wawamTECH: globe telecom customer service greenhills’ cruel sense of humor

i went to the brand new globe telecoms customer service center at the ground floor of V-Mall at the greenhills shopping center at san juan city to have a micro sim card converted to a regular sim card. while waiting for my turn, i overheard a girl teenager who is also a customer ask one of the customer service agents what the wi-fi password is.

i was shocked and yes i laughed aloud, so loud that the teenage girl gave me the look.

whoever thought of that password “StayWithGlobe” has a cruel sense of humor or he is brutally honest. we all know globe is having major network problems for many months now with dropped calls, delayed texts and calls, outages and awful ineffective customer service that many globe subscribers have moved away from globe and transferred to smart. the migration of globe subscribers to smart has been massive according to globe insiders. it is so bad that smart took advantage and launched national ad campaigns urging globe subscribers to move over to smart.

so this person who thought of the password must be playing a huge cruel joke on globe and its customers or the person is just being totally honest about the situation in globe and is trying to help the company.

on the other hand the password does indicate just how desperate globe is at trying to keep their subscribers to stay with them and not move to smart.

the question in my mind is this – is this a password used just in the greenhills globe customer service center or is this a password in all globe customer service centers? if this is the common password in all globe customer service centers, then this is probably some kind of a perverted marketing effort to keep globe subscribers to stay with globe.

since i have revealed the password, they will probably need to change it into something else and if this is a password dictated by corporate, these are my suggestions:

i think #3 is the best. it is direct, a simple message and even more honest than the current. more importantly, it has the strongest potential to keep globe subscribers from moving to smart.

november 21 – philippine stock market breaks new high, 29th time for 2012

 

when the stock market index’ record high was broken yesterday, we said on a whim that perhaps today will be another day when a new record high will be made. before this day, 23 out of the 27 days the record was broken were on 2 consecutive days. we wondered if it will happen today.

well, it did. as of today, 25 out of the 29 days or 86% of the days when new record highs were made were 2 consecutive days. its an odd number of 25 as there was one time when the record high was broken for 3 consecutive days.

professors of 2 catholic schools, la salle and ateneo announce support for the rh bill

a couple of days ago. professors of de la salle university, a catholic school published their support on the rh bill. la salle joins the professors of another catholic school, the ateneo de manila university in supporting the rh bill.

the support of the ateneo professors has created controversy as the CBCP and  the ateneo president reacted to what the ateneo professors did. with the la salle professors joining the ateneo university, this will be an even bigger controversy in the coming weeks.

read their statements here (click to read) :

• de la salle university professors support the rh bill – “rh bill is pro-life”
• ateneo president fr villarin ignores bishop, upholds independent thinking and appreciates ateneo professors efforts on rh bill
• 33 more ateneo professors support rh bill, now 192 professors
• bishop wants pro rh bill Ateneo professors fired – hahahaha
• 160 Ateneo De Manila University Professors declare support for the RH Bill
• Catholics Can Support The RH Bill In Good Conscience – Ateneo Professors’ Position Paper RH Bill 5043

the de la salle professors:

Prof. Ma. Arcadio G. Malbarosa, Political Science
Dr. Antonio P. Contreras, Political Science
Prof. Louie Montemar, Political Science
Prof. Anna Malindog, Political Science
Dr. Grace Roldan, Political Science
Dr. Antoinette Raquiza, Political Science
Prof. Gina Lomotan, Political Science
Dr. Francisco Magno, Political Science
Mr. Levita A. Duhaylungsod, Political Science
Mr. Robin Garcia, Political Science
Prof. Mark Evidente, Political Science
Prof. Allen B. Surla, Political Science
Prof. Antonio Pedro Jr., Political Science
Prof. Michael Angelo B. Promentilla, Chemical Engineering
Prof. Ma. Carla Pacis, Literature
Mr. Anthony Lawrence A. Borja, Political Science
Dr. Luis F. Razon, Chemical Engineering
Mr. Anton Simon M. Palo, Psychology
Dr. Robert E. Javier Jr., Psychology

The following members have signed the Statement by e-mailing us their scanned signatures:
Dr. Allan Benedict I. Bernardo, Counselling and Educational Psychology
Prof. Ronnie Holmes, Political Science
Atty. Avelino M. Sebastian Jr., College of Law

The following members have expressed support through e-mail, and have indicated they will sign:
Dr. Arturo Pacificador Jr., Mathematics
Dr. Rochelle Lucas, English and Applied Linguistics
Dr. Danilo Dayag, English and Applied Linguistics
Dr. Jeane Peracullo, Philosophy

The following has expressed support and e-mailed an authorization to consider him a signatory to the Statement:
Atty. Arno Sanidad, College of Law

Via RH Bill Portal:
Atty. Emily Sanchez Salcedo, Commercial Law Department

(the following as shared by Louie Checa Montemar)
Redento B. Recio, Polsci/LSIG
Arnel B. Galgo, COSCA
Rey Pomarca, COSCA
J. Bartolome, COSCA
Jon Alcazar, COSCA
Ma Ella Oplas, Polsc

the ateneo professors:

