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Albularyo: Misis, wala kaha ni gihampak ug dautang hangin ning imong anak?

Misis: Ambot lang kaha Doc kay sukad-sukad wala man ko kakitag hangin gabitbit ug bunal.

Negros Navigation Shipping Schedule (To and From Tagbilaran, Bohol)

Route                               Departure
Tagbilaran - Manila           Fri 10 a.m.
Tagbilaran - Dipolog         Thu 2 a.m.
Tagbilaran - Ozamiz         Thu 2 a.m.
Tagbilaran - Iligan            Thu 2 a.m.
Tagbilaran - Cebu             Fri 10 a.m.


Manila - Tagbilaran           Tue 5:30 p.m.
Cebu - Tagbilaran             Wed 8:30 p.m.
Dipolog - Tagbilaran         Thu 8:30 a.m.
Ozamiz - Tagbilaran         Thu 3:30 pm
Iligan - Tagbilaran            Thu 9:30 pm

This schedule is effective as of May 8, 2009. Schedule may change without prior notice.

NN Hotlines in Tagbilaran, Bohol
+63-038-501-7653
+63-038-411-5717
+63-038-416-0442

Note: Airplane Fare is much cheaper than boat fare. Book your flight early.

What is the greatest book you ever read? Why?

Do you view love as an emotional feeling or a duty?

What is your new definition of success?

So far, what is the greatest accomplishment in your life?

How do you value money?

How do you rate your intelligence?

a. above average
b. average
c. below average

why?

What is your favorite T.V. program? How does it influence you?

Is good name more desirable than great riches?

What is your new definition of success?

What is that specific blessing you received lately?

What is your favorite subject in school?

How do you respond to criticism?

What difficulty has challenged you most?

What honest mistake have you committed that turned out to be favorable to you?

What was your most embarrassing experience lately?

What makes a happy home?

What are some thoughts that you would like to share with a friend?

What type of adventure do you go for?

Field Operations and Equipment Manager

Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) is offering a fantastic opportunity to get involved with a successful international NGO helping to conserve the world’s coral reefs. Work, live and dive in incredible and challenging locations.

Role:
A full time position for a technically minded and qualified person to service and maintain all SCUBA and other equipment on all CCC’s marine projects. Current CCC Projects are based in Tobago and the Philippines.

Salary: Negotiable

Essential Requirements:
· Qualified SCUBA technician including cylinder testing. ASSET technician preferred.
· PADI Dive Master or equivalent
· Generally competent in the maintenance of a variety of engines and electrics (preferred)

Preferred Requirements:
· Bauer Compressor Service technician or equivalent.
· Knowledge of UK Health and Safety legislation
· Experience in Risk Assessments
· Experience working in developing countries

Please note all expedition staff must be Criminal Records Bureau (Enhanced) checked and passed for working with young people before expedition departure.

Duties and responsibilities:
· Maintenance and servicing of all CCC expedition equipment including but not limited to: scuba regulators, scuba cylinders, general scuba equipment, compressors and boat engines.
· Expedition Health and Safety including project site assessments.
· Ensuring adherence to CCC policies.
· Overseeing maintenance, repair and ordering of all CCC expedition equipment in consultation with the Expedition Leader and Director of Operations, including the preparation of inventories and maintenance records.
· Provision of advice to CCC Directors regarding expedition equipment.
· Maintain the highest standards of professionalism, diplomacy and loyalty to CCC at all times.
· Complying with any reasonable directives issued by CCC line management.

Additional technical training may be available to the successful candidate.

Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) Mission:
‘To provide resources to help sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty through the protection, restoration and management of coral reefs and tropical forests.’

CCC History:
Founded in 1986, Coral Cay Conservation Ltd (CCC) is a not-for-profit volunteer-based international organization based in the UK and dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests and coral reefs. Current CCC project countries include the Philippines, Trinidad & Tobago, and Papua New Guinea.
Additional projects in other countries are currently under development.

For further information about CCC, please refer to our Expedition Staff and UK Staff Positions pages on our website www.coralcay.org.

All applications are to include a C.V. and covering letter. Applications and enquiries should be sent to Mr. Kai Schiefelbein via email to ks@coralcay.org or call +44(0)207 620 1411.

Not only did the ancient Egyptians give us pyramids and flush toilets, they also pioneered the field of deodorants. Egyptians were the first to popularize the idea of applying scents to armpits, usually using cinnamon and other spices that wouldn't turn rancid in the heat. source: CNN

Be thankful for your foul body odor. According to anthropologist Louis Leakey, it might be responsible for early man's survival. Leakey's theory claims that most predators avoided feasting on humans because our body odor was "too repugnant." CNN

A secretary accidentally bit off the penis of her employer while giving him oral sex in a car.

Sin Chew Daily and China Press reported yesterday that while the 30-year-old woman was performing oral sex on the man, the car was hit by a reversing van.

The impact of the crash, China Press reported, caused the woman to bite off her lover’s organ.

The daily reported that the incident occurred in a Singapore park where the couple met after work.

To make matters worse for the woman, her husband had sent a private investigator to spy on her after suspecting that she was being unfaithful.

The investigator said he had followed the woman and her boss to the park.

“On reaching the park, they did not alight from the car. Not long after, the car started to shake violently.

After the car was hit by the van, there was a loud scream from the woman whose mouth was covered with blood,” he said.

The woman later followed her lover to the hospital with part of the sexual organ.

The investigator, who called an ambulance to send the man to hospital, said that this was the first time he had encountered such an incident. - The Star Online

In May 2008, actor Matthew McConaughey revealed that he never uses deodorant or antiperspirant. The next day, he received a year's supply of deodorant body spray from the Axe Company, along with a note on why he might want to start.

source: CNN

By My Fox

Internet social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are popular places for people to reconnect. But as more people are logging on to use them, more and more scammers are too.

Facebook has become a hackers' dream. These cyber thieves are using personal information posted on Facebook and pretending to be you looking for cash.

It happened to Rayna Holley Letterman. She now lives in Germany and posted a lot of pictures of her trips around Europe on Facebook. So when her Facebook friends started getting messages from Letterman saying she was robbed and stranded in London and needed money, it wasn't such a far-fetched idea.

"It would be totally possible for us to be in London and get robbed. I was worried some of my Facebook friends would send money to the guy," Letterman said.

One of those friends, Antonio Parkinson got the false distress message asking for money. "[It] looks so legitimate ... I think they are duping people out there and there's a pressure in their approach in getting their money."

Parkinson didn't fall for it, but said the message from the fake Letterman really pulled on the heartstrings.

When Kurt Cobain wrote the lyrics for Nirvana's breakout song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he didn't know Teen Spirit was a popular deodorant brand. The Mennen Company, which produced the deodorant, wouldn't say whether the song caused sales to spike, but six months after the single debuted, Colgate bought the company for $670 million. - source: CNN

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A terminally ill woman is having pictures of all her beloved pets tattooed on her body - so she can 'take them with her' when she dies.

Jayne Jubb, 47, who shares her home with more than 20 animals, including raccoons, a piranha, snake and a fox, has already had half of them drawn across her neck, arms and back.

'When I was diagnosed with lung cancer and told I didn't have long to live I knew it would be my animals I'd miss the most,' she said.

'So I came up with the idea of getting all the animals tattooed over my body.

'My husband thought I was a bit crazy at first but I've always liked tattoos and this seemed like a good way of keeping my pets with me forever.'

What is the happiest moment in your life?

I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

from Bob Parson, founder of Godaddy

Sensitive information for shooting down intercontinental missiles as well as bank details and NHS records was found on old computers, researchers say.

Of 300 hard disks bought randomly at computer fairs and an online auction site, 34% still held personal data.

Researchers from BT and the University of Glamorgan bought disks from the UK, America, Germany, France and Australia.

The information was enough to expose individuals and firms to fraud and identity theft, said the researchers.

Professor Andrew Blyth said: "It's not rocket science - we used standard tools to analyse the data".

The research involving the Welsh campus was led by BT's Security Research Centre and included researchers at Edith Cowan University in Australia and Longwood University in the US. - BBC

announcement from Cebu Pacific

We're very pleased to offer a direct Manila-Ozamiz service starting June 16, 2009 and it starts with a one-way ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of P1,188 all-in!

The seat sale starts now until May 12 and is good for travel from June 16 to July 31. The four-times weekly Airbus A319 Manila-Ozamiz service departs for Ozamiz at 5:55am and lands at 7:20am. It leaves Ozamiz at 7:50am and arrives in Manila at 9:15am.

This new service gives you a more convenient travel option with our fast 1-hour and 25 minute flight as compared with a three-day ferry boat ride.

We're also offering a seat sale for our Davao-Cagayan de! Oro, Cebu-Roxas and Manila-Cauayan services with a ‘Go lite’ seat sale fare of P288 all-in. This is good for travel from May 14 to July 31.

Go Lite’ fares are for passengers traveling with no check-in baggage. Passengers with check-in bags just have to add P200 to the fare.

For your bookings, log on to www.cebupacificair.com now.

Hundreds of Filipinos are employed by the world famous super liner RMS Queen Mary 2 that recently graced Sydney shores earlier this month as part of its world cruise.

Food and beverage supervisor Roy Mahinang said there are about 650 Filipino crew members assigned to different departments on board the cruise ship.

"My duties are to make all the guests happy and the crew members as well - just to make sure everything is going well,” said Mahinang.

