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Family is like Votives: bisan unsaon, family lang gihapon...

The cities of Pasig, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Quezon, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Taguig, Makati, Malabon, Marikina and the municipality of Pateros have implemented plastic ban ordinances. Local versions of the plastic ban have also been adapted in several provinces like Laguna and Bulacan.

Along with Valenzuela, the cities of Navotas, Caloocan, San Juan, Parañaque and Manila remain plastic ban-free as of this writing.

CPDO head Josefina Acurantes believes it will take a long time before the use of plastic bags in Valenzuela could be stopped.

“Syempre marami kaming plastic companies dito, nagge-generate yan ng employment sa mga taga-Valenzuela, kaya hindi ganoon kadali [mag-ban] (We have a lot of plastic companies here which generate employment for Valenzuela residents, that’s why it’s very difficult to enforce a plastic ban),” Acurantes explained.

Michael Reyes from the Environmental Police Unit added that the campaigns encourage residents to gather their plastic waste and sell it to junkshops, as part of the city’s plastic and Styrofoam recovery project.

A total of 250 junkshops and 92 plastic recycling plants were registered with the WMO in 2012.

Along with the PPIA, the WMO also partnered with the Polystyrene Packaging Council of the Philippines (PPCP) to boost the city’s efforts in recycling and recovery.

Ramil Ascueta of the PPCP said his group was amenable to the regulation of plastic use, but not to a total ban.

After a number of cities in Metro Manila implemented a plastic ban in 2011, plastic manufacturing companies experienced a huge drop in sales and struggled to keep their employees on the job. Latest data from the PPIA showed that some 175,000 factory workers were affected by the plastic ban. Companies have also suffered as much as an 80-percent drop in their total sales.

According to Tavera, one of the biggest factories in the PPIA produces around 10 metric tons of plastic bags daily. After the local ordinances were enacted, the factory could only sell one to two metric tons per day.

“It (plastic ban) is almost killing the industry, though they say it is [only a] regulation,” Tavera said.

In 2012, more than 46,000 tons of waste materials were collected by the city’s Waste Management Office (WMO). Of this, 9,200 tons (or 20 percent) were made of plastic. Despite the WMO’s efforts to conduct truck rounds twice a day, some residents would still dump their trash in nearby drainages, Peralta observed.

According to Stevenson Tavera of the Philippine Plastics Industry Association (PPIA), plastic waste is not the main cause of heavy floods in Valenzuela, particularly during the tropical storm Ondoy in 2009 as had been claimed in some reports.

Tavera claimed the floods were caused by excessive rains and not by plastic waste, citing reports from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Siltation, or the settling of heavier waste materials at the bottom of creeks and canals, could have played a bigger role during the Ondoy tragedy, he explained.

To address the flooding problem, Peralta said they are conducting information campaigns to educate residents on proper waste segregation and disposal.

In 2011, Sangguniang Kabataan Valenzuela City Federation president Cristina Marie Feliciano and Councilor Marlon Alejandrino filed an ordinance that seeks to prohibit the use of plastic carry-out bags in all establishments three days a weekâ€" on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The ordinance, which remains pending in the Sangguniang Panlungsod at presstime, only reached first reading.

Pinalagad“Regulation lang dito sa Valenzuela, hindi dapat i-ban, kasi sisirain ang industriya at maraming mawawalan ng trabaho (Here in Valenzuela, we should regulate and not ban [the use of plastic bags] for it will greatly affect the industry and jobs will be lost),” Ceasar Peralta of the Clean and Green Office said.

There were 324 plastic and rubber manufacturing companies in the city in 2011, according to the Valenzuela City Planning and Development Office (CPDO).

Peralta said that plastic waste contributes to heavy flooding because it blocks the water canals along streets. Valenzuela City is a flood-prone area, especially during the rainy season.

By VERA Files | The Inbox â€" Sat, Apr 27, 2013
By Melissa Luz Lopez, VERA Files


Valenzuela lives up to its label as ‘Plastic City.’

Although 11 of 17 cities in Metro Manila have already imposed a ban on the use of plastics, Valenzuela City still stands firm on refusing to follow their lead.

There will still be no plastic ban in Valenzuela, which has plastic manufacturing as “its trademark.”

The local government is under the leadership of Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian--- the son of plastics king William Gatchalian. The Gatchalian family owns the 60-hectare “Plastic City” estate in Valenzuela.