1. Marita Concepcion Castro Guevara, PhD, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
2. Marlon J. Manuel, JD, Ateneo Law School
3. Amparita S. Sta. Maria, LL.B., LL.M, Ateneo Human Rights Center, Ateneo Law School
4. Joy G. Aceron, MPA, Ateneo School of Government, and Department of Political Science

wit and humor – most fitting way to say goodbye to dolphy, the comedy king

UPCAT 2012 (for SY 2012-2013) results released online – get results here

congratulations to all!

the UPCAT does not have to be a difficult entrance exam for students to pass it, it’s just that a lot of students take the exam that makes it the most competitive. the very high number of students taking the UPCAT is the one that makes it very difficult to get it.

the upside is that many college students do not take just the UPCAT, they take other entrance exams of other colleges.  it is very possible that many of these students who pass the UPCAT end up not enrolling at UP but in the other universities they applied in. that opens up opportunities for UPCAT takers who are on wait list and even for other students who did not pass to make an appeal.  we do not know what are the chances of success are but it is worth a try.  good luck!

 

 

University of the Philippines UPCAT Results 2012 Online (For incoming freshmen of AY 2012-2013) MAIN SITE | MIRROR 1 | MIRROR 2 | MIRROR 3

PAGE NAME RANGE 1 AARON, EUNICE MONCADA – ABES, HECTOR SALAZAR 2 ABES, LOIZA ALLISON BANDIOLA – ACLAN, SHERLYN ANTOINETTE BOONGALING 3 ACLAN, STELLAH GRACE PALOMARES – AGREDA, ROCHELLE IVY DELACRUZ 4 AGRIMANO, RONALYN BENDO – ALAZAS, ANDRE MIKO BONTES 5 ALBA, MAXINE LALLY TYBACO – ALFARO, RACHELLE ANNE TOLENTINO 6 ALFARO, RUMEL ANGELO TORRE – ALVARAN, LOUISE MARIE ROSE TUMALIUAN 7 ALVAREZ, ANNE KRISTINE VILLANUEVA – ANCHETA, ALEJANDRO LORENZO SANTOS 8 ANCHETA, ELLICE DANE WEE – ANSUAS, ANGELO BAYE BRUCELO 9 ANTANG, EULA KRISTINA DELA CRUZ – ARAMBULO, LYRACHEL GENERAL 10 ARANA, JOHN PAUL NUNEZ – ARNEDO, JHON PAUL PASCUA 11 ARNIGO, JAY MAR BRIONES – AUSTRIA, FLORIE MAE SALAZAR 12 AUSTRIA, HANNAH FAYE MERCADO – BAGADIONG, RIZZAH MAE SIGUA 13 BAGAIPO, JAIRUS PAGAR – BALDOVINO, APRIL JOY GOMEZ 14 BALDOVINO, EUNICE MARICAR MAGSALIN – BANGELES, ROSIE GIL 15 BANGGAT, KENN RAPHAEL MANOOS – BARRIDA, APRIL GRACE VILLASIS 16 BARRIENTOS, MONSOUR ALBERTO – BAUTISTA, IVAN TEDISON ARELLANO 17 BAUTISTA, JANINA HIPOLITO – BELDEROL, KEMUEL CLYDE MEDRANO 18 BELDIA, JEFFREY THOMAS VILLAPANDO – BERNALDO, MARDY GRACE ANN RESCOBER 19 BERNALES, JASPER JAMOROL – BOADO, KEIZEL MINORKA JOLONGBAYAN 20 BOADO, KRISTINA ABIGAIL ARANZANSO – BORJA, MAYBELLINE ROSETTE CERVERA 21 BORJA, PATRICIA TACO – BUENCONSEJO, DANA GRACE SIAPNO 22 BUENCONSEJO, JULIAN HALLADO – CAAMOD, ANNABELLE CRUDA 23 CAASI, PAULO MALGAPO – CABUSAS, KAREN GRACE LASCUNA 24 CABUSORA, RINAH LAE INSIGNE – CALDERON, KENNETH BANZUELA 25 CALDERON, KHRISTA LHEY VILLANUEVA – CANCERAN, PATRICIA JUNE LAYCO 26 CANCIO, KHRISTINE CARINO – CARAGA, AGATHA ANGELA IGNACIO 27 CARAGAN, MARISA ALARIN – CARTABIO, THREB GABRIEL FULE 28 CARTAGENA, LOUIE BALBOA – CASTRO, JAIAN XEPHEL GAMOSO 29 CASTRO, JAN CARLO MARCELO – CEDENO, MA ALAILA GUMAQUIL 