The 650 Pinoys make up almost 80 percent of the Queen Mary 2's operational staff, recruited through Magsaysay Careers and Singha Ship Management Philippines. They are involved in most departments from baggage handling, food preparation, general customer service, and security and engine room operations.

"We have a manning agency in the Philippines so you have to apply there. You may have to wait for six months. You have to graduate hotel and restaurant management or have worked in a hotel or another ship before you can apply on the Queen Mary," said bedroom steward Greg Magahis. - ABS-CBN

Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao will defy the recommendations by the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone his trip back to the country on Friday due to fears of the possible spread of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

“I don't see any reason to postpone our trip back home,” Pacquiao told ABS-CBN’s “Umagang Kay Ganda” in a phone interview.

“If we have cold maybe we will not go home, but so far none of us has cold. We're all feeling well,” the new IBO/The Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion insisted.

He added that he and his team had been taking precautionary measures to prevent being infected by the deadly influenza virus, including regular use of hand sanitizer.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said he will not prevent Pacquiao from returning home. He clarified that the health department and the WHO would still advise Pacquiao and his team to impose self-quarantine. - ABS-CBN

Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao can be considered among the greatest fighters that came out since Sugar Ray Leonard in the 80s, according to Ring Magazine scribe Michael Rosenthal.

“He could be the best fighter since Sugar Ray Leonard, which is saying a lot. Leonard was followed by such greats as Pernell Whitaker, Roy Jones Jr., Julio Cesar Chavez, Evander Holyfield and a handful more,” said Rosenthal.

Leonard, who was named as Fighter of the Decade in 1980s, is widely considered to be one of the best boxers of all time.

“However, none of the above combined explosive speed and power against the highest level of opposition over such a long period time like Pacquiao,” he added.

Even Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler and Leonard, said that he has seen nothing like Pacquiao.

“I think he may be the best,” said Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter. “He has the opportunity to be the best of all the fighters I’ve promoted. All the best fighters I promoted reached a certain level and they thought they knew everything. This kid keeps getting better and better. It’s amazing.” - ABS-CBN

Michael Phelps’ three-month suspension from competition is over and he marked the occasion like any other day: He woke up late and headed to the pool.

Speaking exclusively with The Associated Press, Phelps said he didn’t even realize his suspension ended on Tuesday. Coach Bob Bowman couldn’t resist making a joke, saying he planned to enter his star swimmer in a meet later that night.

“I had no idea,” Phelps said of his ban, which was doled out by USA Swimming after a picture surfaced in a London tabloid showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

He’ll return to competition next week at Charlotte, North Carolina. It will be his first time swimming competitively since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. - AP

By Eva Visperas

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines â€" An outstanding policeman in this city and province has received recognition in a different field of interest â€" farming.

Senior Police Officer 4 Virgilio Cardinoza, twice cited as outstanding policeman for the city and the province, was named as the Most Outstanding Farmer of the Year as part of this city’s fiesta celebration the other day.

Cardinoza said he spends equal time as a policeman and a farmer.


SPO4 Virgilio Cardinoza, a multi-awarded policeman, shows off the plaque naming him San Carlos City’s most outstanding farmer. EVA VISPERAS

Virgin coconut oil or VCO could be the country’s weapon against the deadly H1N1 flu virus, a new party-list representative said yesterday.

“This crisis can be turned into a big opportunity for our coconut farmers and processors. The high lauric content of virgin coconut oil is known to strengthen the human immune system against microbes and viruses,” said former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor.

“Research and development on the possible use of VCO against (the H1N1) flu should be accelerated,” he said. - Jess Diaz, Philippine Star

For his “incorrect” rendition of the national anthem at the start of the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, singer Martin Nievera may have to be called to an investigation to be conducted by the House of Representatives.

In Resolution 1137, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño complained that Nievera sang the Lupang Hinirang “in a manner not in keeping with the original arrangement of its composer Julian Felipe.”

He said the singer sang the anthem as if it were a ballad.

“Mr. Nievera is not the first artist who has sang the national anthem in a different style and tempo. As in the past, such non-traditional renditions elicit much debate among policymakers and the public at large as to the proper way of singing the Lupang Hinirang and whether artists have the license to deviate from tradition,” he said. - Philippine Star

By Ted P. Torres
Philippine Star

Yuchengco-controlled Rizal Commercial and Banking Corp. (RCBC) posted a net income of P780 million in the first three months of 2009, a slight one percent gain from the previous year as it built up its lending portfolio despite poor global economic conditions.

“The bank continues to focus on the basics: Building its core business of diversified loan portfolio and deposits. RCBC aims to pursue the strategy of further building financial strength, expanding market reach, and improving customer service quality during this economic slowdown so that it will emerge even stronger when the economy gains in strength,” said Lorenzo V. Tan, RCBC president and chief executive officer.

Kidnappers believed to have links to a “lost command” of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have demanded a P25-million ransom for a 61-year-old carpenter they seized in a remote village here, Mayor Celso Lobregat said.

Lobregat said the abductors relayed the ransom demand to the family of kidnap victim Doroteo Gonzales last Friday.

Gonzales was abducted last April 25 in Barangay Buenavista east of this city and brought to Basilan.

Last Jan. 23 three public school teachers were also seized here and brought to Basilan.

“There has been a proof of life. (Gonzales’) daughter Edna was able to talk to the kidnappers last Friday and (they) demanded P25 million,” Lobregat said.

However, Gonzales’ family said it was impossible for them to raise the huge sum, he said.

The kidnappers called up the following day and reduced the ransom to P10 million and later to P5 million but still the family could ill-afford to raise this.

“The victim’s family appealed to the kidnappers instead to free their father because they cannot raise any ransom money,” said Lobregat, chief of the local crisis management committee. - Philippine Star

A homeless South Korean unable to withdraw his life savings because he could not remember his real name has died in poverty, officials said.

The man, believed to be aged 56, died of cancer last month, leaving 128 million won (just over 100,000 dollars) in a bank account that was opened in early 1993 under the alias of Na Hae-Dong.

The account was frozen several months later when a law took effect to ban accounts held under false names, as an anti-corruption measure.

Deposits were still allowed but the account holder had to register a real name to withdraw money, something "Na" could not do.

"He didn't know what his real name was or where he was born. We tried but failed to identify him," Yoo Joon-Soo, the senior official of Yongbong district in the southwestern city of Gwangju, told AFP by phone.

The man collected scrap iron and other junk and slept on his cart under plastic sheets before moving in 2007 into a makeshift shelter made from a shipping container.

Though he could not withdraw from the account, he kept putting in savings. - AFP

By Associated Press

A Texas man has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill President Barack Obama and blow up the Mall of America in Minneapolis.

Timothy Ryan Gutierrez pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of making threats by e-mail. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors have dropped a charge of threatening to use an explosive.

His attorney says the 21-year-old Gutierrez could face up to a year and a half in prison when he is sentenced July 31.

Gutierrez, from Andrews, Texas, was accused of sending the e-mails from his brother's Colorado home to the FBI a week before Obama's inauguration in January. Gutierrez claimed the e-mails were a prank.

Gutierrez has been in custody since surrendering Jan. 29.

By Ricky Lo
The Philippine Star

Any day, Korina Sanchez will file an indefinite leave from ABS-CBN as co-anchor of the station’s late-night newscast Bandila and of Ted Failon’s on the dzMM program Tambalang Failon at Sanchez.

“She’s just waiting for Ted to go back to work maybe early next month,” said Funfare’s Bohol Avenue DPA (Korina remains mum on moves, whether in her work or her private life). The NBI has just dismissed the “obstruction of justice” case against Ted and members of his household in connection with the death of his wife Trina which was confirmed to be a suicide.

“Right now,” added the DPA, “Korina is preparing for her and Sen. Mar Roxas’ wedding. “Korina wants their wedding to be truly memorable so she’s personally attending to every detail. After all, sabi niya, ‘I’m hoping to get married only once in my lifetime’.”

And, it must be presumed, so does Mar who, like Korina, is not saying when and where the wedding will be.

But it might be sooner than expected â€" “Definitely before Christmas,” said the DPA.

On a recent trip to Davao to shoot an episode for Rated K (a consistent top-rater), Korina made a side trip to the Puentespina Orchids in Malagos and the Fuentes Finas Flower Farm for a look-see. “She studied the combination of small, white, green and gold orchids, and asked the opinion of the flower-farm owners. She wants to decorate the wedding venue with orchids grown locally, particularly in Davao.”

By the Associated Press

A 21-year-old Swede was indicted on charges of hacking into the computer systems of NASA and US networking giant Cisco, the US Justice Department said.

Philip Gabriel Pettersson, also known as "Stakkato," was indicted on charges of intrusion and misappropriating trade secrets, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Pettersson was accused in the five-count indictment of breaking into the computer system and network of San Jose, California-based Cisco in May 2004 and stealing operating system code.

He allegedly broke into computers belonging to the US space agency NASA's Ames Research Center and the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division in Moffett Field, California, in May and October of the same year.

The Justice Department did not provide Pettersson's current whereabouts but said it will "continue to work cooperatively with the Swedish authorities on the case."

It said the maximum penalty for each charge of intrusion and theft of trade secrets is 10 years in prison and a fine of 250,000 dollars.

By GMA 7 News

When Freddie Roach broached the idea of seeing Manny Pacquiao fight Shane Mosley next, he was speaking as a fan.

