About Philippines

Filipinos Around The World Commemorate the Passion of Christ

2010-04-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Many Filipinos do not eat meat during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Catholicism is considered as the dominant religion in the Philippines and the largest in Asia as well. Visita Iglesia is one of the common practices in the country by visiting 8 churches this Holy Week. Many Filipinos have spent time and solemnity together with their own families.

In some other places within the country like in Pampanga, Philippines the devotees and fanatics observe some of the locals who volunteer to be crucified as part of their devotion. They have many reasons why they do it yearly, some say that it was a calling and other say because they have made promises after surviving from illness, accident, or struggle in life. Whatever their reasons are many foreigners come to see how the commemoration is being done. This 2010, at least 23 people were nailed on the cross but the foreigners were banned to participate after last year incidents that created a bit disorder on the rites. Some of them made fun out of it. The event has drawn more than 10,000 spectators.

Ruben Enaje, a 49-year old painter has just been nailed on the cross for his 24th time. Only one female named Mary Jane Mamangon has marked her 14^th crucifixion this year. Church leaders reject such practices. According to local church leaders, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in particular has said that the real expression of Christian faith during this Lent is true repentance and self-renewal and not by flagellation or crucifixion.

Below is a short video of crucifixion in which I believe should not be tolerated:

This video of crucifixion was held in Pampanga in 2007.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao!

2010-03-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao has reached the peak of his career in boxing. In Philippines, now it is time for his new endeavor in politics. Would it be permanent for him to leave the boxing ring? He has been advised by his coach Freddie Roach that the fight with Clottey would be the last if Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not fight him. The bell of retirement is just around the corner in order to avoid the possible suffering of Pacquiao with Parkinson's disease (PD) if he will retire at the peak of his career. The ideal age to retire in boxing is 35 years old. Although Manny still has around 3 years before he turns 35 this time would be best for him to take off the gloves. If he will continue to fight in the ring beyond the ideal age for boxers to retire the chance of getting a disease similar to what Muhammad Ali has and as well as with his coach's is too high.

In this picture, Freddie Roach at the Pacquiao Birthday Christmas Party at J Lounge, Los Angeles CA. 26th December 2008. Picture taken by Frederick Manligas Nacino. More about Freddie Roach please check Wikipedia.

He is one of the best fighters in the world especially in the field of boxing. It is time for him to venture in new world of opportunity and field. Surely we will never forget you Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.

Pacquiao and Clottey Fight

2010-03-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao is now ready to fight Joshua Clottey on March 13. Clottey is confident that he will win the bout. In Philippines the clock will stop during the much-awaited fight of Manny against the fighter from Ghana.

The last fight of Pacquiao was held last year against a Puerto Rican champ Miguel Cotto. On this photo Miguel is on the left after receiving punches from the pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

To get more details about the boxing fight of the year you may take a look on this video:

To see more just go to youtube.

Cebu Dancing Inmates

2010-02-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Inmate’s Thriller Version

Of course everyone knows the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Inspired by Michael’s great moves, dancing inmate’s version of Thriller has been uploaded on 17th July 2007. In this year, the convicts of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CDRC) located in Central Philippines had started the regular inmate exercise with Jackson’s music. They never thought that it could become a big hit and accumulates millions of downloads from Youtube. When Michael had watched this video he was shocked and amazed about it. This is an extraordinary video where the performers are the convicted rapists, murderers, and robbers. The late King of Pop himself was really overwhelmed and flattered with this.

They Don’t care About Us

Travis Payne was the choreographer of Michael Jackson, celebrities, international performers like Beyonce, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, and many more known personalities. They had arranged the rehearsal which had started 18th January this year in Cebu penitentiary and has released as part of Michael Jackson’s This is IT album on 26th of the same month.
Here is the video below:

Nobody Popularized By Wonder Girls

Below is the video performed by the dancing inmates. The song nobody has become popular in Philippines. In parties, birthday celebrations and many more events when it comes to music or in dancing this song is very well known even with 5-year old kids.

Filipinos in general still have rooms for fun despite of challenges and trials we have here. This is one of the reasons why I love this country. I had been in many places and got opportunities to work in foreign places and what I could say that sometimes happiness cannot be equated with money. Living here in Philippines is so simple, cost of living is low, putting up a business here will not require you to spend too much. The most important is about the people here who are very warm, friendly, and can make you smile or have some fun for a while even in difficult times.

PRESS SECRETARY REMONDE DIES AT 51

2010-01-20T00:23:00.000-08:00

In this photo provided by the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde is seen on Jan. 4, 2010. Remonde, a staunch defender of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, following a heart attack, officials said.

