding expenses, if the aggrieved party footed the reservation bill. Do you think it is enough to pay for all the hurt?

Change of heart may cost you in Mexico
02/24/2008 | 08:25 PM

MEXICO CITY - Runaway brides â€" and grooms â€" in Mexico City could get stuck paying for the limo and flowers under a bill proposed by a local lawmaker Friday.

If approved by the city assembly, the law would offer engaged couples a legal contract outlining how much a man or woman can recoup if he or she gets jilted at the altar.

The contract would stipulate reimbursements at any point the engagement is called off.

"What we want is to protect the person who is being hurt, not only emotionally but also economically," Jose Zepeda, a divorce lawyer-turned-politician, told The Associated Press. "Whoever rents a wedding hall, pays for the church, for the cake, has the right to be reimbursed."

Such contracts could "eliminate the culture of fighting," said Zepeda, who proposed the bill.

Laura Gomez, a 33-year-old, bride-to-be perusing a bridal shop in downtown Mexico City, said the contracts were "a perfect idea."

They would "give more security and trust to both people involved," Gomez said.

But Pamela Montiel, a 19-year-old getting married in April, said she would never sign such an agreement. "Things like that are for immature people," she said. - AP

A key personality in this escalating controversy is Boholano Romulo Neri, who is presently head of the Department of Education. He was transferred to his current office after blowing the whistle on the ZTE Broadband Deal while he was still at the helm of NEDA.

Since testifying at the Senate, during which he divulged the Php 200 million bribery offer of Abalos if the loan package from China is approved, he has been tight-lipped about the whole issue.

It is clear, however, that this man knows a lot. What he has to say is deemed to tip the balance on Arroyo's political survival.

Last night, he is supposed to have met with Boholano confidantes. Anyone at TB who is privy to this meeting? Below is Bohol Chronicle's report dated February 24 of this secret meeting:

Commission on Higher Education Chairman Romulo Neri is scheduled to meet with a group of former priests and seminarians, all from Bohol in an undisclosed place in Metro Manila tonight.

The Chronicle source said the scheduled meeting was arranged to "allow the Boholano national official to confide with a group he is very comfortable with."

Neri, 58, is the son of former NAMARCO Chief German Neri, a Boholano.

With the recent turn of events, Neri has reportedly been very selective on persons he would talk with since he can hardly be sure if these persons he will be talking with are "with him or against him."

In fact, a highly placed source told the Chronicle last night that even cousins of Sec. Neri are extra careful to talk with him on his cellular phone knowing that his phone lines are surely being bugged by authorities.

Tonight's scheduled meeting will have no more than 15 Boholano "friends" of Neri.

Until press time, the Chronicle source said the Ched chairman could not confirm 100% attendance to the said meeting, but assured the group he will try his best to be there.

It was not known if Neri will "tell it all" to this group prior on whatever major decision he takes which is expected to come within the next few days. If he will reveal everything to the public, then it will just be a confirmation on what has been revealed by star witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. who is a closed personal friend of Neri.

However, Neri's much awaited statement will be far more credible since he will be narrating things on a first person revelation.

The 58-year old Neri has been advised by some friends and relatives to reveal everything and leave for abroad where his professional skills can very well be hired by multi-national companies there.

Sec. Neri was in Tagbilaran City last Jan. 25 to attend the golden year anniversary of priesthood of Msgr. John Pernia, his cousin.

The Chronicle chanced upon Sec. Neri at the Metro Centre Hotel but declined to comment when asked on what will happen next on the multi-million Bayongan Dam irrigation project which he questioned while he was NEDA secretary. He exposed the overpricing of the dam project saying it could be the "country's most expensive irrigation project."

Bohol Convenors Group formed tom'row

Amid recent events that rocked the capital sending the whole country agog over sordid details of alleged big-time corruption in high places, a multi-sectoral Convenors Group called Boholanos for Truth and Transparency will be formed tomorrow.

The group will hold its first meeting at Saya's Restaurant at 10 a.m. with a cross section of the religious, lawyers, academe, business, youth and civil society aptly represented. The group apparently self-evolved as conscience-stricken individuals representing various interest groups who decided to speak and act together for truth, transparency and good governance.

Technical Consultant and former government corporation top executive Jun Lozada (Philippine Forestry Corporation), has been the center of media focus after exposing that about US$130-million (P6.5-billion) in bribe money through overpricing was to change hands in the ZTE-NBN Broadband project costing US$320 million.

The First Gentleman Mike Arroyo has been implicated in the scam of which some advances in bribe had already been allegedly advanced according to the star witness.

This corroborated the earlier statement made by former NEDA chief Romulo Neri that former Comelec chairman Ben Abalos offered a bribe of P200 million at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club. Public pressure eventually led to Abalos' resignation.

Public indignation went fever pitch in the wake of attempts by different government agencies and personalities to prevent Lozada from testifying which tantamount to "kidnapping" according to Lozada's lawyers.

Thereafter Metro Manila and certain key cities in the country have become a site for various protest moves in various forms and intensity.

Among the early convenors are Atty. Isabelo Sales (President IBP-Bohol Chapter), Engr. Albert M. Uy (Regional Council Director BCBP-Bohol and Dumaguete), Engr. Vicente Loquillano (Executive Director, People's Fair Trade Assistance Center Inc.), Albert Sanvictores (Former President, Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry); Atty. Doods Sabijon (Dean, College of Criminology, UB);

Dr. Godofreda Tirol (Dean, Graduate School, UB), Atty. Raul Barbarona (Executive Director, Environmental Legal Assistance Center), Engr. Nilo Sarigumba (President, BACOSH) and Rene L. Relampagos (former Governor, Province of Bohol).

Many members of the Bohol clergy had committed to say "Mass for Truth" offerings in their respective parishes and to attend wherever such kind of mass will be celebrated.

Among them are Msgr. Vicente Nunag III (Parish Priest, Baclayon), Msgr. Gabino Lerin (Parish Priest, Manga, Tagbilaran Parish), Rev. Fr. Faustino Bisol (Parish Priest, Ubujan, Tagbilaran Parish), Msgr. Junix Nalzaro (Parish Priest, Taloto, Tagbilaran Parish), Rev. Fr. Efren Dolauta (Parish Priest, Maribojoc) and Rev. Fr. Rey Evangelista (Parish Priest, Cogtong, Candijay Parish).

According to Msgr. Nunag, beginning March 2 and every Sunday thereafter at 5 p.m. the Mass for Truth will be held in historic Baclayon Church, considered to be the oldest church in the Philippines. All masses will be officiated in English except the fourth Sunday which will be in Latin.

Other concerned groups and associations are likewise invited to join. Many youth groups especially inside the school campuses have already shown interest to join. Other concerned associations and groups "interested in truth and transparency" are invited to join. The Convenors Group will soon have a secretariat or coordinating point for easy organization.

Relampagos, acting in his private capacity as concerned citizen said the movement is to "solidify our crusade for honesty especially for those who are accountable to the people whom they are supposed to serve.

There must be something in the Boholano diet or genes that makes him consistently garner all these academic awards.

Congratulations!

BWS sophie tops national chemistry tilt
Bohol Chronicle
February 24, 2007

A second year student of Bohol Wisdom School won in the 7th Philippine National Chemistry Olympiad (PNCO) in Manila.

The son of Franklin and Zenaida Bolo, Kenneth, bested 20 junior contestants from the different prestigious schools all over the country as the third placer in the practical exam held at De La Salle University-Manila last February 16.

When asked about not having a chemistry class, he said that he considered his lessons in the Integrated Science during his freshman year. The whole audience also wowed at this student's ability since he is the only winner coming from a Chinese school while all the others came from Philippine Science High Schools.

He himself admitted that primarily, his delight for reading is contributory to this surprising victory. His early exposure to the Internet also helped.

During the contest, both his mother and Josefina Narit, his teacher-coach were worried because every time there is a test or a challenge, he finished first. There seems to be no trace of apprehension on his part.

Apparently confident, Kenneth has this in mind, "I have to win this so that I can have my new computer." Simple it may seem, but this prompted our young chemist to aim for the win.

Laugh yourself healthy

'I want to open 1 million laughter clubs around the world in the next 10 years in the hope of bringing about world peace."

These are the words of Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga, a popular form of yoga that has tickled followers across the world. From next week you will be able to guffaw away your worries at a series of Laughter Yoga sessions conducted by founder Kataria from March 1 to 11. This will be his first visit to Japan.

In March 1995, as a stressed-out physician practicing medicine in Mumbai, Kataria came across scientific studies praising the benefits of laughter. That's when it came to him: Why not start a club where people can laugh together?

The first-ever laughter club meeting was held in a Mumbai park with five people. This grew to 55 people within a week and now there are more than 6,000 laughter clubs in over 60 countries. Laughter Yoga sessions have been held in schools, prisons and old people's homes.

But until recently nobody knew how company employees would react to it. To find out, a study was conducted in Bangalore, the heart of India's IT industry, where 200 people were randomly selected from three IT companies and divided into two groups. One group had Laughter Yoga sessions every two to three days for 18 days, and the other was the control group.

The results among the Laughter Yoga group were dramatic: a 6 percent reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 28 percent reduction in cortisol (a stress hormone secreted in saliva). Negative emotions such as fear, disappointment, distress, nervousness and misery were also observed to have decreased significantly.

"Yogic breathing exercises in Laughter Yoga increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, leading to increased productivity levels," says Kataria. He eventually hopes to introduce this jovial style of yoga into companies in Japan.

But what of those plans for world peace?

"When I aim for something, I aim big," chuckles Kataria. "Laughter Yoga is a simple idea, not rocket science. It's a divine process by itself; I'm just an instrument."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fq20080222a2.html

National Democratic Front (NDF)-Central Visayas is claiming that big-time projects in Bohol may also be tainted by the same overpricing anomalies as the scuttled ZTE National Broadband Network.

That's why despite the gathering political tempest in Manila and other major cities, there is a funeral silence in Bohol.

Are Boholanos really just apolitical, being far from the political epicenter? Or are there big-time beneficiaries in the administration projects here, as claimed by NDF?

Here's the report:

"Equally mind-boggling are the corruption-riddled mega-projects in Bohol under Governor Erico Aumentado's administration, including the controversial 'cost over-run' of the [Bohol Irrigation Project] 2 dam project -- originally priced at only P2 billion -- in San Miguel town," it added.

The NDF-CV noted that Romulo Neri was replaced as National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief on August 16, 2007, after he refused to endorse an additional P1.2-billion "cost over-run" in the ongoing BHIP 2 project in Bohol, which formed part of last year's approved P36-billion "cost over-runs" of over 20 GMA projects all over the country.

"Before being unceremoniously transferred to [the Commission on Higher Education], Neri was quoted in public as saying that the BHIP-2 project is 'the most expensive dam in the country,’" the statement added.

The rebel statement also recalled that in a comment he made on the project, Neri said "it's like they were authorized to buy a Toyota car and they bought a BMW."

Read more http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080217-119478/NDF--Cebu-Bohol-pols-silence-complicity-in-corruption

This bride sued.

Sun.Star: Would-be bride sues runaway groom in Cebu
02/22/2008 | 11:04 AM

CEBU CITY - A civil case for damages and attorneys fees was filed Thursday against a man who left his bride-to-be waiting in the altar right before they were supposed to exchange their “I dos".

