MikeLigalig.com

A teacher asked her students to use the word "fascinate" in a sentence. Maria said, "My family went to the Zoo, and we saw all the animals. It was fascinating." The teacher said, "That was good, but I wanted the word "`fascinate.`" Sally raised her hand. She said, "My family went to Magic Kingdom. I was fascinated." The teacher said, "Good, but I wanted the word fascinate.`" Mario raised his hand. The teacher hesitated because Mario was noted for his bad language. She finally decided there was no way he could damage the word "fascinate" so she called on him. Mario said, "My sister has a new sweater with 10 buttons, but her boobs are so big she can only fasten 8."

by PNA

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila M. De Lima was nominated on Monday to the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC).

The Chief Justice position was vacated with the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato C. Corona for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust on May 29, 2012.

Dante Jimenez, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) founding chairman, confirmed on Monday that he has submitted the nomination of De Lima to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

Likewise, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Zambales Chapter also on Monday recommended the nomination of De Lima as Chief Justice of the SC.

IBP-Zambales said that De Lima has the competence, professional qualifications and ethical standards to serve as Chief Justice.

They said that De Lima's elevation to the SC would likely contribute significantly to reshaping Philippine jurisprudence in a direction that would protect and strengthen the fundamental rights of the people.

De Lima is reportedly one of the early strong contenders to the top judicial post.

Other nominees to the position of Chief Justice are Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares, Atty. Katrina Legarda, former Ateneo De Manila College of Law Dean Cesar Villanueva, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, former University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law Dean Raul Pangalangan and former Laguna Assistant Prosecutor Marianito Sasondocillo.

The five most senior Associate Justices of the SC are automatically nominated to the Chief Justice post.

They are acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio, and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco, Jr., Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Arturo Brion and Diosdado Peralta.

By Lloyd T. Caliwan

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Monday said it is mulling the revival of the campaign targeting drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) who have poor hygiene and grooming habits.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino made the statement after the National Council for Consumer Protection (NCCP) asked the authorities to act on the complaints aired by commuters, particularly students, about PUV drivers with poor hygiene, especially those with body odor, and grooming habits.

“We will look into that because our focus now is more on road safety measures,” Tolentino said when sought for comment on the NCCP appeal.

NCCP President Elvira Medina said there is a need for the agency to revive the campaign which was first initiated in 2006 by then MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, pointing out that bad odor could also affect the health of passengers who have asthma or allergy.

The MMDA chief said existing regulations of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) mandates that PUV drivers to wear proper uniforms and not slippers, undershirts and short pants while plying their trade.

Members of the 84th Infantry Battalion are now conducting retrieval operation in landslide-hit area of Sitio Ladian, Barangay Marilog Proper, this city.

A minor was killed and another person went missing, while nine families were displaced by the landslide that hit the area at about 2:00 a.m. Monday.

Sitio Ladian, which is part of Barangay Marilog, is about 50 kms. from the downtown area.

Lt. Col. Gabriel Viray, commanding officer of the 84th IB, said a crack was already sighted by residents on top of the hill prior to the avalanche of mud and debris.

Viray also observed that about 25 houses remain intact near the landslide site where three houses were totally wrecked by a 50-meter landslide.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said a 10-year old girl was killed, whose house was destroyed by big file of mud and debris.

She said rescue workers were still looking for the one missing.

“Emergency workers have to determine if the one missing is the same person who was reported dead,” she said.

Duterte-Carpio said workers of the City Social Welfare and Development Office were already dispatched in the area to determine the assistance which would be extended immediately to the affected families. (PNA)

by PNA

A potential cyclone spotted near Guam and east Pacific Ocean may enter Philippine territory late Wednesday or early Thursday, the weather bureau said on Tuesday.

“What we monitored that would enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) is tropical depression or a cyclone already. We expect it to enter the country within 24 hours or Wednesday or early Thursday,” said Connie Dadivas, weather forecaster.

Apart from the potential cyclone, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) spotted a shallow low pressure area (SLPA) in South Mindanao which is expected to bring rains to the Mindanao region.

Dadivas said the SLPA was seen 100 kilometers south of Mindanao (5.0°N, 124.4°E) at 2 a.m. Tuesday, and monitoring continues even as it has a small chance of becoming into a cyclone.

“If the SLPA becomes a cyclone while in Philippine territory, it will be named 'Butchoy' the second cyclone in the Philippines for 2012 after 'Ambo'," she said.

She said the isolated rain showers due to southwest monsoon is expected to continue affecting Luzon.

Meanwhile, in its advisory, PAGASA said the western section of Luzon and Visayas and the whole Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds from the southwest will prevail over Northern Luzon, making its coastal waters moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the southwest with slight to moderate seas, it said.

PAGASA also warned of strong to gale-force winds associated with the southwest monsoon that may affect the northern seaboard of northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Luzon.

Uyab Gidunggab Kay Wala Magpahalok
by Bulgar News

Isang dalaga ang pinagtataga sa hanggang mapatay ng kanyang boyfriend nang tumanggi umano ang babae na makipaghalikan sa huli kamakailan.

Nakilala ang nasawi na si Cristina Apable Magbanua, 19, habang agad namang nadakip ang suspek na si Arnel Fernando, kapwa residente ng nasabing lugar.

Batay sa inisyal na imbestigasyon, naglalakad ang biktima kasama ang kanyang ina nang bigla umanong lapitan ng kanyang nobyong si Fernando at tinangkang halikan subalit umiwas ang biktima kaya nagalit ang suspek at agad inilabas ang dala nitong bolo saka pinagtataga ang dalaga.

Sa rami ng sugat na natamo agad itong binawian ng buhay.

Wala na ring nagawa ang kanyang ina at tumakbo na lamang ito dahil tinangka rin siyang patayin ng suspek.

Danger

Kuyaw ug Maoy Maasawa

Art

Fruits

Vietnam War

Dog

Happiness

Philippine Independence Day Promo on Cebu Pacific

by SI.com

The day after the stunning split decision that gave Timothy Bradley a controversial victory over Manny Pacquiao, an Irish betting site is refunding Pacquiao betters in what it calls a “justice payout.”

Paddy Power, Ireland’s largest telephone betting service, issued this statement on its blog on Sunday:

It was a result that stunned the world, even by modern professional boxing standards.

Last night in Las Vegas the brilliant Filipino Manny Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight belt to Timothy Bradley in a controversial split-decision defeat.

With that Paddy Power has rolled out one of our famous Justice Payouts. If you had placed a bet on Manny to win in a pre-fight outright or on points, that money is now back in your account. We Hear You!