30 CEJALVO, RENELIZA DALIPE – CHAVEZ, TONI MARIE HARO 31 CHAVEZ, VAN PAOLO DEL CASTILLO – CLADO, DANIEL WEAVER 32 CLARIDAD, JENNY JOY CABALLERO – CONCEPCION, EINA IZABELA ZAIDE 33 CONCEPCION, GAYLE RAHAB ANN RACCA – CORTEZ, ANDREW TIAMSON 34 CORTEZ, ANGELICA JOIECE CANILLADA – CRUZ, MARYA CHRISTEL IMMACULATE BURIO 35 CRUZ, MENANDRO II VERZOSA – DABLE, FRANCES MARIE JANDONERO 36 DABUET, KRISTIANNE CHYNA CHU TE – DARATO, BRET JOHN ONCOG 37 DARCEN, NICA THERESE MERCADO – DE GUZMAN, CHRISTIAN BRAVO 38 DE GUZMAN, CHRISTINE MAE PITALBO – DE PADUA, JAN LOUBERT 39 DE PADUA, RUSSEL BALTORES – DEL ROSARIO, GUENEVE BASILIO 40 DEL ROSARIO, JAN NOEL DIAZ – DELARIARTE, MISHA LOUISE ALCAZAR 41 DELASAS, GEMIELE ELAINE CAPISTRANO – DEYTIQUEZ, MARRIAN JOHANNA COTIANGCO 42 DIALOGO, SANDRA SURITA – DISSANAYAKE, IVY JOYCE AQUINO 43 DISTAL, JOSEPH PATRICK – DOROMAL, ROCHELLE LOUISE DELA CRUZ 44 DORON, MICHAEL BERNARD BRYAN DORIAS – EBATE, NEIL PHILIP LAZARITO 45 EBDANI, JENNIFER DERESMA – ENCENDENCIA, CHRISHA DAGPIN 46 ENCINA, ZALDY MARK FERIDO – ESCUDERO, JOHN AGUSTIN PINEDA 47 ESCUDO, RODEL GOZO – ESTAPIA, MARIE NEIL OLANDRIA 48 ESTARDO, JESSICA LICUAN – FABICON, SAMANTHA JOIE FERRERA 49 FABILA, CHRISTY PACLIBAR – FERNANDEZ, ANGELA JOY BALAGOSA 50 FERNANDEZ, ANGELA LOUISE GUDANI – FLORECE, CHRISTINE MARIE CALA-OR 51 FLORENDO, CARL ANDREW ALIPALA – FRANCISCO, JEWEL MIKA MORENENCIA 52 FRANCISCO, MA CARIZA PASCUAL – GALANG, EIRA CHARIZ ROQUE 53 GALANG, ELSON IAN NYL EBREO – GANOTISI, FRANCES MIGUEL 54 GANS, NICCOLO AGUJO – GARZON, JIEZL MAE LEYBLE 55 GASAPO, KAREN ROSE VICENCIO – GERMINAL, CHRISTINE FAITH GEGANTOCA 56 GERMINAL, NINA GRACE RAMIREZ – GO-ACO, VONCARLO CENIZA 57 GOAD, JHONNABIE TINA – GOROSPE, MARIA CORINE BERTIZ 58 GOROSPE, STEPHANIE GRACE CAPAO-AN – GUIMMAYEN, NEIL ANGELO CONEL 59 GUINANDAL, ADELFA ROSE BELICARIO – HERBON, ARRON LUCIUS BESARES 60 HERBOSA, JONNEL REDONDO – HUBILLA, FATIMA ATHENA DESTURA 61 HUBO, NICOLE JULIET BUENDIA – INFANTE, JELLOU MAE SORIANO 62 INFANTE, VAN CARLO MIGUEL – JARENCIO, MARY JEEL CABANUS 63 JAREOL, JANE SUMO – JUAN, CEZ DOMINIQUE ABITAN 64 JUAN, DANIELE – LABANTA, DECEMAE LYKA REGATON 65 LABAO, JOREM PAULO MELENCIO – LAGUARDIA, JAMILAH PAOLA DELA CRUZ 66 LAGUDAS, JESSA BERONILLA – LARAYA, KURT JOSEFF VILLAREAL 67 LARCIA, TANYA ALYANA LIMBO – LEBRILLA, FREZEL JADE COLACION 68 LEDESMA, AUGUSTO XAVIER NAVAL – LIBERATO, LISA KATRINA CONDE 69 LIBIANO, MARIA CAMILLE REVILLA – LIMBAGA, LORENZO GABRIEL CASCON 70 LIMBAGO, ALLAN JOSEPH DATOY – LOBITANA, CARLO JOSEPH ESTIGOY 71 LOBO, ELOISA RACHEL CUA – LOZANO, ANGELA JOY TANGANGCO 72 LOZANO, EMMANUEL GOMEZ – MAANO, PRINCE LESTER CAPISTRANO 73 MAAPE, JOHN NOEL RATILLA – MAGALLANES, LOISE EMBERR JANE GALLEGO 74 MAGALLON, CLARISSE LAUNIO – MAGUAD, MA ALTHEA TACSAGON 75 MAGUAD, STEPHEN DAVE SERVANCIA – MALTO, ZABRINA BERNICE LACUANAN 76 MALUBAY, GERINA ROSE CABALBAL – MANGANTE, MARIZ RAGA 77 MANGAO, ARNOLDUS MARZONIA – MARABI, JUDITH ANN CUEVA 78 MARABUT, GIANNA MARIE LINCHANGCO – MARQUEZ, SAMANTHA ANGELES 79 MARQUEZ, SAMANTHA LORAINE ERANA – MATULA, IGNATIUS MATTHEW CUBAL 80 MATULAC, JULIE ANN ZERRUDO – MENDOZA, AARON JAMES FIGUEROA 81 MENDOZA, ABBYGAIL