Whether he's ready to back that challenge up as a trainer -- well, does anyone doubt that he can't weave his magic for the umpteenth time?

The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site on Monday that Roach was interested to see a Mosley-Pacquiao showdown next.

"As a fan, it's the fight I'd most want to see," Roach said in a report by Lance Pugmire.

Coveting the 37-year-old Mosley might be pushing the envelope as far as searching for Pacquiao's next opponent is.

Although he's a natural welterweight, Mosley has gone up as high as 154 pounds in a competitive match. He once held the world light-middleweight championship when he wrested it from Oscar de la Hoya in 2003.

Mosley destroyed Antonio Margarito in a welterweight world-title match last January in only his second ring assignment in 13 months.

But Roach won't go heavy on this one. He said he'll only let Pacquiao take on Mosley (46-5, win-loss) at a catch weight of about 143 pounds.

By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star -

Globe Telecom registered a 17-percent increase in its net income for the first quarter this year to P4 billion as against P3.4 billion in the same period a year earlier.

The company said the net  income includes an after-tax gain of P398 million arising from an equipment exchange transaction with an equipment supplier. Excluding foreign exchange and mark-to-market gains and losses as well as the gain from the equipment exchange transaction, core net income grew five percent to P3.7 billion from P3.5 billion a year ago.

By Chron

Fueled by an aging, more diverse population, the number of new cancer cases in the United States will increase by 45 percent over the next 20 years, according to a Houston study.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center study, published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, projects 2.3 million cases in 2030, up from 1.6 million in 2010. The number of cases among minorities will double and among seniors will increase 67 percent.

“It’s a surge the health care system doesn’t appear ready to accommodate, given the shortage of oncologists previously projected,” said Dr. Ben Smith, a professor of radiation oncology and the study’s lead author. “If we don’t come to grips with this as a society, health care may be the next bubble to burst.”

The study is the first to project specific long-term cancer incidence, which was expected to increase as U.S. baby boomers hit their senior years because cancer is a disease of aging.

Two California men were indicted today on federal charges that they illegally smuggled Asian songbirds into the country, most recently last month when one of the defendants, returning from a trip to Vietnam, was found with 14 live birds strapped to his legs. As seen in the below evidence photo, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at Los Angeles International Airport discovered the birds under the pants of Sony Dong. - The Smoking Gun

By The Local

Sweden’s airport authority is reeling after an investigation into computer network problems revealed that several employees were surfing pornographic websites while on the job.

Seven workers from the LFV Group have been fired, while another worker has quit after being reported to police for suspected violations of Sweden’s anti-child pornography laws.

“This is an awful story and I’m both shocked and disappointed,” said LFV Group head Lars Rekke to the TT news agency.

Cheap PAL Plane Tickets Availane Only Through Online Booking

PAL ECONOLIGHT CLASS

Get great value from our new "NO-FRILLS" to ALL PAL Domestic flights and selected Asian Destinations. 

Only available for purchase through the PAL website.

Below are the applicable routes and fares:

INTERNATIONAL ROUND TRIP FARES (excluding taxes, surcharges and airport terminal fee)

Valid for selling, ticketing and travelling until 29 March 2010 only
For as low as USD 48 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/Minimum 2 days and maximum 8 days of stay
Between MANILA and HO CHI MINH*/HONG KONG/ JAKARTA/SINGAPORE

*Not available for HO CHI MINH to MANILA   
For as low as USD 58 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/Minimum 2 days and maximum 8 days of stay
Between MANILA and BANGKOK/MACAU
For as low as USD 68 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/Minimum 2 days and maximum 8 days of stay
Between MANILA and TAIPEI
For as low as USD 98 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/Minimum 2 days and maximum of 8 days stay
Between MANILA and SHANGHAI 

For as low as USD 188 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/Minimum 2 days and maximum of 8 days stay
Between MANILA and BEIJING 

Note: International fares will be quoted in the currency of the country of departure except for Philippines and Indonesia where fares are quoted in USD.
For as low as USD 78 (PWEBSGN)/Minimum 2 days and maximum of 8 days stay 
From SAIGON to MANILA
DOMESTIC ONE WAY ALL-IN FARES valid for sale, ticketing and travel until further notice (excluding Aviation Security Fee (ASF)  and airport terminal fee )

For as low as PHP 488
Between MANILA and LAOAG

For as low as PHP988 
Between MANILA and LEGASPI/CEBU/ILOILO

For as low as PHP1,088 
Between MANILA and BACOLOD/DUMAGUETE/KALIBO/
PUERTO PRINCESA/ROXAS/TACLOBAN/TAGBILARAN

For as low as PHP2,088 
Between MANILA and BUTUAN/CAGAYAN DE ORO/COTABATO/
DAVAO/DIPOLOG/GENERAL SANTOS/ZAMBOANGA
Conditions for travel:

Fare for child and infant occupying a seat is 100% of the EconoLight adult fare
Fare for infant not occupying a seat is 50% of the EconoLight adult fare
Tickets are  non-refundable/Non-rebookable/Non-reroutable/Non-upgradeable/Not combinable
Reissuance not permitted
Forfeited if ticket is unused
No mileage accrual
Free Baggage Allowance is 15 kgs per passenger
No additional free baggage allowance will be extended to Mabuhay Miles Million Miler/Premier Elite/Elite and SportsPlus members
Limited seats only
Book and ticket immediately
Other Travel Conditions

Facilities for passengers requiring special handling are not available on this class
Infants and children travelling with adults holding ECONOLIGHT tickets are not entitled to Bassinets/Milk requests
No Advance Seat Reservation (ASR)
No lounge access
No meals
Domestic - water upon request
International - peanuts and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, juice, water, coffee and tea
No headsets will be provided
No baggage check-through
No Mabuhay Lounge access regardless of membership level
Seating at the rear of the plane
Passengers holding EconoLight tickets will depart/arrive at Manila - Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal 2

PAL website: http://www.philippineairlines.com

By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
Philippine Star

Very cheap airfares to international destinations are cutting into domestic tourism which may result in lower tourism revenues for the country, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said yesterday.

“Low priced international airfares are encouraging people to travel out of the country,” Tourism Director for Development Planning Rolando Canizal said yesterday.


“A big chunk of tourists are locals. In fact a study showed that young Filipinos travel four times a year,” Canizal said, adding that here was a good domestic travel movement.”

“It (low priced plane ticket for international destinations) makes traveling outside the country more expensive than touring the Philippines,” Canizal said. Filipinos make up 80 percent of the local tourism market.

The statement was made following the seat sale by flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) late last month during which the Lucio Tan led firm sold international plane seats for as low as $8.

The seat sale likewise angered travel agents who said they were not informed of the seat sale before hand. - Philippine Star

By Daily Mail UK

A 17-year-old girl who drinks a litre of vodka and eight cans of beer every day has admitted spending most of her £47-a-week benefits on alcohol.

Jamie-Lee Day claims that she would rather buy vodka than food and boasts 'she can drink absinthe like water'.

Her shocking case comes a new study showed that binge drinking among women has more than doubled in eight years.

It found that 15 per cent of women regularly consume twice the state-approved safe limit.

Sen. Manny Villar’s mother made an unexpected appearance in one of the country’s most popular noontime variety shows yesterday and inadvertently campaigned for her son, who is among those expected to run for president in 2010.

Wowowee host Willie Revillame, after introducing “Nanay Curing” during the program’s Willie of Fortune segment, asked her who she would vote for, without referring to a specific elective position.

“Of course my son,” replied Villar’s 85-year-old mother, who appeared in one of his political advertisements in the past.

Nanay Curing was first seen on television as a loving mother who still insisted on running a small sari-sari store despite her son’s status as one of the richest members of the Senate.

On Wowowee, she even encouraged Revillame to vote for her son. - Philippine Star

Former President Corazon Aquino will still undergo further chemotherapy after the successful laparoscopic surgery last Monday that removed a cancerous tumor from her colon.

Aquino’s son Sen. Benigno Aquino III told reporters that the whole family is happy that the operation turned out fine and that the former president was doing very well.

However, he said doctors must make sure the cancer would be fully contained and the chemotherapy sessions would continue.

He said the practice before was to operate on cancer patients first before chemotherapy. But now it would have to be chemotherapy first to stop the cancer cells’ growth, like what was done to his mother.

“Sometimes the patient gets cured already and then there is no more need for surgery,” he said.

He said his mother would have to fully recover from the operation before she would resume chemotherapy. - Paolo Romero, Philippine Star

By Charlie Lagasca
Philippine Star

This time it was a Ricky Hatton fan.

A boxing fan here who placed his bet on the British slugger during the much-awaited “Battle of the East and West” reportedly suffered a stroke and died while watching Hatton being pummeled by Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao last Sunday.

Mike Villaflores, 43, of the neighboring Barangay Bonfal West, Bayombong town here, was immediately rushed to the Medical Mission Group Hospital after collapsing upon seeing Pacquiao floor Hatton for the second time in the first round.

The victim was watching the bout live on the big screen at the jampacked Solano cockpit arena at the time of the incident.

“His companions noticed that he was already gasping for breath after Pacquiao delivered the first knockdown. He collapsed almost simultaneously as Hatton suffered a second knockdown,” said a newspaper vendor here.

“We heard he bet a big sum on Hatton. The victim and his companion were noticeably speechless and seemed bewildered,” he added.

