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MANILA (Diario de Manila / 28 de agosto de 2008) - Las operaciones militares que se llevan a cabo en el sur de Filipinas contra los jefes rebeldes del Frente Moro de Liberación Islámica (FMLI) por el ataque a poblaciones cristianes y el asesinato de civiles proseguirán durante el mes de Ramadán, anunció hoy el Gobierno del país.

El objetivo es capturar a Umbra Kato y a Abdurahman Macapaar, alias Comandante Bravo, sobre quienes pesa una recompensa individual de cinco millones de pesos (108.681 dólares o 74.449 euros), indicó el ministro de la Presidencia, Eduardo Ermita, en su comparecencia semanal con los medios de comunicación.

Ermita apuntó que ambos insurgentes incendiaron hogares y asesinaron varios civiles inocentes, incluidos niños, mujeres y ancianos.

El FMLI se ha negado a entregar a los rebeldes, aunque se mostró dispuesto a negociar un castigo, y ha pedido el cese de las hostilidades.

La presidenta de Filipinas, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, insistió la víspera en que siguen considerando válida la tregua que tenían con el FMLI y aseguró que mantienen intacto el compromiso con el proceso de paz entablado con esta organización musulmana separatista.

Los datos sobre las víctimas desde el comienzo de los ataques varía según las fuentes: el Consejo Nacional Coordinador de Desastres reconoce 55 muertos y 362.475 personas desplazadas, de las que 156.059 son atendidas en centros de evacuados.

El Ejército de Filipinas ha anunciado durante estas tres semanas de enfrentamientos más de 180 muertos, entre soldados, rebeldes y civiles.

A instancias de Manila, un oficial malasio llegará al país este fin de semana para tratar de restablecer las conversaciones de paz entre el Gobierno y el FMLI.

El conflicto actual estalló después de que el Tribunal Supremo, el 5 de agosto, detuviese la firma oficial de un memorando de entendimiento entre ambas partes sobre el apartado de las tierras ancestrales, que trata del territorio de la nueva autonomía y sus atribuciones.

El capitulo de las tierras ancestrales, cuyo borrador el Gobierno ahora se niega a firmar y pide una renegociación, cierra los tres bloques en los que se dividieron las negociaciones de paz.

Mommy Zriz: Though she's busy with her review, she never fails to greet her friends including me or drop by our blogs. We have a lot in common, maybe...

This is only a teaser. Visit my blog for full links, other content, and more!

Never give up on peace!

The Mindanao conflict has reached another crossroads in its long history.

After years of difficult negotiations, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reached a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which was intended to be a major breakthrough in the peace process.

However, the document raised both serious concerns as well as high expectations among various communities in Mindanao and Sulu, as well as the nation at large. The abortive signing, following the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court, then triggered local conflicts in two areas of Central Mindanao, raising tensions across the region.

In response, the World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC- SEA) sent a Solidarity Mission to Mindanao from August 24-28. Consisting of 11 international and 8 Filipino members, the mission met a wide variety of stakeholders in two regions. One team visited Central Mindanao, and the second Western Mindanao and Sulu.

As civil society organizations, we approached this mission based on two fundamental principles. First, we affirm all human rights for all peoples in Mindanao and Sulu, notably the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoro people as well as that of the indigenous peoples. Second, we reject all forms of violence, and insist on non-violent and democratic solutions to political conflict, as in the words of Nobel Peace Laureate and Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: "It is no longer acceptable to resolve political disputes through the use of force."
The following are our initial findings and recommendations:

The specter of war hangs over Mindanao once again. Active hostilities have reignited in two areas in the heartland of the conflict, while most of the island, as well as the Sulu Archipelago, are still in a state of relative calm (despite ongoing military operations in Sulu, which sadly have become a part of life for the people there). However, tensions are rising, and the danger of expansion of the conflict is significant. Therefore, we call for urgent measures to contain the conflict, to prevent its spread or its transformation into a communal conflict. Among these, we may cite:

The extension of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which has performed well up to the present crisis, and which even now is maintaining the ceasefire in most of its coverage area. Both the GRP and MILF should move immediately to invite the IMT to continue its work, rather than pulling out on August 31. Moreover, the IMT should if anything be strengthened in mandate and resources. For example, the IMT could play a key role in supervising an investigation into the recent outbreak of fighting in Central Mindanao.

