MikeLigalig.com

A local boxer may play undercard in the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey in March. Promoters are considering rising star Jhunriel “Quadro Alas” Casimero as one of the featured attractions of the much awaited bout in Dallas , Texas after he won a major title last month.

This was bared by Councilor Ruben Capahi, chairman of the committee on sports when Casimero went home recently and received a hero’s welcome from Ormocanons led by Mayor Eric C. Codilla.

He was taken on a motorcade around downtown, and shook hands and signed autographs at the public market and police station.

The 19-year-old native of Can-untog, here beat by TKO former world champion César Canchila of Colombia for the WBA Interim Light Flyweight championship at the national stadium in Nicaragua last December 19.

His performance was so impressive by dropping the Colombian on the canvass on the third, sixth and ninth rounds and then twice on the 11th round, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

Casimero’s latest win boosts his 28 win-2 loss 22 KOs record. Other international matches of Casimero are his eigth round knockout win over Ardin Diale May 28, 2009 in Cebu and the Worl Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific light flyweight title wherein he beat Thailand ’s Lempetch Sor Veerapol in the fifth round on Oct. 3, 2008.

He is now ranked no. 4 by WBO.

Before turning professional, Casimero started at small boxing matches held during fiestas and Charter Day at the city plaza of Ormoc.

His promising talent was first noticed when he won gold at the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVIRAA) meet in Ormoc in April 1996. He further shone at the Palarong Pambansa by winning gold that same year.

Casimero is now in Cebu training for the Pacquiao-Clottey event. (PNA)
LOR/FNC3rd

Smart Gilas capped an impressive showing in the 21st Dubai International Tournament with a 107-98 win over Syria's Al Jalaa to capture the bronze medal before a horde of overseas Filipino workers at the Al Ahli Club here.

Marnel Baracael tossed in 26 points while Mark Barroca unloaded 18 of his 21 points in the final period for Gilas, which converted 18 straight freethrows in the closing minutes and scored 40 points in the fourth.

Barroca buried a three-pointer followed by Baracael's freethrows that allowed the all-local Gilas crew to take a 91-83 lead entering the last two minutes.

The Syrians then opted to send the Filipinos to the charity stripe in an effort to stop the clock, producing 18 consecutive freethrows made for Gilas.

"We're disappointed after the loss (against Al Riyadi). But we recovered pretty well and showed mental toughness in the end," said RP coach Rajko Toroman after Gilas climbed from several double-digit deficits before churning out the win.

Freethrows by Japeth Aguilar and Chris Tiu gave the Nationals their first taste of the lead, 78-76. Barroca then fired a three-pointer and Baracael sank his freethrows to make it 89-83, forcing the Syrians to foul the Filipinos in the succeeding possessions inside two minutes.

Iran's Mahram defeated Al Riyadi of Lebanon, 85-67, to clinch the crown in the championship match. Samad Nikkah Bahrami was named MVP.

JVee Casio won the best guard award and CJ Giles of Al Riyadi was adjudged best center.

"This tournament allowed us to earn the respect of the other Asian teams," said Toroman, who also thanked overseas Filipino workers for their unflinching support.

Toroman again benched Jamal Sampson and relied on the locals to get back at the Syrians, their tormentors in the elimination round.

To close the huge gap in the middle, Toroman utilized 6-foot-7 Jason Ballesteros for extended minutes along with Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter to seal the paint against the size and height of Al Jalaa.

Apart from being reinforced by three Americansâ€"seven-footer Zendon Hamilton, 6-foot-10 Garnett Thompson and guard Demetric Shawâ€"Al Jalaa has three Brazilian-Syrians in Marcelle Correa (6-10), Eder Gorges (6-11) and Michael Maadanli, who had with 23 points.

SMART GILAS 107-â€"Baracael 26, Barroca 21, Tiu 12, Aguilar 10, Casio 10, Lassiter 9, Cawaling 9, Balesteros 4, Slaughter 4, Ababou 0.

AL JALAA 98-â€"Maadanli 23, Correa 18, Shaw 16, Hamilton 10, Gorges 9, Al Sharif 8, Thompson 7, Meraneh 5, Papazian 2.

Quarters: 18-26, 40-48, 67-70, 107-98. (PNA)
LOR

By Lily O Ramos

Uneasy the head that wears the crown must have been felt by 29-year old, Fil-Am Brian Viloria who yielded his International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-fly title (108-lb) to Colombia's 26-year old Carlos Tamara last January 24 at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Also called the "Hawaiian Punch" because he is also from the land of hulas, last Saturday's loss could possibly affect his boxing future.

In a press conference a day before his match with Tamara, Viloria, who has a degree in broadcasting from a university in Michigan, said he will decide what to do after the fatal Saturday fight and that TV broadcasting is an option.

Will the soft-spoken boxer become an analyst on TV as he had done once before with Joaquin Henson in one of the title fights of Manny Pacquiao?

Viloria has not been a consistent in the latter part of his 29 fights where he now logs 26 wins against three loses.

For a short time in 2005, he was the World Boxing Council (WBC) champion but lost the 108 belt to Omar Nino Romero by unanimous decision in the same year.

Briefly, 2000 Sydney Olympian Viloria also wore the IBF crown after defending it versus Jesus Iribe in August 2009 in Hawaii but he recently lost it infront of his countrymen to "El Olimpico," a 2004 Athens Olympian.

While it is true that some people says he has a lot more to give before hanging up his gloves, the Hawaiian Punch may follow another path to glory.

Other boxing celebrities whose fame did not last like 1996 Atlanta Olympics silver medalist Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco became a comedian and appears regularly on TV like former PBA MVP Benjie Paras.

Last Saturday, Viloria was leading on all counts until round 8 when he rocked Tamara strongly but fatigue and exhaustion set in as the Colombian changed from southpaw to right as he slowly wore down the Filipino.

Puzzled, Viloria wanted to hit his opponent to the canvass but his shots were wild and he missed several tries as he spent himself until at 1:45 gone by in the 12th round, he was felled by 14 unanswered punches from his shrewed enemy atop the ring.

Mercifully, Bruce McTavish decided enough is enough and stopped the punishment. Then Viloria collapsed as he felt dizzy while in his dressing room.

Rushed to the San Juan de Dios and hurriedly transferred to Makati Medical Center where he was scanned, found stable and fit despite a bloodied eyebrow, his manager Gary Gitthleson remained mum on his ward's future plans.

The former champion has been asked to stay for a week until followup tests are clear at the Makati Medical Center before leaving for his home in the US. (PNA)
FFC/LOR

FIRE prevention month celebration passed but not without rendering a family homeless. Fire razed to the ground last March 27 the residence of a retired public school teacher Orlando Mumar of Barangay San Jose, and along with it, all that the family has invested in years. Local fire department received the fire alarm at 3 pm , after a Bohol Electric Cooperative II personnel reported the conflagration. The fire however quickly gutted majority of the house and was already way beyond salvage when responding firemen led by Senior Fire Officer III Ricardo Garcia, the town fire marshall came to the rescue. Firemen still tried to control the fire for about 20 minutes. Fire investigator SFO1 Teodorico Auxtero, immediately conducted investigation as to cause of the fire.

A neighbor, Teresita Opora, who was also interrogated at the fire scene retold that her 3-year old grandson, Syrelle Opora told her that he saw the Mumar grandson playing with a match inside the master's bedroom of the house. Fire investigators followed the lead and got the facts from Opora while matching it with the Mumar kid's statements. Further investigation revealed that Benedict Buslon, 4-year old grandson of the victim was indeed playing with a match inside the master's bedroom. The child incidentally lit the stick and dropped it unto the pillows. Except for the victim's motorcycle, which escaped damage, the afternoon fire left nothing to the victims. Nobody was reported injured during the blaze.

Bureau of Fire Prevention spot reports estimated the fire damages at P200,000. Items reported damaged were one unit Sony DVD component, one sharp cassette tape recorder, two television sets (21” colored Daewoo and 14” Sony). A six cubic feet National refrigerator, three wooden carved cabinets, one carved divider, chinawares, two sewing machines (Singer and Rhine) two dining table sets, micro wave oven and assorted books for computer courses. ONAD MUNALEM

Year: 2006

Another shooting incident was reported in Buenavista town last weekinvolving a habal-habal (motorcycle for hire) driver and his passengers. The victim was indentified as one Eugene Estorgio, 21, and a native of Barangay Lapacan Sur of the said town. According to initial investigation, the victim was plying his trade the night when the incident happened.

Police investigators revealed that two still unidentified passengers hailed Estorgio and ordered them to deliver them to barangay Sweetland, Buenavista town. Upon reaching the place, one of the suspects suddenly took out his firearm. Without saying a word, the suspect shot Estorgio, wounding him in the process. The victim is subsequently rushed to the nearest clinic where he was treated for his injuries. Elements of the Buenavista PNP are still looking into the shooting at the time the report was filed. - Sunday Post

By Anthony Damalerio
Sunday Post

SENATE committee on public works approved this week on second reading the nationalization of the Panglao Circumferential Road (PICR), a major road highway considered as an integral component to Bohol 's tourism development. House tourism committee chair Rep. Edgar M. Chatto, author of the road conversion bill shared this after vigorously lobbying for its passage.

Chatto, Congressional committee on public works and highways member said the Panglao bill was a bit lucky for being selected among the 6 out of the 300 bills sent to the Senate body for review. The bill, when signed into a law will entitle the PICR to a five percent allocation from the total road maintenance fund from the 2006 General Appropriations Act and future yearly allocations. Likewise, it can now qualify in the Overseas Development Assistance funded projects under the proposed Bohol Circumferential Road Project Phase III. The Senator Revilla committee, in approving the 6 bills considered its economic, cultural and social impact on the community and its residents. Chatto also added that the said roads have complied and qualified with the requirements and standards set by the Department of Public Woks and Highways. Chatto bared his gratitude to the senator for its approval.

The solon, in the same talk, lobbied to Revilla to consider the other seven local bills pending before his committee. This include Sandingan Island Circumferential Road, Balilihan-Hanopol-Batuan provincial road, Sikatuna-Alburquerque provincial road, Calape-Panggangan provincial road, Antequera-San Isidro-Libertad provincial road, Sto. Niño provincial road and the Cogon Norte-Badbad Oriental-Occidental road. The said roads, although initially found lacking some requirements have now specific position papers for each road section and have also been evaluated and justified by the local first district DPWH engineering office. Nationalization of roads, Chatto said, will be great help to the provincial government as limited maintenance funds can now be used for other provincial road sections.

published in 2006 - historical archive...

Still unidentified robbers broke into one of the newest stores in Tagbilaran last week, successfully carting off more than P400,000 worth of cash and merchandise from the store. The latest victim of burglary was Unitop Variety Store which is located along CPG Avenue this city. According to the police, the burglary of the store was discovered in the morning of March 30.

The store manager identified as Allan Yao discovered the break-in about 7:53 am Thursday. Initial investigation conducted by the Tagbilaran PNP showed that the suspects gained entrance into the store after successfully removing the bolt screws that sealed the roof of the store. Once they were inside, the suspects entered the office where the safety vault was located.

The suspects then destroyed the vault with a crowbar and scooped away more than P400,000 in cash inside it. The suspects also took with them about 50 Sony and Ericsson cellular phones. According to SPO1 Edgar Chan, Tagbilaran PNP crime investigator, the burglary appears to be the handiwork of professionals. Chan noted that the break-in was well-planned and efficiently implemented. At the same time however, the police investigator noted lapse in the store's security measures.
Unitop opened its doors to the Boholano clientele last December. It is one of the country's fastest growing superstore chains with about 17 branches nationwide.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Agnes Devanadera, a member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), on Monday said that by tradition, the five most senior members of the Supreme Court (SC) are considered as applicants or nominees to the post of Chief Justice.

But Devandera was quick to say that three of the five most senior SC members have declined nomination to the post.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who chairs the JBC, will reach the compulsory retirement age of 70 on May 17, 2010.

Devanadera said that the JBC received a letter from Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, Jr. declining a nomination for the Chief Justice post, saying that he was not interested to participate in the nomination process of the JBC.

Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura also sent a letter to the JBC, declining any nomination as Chief Justice, saying that he would like to defer to the most senior member of the Court.

On the other hand, Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales sent the JBC a letter expressing her intention to take part in the nomination process but only if the appointment will be made by the next president.

"If there are no words that they are declining, they are considered as applicants to the SC Chief Justice post," Devanadera said.

Devanadera said that the JBC only nominates to the Office of the President (OP) seeing to it that they are qualified and all of them will be a good chief justice.

"We leave it to the President to choose from any of the nominees," Devanadera said.

Devanadera noted that the outsider, a non-member of the SC once included in the shortlist of nominees, is considered as qualified.

She, however, pointed out that Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee was not a senior associate justice of the SC when he was appointed as chief justice of the highest court of the land.

Devanadera said that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was the only outsider to apply as chief justice, but she was not selected and her name was not included in the names submitted to the President. (PNA)
RMA/PTR

Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila on Monday said the export sector is pulling the country out of its trade slump and ending the 13-month episode of negative growth which started at the onset of the global financial crisis in late 2008.

Favila even congratulated the country’s exporters for helping pull the industry out of the slump.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) reported that receipts from merchandise exports reached $ 3.7 billion in November 2009, 5.1% higher than for the same period in 2008 as mineral products and manufactured goods boosted outgoing trade.

“We are hopeful that this positive growth will continue in the following months. This is election year and rebound will definitely be a good score card for the Administration’s economic policy,” Favila said.

The 6.8% year-on-year increase in exports of manufactured goods helped buoy the year-on-year growth rate of merchandise exports in November 2009. This was mainly supported by the rise in electronic product shipments, the biggest contributor to the country’s exports which grew by 6.9% from the same period in 2008.

The November export performance gave the country a promising view of a road to economic vibrancy, said Favila.

The electronics industry, hard hit by the global crisis, has rebounded and this will mean that in time the industry will again start to hire personnel that it laid off last year, he projects.

It can be recalled that the government initiated the Comprehensive Livelihood Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) to help those who were displaced by the crisis get alternative source of income. Favila was assigned to oversee the CLEEP programs in Laguna which was site of many electronic firms that laid off workers.

"Now with the rebound, we expect the export industry, especially the electronics sector to rev up its engine to be in sync with the growth momentum that is happening worldwide," Favila said.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported that November worldwide semiconductor sales were positive for the first time in 2009 as “2009 ended with sales of many IT and consumer products faring better than earlier projections.”

Semiconductors grew by 8.5% in November compared to same period in 2008 and by 3.7% compared to October 2009. Sales in the Americas and Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) increased by 25.9% and 12% respectively.

Mineral products (11.4%) also posted positive growth on a year-on-year basis with export receipts of copper concentrates (333.9%), gold (22.5%), and iron conglomerates (184.8%).

The recent global crisis is a constant reminder that our country needs to develop more sectors for exports. This the reason for the Department’s business development program which seeks to develop industries such as business process outsourcing, food, automotive, health and wellness, furniture, marine, and others.

By Joann S. Villanueva

Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) posted its highest ever net income of P6.09 billion net income in 2009, almost double the P3.6 billion booked in 2008.

DBP president Reynaldo David said loan interest boosted the bank's income last year, with the loan portfolio reaching P167.01 billion and total available funds for lending at P74.4 billion.

He said a big part of total loan portfolio was used for various developmental projects like the Sustainable Logistics Development Program (SLDP).

The bank's total asset reached P292 billion last year, higher than year-ago's P263.25 billion.

Its capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 21 percent, higher than the 10 percent requirement of the central bank.

“More important than these financial achievements, however, is that DBP's financial gains generated the much-needed funds to support the government's various developmental thrusts and priorities,” David said.

David said the loan portfolio for environment reached P6.07 billion, P9.8 billion for social services, and P10.9 billion for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs.

He said that the bank's contributions to the government's revenue-generation efforts were enchanced due to the several privatization deals, proceeds of which totaled to P109 billion from 2006 to last year.