Lilibeth Gaviola wants the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to compel her would-be husband, Ryan Sesante, to pay close to P500,000 in actual damages, including the expenses incurred for the wedding, moral damages and attorney’s fees.

She said the incident (their scheduled wedding last Dec. 22) left her feeling downgraded. Her “shameful story" appeared in the newspapers and became the subject of a few commentaries.

“Plaintiff has no more choice except to go to court and seek therein relief for the injustice and pain that she had suffered from the hands of defendant," Gaviola said.

In her complaint, Gaviola narrated how she met Sesante back in college when they were classmates taking up accounting at the Southwestern University.

She said they graduated together and found work separately, meeting again accidentally only in December 2005 at the Saint Vincent Church in Barangay Sambag II.

Sesante, she said, courted her sometime after that and, by February 2006, they were sweethearts.

After a year of being steady, they then decided to get married, with Sesante asking Gaviola’s hand from her parents last June 17.

“The parties arranged for their wedding, starting with getting of the marriage license and church requirements, then arranging for the principal and secondary sponsors, place of reception, invitations and other details for the wedding. The reception was booked at Royal Concourse, with 100 persons reserved for the occasion. Invitations to relatives and close friends were made (as well as) video coverage of the wedding and reception," she said.

In the morning of the wedding, Gaviola said she was at the Golden Peak Hotel together with her make-up artist, getting ready for the big day.

She, on board the bridal car, was already at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish on Escario St. Cebu City 15 minutes before the schedule.

Sesante arrived half an hour late.

“Upon defendant’s arrival, his mother immediately wore the barong over him with his eyes seemed teary. Then, the wedding ceremony started with the priest harping on the delay as it commenced," Gaviola said.

The ceremony, albeit a bit behind schedule, progressed without a hitch until the part where vows are exchanged.

She alleged that when the priest asked him if if he was willing to take Gaviola as her lawfully wedded wife, a girl wearing a skirt and eyeglasses shouted to the priest to stop the wedding and called out Sesante’s name twice.

Sesante, in turn, “without any hesitation or saying something or anything, turned his back and walked very fast toward the lady. They then hugged each other and went outside the church together."

Gaviola said the priest even called out to Sesante, asking him to come back. And when he did not, the priest even went after him. But, to no avail.

In the end, the crowd proceeded to the restaurant for the banquet. She, on the other hand, went home with her parents, depressed. - Sun.Star

Congrats! So who says Bohol is in the academic backwoods?

Just shooting for decent marks, medicine topnotcher says

A combination of diligent review and tons of prayers proved to be the key for the Cebu-based medicine student to top this year's February Physician Licensure Examination.

Visayas-based Bombo Radyo reported Friday that Edilfabia Uy of Cebu Doctors University still could not believe she bested the 1,985 medicine students who took the licensure examination. Out of the total number of examinees who took the test, 1,985 passed.

Uy said she studied hard and - like many students taking licensure examinations - prayed hard for the exam, seeking the intervention of many saints, just to get decent marks in the test.

She said she did not expect to top the examination. Uy, 26, a resident of Tagbilaran in Bohol province and the eldest of three siblings, got an 86.33-percent rating.

"Ang mensahe ko sa mga kukuha ng exams sa susunod ay mag-aral ng mabuti, maniwala sa Diyos at magdasal palagi dahil wala namang imposible sa Kanya (My message to future examinees is to study hard and believe in God, and pray always. Nothing is impossible with God)," Uy said.

She said she plans to train in the United States as a specialist. - GMANews.TV

Who do you think among those implicated or involved in this controversy are saying the truth--Rodolfo Lozada, Jr., Benjamin Abalos, Mike Arroyo, Joey de Venecia III, etc.

"Kaya po ako narito kasi marami nang nagsisinungaling tungkol sa kung may kinalaman. Gusto ko na rin pong matigil iyon kaya ako pumunta dito. Ayoko pong maging dahilan na magkasala ang iba sa Diyos at sa bayan dahil sa akin.

Kaya ako nandito para maliwanagan ang mga bagay na maraming tao ang nagtatanong.

Mabigyan ng liwanag 'yung mga bagay na maraming nagtatanong na nakakaapekto sa Pilipinas sa kinabukasan ng mga anak natin. Ang sasabihin ko po rito ay walang malisya kahit kanino. Wala naman ako kalaban."

--Rodolfo Lozada, Jr.


"I'm calling these machinations. Marami siyang dini-distort na katotohanan (Lozada is distorting many facts)."

--Jose "Lito" Atienza Jr, secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

"Using our newly developed and more accurate techniques, we found no association between mobile phone use and cancer, providing more evidence to suggest they don't cause brain cancer. "

Naohito Yamaguchi, who led a team of scientists at Tokyo Women's Medical University in a research project to determine if cell phone use contributes to brain cancer. The findings are published in the British Journal of Cancer. (Reuters)

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/quote/2453

Chinese’ visa filings surge by 229%

THE Philippines issued 229 percent more visas to Chinese nationals in January alone, suggesting that they now consider the country as a top vacation destination, Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The department quoted the Philippine Embassy in Beijing as saying that it and the Philippine Consulates General in Guanzhou, Xiamen and Shanghai issued 20,633 visas to Chinese citizens that month against 9,007 in the same period a year ago.

“This is a wonderful development in Philippines-China relations, especially in our efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges between our two countries,” Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady said.

“It clearly shows that the Chinese find the Philippines as an attractive tourist destination.”

Brady said the consulate in Guangzhou issued 8,330 visas in January against 4,860 in 2007, while the consulate in Shanghai issued 5,552 visas against 1,134 last year for a 389-percent increase.

The embassy in Beijing tripled its output to 3,322 from 1,073, and the consulate in Xiamen almost doubled its grant to 3,429 from 1,940.

The record visa issuances came as the Chinese prepared to celebrate the Lunar New Yearâ€"although fierce weather has stranded thousands of returning Chinese residents in South China.

“High-level visits of our officials also played a key role in promoting the Philippines to the Chinese people,” Brady said.

“They were all widely publicized by the Chinese media, especially the visits of President Arroyo last year. They indicate that Philippines-China relations have reached a higher level of partnership.”

Feature stories and footage on the Philippines’ top tourist destinations also appeared in many Chinese newspapers and magazines and on television, and those helped to attract Chinese travelers, Brady said.

She said the Philippines’ Embassy and Consulates in China had simplified the procedures for applying for a visa to cope with the increasing demand for it.

“Provided the guidelines are followed and the papers submitted to the Embassy and the Consulates General are complete, business and tourist visas can be issued within two working days,” she said. Michael Caber

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on February 07, 2008, 10:35:57 PM
It is wise to open business in a fresh, but imerging market. Based on Philippine economic trend, we are going up. One of its advantage is cheap and enless opportunities being a fresh and unsaturated market. Second your money seeded will grow in exponential proportions being the economy base is growing. Why is it that the US is opening Mc Donalds and other businesses in Cuba? The answer is already explained here.

I met several Brittons with similar caliber as Alan Barnet and their basic principle are "Brand Building", "Management" and "Marketing".

Brought to you by Macky.

My business friends here who have tried investing their money in the Philippines confirm this, Macky. The return on investment is indeed higher there than in mature economies.

The present political noise is a bit worrisome. But I guess if you stay out of the political whirl and do your work silently and diligently, you will do just fine.

Hi Bambi,

Mas hayahay pa ang imong pagkaprinsesa, being able to sleep peacefully on your sofa.

Bitaw, we tend to fantasize that the life of the rich and famous is heaven... But as tennis great Boris Becker once said in an interview, "It's lonely on top."

Down here, at least we don't need anti-depressants, sleeping pills, etc. etc.

Crown Princess panned for living high life


By MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press

First, Crown Princess Masako feasted on classy Mexican fare from a 13-dish special menu in her honor. Then it was roast duck and shark's fin soup at a top Chinese eatery. A month later, she enjoyed a sumptuous repast at a French restaurant where the course featured exquisite black truffles.


Crown Princess Masako and her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, join Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in greeting well-wishers at the Imperial family's annual New Year's public appearance in Tokyo on Jan. 2. AP PHOTO


The troubled Crown Princess has been eating like royalty in recent months â€" and getting pilloried in the tabloid press for violating the image of Imperial austerity by living the high life in public.

The sightings, documented in paparazzi-style photos in the country's freewheeling news magazines, have compounded the impression the Harvard-educated Crown Princess â€" who regularly skips official events because of an unspecified nervous disorder â€" is taking her palace obligations too lightly.

"If she is well enough to regularly go out for fancy dinners, I wonder why she can't resume her official duties," said Sachiko Tomobe, a Tokyo florist. "A nice dinner outside the palace is fine if it makes her feel better, but not too often."

The 44-year-old former diplomat, who married into the Imperial family in 1993, has opted out of most Imperial functions for the past four years because of what is widely believed to be depression.

She skipped a rice-cake-making ceremony attended by the Emperor and Empress on Dec. 28 but then joined Crown Prince Naruhito and their pet dogs' veterinarian and his family that evening for a lengthy French dinner.

Her lavish â€" and publicly funded â€" meals have attracted attention as the economy is showing signs of faltering, and many Japanese, including Emperor Akihito himself, say they are concerned about the widening gap between rich and poor.

The five-member Imperial household â€" the Emperor, Empress Michiko, the Crown Princess, her husband and their child â€" receives a Â¥324 million annual stipend for daily activities. The palace has no breakdown for individual shares.

While the recent sightings might seem mild compared with free-spending monarchs in Europe or elsewhere, the Imperial house in the postwar era has until now made a show of being frugal.

The Crown Princess' sister-in-law, the former Princess Nori, used to make her own boxed lunch when she was single and working at a bird institute. These days, as the wife of a commoner, she appears in the media hunting for bargains at discount shops.

Some critics have even taken the Crown Princess to task for leaving her child â€" 6-year-old Princess Aiko â€" in the hands of caretakers while going out on the town. Baby sitters are rare in Japan, and mothers typically stay home with young children while their husbands go out.

"Princess Masako: horseback riding in the afternoon, shopping in Ginza," said a recent headline in Weekly Gendai. "She's performed official duties twice, but ample private activity, with more than 50 outings."

Even before the latest criticism, the Crown Princess had not had an easy time of it.

She came under immediate pressure to produce a male heir for the monarchy after her marriage but suffered a miscarriage in 1999. She gave birth to her daughter in 2001, but females are prohibited from taking the throne.

She fell into apparent depression two years later, seeming to rule out further attempts to have a boy. She's been portrayed in the media as headstrong and unwilling to make the appropriate sacrifices for the good of the family. Tabloids have detailed rocky relations with her in-laws.

She's faced criticism for spendthrift ways before. In 2006, she was rebuked for taking a two-week family vacation in the Netherlands â€" an unprecedented private royal vacation abroad â€" although it was supposed to be part of her treatment.

The palace, usually skittish about media coverage, has not come to her rescue, staying largely silent about the reports.

Officials have complained only twice: once to deny claims the Crown Princess cut short New Year's rituals at the palace to have lunch with her parents, and again to deny a story that the Empress summoned her and her husband to lecture them about their work ethic.

Some say Imperial secrecy just fuels the rumor mill.

"Her private outings with relatives and friends, often at luxurious restaurants, do stand out," wrote Mitsuyuki Manabe, a veteran palace reporter with the Mainichi Shimbun. "It's only natural for many people to doubt if officials are really telling the truth about her."