GARCIA – MERCADO, MIGUEL EDUARDO MANIANGLUNG 82 MERCADO, MONIQUE ELOISE TEVES – MOLAS, ROMULO MARTIN III SANCHEZ 83 MOLASE, EDA MARIE VILLANUEVA – MONTOYA, PATRICIA MINELA LUSONG 84 MONTUD, SITTIE NIZHRAN ALLYSSA DORO – MUNOZ, RICARDO JR RANO 85 MUNSAYAC, MICHELLE GONZALES – NAS, JOHN SYLVESTER BRUSOLA 86 NASAYAO, MARIA TRICIA BERTIZ – NICDAO, TRISHA JEM JOVELLANOS 87 NICOLAS, AHRJAE JOY PRINCESS SULFELIX – OBERES, RAYMUND JUN TORDA 88 OBIAL, DENNIE ROSE SAPONG – OLAZO, STEPHEN ANDY MONTEAGUDO 89 OLEGARIO, NEIL KARLO ZAFRA – OQUENDO, NOEL AGUILAR 90 ORA, VICELLE JOY ABARENTOS – OZARAGA, MARIA KATRINA CHUA 91 OZON, MAY FREDELYN MIOLE – PAGADUAN, JUSTIN CORDOBA 92 PAGADUAN, KAREN TAM – PALMES, CHARLENE MANDARICIO 93 PALMES, GILGEN PARRENAS – PARAGAS, ROSE ANN MARIE NATE 94 PARAISO, JAYVEE MAGBANLAC – PATRON, JENNIFER ESTOLLOSO 95 PATRON, ROED DERIS – PERALTA, MARGARETTE KAYE BOLARES 96 PERALTA, MARIANI ANGEL LOMUGDANG – PIEDAD, MARICAR ROLUNA 97 PIELAGO, PATRICIA ANN ANDAL – PON-AN, CHARLENE JOYCE FRANCO 98 PONCE, ALBERT ALLAN YAN – PUNZALAN, MARI JANAE PAULA ALIBADBAD 99 PUNZALAN, MARIANNE CABALLERO – RABANOS, CARYL ANN ALCAZAREN 100 RABAYA, LUWIN JOSEPH ABADIANO – RAMOS, JOSE IMANUEL CRUZ 101 RAMOS, JOYCE ANNE LORIA – RECOPUERTO, HARMON SARDINA 102 RECOTE, JHOANNA REY CLEMENTE – REVEREZA, JEREMIAH JOSEPH LEGARDA 103 REVILLA, BRIAN JOSHUA MAPACPAC – REYNALDO, ERWIN ROMMEL TAYO 104 REYNALDO, SHAMAH REGIMEN – RODENAS, PAUL EMMANUEL REY 105 RODEO, ALMAIZA MARIE FRANCISCO – ROSALES, LLOYD BEIEL ATIENZA 106 ROSALES, MIKHAILA KLAUDINE AN – SABINO, ELHAINE MAE LOLONG 107 SABIO, EARL BRYAN PALMA – SALLY, ELENA GRACE LOCSIN 108 SALMANI, KATRINA JAYASHREE GUTIERREZ – SAN PEDRO, MARCUS JUDE PLEYTO 109 SAN PEDRO, PRESCILLA DIORGIA GUINTO – SANTOS, CHRISTIAN PAOLO MICO 110 SANTOS, CHYNNA SOPHIA ALONZO – SARMIENTO, SHAINE MARIE TANG 111 SARNE, MARAH DANICA CALONIA – SERDAN, SHARA KAYE ORONOS 112 SERDENO, HANNAH CHERYL LANIOG – SILVA, JOSE MIGUEL GERONIMO 113 SILVA, NIGEL ANDAG – SOLIS, ABBY GAIL TIROL 114 SOLIS, ARIANE CLAIRE BULADACO – SUA, FRANCIS DANIELLE MELECIO 115 SUACILLO, CARINE IRIES MARTERIO – SUYU, MA ANGELIE AGGABAO 116 SUYU, MA MESAELA BALLESTEROS – TAGALOG, KIMBERLY EVE SENARLO 117 TAGAMI, MARK IAN CALAPARAN – TAN, FRANCIS MICHAEL PADILLA 118 TAN, GABRIEL CANTARA – TARONGOY, JOHN KENNETH SILAWAN 119 TARONGOY, SARENA PALISBO – TIGLAO, JOSE ENRICO GONZALES 120 TIGLAO, LAURENCE MITCHELLE LANDICHO – TOLENTINO, ZANDY DE LEON 121 TOLENTINO, ZEIN EIRYN SINSUAT – TRINIDAD, IVAN RAYSON ESPIDOL 122 TRINIDAD, JANICA IRIS CACAL – UBAY, NIKKI JAMISON 123 UCAB, HAZEL GRACE RIGONAN – VAFLOR, DAN DEXTER LIBUNAO 124 VALARAO, REENA AMIRAH CONCEPCION – VARON, MARY FELENE DIVA 125 VARONA, CHARITY ANASTACIO – VICENTE, LYNETH PANGANIBAN 126 VICENTE, NERRISA SEPAYA – VILLANUEVA, JESSA MAE ASAYAS 127 VILLANUEVA, JOANNA NICOLE TENORIO – VIRATA, ANGELIQUE JOY NAPAO 128 VIRAY, BRYCE CORNELIUS YVANN DE LEON – YAP, HENRY OLIVER EVANGELISTA 129 YAP, JAYME MARIES GO – ZAMORA, KATE VALERIE ANNE SALDUA 130 ZAMORA, MARIEL ROIE DE LEON – ZURBITO, ROSANNE ANGEL ALMARIO [ UPCAT Online | University of the Philippines ] Hit Counter: 2,143,861