And because of the operations performance of the bank last year, it was able to contribute P2.5 billion dividend to the national government (NG), a ceremonial check of which was given to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a ceremony held during the bank's anniversary celebration Monday. (PNA)
RMA/JS

The 400-year-old University of Santo Tomas (UST) received from the National Museum on Monday afternoon four National Cultural Treasure citations due to its historical and cultural heritage in Philippine history.

The recognitions also marked another milestone for UST as it prepares for its quadricentennial celebration in 2011.

UST was founded by the Order of Preachers (OP) of Spain in January 1611. It was first erected in Intramuros, but was transferred in 1927 to its present location along España, Sampaloc, Manila.

National Museum Director Corazon Alvina unveiled the National Cultural Treasures marker at the UST main building. She was assisted by UST Rector Fr. Rolando dela Rosa, OP, and UST Central Seminary Rector Fr. Gerard Timoner III, OP.

For his part, Dela Rosa accepted on behalf of UST the official declaration. “This gives the university the distinctive honor of being the first educational institution in the country, whose landmarks have been declared national cultural treasures,” he said.

“This is long overdue. I am tempted to think that it takes the government such a long time to give this recognition to UST because it wants ample proof that the university and it landmarks will not be permanently submerged in floods and other calamities that visit our country,” Dela Rosa said.

Pursuant to Republic Act No. 4846, or the Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act of 1966, the National Museum formally declared four UST buildings as national treasures.

These are the UST Main Building, the Central Seminary, the Arch of the Centuries, and the University’s Open Spaces.

It signals the first-ever inclusion of an educational institution among the ranks of National Cultural Treasures, majority of which are churches, with the rest being terrestrial landmarks, intangible cultural properties and movable objects.

Section 3 of “The Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act” states that a “National Cultural Treasure is a unique object found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is significant and important to this country and nation.”

To help oversee the protection and preservation of its four National Cultural Treasures, UST is forming a special committee with assistance from National Museum experts. (PNA)
scs/JCA

CHED to HEIs: Allow students with delinquent accounts to take exams
By Hannibal C. Talete

MANILA, Jan. 25 (PNA) -- The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued a memorandum on Monday directing colleges and universities to allow students with “delinquent accounts” to take school examinations.

CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) 02, Series of 2010, directed higher education institutions (HEIs) to be flexible in the implementation of the “no permit, no exam” policy which was earlier criticized by various student groups.

Dr. Emmanuel Angeles, CHED chairman, said the memorandum is in accordance with Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as the Higher Education Act of 1994.

“This is also in accordance with the pertinent provision of the 1987 Constitution and R.A. 7722 and for the purpose of ensuring the accessibility and affordability of quality higher education, and also in view of the unabated economic crisis brought about by circumstances worldwide as well as the recent calamities that the country faced last year,” Angeles said in his order.

“In view of the ongoing premises, all concerned HEIs are hereby requested to extend all possible assistance to students with outstanding balances in tuition and other fees due to financial difficulties. They shall extend utmost flexibility in the implementation of the 'no permit, no exam' policy they are adopting, if any, and any such policies that prohibit students from taking their periodic or final exams due to unpaid school accounts,” Angeles added.

The order also directed HEIs to allow students to take their exams through the execution of a promissory note, guaranteed by their parents.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino lauded CHED for coming up with a “pro-poor and pro-student” memorandum, saying it is in response to the House Bill 6799 or the "Anti-No-Permit, No-Exam Policy" filed by the group last September 10, 2009.

CHED officials were invited in a committee hearing of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education (CHTE) discussing the bill last week in which they subsequently agreed to release a memorandum immediately addressed to HEIs.

"We are very pleased that CHED decided to immediately act on this matter. This is a significant development for the best interest of our students, especially in light of high cost of tuition and other fees amidst an economic crisis," Palatino said.

He added that the issuance of the memorandum is very timely because schools are now in their mid-term examination period.

"We are urging all 1,781 HEIs to comply with the memo. This would especially benefit 88 percent of our students who are studying in private schools," Angeles said.

By Jelly F. Musico

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile finally presented on Monday at the Senate plenary the report of the committee of the whole which investigated the alleged unethical conduct of senator Manny Villar for using his power to influence public officials in relocating the C-5 road extension project.

In his four-page committee report no. 780, Enrile said the committee recommends that Villar be censured for engaging in improper and unethical conduct as a senator and damaging the integrity of the upper chamber.

Enrile based the recommendation on Section 14 of Article 4 of the Constitution and Republic Act No. 6713, otherwise known as The Code of Conduct of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The report also demanded Villar to return to the public coffers the amount of P6.22 billion which Villar or his companies have illegally gained or obtained as a result of unlawful acts and improper and unethical conduct.

”For the benefit of his corporations, Senator Villar made the Filipino People suffer the total amount of P6.226,070,427,” Enrile stated in his report.

The amount is the total cost of the re-aligned C-5 Extension Road Project, including P141.1 million which the report said is representing the overprice on the properties of Villar as roads-right-of-way for the projects.

According to report, Villar also violated Section 12, Article IV of the constitution by failing to notify the Senate of a “potential conflict of interest” when he proposed an amendment to the 2008 national budget by appropriating P400 million, including P200 million approved by finance committee then headed by Villar, for the project.

”Evidently, these acts of respondent Senator Villar were committed while he was a member of the Senate,” Enrile explained in his report.

”Senator Villar failed to avoid this conflict of interests situation by not divesting himself of his shareholdings or interest in Adelfa Properties, Inc., Golden Haven Memorial Park, Inc., and Brittany Corp,” the report added.

Enrile made the report after 12 adjudicatory hearings of the Committee of the Whole he himself chaired with Sen. Jamby Madrigal as complainant.

Villar never attended all the hearings, including eight inquiries which were conducted by the Senate committee on ethics headed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, that first handled ethics complaints against Villar who is running for president in the May 10 elections.

The committee report has finally reached the plenary through the signatures of majority composed of 12 senators â€" Kiko Pangilinan, Madrigal, Enrile, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Lacson, Edgardo Angara, Noynoy Aquino, Mar Roxas, Chiz Escudero, Richard Gordon and Rodolfo Biazon.

After Enrile’s presentation of the committee report, Senator Allan Peter Cayetano has been given a chance to present the minority bloc’s own resolution 1472 which was also signed by 12 senators, clearing Villar of the accusations of Madrigal.

The presentation of minority’s resolution turned into a lengthy heated interpellation and debates as senators reacted when Cayetano named the presidentiables from the Senate.

When asked by Enrile if Villar has intention to defend himself, Cayetano said he can’t answer for Villar although Cayetano reiterated the previous stand of Villar not to submit himself in the investigation which he believed he won’t get a fair trial.

By Marie S. Neri

The rotating brownouts in Metro Manila and other adjoining areas are expected to remain after two units of the 1,000 megawatt (MW) Sual coal-fired power plant bogged down Monday afternoon.

Joe Zaldarriaga, external communications manager of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), said that the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s transmission highway operator, has yet lifted its "red alert" status in the Luzon grid due to expected power supply deficiency.

NGCP said that as of 5:25 p.m. Monday, Luzon grid was still on red alert from 2 p.m. up to 9 p.m. due to “zero contingency reserve and generation deficiency.”

It said that one unit of Sual tripped off due to feedwater supply problem while unit 2 of Sual was not running due to coal supply limitations.

Aside from Sual, the power supply deficiency was also confounded by the generating deficiency of the 200-megawatt Calaca plant due to boiler tube leak, the maintenance shutdown of the 460-MW Quezon Power and the 600-MW Ilijan block B plants.

Meralco said the areas affected by rotating power interruptions included Marikina, North harbor, Sapang Palay, Baliwag and Malolos in Bulacan, Pamplona in Las Piñas and Imus in Cavite.

Meralco said the affected areas will suffer one to two hours power disruptions.

Meralco said that prior to the implementation of the manual load dropping, automatic load dropping happened at 12:41 p.m. affecting several areas in Metro Manila. Sual unit 1 has a capacity of 350 megawats.

The rotating brownouts are expected to last until 9 p.m. due to the insufficiency in the power supply, Meralco said.

Meralco said that the other areas affected by the manual load dropping between 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. were Sta. Ana, Pandacan, Sta. Mesa, Quiapo, Tondo and Sta. Cruz in Manila; Palanan in Makati; Bgys. South Triangle, Paltok, San Francisco Del Monte in Quezon City.

The affected areas in Laguna were portions of municipalities of Sta. Cruz, San Pablo and San Pedro and in Bulacan, were a large portion of municipalities of Guiguinto, Plaridel, Norzagaray and Angat. (PNA)
RMA/MSN/utb

U.S. stocks recovered from last week's decline on Monday as market embraced the prospect of Ben Bernanke serving a second term as the Fed chairman.

The U.S. Senate Republican leader predicted confirmation of Bernanke as head of the Federal Reserve, removing a major source of uncertainty for investors since naming a new Fed chairman would have worried investors about how a new leader could reshape monetary policy.

U.S. stocks suffered their worst three-day decline since March bottom last week after U.S. President Obama proposed to impose new limits on the size of the nation's biggest banks as well as restrict their risk-taking abilities and Bernanke's reaffirmation suddenly appeared shaky.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors said existing home sales fell 16.7 percent in December, the biggest drop on record, as prospective buyers were granted more time to take advantage of a tax credit.

Oil prices rebounded above 75 U.S. dollars, sending energy and basic material sectors rising.

The Dow Jones rose 23.88, or 0.23 percent, to 10,196.86. Broader indexes also went higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 5.02, or 0.46 percent, to 1,096.78 and the Nasdaq added 5. 51, or 0.25 percent, to 2,210.80. (PNA/Xinhua)

Oil prices rose above 75 U.S. dollars a barrel on Monday as equity market recovered from the worst week since the March lows in 2009.

Oil prices finished last week at 74.54 dollars a barrel as the energy futures were pressured from weak demand and a plunging stock market. But future prices failed to break the downward technical support at 74 dollars on Monday amid a speculation that it was oversold.

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks rebounded from the biggest three-day decline since last March, also helping lift sentiment in oil market.

Earlier in the session, crude futures fell to as low as 74.06 dollars a barrel as the dollar strengthened against major currencies.

Light, sweet crude for March delivery rose 72 cents to settle at 75.26 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In London, Brent crude for March delivery added 90 cents to 73. 73 dollars a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange. (PNA/Xinhua)

While searching for survivors continues some 25 bodies have been recovered after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed off the coast of Lebanon Monday, the Ethiopian airlines said in a statement.

A team of experts from Ethiopian has arrived in Beirut.

The Boeing 737-800, carrying 82 passengers and eight crew, crashed into the Mediterranean some four minutes after taking off from the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport in the capital.

According to Ethiopian Airlines, Flight ET-409 was carrying 82 passengers and eight Ethiopian crew. Passengers included 23 Ethiopians, 51 Lebanese nationals, two British, one Turkish, one Frenchman, one Russian, one Canadian, one Syrian and an Iraqi national.

Army and naval rescue units were searching for survivors alongside a UN Maritime Task Force, it said.

Rescuers found 25 bodies of Lebanese and Ethiopians. Six of them are Ethiopians.

The Ethiopian team is closely working with all concerned offices to provide support to the family and friends of victims affected by the unfortunate accident.

A team of senior government officials led by Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin will be heading to the accident scene on Tuesday, according to a report filed by the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency.

According to Ethiopian public relation office, the pilot has served for more than 20 years.

Government officials including Prime Minster Meles Zenawi have expressed their deep sorrow over the sudden accident.

Various organizations including Government Communication Affair and Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front expressed their condolences.

Launched its flight in 1948 to Cairo, the Ethiopian has 56 international destinations out of which 35 of them are in Africa.

The Ethiopian has received five prestigious awards since January 2009. It had also received Corporate Achievement Award 2008, it said. (PNA/Xinhua)

“Titanic” just hit an iceberg named “Avatar.”

James Cameron’s groundbreaking 3-D spectacular replaced his maritime melodrama as the biggest international release of all time during the weekend and is on the verge of claiming its worldwide crown, which also includes North American receipts, distributor 20th Century Fox said on Sunday.

The News Corp.-owned studio said “Avatar” has sold $1.841 billion worth of tickets worldwide during its unbroken six-week reign, and was a day or so away from surpassing the seemingly insurmountable $1.843 billion racked up by “Titanic” in 1997-1998.

The international portion stands at $1.288 billion, eclipsing the $1.242-billion haul of “Titanic.” In North America, “Avatar” may have to wait up to two weeks to sink the $601 million total of “Titanic,” Fox said.

Moviegoers in the United States and Canada have chipped in $552.8 million, enough to replace 2008’s “The Dark Knight” ($533 million) as the second-biggest movie of all time.

Data are not adjusted for inflation, and “Avatar” ticket sales got an additional boost from premium pricing for 3-D screenings. Imax Corp. said its big-screen engagements have sold a record $134 million worth of tickets worldwide.

The biggest movie of all time in North Americaâ€"adjusted for inflationâ€"is 1939’s “Gone with the Wind,” with sales of almost $1.5 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo. “Avatar” ranks No. 26 by that measure.

During the latest weekend, “Avatar” earned $36 million in North America and $107 million from 111 international markets, far outpacing other offerings.

It led the field in at least 29 foreign markets, including France ($123 million to date), China ($102 million), Germany ($96 million), Russia ($95 million) and Britain ($93 million).

Apocalyptic tales

In North America, “Avatar” was trailed by the new supernatural action thriller “Legion” at No. 2 with $18.2 million, while the Denzel Washington drama “The Book of Eli” slipped to No. 3 with $17 million in its second weekend.

“Legion,” released by Sony Corp.’s Screen Gems budget label, cost about $25 million to make, and played primarily to men, the studio said. Paul Bettany, Lucas Black and Tyrese Gibson star in the tale of an out-of-the-way diner that becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race.

“Eli,” a similarly themed apocalyptic drama released by Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. Pictures on behalf of independent producer Alcon Entertainment, has earned $62 million after 10 days. - Reuters

What emerged from Copenhagen was a consensus amongst leaders on a collective, long-term response to climate change.

In December, the nations of the world and most of its leaders met in Copenhagen to agree on an ambitious and immediate global action to combat climate change, an article written by Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary-General of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said.

That complete vision did not emerge. The task has therefore become more, not less urgent. The window of opportunity to tackle the climate problem closes more rapidly the longer nations delay to act together.

But Copenhagen has raised the challenge to the highest level of government policy, the level where it must ultimately be resolved. Moreover, what emerged from Copenhagen was a consensus amongst leaders on a collective, long-term response to climate change, and a set of measures to implement global climate action, which came close to completion. These together now point the way forward to achieving the bigger, collective goal.

The Copenhagen Accord was crafted by a group of countries including the biggest, richest, poorest and smallest, and incorporating nations responsible for 80 percent of global emissions. It represents a letter of political intent to limit the global temperature rise, it asks countries to record national emission reduction pledges and promises defined short and long-term finance for the developing world. The Accord was not accepted as a formal decision under the UN’s climate convention. But its aims are anchored strongly in the convention’s objectives. Any country can now associate itself with those aims. Many countries pledged action before Copenhagen and the world should expect them to honor those pledges.

My communication with countries which agreed to the accord reveals a strong message that it should not lead to a new negotiating track but can be used to unlock areas of disagreement in the on-going talks, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) here on Sunday quoted de Boer as saying.

Also at Copenhagen, negotiators came close to decisions on a set of measures which would make a long-term response operational: a framework to help poor countries adapt, a mechanism to speed technology transfer, a program to build capacity and agreements to cut emissions from deforestation and agriculture.

It will take time for countries to digest the implications. This is well and good, for they must come to terms with the challenge ahead. Now, industrialized countries can resume discussions to raise their collective mid-term emission cuts into the minus 25 to 40 percent range that science has indicated would avoid the worst climate impacts. Failure to achieve this can only mean the need for greater ambition later.