How to Feed a Crocodile

By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times

A group of international scientists is sounding a global alarm, warning that population growth, climate change and environmental destruction are pushing Earth toward calamitous â€" and irreversible â€" biological changes.

In a paper published in Thursday's edition of the journalNature, 22 researchers from a variety of fields liken the human impact to global events eons ago that caused mass extinctions, permanently altering Earth's biosphere.

"Humans are now forcing another such transition, with the potential to transform Earth rapidly and irreversibly into a state unknown in human experience," wrote the authors, who are from the U.S., Europe, Canada and South America.

If current trends continue â€" exploding global population, rapidly rising temperatures and the clearance of more than 40% of Earth's surface for urban development or agriculture â€" the planet could reach a tipping point, they say.

"The net effects of what we're causing could actually be equivalent to an asteroid striking the Earth in a worst-case scenario," the paper's lead author, Anthony Barnosky, a professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley, said in an interview. "I don't want to sound like Armageddon. I think the point to be made is that if we just ignore all the warning signs of how we're changing the Earth, the scenario of losses of biodiversity â€" 75% or more â€" is not an outlandish scenario at all."

Global population just passed 7 billion and is expected to reach 9.3 billion or more by 2050. "By the year 2070, we'll live in a hotter world than it's been since humans evolved as a species," Barnosky said.

Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels is making the ocean more acidic, and less hospitable to sea life. By midcentury, humans could have altered more than half the world's land surface.

The swiftness of climate change is likely to outpace the ability of species to adapt, especially as natural habitat becomes more fragmented, Barnosky said.

All this could produce a biologically impoverished Earth that would rob humans of vital ecological services such as insects that pollinate crops, forests that provide clean water, and tropical species that are the source of new drugs.

"We have created a bubble of human population and economy … that is totally unsustainable and is either going to have to deflate gradually or is going to burst," said co-author James Brown, a distinguished professor of biology at the University of New Mexico. "If it's going to burst, the consequences are really going to be grim for people as well as biodiversity and the rest of the planet."

Forty years ago, the Club of Rome think tank caused a stir when it argued that there were limits to world growth. In 1968, Paul Ehrlich, now a professor of population studies at Stanford University, warned of the dangers of overpopulation in his book "The Population Bomb."

"This is what scientists saw in the '60s and '70s," said Mikael Fortelius, a professor of evolutionary paleontology at the University of Helsinki in Finland and one of the paper's authors. "We've never been quite sure when it would happen. We're there now."

Human influence on the planet has become so pervasive that some scientists have argued in recent years that Earth has entered a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene.

Predicting the timing and exact nature of sweeping planetary change is difficult because of the complexity of biotic systems.

"We may have already passed the tipping point or we may not get an early warning" that it is near, said co-author Alan Hastings, an ecologist and distinguished professor in UC Davis' environmental science department.

The authors got the idea for their review at a 2010 UC Berkeley conference devoted to the concept of a global tipping point.

They looked at evidence of past dramatic shifts in Earth's biosphere, such as the end of the last glacial age, when ice disappeared from nearly a third of the planet's surface, or the lethal changes in the atmosphere that accompanied periods of intense volcanic activity. The consequences usually included mass species extinction, altered food webs and the emergence of new dominant species.

To avert a grim future, or at least make it less grim, the paper calls for significant reductions in world population growth and per-capita resource use, more efficient energy use, less reliance on fossil fuels and stepped-up efforts to protect the parts of Earth that have so far escaped human dominance.

"I'm not personally particularly optimistic," Fortelius said. "I think we had to speak up. We have to say what we see. Whether it will have any impact, I really don't know."

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Free Pacquiao-Bradley Full Copy of Fight
http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7343290/HBO.Manny.Pacquiao.vs.Timothy.Bradley-OBAMA

you need a torrent application (e.g. bitcomet) to download this file.

paghilom mo mga ba-yota mo. nagdala lang mo ug lipak.

by ABS-CBN

The Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines on Sunday came out in support of defeated boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who was outscored by American Timothy Bradley in their fight, saying that he still needs to quickly return home in order to work on important bills in Congress.

"We sympathize with the Pacquaio camp and all his saddened supporters. But in defeat, we rise again and help build equality in our nation by knocking out discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines, or ProGay, Spokesperson Goya Candelario in a press statement. 

Furthermore, ProGay said that the pound-for-pound king Pacquiao should also re-assess his political stand against marriage equality issues and learn to totally accept lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality as a member of the House of Representatives.

by ABS-CBN

While some netizens feel bad that Jessica Sanchez sang the American national anthem instead of the Philippine national anthem during the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley bout, the “American Idol” runner-up said she is hoping she could also sing “Lupang Hinirang” in Pacquiao’s future fights.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News before the boxing match on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), Sanchez said she would love to learn how to speak Tagalog soon.

“[I want to sing ‘Lupang Hinirang] most definitely. I don’t speak any Tagalog but I’ve sang in Tagalog before so maybe in the future,” she said.

Sanchez even said she would ask her mom to teach her to speak Filipino since she does not speak other languages besides English.

“We’ll see what happens. I don’t speak anything. I need to learn,” she said.

Judging from experts and social media feedback, the official scoring was inconsistent with others’ perspectives:

- Yahoo! Sports scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao;

- Tim Dahlberg of the AP scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao;

- Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao;

- Dan Rafael of ESPN scored the fight 118-110 for Pacquiao;

- HBO’s Harold Lederman scored the fight 119-109 for Pacquiao.

Bradley Carried on a Wheelchair after Fighting Pacquiao

real schools na Padz. muot pud ang revised names.

To those who insist that gymnastics is not a sport, and that the NBA is rigged I give you boxing. It remains a sport that must reliy on judges to declare winners, and routinely gives us new champions that make us collectively ask, "Um, what? Are you kidding?"

On Saturday night in Las Vegas, boxing hit yet another new low when challenger Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley was declared a split decision winner over champion Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight belt. Bradley may be the first fighter in history to win a fight without having landed a single punch.

I want these judges to explain how they saw Bradley winning more than a round, let alone the fight. Either that or reveal who their dealer is.

To say this decision is controversial is an insult to the word. It was embarrassing.

Beating up a guy for 12 rounds no longer is enough. The Pacman apparently needed to shoot Bradley to win a decision that feelt pre-ordained.

This garbage decision ranks next to U.S. boxer Roy Jones losing in the 1988 Summer Olympics to South Korean Park Si-Hun as one of the worst the sport has ever seen. That was a fight so one-sided that Si-Hun actually apologized to Jones.

Bradley should be apologizing to Pacquiao.