(AP Photo/Malacanang Palace, Rey Baniquet)

Cerge Remonde passed away at age 51 due to cardiac arrest on 19^th of January 2010. He was found lying unconscious by his personal assistant inside his home in Bel-Air Village in Makati City and brought him to the Makati Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at exactly 11:51am. According to the reports he started to suffer heart attack at around 9:30am but only found out after an hour lying naked in the bathroom. The emergency attending physician Dr. Eric Nubla told that if he only had been rushed earlier he might be still alive. According to Dr. Anthony Leachon, a personal cardiologist of the late Remonde, the secretary’s cardiac arrest could be attributed to factors such as hypertension, diabetes, cervical spine problem and habitual smoking.

REMONDE’S CAREER

There was no heard corruption or issue during his service in the country. Today, many people give honor to him but it only gives sadness when we realize the importance and the good contribution of a person only when he dies. Being a press secretary was a tough job for Cerge. Defending the president from many criticisms was really a challenging task for him.

Who was Cerge Remonde? Many of the readers from different parts of the world Filipinos or non-Filipinos who used to observe the country may not know more about the late Cerge Remonde. He was then became presidential management staff preceded by Rigoberto Tiglao. After more than 2 years of service as director general of the management staff (2006-2009) he became press secretary of President Gloria Arroyo. His career under Arroyo administration had started on 2001 working under various government-owned media stations such as NBN4, IBC13, RPN9, Radyo Ng Bayan (Nation’s Radio), Bureau of Communications Services, and the Philippine News Agency.

Remonde’s background as radio reporter and commentator had given him the opportunity to have seat in Cabinet at first as head of Government Mass Media Group. Secretary of GMMG then Director General and eventually became Press Secretary. Defending Arroyo from critiques especially those came from oppositions made him stressful and restless as we all know that Arroyo had been into many issues.

PERSONAL LIFE

Born in Argao Cebu and married to Danish newspaper columnist Marit Stinus. He was a magna cum laude in Bachelor of Arts degree in University of Visayas. He has many awards, handled high positions with impressive records in the field of or related to broadcast media and journalism.

Using the popular social media site Facebook Remonde wrote this:

““infinite love that meets our every need and provides all the beautiful and wonderful things we experience in life.”

“Fill us with your peace as we learn to fully trust in your providence. Help us to do all that we are capable and the rest, we entrust unto you,”

It might be a premonition that the message was posted at 6:51pm then at exactly 17 hours he dies.

Holidays in December: Experience Christmas and New Year Celebration in the Philippines

2009-12-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

Many Filipinos around the world and most especially in the country are preparing to celebrate Christmas together with their families. Those who are unfortunate to go back home most likely 90% of them would probably call their loved-ones in the Philippines just to greet merry Christmas. High rate of remittances to the country is always anticipated during the year-end. Filipinos working abroad prefer to go back home during December month. The said month is the most expensive trip and airports in the country are expected to be a bit crowded. If you are a foreigner and planning to spend time during the said month you better get early reservation to avoid inconvenience or costly travel package.

I have watched news recently and I am not quite surprised why some of the foreigners prefer to celebrate Christmas in the Philippines. Like for example, the group of Jamaicans from Japan preferred to spend Christmas here. If I will be given a chance to talk to them I would probably advise that they should not just spend Christmas here they have to wait until the celebration of the coming year and surely they will enjoy fireworks and firecrackers everywhere.

Due to many occurrences of firecracker-related incidents the local health officials had many campaigns in the past years about the implications of the accidents made by firecrackers through infomercials in televisions and newspapers. Since this is part of the Philippine traditions many are still doing it but more cautious than before. When I was 11 years old I myself had tried to play with it. We used to call it “bawang” in our native language. For those who do not know what “bawang” is, well it is an onion-like firecracker. It exploded on my left hand and I still remember what the doctor told me if I could still move my pinkie and the ring fingers. I was afraid to move actually that time because if I could not move them then these two precious fingers of mine might get amputated. To cut the story short (not my fingers), l only got 4 stitches at my pinkie and 1 stitch at my ring finger. I just needed to heal the wounds with medication and of course before my discharge from the clinic anti-tetanus had been injected to one of my veins.

Despite of some unfortunate stories during holidays here the tradition is still alive. Firecracker is part of the practice during the year-end celebration. This was the influence of the Chinese who migrated here in the Philippines. During Chinese New Year they used to play with fireworks and firecrackers and the Filipinos had adopted it and became part of the Philippine culture. As we all know cultures and traditions are the result of many factors that affect our way of living regardless where it came from. Philippines had adapted many foreign cultures and traditions that became part of life of every Filipino. Perhaps this is why Filipinos can easily adapt to the new environment because of the long history of colonization and education attained from other countries. If you are a foreigner here, it is like hitting many birds at the same time since by looking at the Philippine customs is like looking at other countries’ customs but the only difference is with a mixture of our very own culture which had been there from generations to generations. Next time I will share our native cultures and traditions, I promise.