Countries need to discuss how the long-term finance will be raised. Let us also not forget that in Copenhagen, nations pledged billion in short-term finance for immediate action, and this money is sitting in national budgets. Countries need to find how this money can be used as soon as possible to launch immediate action.

The question whether geopolitical shifts are making multilateral agreements harder to reach must also be confronted. My answer is that multilateral agreements are the only tool the world has to agree laws, regulations, accounting norms and market mechanisms that consolidate and catalyze global action, and keep it honest. It is increasingly impossible for nations to act confidently without these reference points, in a world where no one bloc calls the shots.

Every tool we have to combat climate change on a global scale has come through the multilateral process: the Kyoto Protocol, the Clean Development Mechanism, the Adaptation Fund for developing nations, and the Convention’s financial arm (GEF), which gives dedicated funding access for the poorest and most vulnerable. To reinvent these structures would take time and money the world does not have.

Copenhagen set out to deliver an agreement on four essential areas: medium-term emission cuts by industrialized countries; action by developing countries to limit emissions; finance to implement action; and an equitable governance of the climate regime. Those issues are as relevant as ever. If countries follow up Copenhagen’s outcomes calmly and with their eye on the collective advantage, then they have every chance of completing this promise. (PNA/IRNA)

Philippine Daily Inquirer: A Filipino teacher in Maryland has received the Teacher of the Month award from the Prince George’s County Public Schools, it was learned Sunday.

Lito Sayasa, who has been teaching for 19 years, has taught in the county for four years, according to the Prince George’s Country website.

Asked why he loves his work, he said: “I was inspired by an old Chinese proverb that states, ‘The most satisfying thing in life is to see a child confidently walk down the road on his own after you have shown him the way to go.’”

Aside from preparing a child academically, he said teaching also develops a child’s potential to solve real-life problems.

“It’s true that teaching is not a lucrative profession. However, every time we become successful in bringing out the best in our students that gives us an inner sense of fulfillment. As educators, we have the power to impact and change a young person’s life for the better. We just need to be a positive role model for them so they will become assets of society,” he said.

Sayasa arrived in the United States in 2006 through the Arrowhead Manpower Resources. Now, he teaches math, science, and health at the Robert R. Gray Elementary School.

He received his degree in Education from Central Colleges of the Philippines, and in Elementary Education from Philippine Normal University. He later received a master's degree in English Language Teaching from Philippine Normal University as well.

He is also a student at Loyola University, where he plans to complete his master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, Science Cohort in June 2010.

Among his accomplishments are being: science coordinator/grade level chairman at Robert Gray Elementary School. He has been the facilitator of Program for International Educators (2007-2008, 2008-2009), science curriculum writer (2007-2008, 2008-2009), English coordinator/Marist School Faculty and Employees Association president-Marist School, Philippines (2002-2005).

The principal at the Robert R. Gray Elementary School also praised Sayasa for being a “master teacher” who spends “countless hours” planning and preparing his teaching day.

“His lessons are vibrant and tap into various learning styles to reach all learners. The technology he utilizes in instruction each day encourages students to stay focused in anticipation of the wonderful concepts they will learn next. He has proven himself to be a leader in our schoolâ€"one who never turns down an opportunity to assist a colleague. Further, Mr. Sayasa is a lifelong learner, which demonstrates how he is able to present information in such a wonderful way with our children,” according to the principal’s message also posted on the Prince George’s County website.

A private school here has agriculture curriculum to help out students get a grasp of the life cycle of plants and rice.

The Temple Hill International School (T.H.I.S.) wants to help students get a deeper understanding about the food processes from germination to transplanting and watching them grow and caring for them until harvest time.

“Although farming is part of the curriculum, they don’t get grades from planting rice. It is an extra subject,” high school principal Mebruhtu Zemui Tesfazghi said. “They plant rice as a group, but they raise vegetables individually,” he added.

Among the plants the students grow in the verdant plots are squash, onion, pandan, eggplants, taragon tea, patola (gourd) and sweet potatoes or kamote.

The philosophy behind this is to help students acquire a deeper understanding about the life cycle of plants and rice.

Later, seeds are gathered from the new harvests to be used for the next planting season.

Students are not only taught to plant and harvest rice but to cook it as well, along with the abundant vegetable harvests. (PNA) DCT/JCA

John G. Is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day.

John has a granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants. Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over.

Having lost both roommates due to their financial difficulties, Ashley recently ran short of cash and cannot pay the rent (again) on her 3 bedroom townhouse.  Like she has done many times in the past, she e-mailed her grandfather asking for some financial help.

Here is his reply:
Sweetheart, I received your request for assistance.

Ashley, you know I love you dearly and I 'm sympathetic to your financial plight.  Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own..."The Ashley Economic Empowerment Plan."  Let me explain.

Your grandmother and I are life-long, wage-earning tax payers.  We have lived a comfortable life, as you know, but we have never had the fancier things like European vacations, luxury cars, etc.  We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon.  But the plan has changed.  Your president is raising our personal and business taxes significantly.  He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people.  Do you know what this means, Ashley?  It means less for us, and we must cut back on many business and personal expenses.

You know the wonderful receptionist who worked in my office for more than 23 years?  The one who always gave you candy when you came over to visit?  I had to let her go last week.  I can't afford to pay her salary and all of the government mandated taxes that go with having employees.  Your grandmother will now work 4 days a week to answer phones, take orders and handle the books.  We will be closed on Fridays and will lose even more income to the Wal-Mart.

I'm also very sorry to report that your cousin Frank will no longer be working summers in the warehouse.  I called him at school this morning.  He already knows about it and he's upset because he will have to give up skydiving and his yearly trip to Greenland to survey the polar bears.

That's just the business side of things.  Some personal economic effects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you.  You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc., etc.  But by your vote, you have chosen to help others -- not at your expense -- but at our expense.

If you need money now sweetheart, I recommend you call 202-456-1111.  That is the direct phone number for the White House.  You can also contact the White House here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ .
You yourself told me how foolish it is to vote Republican.  You said Mr Obama is going to be the People's President, and is going to help every American live a better life.  Based on everything you've told me, along with all the promises we heard during the campaign, I'm sure Mr. Obama will be happy to transfer some stimulus money into your bank account.  Have him call me for the account number which I memorized years ago.

Perhaps you can now understand what I've been saying all my life: those who vote for a president should consider the impact on the nation as a whole, and not be just concerned with what they can get for themselves.  What Obama supporters don't seem to realize is all of the money he is redistributing to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (the so-called "less fortunate") comes from tax-paying families.

Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"?  Well guess what, honey? Because we own a business, your grandmother and I are now considered to be the richest of the rich.  On paper, it might look that way, but in the real world, we are far from it.

As you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper.  You understand what that means, right?  It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money; less money for everything, including granddaughters.

I'm sorry, Ashley, but the well has run dry. The free lunches are over.  I have no money to give you now. So, congratulations on your choice for "change."  For future reference, I encourage you to try and add up the total value of the gifts and cash you have received from us, just since you went off to college, and compare it to what you expect to get from Mr. Obama over the next 4 (or years.  I have not kept track of it, Ashley.  It has all truly been the gift of our hearts.
Remember, we love you dearly....but from now on you'll need to call the number mentioned above.  Your "Savior" has the money we would have given to you. Just try and get it from him.

Good luck, sweetheart.

Love, Grandpa

Senator Manuel Villar Jr. has downplayed the investigation of the Senate on his C5 properties, saying his group is not recognizing any committee that conducted or will conduct the investigation.

“It is purely a political issue and maneuvering concocted by my political enemies in the Senate out to destroy me and my chances for the Presidency. There is no need for closure of this kind of investigation” Villar said in Iloilo City on Sunday while attending the Dinagyang Festival highlighted activities here.

He said he had shown to the media the controversial road project and insisted those were two different projects constructed under the supervision of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

If it passed his property, the same road project also passed the properties of the family of other presidentiable senator, particularly senator Noynoy Aquino, Villar said.

The Nacionalista Party presidential standard bearer, his vice presidentiable, senator Loren Legarda and senatoriables Bongbong Marcos, Gilbert Remulla and Adel Tamano witnessed the holding of the world-famous festival.

Other national politicians , who showed their faces to more than two million crowd that witnessed the Dinagyang, included presidentiable senator Richard Gordon and his runningmate, former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando, senators Mar Roxas and Bong Revilla, senatoriables Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, Ramon Guico, Riza Baraquel, Satur Ocampo, Tito Sotto and Neric Acosta.

On the other hand, his close partymate Tamano said the public had moved on since the witnesses proved the innocence of Villar regarding the controversial road project.

Remulla said the Senate investigation was all about politics and Villar’s political rivals who do not want to see Villar’s rise in the surveys.

Remulla also said that the Senate investigation was never about the truth but purely about ruining the name of Villar and imperil his chances for the Presidency. (PNA)

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said on Monday that the P1.8 billion infrastructure projects in the farm communities of Mindanao are in full swing.

DAR officials said the infrastructure projects are through the Mindanao Settlement Area Development Project (MinSSAD).

The MinSSAD Project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is a DAR-Foreign assisted project that extended its support services to its target settlement areas to help combat poverty, as well as to ensure viable and sustainable growth and development among the farmer-beneficiaries.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser C. Pangandaman said since its beginning in September 2001, MinSSAD project implemented 756 infrastructure projects in 123 barangays in Region 10, 11 and 13. MinSSAD has ended last year and will be renewed.

Pangandaman said the infrastructure projects include 107 farm-to-market roads, 50 bridges, 27 irrigation facilities, 36 potable water supply, 111 post harvest facilities, 96 barangay health stations, 218 school classrooms, 91 multi-purpose pavements and 20 multi-purpose buildings.

The DAR chief said foreign-assisted projects like MinSSAD play important role in implementing Republic Act 9700 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program extension with reform (CARPer).

“CARPer is not only about land distribution but also empowering our farmers nationwide through support service,” Pangandaman said.

Republic Act (RA) 9700 or CARPer, which was signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last year amended certain provisions of RA 6657 to further strengthen CARP and extend it for five more years.

Mayor Benglen Ecleo of San Jose, Dinagat Island, one of the municipalities which benefited from MinSSAD projects, said his constituents are very lucky to receive such support services.

“Our farmers from remote areas have now access to better livelihood opportunities,” Ecleo added.

Pangandaman said three regions with their six provinces were recipients. These include Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte.

“DAR is very greatful to the Japanese government for helping our department in providing our farmers an opportunity to uplift their economic lives. Through their infrastructure projects, they helped us improve the mobility and accessibility of the settlement communities to a wider market,” he said. (PNA)

Here's good news for Parañaque City residents who are on the lookout for employment opportunities.

The city government will facilitate a one-day job-hiring for the SM branches in the city where different positions will be available.

According to Mayor Florencio M. Bernabe Jr., the activity will be coordinated by the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) of the Parañaque Livelihood Resource Management Office (PLRMO) headed by Doris Marquez.

The office has been credited with providing employment opportunities as well as livelihood training for local residents.

“This is a good opportunity for our constituents who are trying to find employment. We urge them to apply for the various vacant positions in the different SM branches,” Bernabe said.

The mayor added that he will continue to implement more policies and programs that will generate more jobs and livelihood opportunities for the city residents.

Positions for college graduates and undergraduates will be available. Among these are for clerk/cashiers, sales clerks, sales/utility/stock clerks, office assistants, inventory assistants and gift wrapping staff.

Applicants must submit their bio-data to PESO-PLRMO located at the Simplicio Cruz Compound in Barangay San Isidro (behind Uniwide Sucat) on or before January 25, 2010. They must undergo a job process orientation as well as the initial screening and interview procedures of the PESO-PLRMO.

Subsequent interviews of pre-qualified applicants will be made in the different SM branches as follows: SM Super Market (South Mall; Manila; Makati and Harrison Plaza) (January 27); SM Mall Of Asia (January 28); and SM Sucat (January 29), all starting simultaneously at 8 a.m.

For more information, applicants can visit or call the Public Employment Service Office of the Parañaque Livelihood Resource Management Office at 820-6527/28. (PNA)

To encourage students in promoting academic excellence, culture and arts in the country, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Dr. Emmanuel Angeles said the commission will hold its first ever Academic and Cultural Festival to be held at the University of the Philippines from March 1 to 5 this year.

Angeles said if the event will be successful, he plans to take it to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) education council and make it an annual event for promoting culture and arts in the region.

“We will gather all the best performing students in each country that will represent their schools in the competition. It will be a chance for different educational institutions to market themselves as well as promote academic excellence in their country,” he said.

“We want to hone the students’ talents and competencies in a healthy, physically and intellectually-stimulating environment and developing the students’ discipline, hard work, and love for the country and his fellowmen," he added.

Angeles pointed that the would-be annual festival will provide public and private college students a chance to compete in various events in the areas of academics and culture.

For academic competitions, students will battle with their minds in the impromptu speech, oration, poetry interpretation, story telling, debate, science, math and computer quizzes.

On the other hand, cultural competitions will include awit saya (vocal solo and vocal duet), sayawitan (choir), tipa at tugtugan (solo instrument), likhawit (song writing), sayaw Pinoy (Philippine creative folk and ethnic dance), and ginoo at binibining pamantasan (pageant).

Angeles said 17 regions in the country will participate in the event. Around 819 student representatives will compete for the cultural category while some 221 will compete for the academic events.

“We believe that this kind of competition brings out the best in every contestant. That is why we will strictly monitor the qualification of each contestant, including the grades. No one with failing grades would be allowed to join the competition even if they have the talent and skills,” he said. (PNA)

House Deputy Majority Leader and Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo M. Angara on Sunday lauded the approval on third and final reading of the cybercrime bill which imposes stiffer penalties for violators.

Angara, one of the principal authors of House Bill 6794 or the proposed “Cybercrime Prevention Act”, at the same time appealed to the Senate to give and exert the same enthusiasm as that of the House’s in passing a measure that will protect the citizenry from the rising incidents of illegal, malicious and life-threatening acts committed through the use of the Internet, cellular phones and other computer devices.

Angara, a lawyer, said with the advent of technology, even government databases are some of the principal victims of these types of crimes.

He stressed legislation against cybercrime should be in place for the prevention, apprehension and prosecution of cybercrimes.

“The country must have a significant piece of legislation which would particularly prohibit and penalize the taking, uploading and distribution of sex videos,” Angara said.

The proposed Anti-Cybercrime bill defines various forms of cybercrime offenses and prescribes corresponding punishments.

These offenses include hacking, identity theft, phishing, spamming, website defacement, denial-of-service attacks, malware such as the infamous ILOVEYOU virus, child pornography and cyber prostitution.

The punishable acts listed under measure, which protects confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data and systems; include illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference and misuse of devices.

This shall also cover computer-related offenses such as computer forgery, computer-related fraud, cybersex, child pornography, unsolicited commercial communications and other offense such as aiding or abetting the commission of cybercrime.
(PNA)

A Mindanao lady solon has sought for the establishment of women’s desks in barangay halls, amid a new survey indicating that more Filipino women, mostly from poor households, are suffering from domestic violence.

"We should have a desk in every barangay dedicated to receiving complaints from women and children. The desk should be handled either by a barangay councilwoman, or a deputized female social worker or guidance counselor," said Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Talino-Mendoza.

"This a sensible approach to the reported rise in physical and sexual attacks on women at home," the lady solon said, adding that barangay councils should not take lightly any potential offenses or threats against women and children.

Talino-Mendoza said the barangay women's desks would complement, not duplicate parallel desks now active in most police stations.

"The desks will definitely encourage more victims to come forward, and help deter potential abuses," she said.

"Many victims of physical and sexual abuse may be more willing to initially complain to the barangay, rather than the nearest police station," she added.

Talino-Mendoza said poverty-stricken women lacking formal schooling are also more likely to complain once they know that they can talk to a barangay officer who is also a woman.

In fact, she said, "the barangay women's desk can support the preliminary evidence-gathering, including the referral of victims to clinics or hospitals for medical examination, and later endorse the filing of complaints with the nearest police station."