At least according to the Pay Per View/HBO fight judge, Pacquiao won every single round. The only round I could see Bradley winning was the second, barely, where he landed a few decent punches.

According to the HBO stats, PacMan landed more shots, was the more efficient puncher, and won this fight easily. To the naked un-trained eye, this wasn't a great fight but was an exhibition of Pacman's superior ability.

He never got tagged. He landed better punches. He landed more punches. All night. About the only thing bad that happened to him was he suffered a cut in his mouth.

So imagine the world's surprise when ring announcer Michael Buffer said after reading the judge's official scores, "And new champion ..." What a giant, steaming pile of you know what.

How Bradley maintained a straight face when he told Max Kellerman of HBO after the fight that he felt he controlled the final rounds is as impressive as Meryl Streep in any of her Oscar-winning performances.

For the five or six people left who do not believe boxing is rigged, this decision is really not going to help.

For those who wanted a Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao fight, keep waiting. When Mayweather gets out of the clink, not only will he have leverage for an ever larger cut of a potential fight with Pacman, the first guy he's likely going to fight is Bradley.

And Mayweather is going to pummel Bradley.

Of course, in boxing, pummeling a guy doesn't guarantee victory.

It may be a prelude to yet another bogus decision.

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel

Las Vegas Boxing Judges Are Idiots

by Brad Cooney
Examiner.com

I watched a fight where 8 division world champion Manny Pacquiao would win at least 10 out of 12 rounds Vs. Timothy Bradley. When the scores were read, and I started hearing 115/113 stuff, that feeling that I get in my stomach started and I knew this was not going to be pretty.

So right out of the gate my phone starts banging off of the hook, and people are going crazy about how Manny Pacquiao was robbed of victory. Yes, I totally agree that Manny was indeed robbed of victory, and there are already theories going on in my head as to why.

Perhaps this was just another case of bad judging? Maybe, and then again maybe not. Maybe those elusive boxing God's knew that a Pacquiao victory over Bradley puts some of the other boxing God's in a bit of a pickle. Where would Pacquiao go next IF he would have gotten the decision Vs. Bradley? Mayweather Vs Pacquiao isn't happening anytime soon, so if no Mayweather then who next?

There's a lot of money to be made in a Pacquiao Vs. Bradley rematch. There's even more money to be made in a Pacquiao Vs. Bradley trilogy, with the icing on the cake being a Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao ride off into the sunset. Hmmmmmm...... Perhaps this is just a theory. Forgive me for thinking out loud.

The great Stevie Wonder standing in a dark closet could even see that Manny Pacquiao REALLY won this fight. I scored the fight 10 rounds to 2 for Pacquiao.

The fight results tonight boil down to two possibilities. One being, the judges just simply saw the fight differently than the millions of fans, and the entire HBO ringside staff did. Two, the boxing God's flexed their muscles, and just as Bewitched did in the 70's, they wrinkled their noses and just like magic, made Bradley the new cash cow.

boxing is dead. it's a big joke. 99% of people who watched it are still in a state of unbelief.

It's More Fun in India

Loss of the Ring

Dextrose

Malaska

Beware of Snake's Hiss

Motorcycle Ride

Birthday Treat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4#ws
Baby with 746 Million Views (as of June 10, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aORfO5XjPKw#ws
Ethan Bortnick the Next Mozart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAbJO6FmbQ8#
Ethan Bortnick is Better than Justin Bieber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dhp5RZ-4J8#ws
Who is Tim Bradley, By The Way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G8sTNdd_7Fg#t=46s
Pacquiao vs Bradley: Weigh-in

Shocking Philippine Money

Wheelchair: More Fun in the Philippines

Trust in God

Predictable Filipino Life

Check Top and Best Schools in Davao City, Philippines

A Quiet Woman is Usually Mad?

Against All the Police

Barney is Gay?

Philippine Secret

Message to Renato Corona (Spoof)

Raymart Santiago and Mon Tulfo Embrace Peace

Symbol of Philippine Population

The Seagaia Ocean Dome was the world's largest indoor waterpark, located in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.

Imagination

6-Pack Abs (kono)

Missing Child: Rhian Garcia

Camotes Island in Cebu

by Ric V Obedencio

Here’s good news for tourism and environment. The province of Bohol still remains the cleanest seascape in this part of the country, said an environmentalist and artist AG Saño, who actively participated in the 2nd Bohol Dolphin Festival 2012 at the CPG Sport complex.

Mr. Saño, who initiated the wall dolphin/blue whale painting by various participants including children of the concrete wall nearby the swimming pool of the complex, explained that protection of dolphins is indeed necessary because they serve as thermometer of the ocean.

Dolphins cannot be found nor do they frequent Manila Bay where he used to visit then but now becoming murky and polluted. Unlike, here in Bohol, he said, he still seeing clearly see sea bottom clean. The presence or frequenting of Dolphins in Bohol seas signify clean environment. And the Bohol folk must take pride with this and urged them to continue doing so.

BFAR provincial officer Crescensio Pahamutang and Dr. Alessandro Ponzo also confirmed that of the 28 species known of dolphins and whales in the country and even in the southeast Asia, 18 are found in Bohol seas. This proves that Bohol seas are still the best and cleanest in this part of the planet. It means that people still care for their seas surrounding the islands, Ponzo said.

Meanwhile, marine biologists and environmentalists warned that solid wastes considered as non-biodegradable such as plastics floating or lying at the sea when eaten by cetaceans are killing the dolphins slowly.

Crescencio Pahamutang, provincial officer of the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Dr. Alessandro Ponzo of the Physalus, a non-government organization serving for protection of the dolphins operating in Bohol, confirmed this possibility. But more still have to be done, they said. It is a sad fact that dolphins and other cetaceans found their way in the cook’s chopping block for food, said Pahamutang. He is urging people to avoid throwing plastics garbage and other solid wastes to the sea must be the order of the day.

Both said that plastics or cellophanes look like jelly fish floating at the sea. They (jelly fishes) are the food for the dolphins. Dolphins are fond of small fishes and squids, aside from jelly fish, they said. Dolphins mistook these plastic as jelly fish so they ate them not knowing that they cannot be digested that make them (dolphin) sick and stranded ashore and eventually die.

The 2nd Bohol Dolphin festival yesterday (May 31, 2012) that drew hundreds of participants, including the children, and partook in different activities like film-showing and learning from makeshift Dolphins school held at Pres. Carlos P. Garcia Sports complex here.

Provincial administrator Alfonso Damalerio II, who represented the governor, echoed the call for action and efforts for protection and conservation of the marine mammals because they are the source of livelihood and for tourism purposes. Also, board member Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez represented Cong. Rene Relampagos to the festival.