Mayor Duterte The Barbarian needs to be removed from office, disbarred and jailed

it is very clear in this video, Mayor Sara Duterte of Davao strides into the area, calls for the sheriff to approach her then without warning holds him by the collar of his shirt with her left hand, then hits the man in his face with her right fist repeatedly.  the man retreats, men restrain the mayor but she pursues him, still flailing with her fist on the target.

the mayor went to the area as the sheriff with the police was in the process of demolishing the homes of squatters. the sheriff was executing the decision of a lower court. scuffles, stone throwing by the squatters and the police had ensued and the tension with the police was going into a boil.

some points:

• there is no acceptable reason for the mayor’s action. she clearly attacked the sheriff without any provocation with intent to harm
• the sheriff is an officer of the court who was doing his job, acting on a court order
• if the mayor wanted to delay the demolition of the homes, the way to do this is to get a court order, not to beat up the sheriff. the mayor is a lawyer, she ought to know that that is the process that needs to be followed
• as an elected government official, it is the duty of the mayor to uphold the law and in fact follow court orders, not disobey them and commit a crime herself
• we think the mayor should be punished according to law
• being a mayor and under the DILG, we think she should be removed from office for this show of disrespect of the court and for assaulting the sheriff
• being a lawyer and supposedly knowing procedures and the law, she needs to be disbarred from law practice for wantonly harming an officer of the court. this is definitely an action unbecoming of a member of the law profession.
• for assaulting the sheriff, she needs to spend time in jail as prescribed by the law

this should not  be allowed to pass unnoticed by the national government, the DILG and the judiciary. mayors or any other government official need to understand that they cannot take the law in their own hands, that they are in fact not above the law and that they themselves should obey the law no matter how they feel about it and even if it goes against their own beliefs.

the mayor, coming from one of the most powerful political clans in davao need to be taught the lesson that she cannot act with impunity, behaving as if davao is her personal fiefdom and the absolute ruler of the city. allowing this to pass will embolden not only duterte herself but all other mayors in thinking they can do whatever they please in their towns even if it is illegal.

davao is a city known for its political killings and summary executions, this not only reinforces that image, it confirms it. if the leaders of davao behave with such impunity, it is no wonder criminals just go around the city killing whoever they please.

early reviews of apple’s iPhone 4 – view list here

here are the links of reviews of the yet to be launched iPhone 4. these are reviews done by a select number of journalists who were given iPhones to test ahead of everyone, they are all glowing reviews.

• First iPhone 4 Reviews Mostly Sing Its Praises
• Apple makes all the right calls on iPhone 4
• New iPhone Arrives; Rivals, Beware

get out and vote for aquino and roxas

siguraduhing ipanalo sina aquino at roxas  - bumoto sa may 10.

reasons why noynoy aquino will lose this election

we also think aquino will lose this election by default – he has not done enough and he did not do anything at the time he was supposed to. we wonder if it is over confidence. we think it is really more of a strategic blunder.

can aquino recover and change the outcome to a win in this election? yes he can. but he needs  to do a lot more than what he has been doing and he needs to get his campaign strategies right.  the first one is easy but we think the second one is not. specially for the aquino campaign. we think poor and weak strategic thinking is the aquino campaign’s greatest weakness. unfortunately, we do not think they know that.

read here on why noynoy aquino will lose this election: why aquino will lose the election

amapatuan jr. gets stabbed… with a camera lens! who the hell forgot to bring the knife?

when i saw the headline and the headline photos in today’s PDI, i thiought geez there are so many angry protesters in that hearing! i was shocked to find out that the ones who mobbed andal ampatuan jr. at yesterday’s hearing in the quezon city courts were not activists but media men!

that must have been quite a sight! ordinarily, it’s the protesters on one side, the subject and the police on the other and media men on the sides or at the back of both groups. in this one, the media people were right there in front of andal amparuan jr.!

we cannot blame media – so many of them died in the maguindanao massacre. i do not think there enough words to describe why what happened is so wrong in so many ways not only for the media people but for everyone else who were murdered on that day in maguindanao.

some of the protesters were shoving blown up pictures of the dead in the massacre on the face of ampatuan. that i think is just too mild for what was done. someone needs to cut those pictures in tiny pieces and,,,never mind.

do not get us wrong, we are not advocating violence on ampatuan jr. but we are advocating justice for all those who died. we think all 100+ killers and the mastermind/s should be arrested and punished.

there is another an even more interesting part of this story.