The top restaurants in Tokyo, meanwhile, seem thrilled with the royal patronage.

In August, the Crown Princess went to La Colina, where she enjoyed a Â¥10,000, 13-dish Mexican meal â€" not including drinks â€" from a custom-made "Her Majesty" menu.

Restaurant owner Shinichiro Hosokawa said the Crown Princess had a healthy appetite and asked animated questions about the food and Mexican culture.

"Princess Masako seemed well, but we can't say so simply whether she seemed to have recovered," Hosokawa said. "I can't imagine how difficult it would be to be the Crown Princess."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080207f2.html

I believe it is better to deal with crime through efficient law enforcement operation and not by splashing our newspaper front pages with shrill headlines such as "crime city" or "crime capital."

I remember a feature about a crime-infested inner city in the US whose vacant walls were splashed with huge graffiti, apparently by vagrant youth and other criminal elements. When you step into the area, the atmosphere simply makes you fear for your life. The walls simply proclaim, "This is crime city." Everyday, the graffiti just seemed to increase with the crimes, petty and serious.

Then the city decided on a clean-up operation, whitewashing the walls, coupled with increased police patrol of the area. The criminality had dramatically decreased.

Graffiti and panicky headlines work similarly on the human mind--they attract what they announce.

Quote from: Bambi on February 07, 2008, 05:42:34 AM
Thanks B. for the website.....I heard about this very rich German man, Mr. Hans Schoof from Esa, one of our TB member also get married with a German pensionist.  I never have a chance to meet him in person. I think his wife is from that place.  This is really very romantic and nice, the building, the area, the settings  but I believe it has the same price with Escaya Spa.  Grabe sa presyo. ..it is only the overnights, it will not cover with the Spa services for sure. Never in dreams....i will spend my nights there.

Indeed, it looks like a heavenly place with skyhigh rates.

Happy, happy birthday!

Quote from: ciclista on February 06, 2008, 03:21:02 PM
benelyne, FYI, before the decument was taped, he was already targeted, he even had look outs every time the docu was filmed. he was really brave enough to get out and share something about his life, and his stuggles. i remember he says "im counting my days".  before we invited him for the docu, i remember, there's already a bunch of military posting at san jose inabanga. we were frightened by the situation. FYI he was already pinpointed. it's not the docu that exposed him as a target.

You're right, the PNP itself says that there are too many parties interested in him to narrow the lead. I'm sorry I did not mean to vilify nor implicate the media as an accessory in this sorry incident. But generally speaking, the media can have a double-edged role in the fate of 'marked' people--the camera glare could either shield them or make them a more visible target.

PNP eyes NPA in killing of ex-political detainee in Bohol

Police operatives are not discounting the involvement of the New People's Army (NPA) in the killing of an ex-political prisoner in Bohol province last January 17.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Director Jefferson Soriano of the PNP Task Force USIG said the murder of Ronald Sendrijas in Tagbilaran City last month "is a classic example of how complicated some cases of alleged political violence in the provinces can get, especially when a
connection with the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is present."

Quoting a report of Senior Superintendent Arturo Evangelista, Region 7 Police chief for Investigation and Detective Management, Soriano said local investigators are looking into the "close ties and affiliation of Sendrijas with known CPP/NPA personalities in the province."

Further, Soriano said probers are also looking into Sendrijas' alleged "involvement in at least two high-profile murder cases in Bohol including that of Bayan Provincial chair Victor Olayvar on September 7, 2006."

Sendrijas was killed by two motorcycle-riding suspects on the night of January 17 after stepping out of the Ramiro Community Hospital in Tagbilaran City.

The Karapatan group had earlier attributed the incident to the government, pointing out that Sendrijas had been a target of the police and military's vilification campaign.

The group said there were reports that he was being invited to join the mainstream government so he could provide information about other members and activities of Left-leaning organizations. - GMANews.TV

I hope we are undertaking the necessary preparation to be a tourism showcase for the world to see.

International tourism meet seen to boost Cebu, Bohol


By Irene Sino Cruz
Visayas Bureau
First Posted 18:55:00 02/05/2008


CEBU CITY, Philippines -- In winning its bid to host a biennial international tourism forum scheduled for October in 2008, Cebu's tourism industry will receive a boost amid the growing competition for tourists in the region.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, in a press briefing held Tuesday, said the hosting of the 6th International Forum on Tourism for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities would increase global awareness of Cebu and Bohol.

Durano said the tourism forum, an event organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), would boost the earnings of the retail, hotel, resort, restaurants transportation and hospitality sectors in Cebu and Bohol.

He explained that it would not be all work for the 400 forum participants from 100 countries.

"They will come here first as participants but they will also come as tourists. All hotels will have very good occupancy rates and new businesses will go to the shopping malls, restaurants and even transport," Durano said.

Undersecretary Edu Jarque of the Department of Tourism also noted that international journalists would come to cover the forum, giving media mileage to the province. "All articles will be datelined Cebu," Jarque added.

The challenge, he said, would be how to maximize the short time the forum participants and the foreign journalists would spend here so they could see the best that Cebu could offer.

The forum participants would also be brought on a technical tour to Bohol to showcase its best practices of tourism development sustainability, Durano said.

"Bohol is the best example of balanced development," he pointed out. (highlighting mine)

Durano cited as example the banning by the Bohol local government of structures within 100 meters from the low tide to beach so that nothing could block the beach.

The local government also restricted the height of resort structures so that these would not go beyond the trees.

After the technical tour to Bohol, Durano said the Department of Tourism would encourage the participants to visit other sites such as Boracay, Palawan, Davao and Metro Manila.

Durano said the visit to Bohol would be in line with the issues affecting tourism. This year's forum would focus on three issues, such as climate change, poverty reduction and women in tourism.

He said the tourism industry would have to determine how climate change would influence travel trends and, then, come up with measures to adjust to the changes.

Dominique Bernardet, chief of UNWTO conferences, translation and document services, explained that the forum would help create awareness among parliamentarians of the importance of tourism.

Tourism would help developing countries in their efforts to reduce poverty, Bernardet said. "We have examples of developed countries where tourism is a very important economic factor," she added.

Bernardet said a tourism workshop was set to be held before the forum proper to focus on the three issues and the results would be presented during the forum.

The forum will be held at the Shangri-la's Mactan Island Resort and Spa from October 22 to October 25.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20080205-116971/International-tourism-meet-seen-to-boost-Cebu-Bohol

Quote from: ben on February 06, 2008, 08:35:31 AM
Hi Benelynne,
  we're doing ok.  I'm setting up outside the city now.  One good tip for new business could be to do just that.  Many officials in municipalities outside the City are more welcoming, more efficient and they are happy for you to merely pay your local business taxes and occasionally contribute to barangay/municipal events.  If your business does not rely on a city-centre location then it seems the way to go.
  Akong business si technology export lang, dili complicado.  Morag inyong idea para ang call center.  Wai competition against established vested interests, siguro mas gami mga problema.

Hi Ben,

Thanks for being ever so helpful. I am not even there yet, but I have resolved to push through with my plans sometime this year. I'll keep this advice in mind.

Quote from: Sigbin II on February 05, 2008, 08:41:12 PM
JDV is right.  There was corruption.  There still is.  And his accusations against Arroyo and her kin prove that he was, is, and, perhaps, always will be party to it.

Hi Paul,

More than 20 years ago at about the time I left the country, we expelled charismatic leader Ferdinand Marcos on charges of corruption and plunder.

More than a decade hence, we expelled another leader on largely the same charges.

Now, in the wake of his irreversible exit from the house, JDV is hurling the same charges against the incumbent...

I thought the cycle of history repeating itself would take a longer time, but I'm seeing a parade of political events with a sense of deja vu too soon. Don't we Filipinos have a learning curve?

It's another lackluster day in Japan. No screeches or howls in the parliament here. Outside, snow is falling softly. I am riveted to my TFC... Can't believe that the home I am thinking of going back to is consuming, and is consumed by, acrimonious politics day in and day out...

I hope to see sunlight through the snow...

Quote from: preciousNpolite on February 06, 2008, 01:35:04 AM
I would be leary to set up business here. No matter how good the food how friendly the help I just would not do it.
Especailly investing in business when it is crisis na?

Hi Precious,

Please elaborate. What pitfalls are you leery of? Are we in a state of crisis--economically or in terms of peace and order?

What a circus at the House, as JDV makes an impassioned account of Gloria Arroyo's political indebtedness to him.

I only hope we have not replaced a trapo with a basahan. I only hope that Nograles will indeed bring voice to Mindanao and the Visayas, and spread the economic pie evenly to the south.

With the lower house dominated by the administration, the Senate should fortify and shore itself up so that the Philippine legislature will not simply be a rubberstamp for the administration.

Fame is a bitch
Connie Veneracion

I swore I would never write about Britney Spears. But after news broke out late last week that she had been confined at a psychiatric ward and that her father, Jamie, and lawyer Andrew Wallete had been named conservators of her estate, the Britney saga suddenly entered a new dimension. Gee, you won’t believe the crap that’s been published in the international media.

Conservatorship? When a person is incapable of taking care of himself and his personal affairs, a family member may apply to the proper court to be appointed as conservator. In some instances, the conservator is an organization rather than a single individual. In its broadest context, it means a guardian. In practice, “guardian” is used when the subject is a person; conservator is the common term when the subject is an estate. “Estate” means the total financial affairs that include cash, real and personal property. In Britney’s case, it’s both a guardianship and a conservatorship and the estate is an estimated total of $125 million.

But long before this conservatorship thing came up, Britney’s life, and the way it had been documented, had been a multi-faceted ethical drama. She had a mother accused of whoring her daughters to the entertainment industry and turning her into a personal milking cow (a goose that lays golden eggs would be more apt), a father said to have not given a hoot until Britney became a multi-millionairess, a husband whose only real claim to fame was being the father of her children, a manager, Sam Lufti, who had long been suspected of fleecing his client and feeding her drug habits.

After months of what had been referred to as self-destructive behavior, and after losing custody over her two young sons, Britney’s mother caused her confinement for psychiatric evaluation. She was suspected to be suffering from bipolar disorder; initial assessments said the drug cocktails she had been consuming for the past months only made her condition worse.

All of this, we do not know as facts. Still, many people would swear to these as the truth because that is what they have been reading on newspapers and seeing in the evening news almost every day for the past year.

If we put together everything that media has dished out to us, it’s just one long tale of exploitation. We are pushed to draw the inevitable conclusion that now that the goose is no longer capable of laying golden eggs and the eggs that have in fact been laid are now up for grabs. Lufti insists that Britney is not incapacitated (unless she were in control of her money, Lufti is left out in the cold) but her parents think otherwise. The only thing that has still not happened is ex-husband Kevin Federline asking the court to be appointed co-conservator in order to protect the interests of his and Britney’s two sons.

So easy to point fingers but so hard to prove, as Chin Wong has said in the past (in a non-Britney related conversation). Very few media writers have raised the alternative scenarioâ€"that Britney’s parents, imperfect human beings they may be, truly have their daughter’s best interests at heart. I know. That seems so far fetched. But then, it may only be far fetched because our minds have been thoroughly primed by the rumor-mongering media.