Nobody can stop the spirit of Christmas in the country. This river in Marikina City was devastated by typhoon Ondoy in September 2009 and after 3 months you can find bazaars and Christmas lights! I had seen the big shoe icon here after the typhoon that got dirt on it. Marikina is known as shoe capital in the country. In addition, if you manage to buy a pair of shoes that has a tag "Made in Marikina" certainly it came from the Philippines.

Celebration of Christmas and New Year here in the country simply I would say that it is about fun and excitement. You can buy lots of souvenirs here. You could observe fireworks and hear firecrackers. Despite of global economic downturns there are high demands on goods especially toys, foods, and pyrotechnic materials here. It is a must for everyone to celebrate Christmas, give happiness to others by exchanging gifts and most especially for the children despite of small budget for the celebration.

Giant Christmas tree in Araneta Center Cubao. It was taken in November this year.

Here are the common mouth-watering foods prepared during Christmas and New Year:

1. Spaghetti – Strong in taste and sweeter than Italian spaghetti but not that sour.

2. Pancit - It refers to pansit. Dried noodles with a mixture of vegetables and meat.

3. Salad- It might be fruit salad with buko, macaroni, or fruits and vegetables.

4. Lechon – Litson in our native word. Well done in Philippines. Crispy and juicy. We have secret sauce for it. Truly mouth-watering and stomach-craving delicacy!

5. Crispy pata – Our very own. Most foreigners who came to our country can remember what crispy pata is!

6. Adobo – Commonly it’s either meat of chicken or pork and it is possible to mix both as well. Even without occasion it is commonly prepared for lunch.

7. Inihaw – A Filipino version of grilled meat, fish, or squid and many more varieties.

8. Bebinca – It is called bibingka as well in Filipino (Tagalog). A flavoured rice cake

9. Dinuguan – One of my favorites! Chopped pork with mix of its blood and spices.

10. Puto – It is best served with dinuguan.

This is a tarpaulin showing a commercialized bebinca.

Actually there are many more and I promise to feature some of them here.

Why are we celebrating Christmas?

This is what I had written to my Facebook.

For non-Christians: It is just holiday seasons!

For Christians/Believers: It is the celebration of nativity of Jesus Christ. Every Christian should be delighted that God has sent His only begotten Son to save the people from sins. Existence of Jesus Christ gives hope to everyone! He was born and became a sacrifice to cleanse the people from sins. We do not need to die on the cross anymore in order to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven...it is the matter of faith and belief that He died for us, saves everyone who believe in Him and to join Him in heaven! Consider the verse below:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" --- Ephesians 2:8

We are saved not by our good works but because of Jesus who is now celebrating His birthday. We should be delighted and thankful. This is why we celebrate Christmas and hope that the real meaning and spirit of Christmas will be within us. It is not a matter of money it is an everlasting joy and happiness.

Christmas shoppers in the Philippines

If you go around to public places like in malls or to bazaars you would never notice that despite of global crisis there are many shoppers buying gifts and foods for their families. The best places to go for shopping are Divisoria, Greenhills, SM Malls, Greenbelt, Glorietta, and many more. You can buy clothes, novelty items, souvenirs, etc. Next time I will feature all these here!

Shoppers in one of the well-known malls in Metro Manila.

Shoppers in Greenhills, San Juan

I am running out of time and I need to prepare food for Christmas so until next time!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Jose Rizal, National Hero of the Philippines

2009-12-06T00:41:00.001-08:00

Truly the best gift that we had received from our parents aside from their love is education. It is more precious than any material things that we have. Through education we have developed our skills and better judgment that direct us to what we are right now. This is why I remember the greatness of our national hero known by many as Jose Rizal. By remembering his good example it is again gives justice to the saying that pen is mightier than sword.

Every Filipino knows his contribution that resulted to solidarity of the Filipinos against the tyranny of the colonists. It was so sad that independence had been achieved only after his death, he was 35. Today, he is being remembered by commemorating his execution every 30^th of December. His death led to unity of Filipinos in fighting for independence.

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda or Jose Rizal in short was a polyglot conversant that at least knew 10 languages.

The following were the languages spoken by Rizal:

1. Spanish

2. French

3. Latin

4. Greek

5. German

6. Portuguese

7. Italian

8. English

9. Dutch

10. Japanese

11. Arabic (translation)

12. Swedish (translation)

13. Russian (translation)

14. Chinese(translation)

15. Greek (translation)

16. Hebrew (translation)

17. Sanskrit (translation)

18. Tagalog (translation of Schiller poetry)

19. Malay (some knowledge)

20. Chavacano (some knowledge)

21. Cebuano (some knowledge)

22. Ilocano (some knowledge)

23. Subanun (some knowledge)

After 300 years of slavery the Filipinos had been awaken and Jose Rizal became one of the keys in achieving freedom. He wrote books and within his books he set some examples about the cruelty of Spanish that time. Some of his famous books were Noli Me Tangere ( Social Cancer) and El Filibusterismo (The Filibustering or the Reign of Greed). His books were originally written in Spanish and followed by El Filibusterismo which is considered a sequel to the first book. He is the prominent advocate for reforms in the country during Spanish colonial era.