From PDI: “Diaz said a cameraman hit the mayor in the forehead with a camera. The concussion—it was a big bump—bled. It was definitely deliberate,” Diaz said. “We really tried to secure the mayor but we found it hard when some members of the media acted this way,” he said.”

we like to file this protest against what Mr. Diaz said about this incident where he mistakenly refers to the picture above as “deliberate”. upon extensive forensick analysis of the picture, we do not think it is deliberate but rather any one or several of the following occurred:

• the camera man was just taking a super macro shot of ampatuan’s right eye for the record. he was given this assignment by his editor in the name of good journalism.
• then someone pushed the camera man and since the camera was heavy, it accidentally dropped on ampatuan’s face
• no camera man in his right mind will do that to his camera and risk damage to his primarily tool in his job, even this one – an old lens that has not been working and cracked for years now
• question – are there no camera lens that are as sharp as knives? or a lens that is as sharp as nail? memo to camera man: next time, please use the proper lens for shots like these.
• finally, who the hell forgot to bring a knife????? aren’t knives standard issue to camera men too?  

advice from an experienced flood victim

from an experienced flood victim
By Gwendolyn So

Unbeknownst to many, my family and I are experts when it comes to flooding. By this I mean that for almost 10 years when we lived in a low part of Sto. Domingo Street in Quezon City , we experienced flooding INSIDE the house at least once a year and if I remember correctly, sometimes it was twice or even thrice a year.

The first time it happened we were in shock, but as it happened more and more it became routine. Here are some nuggets of wisdom that may help:

1. I learned that once the water reaches knee level, the gates can’t be opened anymore because of the water pressure. We thought we still had time to take the cars out but realized we were trapped. That time our cars submerged. Make sure you know which area near your residence is considered higher ground and take your cars there EARLY.

2. Do not despair so much if your cars submerge. They can be fixed. It’s expensive and takes a long time for the smell to go away, but it’s not the end of the world. After the flood, just let the car dry. We were still able to use our Hi-Ace and Mitsubishi Lancer despite their having been half submerged in floodwaters.

3. I learned that heavy stuff, like the ref and shelves, FLOAT. So every year from then on, we would TIE DOWN heavy appliances like the ref (too heavy to carry upstairs but in latter years we did lug it all the way up to the 2nd floor), the big shelves with wedding souvenirs and knick knacks and my dad’s collection of wine. How did we do that? Tie them to the windows.

4. Adrenalin will give you superpowers once you decide you’re not afraid of a little water and start saving what you can. In my case, it was my collection of books. They’re not rare first editions but regular books. However, I love my books and I’m not letting them drown! I was able to move and carry our heavy sofa powered by my body’s own adrenalin hormone.

5. You can have fun in the midst of disaster so I took out our cameras and starting taking pictures. It was to make everyone have a good laugh as we surveyed the chaos around us, the cockroaches and rats swimming by, the black inky spots of oily stuff occasionally floating around.

6. Apparently, no matter how much you’re enjoying yourself frolicking in the water and saving what you can, once the cold water reaches your chest (especially your nipples), you start to shiver and it gets hard to breathe. This is the time to give up and go upstairs.

7. If your electricity stays on, go to the switch box and turn off all the electric outlets downstairs but not upstairs.

8. Cleaning after the flood is a pain. Once the waters recede, you are left with mud everywhere. They stick so you have to get the hose and start using the walis tingting (how do you say this in English? It’s a broom made of just think twigs/sticks tied together in a thick bundle). You just keep the water running and sweep, sweep, sweep like there’s no tomorrow.

9. You must scrub the walls with disinfectant. If you only rinse with water, it will still smell. We used Lysol. Scrub, scrub, scrub like there’s no tomorrow.

10. First time water got inside our house, we didn’t know we had to use Lysol and that the drying process is super vital. So, after a few days, there was this nauseating smell and later we found molds growing everywhere! We had returned the furniture and appliances to their normal places and the walls behind grew molds. Yuck!!!

11. We were still able to use our ref that floated in flood waters. Just clean and clean and dry and dry.

12. Once electricity is available, get out all your fans and dry everything thoroughly.

13. Yes, paint will peel off and wooden drawers and shelves deform. Salvage what can be used. Once they dry, it’s still ok but sometimes the drawers get stuck because the wood expanded so you have no choice but to destroy it because icky water is still trapped inside.

14. Wait at least 2 to 3 days to dry everything. Use fans and hairdryers. Do not, I repeat, do not be in a hurry to return stuff you saved to their original places.

15. Have this mindset: Ah, it’s good Im now forced to do a general cleaning of my house. Now I have no choice but to do it.

It is easy to go insane after this kind of calamity, to despair of the material things we lost (especially the cars), but please be thankful you got away with your life and that of your family and loved ones

your comments and reactions to government and private efforts in reaction to the Ondoy disaster

let us herar your views on this matter.

TOP TEN REASONS WHY ELECTRIC CONSUMERS IN MINDANAO WILL OPPOSE THE SALE OF PULANGI & AGUS COMPLEXES

HINDI DAPAT MAGING PAMBAYAD UTANG NG NAPOCOR ANG PAGBENTA SA AGUS AT PULANGI COMPLEXES.

This week, I was one of those seated at the conference room of City Council of Iligan.

I was listening to officials of Lanao Power Consumers Federation (Lapocof) express  their vehement opposition to the present administration’s plan to sell Agus and Pulangi complexes in 2011.

Whether income that would be derived from this planned sale will be used to pay for the soaring debt of Napocor, is something that I still need to know.

You may ask me what is the relation of this Agus and Pulangi Complexes  to our lives? My answer is “look at your ceiling and stare your lights.. be it bulb, fluorescent or chandelier… stare at your electric fans, TVs, air conditioners and your electric socket.”