The truth is that it is in the best interest of media to keep the scandal angle afloat and alive. See, the only parties that are still making money out of all this, over and above profits that have already been earned, are the newspapers, the magazines and the entertainment shows. It’s scandalous how mediaâ€"and the paparazzi are an integral arm of media, whatever the denialsâ€"are exploiting the personal tragedy of one person in order to sell garbage they pass off as news. While the paparazzi are independent operators for the most part, they wouldn’t be there if the newspapers and the magazines do not buy they photos.

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=connieVeneracion_feb5_2008

I am happy and let down at the same time because Balicasag was not even mentioned. To think that marine biodiversity is cited as an attraction. A group of international scholars including a Japanese has certified that Panglao has more than 3000 marine species, many of which have never been classified before. I wonder if Bohol travel industry had delegates to this trade show.

RP cited Destination of the Year in Paris int’l dive show


By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 16:01:00 02/04/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The country took center stage as “Destination of the Year” during the recent 2008 10th Salon de la Plongee, an international diving trade show in Paris, France, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

Quoting a dispatch from Philippine Ambassador to France Jose Abeto Zaide, the DFA said the Philippines, taking its first plunge at the Salon de la Plongee sous-Marine (SCUBA Exhibition) at the Exhibition Park in Porte de Versailles, was named the event’s Destination of the Year.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano led a Philippine delegation of 10 exhibitors.

Zaide said the Philippine exhibit was a sure crowd-drawer, especially with the world-renowned Bayanihan National Folk Dance Company gracing the event.

The Philippine booth near the main entrance accommodated about 10 companies showcasing their respective dive resorts around the country.

Zaide said that, based on the reports of the Philippine private sector participants, inquiries greatly exceeded expectations and brochures ran out.

The 10th Salon de la Plongee sous Marine was joined by about 402 exhibitors from 40 countries and drew 39,342 visitors, with 232 journalists covering the event.

Exhibitors included tourism agencies and diving equipment manufacturers.

Zaide said Durano assured the participants that travel to the country's marine parks and sports attractions is relatively safe.

"We are taking a more assertive role in pushing our beaches and aqua sports attractions to the European traveler. Private businesses that were with us in previous marketing missions have gained significant benefits and 2008 will open more opportunities," Durano said.

Known for dense marine biodiversity, Philippine waters offer rewarding diving experiences. Top dive sites in the country include the Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Philippine congress leader removed after Arroyo feud

MANILA (AFP) - The leader of the Philippine congress, who had previously protected President Gloria Arroyo from attempts to impeach her, was voted out of his seat Tuesday after accusing the leader of corruption.

An overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives broke ranks with Jose de Venecia and voted to replace him with close Arroyo ally, Prospero Nograles, after a marathon session that went past midnight Monday.

Of the 240 House members, 174 voted to remove de Venecia, with 35 opposed. The remaining lawmakers either abstained or were not present at the vote.

De Venecia's ouster came after he accused Arroyo's sons, both congressmen, of orchestrating his downfall following the testimony of his son, who had implicated the presidential family during a Senate inquiry last year over an overpriced multi-million telecoms deal with China's state-run firm ZTE.

Arroyo was forced to scrap the 330-million ZTE deal amid the controversy, which also led to the resignation of an elections official close to the president who was said to be brokering the deal.

Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, was implicated in the deal, too.

In an emotional hour-long speech before being voted out, de Venecia accused Arroyo's family of irregularities, including corruption and cheating.

"I know there were many attempts to tamper the elections in 2004," de Venecia said, referring to the hotly contested presidential polls that Arroyo won by a slim margin.

De Venecia said he soon would elaborate on his remarks.

Following the 2004 vote, opposition House lawmakers tried to impeach Arroyo after a recording of a phone call emerged between a woman sounding like the president and an elections officer who appeared to be conspiring to rig the polls.

Arroyo has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but she never denied she was the woman on the tape.

At the time, de Venecia was able to convince his House colleagues not to support an impeachment vote.

But on Tuesday, De Venecia denounced "corruption, perfidy, double-cross" in the Arroyo government, in which he claimed "everything is for sale."

"I will join the opposition to denounce corruption in this administration. I will join the battle against corruption," de Venecia said after he was ousted.

Unsuccessful impeachment bids were launched against Arroyo in 2005, 2006 and 2007 - -- all accusing her of corruption and vote rigging.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080205/afp/080205023336asiapacificnews.html
     

Quote from: swakee on February 05, 2008, 11:31:41 AM
kapit sa patalim na ang mga tawo ron...

I agree that there is an economic aspect to criminality. The drive against crime and the drive to generate jobs for the people should go hand on hand.

hi olintaha,

by the way, unsa may pinaagi aning "Rod Duterte Formula?"

Quote from: olintaha on February 04, 2008, 09:23:12 PM
roger on that ben, and i hope you will also agree with my suggestion in a related article that Mayor Dan Lim should now consider adopting the tried, proven and tested "Rod Duterte Formula" of solving criminality.

I have heard a lot of anecdotes about Duterte from my Davaoeno friends. Most of them have only good things to say about him, despite the seeming lack of due process.

Yes, I think we need a strong hand to deal with criminal elements in society. The mayor should show strong leadership against crime, and the police should be quick and professional. The justice system in Bohol, and in the whole country for that matter, also needs a good push for the speedy resolution of cases.

But the drive against crime can only succeed if all those entrusted with securing our peace and order are themselves not stakeholders in the criminal enterprise.

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on February 04, 2008, 09:05:51 PM
Mr. Bennelyn,

This is a lesson for beginners like Bohol Inc.

My advise is to keep a low profile/conservative approach and register as a small business. Do not register as a big enterprise because it is easier to upgrade a business than to start big and then down-size. Use your resources conservatively. Take baby steps and do not rush. Plan before stepping forward and plan in closed doors. Do not advertise to be popular. Advertise only to support a promo campaign or expansion campaign. If possible, run underground. Word by mouth and reputation is the best advertising.

Note: As we have just seen, Bohol is a hostile business environment. Therefore the key word is “conservative”, or you will draw the ears of corruption and become a big target. Don’t stay in one place. Open small but many strategic branches.

Make survey, do business as per the demand and do not overspend. Do not hang around with politicians.

Hi Macky,

Thanks for sharing your practical wisdom. You seem like you've been through the rough and tumble of business in Bohol... I remember a similar advice given by Ben, my namesake who's also a regular here at TB, to be low-key... Hi Ben, I wonder how your software business is doing? If I am not mistaken, the British businessman alluded to in this article is his compatriot.

So Macky, if you're interested in my business plan, we can just discuss this in closed doors... When will you be in town? I'll PM you...

BSP: Strong peso cost overseas Pinoys P24 B

By Des Ferriols
Monday, February 4, 2008

Because of the combined effects of the strong peso and the weakening US dollar, overseas Filipinos (OFs) lost over P24 billion in income last year compared to 2006 figures.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that the losses would have gone up to P26 billion had not other currencies appreciated against the US dollar as well.

OFs refer not only to contract workers but also to migrants and other permanent residents.

A study being conducted by the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics indicated the value of losses suffered by OFs based on comparative remittances between January and September in 2006 and 2007.

Determining how many OFs were affected and had to absorb the losses due to currency exchange fluctuations was more complicated, BSP officials said.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said that over half of OFs were affected by the weakness of the dollar â€" more than those originally estimated.

Tetangco said that based on preliminary estimates, about 12 percent of OFs were paid in US dollars but the actual impact of the weakening American currency affected a lot more Filipinos abroad.

Tetangco said many of the OFs were paid in third currencies whose exchange rates are pegged against the US dollar, which means that their salaries depreciate as the US dollar   loses strength.

Tetangco said the BSP has been conducting a more systematic assessment of exactly how many Filipinos abroad were receiving salaries in which currencies and which of these currencies were pegged against the dollar or any other major currency.

“We want to get a clearer view of the extent of the effects of currency exchange fluctuations,” Tetangco said. “Off hand, I’d say that a little over 50 percent of overseas Filipinos are paid in US dollars and other currencies pegged against the US dollar.”

Rough estimates from the BSP-DES indicated that based on the latest available figures, the stock of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including workers in the US, accounted for 6.09 percent of the total figure.

Out of the total OFWs, sea-based workers who were normally paid in US dollars accounted for another 5.87 percent.

“These two combined represent 11.96 percent of the total stock of OFWs as of the end of 2006,” said Ma. Rosabel Guerrero of the BSP-DES.

“But the figures cited are those of OFWs, not the entire stock of overseas Filipinos that would include migrants and permanent residents abroad,” Guerrero pointed out. “We also have to note that there are other countries whose currencies are pegged to the US dollar, like Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states,” she said.

“We have to qualify these when we talk about the impact of currency movements on OFW remittances.”

For 2008, Tetangco said the BSP total remittances from overseas Filipinos would reach $16.2 billion, with labor deployment increasing despite the slowdown in the US economy.

Tetangco said gross OF inflows would expand by 8 percent next year, including remittances that go through informal and non-bank channels.

Remittances that go through banks, on the other hand, were projected to grow at a faster rate of 10 percent to reach $15.7 billion compared to only $14 billion this year.

The peso was expected to stay firm this year and even exporters were already bracing themselves against the possibility of the dollar going below P40 this year, the BSP said.

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20080203113

‘Implement dream city’


By Cris Evert Lato
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 15:41:00 02/04/2008


CEBU CITY, Philippines - A coalition of businessmen on Sunday urged the Cebu City government to implement the plans laid out during the sessions for the Dream Cities program of the Institute Solidarity in Asia (ISA) in 2005.

Gordon Alan “Dondi” Joseph, Cebu Business Club (CBC) president, said the city's counterparts in these sessions were already “way ahead” in the implementation of the plan.

He identified these as Tagbilaran City in Bohol and San Fernando City in Pampanga.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña, in a separate interview, said different sectors can have varying opinion on whether Cebu is better than the cities of Tagbilaran and San Fernando.

“If he (Joseph) feels that way, why doesn't he move to Tagbilaran?” asked Osmeña.

“Which is more progressive? Why was the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit held in Cebu? Why was it not held in Tagbilaran or San Fernando?”

The Cebu City government presented the “vision” of becoming most livable city in Asia by 2015 to the ISA conference in August 2005.

Cebu City was among the eight best-performing cities selected for the pilot application of the ISA’s Public Governance System (PGS).

The PGS is a performance measurement tool that encouraged local administrations to operate under established mission, vision and set of values from city hall to the grass roots.

To read more, check out http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20080204-116685/Implement-dream-city

Quote from: olintaha on February 04, 2008, 05:29:05 PM
bitaw, u r right ben.
but what i mean is that our policemen there must also show us that they are as good in police works as they are good in holding the "magic sing".

hi olintaha,

i also suggested in another thread that citizens should police the police as well... kinahanglan bitaw i-professionalize ang police to cope with increasing crime...

did i hear it right that the PNP is instigating a new policy that policemen who don't know how to shoot will be given a batuta as weapon instead?

maybe policemen caught holding the "magic sing" should also be given a batuta. you're right, the police cannot simply sing crimes away.

Is it really so bad? Apparently, this British businessman-philantophist left our island in a huff because of corruption and found a place that accorded him better treatment.

If his plaints are true, how can we attract investments and provide more employment opportunities to Boholanos?

Sudoku-loving expat shows how it's done
By Joel B. Escovilla   Published : 2008-02-02

A RETIRED British expat in the city is proving that business and philanthropy are not two opposing forces locked in a perpetual tug-of-war.