A British man has been appointed the new caretaker of an Australian tropical island, a six-month position described as "the best job in the world".

Ben Southall, 34, a charity fundraiser from Petersfield, Hampshire, emerged from a field of over 34,000 applicants.

His new job requires Mr Southall to live and report from Hamilton Island, on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

The process gave a global profile to Australian tourism, which has gone into decline amid the worldwide recession.

Mr Southall was chosen from among 16 finalists competing for the A$150,000 (£73,500; $110,000) position. - BBC

The recipient of the first US almost-total face transplant has appeared before the media for the first time.

Connie Culp, a 46-year-old mother-of-two was left without the middle section of her face after her husband shot her in 2004.

Ms Culp, whose identity had been previously withheld, paid tribute to the donor family at a news conference.

Surgeons at a clinic in a Cleveland, Ohio, replaced 80% of Ms Culp's face with that of a dead female donor.

"I guess I'm the one you came to see today, " she told reporters but added that "I think it's more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person's face."

The transplant is only the fourth to be carried out. Two operations have been conducted in France and one in China. - BBC

Two firms were barred yesterday from bidding for the P11.3-billion contract to automate next year’s elections.

The Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) special bids and awards committee (SBAC) found ineligible the consortium of Indra Sistemas of Spain, Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc. of the Philippines and Hart Intercivic of the United States; and the consortium of Universal Storefront Services of Philippines and Sequoia Voting Systems of United States for failing to meet the bid’s documentary requirements.

Four firms remain eligible to bid for the automation contract.

Lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan, SBAC chairman and Comelec Law Department director, said Indra had failed to submit a certificate from the International Organization for Standardization.

SBAC Resolution No. 002 shows that Hart Intercivic, the consortium’s provider of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, had failed to submit the ISO certification or its equivalent contrary to Bid Bulletin No. 4, dated April 4, 2009.

The ISO 9000 certificate should be submitted by the provider of component IB PCO, according to the resolution.

The resolution states that ISO certification submitted was that of Integrated Microelectronics Inc.

By Philip Tubeza
PDI

Would you shell out P1.9 million to scavenge through garbage in Dubai?

The Filipino drivers who ended up as scavengers in Dubai after being stranded there for three months each owed some P1.9 million to various lending companies, their lawyer said Tuesday.

Lawyer Reynaldo Robles and Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center that is helping the workers, called on the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to cancel the permit of the workers’ recruitment agency, CYM International Services, for the troubles the drivers are going through.

Robles said that while the original placement fee was only P150,000, the lending firms were going after the workers for debts totaling P1.9 million each.

“The tragedy here is they were already duped and stranded for three months in Dubaiâ€"sometimes eating only once a day and resorting to scavenging to surviveâ€"and when they get back home, they [each] face a debt of P1.9 million and are being threatened with lawsuits,” Robles said after a hearing Tuesday at the POEA on the workers’ case.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is open with the idea of amending the law regarding the proper way of singing the National Anthem in a way that it would be easier for students to sing it during events and flag-raising ceremonies.

Jonathan Malaya, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns, said the department wants some changes in the fast tempo of the anthem.

"It was meant to be a marching song that's why it is difficult for the students to sing it," Malaya said in an interview today.

Lupang Hinirang, the country's national anthem, has a two-fourths beat.

Malaya, however, noted that lawmakers may not approve such amendments because the current manner of singing the anthem "reflects certain historical essence."

Asked if the National Historical Institute was harsh or over-reacting in filing a complaint against singer Martin Nievera for rendering it in his own version during the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight, Malaya said it is up to the court to decide on the matter. - Philippine Star

The House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill pushing mandatory biometrics registration for the 2010 national elections.

House Bill 6052, filed by Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., was approved by 186 lawmakers during Tuesday's plenary session.

The bill requires all registered voters whose biometrics have not been captured to appear before the election officer of their place of registration to have their photographs, fingerprints, and signatures captured through the biometrics method.

This Automated Fingerprint Identification System will enable the Commission on Elections to clean the records of double or multiple registrants, according to Locsin, who also chairs the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms. - Philippine Star

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Bureau of Immigration will vigorously pursue its thrust to attract more foreign investors and tourists into the country by liberalizing its rules and policies on visa issuance, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, said Wednesday.

Libanan, who is marking his second year in office this week, cited the recent launching of the special visa for employment generation (SVEG) which he said has drawn interest from hundreds of foreign businessmen in and outside Metro Manila.

“It is time that we migrate from the restrictive ‘hammer and shield’ mindset to that of a pro-investment agent,” Libanan said in a speech to officials and employees after a thanksgiving Mass at the immigration central office in Intramuros, Manila.

According to Libanan, one-stop shop SVEG centers are now being set up in key cities all over the country to make visa processing easier for foreigners staying in the provinces.

Under bureau regulations, the SVEG, which entitles the holder to stay here indefinitely, is given to a foreigner who invests in a company that employs 10 or more Filipino workers.

“We hope that with this visa, fewer Filipinos will migrate to other countries to look for jobs,” Libanan said.

Starting July, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board will require all taxi cab-drivers to issue receipts to passengers.

LTFRB chairman Alberto Suansing said the Supreme Court has already given the go signal for its implementation.

“Tuloy na sa July,” Suansing said.

The receipts should have started to be issued last January but some cab operators appealed for a deferment of the requirement until July.

The LTFRB and taxi operators are discussing further what information would be put on the receipts.

Currently, there are an estimated 32,000 franchised taxi units with some drivers already issuing receipts to their passengers. - Dennis Carcamo, Philippine Star

A US Navy destroyer was deployed off Basilan and Sulu to assist in US training operations, a US military official confirmed yesterday.

Maj. John Hutcheson, public affairs chief of the Joint Special Operation Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), said the US warship is in the area to support the training exercises of the US military unit under the JSOTF-P.

The USS Kidd, a fletcher-class destroyer, was spotted last Monday off the coast of this city. â€" Roel Pareño, Philippine Star

Unified lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez is still very much looking forward to a rubber match with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao â€" that is, after the rugged Mexican takes care of his toughest fight to date against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

A day before Pacquiao demolished Ricky Hatton in two rounds, a press conference announcing Mayweather’s July 19 comeback fight against Marquez was held.

According to reports, Mayweather and Marquez will be meeting at a catchweight of 143 pounds â€" in which Marquez will be scaling in at least eight pounds heavier than his normal fighting weight.

In the event he beats Mayweather, Marquez said he will take on Pacquiao before the end of the year to settle their “unfinished business.” - Philippine Star

“If I defeat Mayweather, I would be ready to move forward with a Manny Pacquiao fight,” Marquez told the Mexico-based daily Esto.

A Church official has advised boxing star Manny Pacquiao to gun for a mayoral post instead of a congressional seat if ever he pushes through with his plan to run in the May 2010 elections.

Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of the Diocese of Marbel said he has heard talks that Pacquiao is planning to run for mayor of General Santos City or as a representative of Saranggani.

"Kung sa mayor pwede siya, pero kung sa congressman mahihirapan siya [He can do better as a mayor but as a congressman, he will have a hard time]," Gutierrez said in an interview with the Church-run Radio Veritas.

Gutierrez explained that Pacquiao still needs to know more about legislation and the law-making process. He, however, said the boxer can still help and serve his constituents even without entering government service. - Philippine Star

The Philippine health secretary urged Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao to postpone his triumphant return home after beating Ricky Hatton to help prevent the spread of swine flu from the United States.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told reporters the World Health Organization made the "strong recommendation" for Pacquiao and his entourage to remain in Los Angeles and observe self-quarantine until next week because the virus was found to have spread to the city.

Duque said there are concerns that Pacquiao's motorcade _ which will drive through Manila to mark a "national day of celebration" on Friday in honor of his victory _ could pose a risk of spreading the virus if he or anyone in his group is infected. The Philippines has yet to confirm its first case of swine flu.

He said health authorities have been trying to contact Pacquiao to urge him to impose self-quarantine and delay his trip until at least Tuesday since it takes about five days for symptoms to appear. - GMAnews.tv

Three persons are currently quarantined in Cebu for possibly being infected with the swine flu or influenza A(H1N1) virus.

A Cebuano couple and a British woman are currently quarantined at one of the isolation rooms of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) for verification of A(H1N1).

The couple who traveled from Ireland to Hong Kong arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport on Cathay Pacific flight CX921 and was intercepted at noon yesterday after thermal scanning at the airport showed the man running a fever.

The husband is 32 while the wife is 30 years old. They were seated together on the plane so the wife was also quarantined as a precautionary measure though she did not show any symptoms.

The British woman, on the other hand, admitted visiting Mexico and Hong Kong where cases of swine flu have been reported.

She had been in Cebu for a week before she voluntarily showed up at the VSMMC hospital last Monday because she suspected she had the virus.

The British woman, 25 years or older, has reportedly developed a cough and cold but has no sign of fever.

Department of Health (DOH) Central Visayas Regional Director Dr. Susana Madarieta said that the foreigner’s case is nearly impossible because the patient has already exceeded the incubation period. - GMAnews.tv

A lone winner hit the P52.039-million Megalotto 6/45 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Friday night.

The PCSO website (www.pcso.gov.ph) said the winner got the correct combination of 01-05-42-34-29-38 to win the P52,039,510.20 pot.