The latest National Demographic and Health Survey revealed the increasing number of Filipino women suffering from physical and sexual violence.

According to the poll, one in five Filipino women aged 15 to 49 has experienced physical violence since age 15.

The survey also indicated that 26 percent of women with no education, 27 percent of women with primary education, and 14 percent of women with college or higher schooling have experienced physical violence. - PNA

The Philippine Atmospheric and Geophysical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Sunday the country would really feel the effects of snow melting in the North Pole due to global warming as it would result to more super typhoons and flooding.

Speaking at the Tinapayan news forum in Sampaloc, Manila, Dr. Prisco Nilo, director of the PAGASA weather bureau, said global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, thus causing seas and oceans to expand.

“Waters from snow melts expand sea water and may even reach as far as the Pacific Ocean," he said.

He said there is possibility that typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” will happen again in other parts of the Philippines if not in Metro Manila.

Nilo said the CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela areas) is usually hit by flooding.

“The Camanava is usually under flood water. Global warming will worsen the situation,” he said.

Nilo said there is a need for the government to implement further mitigating measures to lessen the effect of global warming.

Nilo also appealed to the public to fully cooperate with the government to mitigate the effects of global warming.

“Each of everyone of us can do our share to help the government to deal global warming. Information drive is really important,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nilo said the country will feel the “El Nino” drought until June. “Some parts of the country will only feel the El Nino for about four months while some around five to six months.”

He recalled that the country experienced encountered water shortage due to effect of the drought.

“Sometime in 1997-1998, we encountered water rationing and we may encounter the same experience if we don’t prepare for this,” he warned.

Nilo said the PAGASA has stepped up its information drive to the public regarding El Nino. (PNA)

A woman died when she was hit by a motorcycle while she was trying to cross the Elliptical Road on her way to the Quezon Memorial Circle in Diliman, Quezon City on Sunday, police reported.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) traffic enforcement unit (TEU) identified the fatality as Elizabeth Valera, a resident of E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City.

Initial investigation showed Valera had just alighted from a passenger jeepney and was trying to cross Elliptical Road from the corner of Commonwealth Avenue when she was bumped by a speeding motorcycle driven by Arturo Castillo, 43.

Valera's co-passengers said they overheard her saying "the pedestrian underpass and overpass is very far to walk to," so she attempted to cross Elliptical Road, but she was hit by the blue-colored motorcycle.

The motorcycle driver was arrested and detained at the QCPD-TEU office on Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue. (PNA)

By Perfecto T. Raymundo Jr.

MANILA, Jan. 25 (PNA) -- Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Agnes Devanadera on Monday said that criminal charges being prepared by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against Jason Aguilar Ivler has been set for filing on Friday, Jan. 29.

Ivler is the suspect in the road rage shooting incident that killed the son of Undersecretary Renato Ebarle, Sr. on November 18, 2009.

He is also the suspect in the road rage incident that killed Undersecretary Mariano Ponce, Jr. in 2005.

"As of Friday (Jan. 22), we were still preparing the charges for Jason Ivler and may be filed Friday (Jan. 29)," Devanadera stressed.

Ivler was arrested in their residence in Blue Ridge, Quezon City last Monday (January 18).

Among the charges faced by Ivler are murder, direct assault, resisting arrest, frustrated murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

"After the charges have been filed, Ivler will have to go to jail from the hospital," Devanadera said.

Ivler sustained bullet wounds after shooting it out with NBI agents when he was being arrested and he was rushed to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) in Quezon City where he is now confined.

Two NBI agents were also injured during the shootout.

"NBI is still trying to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to charge the bodyguard of Jason mentioned by Jason's mother," Devanadera pointed out.

Marlene Aguilar-Pollard, Jason's mother, claimed that it was Jason's bodyguard who was involved in the road rage shooting incident that resulted to the death of Renato Ebarle, Jr. last November 18.

Amidst reports that refined sugar prices in some Metro Manila outlets had reached a high of P60 a kilo, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has directed a programmed importation of up to 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar at zero tariff through the tax expenditure subsidy (TES) of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure sufficient buffer stock at the end of the sugar milling season.

"We are waiting for the Executive Order that will authorize NFA to undertake the sugar importation," said Yap.

He said the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) will determine the eligible importers and the imported sugar will be allocated for industrial users, household consumers, institutional users and food processors.

"Customs Bonded Warehouse (CBW) operators or food processors who are exporters of sugar-based products can also import directly since they already enjoy a zero tariff on their importations under the Tariff and Customs Code," he added.

Yap also directed the SRA to submit a suggested retail price (SRP) for the commodity.

"The consuming public should be informed about the SRP for sugar to prevent overpricing by speculators and unscrupulous wholesalers and retailers who are taking advantage of the current sugar situation," he said.

Based on a report by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), the prevailing price of refined sugar is P52 per kilo and P 44 a kilo on raw or brown sugar.

SRA Administrator Rafael Coscolluela earlier recommended a weekly SRP for refined sugar.

"Millgate prices change every week and there is a lag time of three weeks before these prices are reflected in the retail market," he explained.

The SRA has recommended a P52 a kilo for refined sugar until the end of January.

Prices are expected to rise to P54/kilo for the first week of February, reflecting an increase in average millgate buying prices to P1,900 per 50-kilo bag of raw sugar.

Coscolluela said SRA will submit to the DA and and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) a weekly recommended SRP for sugar based on monitored millgate prices.

"If we impose an SRP which is not reflective of millgate prices, we could see a tightening of sugar supply in the retail market. But we also don’t want to see the public victimized by overpricing," he said. (PNA)

In an event dubbed as A Night of Love and Memories, the University of Bohol has tendered a memorable tribute to honor its immediate past president Atty. David B. Tirol at Garden Square, Panglao Island Nature Resort, Panglao Bohol last Friday.

Members of the board of trustees, academic and administrative councils, faculty, employees, guests and the immediate family of the honoree were all in attendance to grace the affair.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Lumin T. Pamaran, VP for Academics highlighted some significant contributions of Atty. David Tirol as university president. During his presidency, UB emerged as one of the country's premiere university and employee friendly. The school was abled to forged close partnership with non-government and people's organizations in community development and likewise strengthened the school's working scholars program to help the poor but deserving students to continue their studies.          
During the testimonials, Mrs. Emma Circulado-Castillo former GSP provincial executive and student of Atty. David Tirol, remembered the honoree as a brilliant and dedicated professor. Dean Liberato H. Lupot, Jr. of the College of Engineering described the former president as sincere, fatherly and a man who is determined to succeed. On the other hand Dr. Ammon Dennis Tirol, son, exalted Atty. Tirol as an ideal father who is always willing to sacrifice himself for the welfare of his children.

In response, former president David Tirol expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude to the whole UB family. In retrospect, he reminisced the humble beginning of the institution as then Rafael Palma College. Having served the school for 59 years, Atty. Tirol traced back his first job as stenography instructor in 1950 when he was 17 years of age. Through the years he rose to higher ranks until he became university president succeeding his father Atty. Victoriano Tirol, Sr.

As a retiree, Atty. Tirol continues to look forward to the future of the university he once served. "UB does not belong to anyone of us, but to the larger community. UB does not only exist for today but also to the future", Tirol pointed out. He emphatically expressed his confidence and thrust that the university will continue to soar with the stewardship of the incumbent president Atty. Victoriano B. Tirol, Jr, his younger brother and former regional director of DepEd. (L.A.Boncales)

Alba movie auditions end Tuesday

Auditions for a movie to be filmed entirely in the province will be finalized Tuesday at JJ's Dimsum this city.

The movie which stars actor-director Cesar Montano, Sunshine Cruz, Juliana Palermo and others will be directed by Boholano RD Alba. Aspirants are enjoined to come at JJs Dimsum at 3 p.m. The movie will start shooting soon.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo opened on Sunday the Cansaga Bay Bridge, one of the vital infrastructure projects of the administration designed to propel growth and development in the island province of Cebu.

In her welcome remarks, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the P2.3-billion bridge will sustain the status of Cebu as the center of commerce and trade in Central Visayas, thanks to the current administration.

The bridge, she said, will forever serve as testimony to the President’s unparalleled support, unparalleled care for the province of Cebu.

In his project briefing, Public Works Secretary Victor Domingo told the President that the bridge was completed seven months ahead of schedule in compliance to her order.

Fifteen towns in the northern part of the province stand to benefit directly from the heightened economic activities that the bridge is expected to bring about.

The bridge is 9.45 kilometers long. It spans coastal barangays of the towns of Consolacion and Liloan and Mandaue City on the western seaboard of Cebu.

In her 2007 State-of-the-Nation Address, the President described the bridge, then undergoing construction, as one of the important infrastructure projects of her administration, one that would serve as gateway to the island’s northern portion.

(PNA) -- The fully-grown marijuana plants and seedlings uprooted by lawmen in continuing operations since January 20 in the hinterlands located in the tri-boundaries of Ilocos Sur, La Union and Benguet were now estimated to reach some P1 billion

This was disclosed on Sunday by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 1 Director Roberto Opeña who considered it as the biggest haul scored by lawmen throughout the country ever since.

He confirmed that the operations in the mountainous areas in the boundaries of the three provinces already uprooted and destroyed some three million fully-grown marijuana plants and several thousands of seedlings as well as seeds.

All these were robustly growing in about 14 hectares of marijuana plantations tilled by several people, one of whom was arrested at the site, Opena said.

The computation of the estimated worth of the destroyed marijuana plants was based on the guidelines set by the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB) which set the value of one kilo of fully-grown marijuana plant at P300.

“So far, this is considered as the biggest marijuana haul in a single operation in the entire country,” Opeña said.

According to Opeña, the estimated amount of destroyed marijuana plants is still expected to increase as the uprooting operations being conducted by joint elements of the PDEA, Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have not stopped.

The troopers were transported to the site by two helicopters from the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

“We are still expecting additional reports about the operations tomorrow (Monday) while we are awaiting the arrival of the other members of the teams from the plantation site,” he said

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has impliedly recognized the authority and obligation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appoint the replacement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno when he retires on May 17, 2010.

Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the JBC has done so by opening the nomination process to prepare a shortlist of possible replacements.

“The JBC is chaired by no less than the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” Bello pointed out in an interview on the governmentâ€"owned radio station DZRB. “So when it submits to the President the list of nominees, that is an implied recognition of the authority and power of the President to make the appointment.”

Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez had disclosed that JBC, in an en banc meeting on Jan. 18, unanimously voted to open the nomination for the still-to-be vacated position of chief justice.

Under the Constitution, Bello stressed, the President has the power and obligation to appoint the chief justice and associate justices of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Sandiganbayan. (PNA)

Argao, Cebu: The late Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was laid to rest here, in his hometown, thus closing the final chapter of the storied career of a poor country boy who achieved his dreams through hard work, perseverance, and, most of all, faith in God.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo joined Marit Remonde, nee Stinus of Denmark, family members, friends, provincial and town officials, and people of all walks of life in the funereal march to the public cemetery Sunday afternoon.

Interment took place after the 12:30 p.m. mass at the St. Michael Archangel, a church built in the 15th century.

The late Press secretary had been given full military honors and welcomed to the church with the tolling of the bells. He was earlier conferred the rank of lieutenant colonel in the reserve force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The officiating priest, Msgr. Cris Garcia, recalled that for the past 20 years, he and Remonde had ridden the galleon float together in the procession on the eve of the feast of the Señor Sto. Nino de Cebu.

According to the priest, he could observe the man’s devotion and strong faith in God as he intently prayed every time.

At the mass, Mrs. Remonde spoke to tell her husband’s townmates and friends that the man she met and married 17 years ago, "was then broke but had strong conviction to attain his dreams."

“And he shared his dreams with me. I know Cerge was able to live all those dreams. Whenever he went, whatever he did, whatever conviction he held, he always did it differently than anybody else. He always made an impact. He always touched more lives than anybody else,” the widow said.

For his part, Hemres Alburo, thanked the public for the outpouring of love and support and the President for trusting his half-brother enough to make him a member of her Cabinet.

Among those present at the mass and interment were Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, and Cebu officials led by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu congressmen and Argao Mayor Edsel Galeos.

It was Gen. Victor Ibrado, AFP chief of staff, who entered the name of the deceased in the roster of reserve officers in ceremonies held at the President Diosdado Macapagal Sports Complex.

The long line of people coming to view the body had to give way temporarily to the conferment rites.

Mrs. Remonde and Alburo received the uniform and insignia.

At the necrological rites on Saturday night, Mayor Edcel Galeos, a childhood friend, said “the people of Argao will always remember Cerge as a humble and hardworking man who did not let poverty get in the way.”

His father, Teofilo, was a bus conductor who died when he was an 11-month-old baby. His mother Florencia, who died last year, was a market vendor.

“Although the people of Argao are in deep mourning, they at the same time are celebrating the wonderful and exemplary life of Cerge, who serves as a beacon of hope to future generations,” Galeos said.

The 200 students who received scholarships through the intercession of the late press secretary promised to work just as hard to finish their college courses.

“Your success is our inspiration,” said Rebekah Navales, one of the students. (PNA)

When a teenager named Poh Fang learned about Jesus’ love for her and received Him as her Savior, her parents weren’t sure about the merits of Christianity. So they sent her older sister with her to church to keep an eye on her. But something happened that they didn’t expect. The powerful Word of God penetrated the heart of the older sister, and she accepted Jesus as her Savior as well.

The psalmist said of the Word of God, “Your precepts . . . have given me life” (Ps. 119:93). That’s the testimony of Poh Fang and her sister and of all who know Christ as Savior. His Word is “powerful . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

God’s Word shows us our sin and its consequences: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23); “the wages of sin is death” (6:23). It tells us of God’s love and salvation: “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, . . . made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Eph. 2:4-5). And it gives wisdom for daily living: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).

Thank You, Lord, for Your powerful Word, which gives us life and direction for daily living.  â€" Anne Cetas

The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
’Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime. â€"Lillenas

Many books inform, but only one transformsâ€" the Bible.

Have you ever felt like giving up? Elijah did. The Lord had just used him to show the nation of Israel that the Lord is God (1 Kings 18). Yet, the threats of Queen Jezebel so alarmed him that he ran to Beersheba, 100 miles south (19:3). Then he walked another 150 miles south to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Twice God asked Elijah what he was doing there (vv.9,13). Both times he answered with identical wordsâ€"“I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (vv.10,14). He had become so preoccupied with his own fears that he had forgotten what God had done through him at Mount Carmel. Despite his great victory, Elijah plunged into the depths of discouragement. How easy it is for us to do the same.

God did not accept Elijah’s notice that he was quitting. Instead, He commissioned his tired servant to handle three major tasks (vv.15-17). And by the way, Elijah was wrong when he said he was the only faithful one left. God had 7,000 others who had not bowed to Baal (v.18).

Perhaps, like Elijah, you are despairing at the circumstances in your life. Let God speak to you (v.12). Instead of allowing you to quit, He will show you what you can do through His strength.  â€" C. P. Hia

Our strength and hope is in the Lordâ€"
We rest secure in His sure Word;
And though we’re tempted to despair
We know we’re kept within His care. â€"D. De Haan

When you’re working for Jesus, it’s always too soon to quit.

It would have been simpler just to buy a new hair dryer. But determined to save a buck, I decided to fix it myself. In order to loosen the screw that was buried deep in the handle, I took out the ultimate handyman’s helperâ€"my pocket knife. As I put pressure on the knife to turn the screw, the blade folded backâ€"on my finger.

I learned a lesson that day: I love myself. And I am urgent about meeting my needs. There was no thought of, “Well, I don’t really have time to stop the bleeding now. I’ll get to it later.” Also, there was a tenderness about how the need was met. I instructed my first-aid team (my wife and kids) to wash my finger gently and then to put the bandage on in a way that would avoid having the hairs on my finger pulled up when it was removed. My thoughts, words, and actions were driven by my love for myself.