In fact, even if his little restaurant sticks out like a bent thumb from among the rows of beauty parlors, barber shops and ukay-ukays (surplus clothes) along Crooked Road, it does serve an altruistic purpose.

The concept is short of revolutionary, said 60-year-old Alan Barnett, as he took a page out of a regular and profit-oriented business model, tore it to pieces. The result is this equation: Income â€" expenses = profits â€" charity.

Now, if that doesn’t make any difference, maybe this will: 50 percent of the diner’s profits will go to the purchase of brand new computer sets for public elementary school children in the city. So the next obvious question is: did he suck at math when he was a child?

“I’m a very good at math,” he said. “I was brilliant but did not know it because everything came easy to me. I’d get the lesson in five minutes and the rest of the time I’d be fooling around.”

Of course, with an I.Q. of 160, there’s no reason to doubt him.

Barnett spent the better half of his life in the United States. After riding the bandwagon during the computer boom in the 80s and building his own company in England, then advising big businesses on human resources and setting up their own computer systems, he “retired” a millionaire at the age of 40 and relocated to Miami, Floria and decided to take it easy.

But boredom pushed him to put up another consultancy firm, and his reputation as a quick-thinking troubleshooter grew that he was able to corner big name clients like Kodak and Ford. That challenge, however, quickly dissipated and he found himself in a dilemma. He now has enough money in his pockets to retire ten times over and nothing to do.

So in 1999, he decided to put into practice the equation that he has been perfecting in his head.

“It took three years of planning and researching but it boiled down to a choice between Philippines and Vietnam because of the high level of English competency,” he said.

After mustering all his courage along with the confidence that his plan would work, Barnett packed his bags and set up the very first Al’s Diner in Bohol in Central Visayas. It didn’t last however because the few bumps he expected turned out to be much bigger than he anticipated.

“I started doing something like this in Bohol but I was hit with a lot of corruption,” he said, adding that he was so disappointed he immediately decided to transfer his business to Vietnam.

A friend from Davao City, however, persuaded him to visit the place so Barnett again packed his bags and converted a local hotel as his base of operations while they scoured for an ideal place for business. Despite his bad experience, Barnett was convinced that a restaurant is the way to go.

“All Filipinos love to do two things, karaoke and eat and I have a pretty good burger recipe in the states,” he said.

Good marketing sense

In February of 2006, and with P1 million as seed fund, Barnett officially opened Al’s Diner in Davao City.

The diner seemed anachronistic with its 50’s themed design. The splashes of red, blue and white underscores the fact that everything â€" from the architecture, leatherette benches, down to the menu â€" is American. On top of the door reads a sign: “The Little Restaurant that Cares.”

If not for the Davaoena waitresses, you’d catch yourself speaking in English when you give your order.

“It’s a very good marketing sense because at the end of the day, we run projects for the community.” Barnett said. “We started to make real profits in the last three or four months,” he said.

He said 50 percent of the profits of the diner is earmarked for his “A Bite for a Byte” program, 25 percent for the operations and another 25 percent for the expansion.

As part of the “self-help” concept, the program seeks to provide computers for elementary school kids but the number of units lent out will depend on how much school principals and teachers put out.

While the program does not ask for financial collateral from the potential school-beneficiary, Barnett does require their students to visit the diner at “1 point” per order.

“They don’t have to order the most expensive food, just 20 pesos will do. The visits will depend on the population. So if the school has 600 students, that would mean 300 visits,” he said.

That prerequisite is important, he added, so that the donated computers would not seem like dole-outs and the school will take better care of them because they now have a stake in the project. “This is not an aid program, you support the diner and the diner will provide the computers.”

Although he said that employees, high school and college students, can also adopt a school whenever they eat at the diner so each order will amount to one point.

On August 2, 2007, the Agdao Elementary School became the 2nd recipient of the Bite for a Byte program, after Bunawan Elementary School two years ago, when it was awarded with two sets of computers along with licensed softwares. Barnett also volunteers to oversee the training of the teachers and the maintenance of the equipment.

He said two more computers sets are lined up for release.

His expertise in human relations came in handy as the staff are well-trained in assisting to the needs of customers, still patterned after the American way of service, and multi-tasking. The diner attempts to create a homey feel where the waitresses not only serve but engage you in a conversation.

Though Barnett quickly added that the waitresses know when to back off when you need your space.

From the giant burger which boasts of one pound of 100 percent lean Australian beef, to the milkshakes and the fries, the menu is all American. The only anomaly in the menu is the affordable rice and viand dishes. This is still the Philippines, after all.

“We take the Philippine taste and added an American kick to it,” he said.

Lesson learned, lesson imparted

With his ubiquitous cap, Barnett is a regular fixture at the diner, never failing to greet bystanders and familiar faces with his gap-toothed smile; unless he is busy networking with other restaurants to buy into his campaign to help schools or solving two Sodokus at a time.

His cap has another function. In order to amuse little kids or break the ice, Barnett takes it off, exposes his bald head, and cry out: “Siopao, Mami!”

His voice drops to a whisper, perhaps worried that one of his waitresses might hear him, as he admits he prefers to drink his chocolate at his usual watering hole in Agdao Public Market, “because it’s cheaper there.”

Believe it or not, Barnett pays for his own food when he eats at his own diner. “When you open a business, you don’t abuse it,” he said.

The British national intends to put up five more diners in the cities of Davao, Zamboanga, General Santos, Digos and Cotabato.

His only regret is when the challenge dissipates once his vision to provide computers to every public elementary school throughout Mindanao takes off. And when that happens, he hopes he still has some energy left to solve another equation.

Where did get his sense of charity?

“Probably from my father; he told me that I won’t get a single cent when he dies because it’s all going to charity.”

That’s the same lesson he told his only daughter, because when he dies all his money will fund the Bite for a Byte program.

As our interview ends, Barnett stood up and lights up a cigarette.

“This is my only vice,” he said, raising his cigarette as he puffs out a lungful of smoke.

“You sound like you’re making an excuse to yourself.”

“Yeah,” he said, “My only luxury is when I travel I have to go first class especially on long trips so that I’ll have a good night’s sleep and not wake up grouchy.

I have no intention of getting married again because I get more kick in helping people.”

I remember him telling me that he was married four times in four different continents: North and South America, Antarctica and Asia. But I did not ask whether or not that could be the reason.

Night fell and a group of beauticians coming from the neighboring salon passed by. They were talking animatedly as their shift ended.

As their voices were drowned by the blare of a speeding jeepney, Barnett greeted them a hearty “good evening” and the intrusion earned him a defiant glare from the group.

He laughed like it was the most natural thing in the world.

http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/story.php?id=19054

We should not leave all the work to the police, because they are not omnipresent, despite their efforts to be more visible. Vigilance (not vigilantism) among the residents should also be encouraged. We should strengthen our local networks and install hot lines for suspicious persons and incidents.

Quote from: Bohol Bol-anon on February 04, 2008, 09:37:59 AM
Ben, how about canned sardines and tuna. I often eat canned foods as this is more convenient for me at this time.

Hi Mike,

I guess you should check the content if they include any of the carcinogens listed in this article like refined sugars and grains , hydrogenated oils, and nitrates. I myself avoid canned goods because of the preservatives.

A friend, who is herself a cancer survivor, forwarded this message to me.

Five worst cancer-causing foods

Maybe we need to explain to the kids that we love them and they need to be healthy, we are not depriving them the food they love to eat.

There are some foods that people who are at high risk for developing cancer should definitely avoid. Generally, says natural health researcher Mike Adams, they should avoid foods that contain ingredients known to cause cancer, such as refined sugars and grains , hydrogenated oils, and nitrates. But which foods are the absolute worst?

The top five cancer-causing foods are:


1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.


2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.


3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.


4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acrylamides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .


5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Quote from: Julai on February 01, 2008, 05:34:17 AM
This thread is very interesting. I read it from the 1st til the last page. Count me in as a potential investor, though I can't invest a huge amount, but I am very interested.

Hi Julai,

Welcome aboard! We'll update you about the concrete developments.

Quote from: junayag on January 31, 2008, 04:53:01 PM

Hi Benellyne,

Will be looking forward to meet you this coming GRAND EB, which will also coincide on my business launching during this period.  And with your idea in mind, I would say that we could still relate and could translate this into a promising business relationship.

I would be engaging into events management, professional consultancy and outsourcing ( which include training and other human resources related endeavors ).

Capitalizing on your network in Japan, we could promote Bohol tourism and at the same time learning English through our business outfit.  I've got a network of training providers (world-class / international competencies ) which would not be difficult for us to establish.

If you heard about what Dubai is doing? then we could do it here in Bohol and could start with Japanese, Chinese and even Arabs.  We could promote a package of sort ... an educational tour ( business, pleasure and learning... ).

We could explore more on this.  Am inviting you to be a partaker on one of the services available in the due-to-be launched business outfit.  I've been preparing this concept two years back.  The thing is, we have to get on board with tourism and diversify...

Hi Jun,

Once I'm done with the concrete details and mapped out my resource requirements, I'd certainly like to discuss these things in more specific terms. Yes, I really look forward to joining hands with you in mutually beneficial endeavors.

Perhaps the TV exposure plucked Ronald Sendrijas from anonymity and made him too recognizable and an easier target, or reopened old wounds and grudges against him?

Death of a cycling companion

During my bike trip around Bohol last April, one of my cycling companions was the person shown above, a jovial former rebel leader named Ronald Sendrijas, who told us with pride that he was just the latest in a long line of Boholano dissidents that started with his forefather Francisco Dagohoy (the statue behind Ronald), one of the nation's most illustrious rebels whose real name was also Sendrijas.

Our researcher for that trip, Pia Faustino, had found Ronald in the boonies of Bohol and had suggested a ride with him off the beaten track in the rarely visited scenic north of the island.

In a way, Ronald was much like many activists I've met through the years -- an intellectual with a stubborn streak of idealism. He also had a sweetly melodic singing voice to go with his romantic notions of his homeland. Among his causes was the protection of Bohol's Inabanga River, whose clean water the government had once wanted to pipe to parched Mactan in Cebu province.

Boholanos had won that battle and Ronald took me to one of the river's tributaries where we dove in for a cold swim after a hot bike ride.


When I met him, he had been recently released after over two years in prison in Cebu for his rebel activities and was adjusting to life above ground in his and Dagohoy's home town of Inabanga. Ronald was campaigning for a relative who was running for local office. He was a controversial figure who had made enemies because of his association with the NPA. But I was surprised that he spoke openly about himself and his causes, and didn't seem much concerned about his security.

He was a likeable guy with a perpetual smile, leadership skills and musical talent. He was once a seminarian but left the seminary soon after he started arguing with priests about the existence of God.

While visiting the monument above honoring his ancestor, Ronald lamented how the space for activism had narrowed: "Mabuti pa dati, ang mga aktibista kinakasuhan, katulad ko. Ngayon pinapatay nalang."

He also remarked on the irony of honoring rebels from long ago with monuments, while the current generation of activists are killed and jailed.

Last Thursday, Ronald Sendrijas was assassinated by a gunman on a motorcycle. It was his 35th birthday.

His death will add yet another to the list of extrajudicial killings of activists. I hesitate to call these murders mysterious, because the UN special rapporteur Philip Alston and others have already credibly accused the military of this savage form of counterinsurgency. This one is different for me, because Ronald was not just another statistic. He was a very real reminder to me of how much talent and heart are being wasted by a civil war that just won't end.