However, the PCSO did not name the winner for security reasons. - GMANews.TV

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press Writer   
WASHINGTON

The Pentagon Tuesday played down a confrontation between Chinese vessels and one of its Navy surveillance ships, taking a decidedly more low-key tone than during similar incidents two months ago.

In what has become almost a routine cat-and-mouse game on the seas, there have been four incidents in the past month in which Chinese-flagged fishing vessels maneuvered too close to two unarmed ships crewed by civilians and used by the Pentagon to do underwater surveillance and submarine hunting missions, two defense officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss some of the incidents and details that the Pentagon has not yet released, adding that they fear such maneuvers are not just dangerous in themselves but could lead to escalated incidents.

Canadian aircraft and trains maker Bombardier Transportation (BT) has decided to transfer its financial and shared services workload to Cebu as part of its commitment to provide value-added business analysis to its global customers.

The move of Bombardier Transportation (BT), a public listed company under the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD), is also considered as a major undertaking by the company as it envisions long-term productivity and profitability through its Cebu operations which is also its first center in the country.

Prior to its move at the TGU Tower at the Asiatown IT Park in Lahug, Cebu City, BT considered 60 other sites worldwide for its financial services center.

BT Cebu office director Heiko Kaefer said the company considered the quality of Cebu’s workforce and the availability of licensed accountants in deciding to open a center here.

BT also considered the high number of finance and economic students produced in Cebu every year.

”Cebu is also familiar with the set up of shared services centers and business process outsourcing,” Kaefer said.

Cebuanos, he added, also possess a “true global customer culture".

He said Asiatown IT Park’s underground power cables high voltage switch gear, fast broadband capability and redundant power and data lines provided by TGU tower have strengthened its belief that Cebu is the right place for the center. - PNA

Ang problema ani kay pangbuhian ra man pud inig madakpan kay wala pa daw sila law about pirates.

Dante continues to move eastward away from the country, lashing Bicol region with over P100 million worth of infrastructure and crop damages, 25 fatalities, three people missing and several others injured despite the non-prevalence of strong monsoon season.

"Typhoon 'Dante' continues to move away from the country. It was spotted 1,050 kms East of Tuguegarao, Cagayan with maximum sustained winds of 130 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph as of 10:45 a.m," latest weather bulletin issued by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council on Tuesday said that death toll rose to 25 as of Tuesday morning, mostly from landslide in Hubo, Magallanes in Sorsogon. Four retrieved bodies are still unidentified while three are still missing from the landslide.

The NDCC also reported that 236,887 persons have been displaced, with only 174 evacuation centers currently housing 54,308 people.

It noted an increase in people staying in evacuation centers due to inclusion of affected residents, particularly in Camarines Sur.  PNA

Electricity rates of power retailer Manila Electric Company (Meralco) for the month of May will drop as generation charge decline to P4.4235 per kilowatt hour (kWh) this month from P5.0205 per kWh last April.

Ivanna dela Peña, Meralco’s VP and head of Utility Economics said for the month of May, generation charge will decline by as much as 59.70 centavos per kWh and this is due mainly to fuel reduction cost.

“The generation cost of Meralco’s suppliers reflected a significant decrease, mainly triggered by a considerable reduction in fuel cost last April,” said Dela Peña.

Dela Pena said a residential customer consuming 100 kwhs who paid P733.72 in April will see his May bill go down by P57.62 while residential customer consuming 200 kWh per month will experience a reduction of P165.02. - PNA

What a shame! What a shame! What a shame! It doesn't matter if you'd be the poorest in the planet, just don't have your name included in this list. What a shame for Imelda.

The Philippine economy may have grown at a high-end target of the government this year, driven by the election related spending and the planned front loading for infrastructure projects, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Tuesday said.

In a briefing, Dennis M. Arroyo, director of NEDA's national planning and policy staff, said the agency is more "optimistic" to meet the high-end target of the gross domestic product (GDP) for this year.

A proxy for economic output, GDP refers to the total value of goods and services produced in a country.

“We are targeting a 4 percent (GDP growth in 2009). I think we can do it because of the recent developments,” Arroyo said.

The Development Budget and Coordinating Committee expects the economy, as measured by GDP, to expand between 3.1 percent and 4.1 percent.

"The first quarter (growth) could be the lowest and would pick up in the second quarter to fourth quarter," Arroyo said. - PNA

By Jerome Aning
PDI

Bureau of Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other ports have been ordered to stop collecting a P1,200 exit fee from departing Filipino passengers who hold foreign passports.

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said he issued the directive on April 17 following complaints from Filipino travelers who were made to pay the exit fee after they presented their foreign passports to immigration counters at the NAIA.

Such travelers, Libanan said, were either former natural-born Filipinos who reacquired their Philippine citizenship under the dual citizenship act or foreigners who were recognized as Filipinos under the 1935 and 1987 Constitutions.

“It is not right to collect exit fees from these passengers who, even if they are holders of foreign passports, are actually Filipinos entitled to all the rights and privileges of a Philippine citizen,” Libanan said.

In his order, Libanan also directed immigration officers “not to collect exit fees from departing passengers who are holders of BI-issued identification certificates even if they are using foreign passports.”

An identification certificate is issued by the BI to a foreigner who has been granted dual citizenship under Republic Act No. 9225 or whose petition for recognition as a Philippine citizen has been approved by the BI and affirmed by the Department of Justice.

Uniformed Men.â€"It is a well known fact that women love uniformed men. The soldier figures as a hero in about every tale of fiction and it is said by good authority that a man in uniform has three more chances to marry than the man without uniform.

The correct reason is, the soldier's profession is bravery, and he is dressed and trained for that purpose, and it is that which makes him admired by ladies rather than the uniform which he wears. His profession is also that of a protector.

source: Searchlights on Health (The Science of Eugenics)by B. G. Jefferis and J. L. Nichols

By Alex Silva
People's Journal

Can too much sex kill?

Apparently this is what happened to a 24-year-old Filipina, who dated an Israeli national and was found dead in bed inside the foreigner’s condominium apartment  in Makati City Saturday morning

The victim, identified, as Virgie  Ulanday, alias Michelle of 101-D Santiago St., Pasay City, was discovered dead at around 9:30 p.m. on the bed of her lover.

The lover was identified as Doron Elimelech, 51, an Israeli national presently residing at Unit 30H, 30th floor, Greenbelt, Parkplace Condominium, Palanca St., Legaspi Village.

Based on initial investigation conducted by SPO1 Noel Bardiñas of the Makati City Police Station Investigation and Detective Management Branch, Homicide Unit, the couple went to the condo unit of Elimelec past midnight  after having a good time at the Greenbelt Square in the said city.

Police speculated that the victim died of “too much sex” because they found  no foul play that could be attributed to her death.     

It was gathered that the two started their love affair when they met in the same club some two months ago, until Ulanday finally decided to go along with Elimelech at his condo unit.

Elimenech claimed that at around 9 a.m., he tried to wake up the victim while sleeping on his bed, only to discover that Ulanday was no longer breathing.

He rushed the victim to the Ospital ng Makati but was declared dead on arrival.

By Nitz Miralles

Hindi pala dumating si Piolo Pascual sa Manila reception ng wedding nina Judy Ann Santos at Ryan Agoncillo na ginawa last Saturday sa Le Soufle Resto sa Rockwell.
   
Hinanap ng invited press ang actor para sana hingan ng comment at wishes niya sa mga bagong kasal, pero wala siya.
   
Siguro naman, may malaking rason si Piolo sa hindi niya pagdating, pero pasasaan ba’t makakausap din siya ng press tungkol sa pag-aasawa ni Judy Ann.
   
Samantala, mukhang tuluy-tuloy na ang pagiging movie producer ni Piolo dahil isa siya sa producers ng Kimmy Dora ni Eugene Domingo, kung saan, kasama sa cast si Dingdong Dantes. Maganda kung dumating ang araw na kukuning director ni Piolo si Dingdong sa isa sa mga ipo-prodyus niyang pelikula.

By Mario Bautista
People's Journal

ARE Ruffa Gutierrez and John Lloyd Cruz romancing each other? This is what some wags on the Internet allege. Ruffa now vehemently denies the rumor that she's having an affair with Lloydie, which is said to be the reason why he and girlfriend Liz Uy have broken up. Lloydie is now in New York shooting "In My Life" with Vilma Santos and Luis Manzano while Liz flew to Europe with Anne Curtis allegedly to nurse a broken heart.
   
"Naku, walang ganun," says Ruffa. "I admit that John Lloyd and I became good friends while we're doing "Betty La Fea"  kasi we have plenty of scenes together in the Ecomoda office. Tapos, biglang may nag-post ng mga pictures namin together sa Internet at ipinagkalat na kami na raw ang secret lovers. Those pictures were taken sa set ng "Betty La Fea" and, hello, hindi ba puwedeng maging close friends ang isang babae at isang lalaki without them being linked together? E, ngayon ngang tapos na ang show at nasa abroad pa siya, hindi na kami nagkikita, ‘no? My g***, buti na lang at hindi ako natuloy sumama kina Mommy at Daddy ko in going to the States, kundi may nag-insinuate na rin siguro na ini-stalk ko si John Lloyd doon. I really want to go sana kaya lang I have to host 'The Buzz' at meron pa akong 'Ruffa and Ai' at live (telecast) kami three times a week kaya hindi ako puwedeng umalis ng Pilipinas."

By Roy Luarca
Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT WAS SHORT, SWIFT AND MERCILESS, and the end surprised Manny Pacquiao as much as it stunned Ricky Hatton into oblivion.