The festival, which started with a paradein the morning last Thursday starting from Plaza Rizal and traversed about a kilometre to the sports complex where the different programs and activities were held, is also in consonance with the celebration of the Month of the Ocean this May. Activities included booths/exhibits and dolphin school dealing on dolphin hearing and communication; photo-identification; dophin diet; arts and crafts; dolphin obstacle race; how big is the dolphin; and wall/mural painting participated in by children, adults young and old alike at the wall nearby the swimming pool of the complex. Movies of dolphins related stories, particularly. “A Fall From Freedom” and dolphin rescue simulation and safety education by BRUMM.

It is organized by the provincial government of Bohol following the go-signal of Gov. Edgar Chatto, who is known to be an environmentalist. “We strongly support for the advocacy for protection of our marine mammals,” said Gov. Edgar Chatto even as he congratulated the organizers for the festival’s success.

BFAR, Bohol’s Community Environment and Natural Resources offices (CENRO) based here and in Talibon town of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), Bohol Rescue Unit for Marine Mammals (BRUMM), and other non-government organizations and Physalus, LaMaVe, Bohol Marine Triangle Pang-DAuis-BaclaYON, Youth for Danajon Double Barrier Reef Conservation pitched support in the launching of the program festival. (RVO)

by EDCOM

Recent Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) developments have revealed that the City of Tagbilaran has the most number of crimes as compared to all other municipalities in Bohol.

This was made known by the data presented by the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) Wednesday during the PPOC meeting at the People’s Mansion.

The data presented by BPPO Chief Col. Constantino Barot, Jr. showed that the city’s crime volume has reached 65 cases with only 22 cases solved, revealing a Crime Solution Efficiency (CSE) of only 33.8%.

The town of Ubay placed second with eleven cases but with only one case remaining unsolved, giving a CSE rating of 90.9%.

Col. Barot also volunteered the information that drug business in Bohol is doing good; and that the illegal numbers game, commonly known as “suertres,” is still thriving in many areas.

Gov. Edgar M. Chatto however believes that with the strong collaboration among all peace and security stakeholders, tagged as “unique” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) itself, for “a similar alliance could not be found in other provinces,” all development programs in Bohol would have positive results.

During said council meeting, the 802nd Infantry Brigade led by Col. John Bonafos laid emphasis on the Prosperity Teams (PRO-TEAMs) of the Countryside Development Program-Purok Power Movement (CDP-PPM) which has caught the attention of the national offices of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Local Government Units (LGUs) of other provinces, and even the national government.

The 802nd Brigade then recommended to the PPOC to sustain Peace and Development Bayanihan initiatives such as the maintenance of the Purok Power Movement thru Prosperity Teams.

Just last week, Gov. Chatto was invited to four regional events and one national, all highlighting the so-called Bohol Experience, where it was formally stated in the invitations sent to him that he talk about the province’s first-hand experiences in dealing with peace and security situations, climate change adaptations and disaster and risk management.

The Bohol Experience, widely recognized and acknowledged even by the Aquino Administration, has gained wide acclaim when other LGUs got wind of the success of our local programs and projects proven to have uplifted the standard of living of Boholanos.

This came about as Bohol’s efforts in sustaining the peace and harnessing the full economic potential of the province have been widely recognized by the whole country as the best model worthy of emulation by other LGUs and stakeholders of peace.

“Your insights and experiences will provide our current crop of commanders a proven and effective approach in winning the peace and in helping create an environment conducive for growth and lasting peace in their respective areas of operation,” AFP BGen Gerardo Layug has informed the governor.

The success of the Countryside Development Program-Purok Power Movement (CDP-PPM) in cascading provincial government services down to the level of the puroks has made Boholanos more than thankful to the Chatto-Lim Administration in hearing out the problems, issues and concerns of clustered households and has made it easier to fast track the delivery of services direct to the people.

Chatto pointed out that “with all the sustained programs of the past, and the new innovations that are being implemented today, Bohol’s strategies in sustaining peace and security in the province by addressing poverty down to the purok level would certainly yield positive results.” (jlv/EDCom)

Developed under the DD(X) destroyer program, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers tailored for land attack and littoral dominance. DDG 1000 will provide forward presence and deterrence and operation as an integral part of Joint and combined expeditionary forces. Zumwalt is a key component of the surface combatant "family of ships" currently being developed by the Navy to serve as the backbone of tomorrow's surface fleet. The engineering challenge is to meet the peacetime presence and warfighting operations requirements of the 21st century littoral environment within stringent acquisition and life cycle cost constraints. Specific technologies and engineering development models being developed for DDG 1000 include an advanced gun system, radar suite, integrated power system, vertical launch system, and signature management/reduction, as well as optimal manning with emphasis on reduced crew size, high quality of life, and minimal total ownership costs. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), as a member of the DDG 1000 Navy Technical Team, provides vital expertise in multiple mission-critical areas.

Overall cost is $7 Billion per stealth ship destroyer.

US Navy Builds Stealth Destroyer to Fight China

Ngano Selosa ang mga Pinay?

Asin Band

Asin: One of the Best Filipino Bands Ever

by PNA

The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and two civil society organizations signed on Friday a new, three-year, US$ 3-million partnership under the World Bank-led Mindanao Trust Fund-Reconstruction and Development Program (MTF-RDP) to increase access to basic services in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao.

The agreement extends development assistance to over 20,000 households in 21 municipalities across nine provinces in Mindanao.

Started in 2006, the MTF-RDP is a US$ 16-million multi-donor facility that supports economic and social recovery and promotes inclusive and effective governance in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao.

Administered by the World Bank and co-chaired by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the BDA, the program serves as a mechanism for international development partners to pool resources and coordinate their support for peace and development in Mindanao.

In addition to supporting social and economic recovery, the program supports the capacity of BDA, the development arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and is mandated, under the 2001 Tripoli Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the MILF, to determine, lead and manage relief, rehabilitation and development in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.

In 2011, despite the challenges of working in conflict-affected areas, the MTF-RDP delivered services â€" classrooms, health stations, access roads, water supply systems, and community centers â€" to over 31,000 households, expanding total coverage from 62 to 162 barangays in 75 municipalities.

The range of project activities was also augmented through the new community-driven reconstruction (CDR) component to include private goods â€" core shelters, agricultural inputs and livelihood assistance â€" to meet the urgent needs of communities most heavily affected by displacement and conflict.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, who witnessed the signing said: “Initiatives like the MTF-RDP ensure that communities can enjoy the dividends of development and peace. The gains from the Program show that partnerships among different stakeholders can bring about much good for the communities, whether this partnership happens on the ground, or on the negotiating table.”