Below is an excerpt from my Bohol documentary that features the bike ride with Ronald, my interview with him in which he talks with pride about keeping alive his family's dissident tradition, the river that he helped save, and a song he composed about living a life of sacrifice.

http://gmapinoytv.igma.tv/sidetrip/blog/index.php?/archives/316-Death-of-a-cycling-companion-and-the-latest-activist-killing.html#extended

Modern Japanese women: dealing with sex, lies and the dried-flower syndrome


By JEFF KINGSTON
GOODBYE MADAME BUTTERFLY:
Sex, Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman, by Sumie Kawakami. Chin Music Press, 2007, 219 pp., $20 (cloth)

Who wants to be a woman in Japan? Misery can't get much worse than the sexless relationships, dreary marriages, loneliness, patriarchal blues and stressed out women portrayed in these riveting interviews. These ordinary women, and one rather different man, tell it like it is and force us to reconsider contemporary Japan and its modern pathologies.

Sumie Kawakami is an experienced and intelligent reporter who manages to get her subjects to bare their souls and share their anxieties in a book I found hard to put down. Early on she draws our attention to a sad paradox: Japan has a world beating sex industry while most Japanese don't seem to be having much sex, at least according to a Durex survey. And, those who are getting their share are not very enthusiastic; Japan ranks second to last in the satisfaction category, just above China.

Sexless relationships are on the rise, apparently because its just too much bother. Horny housewives and lascivious "OLs" are a media induced fantasy as most women, Kawakami writes, "wanted their lovers to fill their loneliness, emptiness and lack of self-worth." Apparently, this is nigh upon mission impossible in Japan.

Finding the right lover is not so easy, but we learn that at least women can avail themselves of a clinic that offers them intimate encounters with sex volunteers. Women can select their volunteers from a catalog brimming with intimate details, and, yes, size does seem to matter. The clients say they are grateful for the service while there appears to be no shortage of male volunteers; money isn't everything.

To read more, check out http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20080127a1.html

Quote from: grazie7y on January 31, 2008, 02:24:02 PM
or possible hara-kiri...
If dili lang ni abuse na privilege (privilege for being heart-broken? ), nice bya ni kay nag show ang mga employers ug concern sa ilang mga employees' personal issues.

If you are aware how Japanese companies break their employees' back, you'll say at least they're concerned not to break their employees' hearts.

Quote from: teng on January 31, 2008, 11:29:53 AM
hala!!! unsa kahay ipakita nga docs no ug mag file na sa leave...para mo too ang bosing nga gi buwagan jud..basin pasumangil lang nga nagbuwag(para makaleave) unya mag date diay to...aheheheh

Siguro naay standard medical form nga ipa-certify sa physician or psychiatrist which goes like this:

cardiovascular abnormality with symptoms of irregular palpitation or heart murmur leading to possible cardiac arrest....

Quote from: grazie7y on January 31, 2008, 08:56:32 AM
But how can this be substantiated, Benny san?

Perhaps you can report to work nga naay bandage sa dughan? Unsa kaha? What I know is that in Japan, some companies have a family atmosphere in which the bosses know the people close to you as well as the ups and downs in your personal relationships.... That's why for the male employees, especially, it is a must to go out on a drinking binge with your bosses after work.

10 True and Biblical Ways to Love People

1. Listen without interrupting (Prov 18)

2. Speak without accusing (James  1:19)

3. Give without sparing (Prov 21)

4. Pray without ceasing (Colossians 1:9)

5. Answer without arguing (Prov 7:1)

6. Share without pretending (Ephesians 4:15)

7. Enjoy without complaint (Philippians 2:14)

8. Trust without wavering (Corinthians 13:7)

9. Forgive without punishing (Colossians 3:13), and

10. Promise without forgetting (Prov 13:12).

excerpted from Ricky Lo's January 31, 2008 column

And the reason given by the company?

"With a broken heart, everyone needs time off, just like when you are sick. "

Miki Hiradate, CEO of Tokyo-based marketing company Hime & Co, which gives staff paid time off (up to three days) when they suffer a bad relationship breakup. (Reuters)

Quote from: -<GEC348>- on January 30, 2008, 06:02:45 PM

Okay, Benny   In that case...

A glass of wine each or an entire bottle we must consume?
I need to develop my threshold or who will drive me home?

Hi GEC,

Can't help but think we're kindred souls. Imagine the elusive GEC answering right next to my post! And to this, let's toast a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon each. OK ka lang? Actually, I am more lucid, write better and read more Japanese characters after a bottle of red wine...

Mangontrata na lang tag mag-drive pauli.

By the way, you got my real nickname, and spelled it right, "Benny." Is this random guess or sleuth job?

Quote from: junayag on January 31, 2008, 12:30:12 AM

It's time to revisit this thread after so many holidays.... Just recently a friend of mine who was based in Saudi for 5 years went home and provided information about the business climate in Bohol and Tagbilaran in particular.  What prevails presently or existing in Tagbilaran is an indicator or would like to spell out that Bohol business is improving though most of the entrepreneurs are not really from the province.  So with the downturn of the money/currency exchange, murag panahon na nga manguli ta and venture into something that would sufficiently sustain our requirements if the disparity of income while working overseas is just too narrow.

Hi Jun,

Glad to meet you in this thread again. I can almost feel that you are raring to start your business. I will most probably be at the grand EB, barring any unfavorable happenstance.

I myself have decided to explore business opportunities, mainly in Cebu and Bohol, this year, using my own network of Japanese and Japan-based Filipino clients.

I am putting off the idea of a call center for now, after getting negative feedback from my call center associates. The impending US recession is casting a pall over Japan's economy as well. And with the peso getting strong or stabilizing at a high exchange rate, earning in yen does not seem as attractive as it used to be. You're right, the disparity of income between doing business locally and working abroad is not that big anymore, according to my friends in business.

In another thread I started here, I am planning to ride on the trend of the English study tours among Japanese students and young professionals. I am floating the idea of offering a package at half the price they would pay for if they do it in Australia, a favorite destination and the closest competition.

I need help with the ground logistics in Bohol. Perhaps we can cooperate in this area.

Quote from: orChids on January 30, 2008, 12:19:11 PM
I'm very happy jod Sir Bene nga magkaila sila.Mangutana lang unya ko nimo ug mga infos pag naka-sugod na imong kiddies sa ato.About my kids Momoko is 12,Seiku 10 and Isa 6.Korekara mata yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Another concern many Filipino parents have about their growing kids is the value system that they absorb in foreign lands. Although maayo man ang disiplina sa mga bata diri sa Japan, makabalaka ka sa mga balita about juvenile vices and crimes and troubled families... Did you hear the news today about the mom who threw her two sons off the building and then jumped herself?

Maayo man jud kung Filipino values ang matanum sa ila. Or at least, they can choose to have the best of both worlds.

caught it right here!

Philippines Marriage
Beautiful Philippines ladies seek love, dating & marriage. Join free.
www.FilipinaHeart.com

i think (but could be wrong) the google ads we see differ according to our point of access or location. of course, in this cyber age, ads cross not only country boundaries but legal lines as well... google's attention has to be called that advertising mail-order brides is illegal in our country and therefore they should not show it here.

Quote from: orChids on January 30, 2008, 11:33:07 AM
Wala bitaw ko nahubog ana Sir Bene,nagpa pic lang ko ni Agnes nga nag imote,pakatok ba.Bitaw Sir Bene,I want my daughter to study in Tagbilaran too.Too early to think abour it,but I'm preparing kay dali ra raba mulabay ang panahon.She's just 1st year hi-school pa hinuon but after she finish her junior hi-school basin sa Tagbilaran na siya.Last time we thought of sending her to Australia but I feel mas ok sa ato kay duol ra,and I can visit her oftentimes.Layo na kaayo tong Australia.And daghan makabantay niya kung diha siya sa ato.

Aya,

Maayong balita para makauban-uban sila sa akong mga anak pohon. Bitaw, ug Australia na, lain ra ba pod ilang accent.

My son, Paolo, 14, is in 2nd year junior high, and my oldest daughter, Raya, 15, is in 3rd year junior high. I just realized at this stage that they'll never be able to catch up with English kung diri sila magpadayon kay bag-o ra gani sila nagsugod ug English classes sa school.

Fortunately, Raya is doing self-study at her own pace and is progressing. But Paolo is into soccer and I have to leave everything I do to make him focus his mind on English. Ilang pronunciation hinapon kaayo.

My youngest daughter, Sarah, is just in Grade 2. Wala kaayo'y problema kay self-motivated.

Quote from: teng on January 30, 2008, 11:03:37 AM
emote ba ui...nahubog tood na siya sir Bene..that was the time during our karaoke night together..aheheheh peace Ms. Aya?

makahubog baya ang malipayong handumanan... i know the feeling of coming from a sun-washed holiday back to a snow-covered place... maki-emote gyud. i'm sure orchids is fine.

hi orchids,

just noticed your avatar. murag in your lonesome kaayo ka. come on, open the curtains and let the sunlight in...

Quote from: orChids on January 30, 2008, 09:57:32 AM
Hello Sir Bene,sus nagkurog jod ko pag-abot.And it's snowing everyday.Sus wala koy nahimo kay nagpainit lang ko dire,naghulat sa kung mu-init gamay ang panahon.

Maayo na lang kay daghan kang warm memories of your EBs nga magpainit nimo sa ilawom sa futon. Ako na pud pohon sa Abril, God willing. I will be with my wife and three kids. They're all looking forward to going to school in Tagbi. I told them it will be sunshine the whole year through.

You can't be more right Grazie.

I am trying to accept that everything that happens in my life, good or bad, is a moment of the sovereign God choosing me for a special purpose. Down here, everything may seem random, but in God's perfect view up there, everything is proceeding according to His plan.

Romans 8: 28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Why Me?

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983.
 
 
From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?
 
 
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
 
 
" The world over -- 50 million  children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis,

500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the  grand slam,

50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals,

when I was holding a cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'.

And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?'  "

 
Happiness keeps you Sweet,

Trials keep you Strong,

Sorrow keeps you Human,

Failure keeps you humble and Success keeps you glowing, but only Faith & Attitude Keeps you going...

Middle-age is truly depressing, study finds
By Michael Kahn
Tue Jan 29, 7:25 AM ET


LONDON (Reuters) - Middle age is truly miserable, according to a study using data from 80 countries showing that depression is most common among men and women in their forties.


The British and U.S. researchers found that happiness for people ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe follows a U-shaped curve where life begins cheerful before turning tough during middle age and then returning to the joys of youth in the golden years.

Previous studies have shown that psychological well-being remained flat throughout life but the new findings to be published in the journal Social Science & Medicine suggest we are in for a topsy-turvy emotional ride.

"In a remarkably regular way throughout the world people slide down a U-shaped level of happiness and mental health throughout their lives," Andrew Oswald at Britain's Warwick University, who co-led the study, said on Tuesday.

The researchers analyzed data on depression, anxiety levels and general mental health and well-being taken from some 2 million people in 80 countries.

U-SHAPED PATTERN

For men and women the probability of depression slowly builds and then peaks when people are in their forties -- a similar pattern found in 72 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe, the researchers said.

About eight nations -- mostly in the developing world -- did not follow the U-shaped pattern for happiness levels, Oswald and his colleague David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College in the United States wrote.