Finding the opening he had been looking for, Pacquiao threw a thunderous left hook from hell that found Hatton’s jaw with nine seconds left in the second round, sending the Briton flat on his back for several minutes, unconscious.

In just five minutes and 59 seconds, “The Battle of East and West” on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) was over.

Referee Kenny Bayless did not even bother to count as Pacquiao enhanced his best pound-for-pound-fighter reputation while wresting Hatton’s International Boxing Organization’s light welterweight crown.

Aside from clinching his fifth world title in as many divisions, Pacquiao enshrined himself as the only boxer who fought in four weight classes in four successive fights and won them all.

Pacquiao took away Juan Manuel Marquez’s World Boxing Council 130-pound title, snatched David Diaz’s 135-pound crown, and then stopped Oscar De La Hoya in a 147-pound nontitle duel last year.

By Ben Arnold O. De Vera, Reporter
Manila Times

Amid higher cancellations among mid- to high-end projects, mass-housing investments registered with the Board of Investments (BOI), however, nearly doubled in the first quarter this year, according to the incentives-giving agency.

Preliminary data gathered by The Manila Times showed that 15 low-cost, mass housing projects have been registered with the BOI at end-March this year, up from 12 in the same three-month period last year.

Moreover, the total investments this year ballooned by almost 90 percent to P3.498 billion compared with P1.842 billion in first three months of last year.

Low-cost housing ventures awarded incentives by the BOI have risen continuously since the incentive-giving agency included mass housing under infrastructure activities in the annual Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) beginning 2003.

According to BOI data, the incentive-giving agency registered three low-cost mass housing projects totaling P268.482 million in 2003; seven worth a combined P260.644 million in 2004; 22 worth a total of P1.408 billion in 2005; 16 costing a combined P1.433 billion in 2006; and 51 worth P9.416 billion in 2007.

Last year, low-cost mass housing investments registered with the BOI reached P38.261 billion for a total of 98 projects.

General Motors could soon follow Chrysler into bankruptcy protection and the process is unlikely to be simple or swift for either troubled automaker, analysts warned.

“Bankruptcy may indeed be the last, best option to restructure General Motors because of the multitude of challenges the company faces and its deeply entrenched stakeholders,” said Doug Bernstein, head of Plunkett Cooney’s banking, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights law practice group.

“But it’s unrealistic to expect that the process will go smoothly and quickly,” Bernstein said.

“The company is massive, its operations are complex, and it has thousands of potential claimants and interested parties.”

In announcing Chrysler’s bankruptcy Thursday, President Barack Obama insisted that “Chrysler and GM are going to come back” and said a restructuring under court protection, along with a partnership with Italy’s Fiat, would give Chrysler “a new lease on life.”

While Obama said his team would continue to work with GM to develop a long-term viability plan ahead of a June 1 deadline he also warned that “we simply cannot keep this company or any company afloat on an endless supply of tax dollars.”

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned that both the US and Canadian governments “will insist that all of the stakeholders make the sacrifices necessary to ensure the long-run viability” of General Motors.

“If they do not, governments will not participate in the restructuring,” he said after announcing that the Canadian government would allocate $2.4 billion to help Chrysler emerge from bankruptcy. - AFP

By Lailany P. Gomez
Manila Times

STATE-RUN Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) said it approved a new loan program for its out-of-work members to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis.

Vice President Noli de Castro, concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, said Pag-IBIG members whose employment contracts were terminated or whose employer closed shop, will be given financial assistance under a special short term loan program.

“This measure is part of our effort to mitigate the effects of the global financial crisis on our unemployed members,” the Vice President said.

Members must have at least 24 monthly contributions to avail themselves of the amount equi-valent to 50 percent of their total savings.

The loan is payable in three years, including a one-year grace period.

Unemployed members with an existing multipurpose loan can borrow up to 50 percent of their remaining savings since Pag-IBIG has already deducted the balance of their earlier loan from their outstanding contributions.

The fund has also condoned any incurred penalties.

Jaime Fabiana, Pag-IBIG officer in charge, said that members must submit an accomplished multipurpose loan application form and a notice of separation from employment/termination of services or a certification of retrenchment or lay-off.

“We will secure a list of companies that closed and a list of repatriated overseas Filipino workers from the Department of Labor and Employment to speed up the processing of applications,” he said.

Members who have been inactive for more than six months must update their membership record before filing their loan applications, Pag-IBIG said.

The borrowers’ loan proceeds will be credited to their account at the Land Bank of the Philippines’ payroll credit systems validation or the Philippine domestic dollar transfer system, and other similar modes of payment.

Proceeds may also be released through a check payable to the borrower.

The fund said members can pay at any Pag-IBIG Fund office or to any of its authorized collecting agents or banks.

Pag-Ibig Fund allocated P5.6 billion for the program for the first two months of the year, or a 20-percent increase from last year’s P4.7 billion.

By Jomar C. Canlas, Reporter

After 22 years of litigating Lucio Tan for getting rich allegedly on Marcos money, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) will finally present its evidence in its multibillion-peso lawsuit against the taipan. A manifestation before the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division dated April 28 and signed by the Commission’s legal department division chief Ma. Luisa. Narvadez stated that “the Office of the Solicitor General will be filing its Formal Offer of Evidence in Civil Case No. 0005, titled Republic of the Philippines vs. Lucio Tan et al. May we respectfully request for copies of all the Minutes in said case.”

Under the rules of court, a formal offer of evidence shall be done only after the presentation of all testimonial evidence and is usually followed by a notice to the court that the party making the offer is resting its case.

The manifestation came as a surprise since government lawyers earlier insisted in court that they still have several important witnesses to put to the stand, including former First Lady Imelda Marcos, who is claiming that her family rightfully owns some 60 percent of several Tan-controlled companies.

The companies are Fortune Tobacco Corp., Asia Brewery Inc., Allied Banking Corp., Foremost Farms, Himmel Industries Inc., Grandspan Development Corp., Silangan Holdings Inc., Dominium Realty & Construction Corp., and Shareholdings Inc.

Originally, the complaint in Civil Case 0005 was lodged by the Commission at the Sandiganbayan in July 1987. The complaint was amended twice by government lawyers, on September 5, 1991.

Named in the lawsuit were the Marcos estate, Imelda Marcos, former central bank Governor Gregorio Licaros and the late Philippine National Bank President Panfilo Domi­ngo, among others.

The Philippines is seeking an award of P50 billion in damages and P1 billion for legal expenses against the defendants. Tan was also included in the case after Imelda Marcos stated that Tan’s assets are from the Marcoses.

But the former First Lady has not shown up at the Sandiganbayan for her expected testimony against the beer and tobacco magnate.

The Marcoses claimed they owned the 60 percent of the corporations of Tan. But both the Philippine government and the Mar­coses cannot produce the originals of the documents supposedly proving that business Tan acted as dummy for the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Among the witnesses presented by the Commission on August 21, 2007, against Tan were former Senate President Jovito Salonga and Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos of Ilocos Norte. Five letters of Tan with the letter head of Asia Brewery Corp. and Allied Bank Corp. to then President Ferdinand Marcos were also presented. The contents of the letters were not disclosed as the Commission merely sought to establish a connection between Tan and Marcos during the ‘70s.

By Jun Medina
Manila Times

In a separate interview, Marquez said through an interpreter that he was also raring for a third fight with the Filipino icon anytime.

“I think Pacquiao is scared of me, because he knows I beat him,” said Marquez, who has won two consecutive knockout wins at lightweight since losing his junior lightweight title by split decision in March 2008.

In his first match with Pacquaio in 2004, Marquez was knocked down three times in the first round but rallied furiously to retain his super featherweight title in a controversial draw that many thought was won by the Filipino southpaw.

Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, which is co-promoting Mayweather-Marquez with Mayweather’s promotional outfit, said the winner of the two biggest events of the year would logically fight each other in a super fight to decide the best.

By Jun Medina, Special Correspondent
Manila Times

The return of Floyd Mayweather Jr. was announced at a noontime press conference at the Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand.

“I’m back, and I’m here to stay as pound-for-pound king of the world,” Mayweather said during a press conference.

He added that he was willing to fight all the big names, including Pacquiao.

Roach downplayed Mayweather’s desire to fight Pacquiao, saying the former pound-for-pound champion was only making a “lot of noises.”

“I don’t think Mayweather really wants to fight Manny,” Roach said. “He’s scared of my man, and I doubt if he would like to fight him after this [Pacquiao’s decisive win over Hatton].”

US veteran Shane Mosley and Puerto Rico’s Cotto, two fighters who have tried in vain to make a deal to fight Mayweather, were mentioned by Roach as possible next foes for Pacquiao.

Asked to predict how Pacquiao-Mayweather would end, Roach said he expected the fight to go the distance.

“We win on points,” Roach said. “He doesn’t like to engage. He’s going to run from us.”

By Jun Medina, Special Correspondent
Manila Times

If Manny Pacquiao works fast, so does his promoterâ€"that is, in lining up the next fight for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions announced at the post-fight press conference Sunday that he wants to match Pacquiao with former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto or lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

But Mayweather came out of a 17-month retirement also on Sunday to announce that he would be fighting Marquez on July 18 at the MGM Grand, the venue of Sunday’s showdown. (See related stories on front page and A8)

“Floyd Mayweather Jr., if you want a piece of my little Filipino, be my guest,” Arum said.