Deles said that the program had expanded its coverage, allowing more communities to learn about participatory approaches in addressing their development concerns.

She also noted the importance of capacity-building for the Bangsamoro Development Agency. “A strengthened BDA is an important building block for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao,” Deles said.

Saffrullah M. Dipatuan, BDA Chairman, said that “though priority attention is focused on the political settlement of the Mindanao problem, projects and programs that will alleviate the suffering of the people in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao should be implemented while both parties are earnestly engaged in peace negotiation.”

World Bank Country Director Motoo Konishi said he was pleased with the new partnership agreement, saying that the deal would boost social services delivery and encourage closer partnership between the government and the MILF.

“This new agreement will serve as a confidence-building measure among parties in the conflict. It will also be a vehicle to build capacity among Bangsamoro groups that is needed now and will be even more important in a post-peace agreement scenario,”Konishi said.

Konishi added: “Global experience suggests that achieving and sustaining peace requires cooperation and collaboration between key stakeholders. No single party can achieve peace on their own. By bringing the Government and the MILF together, with the support of the international community, the Mindanao Trust Fund is built on the principle of cooperation. We would like to thank all the MTF partners, particularly the European Union as the largest contributor to the Program.”

European Union Ambassador to the Philippines, Guy Ledoux said: “The MTF-RDP is an important mechanism to complement our overall support to peace in Mindanao and has shown significant results by directly helping the poor in conflict-affected areas.”

Besides the World Bank and the EU, other development partners supporting the MTF-RDP are the Australian Agency for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, the government of New Zealand, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the United States Agency for International Development.

The civil society groups that signed the partnership agreement with BDA are the Community and Family Services International (CFSI), and Mindanao Land Foundation (MinLand).

To ensure smooth operations and fund use, BDA is assisted under the Program by Community and Family Services International, a humanitarian organization which has been involved in reconstruction and development work in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao since 2000, and the Mindanao Land Foundation, a non-government organization which has been working for social cohesion building in conflict-affected communities in Mindanao since 2001.

The Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood 2) has won a contract to export 100,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines at the price of US$ 400 per tonne.

It is expected this rice bulk will be shipped later this month, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Vinafood 2 is hoping to secure another contract with the Philippines to supply 20,000 tonnes of rice, as the country plans to import 500,000 tonnes of rice this year.

In the past, the Philippines regularly imported rice from Vietnam under the two governments' agreements.

However, over the last two years the country has changed its policy on contracts and now allows the private sector to find trade partners themselves to get more competitive prices.

Vietnam exported 788,296 tonnes of rice in May, the highest m - monthly amount since January 2010.

Vietnam's rice exports in the first five months of this year have now reached 2.5 million tonnes. - PNA

Note: Taxis don't use gasoline; they use LPG. Why cant they reduce the flag down rate back to P25?

By Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan

A consumer welfare group said that taxi operators, led by the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association (Philtoa), have withdrawn their petition for a P10-hike in the current flag-down rate of P40 before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

National Council for Consumer Protection (NCCP) president Elvira Medina said the rollback in the prices of LPG, which is used by majority of the taxicabs as well as of diesel and gasoline, had led taxi operators to withdraw their petition.

Philtoa, the Association of Taxi Operators of Metro Manila Inc. and Association of Taxi Operators of Panay Inc., filed a joint petition with the LTFRB early this year asking for a nationwide hike in taxi fares due to the continued increase in the price of fuel products and LPG as well as in maintenance expenses.

The latest roll back in LPG prices was on June 5 when dealers lowered prices by P1 per kilo due to the lower contract prices in the international market.

A week earlaier, oil player Petron and Total Philippines also cut back auto LPG prices by P5.50 and P3.45 per kilo.

By Joann Santiago

Local stocks ended its three-day rally Friday with the main index closing below the 5,000-level after investors anticipated a monetary easing by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, which further aggravated worries on the euro zone.

The composite index ended the day at 4,994.07 points, down by 28.88 points or 0.57 percent against day-ago’s 5,022.95 points.

Also, the broader all shares index contracted by 14 points, or 0.42 percent, to 3,335.11 points from day-ago’s 3,349.11 points.

Only the mining and oil index registered gains during the day after closing at 24,419.15 points, up by 321.92 points, or 1.34 percent, from Thursday’s 24,097.23 points.

Decliners led gainers at 101 to 53 while 41 stocks were unchanged.

Value turnover reached P4.18 billion after 1.26 billion shares changed hands.

Relatively, the local currency weakened against the dollar after shedding 11 centavos to 43.27 from day-ago’s 43.16 finish.

It started the day at 43.20, down from Thursday’s 43.10.

Strongest trade for the day stood at 43.17 while weakest was at 43.32, resulting in a 43.23 average for the day.

Manila to China Cheap Cebu Pacific Fare

Forbidden Gardens, Katy, Texas

crazy football world again. we're rooting for the NBA finals.

Do You Believe in Dejavu?

Nice Condo

Betty

By Lilybeth G. Ison

The House of Representatives passed on third and final reading late Wednesday evening the proposed "Data Privacy Act of 2012" before it went into sine die adjournment.

House Bill 4115, authored by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo and Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap, aims to enhance the competitiveness of the country in the international economy as a hub for business process outsourcing (BPO) and promote consumer trust and user confidence in electronic commerce.

It also ensures that personal data in information and communications system in the government and in the private sectors are secured and protected.

HB 4115 provides for the creation of the National Privacy Commission, under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), which shall administer and implement the provisions of the Act.

It also ensures that the Commission shall, at all times, "safeguard the confidentiality of any personal information that comes to its knowledge and possession."

HB 4115 also exempts members of the Commission or any person acting on their behalf or under their direction, from criminal or civil proceedings for anything done, reported or said in good faith in the performance of their duties.

It also ensures the security of all sensitive personal information maintained by the government through the use of the most appropriate standards recognized by the information and communications technology (ICT) industry and as recommended by the Commission.

The proposed measure also maintains the protection afforded journalists from revealing their sources in the pursuit and publication of related information.

It also penalizes malicious and unauthorized disclosure of personal information.

The Philippine Press Institute (PPI), also known as the National Association of Newspapers which currently lists 71 members nationwide, has always stood by its position that any legislation that infringes on freedom of the press in the pursuit of ethical, responsible and excellent journalism violates the same right -- that no law shall be passed abridging freedom of the press -- that is constitutionally enshrined.

The PPI earlier protested Section 30 of the Senate version of the Data Privacy Act, which extends liability to reporters, writers, presidents, publishers, managers and editors-in-chief involved in the unauthorized publishing of sensitive personal information.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, principal author of the Senate version of the measure, has emphasized that the Data Privacy Act will not be used to stifle press freedom.