"It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children," Oswald said. "Nobody knows why we see this consistency."

One possibility may be that people realize they won't achieve many of their aspirations at middle age, the researchers said.

Another reason could be that after seeing their fellow middle-aged peers begin to die, people begin to value their own remaining years and embrace life once more.

But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old.


"For the average persons in the modern world, the dip in mental health and happiness comes on slowly, not suddenly in a single year," Oswald said. "Only in their fifties do people emerge from this low period."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080129/hl_nm/depression_age_dc

Quote from: -<GEC348>- on June 23, 2007, 03:22:42 AM
So, which brand will you recommend, Hazel?
How many glasses should I drink and how often?

Hi GEC,

I'll buzz you when I'm in town and let's toast to Cabernet Sauvignon, my favorite, and reportedly the most salutary of red wines.

As long as you show up in human form, we can drink spirit.

Quote from: Sigbin II on January 29, 2008, 03:24:08 PM
It was my father who taught me how to read.  And it was my mother who dealt with clogged plumbing.

Hi Paul,

Wow, it's a pleasant surprise to know that my wife and I are not the only ones breaking the mold of male-female roles in the family...

Our friends tell us that between me and my wife, I am the better cook. The truth is, when she was still my gf, she tried so hard to get my heart through my stomach... I laughed while rating her culinary skills. Ingon ko 75%, and then I taught her the basics. Later, she found out that my gf before her was a food technologist who taught me kitchen skills. A man can excel at the kitchen and a woman at plumbing...

Quote from: orChids on January 28, 2008, 10:49:27 AM
I'm back to my home now Bambs.Nice to go there nga daghan tang taga TB.

Are you back in Japan, Orchids? Welcome home... Winter dire run ug dulum pirmi ang langit... Am sure it will take sometime to shake off that holiday feeling.

My wife is so amused that I may be the one tutoring my kids about quadratic equations, but she's the one who changes our light bulbs or tightens our door knobs.

I guess both of us are anti-stereotypes. But I do agree with her that individuals, male or female, have something in which they are smarter than others.

But how smart of me to think all along that I'm not really smarter than women.

He's Not as Smart as He Thinks

A British researcher reports that the male ego is often larger than his actual IQ. But you might be surprised by what women think of men's intellect.


Are men smarter than women? No. But they sure think they are. An analysis of some 30 studies by British researcher Adrian Furnham, a professor of psychology at University College London, shows that men and women are fairly equal overall in terms of IQ. But women, it seems, underestimate their own candlepower (and that of women in general), while men overestimate theirs. Furnham talks to NEWSWEEK's Joan Raymond about his findings and why perceived IQ matters. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Many studies show that men score slightly higher in IQ tests. Is this significant?
Adrian Furnham: Universally, men tend to score higher on certain specialized skills, such as spatial awareness. In the real world, that means they might be better at reading maps or navigating. Women score higher in terms of language development and emotional intelligence. But most experts agree there is no real, important overall difference when it comes to gender and intelligence.

But women think they aren't as smart as men?
That's the conundrum. What I study is "perceived intelligence," essentially how smart people think they are. I analyzed 30 international studies, and what I found was that women, across the world, tend to underplay their intelligence, while men overstate it.

So do most men think they're Albert Einstein?
There certainly is a greater male ego. It's what we call the male hubris and female humility effect. Men are more confident about their IQ. These studies show that on average, women underestimate their IQ scores by about five points while men overestimate their own IQs. Since these studies were international in scope, the results were essentially the same whether women were from Argentina, America, Britain, Japan or Zimbabwe. Another factor affecting perception may be distribution of IQ ... Although [men and women] are on average the same, the people at the very top and the very bottom of the IQ bell curve are more likely to be men. That is a pattern that we see in the university setting, with men either being at the very top of the class or at the bottom.

Do women tend to think that men are smarter than they are?
Surprisingly, [both] men and women perceive men being smarter across generations. Both sexes believe that their fathers are smarter than their mothers and grandfathers are more intelligent than their grandmothers.

What about the kids?
If there are children, [both] men and women think their sons are brighter than their daughters.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/101079?g=1

Quote from: B:) on January 29, 2008, 11:13:00 AM
Mr.benelynne, that so true. Louy kaayo tong mga naapektohan.
It was just so dreadful to watch the "60 Minutes" TV program last night. One of their segment was about forseclosures of hundreds of houses. Lots of houses were abandoned - owners just couldn't afford anymore. Some even sell their houses lower than the price when they bought it, just so sad.

Pathetic to be homeless in the supposedly richest country in the world. Maayo pa sa ato kung naay payag....

Watch this "Foreclosure of the American Dream".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SejeITkaOWc&feature=related

The fear of recession is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This started with the collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the US. A great number of housing properties are being foreclosed. Because of increasing bad loan, financial instutions are tightening their belt, if not folding up altogether.

No money to lend to industries, businesses are folding up or laying off, the hordes of the unemployed or underemployed are growing everyday... consumption is down...

The sight downhill is really that of recession.  Even in Japan, supposedly an economic stronghold in Asia, the prospects are bleak.

Many at first believed that Japanese banks were not exposed to the US housing market. But they are, directly or indirectly. And so a dark cloud hovers on the mind of the Japanese. They are tightening their pursestrings as well.

Seven sights for sore eyes


Text and photos by Roel Hoang Manipon, Staff Writer
01/12/2008



Philippine tourism was good last year. In recent years, tourism has been gradually improving despite news of kidnappings and bombings. The Department of Tourism aimed for one million tourist arrivals for 2007, and it certainly achieved that target. Over 1.5 million visitors went to the Philippines for the first half of 2007. The country has a host of places to offer, some well-developed and some rough, but all unique. Here are seven that made the news and made a buzz.



Boracay. This small island off the town of Malay in Aklan is still the country’s premiere tourist destination. For a short time, Boracay emerged from obscurity and fast achieved stellar status, becoming the icon of tourist destinations in the country. Rows of resorts and hotels have mushroomed along the famous White Beach and in other parts of the island, and every year there is always some exciting development going on. Despite environmental issues and talk of overcrowded-ness, Boracay manages to charm and still retains its own blend of beauty, heightened by a cosmopolitan feel. Boracay is still the best beach in the country, crowded or not. The fineness of the sand is amazing, the formation of the shore friendly. It manages to be listed among the 10 best in the world.


Camarines Sur. The province in the Bicol Region is a tourism success story. Camarines Sur has Naga as its prime commercial hub, but of recent, Pili, the provincial capital, has generated a buzz because of the opening of the Camsur Watersports Complex. Because of this, “we’re the number one tourist destination in the region. According to Department of Tourism, we’re second to Boracay in terms of growth for tourism. That’s pretty good,” said Camarines Sur’s governor Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr., who built the complex in the capitol grounds. The CWC is said to be one of the best in world in terms of wakeboarding facilities. With marketing blitz, the world’s wakeboarding aficionados took notice. For two years, CWC has invited world wakeboarding champs and lured both foreign and domestic tourists wanting to try out the nascent sport. Also in the province and with enduring attraction, the Caramoan Peninsula with its beaches and islands is touted to be the next major destination.


Palawan. This large province between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea has been said to be the country’s last frontier. Indeed, it has a wealth of natural wonders including an amazing topography and unique flora and fauna. As development rises and people trickle in, environmental issues and non-governmental agencies also go in to keep the goings-on in check. Thus, Palawan may be the mother of eco-tourism destinations in the country, with its strong environmental consciousness and a board concerned about sustainable development. At the same time, Palawan invites tourists with its natural attractions and resorts. In the capital Puerto Princesa, there is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Off the coast and into Sulu Sea is another World Heritage site, the Tubbataha Reef. In northern Palawan, the Calamianes group of islands offer beaches, coves and resorts. The province is now on the list of the offerings of Mountain Travel Sobek and Wilderness Travel, pioneers in offering adventure travel packages anywhere around the world and leading international tour operators that cater to discriminating, high-end adventure seekers. Additionally, Palawan was the setting for the seventh installment of the French version of Survivor called Les Aventuriers. Ten episodes were shot entirely in El Nido and aired in September 2007. And in October 2007, Conde Nast Traveler released its issue with the main feature “The Great Asian Beach Finder.” The travel magazine voted Palawan as the Best Beach Overall, citing attractions like Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and noting beaches and resorts like El Nido Miniloc Island Resort, El Nido Lagen Island Resort and Amanpulo.


Baguio. This chartered city in Benguet in the south of the Cordillera region of northern Luzon has been called the Summer Capital of the country and remains to be the country’s premiere mountain resort city. It is also the commercial and educational hub of the north. Its pleasant cool climate also nurtures a large artist community. Now nearing its centennial, the city is priming itself up. The yearly Panagbenga Flower Festival unfailingly draws tourist with its spectacle. On the quieter side, Baguio allures with mist in the morning and pine trees on the mountains, but with a cosmopolitan feel and convenience.


Bohol. This island-province in central Visayas has been a much touted destination in the wake of the eco-tourism trend. Bohol has long been mentioned in tourism literature because of its Chocolate Hills and tarsiers, but it is of recent that people began discovering the province as a whole and trumpeting its beauty. Aside the famed hills and the famed primate, Bohol has the very clean Loboc River, great for cruises. There are the dive spots off Balicasag, said to be one of the best in the country. In Panglao, the white-sand beaches beckon. If history and culture you want, the province has a number of old colonial churches that retain much of its original make, a very fascinating attraction. Last year, Bohol was cited by a leading travel Web site as one of 10 “best spots you’ve never heard of” in a users’ poll. The story was taken up by news agency Reuters. The members of IgoUgo (www.igougo.com), which touts itself as “the world’s leading online travel community” with 350,000 members who share opinions and experiences on destinations around the globe, voted Bohol as one of 10 previously-unknown tourist spots that are ideal vacation places and it was ranked eight. The list also included Amarante, Portugal; Sigulda, Latvia; Avebury, England; and Sorata, Bolivia. The site commented: “Bohol has numerous natural treasures that lure visitors to its shores. Although people usually go to its highly urbanized neighboring island Cebu, Bohol holds a charm of its own makes it distinct from other Visayan islands.”


Cebu. Next to the national capital Manila, Metro Cebu in the Visayas is great urban hub in the south with a vibrant scene. Every year, this is heightened with the Sinulog, one of the country’s biggest festivals. On Mactan Island, there is a cluster of hotels and resorts that lure tourists and vacationers. Cebu City is also the leading venue for conventions and seminars in the south because of its excellent facilities. For the adventurous, the province offers exciting places outside the city. The towns have old churches to marvel at. In Moalboal, there are excellent diving sites. Bantayan Island offers white-sand beaches, as does Malapascua but pristine and uncluttered.


Davao. This second largest city in the country is perhaps the premiere commercial hub in Mindanao. Although relatively young compared to Cebu and Manila, Davao has ample venues for conventions and is poised to improve. The city boasts of modern amenities like good hotels, shops and transportation. Aside from facilities, the city has a lot to offer. The country’s highest peak, Mount Apo, is within the area. A Philippine eagle sanctuary and a number of gardens and parks can entice those inclined to nature. Off the coast is Samal Island where Pearl Farm is located. Annually, the colorful Kadayawan Festival lures tourists. Also, Davao is the take-off point to see the riches of southern Mindanao.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/life/20080112lif1.html

Quote from: Bohol Bol-anon on January 29, 2008, 10:12:04 AM
Thanks Ben for posting. I snore at night.