To love “your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) requires the same urgent kind of love. It’s a love that notices the need of another person and won’t rest until it’s been met. It’s a gentle, tender love that thinks and acts carefully. It’s the sacrificial and compassionate love that a nameless Samaritan had for a fallen traveler. It’s the kind of love God wants to share with your neighbors through you.  â€" Joe Stowell

Lord, help me see the heartfelt needs
Of those within my care,
And grant that through my words and deeds
Your love with them I’ll share. â€"D. De Haan

You cannot touch your neighbor’s heart with anything less than your own.

At the age of 16, pianist Leon Fleisher made his formal debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He went on to win prestigious international competitions and played in the world’s finest concert halls. But at the age of 37, Fleisher was struck with dystonia, a neurological condition that crippled his right hand. After a period of despondency and withdrawal, he turned to teaching and conducting, because, as he said, he loved music more than he loved the piano.

When our dreams are shattered, how do we react? After Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold as a slave by his brothers (Gen. 37:12-36), he could have given in to self-pity and self-indulgence. Instead, Joseph remained true to the Lord. Four times in Genesis 39, we read that “the Lord was with” Joseph (vv.2-3,21,23), and his actions revealed his own faithfulness to God. By his exemplary life, those he served in Egypt recognized God’s presence with him.

Do we love God more than our own dreams? Although Joseph must have grieved the loss of his past and what his life could have been, the Lord led him to a calling he had never imagined. Today, the Lord longs to lead us. Are we willing to be redirected by Him?  â€" David C. McCasland

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away;
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way. â€"Overton

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. â€"Proverbs 16:9

Tiger Woods is clearly the greatest golfer of his generation. His ability to perform under pressure and win is becoming legendary. Yet what motivates Woods is not just winning, it’s his passion for excellence. Despite his great success, Tiger has repeatedly refined his swing in an ongoing effort to improve his game and be a better golfer. His desire for excellence leaves him never satisfied.

The apostle Paul was also driven by a desire for excellenceâ€"but in his relationship with Christ. Paul, however, taught that we’re to have balance. While we’re never to be satisfied with our spiritual progress, we’re always to be content in Christ.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul expressed both realities. While writing from prison, he declared his contentment with life’s circumstances, entrusting them to God’s care (Phil. 4:11). Nevertheless, he refused to be satisfied with his own spiritual progress. He did not count himself to have “apprehended” (to have arrived and achieved it all). Instead, he was committed to pressing on toward the goal (3:13-14).

Learning to balance contentment with a desire for excellence may be the forgotten key to our ongoing spiritual growth and advancement.  â€" Bill Crowder

I give my life to You, O Lord,
To follow and obey;
Grant me contentment as I strive
For excellence each day. â€"Sper

Godliness with contentment is great gain. â€"1 Timothy 6:6

In 1955, when the South was still highly segregated, Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago, visited relatives in Mississippi. After Emmett “dared” to talk to a white woman, two white men brutally murdered him. An all-white, male jury found the two “not guilty”â€"after deliberating for barely an hour. The two men later confessed to the crime in a Life magazine article.

Following the verdict, Emmett’s mother said, “Two months ago I had a nice apartment in Chicago. I had a good job. I had a son. When something happened to Negroes in the South, I said, ‘That’s their business, not mine.’ Now I know how wrong I was. The murder of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of us all.”

Making another’s concerns our own is what Leviticus 19:18 calls us to do: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus quotes this verse and interprets it as not placing any limitations on loving those around us (Matt. 22:39; Luke 10:25-37). Our neighbor doesn’t just mean someone close by; it’s anyone who has a need. We are to care for others as we care for ourselves.

To love our neighbor means to make the persecution, suffering, and injustice of our fellow human beings our own. It is the business of all who follow Christ.  â€" Marvin Williams

For Further Thought
How can we be a good neighbor? Be respectful to all. Lend a hand. Volunteer. Join a neighborhood association. Speak up when others are treated unjustly.

In Psalm 139, David describes God as fashioning his tiny body together in the darkness of his mother’s womb. God loved David before he ever existed.

God designed the person David was to be, and He brought that person into being according to His predetermined plan. In this psalm, David used the intriguing metaphor of a journal in which God first wrote His plan and then brought that plan into fruition through His handiwork in the womb: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written” (v.16).

Put another way, David was shaped by his heavenly Father’s love into a unique creation. He came from the inventive heart and hand of God. What was true of David is true of you. You are specialâ€"along with everyone else in the world.

This being true, we must be pro-life in the purest sense of the word. We are to respect and cherish all human life: the born and those still in the womb; winsome children and weary seniors; the wealthy executive and the financially destitute. All persons are unique productions of our Creator’s genius. With David, let’s exclaim: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (139:14).  â€" David H. Roper

By God’s wise designing
We are wonderfully made,
Every part essential
And in perfect balance laid. â€"Anon.
All life is created by God and bears His autograph.

- Our Daily Bread

Barbara Mertz has a complaint about Egypt’s Pharaoh Ramses II. In her book Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs, archaeologist Mertz writes, “One gets so tired of Ramses; his face, his figure, and/or his name are plastered over half the wall surfaces still standing in Egyptâ€"at least it seems that way.” Insatiably thirsty for glory, Ramses reveled in Egyptian religion, which taught that the pharaoh was divine.

Contrast Ramses’ desire for glory with the attitude of Paul and Barnabas. On one of their missionary journeys, they faced a situation during which they refused to accept vainglory. When a crowd in the idolatrous city of Lystra saw them heal a crippled man, the people exclaimed, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” (Acts 14:11). They immediately prepared animals to sacrifice in honor of Paul and Barnabas. But the two quickly objected, saying, “We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God” (v.15).

We do not rival the apostles in our accomplishments for God, but we all have things we do for Him. It’s then that we must be “glory deflectors,” making sure God gets all the glory for everything we have done.  â€" Dennis Fisher

- Our Daily Bread

A year ago today, 155 people on US Airways Flight 1549 thought they were going to die. During take-off from New York City, their plane struck a flock of geese, disabling both engines. In a powerless glide, the captain maneuvered over the densely populated area, then announced: “Brace for impact.” Less than 90 seconds later, the crippled plane made a water landing in the frigid Hudson River, where boats and ferries quickly arrived to rescue the passengers and crew, all of whom survived. People called it the “miracle on the Hudson” and praised the pilot and crew. One grateful passenger said simply, “We have a second chance in life.”

In times of crisis, we grasp the importance of every hour. During our ordinary routine, however, we often forget that each day is a second chance. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’ ” (Lam. 3:22-24).

We can choose to live with thankfulness for God’s mercy and grace, with confidence in His faithful care, and with hope because He is with us forever. Today, God offers us a second chance in life. Let’s make the most of it!  â€" David C. McCasland, Our Daily Bread

As shadows of night give way to dawn’s light,
God opens the door to a brand-new day;
And with it come mercies from His gracious hand
For giving new mercies is always His way. â€"D. De Haan

For hundreds of years, windmills around the world have been used to pump water and to process grains. But in the last few decades, as wind turbines producing electricity have become more prevalent, a “fly in the ointment” unexpectedly occurred.

Researchers discovered that windpower generators worked fine at slow speeds, but at high-wind velocity, bugs on the blades reduced power output. Operators found that it was necessary to regularly wash off the buildup of dead insects to avoid having them slowly decrease the turbine’s power.

A buildup of sin in a Christian’s life can be a problem as well. God has provided a way to clear the accumulation of sins from our lives. First John 1:9 reminds us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But unless we do that often, we’ll be running on diminished power. That’s because the power for living comes from God and not us (2 Cor. 4:7). When we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we’ll feel defeatedâ€"like windmills robbed of their energy.

God’s power can be more easily seen and experienced in our lives when we get rid of sin’s buildup every day.  â€" Cindy Hess Kasper, Our Daily Bread

The recent global financial crisis caused people to pay closer attention to their credit report. When credit was easy to get, some people became careless about how they used it. They didn’t bother to save for what they wanted; they just borrowed. Being in debt was no big deal. But in a crisis, that is no longer the case. Having good credit is suddenly very important.

After an advertisement for a credit repair service, a local newscaster said, “Credit repair isn’t something you can buy; it’s something you have to work for.”

The same principle applies to the credibility of our lives. We can’t buy it; it’s something we have to work for. We may be able to “borrow” credibility for a while by associating ourselves with credible people, but sooner or later we will need our own.

Credibility has to do with the ability to elicit belief. The reason it’s essential for Christians is that our lives affect God’s reputation (1 Peter 2:12). When we call ourselves by Christ’s name, His reputation is tied to ours. If people have reason not to believe us, they may not believe God.

The way to earn credibility is to live honorably. Then others will believe and glorify God.  â€" Julie Ackerman Link, Our Daily Bread

When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a black belt in karate. Several years ago, I began training and came close to fulfilling that goal. However, two belts away from my goal, I quit. There were two reasonsâ€"my teacher changed styles in the middle of my training, and I got so busy that I could not devote adequate time for training.

Almost every week, I am nagged by the thought that God wants me to be a finisher in all aspects of my lifeâ€"but especially in my service for Him.

As Paul spoke of the conclusion of his life, he did not have any nagging thoughts of unfinished business about his ministry. In this final farewell (2 Tim. 4:7), Paul used imagery-rich words to talk about finishing his service for Christ. He described his life and ministry in terms of a fight: “I have fought the good fight.” The fight was good because he had engaged in it for God and the gospel. Then he used the imagery of a race as synonymous with his ministry: “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul affirmed that by God’s grace he had finished all that God had given him to do.

As followers of Jesus, let us strive to be finishers, persevering in our service for Jesus Christ.  â€" Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread

Alyssa, who is 6 and just learning to read, often saw her parents and grandparents reading their Bibles in the morning. Early one day, she woke up before everyone else. Grandma found her sitting on the couch, with her Bible and a devotional booklet on her lap. She wanted to follow the example of spending time with God at the beginning of the day.

Timothy, a young pastor, faced heavy responsibilities in the church at Ephesusâ€"training believers, leading in worship, countering false doctrine. The older, experienced apostle Paul gave him instruction on leading the church in these areas, but he also mentioned the importance of personal conduct. He said, “Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Paul challenged Timothy: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine” (v.16). If he paid attention to his own spiritual life and to solid doctrine, he would be a godly example to the church family.

We all have others who are observing us. Even little Alyssa has younger siblings watching her. Let’s live our lives in such a way that those who follow our example will help others in their walk with God.  â€" Anne Cetas - Our Daily Bread

A new US assessment of Venezuela's oil reserves could give the country double the supplies of Saudi Arabia.

Scientists working for the US Geological Survey say Venezuela's Orinoco belt region holds twice as much petroleum as previously thought.

The geologists estimate the area could yield more than 500bn barrels of crude oil.

This assessment is far more optimistic than even the best case scenario put forward by President Hugo Chavez.

The USGS team gave a mean estimate of 513bn barrels of "technically recoverable" oil in the Orinoco belt.

Chris Schenk of the USGS said the estimate was based on oil recovery rates of 40% to 45%.

Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), Venezuela's state oil company, has not commented on the news.

However, Venezuelan oil geologist and former PDVSA board member Gustavo Coronel was sceptical.

"I doubt the recovery factor could go much higher than 25% and much of that oil would not be economic to produce", he told Associated Press news agency. - BBC

Parents across England and Wales could be told about sex offenders who may come into contact with their children.

The government is considering rolling out the scheme currently being trialled in Southampton, Warwickshire, north Cambridgeshire and Stockton-on-Tees.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said early results were "extremely encouraging" and the project had protected children.

"Sarah's Law" was proposed after the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by a convicted sex offender 10 years ago.

Sarah was kidnapped and murdered by Roy Whiting in West Sussex in 2000.

'Encouraging results'

Her mother, Sara, a child protection campaigner, told the News of the World: "In all the long years of campaigning for parents' rights to keep their children safe from predatory paedophiles, this is the most important development to date."

Under the measures, families will be able to ask police if someone with access to a child has convictions or has been previously suspected of abuse. - bbc

The new patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church has been enthroned at a ceremony in Belgrade, pledging to back Serbia's claims to Kosovo.

Patriarch Irinej said the Church's first duty was to help recover the breakaway province.

The 80-year-old is considered a moderate who is open to modernisation.

He has said he would not be opposed to Pope Benedict XVI visiting Serbia, suggesting a possible rapprochement with the Roman Catholic Church.

The service in Belgrade was the first part of a two-stage induction process, with a second ceremony due at Pec in western Kosovo.

"Our first duty as a Church is to safeguard our Kosovo, a holy and martyred land, to help our state to defend it from those who wish to seize it," Patriarch Irinej said in a speech after his enthronement on Saturday.

"Kosovo is our holy land, our Jerusalem," he added. "We must go to Pec to complete this ceremony, but can we visit our relics?

"Without them, Serbia is not Serbia, without Kosovo it is deprived of its heart and soul."

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.

The Serbian Orthodox Church has about 11 million members worldwide. - BBC

Stock markets have fallen sharply in response to far-reaching plans by US President Barack Obama to curb the activities of the biggest US banks.

The Dow Jones closed down 2%, its worst fall since October, while Japan's Nikkei closed at a three-week low.

Shares in major US banks Goldman Sachs and Bank of America all fell.

Mr Obama - who said he was "ready for a fight" with banks - plans to limit the size of banks and impose restrictions on risky trading.

"Never again will the American taxpayer be held hostage by banks that are too big to fail," Mr Obama said. - BBC

US stock markets have tumbled for a second consecutive day, on concern over President Obama's plan to revamp the US banking industry.

The Dow Jones plunged by 216 points, or 2%, to close at 10172.98, while the technology heavy Nasdaq fell by 2.6%, or 60 points, to finish at 2205.29.

The broader S&P 500 Index also sank by more than 2% to end at 1091.76.

Financial shares in both the US and Europe led the fall. Barclays dropped by 4%, while JPMorgan fell 3.4%.

Mr Obama - who said he was "ready for a fight" with banks - plans to limit their size and restrict risky trading.

"Never again will the American taxpayer be held hostage by banks that are too big to fail," Mr Obama said. - BBC

Prosecutors in Japan have questioned one of its most powerful politicians over an alleged funding scandal.

Ichiro Ozawa is considered a kingmaker in the ruling Democratic Party and is known in Japan as the "Shadow Shogun".

Police are investigating whether Mr Ozawa took bribes from construction firms to invest in property.

He submitted himself voluntarily to questioning and later issued a statement insisting he had not received any illegal funding.

Earlier this month three of Mr Ozawa's current or former aides were arrested on suspicion of improperly reporting donations.

But in his statement, Mr Ozawa said: "I have never received illegal money and I am sure neither have my office staffers."

Backroom bruiser

Mr Ozawa, 67, attend the questioning voluntarily at a Tokyo hotel.

He had not been obliged to do so but had come under mounting political pressure.

At issue is the purchase in 2004 of a plot of land in Tokyo for around $4m by Mr Ozawa's political fundraising organisation.

Prosecutors have been investigating the source of the money.

Reports in Japan say they suspect construction firms seeking public contracts may have been involved.

Mr Hatoyama has been standing by Mr Ozawa, who has huge influence in the party.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says Mr Ozawa is a backroom bruiser credited with masterminding the Democratic Party's victory in elections to the lower house of parliament in August. The win ended half a century of conservative dominance. - BBC

BBC News - Tanker spills oil off Texas coast after collision

Up to 450,000 gallons (1.7 million litres) of crude oil may have spilled from a tanker into a Texas port, the US Coast Guard says.

The spillage happened at Port Arthur, south-east Texas, following a collision between the tanker and a barge.

The port was closed and some nearby residents were evacuated for about seven hours.

There are no reports of any injuries resulting from the collision.

Researchers have developed a technique for precisely tracking the spread of the superbug MRSA in hospitals.

The team from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge looked at the genomes of MRSA strains from across the globe and at one hospital in Thailand.

They were able to spot small changes that allowed them to track the strain back to an individual patient.