These complexes are the sources of electricity generated by our hydro power plants. And yes, the government is selling these by 2011. So I am inviting you to read the reasons why electric consumers, local officials and NPC officials are opposing this sale.

———

August 28, 2009

This is with regards to a crucial provision of RA 9136 of 2001, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) which is vital to the development, welfare and future of the whole Mindanao. This is the sale of the Agus/Pulangi Hydro Complexes by 2011.

Chapter V of the EPIRA, Sec 47 (f) “The Agus and the Pulangi complexes in Mindanao shall be excluded from among the generation companies that will be initially privatized… Said complexes may be privatized not earlier than ten (10) years from the effectivity of this Act. The privatization of Agus and Pulangui Complexes shall be left to the discretion of PSALM Corp., in consultation with Congress. READ FULL TEXT & RELATED STORY….

Demokrasya

Demokrasya
Prof. Dan Rivero

Ang bayang naging tulog, bibig naging kimi;
Ay namula’t, nagising at nagsalitang muli;
Sa paglisan ng isang taong minsa’y tumindig;
Laban sa rehimeng sa baya’y nagpatahimik;
Mga karapatang sagrado matagal na siniil.

Kanyang asawa pinatay na walang laban;
Bitbit lamang ang hangad para sa kalayaan;
Para sa sambayanang uhaw sa kapayapaan;
Tungo sa tunay na kaunlaran nitong ating bayan;
Sa ilalim ng katotohanan, pag-ibig at katarungan.

Subali’t hindi naduwag itong abang biyuda;
Sa halip ay tumayo at humarap sa masa;
Baya’y nagkaisa’t tumalima sa panawagan nya
Na labanan ang pagkamakasarili at pagpapasasa;
Ng isang diktador, pamilya nya’t oligarkiya.

Kalayaa’y natamo dalawang dekada ng lumipas;
Nang ang diktador at alipores niya’y umalpas;
Taumbaya’y nagsimula sa isang panibagong bukas
Sa gabay ng lider na namuno sa pag-aaklas;
Ang demokrasya’y nakamtan muli sa wakas.

Nguni’t sa paglipas ng taon, tila may nagbago;
Ang kalayaan at demokrasya na ating natamo—
Ay nabale-wala at ngayo’y inaabuso;
Ng mismong mamamayan lalo na sa liderato;
Masasayang na lang ba ang ipinaglaban dito?

Para bagang isang bulkan ang bayan kong sinilangan;
Madalas ang hidwaan, paminsa’y nagpuputukan;
Mga lider ng pamahalaan gayun din ang mamamayan;
Kailan ba matatapos yari itong kaguluhan;
At magigising ang bayan sa kawalang paki-alam?

Ganito ba ang mukha ng demokrasya sa ‘ting bansa?
Na ang mga lider ay walang malasaki’t sa kapwa?
Na sa tuwing halalan lang sila naalala?
Kaawa-awa naman ang mga maralita’t dukha;
Sa yaman at posisyon ang ilan ay nagpapasasa.

Tayo ng kumilos, baguhin ang pananaw;
Ating tahakin ang landas, gabay ng bagong araw;
May pag-asa pa ang bayan, liwanag ay tanaw;
Itaguyod, ipaglaban kalayaang ating sigaw;
Demokrasya ng bayan huwag muling pumanaw.

Our eternal flame, our Cory – PDI Editorial

Our eternal flame, our Cory

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:37:00 08/02/2009

MANILA, Philippines—When the light of Cory Aquino’s life, flickering as it had been, in the final, painful, month of her hospital seclusion, was finally extinguished, the country had been, in a sense, expecting it. Yet the news was still received with shock; and grief has settled over the nation, uniting rich and poor, old and young, the partisan and the apathetic, men and women, soldiers and civilians.

 

Unity is a rare thing in our country; we have it now; and adding to the feelings of grief is the wistful realization that it took the passing of Cory to reunite a divided nation.

In 1948, with trembling voice, Jawaharlal Nehru informed his people of the passing of Mahatma Gandhi with these immortal words: “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere.” There was no single great national figure to inform the country of Cory’s passing; instead, a quiet announcement came from her grief-stricken son, and there began the passing on of the news, and the sharing of fond memories.

It is only fitting that the Filipina who tried to institutionalize active non-violence in our bloodstained political culture inspired a similar sense of loss among Filipinos as that expressed by Nehru. Gandhi inspired Cory’s husband; and what Ninoy set out to do, she continued after his cruel murder. Non-violence has been, ever since, the dominant means to accomplish change in our country—a revolution in thought, accomplished by prayers, marches, candlelight vigils.

“The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years,” Nehru went on to say, “and a thousand years later, that light will be seen in this country and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts.”

What was that light? It was the small but steady flame of personal conviction and conscience that never flickered even when the country and those she considered her nearest and dearest shunned her—ignoring her, even castigating her, because her husband chose to endure imprisonment rather than submit to the dictator.

It was a light that comes from a faith that led her to kneel, not in submission or surrender to the brutality and blandishments of the dictatorship, but to scrub the cell of her imprisoned husband on the rare occasions she was able to visit him; and which continued to bring her to her knees, in quiet contemplation and prayer, as she and her husband went into exile and then, in the years after his death, when his cause became hers to take up.