Likewise, the Joint Coordination Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) should also be maintained and strengthened. It is notable that the ceasefire continues to hold between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and 14 of 17 MILF base commands, and the JCCCH is maintaining useful channels of communication between the two sides.

All combatants must adhere strictly to international humanitarian law (IHL). Both the MILF and AFP must implement effective enforcement measures, in order to ensure that impunity will not be allowed for any of their officers who violate IHL.

We view with extreme concern the arming of civilians, which is under way in at least some areas. Untrained and poorly organized civilians cannot meaningfully contribute to genuine security, but will only raise the risks of escalation of conflict. The duty to protect the populace lies with state institutions such as the AFP and the Philippines National Police (PNP).

Therefore, we call on the national government and local governments to cease as well as to publicly discourage any such arming. In this regard, we welcome the assurance of North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol on August 27, reiterated publicly the same day, that he will not condone or allow any attacks by Christian vigilantes (ilaga) against Muslim civilians. At the same time, overt calls to "defend yourselves" muddle this otherwise positive message.
The debate over the MOA-AD has revealed the unacceptable and dangerous levels of prejudice and discrimination against the Moro people and the religion of Islam. This demonstrates the need for sensitive, nuanced, and culturally aware communication to deepen mutual understanding and also to recognize legitimate needs and rights.

Public figures, notably political leaders, must be much more restrained in their language, especially the use of inflammatory comments like "all-out war." Likewise, we call on all media, both national and international, to practice responsible journalism. We encourage media to accept their social responsibility as a crucial part of whole nation and important player in the democratization process. In a conflict situation, careless or sensational reporting can be a matter of life and death – editorial decisions cannot be made based on purely commercial considerations. We note with concern credible reports that images from previous periods of conflict have sometimes been used in coverage of the recent events.

With regard to the MOA- AD, there is clearly an urgent need for much more intensive consultations among all the affected communities. These consultations should not only explain the content of the MOA- AD, but also its historical context, and its implications for ordinary people's lives.

Finally, we are encouraged by the many civil society initiatives that are aimed at strengthening trust and understanding between all communities. Many of the civil society organizations that we visited are making heroic efforts to respond to the current crisis. We may specifically cite the initiative led by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society to translate and popularize the MOA- AD at the grassroots, the "Ginapaladtaka" group of barangays working to maintain communal harmony, and the leading role played by women in Sulu in promoting peace education and indigenous solutions to conflict resolution.

In conclusion, we reaffirm our solidarity with the all the peoples of Mindanao and Sulu, Christian Muslim, and Lumad. In particular, we are inspired by courage of the victims of the conflict, the women, children, and powerless members of society who, in the face of so many difficulties, have not given up the hope for peace. In their honor, we will continue to work together with our dedicated partners in the Philippines and around the region for genuine and sustainable peace, democracy, and human rights.

Local council man Leonardo Avila said even fishes are safe for human consumption as the military continued searching for the ill-fated aircraft that went down on shortly after take off late Monday at the Davao City International Airport, killing all 9 passengers.

Avila, chairman of the City Council’s committee on environment, said no oil spill or contamination also was noticed from the site where the plane crashed. “If it is an oil tanker, then have something to fear about,” he said.

Divers and villagers have recovered body parts and debris of the plane, but Avila said there were no reports that fishes have eaten human flesh.

Col. Isagani Silva, commander of the Philippine Air Force Tactical Operations Group-11, said they are still investigating what caused the tragedy.

Witnesses claimed to have seen the plane crashed after a lightning strike, but Silva said the air craft had a lightning arrester, a device which is connected in an electric wiring system to protect the system from damage from lightning or any other abnormally high surge of voltage.

“The lightning rod attached to the aircraft will protect the airplane if it is hit by lightning,” Silva said.

”We are also looking into human error, mechanical troubles and other angles as cause of the crash,” he said.

Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog said the aircraft was piloted by Captain Adrian de Dios and Major Manuel Sambrano and was carrying seven crewmen and on their way to Iloilo province in central Philippines to pick up members of the Presidential Security Group after Monday's visit by President Gloria Arroyo.