While a plastic ban seems to be out of the question, there have been initial efforts to regulate the use of plastic sando bags in the city.

Quote from: Votives on April 29, 2013, 08:11:05 AM
anah bai hubs...

Agoi, kon way katapin-an nga init-init, hinolhinola panagsa Bay Vots, basin mobagtok ang dugo...

What should the public do if they see signal jammers?



WARNING. A poster asking the public to report sightings of signal jammers, including the numbers they can call or text. Photo by Rappler/Naoki Mengua


The Philippine National Police advises the public to report these jammers by sending "SAFE FEEDBACK <message>" to the following numbers:

Globe: 0917-847-5757
Smart: 700-7233
The public may also report this through landline, by dialing hotline 117, or by going to the nearest police station.

The National Telecommunications Commission also makes available the following hotlines: 921-3251, 926-7722, and 920-4464. â€" with reports from Natashya Gutierrez/Rappler.com

What is the penalty for possessing or using signal jammers?

The Automated Election System (AES) Law, as amended by Republic Act (RA) No. 9369, makes it an election offense to interfere with or impede the transmission of election results. Violators will spend from 8 to 12 years in prison, without parole. He or she will also lose the right to run for public office or even to vote.

Brillantes, a veteran election lawyer before joining the Comelec, said regular election offenses carry a penalty of up to 6 years. He said the electronic nature of using signal jammers "makes it aggravating."

The E-Commerce Law, or RA No. 8792, also penalizes the "unauthorized access into or interference in" an information and communication system. The minimum fine is P100,000, along with a mandatory imprisonment of 6 months to 6 years.

Using a signal jammer to delay transmission, then, carries with it a "double penalty" from the AES Law and the E-Commerce Law, according to Brillantes.

How widespread is the problem with signal jammers?

Brillantes said the problem is "very minor," especially after the government publicized a crackdown on these illegal devices.

Election operators, however, can easily afford jammers. Brillantes himself admitted a pocket-size jammer costs only P3,000.

Roxas on Thursday said his staff, for surveillance purposes, bought 4 jammers for only P30,000.

What should the BEI do if transmission fails?

If, in the end, the BEI decides it is impossible to transmit results from their precinct, Brillantes said they should pull out the compact flash (CF) card from the PCOS machine. The CF card contains the election results.

Then, the BEI should bring the CF card to another precinct, to try to transmit results from that precinct's PCOS machine. Other personnel should accompany the BEI for security.

If transmission fails despite this, the BEI should transport the CF card straight to the city or municipal board of canvassers. (Watch more in the video below.)





Brillantes, however, said a hard copy of the election return (ER) should accompany the CF card if it is brought elsewhere. The BEI should have printed 30 copies of the ER in the original precinct.

What if there's a signal jammer in a precinct?

The board of election inspectors (BEI) should immediately call the technical support personnel if transmission fails 3 times, according to Comelec Resolution No. 9640, which details the instructions for the BEI.

Is it fine to try transmitting results more than 3 times? “We leave that to the discretion of the BEI,” Brillantes told reporters on Friday, April 26.

How can signal jammers affect elections?

Signal jammers may delay the transmission of votes to the 3 main servers: the city or municipal board of canvassers server, the Comelec central server, and the transparency server, which is used by poll watchdogs and media groups.

The transmission of votes begins after the final ballot is cast, past 7 pm on election day.

On Thursday, Brillantes said jammers may delay the transmission by one or two days. “We expect in 48 hours, we will proclaim winners in local areas. But if jammers are used, they will be delayed and there may be doubts over the results.”

What does a signal jammer do?

Signal jammers may block cellphone and wifi connections within 10 to 20 meters.

An average classroom â€" which is used as a polling precinct â€" measures 7 meters by 9 meters. This means a signal jammer can affect up to 3 classrooms beside each other.

What does a signal jammer look like?

Most signal jammers come with 4 antennas, but some models appear in various forms. Such devices vary in size.

In a press conference on Thursday, April 25, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said most signal jammers require a power source through an outlet or even lighters in cars. Others need a battery to run.



REPORT JAMMERS. Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas show the public different models of signal jammers. Photo by Rappler/Naoki Mengua.


It is illegal to possess these signal jammers.

BY PATERNO ESMAQUEL II
POSTED ON 04/27/2013 9:50 PM  | UPDATED 04/27/2013 11:14 PM



ILLEGAL DEVICES. This is what a signal jammer looks like. File photo by Rappler


MANILA, Philippines â€" Signal jammers threaten the quick transmission of election results, which deters fraud during long intervals between the casting and counting of votes.