Rizal was calm even until he was about to be executed in Bagumbayan (known as Rizal Park today). There was a rumor that he wanted to face the Filipino native firing squad backed by Spanish troops but he was instructed by Spanish to turn his back as sign of betrayal. His famous last words were those of Jesus Christ, “consummatum est” – it is finished.

This is the picture taken in Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore. I had worked in Singapore for 1 1/2 years and I promised before I return to Philippines to visit this. This was visited by me a day before my flight going back to my beloved country. Thank you Rizal for your contribution to our country.

He will always be remembered. When I was in Singapore I have managed to visit a tribute to Rizal in Cavenagh Bridge. During my stay in Malaysia, I have spoken to some Malaysians and I was surprised that they knew our national hero. Filipinos are mostly Malay by race and they (Malaysians) should be proud of him as well.

For more about Jose Rizal in full details you can check out Wikipedia.

Celebrating Christmas in the Philippines

2009-11-20T04:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just around the corner. Filipinos everywhere in the world celebrate Christmas from September until January (The Philippines is known for having a long period of Christmas celebration). Today, Christianity is the largest predominant faith in the Philippines and the latter is recognized as Asia’s largest Christian country.

In China, the number of Christians is rapidly growing. Unaccounted Christians in the Mainland may be as big as in the Philippines or even bigger.

About 90 percent of the population celebrate Christmas in the country. Here are the images taken in Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila:

Giant Christmas tree can be seen anywhere in the central business areas in Metro Manila as well in some areas in provincial cities.

Real trees with Christmas lights.

Manny Pacquiao Won by TKO in 12th Round

2009-11-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

There were many predictions before the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. The much awaited fist-to-fist combat of the year has resulted with a glorious victory of Manny Pacquiao, the pride of Filipinos against the Puerto Rican fighter.

I like how Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports described Cotto as "raw hamburger" after the fight. On that day of the event almost all of Filipinos (Pinoys) around the world were focused on the said fight and delighted when referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight by TKO.

In fairness to Cotto, he was great in the fight by keeping himself up until the 12th round despite of devastating punch made by Pacquiao like typhoon that struck Philippines few months ago. His will to fight and survive was still there but his body was unresponsive from the thrown flash punches from his opponent and that's why the referee decided to end the fight with 55 seconds remaining.

That was one of the best fights I have ever seen from Pacquiao. Although we have not seen a knock out which was anticipated by many boxing analysts on the first 1-7 rounds but still the crowd enjoyed especially the Pinoys. Cotto went down from the ring bleeding.

That is boxing, it is a sport and for every sport there will be declared winner. I believe Floyd Mayweather, Jr had watched the fight and the people are looking at the fight between him and Pacquiao. Can Floyd still use his way of boxing against the unorthodox way of rumble of Pacquiao? Who is the true pound-for-pound king? Let us find out soon!

Photo was taken before the fight inside the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City Philippines.

Thousands of Filipinos have gathered to watch the PPV (pay-per-view) in Araneta Coliseum.

Photos of Miguel Cotto before and after the fight.

Many Pacquiao has declared winner by TKO and now the new WBO Welterweight title holder. At the back wearing eyeglasses is his head coach Freddie Roach. For the record, he is the Filipino boxing superstar and the first boxer to win 7 world titles in 7 different divisions.

An Interview with the US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

2009-11-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

It was a morning of Friday, 13^th of November at around 9 in the morning when I switched on my television to check out for the latest news. I was surprised that Hillary Clinton has already being interviewed by the known news anchors and journalists in the country. While I am drinking my hot coffee the phone rang, ohh! I almost forgot my appointment on that day. Before I decided to leave for my meeting of course I have to take a shower. I bought some time to listen on the answers of the US Secretary of State from the questions which were mostly raised by the youths. Some of the questions were focused on the US Foreign Policies and its particular relation with Philippines but the most popular was her reply on the question about who will win in the much awaited fight of Manny Pacquiao against the Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto this coming 14th November ( Sunday morning in Philippines). She said Pacquiao will be going to win.

The venue of the interview with Hillary was held at University of Santo Tomas (UST). It is considered to be the one of the oldest universities in Philippines, considered the largest in Manila, and also known as the only Pontifical University in Asia. This historical university is very remarkable for both the Philippines and United States. Way back in World War II during the Japanese invasion it had been used as the concentration camp for civilians, foreigners including Americans, and POWs. In addition, most of the brutal crimes were held here and many American soldiers lost their lives.

Hillary with husband Bill Clinton dancing together on this undated photo. Bill Clinton was a classmate of the present Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service located in Washington, DC.

Clinton departed the country on the same day for the APEC Summit in Singapore.