They say this adds to the understanding of how MRSA can spread so rapidly and should lead to better treatments.

DNA sequencing

The research, which is published in the journal Science, involved teams in the UK, in Bath, Oxford and London, and Thailand, Portugal and the United States.

Scientists used new high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies to compare MRSA samples from patients to show how they were genetically related. - BBC

Film director Roman Polanski has lost his bid to be sentenced in a US court without having to return.

He faces an arrest warrant over his conviction, 32 years ago, for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

A judge ruled on Friday that Mr Polanski, 76, must be present in court if he wants to resolve the case.

Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza said he was acting to protect "the dignity of the court." Mr Polanski's lawyer said he would appeal the ruling.

Mr Polanski was arrested in Switzerland last September over his 1977 conviction for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

He left the US in 1978 before he could be sentenced and has never returned. - BBC

Organisers of the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon say it has raised more than $57m (£35m) for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Friday night's event set a new record for disaster relief telethons, said Lisa Paulsen, head of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

Some of the world's top celebrities took part in the broadcast from New York, Los Angeles, London and Haiti.

It was shown on all major US TV channels, YouTube and on MTV in the UK.

More than 100 Hollywood and music stars took part.

Some of them performed while others, including director Steven Spielberg, singer Stevie Wonder and TV star Ellen DeGeneres, took telephone pledges from viewers. - bbc

Motorola has asked US regulators to ban Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian firm behind the Blackberry, from importing its products into the US.

The phone company claims that the Blackberry maker has been illegally using its wi-fi related technology.

A court case is already pending in the US but Motorola has accused RIM of "delaying tactics".

Motorola has lodged its complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in the hope of a quicker result.

"Motorola has no choice but to file a complaint with the ITC to halt RIM's continued infringement" said Motorola's legal representative, Jonathan Meyer.

The ITC typically takes about a month to decide whether to launch an investigation, which takes 12 to 14 months to complete. It can't award damages but it can stop products from being shipped into the US.

The complaint stems from the two companies failing to renew a cross-licensing agreement. - BBC

BBC News - Engineers 'can learn from slime'

The way fungus-like slime moulds grow could help engineers design wireless communication networks.

Scientists drew this conclusion after observing a slime mould as it grew into a network that was almost identical to the Tokyo rail system.

The scientists describe their ideas for "biologically inspired networks" in the journal Science.

They have incorporated the slime mould's efficient strategy into a mathematical formula.

This "slime formula" could help engineers develop better, more efficient designs.

The "Obama effect" of a US president with African heritage and the 2010 World Cup are boosting tourism in Africa, industry experts say.

"There has been a shift in the way people look at Africa," says the head of the UN World Tourism Organisation.

"Africa is now considered a very serious destination for travellers from the major generating markets," Taleb Rifai told a conference in Madrid.

Last week UNWTO said Africa had "bucked the global trend" in tourism in 2009.

It was the only continent to see a rise in the number of international tourist arrivals last year - with travellers increasing by 5%.

That compared to fall of 4% worldwide, attributed to the economic crisis and the swine flu pandemic.

However Mr Rifai said Africa's share of the tourist market was still only 5% - or around 50 million tourists from a total of nearly 900 million.

Kenya's tourist board says that the fact that President Obama's father was from Kenya has led to an increase in Americans visiting the country. - BBC

UK companies should brace themselves for "a bumpy recovery", despite a fall in the number of profit warnings in the final quarter of 2009, a report says.

Accountancy company Ernst and Young says only 50 companies issued profit warnings in the fourth quarter, the lowest level in six years.

The firm said the economy had picked up quicker than expected but "2010 is when we start paying [for the recovery]".

Figures due out Tuesday are expected to show Britain has exited recession.

Experts predict the data will show the UK economy grew at about 0.4% in the three months to December 2009.

In January of last year the UK entered recession for the first time since 1991, after experiencing two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.

It is one of the last major economies still in recession, with the French and German economies exiting recession last summer. - BBC

Experts have told of their surprise after witnessing a rare "divorce" between a pair of swans at a Gloucestershire wildfowl sanctuary.

The Bewick's swans have returned to winter at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Slimbridge - but both have brought new partners.

It is only the second time in more than 40 years that a "separation" has been recorded at the centre.

Staff have described the new couplings as "bizarre".

It is not unheard of for the birds, which usually mate for life, to find a new mate but it tends to be because one of the pair has died, they said.

During the past four decades 4,000 pairs of Bewick's swans have been studied at Slimbridge, with only one previous couple moving on to find new partners. - BBC

By Ian Youngs
Music reporter, BBC News, in Cannes

The Black Eyed Peas were the victims of a blunder at France's top music awards, where they were mistakenly named best international group.

The stars were originally declared winners at the NRJ Awards in Cannes, but there were boos when it was later revealed that an error had been made.

German band Tokio Hotel were the real victors, it was announced.

Rihanna accepted the award for best international female after slipping off the stage following her performance.

Robbie Williams was there to pick up best international male as well as an honorary award, and performed his song Morning Sun.

Jay-Z, Mika, Michael Buble, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland also performed, while Beyonce was there to accept an honorary award.

The Black Eyed Peas did win best international song for I Gotta Feeling, with which they opened the ceremony.

But when US singer Kesha and French choreographer Kamel Ouali announced that they had also won best international group, the pair were embarrassed when nobody arrived to pick up the trophy.

Ouali later returned to apologise and explain that he had been confused because the card containing the winner also listed the other nominees and he had read the wrong name.

It follows a similar mistake last year, where Katy Perry accepted the trophy for best international song, which should have gone to Rihanna.

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds has won its biggest award so far after taking the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The World War II revenge drama took the prize for best performance by a cast, which included Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger and Christoph Waltz.

The best actor and best actress awards went to Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart and Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side.

The awards are seen as a pointer to the Oscars, which take place on 7 March.

The Screen Actors Guild honour adds to a string of awards for Tarantino's film.

Inglourious Basterds beat rival Precious to the accolade, while The Hurt Locker, British movie An Education and Nine were left empty-handed.

Waltz won the best supporting actor statuette for playing a manipulative Nazi officer in the movie.

Standing ovation

Bullock was recognised for her role as the mother in the true story of Michael Oher who is adopted from a deprived background by a privileged family and goes on to become a professional American footballer.

She said: "I was lucky that I wanted to better my work, and that I was given the opportunity." - BBC

The Venezuelan government has taken six cable television channels off the air for breaking a law on transmitting government material.

The privately owned RCTV International, openly opposed to President Hugo Chavez, is one of those affected.

On Saturday the government had ordered RCTV to televise a government message, but the channel refused to comply.

The communications director for RCTV, Gladys Zapain, told AFP there was "no prior notification" of the move.

Last week RCTV, along with 23 other cable channels, was redefined by the government as a national, rather than international broadcaster.

As such, the channels would now be expected to carry presidential addresses and government campaign material in what is an election year in Venezuela. - BBC

What do you intend to do to address the breakdown of moral values?

AQUINO
“The President should be the exemplar, enforce laws without fear or favor, become a facilitator for parents to teach children the proper morals. He should also be a facilitator and enabler for the churches to help correct the values system… However the president is not a miracle worker. To believe in that system is flawed.”

ESTRADA
“Along the way, we have lost the love of country. That’s why among our neighboring countries, we are left behind. Teachers and educators should see to it that love of country is next to love of God.”

GORDON
We need to improve education. “Increase the allowances of teachers because they take care of our children for up to eight hours straight.”

TEODORO
“I believe that there is a direct correlation between knowledge and morality…We must realize that society evolves and there are difficult questions that go with that. How do we define morality? … The President has to breed a culture of tolerance and not bigotry in our society.”

VILLANUEVA
He admitted the need to overhaul the education system from grade school to the university level. He also saw the need for full implementation of laws and “absolute transparency and accountability” in government. “The President should be incorruptible.”

VILLAR
“The President should live a simple life and practice good family values.”

Excerpts from last Friday’s “Choices and Voices for 2010: An Encounter with the Presidentiables”, organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cebu Business Club

Would you fully implement the Tourism Act of 2009 or would you first address the socials ills related to tourism?

AQUINO
“Tourism is one of the growth areas that should be supported with an open skies policy. There should also be change in the attitude of the people so that we don’t drive investors away from the country.”

ESTRADA
“Basically the root cause is peace and order. How can you attract tourists if there is no peace and order?”

GORDON
“Promote, protect, and profit…We must promote and protect our country because we are proud of it and it can generate profit from tourism.”

TEODORO
“I don’t see any inconsistency in the full implementation of the Tourism Act and sustainable development. We should invest on infrastructure for tourism, such as the airport. But what’s important is the public image of the Philippines as a tourism destination. No one would make a distinction between Cebu, Basilan and Sulu, for them it’s still the same Philippines. We must invest resources to sell our country abroad, like Malaysia does. Sell our country to tourists and make tourists comfortable.”

VILLANUEVA
Yes to full implementation. “See to the peace and order in the country to attract tourists and investors, and fully develop the natural ambience of the country in order to make the Philippines a tourist spot.”

VILLAR
“All the departments must work together, not just the Department of Tourism, on promoting tourism in the country.”

- compiled by Sun Star, Cebu Presidential Forum

What infrastructure projects will you implement in the countryside to boost the local economy and solve unemployment?

AQUINO
“I want a train system in the Cagayan Valley region so that farmers can get the maximum benefit from the amount of labor that they have spent in producing the rice that we all eat. Another possibility is a railway system in Mindanao so that we can avail ourselves of the goods and services of this area. Lastly, there should be consensus-building and consultation among local governments to determine their problems and come up with solutions supported by the whole body.”

ESTRADA
“As I have said, I have been there. My first priority is food security. There should be farm-to-market roads to help poor farmers since the labor force in agriculture composes 40 percent (of the total labor pool). Poor farmers need irrigation.”

GORDON
He plans to hasten the development of tourism enterprise zones. “Tourism will bring in money from the outside, from investors, they will bring in jobs, they will bring in entrepreneurship, engineering, and everything will run by itself.” All islands, he said, should have an airport.

TEODORO
“We have to have an additional runway for Cebu. The single runway in Mactan is too vulnerable for sustainable growth in Cebu. You need also additional investments in roadworks, such as parallel roads in Escario or H. Cortes St., as traffic there has become a problem. And a third bridge between Mactan and Cebu. You also need to plan for infrastructure linking Bohol and Cebu, or perhaps even Cebu and Negros. Those are probably not attainable in one term, but we must have the plan and political unity to let the administration follow through.”

VILLANUEVA
He said he will establish a national cooperative bank for farmers and fishers, and they will be given soft loans at three to five percent interest so they can afford to modernize through technology. He also pledged infrastructure projects that will integrate water, air and land transportation, to facilitate industrialization. He cited the need to “study the strengths and weaknesses of the provinces in order to determine what best industry in the province is to be supplied funding.”

VILLAR
“We face a big budget deficit this year. Napakalaki ang kakulangan natin sa panalapi at napakahirap mag-implement nang significant infrastructure programs. Invest more in infrastructure, ito ay napakahalaga. But we must not forget agriculture, as 70 percent of our poor depend on agriculture. We need warehouses, so the farming poor will taste the harvest they worked for.”

- compiled by Sun Star, Cebu Presidential Forum

What are you going to do to stop this vicious cycle of corruption that is eating into the Philippines’ moral, political and economic fiber? - Cebu Presidential Forum, compiled by Sun Star

AQUINO
“I agree with former president Estrada, there should be certainty of punishment. Ngunit hindi lang puro parusa ang gagawin but also give the right compensation to people who have been working so hard in the government; a carrot-and-stick strategy.”

ESTRADA
“Graft and corruption? I’ve been there… as your president for two and half years. You must appoint men of integrity, especially in sensitive positions. When my wife and son were charged with graft and corruption, I was the one who called the chairman of the (Senate) Blue Ribbon (Committee) to investigate them immediately but they were proven innocent and every single cent was accounted for…at the same time there must be certainty of punishment for those who commit graft and corruption.”

GORDON
“There will be no tolerance of corruption cases. I will not pardon anybody who is convicted of corruption. I will also make sure that we have courtesy, honesty and efficiency (in government).”

TEODORO
“Number one, non-tolerance of graft and corruption. Hindi ka mangunguna sa paggawa ng katiwalian sa gobyerno. Second, you should have a balance. You should give incentives for good behavior among public servants. Thirdly, and this is a very important thing, transparency in procurement and other transactions, where we need an activist public to participate and watch.”

VILLANUEVA
He plans to “overhaul the appointed people” in the Commission on Audit, Office of the Ombudsman and Department of Justice. He also vowed to establish a task force composed of certified public accountants and lawyers that will monitor public transactions.

VILLAR
“We have to have a strategy. It’s easy to say that we can stop corruption, but we must have the strategy and the capability to do it. We should also strengthen the judiciary.”

Afternoon blaze razes 2-storey house in Jagna

JAGNA.-A more than 30-year old residential building in barangay Poblacion here was razed to the ground after a fire  last Tuesday.

As per investigation conducted by the Jagna Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the main cause of the fire which originated from the ceiling of the house was electrical short circuit.

Billowing smoke was first noticed by Angelina Abcede, a 30-year old neighbor at about 2:30 in the afternoon at the house owned by spinster sisters Roberta, Claudia and Nola Macalos.

According to SFO 1 Pablo Alaba of the Jagna Bureua of Fire  Protection (BFP) who immediately responded together with his team, the fire had already started to burn the portion of the 2nd floor of the house made of semi-concrete materials.

Minutes later,  elements of LGU-Valencia BFP and the Philippine Mining Service Corporation (PMSC) of Garcia-Hernandez, Bohol fire service men came.

The  house which was also occupied by students and other boarders went up in flames resulting in no personal belongings being spared. The nearby house owned by Angelina Acebes was partly burned.

Jagna BFP Fire Marshal Raul Bustaliño led in the effort of rescuing the belongings of the raging house but southerly winds fanned the flames making it uncontrollable.

Other BFP units which arrived to the fire scene were from LGU-Dimiao and Ubay. (Gregorio A. Tavera)

Catigbian Mayor Salinas gives cash incentives to sport achievers
Sunday Post

“Giving cash incentives to our sports achievers, is our way of encouraging athletes to excel in the field of sports. Now that we have this program, I have observed that our athletes are pushing hard to bring home the bacon every time they engaged in competition”.

Thus said Catigbian Mayor Roberto Salinas as he honored outstanding athletes in the municipality with cash incentives.

Around 261 pupils and students from public and private schools both elementary and high school level who shown exemplary performance during the 2009 provincial, congressional and BACS meets received cash incentives from the local government unit ranging from P200 to P500 depending on the medal/award received.

It may be recalled that sports development was part of the SMILE platform of governance under the Salinas-Digaum administration which is strengthened through the passing of a municipal ordinance giving incentives to students who excel in the field of sports in the year 2008. Regular yearly appropriation is being incorporated in the  Annual Budget to ensure that the program will be carried-out.

Local DepEd authorities informed the local government that 12 athletes, six from elementary and six from high school are qualified to compete in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Meet on February 6-12, 2010 in Danao City.

Local gov’t of Catigbian gives plaque of appreciation to MHO
Sunday Post

The Local Government Unit of Catigbian recently gave Dr. Jacqueline Majella R. Uy,  municipal health officer a plaque of appreciation during its LGU night in Baang, Catigbian.

  Dr. Uy resigned from her position as  health officer after working   as a part of the Catigbian Performance Team for one year and 3 months.

During her stint in office, Dr. Uy was the first doctor who opened the Catigbian Municipal Health Center (CMCHC) with five-bed lying-In and served as program manager of the different health programs in the municipality . She was also a part of  committees including the Catigbian Anti-Indigency Committee which came up with the Catigbian Yellow Card program. She also saw through the passing and implementation of the  user’s fee ordinances for the sustainability of the health center and  the approval of the center as a TB DOTS accredited facility.

Dr. Uy has been replaced by Dr. Eldrin Mascarinas.   