The Philippine Air Force has only two ageing C130 aircrafts in their fleet of mostly old OV-10 fighter planes and UH-1H helicopters. (Romy Bwaga)

PHILIPPINES: The failure to implement the Human Rights Council’s key recommendations concerning extra-judicial killings.

During its Universal Periodic Review, on April 11, 2008, the representative of the government of the Philippines expressed "its commitment as a human rights defender to protect the rights of all its citizens, and to observe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) recalls that Article 3 of the Declaration states that, "everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person." Additionally, it states under Article 8 that, "everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law."

Similarly, Article 2 of the ICCPR, to which the Philippines is party, states that "any person whose rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity."
However, the ALRC has seen no evidence that the Philippines is making any good-faith attempts to take action that will ensure that victims of even the gravest human rights abuses are being provided with effective remedy.

This is evidenced by the lack of effective, independent investigations into the hundreds of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances reported since 2001. Without effective investigations there cannot be prosecutions that result in those responsible being brought to justice or the provision of effective remedies to the victims or their families.

The representative of the Philippines promised "to maintain the momentum on addressing killings of activists and media professionals." The ALRC is not aware of any real momentum or actions concerning these violations, other than the ongoing political and diplomatic efforts by the authorities to save face and side-step their responsibilities under international law.

The ALRC welcomes the significant drop in killings that have followed the increased international pressure on the government of the Philippines, but remains concerned that killings and forced disappearances and that the perpetrators of these grave abuses remain free and capable of resuming the killings again, unless brought to justice. The fact that the killings dropped at the same time as international pressure was being applied clearly indicates that State-agents are involved in these abuses.

This was also highlighted by the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, Professor Philip Alston, in his report to the Council, in which he noted that "the military is in a state of denial concerning the numerous extra-judicial executions in which its soldiers are implicated." Since this report was presented, there have been no improvements to the situation with regard to investigations and prosecutions.

Following his visit to the country in February 2007, Philip Alston made a series of initial recommendations, which were followed by further recommendations in his report. Despite claims by the government that it would take concrete action, these recommendations are not being implemented, allowing impunity to be enjoyed by those responsible for the killings.
Furthermore, during the Universal Periodic Review process, a number of comments and recommendations were made concerning the killings and other grave rights abuses.

Canada stressed its concern about how few convictions there have been. France expressed concern about the low number of resolved cases and asked for evidence of follow-up and implementations of the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations, as did Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. Switzerland recommended that the Philippines intensify its efforts to carry out investigations and prosecutions on extra-judicial killings and punish those responsible, and suggested that the witness protection programme should be strengthened.

It also recommended that the Philippines address the root causes of this issue in the context of the appropriate reforms of the judiciary and the security forces. The United States also asked the Philippines for information on actions being taken to address extra-judicial killings and to ensure the prosecution and conviction of perpetrators.

The representative of the Holy See called on the government of the Philippines to completely eliminate torture and extra-judicial killings.
Another significant problem has been the continuing surge of vigilante killings this year in Davao City as well as General Santos, Tagum and Cagayan de Oro cities in Southern Philippines.

The continuing climate of impunity concerning extra-judicial killings is clearly a factor enabling this upsurge of violence. This phenomenon has previously been endemic in Davao City, prompting Professor Alston to recommend the "abolition of death squads" there. However, once again, the government is ignoring recommendations and has failed to intervene to stop the killings.

No improvement to witness protection mechanism

A key recommendation made by Professor Alston urges the provision of protection to witnesses and "all those who will be put at risk by an individual's testimony." The police have frequently used the lack of witnesses coming forward as an excuse for the lack of progress concerning investigations. For example, in Davoa City, Senior Superintendent Ramon Apolinario attempted to justify this failure, stating that "as long as we do not have the testimonies of the witnesses, we can never file formal charges." The lack of forensics and effective investigation techniques and political will are of greater significance, in reality.

Despite claims by the government during the UPR review that legislation for the strengthening of the Witness Protection programme was urgent, it is not moving forwards with any urgency. It is the police's constitutional obligation to ensure that the cases they are investigating are effectively prosecuted, including by providing interim protection to potential witnesses before they are covered by the witness protection programme. Their failure to do so is the prime cause of the lack of witnesses and therefore convictions.