Why Filipinos Can Wear Smile Despite of Many Calamities and Trials?

2009-10-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

The good thing after the typhoon is the new life! The Filipinos are back into business and it seems nothing happened after the devastation of the typhoon Ondoy. Despite of calamities the people are used to it and can still wear a smile.

I love this country, despite of of many negatives heard about Philippines the Filipinos in general have only one common wealth--the happiness that cannot be bought by money.

I had an opportunity to work in a well-developed foreign country but despite of big salary and incentives that I earned I decided to come back to where I born and raised. The true happiness cannot be just money only. I was surprised that when my former non-Filipino colleague asked me why Filipinos in general are so happy. Actually I cannot explain why we live a happy life despite of many calamities and low salaried compared to other countries. In my mind I could say that we are born to stand and face challenges in life! Living in Philippines has many challenges and very exciting! Even the worst global crisis it is easy to live in Philippines especially in provinces!

I come back here in Philippines with small business of my own. It is a good start for a new endeavor. In other countries you need more bucks to put up a business unlike here, after just more than a year of saving while I was working as an engineer in a foreign land I now manage my own business. The cost of living is very low here and getting your own employees is not a problem. The good thing about this country is that the people here can speak and understand English so if you are a foreigner or new in Philippines and you are not happy with your life despite of your countless wealth why not give a try to invest, and stay here for the rest of your life?

Previously I was an engineer but now I am in a food business, I have started my food cart business and main commodity distribution just recently. Now, I am happy despite of the calamity that hit us.

As what I have said, cost of living here is too low, you can survive even if you don’t have money at all in some provinces in the country. Would you believe that you can survive here even if you just have a daily US$ 2 allowance?

Maybe you wonder that there are lots of problems, and other bad news about this country? Those were simply because the media used to report bad news. In some countries they control the media.

One of the provinces where I was born and raised. I love nature, life here is so simple. You don't need money to be happy.

A shot of a simple house in Zambales, one of the provinces in Philippines.

Another house in the province near the national highway.

Rice field in Philippines.

Bangka (Canoe) is one of the fishing boats being used by the small time fishermen. They sell directly to the market. If you live in the province which just nearby the seashore you will enjoy fresh fish for your lunch or dinner!

An entrance going into the beach resort.

My small piggery in our province.

Should you have inquiries please do not hesitate to send an email @ livinginphils@yahoo.com

The Devastation of Typhoon "Ondoy" -- International Name Ketsana

2009-09-30T03:12:00.000-07:00

Over the news you probably hear about the condition of Filipinos staying in Metro Manila especially those cities and municipalities of Markina, Cainta, Muntinlupa, Taytay, Manila, and Caloocan. One of the most devastated cities is Marikina.

After the typhoon below are the images.

The Provident Villages in Marikina City where have been reported all over the news that these villages are the most devastated area in Marikina. The people here after the typhoon are so busy. The commuters have chosen to walk going to their homes and leave the stuck public transportations.

After the hard rainfall made by the typhoon and the subsiding areas like in Concepcion Marikina City, the people around the areas were on jitter finding for foods for their families. I have seen long queues in the drugstore and food stalls buying some medicines for their loved ones.

Provident Villages entrance where lots of residents here have been drowned to death. The estimated fatalities after 4 days of rescue mission have reached to 200 and still counting.

This is the road going to Provident Villages. The ambulance at the left and behind is the ABS-CBN News outside broadcasting (OB) van.

The maroon car is full of dirt because of the sudden flood that reached over 15 feet. The Philippines camaraderie is now again being tested during and after the typhoon. In this picture the volunteers are giving relief goods for a long queue.

Lots of donations in kind and in cash are being given thru the NDCC (National Disaster Coordinating Council) and non-governmental organizations that help those families affected with the calamity.

OB Van of ABS-CBN Network News for TV Patrol program also in Provident Village.

This is not an old car but it looks like a 1970’s model because of the flood with mud that penetrated inside of this car.

This is a boxed-type damaged vehicle that caused by the typhoon.

Another damaged vehicle.

Another view of the red vehicle.

This is a riverside. You can see the post here with some dirt attached to it and the two (2) ladies here. Imagine how deep was the flood in the river?

The government is now planning on how to solve the problem in Metro Manila so that in the future this will not happen again. It is now the right time to set and execute the Disaster Risk Management Plan (DRMP) for Metro Manila.

Filipinos are helping each other regardless of social status in life. Poor, rich, celebrities and ordinary citizens are both affected with the typhoon. Despite of devastation made by natural calamity the life must go on. I myself had been affected by the said typhoon, I have lost some of my valuables but I am still thankful that this tragedy has brought the attention of the individuals and especially the Philippine government for the plans to be executed that would be considered as solution to this problem. I believe in few years time there will be a permanent solution to ensure the safety of the Filipinos living in Metro Manila. We are still lucky that it has not claimed many lives as expected.