By Iris Gonzales
Philippine Star

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto has reiterated that oil companies have been charging roughly P8 more per liter than the estimated gasoline price in the market.

Recto, who arrived Thursday night from a joint International Monetary Fund-World Bank meeting in Washington, explained his recent statement that oil prices are higher than what the actual price should be.

He said that based on the Oil Price Monitoring Report of the Department of Energy as of April 16, oil companies were charging as much as P40.85 per liter of premium plus gasoline, P39.71 per liter of premium gasoline and P39.07 per liter of unleaded gasoline.

These, Recto said, are roughly P8 more than the estimated average gasoline price of P32 per liter.

“Assuming that oil companies had purchased their stock of Dubai crude at $50 per barrel or P2,408 per barrel based on an exchange rate of P48.16 to the dollar at that time, then pump prices of domestic gasoline should be about P32.16 per liter,” Recto said.

By Paolo Romero
Philippine Star

A top Kuwaiti investor and the Philippine government are in talks for a possible $1.2-billion project to put up an aviation city in Clark, Pampanga, Malacañang said yesterday.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo met briefly with Kuwaiti billionaire Sheikh Nasser Al-Kharafi in Marsa Alam, Egypt where the construction magnate expressed interest in putting up an aviation facility in Clark.

Mrs. Arroyo made the stop-over to Marsa Alam on her way to Cairo, Egypt where she was to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last night. The Egyptian holiday area is the site of the Marsa Alam International Airport constructed by Al-Kharafi Group.

From Cairo, she and the rest of the Philippine delegation will proceed to Damascus, Syria for a state visit. She will meet with Syrian Bashar Al-Assad and address the Syrian People’s Assembly.

“We are here in investments mission. (Mrs. Arroyo) was able to speak with Sheik Al-Kharafi, one of the biggest financiers in the Middle East,” Remonde, who accompanied the President, told the government-owned dzRB.

“He is interested to invest and develop an aviation city in the Clark area,” he said.

He said the Al-Kharafi Group will start negotiations with the Clark International Airport Corp. for a possible $1.2-billion joint venture for an airport and an “aviation city.” The group has an estimated net worth of $14 billion.

By Mayen Jaymalin
Philippine Star

At least 100,000 more jobs in Guam, Saudi Arabia and Qatar await Filipino workers.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported that the government is currently negotiating agreements for the hiring of more Filipino workers abroad.

POEA chief Jennifer Manalili said the government is looking at 15,000 to 20,000 jobs for highly skilled Filipino workers in Guam.

Manalili said Guam will be requiring massive manpower with the impending construction of camps and other buildings to house American military officers who will be relocating in the area in 2010.

She said Guam would initially be needing construction workers and eventually service workers after the completion of the construction projects.

Manalili said during a recent marketing mission in Guam, employers expressed preference to hire Filipino workers.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque also reported that Saudi Arabia is set to embark on massive construction projects that will generate about 60,000 jobs for Filipinos.

Roque also noted that Qatar agreed to provide 20,000 additional working visas for Filipino workers.

“Qatar initially pledged to allocate 120,000 visas, but they agreed to provide another 20,000 for us,” Roque said in an interview.

According to Roque, a group of employers from Singapore and France are also coming to Manila to look at the possibility of hiring Filipino workers.

“There are so many overseas jobs available for Filipino workers, the challenge now is for us to generate the qualified workers to fill those demands,” Roque pointed out.

By Abac Cordero
Philippine Star

Manny Pacquiao put on an explosive performance for the whole world to see when he brutally knocked out Ricky Hatton inside two rounds Saturday at the MGM Grand, and left no doubt about his status as the greatest boxer on the planet today.

Pacquiao, getting heavier and yet faster and stronger, was more than a ferocious animal in the ring. He knocked Hatton down twice in the opening round, and finally finished the Briton off with barely a second remaining in the second round of their one-sided brawl.

“He’s a monster,” said promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank at ringside. “He’s the greatest fighter ever.”

“I hope you enjoyed the show. It’s nothing personal because I’m only doing my job,” Pacquiao said at the post-fight press conference.

Asked to comment how it felt throwing that winning punch, he said, “The last punch was a left hook, and I believe he will not be able to get up after that. I didn’t think he would get up.”

The Filipino southpaw weighed in at 138 lbs Friday, and Hatton at exactly 140 lbs. But up on the ring, the Filipino icon looked more solid with his body as he checked in at 148 lbs against the heavier and slower Hatton at 152 lbs.

Pacquiao landed the first good punch of the bout dubbed “Battle of the East and West,” a right hook, and after taking a solid blow to the hip and a few hits during a clinch, he landed a right hook to the face that sent the erstwhile champion down at the center of the ring with 55 seconds left in the round.

In a way, the early knockdown came as a surprise to the 16,262 fans in attendance, even to Pacquiao supporters who hoped to see a knockout but probably not as quick as this one. Hatton got up and Pacquiao went for the kill, and down went the Briton again.

It was a left straight that sent Hatton reeling back and down in front of his own corner. Confused, he managed to get up at the count of eight, and just shortly after, the bell rang. At this point, everybody felt that the end of the fight was to come in the next round.

It did.

With nine seconds left in the second round, Pacquiao let loose a powerful left that was more of a hook based on his stance. It was a million-dollar punch, so strong it sounded like Hatton’s jaw cracked.

For the third and last time, the man who vowed to stop Pacquiao went down unconscious like a fallen log.

Referee Kenny Bayless was quick to attend to the fallen ex-champion, and though he did not bother to count, it took him a few seconds before signaling the end of the bout with only a second left in the round.

“I didn’t have to count,” Bayless said.

Hatton lay on the floor like he was sound asleep.

For a while it seemed that Pacquiao didn’t know what to do, whether to celebrate or come to the aid of his foe.

He seemed to have smiled, exposing his mouthpiece, then walked back to his corner.

In the flick of an eye everybody was there ready to celebrate with him.

Pacquiao knelt in prayer in a neutral corner, as Hatton’s handlers, together with ring physicians, attended to the knockout victim from Manchester. It took a couple of minutes before he was able to get up. With so many people in the ring, it was hard to see if the fighters ever shook hands.

A foe like no other

From his dressing room, the Manchester brawler, who was reduced to a pitiful sight, was brought to the Valley Hospital for precautions. He was accompanied by his family, including his parents, Ray and Carol, and his 5-foot-10 fiancee, Jennifer Dooley.

Dooley cried hard at ringside, and had to be consoled by a friend, as Hatton lay on the canvas.

Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions and Hatton’s promoter, went with them.

“We’re concerned with Ricky’s health. He looks okay but we just want to make sure. We’re just worried about him we wanted to make sure he’s okay,” said Hatton’s lawyer Garreth Williams, explaining his client’s absence at the post-fight press conference.

Arum said he came up to Hatton, and told the 30-year-old Mancunian not to get “discouraged.”

The ageless promoter added that there are still big fights to be fought, and there remains a chance for him to win a world title again.

Hatton’s trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., said sometimes, “when a boxer gets knocked out like that it’s hard to recover.” 

The cocky trainer showed up at the post-fight press-con but neither confirmed nor denied that he was parting ways with Hatton. It was reported the other day they had personal differences allegedly because of the trainer being late for some training sessions.

Pacquiao, who was introduced by ring announcer Michael Buffer as the best fighter in the world, was welcomed as the “new” International Boxing Organization junior welterweight (140 lb) champion of the world, raising his world titles in different weight classes to six as most people say.

Pacquiao had won the WBC flyweight (112 lbs), the IBF super-bantamweight (122 lbs), WBC super-featherweight (130 lbs) and WBC lightweight (135 lbs) championships. Together with Ring Magazine’s featherweight (126 lbs) crown he joined De la Hoya as the only six-division champs.

Pacquiao fought in three weight classes last year, winning each battle against Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 lbs, David Diaz at 135 lbs, and De la Hoya at 147 lbs.

The Filipino ring icon said he feels very comfortable at 140 lbs, and Saturday’s win should serve as a stern warning to all pretenders.

Ring experts said the punch that knocked Hatton out could have knocked out any other fighter in the higher divisions, even the Mayweathers, the Mosleys, the Cottos or the Margaritos.

It was surely heard around the world, and Pacquiao’s popularity was even magnified a hundred times by it.

Roach said he knew “Hatton was a sucker” for the right hook.

“We knew how to prepare for that so it was easy for us. This was no surprise. Hatton pumps his hands before he throws a punch. He is a sucker for the right hook and this is what we worked on. He cocks back before he throws his punches. He fights the same way over and over. I studied tapes of all his fights for the last two months and I know him as well as I know my own fighter.”

True enough, based on slo-mo replays, Hatton pumped his gloves before getting caught by Pacquiao’s telling blow in the second round.

In the press conference, Pacquiao invited everyone to join his post-fight party at Mandalay Bay’s The Beach (poolside).

He said he was going to sing a few songs and even brought his own band from Manila. Up on the room on the 29th floor of the hotel, Pacquiao’s voice could be heard belting out his favorite songs.

The party was over by 2 a.m.

A moment of glory

Hatton walked into the arena ahead of Pacquiao. He was in his trademark black get-up, looking serious, chewing gum, and barely surrounded. In his dressing room, he was welcomed by Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao, moments after, arrived and made his way to his own dressing room. As usual, he smiled as he walked, and had his lovely wife, Jinkee, to his left, followed by a bunch of friends. It was the first time he showed up for a fight wearing a beard and moustache.