FLYING VOTERS EXPOSED 

Meanwhile, a news story sent by DYRD-AM to the Sunday Post showed the following reaction to V-gov Julius Herrera’s lead in its own online survey:

In a bid to improve the rank of their favored bets in the local elections, a widely circulated "instruction slip" asked people to use several email addressed in order to vote repeatedly.
    This scheme was known when a copy of the slip reached the studios of station dyRD last Friday narrating the "technical guide", including the specific instructions saying "so as not to waste our votes if we are to send the text again, resend the text vote after a lapse of time. Also, multiple sim number are encouraged."
    With this scheme done, a person can vote as many times as he can thereby creating an effect of having "flying voters" in the on-line survey.
    The instruction slip specified that senders should cast their votes to Julius Herrera for governor and Tomas Abapo, jr. for vice governor.
    The same slip spceified the instruction to use public computers at computer cafes or shops for multiple votes.
                PRE-CAUTION DONE
    The on-line survey at the website of dyRD instituted measures that votes cast from the same senders will be rejected in the computer system so as to maintain the credibility of the survey.
    During the past two weeks, the trending showed the people's preference for governor, vice governor, congressmen, city mayor and city vice mayor.
    However, because of this advisory to register more votes for their favored candidates, the results are expected to shift from the previous trend.
    In the Jan 17 tally, Rep. Edgar Chatto maintained his lead over Vice Gov. Julius Herrera in the gubernatorial race.  Out of the 230 respondents, Chatto garnered 103 votes (45%) followed by Cesar Montano with 72 votes (31%)  and Herrera, third with 55 votes (24%)
    After reports on the massive "instructional campaign" for Herrera and Abapo got implemen, the results as of 7:30pm last night showed a sudden shift giving Herrera the lead over Chatto.
    Out of 654 respondents, Herrera ranked first with 365 votes (55%), Chatto, 198 votes (30%) and Montano, 100 votes (15%)
      In the vice gubernatorial race, Abapo ranked first with 328 votes (62%), Concepcion Lim, 114 votes (21%) and Elpidio jala, 90 votes (17%).
                    ADVISORY
    In order to serve the purpose of the on-line survey, dyRD News & Public Affairs advised the public not to resort to "flying voting," meaning one sender should vote only once.
    Casting more than one vote for each sender will only create an unrealistic survey result which will not serve the purpose of the candidates to monitor the real preference and trend of the voters.

By Sunday Post

True to the dictum politics is addition, V-Gov. Julius Ceasar Herrera pole vaulted to the number one spot in the online survey for Bohol governor initiated by DyRD-AM.
But the radio station was quick to doubt the latest survey results saying that unseen hands were in the works to create the impression that Herrera is leading the race.

But if figures do not lie, Herrera did pull off a come from behind attack to overtake his closest rival Cong. Edgar Chatto in the gubernatorial derby during the last three days of the on-going on-line voting on DyRD AM. Another survey, this time, through the courtesy of the Sangguniang Kabataan-- Bohol also showed the same trend as the radio station. 

In the DYRD survey, the vice-governor scored 353 votes or 54% of the total 644 votes cast. Chatto and Montano got 192 or 30% and 100 or 16%, respectively as of 8 AM of January 23, 2010. 

Herrera also scored high in the SK survey with 71.7% while Chatto was far behind with a measly 20.8% and Montano, 7.5%. 

Herrera runs under the banner of Nacionalista Party of Senator Manny Villar while Chatto is with Lakas-Kampi-CMD with Defense Sec. Gibo Teodoro. Montano runs under the banner of the Liberal Party of Senator Noynoy Aquino. 

In the vice-gubernatorial race, lawyer Tomas Abapo, Jr. is also leading with 327 votes (62%) over incumbent Board Member Concepcion O. Lim with 109 votes (21%)Dr Elpidio Jala placed third with 90 votes or 17% in the online poll. 

On another poll, this time in the first district congressional contest, City Councilor lawyer Oscar Glovasa was the favorite among the on-line voters, scoring 284 votes (57%). His opponents then governor Rene Relampagos got 183 (37%) and City Councilor Edgar Kapirig polled 30 votes or 6% or a total of 497 votes cast. 

In the 2nd district congressional contest, incumbent Gov. Erico Aumentado leads the way to retake his old seat. He got a whooping 345 votes or 73% while mortal enemy Trinidad Mayor Judith Cajes got only 99 or 21% of the 474 total votes cast in the DyRD survey.   

No survey result was posted in the 3rd district congressional race considering that Agriculture Sec. Arthur C. Yap of the Lakas party is unopposed.   

Liga president Lim refuses to be distracted by Guv-Cajes conflict
By Sunday Post

     Liga ng mga Barangay president Concepcion  Lim broke her silence Wednesday about possibilities that she will be caught in the web of intrigues arising from her close association with  the family of Gov. Erico Aumentado.  As Liga president Lim automatically becomes the ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan representing the Federated Association of Barangay Councils (FABC).

   Clearly trying to stay away from any suspicion, Lim granted an exclusive interview to the Post to dispel reports that might jeopardize her own bid for Bohol vice governor.

   Hiding no  pretences about her family’s friendship with the Aumentados, Lim disabused the minds of those who tried to drive a wedge between them adding that their closeness dated back when the governor was still a struggling politician. 

   Aumentado then a young lawyer, tried his luck in politics running as provincial member and won. It proved to be the start of a promising political career that catapulted to his becoming a three-term governor. He was also vice governor then three-term congressman of the second district.
   It was during the time when Aumentado ran for board member that he became the lawyer of the Lims’ business interests in Valencia.
   The Lim-Aumentado friendship was subjected to covert scrutiny in the wake of the raging  “word war” between the governor and Cong. Roberto Cajes, a party mate of Lim in the Lakas-Kampi CMD.

   Lim is running for vice governor under the ruling party with Cong. Edgar Chatto as her candidate for governor.

   Asked to react if she were not affected by the current high-profile political conflict between allies of her own, Lim refused to be dragged into the controversy.

   Aumentado and Cajes were caught in a bitter infighting that escalated into a trading of heated barbs zeroing in on corruption issues. What fanned the flames of animosity between the two erstwhile allies was the decision of the incumbent second district congressman  to allow his wife to succeed him. Trinidad Mayor Judith Cajes’ ambition to  succeed her husband ran smack into Aumentado’s bid to regain his old Congress seat of which he was a three-term  congressman.

   Saying both of them remain her friends, Lim said she just went on with her campaign to capture the second highest elective post of the province.
   As for  Gov. Aumentado, the Valencia lawmaker said no amount of intrigue will stand in the way of their friendly relation because it was based on loyalty and self-respect.

   In fact, in one of her sorties in the municipalities, Lim said her speaking terms with the governor was still in high gear when they bumped each other in Pres. Garcia town.

   For one, Lim said, she doesn’t want to pick up a fight with anybody much less to a close family friend like the governor.

   As a manifestation of her respect to the governor, the Valencia board member sought the governor’s clearance before she filed her certificate of candidacy for vice governor. 

How will you know kung ang gikauban sa lalaki nga babaye is his wife or his mistress?

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(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2009/10/16/20091016179029.jpg )

Announcing the new software suite, Masoud Bassiri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CONSISTEL Pte Ltd said, "The release of ATRIUM represents a significant leap forward to the fulfillment of our vision to become the leading In-building solutions provider. After 15years of In-building experience in integrating thousands of In-building wireless systems worldwide, we recognize the need for a comprehensive solution that enables a high level of automation in every process within the In-building wireless life-cycle. Hence, CONSISTEL paves its way into the development of ATRIUM - A breakthrough solution that revolutionizes the way In-building networks are designed and deployed, providing and monitoring real-time information on all projects. We're the first company with a complete strategy to help network operators, system integrators and equipment manufacturers to transform their business processes in a fully automated way."

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ATRIUM will also be launched via a global webcast in conjunction with GSMA Mobile World Congress, CeBIT 2010 and CTIA Wireless 2010.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the next president of the country is very lucky because he would inherit a robust economy and would only have to continue the programs she has implemented to the benefit of the Filipinos.

President Arroyo said this in an interview over DZRH Friday morning.

She also said that in her nine years in office, the peso was stronger, the tax reforms were in place and social services were available to most Filipinos.

"Ito lang yata ang administrasyon na lumakas ang piso kaysa sa humina [This seems to be the only administration where the peso grew stronger instead of weaker],” she added.

Mrs. Arroyo also stressed that as the top leader of the country, it is her role and duty to lay the foundations of a sound economy for the betterment of the Filipinos.

”Ang papel ko ay ihanda ang pundasyon, andyan na yan, ang pundasyon ng matatag na ekonomiya at inaasahan natin na itutuloy niya iyon para maramdaman ng mga Filipino [My role is to lay down the foundation. It’s here already, the foundation of a strong economy and we expect that this will be felt by the Filipinos],” the President said.

President Arroyo's accomplishments in her nine years in office include her programs in infrastructure, education, health, and other social services. (PNA)

The World Bank (WB) expects the Philippine economy to grow by 3.5 percent this year and follow through with 3.8 percent next year, according to forecasts in its Global Economic Prospects 2010 report released Friday.

The WB also estimated the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to have grown by one percent last year, the slowest so far since 2006 due to the global financial crisis.

The report studied the impact of the global financial crisis on the growth prospects of developing countries. It concluded that the consequences would be felt over the next five to seven years, cutting the growth trajectory of developing countries by 0.2 up to 0.7 percentage points annually. Over the long term, potential output could be reduced by 3.4 up to 8 percent compared to levels reached before the crisis happened, it said.

In the case of the Philippines, the economy was escalating from an average growth of 4.2 percent from 1995-2005 to 5.3 percent in 2006 before reaching a peak of 7.1 percent in 2007.

In 2008, when the crisis ravaged many economies around the world, the country still managed to grow at 3.8 percent.

“The depth of the recession and the relative weakness of the expected recovery suggest that significant spare capacity, high unemployment, and weak inflationary pressures will continue to characterize both high-income and developing countries for some time,” the WB said in the report.

“For middle-income countries with access to international financial markets and better developed domestic markets, the main impact is likely to be through the increased cost of borrowing,” it added. The Philippines is considered a low middle-income country by WB standards.

It said in the report that developing countries could face a total financing gap of as much as $ 315 billion this year. It said this liquidity crunch would also make it more expensive to secure financing and thus undermine economic growth and output over the next five to seven years.

Because of China, the East Asia and the Pacific region is emerging strongest around the world with 8.1 percent GDP growth expected this year and 8.2 percent next year.

“Looking forward, the stabilization of international financial markets and renewed capital inflows, coupled with a strong inventory cycle, particularly among the newly industrialized economies in the region, are expected to boost growth in 2010,” the WB said. It added that moderate advances in world trade growth and continuing excess manufacturing capacity would drag economic performance in 2011. - PNA

Protesters posed on Friday the question on how to solve agrarian problem like Hacienda Luisita to presidentiables, except Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino Jr., during the commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of Mendiola massacre in Manila.

The protesters hurled the question on “How do you solve a problem like Hacienda Luisita at presidentiables except Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III?"

Some 10, 000 members of different militant groups held a protest rally at the Chino Roces Avenue (formely known as Mendiola) to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Mendiola massacre.

Manila Police District (MPD) Director, Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, said the protest rally was generally peaceful as authorities allowed the rallyists to stage their program along Chino Roces Avenue, San Miguel, Manila, the same site where 13 farmer-protesters were killed while scores were wounded during their dispersal by state security forces on Jan. 22, 1987.

On Friday, the protesters, mostly farmers and Manila-based activists who formed part of the 10-day Pambansang Lakbayan Para sa Lupa at Katarungan, hurled the question to all the presidentiables, except to Sen. Aquino because they believed that they would get nothing from the senator because it involved his family.

“Sen. Aquino believes Hacienda Luisita is God’s gift to Cojuangco-Aquino clan, therefore only God can take it back from them. Does the rest of the pack of the presidential wannabes subscribe to this whimsical assertion of the Cojuangcos,” the Lakbayan leaders said in a joint statement.

The group also believed that the problems in Hacienta Luisita in Tarlac will not find a long lasting and just settlement under a Noynoy Aquino presidency, asserting that the 6, 453-hectare sugar estate “is the bread and butter and the source of economic and political power of the Cojuangco-Aquino for near century and the landed clan have been treating generations of farm workers as children of a lesser God.”

The Lakbayan also brought up issues of land-grabbing and land reform reversals with the expansion of plantations and mining in Mindanao island, which they claimed as having displaced thousands of farmers and indigenous peasants, the problem of coconut farmers in Bicol region and the cancellation of farmers' land titles in central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Panay and Negros island.

After their programs, the groups were dispersed peacefully, police said. (PNA)

he number of foreigners who visited the Philippines in 2009 still went up compared with the previous year despite the global economic recession, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

In a report to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, BI Immigration Regulation chief Edgardo Mendoza said that a total of 5,965,078 foreigners arrived in the country from January to December 2009, slightly higher than the 5,927,128 who came in 2008.

Mendoza said tourists totaling more than two million accounted for the bulk of the foreign visitors, and most of them were 'Balikbayans' who numbered nearly 700,000.

The others were holders of the various types of immigrant and non-immigrant visas that were issued to them either by the BI or the Philippine consulates abroad.

Upon receiving the report, Libanan said he was pleased that foreigners did not shy away from the country even in the face of the global financial slowdown.

He said the BI will continue to do its part in helping the government attract more foreign visitors by liberalizing its immigration rules, policies and procedures to make it easier for foreigners to stay or do business in the Philippines.

The BI chief added that he hopes Congress will finally pass a new immigration law for the country that will replace the 1940 Immigration Act which he described as “antiquated and no longer attuned to present realities.”

Among the programs that the BI has launched to lure foreign businessmen is the Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG) or job visa.

The said visa entitles the holder to stay indefinitely in the Philippines provided that he maintains investment in a business enterprise that employs 10 or more Filipino workers.

Statistics show that Americans, numbering 679,312, topped the list of the foreigners who arrived last year, followed by 523,145 Koreans, 331,279 Japanese, 225,577 Chinese, 140,098 Australians, and 126,001 Britons. (PNA)

About 75,000 people died and more than 200,000 were wounded in the devastating quake in Haiti, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at a special session of the UN General Assembly on Friday.

About one million people lost their homes and one million became refugees, he said.

In all, about three million Haiti residents need assistance, Ban said.

There are security problems, too, as about 4,000 inmates broke free in the quake.

The bodies of 70 UN staff members have been found in Haiti, and another 146 are on the missing list, Ban said.

As relief efforts continue, Ban emphasized the need to rebuild the impoverished Caribbean nation and “turn disaster into opportunity.”

The emergency response to the 7.0 magnitude quake must shift in the coming weeks towards longer-term relief and recovery, he said.

The international community must help the Haitian Government reconstitute itself, restore basic services and jump-start the economy, he said.

“Haiti’s recovery must begin with its people â€" strong, resilient and impatient to get to work rebuilding their lives and their country,” the Secretary-General said.

Last week’s disaster provides an “opportunity to build back better,” he said, quoting his Special Envoy Bill Clinton.

“And we need to provide jobs, not only to those who lost their jobs last week, but to the millions of Haitians who did not have a job in the first place,” he emphasized. -PNA

U.S. stocks extended losing streak for a third session on Friday as upbeat earnings results failed to boost market sentiment hit by tighter bank regulation.

U.S. stocks suffered their worst one-day decline in nearly three months as bank shares tumbled after President Obama proposed to impose new limits on the size of the nation's biggest banks as well as restrict their risk-taking abilities.

Investor seemed to be rattled in recent sessions on concerns of China's tightening monetary policy and uncertainty about the effect of Obama's bank regulations.

Even as most corporate earnings beat expectations, few of them succeeded in lifting market sentiment.

General Electric reported before the opening bell that the company's net profit fell 19 percent, better than expected.

Search engine giant Google also posted fourth-quarter earnings that easily topped analyst estimates after Thursday's close.