The climate change and global warming can be considered as factors that contributed to a very high flood aside from hard rainfall made by typhoon Ondoy ( Ketsana, international name)

I am not looking at the negative impact made by the calamity, the Philippines is still blessed despite of the tragedy because this will serve as a wake-up call for the Filipinos to be prepared in the future calamities.

-- Reported by, a resident in Concepcion, Marikina City

What is September 21, 2009 in Philippines?

2009-09-21T04:38:00.000-07:00

The country is now in official holiday to give respect to the Muslim brothers as they ended the Ramadan period. Many Filipino-Muslims all over the nation have been successfully accomplished the yearly obligation not just in the Southern Philippines but as well in the central and northern part of the country.

Way back ten years ago, Metro Manila had only less Filipino-Muslim population but nowadays even in the Philippine's capital we can see many of them here. What I am very proud of is regardless of religion we respect one another unlike many years back. As a Christian-dominant country not just in the South-East Asia but the entire Asia we still give respect to what our Muslim brothers being practiced.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my full respect to our Muslim brothers and as well their great contributions for the betterment of the country especially for the economy and stability of our beloved motherland. I salute them because I have noticed that there are lots of Filipino-Muslim businessmen which they really help the economy of the country to grow.

September 21, 1972, exactly 37 years ago when the late former president Ferdinand Marcos had declared Martial Law as the power vested in our constitution that time that the president of the nation has the right to declare Martial Law when times of political and government destabilization made by anti-government organizations and the like.Ferdinand Marcos was strict and he allowed the nation under military rule. Lots of anti-government personalities, and other ordinary individuals had been captured and allegedly put to death without a trace of existence. Curfew was being implemented and it was not allowed to have gatherings or meetings.

Martial Law under Marcos should be acknowledged because it was the only way to save the government from the oppositions that used violence. I feel bad that the new generations are being taught in Philippine History subject that Ferdinand Marcos decision and Marcos himself was a bad leader. I respect and honor the former president for all his achievements during his time.

Today, September 21, 2009 is nation's holiday not because in commemoration of martial law but to give honor to the end of Ramadan. It is just coincidence that the end of Ramadan falls on this day.

An armed forces full honor departure ceremony for Philippine President Ferdinard E. Marcos takes place with Secretary of State, George Shultz, in attendence.-- Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons : http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferdinand_Marcos.JPEG

Noynoy Aquino for President?

2009-09-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

Is it rightful for a son of the late former president Corazon Aquino and late former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino to run for president? Becoming a president is not a joke. Definitely he has the right to run in public office. This would be a great opportunity for him that his family is well known in the country.

On the other hand, I give my deep admiration to Senator Mar Roxas. He sacrificed his ambition to run for president although he is more popular than Noynoy Aquino.There are lots of infomercials that I have heard over the television, radios and other forms of media about Mar Roxas that he was like informing the masses about his ambition in the 2010 Philippine Election.

Way back to Noynoy, is he ready to face the challenge to become like his mother as a president of the nation? Is he ready to take all the criticisms once he got his fortune to reside in Malacanang Palace? Who is Noynoy Aquino as a senator, and other positions that he took previously? We need to know those people such as politicians, businessmen who support Noynoy. Probably he is not corrupt but we do not know about his supporters once they will be given the privilege to have authority under his power.

I am not against with Noynoy but as a concerned and responsible citizen I need to know as well as the rest of the Filipinos and others who love this country the real Noynoy Aquino.

If we are about to vote by next year we should check the candidates' track records and for Noynoy in particular we need not to consider only because he was a son of the late Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino Jr.

The future of our children and the next generations will rely on our judgment Let us take the big step by voting seriously for the betterment of the country to achieve the real democracy, justice, and progress.

Mar Roxas Gives Way to Noynoy

2009-09-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Mar Roxas has confirmed that he will not run for the 2010 presidential election. I salute Senator Roxas for his courage to unite his political party by not running for the highest position in the country. He chose to junk his personal ambition and gave way to Senator Noynoy Aquino.

Most Filipinos knew that he is the grandson of the former first president of the Independent Republic Manuel Roxas. By letting go his ambition I might consider Mar Roxas in the future if he will run for the presidential post. It is a huge sacrifice for him since it might be the end of his peak of career but I have seen him with good will.He has great confidence and I knew that someday he will run for the highest position in the nation. Politics can never be out of the bloodstream of Mar since his name carries the name of his grandfather. Even those children in the elementary education knew Manuel Roxas as one of the political icons in the country. It is like a brand name that can never be run out of customers.

It was a funny thing that it reminds me with his political ad which can be remembered by a man and child who was saying, "Ikaw lang ang nakinig sa amin" (You are the only one who listened to us) and "Hindi niya tayo pababayaan" (He will not take us for granted) respectively.Let us find out next if by letting go his ambition the question now is can Noynoy will win the election in 2010 even if he will get full support from Mar Roxas? Is Noynoy is really worth dying for?