"It was not our intention to penalize the media for doing their job of responsible reporting, only those whose actions were directly behind the release of private information will be held accountable," said Angara, chair of the Senate committee on science and technology.

The said provision, however, was scraped in the House version of the bill.

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali "Boyet" Gonzales II, in a press conference on Thursday, said the said provision was changed in the approved version of the House.

He said only the person who divulged the information would be held liable and not the media.

By Perfecto T. Raymundo Jr.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila M. De Lima on Thursday said that the Commission on Election (Comelec) does not appear keen on pinning down its former head, Benjamin Abalos Sr., on the rigging of the 2007 senatorial elections.

The DOJ is at odds with the Comelec who maintained that former South Cotabato election supervisor Atty. Lilian Radam and former North Cotabato election supervisor Atty. Yogi Martirizar be prosecuted for electoral sabotage.

Both Radam and Martirizar are witnesses against Abalos that he allegedly masterminded the election rigging in the 2007 senatorial elections in Mindanao.

"These people are pointing straight to former Comelec chairman (Benjamin) Abalos. This is a prosecutorial discretion. The DOJ believes that it is important that we pin down the mastermind and to us Abalos is the bigger fish," De Lima said.

"We believe that for the Comelec, it is okay that Abalos get off the hook as long as people like Radam and Martirizar can be prosecuted," De Lima added.

In a hearing before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 117, the DOJ prosecutors submitted a motion to discharge Atty. Lilian Radam despite disapproval from the Comelec prosecutors.

The Comelec prosecutors have also submitted in court a Comelec en banc resolution insisting that Radam be prosecuted for her part in allegedly rigging the election results in 2007.

Aside from Radam, the Comelec is also against the dropping of electoral sabotage case against Martirizar.

Abalos, the then Comelec chairman in 2007, ordered that both Radam and Martirizar be charged with administrative case due to their alleged involvement in the 2007 election irregularities.

The decision of Abalos was then upheld by his successor, former Comelec Chair Jose Melo.

By Jelly F. Musico

Recognizing that the second regular session has so far been the most challenging period in the 15th Congress, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile thanked on Wednesday night the hundreds of Senate employees for working tirelessly to ensure that the smooth flow of legislative work continued despite the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

"With candor, I will admit that this Second Regular Session has been the most challenging that I have had to lead, and mostly in part because of the impeachment trial," id Enrile said.

"I would like to acknowledge the commendable work of the men and women in the Senate Secretariat and the Senate Proper who helped the Impeachment Court and rendered extended hours of service throughout the trial," he stressed.

"In the exercise of our Constitutional obligation to try and decide the impeachment case against the Chief Justice, we kept our resolve to give due respect to individuals, observing processes that adhered to our Bill of Rights. We maintained the delicate balance of the separation of powers and staved off the specter of a Constitutional crisis," Enrile added.

Enrile also acknowledged that the trial had put a strain not just on the Senate's legislative work with major bills and resolutions having to be set aside, but also on the whole nation who, he said, expects the best from those they had elected into office.

"The impeachment trial has not left us unscathed. The primacy of the constitutional process may have invigorated our sense of nationhood, but the bitter fissures in the trial's aftermath threaten the work that lies ahead," Enrile said.

"The events that transpired in the past few months should not deter us from doing our duty as protector of the rights of the people. Lest we let our guards down, we must take to heart the hard lessons that we learned and make sure that our nation's needs will be met this coming 3rd Regular Session," he added.

Despite legislative work being delayed due to the 44-day impeachment trial of the chief magistrate, the Senate managed to pass bills considered as priority by Malacañang.

A total of 13 bills, including six House bills, were passed on third reading, including SB 3009 amending the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2011 and SB 3127 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, which were certified as urgent by President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Other priority bills passed on third reading were SB 3164, amending the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act, and the Cybercrime bill.

Lil Wayne: Spoiled Brat

by AOL

Kelly Clarkson may be at the top of her game these days -- with a hot TV show, slimmed-down figure and a promising new man on her arm -- but the singer wasn't always so fond of her fame and fortune. The pop sensation recently opened up to Redbook about her early years in showbiz, filled with loneliness and unhappiness.

While Clarkson does her best to mentor music industry hopefuls on the singing competition show "Duets," the former "American Idol" champ confesses she never got the nurturing and guidance she needed as a teen on the talent show that launched her into super stardom. "I'm going to be completely honest -- I had no one looking out for me," Kelly told the magazine. "They were looking out for the show, and it was horrible," she admitted. "I was 19 years old. I was smart enough to know that it wasn't about me, but that didn't make it any easier," Clarkson revealed of the hit show during its premiere season.

Of course, the "Dark Side" singer, now 30, has developed quite a thicker skin since then -- but not before seriously considering leaving the business all together. "I'm all cried out about it, but my first four years, I hated my life; I almost quit a dozen times."

OKC is 2012 Western Conference Champions

Gregg Popovich After Game 6 Western Conference Finals

Spalding for 2012 NBA Finals

Toilet Bowls in Oklahoma City Are Redesigned for the Sake of Spurs

murag wa na katambid ang bana kay daghan iring in-between.

Kevin Durant had 34 points and 14 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from an 18-point deficit to reach the National Basketball Association Finals with a 107-99 defeat of the San Antonio Spurs.

The Thunder finished off the best-of-seven Western Conference finals in Game 6 last night before a raucous crowd in Oklahoma City, where the hosts are 8-0 this postseason.

Oklahoma City won the final four games of the series after falling behind 2-0 against a team that was on a 20-game winning streak. If the Spurs had won, there would have been a decisive seventh game tomorrow night in San Antonio.

“This is the toughest game we’ve played since I’ve been here,” said Durant, who hugged his mother and brother on the side of the court in the game’s final seconds. “We kept playing hard. Coach just said we had to play with force, with a sense of urgency. We didn’t want to go back to San Antonio.”

The Thunder will play the Boston Celtics (2111Q) or Miami Heat in the Finals. Boston will try to wrap up the Eastern Conference title tonight at home in Game 6. The Celtics lead the best-of- seven series 3-2 after winning three straight games.

Tony Parker had 29 points and 12 assists for San Antonio and Tim Duncan, who has led the Spurs to four NBA championships since he entered the league in 1997, had 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Russell Westbrook added 25 points and James Harden had 16 for the Thunder, who moved to the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008.