How can we spot a signal jammer? What can we expect from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) if signal jammers hamper the transmission process?

Rappler presents information from top officials, as well as relevant laws, in the frequently asked questions (FAQs) below.

He he...

by Joel Robinson

Bwahaha!

Camouflage Photography At Its Best
http://creativegreed.com/
January 7, 2013


Art Wolfe, in his latest project has touched on the greatest survival technique of the animals. A technique where they become at one with mother nature. Yes I am talking about camouflage. This wildlife photographer began his photography in the 80′s and published his masterpieces only in 2005.

This expert photographer always is at his best and I guarantee that you will not be able to stop looking at them once you see them. He is 61 and he still is going young. According to him, he is still expanding his collection of these incredible photographs. He named his project  ”Vanishing Art”. A fitting name for photos like these…

The rhetoric of irony: Mark Twain's war prayer


“O Lord our God, help us tear the enemy soldiers to bloody shreds. Help us cover their smiling fields with their patriot dead. Help us drown the thunder of guns with the shrieks of their wounded.

“God our Father, help us lay waste the enemy’s homes with a hurricane of fire. Help us send out their women and children and elderly to wander homeless in rags and hunger and thirst.

“For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, fill the hearts of the enemy with helpless fear and grief. Break their spirits, blast their hopes, and blight their lives. All this we ask in the spirit of Love, of Him Who is the source of Love. Amen.”

Hi-speed Camera Merges 10,000 images to Create incredible Combination Photos
http://creativegreed.com/
January 16, 2013


Shinichi Maruyama, a Japanese Photographer has achieved an astonishing feat. He took some time-lapse images which challenge the human way of thinking. He took 10,000 shots of nude dancers and then combined it into photograph. He took these shots with a hi-speed camera. When the final outputs of the images came out, they looked like thik paintings done by a brush. The paintings seem to have created strong limbos across the canvas itself.

In his statement this photographer said that he had tried to capture human body’s figure and the motion. And he admitted that due to the advancement of technology, he was able to do this. He used a camera which let him to capture 2000 images in a second. So it made his job easier. He is the first one to try this type of photography.

To add something more to the photos he worked with Jesica Lang, a dance choreographer. She helped him by creating specific dance moves. These helped to unveil the motion of human body and the figure.

Dia ra ang Binisaya. DYNA Records, ang gakanta si Pauline Sevilla...

With Fidel Castro

Anti-ango-ango lunch...

Chinese version...

Matt Molloy, a Canada based photographer gives us a gorgeous series titled, “Smeared Sky”. He used hundreds of different shots to compose a single picture. Every photo is a time-lapsed picture that he shot himself. Matt finds the sunrises the most intriguing but regardless of the landscape, Matt’s pictures are dream like and the sky has never been so beautiful. -- http://creativegreed.com/

Give me five!

And that's a dude setting up his karaoke machine between two caskets.

And this is when a photographer said, "Here, hold this. It'll look creepy and make an awesome picture."

The cemetery's economy makes use of its environs, with residents paid to maintain tombs and children working as pallbearers for a pittance. But Manila isn't the only city where people live among the dead.



Yep, that's a mausoleum.

Because of overcrowding in the slums of the Filipino capital, entire families attempt to carve out living space in any crypt or mausoleum that they can jam themselves into. They've turned this cemetery into a village, complete with restaurants and shops. A few well-placed bribes even score residents some electricity.

Sadly, the 10,000-plus residents of Manila's North Cemetery don't really have any other options.



At least they're not living in a crematorium.

The Filipino Cemetery Town With a (Living) Population of 10,000
http://www.cracked.com/





Barring the demographics of thrill-seeking stoners, out-of-the-closet necrophiliacs, and ghosts of the damned who read Cracked, none of you have ever looked around a graveyard and wondered aloud, "Gee whiz, I could really see myself putting down roots here."

Bwahaha!

Quote from: hubag bohol on April 28, 2013, 10:22:58 AM
“She turned her ire on me even if I was not among those who sang,” the first grader at Singsing Elementary School in Balamban, Cebu said in her affidavit. “I shouted in pain.”

Hmm, mao diayng mikanta si Inday kay Singsing man ang pangalan sa ilang dapit. Gusto siyang mo sing, unja sing pa jud...