A glaring lack of convictions

Other than the three persons that were convicted in October 2006 for the March 2005 murder of journalist Marlene Esperat, no other cases of extra-judicial or vigilante killings have resulted in convictions. It is reported that it was only because these three pleaded guilty to the murder charges that the convictions were possible. They were not the result of effective police investigations. The masterminds behind the killings remain at large.

Aside from the Esperat case, none of the 139 cases of extra-judicial killings of social activists that the ALRC has documented between January 2003 and November 2007 (and submitted as part of its UPR submission) have resulted in convictions. Furthermore, concerning the killings of 42 persons, including women and children, by vigilantes in the country’s South since January 2008, none of the perpetrators have been identified, charged or prosecuted in court.

The witnesses, families of the dead and even NGOs there are too frightened to get involved. There is also lack of proper documentation concerning allegations of vigilante killings, in particular by the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP). Professor Alston recommended that the CHRP should issue a monthly report on the killings.

The ALRC's sister-organisation, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), has repeatedly appealed to CHRP Chairperson, Leila de Lima, for the CHRP to consistently investigate and document allegations of extra-judicial killings and other forms of arbitrary deprivation of life. However, no response has been received.

The lack of progress by Special Courts

Although the Supreme Court (SC) has reported that it had designated special courts to hear cases involving extra-judicial killings, the ALRC remains unaware of these courts ever being used. In effect, these courts may have been set up on paper, but have not functioned in reality.

Even if these special courts do exist, the failure to have charges or complaints filed against the perpetrators in court - which is a result of lack of witness and their protection - has made these special courts meaningless. If no charges are filed, there can never be prosecutions.
Designating special courts alone without addressing problems surrounding investigation and prosecution does not serve any real purpose. Perhaps this is what the authorities intended?

The Writ of Amparo being undermined

The SC's implementation of the Writ of Amparo, a judicial remedy which is supposedly to provide any person the judicial protection he requires once his life, security and liberty are threatened, was initially welcomed as providing a new avenue for security.

However, a series of rejections concerning petitions seeking issuance of the writ are undermining its credibility. According to a lawyers' group, the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL), five of their petitions have been rejected by the Court of Appeals (CA), as the result of claims that the petitioners supposedly failed to produce "clear evidence" of "apparent or visible" threats to their lives. This judgment has unreasonably placed the burden of proof of threats on the person seeking protection.

The courts' judgment runs contrary to the intent of the writ, which concerns: "not a criminal action requiring proof beyond reasonable doubt, nor is it a civil or administrative proceeding, but a prerogative writ intended to protect human rights". On cases involving extra-judicial killings, it is extremely difficult for a victim experiencing threats to produced evidence sufficient to convince a court and threats are not made in a way that allows that.

Numerous activists have been killed following receiving threatening short messages service (SMS) and phone calls, amongst others. The police have typically accepted to record the incident, but have not taken any further action, often resulting in the activists being killed. The police investigators claim to have no means of investigating threats originating from mobile phones and identifying those making threats.

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) therefore urges the Human Rights Council to ensure that the Philippines immediately implement the large number of recommendations that the UPR and Special Procedures have produced.

The government must make good on its pledges to the Council, notably as part of the UPR review, by going beyond the tactic of forever setting up new task forces and committees, and ensure actual, rapid and effective investigation and prosecution of cases, in line with its international obligations.

It should also issue a standing invitation to all Special Procedures, and sign and ratify the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).

At present, the government’s claiming to be a human rights defender is convincing only the ill-informed.


Footnotes:

1 Please see UN document with reference: A/HRC/8/3/Add.22 Please see the initial recommendations in the document with reference: A/HRC/4/20/Add.3, and further recommendations in the report in A/HRC/8/3/Add.2.3 Information taken from the report of the UPR Working Group, A/HRC/8/28

Officials said troops occupied Camp Bilal that straddles several towns in the hinterlands of Lanao del Norte, scene of fierce clashes between security and rebel forces.