It was the light of liberty, the unquenchable flame of democracy, the light of optimism and faith in the Filipino, snuffed out in her husband’s case by an assassin’s bullets, but which lit so many more little flames, so that it dispelled the darkness that had engulfed the country since 1972. It was a light that could not be extinguished by coups and natural disasters, by the mocking of those who saw in her merely a woman, merely a widow, merely a person trying to return power where it belonged—in the people’s hands, to do with as they chose.

Cory Aquino’s inner light came to the fore once more, after she relinquished power—the only president in our history who never actively sought power but actively sought to relinquish it, fully and on time, once she had that power. It made her stand up whenever democracy was imperiled; she was applauded for it, and jeered for it; others still could not understand what was so clear to her. That incomprehension was born of such critics never having fully understood that inner light, which never required the active quest for popularity that marks the mere politician.

This was the light we took from Ninoy and Cory, which we passed from candle to candle, as we all proclaimed it would be better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. This was the light that was celebrated in our supreme moment of national redemption and vindication.

But for now, hearts are heavy; and there will take place the final series of farewells, from the humble to the great panoply of the honors of State; but throughout, we shall be—as she was—bringers and nurturers of the light, a light that shall never go out so long as the love of liberty burns brightly in our hearts—as it now, eternally, does in Cory’s and Ninoy’s.

As for the rest—the pomp and circumstance that surround the passing of a former head of state—her final wishes as expressed by her family are instructive. The cannons of the military boomed their hourly salute; the flags will be lowered to half staff; a simple guard of honor will keep vigil. But as for everything else, the pomp Ferdinand Marcos craved from embittered exile, Cory with utter simplicity declined. Her sole accompaniment as she goes to her final resting place beside her beloved Ninoy will be those for whom Ninoy died and for whom she lived: we, the people, without distinction as to protocol, or station in life. As in 1983, so it is in 2009: Cory, the people, together to demonstrate that the real power, glory and honors are not for officialdom to bestow, but instead, the Filipino people’s to freely give. And as it was in 1986 so it is now: united, in the streets, in remembrance and democratic dedication to our eternal flame, our Cory. So let these days of mourning be days of commemoration, of savoring, however briefly, that long-elusive sense of national unity we must aspire to always. And let us march, as we had marched,—not merely to bid farewell, but to continue along the path from which too many have strayed: the path of an uncompromising, stubborn dedication to the fight for liberty.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20090802-218341/Our-eternal-flame-our-Cory

The Silent Battle, the Quiestest War

We have been hearing lately that Pres. Cory Aquino is under her own battle of the colon cancer. Under close watch and prayers of her family and the whole nation, everything that could happen is left under God’s power and guidance.

During her last SONA in 1991, Pres. Cory said this words which became a premonition:

“My responsibility as a Filipino, for the well-being of my country, goes beyond it to my grave…”

Another war has begun, the quietest war. The Filipino is truly worth dying for.

For all of us Filipinos believing in true democracy, we are behind you Pres. Cory: In your battles, in your war, in your fights against the great cancers this country once again is now facing: INDIFFERENCE, SELF-CENTERED GOVERNANCE, and the MESSING UP OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS inflicted by this present government manifested by its symtoms: CORRUPTION, DEPOSTISM, ELITISM, POVERTY AMONG MANY OF OUR PEOPLE, DECEPTION FROM THE CENTER.

Now you joined our Creator and your husband Ninoy in heaven, we know that you will still pray and even fight for us. We will continue your LABAN here. We will fight these social ills and cancers that are still plaguing and menacing our country and our people.

Farewell former Pres. Tita Cory Aquino, thank you for freedom and democracy. Thank you for your moral leadership that inspired many of us Filipinos. Thank you for this legacy. Truly the Filipino is worth dying for. We love you.

cory wishes healing for nation, says priest

Michael Jackson 1958-2009 : icon, epic, timeless, artist, genius, master, entertainer

 icon, epic, timeless, artist,  genius, master, entertainer – there are more but these are just the few words that describe michael jackson so perfectly well. from his childhood to adulthood, he knew what those words meant and he lived them. we pay tribute to one of the greats of music.

PinoYouTube – have a laugh or a cry

there must be thousands of them out in the wilds of YouTube. we will hunt them and put them all here for the glory or gory and for tears or laughter.

view them here: http://pinoyoutube.wordpress.com/

view this pinoy dancing to beyonce’s “single ladies”. also pay attention to the pilipino lyrics of the sone. click here and leave a comment of praise or dismay: http://pinoyoutube.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/hala-bira-beyonces-single-ladies-ala-pinoy/

we disagree with the senators on con-ass

not that we hate the senators, but to me time is not the issue for junking con-ass. the key issue is that the people do not want it. that is the first reason, bar none.

that can be founded on many things – it can come from mistrust of arroyo, the fear that somehow term extension will be inserted. people are not only tired of arroyo, they can’t push time to be quicker to see her move out of malacanang. if an inventor finally designs a time machine, i am sure most filipinos will donate their hard earned money to buy one to use it just once – to fast forward time to may 2010.

read in full here: http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/we-disagree-with-the-senators-on-con-ass/