“All I can think of is how this incredible group of young men has unified this city and this state as never before,” owner Clay Bennett said in the televised trophy ceremony after the game.
18-Point Lead

Parker had 21 points in the first half and the Spurs led by 15 at the intermission after being ahead by as many as 18 points in the second period.

The Thunder opened the third period with an 11-2 run to pull within six points and took their first lead since early in the game on a 3-pointer by Durant with 1:39 remaining in the quarter.

The Spurs led 81-80 entering the fourth period and held a two-point advantage before Durant and Harden had three points each in an 8-0 run that gave Oklahoma City the lead for good.

Derek Fisher, who won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing with the Thunder midway through this season, and Harden hit 3-pointers to help maintain Oklahoma City’s margin. Kendrick Perkins put an exclamation point on the victory with a two-handed slam on a pass from Durant with 25 seconds left.

“It’s happening before our eyes,” Fisher said in a televised interview. “We’re just playing and doing it for each other. Great things can happen when you play for each other.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Rob Gloster in San Francisco at rgloster@bloomberg.net

By Joann Santiago

The local bourse sustained its rise for the second-day in a row on Wednesday after closing at 4,966.58 points, buoyed by the positive news on US’ services sector.

The main Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose by 40.91 points, or 0.83 percent, from the previous day’s 4,925.67 points.

Also, the broader all shares index increased to 3,317.76 points, higher by 23.89 points, or 0.73 percent, from the previous day’s 3,293.87 points.

All the sectoral indices also posted gains, erasing the negative performance of the mining and oil index earlier in the day.

Gainers edged losers at 93 to 52 while 46 stocks were unchanged.

Value of trade amounted to P4.64 billion after 1.28 billion shares changed hands.

Relatively, the local currency gained P0.25 against the dollar after closing at 43.22 from Wednesday’s 43.47.

It started the day at 43.35, weaker than the 43.30 in the previous day.

It rose to 43.18 but dipped to 43.38, bringing the average to 43.29, better than day-ago’s 43.38.

Volume of trade totaled to US$ 872.01 million, down from US$ 915.56 million the previous day.

By Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY

Cheating? Money issues? Fallen out of love?

All could be reasons to get a divorce.

But for one man in southern Israel, the final straw that led him to seek a divorce this week was his wife's decision to bring home 550 cats, The Times of Israel reports.

The cats apparently got in his way. They blocked his access to the bathroom, kept him from preparing meals in the kitchen and jumped onto the table as he ate and stole his food, the husband told the rabbinical court in Beersheba.

"He was also unable to sleep in his bedroom because the surface of the marital bed was constantly covered with cats who refused to lie on the floor," the paper reports.

The couple tried to reconcile at the behest of the court, but the wife wouldn't part with her cats and instead split with her husband.

murag kapeng barako ang weapons of mass destruction.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) â€" Kevin Durant had 34 points and 14 rebounds while playing all of regulation for the first time all season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed a spot in the NBA finals by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-99 on Wednesday night.

    Russell Westbrook added 25 points for the Thunder, who trailed Game 6 of the Western Conference finals by 18 in the first half and erased a 15-point halftime deficit before pulling ahead to stay in the fourth.

    Durant grabbed the final rebound, dribbled the ball across halfcourt and raised his right fist to celebrate with a sold-out crowd. The franchise will play for the NBA title for the first time since 1996, before relocating from Seattle.

    Tony Parker had 29 points and 12 rebounds for San Antonio.

daghang mahinuklog ani nga caricature.

Creative Workplace

luoy pud. walay nakatambag sa amerikano nga mag-amping sa mga mangingilad sa mga dating websites.

By George Friedman

The U.S. military for years has debated the utility of counterinsurgency operations. Drawing from a sentiment that harkens back to the Vietnam War, many within the military have long opposed counterinsurgency operations. Others see counterinsurgency as the unavoidable future of U.S. warfare. The debate is between those who believe the purpose of a conventional military force is to defeat another conventional military force and those who believe conventional military conflicts increasingly will be replaced by conflicts more akin to recent counterinsurgency operations. In such conflicts, the purpose of a counterinsurgency is to transform an occupied society in order to undermine the insurgents.

Understanding this debate requires the understanding that counterinsurgency is not a type of warfare; it is one strategy by which a disproportionately powerful conventional force approaches asymmetric warfare. As its name implies, it is a response to an insurgency, a type of asymmetric conflict undertaken by small units with close links to the occupied population to defeat a larger conventional force. Insurgents typically are highly motivated -- otherwise they collapse easily -- and usually possess superior intelligence to a foreign occupational force. Small units operating with superior intelligence are able to evade more powerful conventional forces and can strike such forces at their own discretion. Insurgents are not expected to defeat the occupying force through direct military force. Rather, the assumption is that the occupying force has less interest in the outcome of the war than the insurgents and that over time, the inability to defeat the insurgency will compel the occupying force to withdraw.

Is Greece European?
By Robert D. Kaplan

Greece is where the West both begins and ends. The West -- as a humanist ideal -- began in ancient Athens where compassion for the individual began to replace the crushing brutality of the nearby civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The war that Herodotus chronicles between Greece and Persia in the 5th century B.C. established a contrast between West and East that has persisted for millennia. Greece is Christian, but it is also Eastern Orthodox, as spiritually close to Russia as it is to the West, and geographically equidistant between Brussels and Moscow. Greece may have invented the West with the democratic innovations of the Age of Pericles, but for more than a thousand years it was a child of Byzantine and Turkish despotism. And while Greece was the northwestern bastion of the anciently civilized Near East, ever since history moved north into colder climates following the collapse of Rome, the inhabitants of Peninsular Greece have found themselves at the poor, southeastern extremity of Europe.

Modern Greece in particular has struggled against this bifurcated legacy. In an early 20th century replay of the Greco-Persian Wars, Greece's post-World War I military struggle with Turkey led to a signal Greek defeat and as a consequence, more than a million ethnic Greeks from Asia Minor escaped to Greece proper, further impoverishing the country. (This Greek diaspora in Asia Minor was a massive source of revenue until the Greeks were expelled.) Not only did World War I have a bloody and epic coda in Greece, so did World War II, which was followed by a civil war between rightists and communists. Greece's ultimate escape from the Warsaw Pact was a rather close-run affair: again, the effect of Greece's unstable geographical location between East and West.

CMV

The prevalence of CMV infection among donors is very high (approaching 100% in many series). CMV infection represents a major clinical risk mostly for immunocompromised recipients and neonates. Leukocyte filters can reduce the risk of transmission.