But soldiers failed to capture two notorious rebel leaders - Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar – blamed for the series of attacks in Mindanao that killed nearly 200 people since last week.

More than 160,000 have been displaced by the fighting despite a cease-fire agreement between the two sides and the exodus of civilians still continue in many areas in Mindanao.

The influential Organization of the Islamic Conference on Wednesday appealed to Manila to halt military offensives in Mindanao. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC Secretary General, expressed deep concern over the recent outbreak of hostilities that is threatening the seven-year old peace talks between Manila and the MILF.

Hundreds of MILF rebels under Kato and Macapaar launched a series of attacks after the aborted signing August 5 of the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain between by peace negotiators.

The Supreme Court temporarily stopped the signing of the deal after some mostly Christian lawmakers and politicians opposed to the deal filed separate petitions.

The accord would have granted Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao. But the controversial agreement sparked a series of protests from residents opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the ancestral domain that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Ihsanoglu condemned the rebel attacks against innocent civilians, calling it illegitimate acts conducted by wayward elements affiliated with the MILF, which refused to abide to repeated appeals by the group's leadership to maintain calm, peace and restraint in Mindanao.

Manila has demanded the MILF to surrender Kato and Macapaar and also offered P10 million rewards for their capture. The government also said it will suspend the signing of the ancestral domain agreement until the two rogue leaders are captured.

But Ihsanoglu expressed concern over the reports that the Arroyo government intends to freeze the memorandum agreement on the ancestral domain, which he said came about as a result of strenuous, long and sincere efforts by peace negotiators.

He said it is unfortunate to let undisciplined elements from the MILF determine the course of negotiations or halt the peace process.

"The Secretary General urged the parties to the conflict to rapidly return to the negotiating table and continue working together in the same positive spirit that led to the conclusion of the agreement."

"The parties need to preserve and build upon the accomplishments so far achieved in a bid to reach the just and durable peace desired by all," the OIC said in a statement.

Ihsanoglu praised Malaysia for playing a key role in the peace talks between the Philippines and the MILF.

Malaysia has been brokering the peace negotiations, but had already pulled out most of its truce observers deployed in Mindanao after accusing Manila of delaying the talks, although Kuala Lumpur extended the stay of a small team for the next three months to bring together the peace process.

Ihsanoglu said the OIC and other countries are supporting efforts to preserve peace and restore calm and stability in southern Philippines.

He stressed that the Manila and the MILF would work out a swift settlement to the current crisis that threatens to thwart the peace process and for both sides to refrain from giving extremist elements the opportunity to dictate their own agenda or determine the course of events in Mindanao. (With reports from Mark Navales and Merlyn Manos)

Kelangan pa bang sabihin kung bakit ayaw ko nito?



Eto, close up view:



Malutong. Maanghang. Malinamnam.
Paborito itong papakin ng mga Khmer. Parang popcorn. Just pop one in your mouth - sharaaaap!
No sir, not me.

Kayo, gusto niyo?

Since returning from Thailand, I already lost 3kgs. For the first time when I am not trying hard to lose weight, my weight decreased. Actually, I don’t have any radical change in my diet nor skip meals but what I do is eat only healthy food now- more veggies and fruits.

Despite the 3kgs weight loss, I am still far from my ideal weight. My arms still look like jumbo sausages and my thighs are as big as logs but, at least, now, they don’t rub together when I walk. I know it’s going to take a long time of exercise and discipline before I finally achieve my ideal weight. But for others who want instant results there are safer and more effective ways to complement dieting. One product that’s getting mixed reviews is the extreme acai berry diet pill. The acai berry usually grows in the Amazon rain forest and its high level of nutritional and health properties are extracted to produce an all-natural weight-loss pill. The pill helps rid the body of all excessive toxic build-ups in the body and prevents future build-ups. Not only does this pill flushes out the wastes and toxins from the body, it also provides additional fiber and anti-oxidants for a healthier and younger you.

While some people attest to its effectiveness, there are others who said otherwise. Also, one of the common comments was about the free trial where users were allegedly charged while still within the 14-day trial period. So it is advised to exercise caution when interested in purchasing this product. Research and find out more about the acai berry weight loss pill and where to buy them.