Let us find out. To all my countrymen wherever you are, please vote intelligently. Do not just vote because of popularity. We need to check the track records and those what they had have supported during their terms as senator, congressman, or any other previous post in the government. Vote wisely and the most important thing to do is pray for the Philippines!

28 Have Died of the A (H1N1) Virus

2009-08-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Influenza A(H1N1) Virus has claimed the life of 28 people in the Philippines so far according to the health official under Department of Health. After more than 40 years the new pandemic which had been originated in Brazil had claimed many lives globally. Since this disease is known as air borne the best thing to do in preventing this is by proper hygiene and sanitation. Always keep a healthy lifestyle and do not go to public places as much as possible to avoid transmission of the virus.

In Philippines, although we have over 100 million in population the spread of A (H1N1) is just minimal compare to other countries if you will base on the ratio with respect to its population. Most Filipinos (Pinoys) were not really alarmed since there were confirmed reports that mostly infected individuals had recovered from the so called dreaded disease. Perhaps it really helps in keeping good hygiene for most of the locals in the country. Since the environment temperature here in the Philippines can be considered hot, the Pinoys used to take a bath 1-2 times a day. Another factor that could probably keep the virus from spreading is the geographical location of Philippines unlike other countries that have lost many lives and lots of infected victims still under medication.

Any crises that Philippines may encounter even in terms of diseases, calamities, economic meltdown most of locals are not really affected. As for many Filipinos in times of difficulties or maybe in the event of bad economic situation they can still survive and live simple life. Provinces in Philippines are great in terms of fresh air, not really so crowded, can live simple life with very low cost of living. Unlike other countries if they lose jobs and unable to find good income they might end up in very bad mental and financial stress that could lead into suicide which I have heard some reports in other countries allegedly like in Singapore, and Japan.

In my next article I will write about the good life in Philippines! I will tell why there are lots of foreigners who enjoyed and chose to live here permanently.

Noynoy Aquino to Run for President?

2009-08-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

Most Filipinos knew that Noynoy is the son of the late former senator Ninoy Aquino, Jr. and the late former president Cory Aquino. He is actually the only son and never been married. Their political party could be divided into two since Noynoy got lots of supporters after the death of his mother. Before, the Liberal Party was looking at to Senator Mar Roxas but now there are rumors that they want to make Noynoy in the top position in the Philippines. Can he stand out and put a name by his own?

It would be better to peel off all those presidential candidates for the 2010.The Filipinos cannot wait to see the changes in the election in the Philippines by having the election in the computerization era. I cannot make any further comment to Noynoy since he just came out from the list of senators.

Nonoy's platform is to increase the transparency and accountability in public institutions.

About Noynoy
1998 to 2007 : He served in the House of Representatives as Congressman of the
2nd District of Tarlac.
2004 : Stripped from being a Deputy House Speaker for Luzon.
He joined leaders of the Liberal Party (LP)

Political Status : Opposition
He was calling for the resignation of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at
the height of one of the scandals with Mrs. President during the previous election.

For those Filipinos out there I am not campaigning neither make any bad judgment with Noynoy. Please value your vote on this coming election by checking the presidential candidates' profile especially their achievements.

Good luck and exercise the right to vote! The deadline for the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) registration is on October 2009. Do not wait for the extension of the registration to avoid any inconveniences.

Philippine Economy

2009-08-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have heard the news that the budget deficit rose to PHP230B and they are seeing to reach PHP270B for the entire fiscal year.

Government Collections as of July results:
BIR Collection -- PHP453B
Customs Collection -- PHP142B

Total spending for the first month rose 8% to PHP705B from PHP654B last year.

Currency Exchange :
US DOLLAR : PHP48.69
UK POUND : PHP79.10
JPN YEN : PHP0.52

I hope the Philippine economy can recover from all the expenditures.

People's Champ Manny Pacquiao Sitcom

2009-08-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am so happy about the sitcom although I am not promoting any network here, Manny Pacquiao is really so funny in the way he speaks English. His famous "You Know" is my favorite line. Manny has gained popularity through his boxing career. One of the pride of the Filipinos and considered him the pambansang kamao or the national fist!

Now, in the Philippines his mother, Aling Dionisia who loves ballroom dancing has been known and loved by the masses and including his wife Jinky Pacquiao who is now the endorser of one of the beauty medical companies in the country.

I only hope that Pacquiao can managed his wealth well. I have heard some boxing heroes in the country had become poor after few years. Having Pacquiao's wealth it would be enough for them to survive from the interest of the winnings he got from his last fight with the British fighter Ricky Hatton. Roughly 2 Billion pesos is a lot of money and he can just sit down and relax and consume the interest for lifetime if he invested his money wisely.

A Monument Offered by Arroyo for Cory Aquino

2009-08-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

I was so busy in past few days and I have not managed to write my articles.