The MGM Grand was bursting with people, some of them dressed like they’re going to the Oscars, still a few hours before the fight.

People were still bidding for tickets, looking for spare ones, and those with a face value of $1,000 were being bought for as much as $6,000.

Three bouts before the main event, the arena was almost filled to the rafters, and British fans started warming up with chants of “Go! Ri-cky Hat-ton!” filling the air. Unconfirmed reports said 25,000 British fans flew all the way to Vegas for this fight.

According to Lee Samuels of Top Rank, some 18,000 fans packed the venue although there were 16,262 tickets sold, and he reported sales of 10,000 more on the closed circuit television in the different hotels around the official venue.

Footage of Friday’s official weigh-in pumped up the crowd as the seconds and closest supporters of both fighters almost filled the ring, waiting for their grand entrance.

Philippine flags, big and small, were all over the place, but still it was the British fans who lorded it over with their Wembley-like chants that were done as if they practiced them for a week.

As Martin Nievera did his own bouncy version of Lupang Hinirang, Pacquiao was shown over the giant screens getting a final rubdown from trainer Buboy Fernandez.

In his red-white-and-blue robe, Pacquiao looked like a Philippine flag was draped all over him, while Hatton came out in his colorful, beaded robe with lace on the edges.

Lights went out and thousands of cameras clicked away as footage of Hatton’s biggest wins were shown, as well as Pacquiao’s.

Being the champion, it was surprising for Hatton to climb the ring first. He walked slowly, stone-faced, his IBO belt hoisted behind him and the British flag waving.

Pacquiao was led up the ring by his new ally, former world wrestling heavyweight champion Batista, a half-Filipino. First thing he did was kneel before a neutral corner for a moment of prayer.

Then it was showtime as Michael Buffer hollered, “Let’s get ready to rumble.”

But there was none. Because Pacquiao made it a personal show.

According to computer statistics, Pacman landed 73 of 127 punches in just under six minutes, including 34 of 53 power punches in the second hand.

Hatton connected only 18 of 78.

By Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The country needs better writers in this day and age when disseminating information and sharing one’s thoughts are easier than ever through the Internet, according to a party-list lawmaker.

Alliance of Rural Concerns Rep. Narciso Santiago III has filed a bill that would put in place a National Writing Program to improve students’ writing skills as well as the way writing is taught in schools.

“As we take on the great information superhighway, or the Internet, we need to develop not only our skill to read, but also our skill to write in order to better communicate with the rest of the world,” Santiago said in a statement.

The bill would require the education secretary to award a grant to a nonprofit organization that would work to improve the quality of student writing and learning.

The funds would also be used to develop strategies to teach quality writing in classrooms.

The program would also train teachers to conduct writing workshops for other teachers.

By Marrah Erika Lesaba, Jeannette Andrade, Edwin Fernandez
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Three people died due to heart attack from excitement while watching boxing hero Manny Pacquiao beat British Ricky Hatton on Sunday, police said.

In Batangas province, 64-year-old tricycle driver Francisco Lalongisip, collapsed in his neighbor’s house at around noon, at the same time Pacquiao knocked Hatton down, said Police Officer 2 Amiel Sanhi.

Lalongisip, a resident of Ilat South village, San Pascual town, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Bejasa General Hospital in the same town, Sanhi said.

Lalongisip was so excited about the fight that the first thing he did in the morning was to go to his neighbor’s house to watch the television broadcast, Sanhi said.

In Manila, a 49-year old Vic Ocampo also died of a heart attack at a Manila hospital just as he rejoiced at seeing Hatton fall on the canvas.

Ocampo, a resident of 1154 Casanas Street in the Sampaloc district, was watching the free showing of the live Pacquiao-Hatton match at the Dapitan Sports Complex along with other boxing fans when he collapsed at around 11:50 a.m., just as Pacquiao knocked out Hatton in the second round.

Ocampo was rushed by standby medics to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors, said Senior Police Officer 1 Arnulfo Amor of the Manila Police District (MPD) Sampaloc Station 4.

In Tantangan town, South Cotabato province, 52-year-old farmer Rolando Cabang fell to the ground gasping for air at the start of the second round, said Senior Police Officer Armand Nuno of the town police, who is also a relative of the victim.

“It’s his fate,” Nuno said, adding that relatives should have prevented Cabang from watching the fight.

Elsewhere in the Southern Luzon region, politicians used the Pacquiao- Hatton fight to advertise their names in several cable television channels in Laguna province as sponsors of the live fight from Las Vegas.

By Jerome Aning
PDI

The National Historical Institute (NHI) criticized on Sunday singer Martin Nievara's rendition of the Philippine National Anthem at the beginning of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton bout in Las Vegas earlier Sunday.

In a text message, NHI chairman Ambeth Ocampo expressed dissatisfaction with the latest rendition and added that the flashing of the agency's seal was "without our permission."

Ocampo, who was on a provincial trip on Sunday, said he did not see Nievera's rendition. But he learned from those who watched the bout that the anthem, officially titled “Lupang Hinirang,” was sung with a martial tone but had a slow opening and closing.

Nievera sang the first stanza softly and slowly; he sang the last line with prolonged, high notes.

“Despite repeated reminders, some artists continue to make adjustments to the anthem, which is not an ordinary piece of music open to free interpretation,” Ocampo said.

Section 37 of the Republic Act No. 8491, also known as the 1998 Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, provides that "the rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe."

Felipe composed in 1898 the anthem's music, which has the tune of a march. It was played during the proclamation of the country's independence from Spain at Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.

The current Tagalog lyrics were adapted from the Spanish poem "Filipinas" written by Jose Palma in 1899.

By DJ Yap
PDI

A group of 10 men, in shorts and slippers, were so excited about the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton boxing match that they literally climbed a tree for a better view.

Others stood on a “kariton,” or wooden cart, while a few clambered up the steel gates of the Pasig City Hall, risking life and limb, to watch the LCD screen showing satellite feed of the match under the humid May sun.

Officials mounted two monitors in tents in front of the Pasig City Sports Center for the people who could not get into the 5,000-seater stadium, which was filled to capacity.

Queues to the free showing, sponsored by the city government, reached several blocks away from City Hall as early as 7 a.m., an hour before the gates opened.

Those who could not enter had to settle for the LCD screens outside. But they weren't complaining.

Ten men climbed a tree beside the tents to get a better view of the match. A police officer warned them: “Hey, be careful up there. You will get pierced if you fall. Those railings are sharp.”

But the warnings were not heeded.

By Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

The fastest imaging system ever devised has been demonstrated by researchers reporting in the journal Nature.

Their camera's "shutter speed" is just a half a billionth of a second, and it can capture over six million images in a second continuously.

Its "flashbulb" is a fast laser pulse dispersed in space and then stretched in time and detected electronically.

The approach will be instrumental in imaging fast-moving or random events, such as communication between neurons.

What is more, the camera works with just one detector, rather than the millions in a typical digital camera.

Gathering steam

Dubbed Serial Time-Encoded Amplified imaging, or Steam, the technique depends on carefully manipulating so-called "supercontinuum" laser pulses.

These pulses, less than a millionth of a millionth of a second long, contain an enormously broad range of colours.

Two optical elements spread the pinprick laser pulses into an ordered two-dimensional array of colours.

It is this "2-D rainbow" that illuminates a sample. Part of the rainbow is reflected by the sample - depending on light and dark areas of the illuminated spot - and the reflections travel back along their initial path.

Because the spreading of the pulse's various colours is so regular and ordered, the range of colours reflected contains detailed spatial information about the sample.

"Bright spots reflect their assigned wavelength but dark ones don't," explained Bahram Jalali, the University of California, Los Angeles professor who led the research.

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon

On her Twitter page, popular singer Mariah Carey said Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao’s win over British Rocky Hatton was “unbelievable.”

Carey’s entries or “tweets” were announced by her Filipino fans on the social networking website Facebook.

The popular singer said: “This is quite violent.” Another entry read, “I can’t even know what to say.”

Towards the end of the fight, Carey, said Pacquiao was “unbelievable.”

Facebook was filled with shouts on Pacquiao’s victory. Some said those who viewed it on pay-per-view did not get their money’s worth because Hatton “kissed the floor” as early as Round 1 and was knocked out on Round 2.

“Talo! Talo ang mga nanood sa mga malls. Round 2 lang [Losers! Those who watched in malls lost. The match ended in Round 2],” one user said.

Other Facebook users said:

“I feel bad for Hatton. He saw the whole milky way.”

“Asar si Aling Dionisia kasi naunahan siya ni Hatton na himatayin! [Aling Dionisia was irked because Hatton fainted ahead of her].”

“Ano kayang regalo ni Pacquiao kay Aling Dionisia? “Eskenejens? [What would be Pacquiao's gift for Aling Dionisia? Skinny Jeans?]”

Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, has fainted on national television several times whenever Pacquiao had a fight.

“Mas matagal pa ang paghahanap ng parking kaysa laban ni Pacman. [It took longer to find a parking space than to watch the Pacman fight].”

"Panalo na naman si Chavit!” [Chavit is again a winner]," referring to former Ilocos Sur governor Luis Chavit Singson, a close supporter of Pacquiao.

“People forgot the H1N1 Virus over Pacman-Hitman fight,” another Facebook user said.