This move was prompted by the alarm raised by Human Rights head Leila de Lima that a growing number of civilian casualties were monitored as a result of military offensive against lawless MILF elements.

Col. Daniel Lucero, chief of the Army’s Civil-Military Operation, said army commanders were further reminded to inculcate in the minds of their soldiers to be impartial and unprejudiced in their observance of human rights - that every individual’s rights, regardless of his or her professed religion, ethnic attachment, gender, political beliefs, among other should be guaranteed and respected.

“Likewise, all army soldiers were reminded that the reason for existence of the Philippine Army was primarily to guarantee that every Filipino’s rights to life, speech and property are protected.”

“As such, soldiers were further reminded that they should see to it that no act should be pursued if this will mean an infringement of the rights of any individual which they as soldiers have sworn to protect,” he told reporters.

Lucero said they are aware that militant groups would use the issue of human rights to malign and damage the reputation of the Philippine Army.

“However, soldiers are reminded that they should take these negative criticisms as a challenge to do better. Soldiers were told that their deeds in pursuit of their observance of human rights will be greater than the words we use to refute these false allegations,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Got this questionnaire from Ana and Mike.

1. What time did you get up today?
6:45 AM - thanks Goodness for a mid-week off
2. Diamonds or pearls?
Pearls but I hate to think about how the pearls are made to be.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Indiana Jones, just because Walter won the bet.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
Total Drama Island, harhar..this is what I watch with the boys M-F, 9:00-9:30. Lindsay got booted tonight.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Kelloggs frosted flakes
6. What is your middle name?
None, if my mom's maiden name doesn't count. My birth certificate says Jinky Mercado Difuntorum.
7. What food do you dislike?
Anything raw - yes, as in I don't eat sushi.
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Andrea Ross
9. What kind of car do you drive?
I don't drive. Yet.
11. What characteristic do you despise?
Self-centeredness
12. Favorite item of clothing?
Shirt and jeans
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Philippines? Oh well, Venice.
14. What color is your bathroom?
Off-white
15. - where's question # 15?
16. Where would you retire to? Cebu. This is my current state of mind talking, errrr... I mean, writing.
17. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
31st. I had a birthday party cum despedida because the month after we are to fly to Toronto.
18. Favorite sport to watch?
Swimming
20. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?
No one will. See, i'm posting this in my blog.
21. Person you expect to send it back first?
Same answer as # 20.
22. Favorite saying
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
23. When is your birthday?
December 1, 1972
24. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning person - I love sunrise
25. What is your shoe size?
7.5
26. Pets?
nope
28. What did you want to be when you were little?
To become a grown up and do things grown up does.
29. How are you today?
Generally ok
30. No # 3o question
31. What is your favorite flower?
Sunflower
32. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
December 1 - my birthday
33. What is your full name?
Jinky Mercado Difuntorum Ouano
34. What are you listening to right now?
Wind Beneath My Wings
35. What was the last thing you ate?
Pizza and chicken wings
36. Do you wish on stars?
Not anymore. I don't see falling stars or stars for that matter. When I look up from our window, I see airplanes coming and going. Sometimes they do resemble a star's spark.
37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Orange
38. How is the weather right now?
windy and cold
39. Favorite soft drink?
Coke-regular
40. Favorite restaurant?
Cowrie Cove - Shangrila, Mactan
41. Hair color?
black
42. Siblings?
1 brother
43. Favorite day of the year?
January 1 - the day when I start making resolution and break them the next day I didn't bother having it this year.
44. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Paper dolls
46. Summer or winter?
Summer - I love outdoors on a warm sunny summer day
48. Hugs or kisses?
hugs - bear hug
49. Coffee or tea?
Coffee
50. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate
51. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Yes
53. What is under your bed?
Dust bunnies.
54. Who is your longest friend? Maritess Edmilao - I knew her from grade school and we occassionally keep in touch. She's in the Philippines.
55 . What did you do last night?
Reorganize the closet
56. What your friends calling you?
Kai
57. What are you afraid of?
Dark places, lizards
58. Salty or sweet?
Salty
59. How many keys on your key ring?
None
60. How many years at your current job?
Almost 3 years
61. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday
62. How many towns have you lived in?
5 - Ozamiz, Cebu City, Mandaue (in the Philippines); Markham and Mississauga (in Canada)
63. Do you make friends easily?
I don't warm up to people easily but because I am talkative by nature, I made so many acquaintances but keep a few number of good friends.
64. How many people will you send this to?
No one. I am posting this in my blog and anybody is welcome to copy and post or send.
65. How many will respond?
No one