The Dow Jones lost 216.90, or 2.09 percent, to 10,172.98. Broader indexes also tumbled. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 24.72, or 2.21 percent, to 1,091.76 and the Nasdaq plunged 60.41, or 2.67 percent, to 2,205.69. (PNA/Xinhua)

British government on Friday raised its terrorism threat level to "severe" from "substantial", suggesting an terrorist attack is "highly likely".

UK Secretary of State for the Home Department Alan Johnson said: "The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has today raised the threat to the UK from international terrorism from substantial to severe."

"This means that a terrorist attack is highly likely, but I should stress that there is no intelligence to suggest than an attack is imminent," he said in a television statement.

"JTAC keeps the threat level under constant review and makes its judgments based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of international terrorist groups in the UK and overseas," the statement said.

British government raised the terrorism threat level days before it hosts an international conference on Afghanistan on Jan. 28 and small scale international meeting on Yemen on Jan. 27.

There are five levels of terrorism threat in Britain -- critical, severe, substantial, moderate and low. The UK threat level has remained at "substantial" since late July of 2009. (PNA/Xinhua)

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A former Pentagon official has been sentenced to three years in prison for passing classified information to a Chinese spy.

James Fondren, 62, provided "certain classified defence department documents and other information" to a friend, who turned out to be a Chinese spy.

The judge said the information passed on caused little or no harm to US national security.

Fondren, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel, is appealing.

His lawyer argued that Fondren did not know that Tai Shen Kuo, a naturalised US citizen from Taiwan, was a spy.

But prosecutors say that "Fondren was aware that Kuo had maintained a close relationship with an official of the People's Republic of China".

Fondren is the former deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, a position which reportedly afforded him "top secret" security clearance.

The sentence comes at a time of heightened tension between the two countries, with Beijing warning on Friday that Washington's criticism of its internet controls could harm ties between the two countries. - BBC

A Filipino militant wanted by the US is believed to have been killed by an American drone aircraft near the Afghan border, Pakistani officials said.

Abdul Basit Usman was reported killed on 14 January along with several others on the border of South and North Waziristan tribal regions, they said.

The US state department has offered a $1m reward for information leading to the militant's capture.

Authorities in Philippines said they were investigating the report.

"If the reports are true then it is good news for us because the killing of Basit Usman means one less terrorist on the street," the AFP news agency quoted Lt-Gen Benjamin Dolorfino, military commander in south-western Philippines, as saying.

But, he added: "We still have to verify the reports."

'Bomb expert'

Mr Dolorfino said he was involved in many deadly bombings in the southern Philippines' Mindanao region, where Muslim insurgents have waged a decades-old separatist rebellion, the AFP reported.

Correspondents say that if it is confirmed, the death of Abdul Basit Usman would represent a major success for the US authorities.

The US state department describes him as a bomb-making expert with links to the Abu Sayyaf militant organisation in the Philippines. - bbc news

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has revealed the band are starting auditions to replace Steven Tyler.

"We'll have found a new singer by the summer and Aerosmith will be able to go back out on the road," he told Canada's QMI news agency.

Tyler, who is currently in rehab for an addiction to painkillers, insisted in November he was not quitting the band.

But Perry said he thought their singer would not be available for a while so were looking to fill his place.

'Physically ready'

"It's kind of hard to get a straight answer about what's going on," Perry said.

"He [Tyler] has to have leg surgery and foot surgery and it's basically going to take him out of the picture for about a year, year and a half. So, in the meantime, the rest of the band wants to play. - BBC

NBC has reached a $45m (£28m) agreement with Conan O'Brien over his late-night US talk show, paving the way for his predecessor Jay Leno to return.

O'Brien, 46, will be paid in excess of $33m (£20m) to end his seven-month reign as host of The Tonight Show, with the remainder going to his staff.

The deal allows Leno, 59, to return to the show, a programme he hosted for 17 years before leaving last May.

O'Brien, who took over in June, will host his final programme on Friday.

Actor Tom Hanks is scheduled to appear, as is comedian Will Ferrell - O'Brien's first guest as Tonight Show host when he began his stint last year.

Leno will return to The Tonight Show on 1 March, NBC announced on Thursday. - BBC

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Reviewed by Sybil Steinberg

Southern whites' guilt for not expressing gratitude to the black maids who raised them threatens to become a familiar refrain. But don't tell Kathryn Stockett because her first novel is a nuanced variation on the theme that strikes every note with authenticity. In a page-turner that brings new resonance to the moral issues involved, she spins a story of social awakening as seen from both sides of the American racial divide.

Newly graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in English but neither an engagement ring nor a steady boyfriend, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan returns to her parents' cotton farm in Jackson. Although it's 1962, during the early years of the civil rights movement, she is largely unaware of the tensions gathering around her town.

Skeeter is in some ways an outsider. Her friends, bridge partners and fellow members of the Junior League are married. Most subscribe to the racist attitudes of the era, mistreating and despising the black maids whom they count on to raise their children. Skeeter is not racist, but she is naive and unwittingly patronizing. When her best friend makes a political issue of not allowing the "help" to use the toilets in their employers' houses, she decides to write a book in which the community's maids -- their names disguised -- talk about their experiences.

Fear of discovery and retribution at first keep the maids from complying, but a stalwart woman named Aibileen, who has raised and nurtured 17 white children, and her friend Minny, who keeps losing jobs because she talks back when insulted and abused, sign on with Skeeter's risky project, and eventually 10 others follow.

Aibileen and Minny share the narration with Skeeter, and one of Stockett's accomplishments is reproducing African American vernacular and racy humor without resorting to stilted dialogue. She unsparingly delineates the conditions of black servitude a century after the Civil War.

The murders of Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King Jr. are seen through African American eyes, but go largely unobserved by the white community. Meanwhile, a room "full of cake-eating, Tab-drinking, cigarette-smoking women" pretentiously plan a fundraiser for the "Poor Starving Children of Africa." In general, Stockett doesn't sledgehammer her ironies, though she skirts caricature with a "white trash" woman who has married into an old Jackson family. Yet even this character is portrayed with the compassion and humor that keep the novel levitating above its serious theme.

What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel (and maiden publication of Amy Einhorn's new imprint) set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.

From The Washington Post

Here we are, briefly, under the sun, one species among millions on a gorgeous planet in the remote provinces of the universe, our very existence a riddle. Of all the words we use to mask our ignorance, none has been more abused, none has given rise to more strife, none has rolled from the tongues of more charlatans than the name of God. Nor has any word been more often invoked as the inspiration for creativity, charity or love.

So what are we talking about when we talk about God? The geneticist Francis S. Collins bravely sets out to answer this question in light of his scientific knowledge and his Christian faith. Having found for himself "a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews," he seeks to persuade others that "belief in God can be an entirely rational choice, and that the principles of faith are, in fact, complementary with the principles of science."

As a researcher who helped discover the genetic basis for cystic fibrosis and other diseases and as the director of the Human Genome Project, Collins brings strong credentials to the scientific side of his argument. For the spiritual side, he draws on Christian authorities such as Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas and C.S. Lewis. His aim is to address "extremists on both sides of the science/faith divide." On one extreme are those scientists who insist that the universe is purely and exclusively matter, and on the other are literal interpreters of the Book of Genesis who reject the last two centuries of scientific discovery. Although Collins's purpose is grand, his manner is modest and his prose clear, as befits a man more concerned with sharing his views on the nature of things than with displaying his ego.

Collins writes just enough about his youth for us to learn that he was brought up in a household indifferent to religion; he became an agnostic in college and an atheist in graduate school, where he studied chemistry. Only in medical school did he reverse that trajectory, gradually accepting the existence of God and embracing evangelical Christianity -- led to belief, like St. Augustine, less by longing than by reason.

Reason persuaded him that the universe could not have created itself; that humans possess an intuitive sense of right and wrong, which he calls, following Immanuel Kant, "the Moral Law"; and that humans likewise feel a "longing for the sacred." The source of this longing, the Moral Law and the universe, he came to believe, was the God described in the Bible, a transcendent Creator, Companion, Judge and Redeemer. He found additional evidence of a Creator in the eerie ability of mathematics to map the universe and in the numerous material properties -- from the slight imbalance between matter and anti-matter in the Big Bang to the binding energy within the atomic nucleus -- that seem to have been exquisitely tuned to fashion a world that would give rise to complex forms of life.

The God in whom Collins believes is no aloof Prime Mover who set the show in motion and withdrew to watch. He's a deity who intervenes (albeit rarely) in the course of things. Why God permits the suffering of innocents is a puzzle Collins does not pretend to solve, although he speculates, following C.S. Lewis, that we may need to suffer in order to learn. The resurrection of Jesus is, for Collins, the key intervention by a God "who takes personal interest in human beings." Late in the book, after a lucid account of genetic research and a spirited defense of evolutionary theory against proponents of creationism and "intelligent design," he reveals that on his path toward faith, Jesus was a crucial "bridge between our sinful selves and a holy God."

One can respect his belief in the divinity of Jesus without agreeing that such a belief logically follows from his argument for the existence of God. Likewise, Collins goes beyond the evidence when he speculates that "God's intention in creating the universe" may have been "to lead to creatures with whom He might have fellowship, namely human beings." Many readers will doubt that all 10 or 15 billion years of cosmic history merely prepared the way for us, a pack of inquisitive primates pondering the starry expanses from our speck of planetary dust. Still, it's bracing to be reminded, in our disenchanted day, that an eminent scientist can read the genetic code as sacred speech.

Reviewed by Scott Russell Sanders
Copyright 2006, The Washington Post.

From Scientific American

A devoutly Christian geneticist such as Francis S. Collins, author of The Language of God and leader of the Human Genome Project, can comfortably accept that "a common ancestor for humans and mice is virtually inescapable" or that it may have been a mutation in the FOXP2 gene that led to the flowering of human language. The genetic code is, after all, "God’s instruction book." But what sounds like a harmless metaphor can restrict the intellectual bravado that is essential to science. "In my view," Collins goes on to say, "DNA sequence alone, even if accompanied by a vast trove of data on biological function, will never explain certain special human attributes, such as the knowledge of the Moral Law and the universal search for God." Evolutionary explanations have been proffered for both these phenomena. Whether they are right or wrong is not a matter of belief but a question to be approached scientifically. The idea of an apartheid of two separate but equal metaphysics may work as a psychological coping mechanism, a way for a believer to get through a day at the lab. But theism and materialism don’t stand on equal footings. The assumption of materialism is fundamental to science.

From Publishers Weekly

Francis Collins, a pioneering medical geneticist who once headed the Human Genome Project, adapts his title from President Clinton's remarks announcing completion of the first phase of the project in 2000: "Today we are learning the language in which God created life." Collins explains that as a Christian believer, "the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship." This marvelous book combines a personal account of Collins's faith and experiences as a genetics researcher with discussions of more general topics of science and spirituality, especially centering around evolution. Following the lead of C.S. Lewis, whose Mere Christianity was influential in Collins's conversion from atheism, the book argues that belief in a transcendent, personal Godâ€"and even the possibility of an occasional miracleâ€"can and should coexist with a scientific picture of the world that includes evolution. Addressing in turn fellow scientists and fellow believers, Collins insists that "science is not threatened by God; it is enhanced" and "God is most certainly not threatened by science; He made it all possible." Collins's credibility as a scientist and his sincerity as a believer make for an engaging combination, especially for those who, like him, resist being forced to choose between science and God. (July 17)

By Bohol Chronicle

The newly organized events coordinating group, SMILE, is fast becoming a byword in free advising services for public speaking, events management, seminars and workshops, community service, publicity and personality enhancement.

Gloria Leodivica Araneta, operations officer of "SMILE", recently received first-hand commendation from a new couple, Mr & Mrs. Tyrone Castillo (nee Luanne Balaba), after she emceed and coordinated the activities of the latter's wedding last January 9, 2010 at 2 p.m. at the historic Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Baclayon, Bohol.

Immediately a day after the post wedding reception held at the plush Harbor View of the Bohol Tropics Resort, Luanne - the new bride, emailed Gloria and wrote: "Thank you again for last night. All the guests had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed the games you played...haha! Also, the missalettes looked beautiful I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of mass booklets. . . Could Tyrone and I pls get your postal address? We would like to send something to you (and Ines) when we get back to Australia. Thank you so much, again for a memorable day!"

Ines Mitra,the assistant coordinator of "SMILE" told the Chronicle that Luanne, the daughter of Mr. Jun and Lydia (Simogan) Balaba has her roots from Guindulman, Bohol and currently resides with the entire family in Brisbane, Australia.

Her husband, Tyrone, is also originally from Cebu province but like, Luanne, he now resides in Brisbane with his parents Mr. & Mrs. Rene & Josebeth Castillo.

Acclaimed by many as the Boholano global wedding at the start of the year, the event was attended by guests from different parts of the globe, the wedding ceremony saw the couple's friends & relatives coming from Australia, the U.S.A, France, Scotland, New Zealand and the Philippines.
         
Officiated by the bride's uncle, Fr. Armand Bayron, the wedding was witnessed by the following couples as Principal Sponsors: Rufino & Lydia Balaba II, Silvino & Queenie Balaba, Florencio & Caridad Berou, Manolo & Jocelyn Loquias & Danny & Vicky Villanueva

The best man and the maid of honor were Charles Nee and Lorellei Prevot-Leygonie, respectively while groomsmen were Gaetan Prevot-Leygonie, Ryan Castillo & Kris Castillo and bridesmaids were Katrina Balaba, Kerrie Anne Balaba & Charmaine Bishell.

Acting as secondary sponsors were Manuel Romeo & Grace Rusiana (candle), Celso Macas & Melody Tolero (cord), Juanito & Herminilda Gracio (veil). Flower girl was Fei Castillo and Page boy was Mark Jonas Candel. The post wedding reception was held at 6:00 pm and was enlivened by the Center Stage Band.

Meanwhile, "SMILE" also revealed its happiness in manning the production of the Coronation Pageant of the Centennial Widow Queen 2010 last night at Biking, Dauis, Bohol.

Emceed by the sister tandem of Gloria Leodivica Araneta & Ardy Araneta-Batoy, the pageant was attended, among others, by the OFW sponsors of Her Majesty, Centennial Widow Queen MA. CRISTINA HONTUCAN-CLEMENT I and the members of her Royal Court.

Ardy, who arrived from Manila yesterday morning just to co-host the event, bared to the Chronicle that her participation in the pageant is due to her being a consultant of "SMILE" and her close ties with Rodolfon& Linda Bunayog, residents of Biking II and currently residing in London. The couple sponsored the trip of Ardy including all expenses of"SMILE" relative to the production of the show.

Linda, daughter of Colomba Migrino & the late Marcial Migrino is married to Rodolfo Bunayog with whom she has one daughter, Joyce.

Joyce, who was the first Queen of the Biking STo Nino Chapel few years back, is married to Joel Manangan of Baguio City. She graduated from her Masters Degree in Business Administration from London and both she and her husband (with their 4 kids) are now England-based.

Gloria of"SMILE", when asked some comments of the group's initial venture on FREE ADVISING in events coordination and other fields, said that there is nothing more fulfilling than to see the people satisfied with what "SMILE" is doing.

She added that the President of the Biking STo. Nino Chapel Association, George Honculada, is one leader who is dedicated, good-natured, humble, intelligent, committed & focused. "If all our clients would be like George, all events will be successful", Gloria said.

Gloria invites you to "SMILE" and you will Simply go beyond the level of mediocrity, Move towards a direction of progress, Inspire people from all walks of life, Live according to the tenets of quality service and Envelop Boholanos with the best there is.

For more informationabout SMILE, please contact Glo 09158261438, Ines - 09052436959, Rose 09064529912 , Chandy- 09173040563, Gerry-09164555286 or email: gloriaaraneta@yahoo.com,ness485@yahoo.com,

chandy8rosebatoy@hotmail.com,gerrybee14@yahoo.com. " Just SMILE, and we do the REST with our BEST!"