The president of the Philippines has offered monument for the late former president Cory Aquino. This is to be always remembered that there was once an ordinary mother and housewife who stood to fight the Marcos regime.

For the benefits of those who do not know the history I would like to briefly share it here. Corazon "Cory" Aquino was the wife of the late great opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. (was a senator then) during the time of Marcos and his cronies in Malacanang Palace ( Malacanang, an official residence of the Philippine President). During Marcos time the country was under martial law and Marcos was known as dictator. He was in office for long period of time--December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986.

When the time "Ninoy" had been assassinated on August 21, 1983 the Filipinos gave sympathy and support to his wife Cory Aquino. On February 25, 1986 although Marcos claimed that he won the election against Cory, the masses supported Cory and had a historic EDSA Revolution. For those who do not know, EDSA stands for Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, the main road that connects almost all cities in Metro Manila.Marcos had been forcedly taken out from office.

Since Cory now is considered mother of the Republic aside from being the first female president, Arroyo (the present president) wants to honor her by putting up a monument for her. On behalf of the family of Aquino, Noynoy (the only son of Cory and Ninoy)had made his statement saying that it would be best if the present president will just do good for the country. They just (family) wanted to keep low profile.

There are some rumors that they would like to make the Cory's birthday to become official holiday as well.

Government Expenditures

2009-08-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

There are lots of criticisms under the Arroyo administration. Political oppositions are one of the reasons why it rise up negative impact to our economy.

Is it rightful to blame the present highest official in the country? Every time the president makes decision it draws blames if it went wrong.

In the headlines today you will see and hear the news about the big expenses of the chief executive. There is a rumor that allegedly the president had travel expenses that reached for more than billion of pesos. To calculate it is more than USD 21,276,595 based on USD1 to PHP47.

Now, another rumor is that our honorable president of the republic had made not just one dinner that costs about USD20,000. According to the reports one of th treats made for president has been sponsored by one legislative official (congressman). Believe it or not it is about 8.5 years of fine meals for one big family in the Philippines.

I have not heard real good news about the nation. Imagine, the criticism about the expenditures is still hot but now the government wants to go for a shopping of presidential jet that would cost about another billion of pesos (PHP1.2Billion). Although they have a point that the president needs to replace the old "Air Force One of the Philippines" but they should cool off for a while. Some of the oppositions were saying that this is just a propaganda that if this has been allowed, the president will still be using it after the 2010 election. In other words, there are speculations that the president is still planning to extend "her excellency" for another 6 years.

I am not here to write about criticisms. I just want to share what is the latest things about the Philippines. Good or bad I would like to make some comments and my point of views. In fairness to the president she made good things as well such as the continuation of the MRT in Metro Manila that will benefit more than 10 million Filipino residents. The Subic-Clark-Tarlac project has been accomplished and now the public could enjoy the shorter travel within Pampanga, Zambales, and Tarlac via on this expressway.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Declared Asset is Now more than PHP 110,000,000

2009-08-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

From the allegedly 7.5 million pesos declared asset before she took over the presidency she has now 110 million. They were saying that she invested in the stock market and earned too much from it despite of economic downturns. Do you believe on that? They were saying that she has invested in the realty. Some of the realty analyst said that the property has risen for even 30% but can we say it is enough to earn more than ten times from it?
Under the Philippine law, the president should not engage him/herself to any business whatsoever. On their defense, they were saying that it was her spouse who is running the business. Okay, fine. Regardless on how much they have now the question here is think running in public office especially having the highest position in the country will get you rich 100%. I would like to believe that they were saying the truth.

Excise tax for all 3 Giant Mobile Phone Service Providers for the SMS Services

2009-08-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

The government has still no capability to monitor the traffic of the SMS in the nation. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) allegedly does not know how many SMS exactly being sent and it would be difficult for them to know the exact profit of the heavy players like Smart, Globe, and Sun.
Excise tax per SMS is being pushed by the government however the 3 giant companies are finding ways and excuses to avoid this.
In my personal point of view the government should find ways to keep track the SMS being sent by subscribers and get the appropriate tax from it. I hope there are alternative ways to keep track the income of these service providers.

6 Millions Defective LPG Tank Distributed in the Philippines

2009-08-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have heard the news that there are 6 millions of defective LPG tank in the households today in the nation. From 2002-2009 there are 794 incidence associated with the LPG tanks. Poor victims nobody can be directly blamed and accused.

Zambales, Divided into Two

2009-08-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

While I am writing this post Zambales is not yet passable. The national highway in Botolan has been damaged by the typhoon. Although the typhoon is now on the east coast of China, Zambales is still recovering from the natural disaster.

If you are planning to go to the provincial capital Iba, Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria, and Sta.Cruz you need to have an alternate route via Tarlac, and Pangasinan and it would take around 12 hours. It is like you are going from Manila to Sorsogon in Bicol Region.