HTLV-I, -II
Very rare (1/514,000â€"2,993,000 units transfused). Use of leukocyte filters can further decrease risk of transmission.

source: Clinical Access Pocket

Bacteria, Parasites, and Other Viruses

Sepsis caused by bacteria is rare (see Transfusion Reactions). Parasites are very rarely transmitted (< 1/1,000,000 units) for yersiniosis, malaria, babesiosis, and Chagas disease, but careful donor screening is necessary, especially in endemic regions. West Nile virus cases are limited but have been reported. - source: Clinical Pocket

By Eddie O. Barrita

An official of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has confirmed the National Government is set to roll out this year a new P9-billion terminal for the country’s busiest airport outside Manila.

MCIAA general manager Nigel Paul Villarete said the new terminal for the Mactan Cebu International Airport is part of the administration’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) package this year.

”This is actually being studied through a transaction adviser, Deloitte India,” Villarete said.

Villarete said he expects a briefing by Friday from the firm, which, according to its website, provides services in audit, consulting, financial advisory and risk management.

”Most probably, we will invite Deloitte India to attend the meeting of the MCIAA Board on June 15,” Villarete said.

Earlier, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced in Manila that among the projects to be rolled out this year in Cebu are the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the Cebu Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system.

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) has been conducting a feasibility study of the BRT system in Cebu City, which, according to the proposal, will run from Bulacao in the south to Talamban in the north.

Its model is the public urban mass transportation implemented in Bogota in Colombia, Curitiba in Brazil, Jakarta in Indonesia and in 14 other cities in Asia.

It works like a train system but uses buses instead of train coaches and bus lanes instead of train tracks.

The buses are stairless and passengers pay at specially designed bus stops.

Consultants from the Asian Development Bank are also conducting a study on the feasibility of the BRT system at the 300-hectare South Road Properties (SRP) that will connect to the main BRT.

by PNA

A robbery inside the principal's office greeted pupils and teachers during the first day of classes last Monday at the Lingayen Central School 1 on Alvear Street in Poblacion, Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Lingayen police chief Supt. Harris Reyes Fama said his operatives reported that unidentified robbers carted away two computer units worth some P36,000 but spared other equipment, like a television set and other paraphernalia.

Police theorized the robbery could have taken place last Sunday night,June 3 or early morning Monday, June 4, during heavy downpour, Fama said.

The robbery was discovered at 6:30 a.m. of Monday when Louie Tigno, a school teacher, reported for work during the first day of classes, he said.

Fama said investigation showed that the culprits gained entry into the principal's office by detaching the iron grill and jalousie blades on the window of the principal's office.

Damaged jalousie blades were submitted by the police for laboratory examination to retrieve any latent fingerprint left by the suspects, he said.

By PHILIP BOWRING
Wall Street Journal

The conflict between the Philippines and China over the Scarborough Shoal may seem to be a minor dispute over an uninhabitable rock and the surrounding waters. But it is hugely important for future relations in the region because it showcases China's stubborn view that the histories of the non-Han peoples whose lands border two-thirds of the South China Sea are irrelevant. The only history that matters is that written by the Chinese and interpreted by Beijing.

The Philippine case for Scarborough is mostly presented as one of geography. The feature, known in Filipino as the Panatag Shoal and in Chinese as Huangyan Island, is some 130 nautical miles off the coast of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippine archipelago. It's well within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, which, as per the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention, extends 200 nautical miles off the coast. On the other hand, the shoal is roughly 350 miles from the mainland of China and 300 miles from the tip of Taiwan.

China avoids these inconvenient geographical facts and relies on historical half-truths that it applies to every feature it claims in the South China Sea. That's why it's now feuding with not just the Philippines, but other nations too. Beijing's famous U-shaped dotted line on its maps of the South China Sea defines territorial claims within the 200-mile limits of Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, and close to Indonesia's gas-rich Natuna Islands.

In the case of the Scarborough Shoal, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives the historical justification that the feature is mentioned in a Chinese map from the 13th centuryâ€"when China itself was under alien Mongol ruleâ€"resulting from the visit of a vessel from China. This "we were there first" argument is nonsense. Chinese sailors were latecomers to the South China Sea, to say nothing of onward trade to the Indian Ocean. The seafaring history of the region at least for the first millennium of the current era was dominated by the ancestors of today's Indonesians, Malaysians, Filipinos and (less directly) Vietnamese.

As China's own records reveal, when Chinese traveled from China to Sumatra and then on to Sri Lanka, they did so in Malay ships. This was not the least surprising given that during this era, Malay people from what is now Indonesia were the first colonizers of the world's third largest island, Madagascar, some 4,000 miles away. (The Madagascan language and 50% of its human gene pool are of Malay origin). They were crossing the Indian Ocean 1,000 years before the much-vaunted voyages of Chinese admiral Zheng He in the 15th century.

Malay seafaring prowess was later overtaken by south Indians and Arabs, but they remained the premier seafarers in Southeast Asia until the Europeans dominated the region. The Malay-speaking, Hindu-ized Cham seagoing empire of central Vietnam dominated South China Sea trade until it was conquered by the Vietnamese about the time the European traders began to arrive in Asia, while trade between Champa (present-day southern Vietnam) and Luzon was well established long before the Chinese drew their 13th century map.

The Scarborough Shoal, which lies not only close to the Luzon coast but on the direct route from Manila Bay to the ancient Cham ports of Hoi An and Qui Nhon, had to be known to Malay sailors. The Chinese claim to have "been there first" is then like arguing that Europeans got to Australia before its aboriginal inhabitants.

Another unsteady pillar in China's claim to the Scarborough Shoal is its reliance on the Treaty of Paris of 1898. This yielded Spanish sovereignty over the Philippine archipelago to the U.S. and drew straight lines on the map which left the shoal a few miles outside the longitudinal line defined by the treaty. China now conveniently uses this accord, which these two foreign powers arrived at without any input from the Philippine people, to argue that Manila has no claim.

The irony is that the Communist Party otherwise rejects "unequal treaties" imposed by Western imperialists, such as the McMahon line dividing India and Tibet. Does this mean Vietnam can claim all the Spratly Islands, because the French claimed them all and Hanoi has arguably inherited this claim?

China also asserts that because its case for ownership dates back to 1932, subsequent Philippine claims are invalid. In other words, it uses the fact that the Philippines was under foreign rule as a basis for its own claims.

Manila wants to resolve the matter under the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention, but Beijing argues that its 1932 claim isn't bound by the Convention, which came into effect in 1994 since it preceded it. That's a handy evasion, most probably because China knows its case for ownership is weak by the Convention's yardsticks.

China is making brazen assertions that rewrite history and take no account of geography. Today's naval arguments won't come to an end until the region's largest disputant stops rewriting the past.

Mr. Bowring is a Hong Kong-based journalist.