So do I. And my son snores a blast after a soccer game. Perhaps we just have to fortify our immune system with vitamins.

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Local TV show explores destinations with potential, eco-adventure spots

RCTV channel 36 at SkyCable introduces another program to its growing list catering to the adventure travel and eco-tourism market.

Produced by Media One Creative, Inc. and Lyndon Angan, Make My Trip brings televiewers never-been-shown footage of popular destinations. It also showcases “the other side” of what is up and coming, travel packages and what has yet-to-be-explored in a destination.

The pilot episode, which aired on Jan. 11, featured Bohol minus the Chocolate Hills of Carmen and tarsiers of Loboc. Focus was on the eco-adventure side of the municipality of Danao.

Cebu’s Sinulog visitors, as well as local residents, can maximize their visit when they start exploring Bohol, both its countryside and adventure aspect.

With less personality presence and more destination focus, Make My Trip aims to present the not-so-known aspects of certain destinations. By working hand in hand with LGUs, it hopes to benefit lesser promoted places, that also satisfy the show’s security and accessibility considerations for visitors.

Traveler and marketer Angan says it’s more than just a tour, it’s a cause. “Right now, we are leaving the country in droves because we think there is no future here, but the Philippines, not just Cebu and Bohol, has so much hope and promise. It is a psychological thing that we think that we are a basket case. We have to get over that.

It’s a blessing to have RCTV bigwigs like Mike Solon and Johann Young that believe in it. I try to change people’s opinions one person at a time."

Make My Trip is shown daily on RCTV channel 36. Episodes are updated every two weeks.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/01/17/life/local.tv.show.explores.destinations.with.potential.eco.adventure.spots.html

Did you know

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:11:00 01/28/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- National Artist Napoleon Abueva was born on Jan. 26, 1930 in Bohol.

The sculptor -- whose works include the double crucifix inside the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and the Transfiguration, a towering Christ figure at the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park in Caloocan City -- studied at the UP School of Fine Arts under Guillermo Tolentino.

He later became dean of the UP College of Fine Arts. Abueva was named a National Artist in sculpture in 1977. Cyril L. Bonabente, Inquirer Research

And the harmful effects of cold medicine are not only on the 2-year old toddlers, but on children in general. Continue...

Cold meds send 7,000 kids to hospitals

ATLANTA - Cough and cold medicines send about 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, the U.S. government said Monday in its first national estimate of the problem.


About two-thirds of the cases were children who took the medicines unsupervised. However, about one-quarter involved cases in which parents gave the proper dosage and an allergic reaction or some other problem developed, the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The study included both over-the-counter and prescription medicines. It comes less than two weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned parents that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are too dangerous for children younger than 2.

The study's findings about the proportion of properly dosed kids who end up in the ER is likely to contribute to FDA discussions about recommendations of cough and cold medicines in the 2-to-6 age group, CDC officials said.

CDC researchers gathered case reports of children 11 and under who had taken cough and cold medications and wound up in 63 hospitals studied in 2004 and 2005. They used that number to come up with the national estimate.

About 1,600 of the estimated 7,100 children are under 2, so the FDA's guidance â€" if followed â€" should reduce such ER cases by 23 percent.

Nearly two-thirds of the cases involved kids ages 2 to 5, the CDC found.

"The main message is no medication left in the hands of a 3-year-old is safe," said the CDC's Dr. Melissa Schaefer.

Many of the ER case reports were not specific about symptoms, and the researchers did not follow cases through to conclusion. So they did not know if â€" or how many â€" deaths resulted, said Schaefer, an epidemiologist who was the study's lead author.

For the children whose symptoms were reported, allergic reactions like hives and itching were most common, and neurological symptoms like drowsiness and unsteady walking were next, she said.

Most of the medicines involved were liquid combinations of cough and cold treatments, CDC researchers said.

Of the children who reportedly got the right dose of medication, about a third were younger than 2, but more than half were ages 6 to 11, the study found.

Some children suffer side effects from medications, so those results aren't necessarily unexpected, Schaefer said. The FDA will have to balance data like this against the medicines' benefits and other factors, she added.

"What we gave them was a piece of the puzzle," she said.

Parents should not encourage children to take medicine by telling them it's candy, and parents should also avoid taking adult medications in front of kids, CDC officials said.

The study tells a story of the misuse of medications, said Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade group that represents manufacturers and distributors of over-the-counter medicines.

"These medicines are safe when used as directed, and this government review underscores the importance of educating consumers â€" especially those with small children â€" on the safe use and safekeeping of medicine," Suydam said, in a prepared statement.

The study was published online Monday. It will appear in the April issue of Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080128/ap_on_he_me/cold_medicines;_ylt=AnOR.ZG0abR9OZ11D6D5FSK9j7AB

Study Links Snoring to Chronic Bronchitis

MONDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A large South Korean study found frequent snoring was associated with the development of chronic bronchitis, but the researchers themselves said they aren't sure why.


"The mechanisms underlying the association between snoring and chronic bronchitis are largely unknown," said the report, published in the Jan. 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, that was conducted by researchers at Korea University Ansan Hospital, in Ansan.


Bronchitis is inflammation of the air passages within the lungs. Acute bronchitis is often caused by an infection and goes away after treatment or on its own. Chronic bronchitis is most often caused by smoking or exposure to lung-irritating substances such as chemical fumes or dust, and does not go away quickly.


The Korean study of 4,270 individuals found that those who said they snored six to seven nights a week were 68 percent more likely to develop chronic bronchitis than those who said they never snored. The incidence of chronic bronchitis was 25 percent greater for people who snored five times a week or less.


Dr. Robert Keaton, a research fellow at the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center, called the findings an interesting association, "but you can't say it's conclusive. It can't be something you can cite to tell patients in the clinic that they have chronic bronchitis because they snore."


The Korean study proposed two possible reasons for the association. One is that the vibrations caused by snoring lead to inflammation in the airways. The other is that the inflammation comes first, causing the snoring and possibly sleep apnea, in which breathing stops or becomes very shallow periodically for 10 or 20 seconds.


"It's not unusual for people with obstructive sleep apnea to have such symptoms," Keaton said. "A common cause of snoring is obstructive sleep apnea."


Sleep apnea causes a distinctive kind of snoring, a loud gasping every time the airways are obstructed. Obese people are more likely to experience sleep apnea, but it can occur in persons of normal weight.


The incidence of sleep apnea is an unanswered question in the Korean study, said Dr. Charles Bae, a neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center. All the information in the study was based on reports by the participants, Bae noted, and there does not seem to have been an attempt by the researchers to determine how many of the patients may have had sleep apnea.


"There is certainly a relationship between sleep apnea and increased inflammation in the body," he said.


The bottom line, Bae said, is that the Korean paper "points out an interesting relationship that needs further research."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080128/hl_hsn/studylinkssnoringtochronicbronchitis

Hi Precious,

Congrats! And thanks for keeping the rounds on foot for us here at TB. I certainly appreciate your efforts to encourage everyone to be watchful and rid Bohol of criminal elements.

In the last few years, it has been a fad among Japanese college students and professionals to study English while taking an overseas tour to upgrade their academic and career credentials. The length of time ranges from one week--when they simply need to test if their English skills are sufficient for them to go around in a foreign land--to one year--when they need to prepare for English proficiency tests or acquire a working-level English competence.

Their popular destinations are the US, Australia and England. With the economic downturn, the growth of this market is being hampered by the prohibitive cost.

When I floated the idea of offering the same service at half the price in the Philippines, there is great interest. The consideration is not only the cost but also the captivating sceneries of Bohol. Depending on the desire and requirements of the clients, I would like to test this project initially in Cebu and Tagbilaran.

When I looked up the internet on the subject of English study tours, I found out that there are already a few schools catering to such clients in Cebu. Most of them are run by foreigners. But the market in Japan is a huge market, and so I want to test the waters.

To get this project on track, I need the participation of those who are willing to teach as well as coordinate the ground logistics--including accommodation, classroom sessions, and tour activities. My time frame to jumpstart this project is the latter half of this year, from June. Eventually, if we get the critical mass of students, we will set up our own language school.

Anyone interested, please reply in this thread or PM me.

Call centers that serve fully as offshore backroom offices of overseas companies are really vulnerable to developments in the markets that they serve.

Even call centers that provide marketing services to Japanese companies catering to Filipinos here are feeling the impact of economic slowdown.

RP call centers may bear brunt of US recession
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
Friday, January 25, 2008

The Philippine call center industry may likely feel the brunt of a looming US recession as large global corporations cut back on investment spending.

Analysts said a US recession would lead to a significant and serious slowdown of growth in the rest of the world, including the Philippines.  One sector that could be hit hard  by a downturn in the global economy is the outsourcing industry.

“Most call centers here are operated by big US corporations.  Those companies which have expressed interest to put up more facilities in the country may need to reassess their business strategy.  A US economic slowdown might force US companies to cut their budgets, ” an analyst at a local brokerage house said.

“We benefit when foreign companies expand operations here because it would create thousands of well paying jobs for Filipinos.  But with the slowdown in the US economy, I don’t think they would be aggressive enough to beef up operations,” the analyst said.

  US consumers and businesses are being increasingly squeezed by a downturn that threatens to spread the pain being felt everywhere from the gas pump to the unemployment line.

The call center industry, which does outsourced call center work for foreign clients,  has contributed 10 to 15 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.

Call center operator Paxys Inc. disclosed yesterday  that one of the most important clients of its wholly-owned unit has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US.

“PRC LLC, an important US customer of Advanced Contact Solutions Inc., filed for Chapter 11 protection in the US. PRC informed ACS that it is filing not to liquidate or cease operations but to achieve financial stability so as to emerge as a stronger and more competitive company,” Paxys said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Protection under Chapter 11 will enable PRC to reorganize its capital structure while continuing to operate its business in the normal course, Paxys said. 

According to Paxys, PRC’s filing for bankruptcy protection would not have any bearing on ACS’ financial health. “Currently, ACS believes that PRC’s Chapter 11 filing does not have a materially adverse effect upon ACS’ financial condition.  While any further weakening of PRC’s financial condition could materially adversely affect ACS and Paxys, the relief afforded by the Chapter 11 proceedings provides PRC an opportunity to alleviate its financial burdens and rationalize its operations,” Paxys said.

In view of ACS’ importance in ensuring that there is no disruption to the day-to-day activities of PRC’s customers, it will ask the US Bankruptcy Court to allow PRC to perform and become current on its financial obligations under its existing contract with ACS. 

Paxys said it will continue to monitor the situation and take all appropriate steps that are within our control to protect ACS and its rights under the contract with PRC.

From only four call centers in 2000, the number of call centers in the country has grown to over a hundred, making the Philippines one of the world’s major players in offshore call center outsourcing.

The call center industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Philippines, which has a large pool of college-educated workforce easily trained for English-language customer assistance.

According to a recent study, the local call center industry is expected to grow to $5 billion to $7 billion by 2010.

Quote from: preciousNpolite on January 25, 2008, 07:09:28 AM
last month a foreigner and his filipina partner had to close down their business in a busy tourist spot here because they had transported and recruited some children from out of area places and they were performing naked in the business establishment.
It's getting so uncontrollable out there in the world these days.

Hi Precious,

This is the dark side of tourism. I am glad you're there with your media and police connection to clean up what needs to be cleaned up.