Ka-ching..ka-ching..
Total bill $56.82
Indigo - Burlington

I bought about 5 books that are on sale except for one.
1. I am not Julia Roberts
2. The Last Lecture
3. Bedtime Stories for boys
4. The Kite Runner
5. The Appeal

The Kite Runner is the one that is not on sale. I tried to put it back twice on the shelf but end up getting it again when the cash register is about to scan the last book.

I also bought a journal and almost got one in papyrus but did a double-thought when the price didn't seem to connect with my debit card allowance for book purchases.

With starbucks at my back and the smell of fresh brewed coffee following me in every direction, I claimed my purchases and head to the nearest exit.

Walter got his G license. I didn't.

And so I splurge.

Back in my high school days, a lot of my schoolmates have this gadget clinging on to the zipper of their bags. This little gadget is so popular that some of my teacher’s back then have it. I was amused because they say it is like a pet where you’ll feed it whenever it gets hungry. You’ll know because it has a screen where it shows whether your pet is hungry or not. Also, you have to make it happy by giving your pet a toy. It can also die of course if you forget to feed it. Cool huh? Okey, I’ll admit there came a time I wanted one but good thing I immediately realized it was kinda girl thing.. haha! Not for me.

If you want to experience that kind of fun, I would say you can! There is a website that is something like the gadget that I was talking about called Banzai. Not only that, there’s a lot of free stuff also. Just go to the downloads section where you can download wallpapers and screen savers for both mac and windows.















You can try it for some time but you can purchase it online. It even has his own Myspace page!

ScreenLife Games is at it again. They launched a new Banzai game. Check it out:

I won a pair of tickets to Enchanted Kingdom.
Kakatuwa!!! My cousin and I will be going.
Exciting!!!

The Phillip Morris Invitation only E-heads concert is now ticket-selling... in light of new controversy with regards to event sponsoring among tabacco companies, PM now is detaching itself from said concert seeing that the technicality can not be used as an excuse.

Details in Philippine Inquirer Entertainment section 8-28-08.

Concert is now slated on Aug. 30, 2008 in Fort Bonifacio Open Field in Taguig.

Bad for Tabacco Good for the Fans!!! Yeah Baby!!! Good luck sa mga manood, post pics and vids for us to see... ü






Related article in ABS CBN website

Related article in Inquirer blogs website

I just love some of the kitchen faucets at faucet.com. They have a feature that I have noticed on the newer designs where the actual pipe that the water flows from, I suppose it is called the spout, is very high compared to older designs. One of the irritations in life, apart from my Hubby, (I wasn't complaining when he rescued me after I locked the car keys in the trunk and was stranded!) is the low design of our kitchen faucet here at home. There is a manufacturer called Grohe that has some good designs, I especially like the brushed stainless steel look that they have on some models.

Here is an interesting web address - http://diet-pills.sybervision.com/ notice that there is no 'www', but instead there are the words diet pills. That is the first time I have seen that. The address actually leads to a website where they claim to have the "diet pill that works". Actually they review a few different pills and even review the online price compared to the retail price. Big difference there! They list the top 5 in diet pills, so if you are currently buying your pills locally, it might be interesting to see if there is a different product available that might suit you more, or even the same product that you are currently using, only at a better price.

Barangay Hall of Barangay Magsaysay (in Poblacion), Mainit, Surigao del Norte


Post: Zimmbodilion (www.pidjanga.blogspot.com)
Crossposting: http://www.bisayabloggers.com/; http://zimmbodilion.multiply.com/journal

Frankly, there are a lot of bad SmartBro reviews out there, some of them so bad that a potential client would say “never mind” or “no way”. But we have been on SmartBro’s Plan 999 (Canopy) for more than a year now and let me say first off that some of the horror stories you may read about may actually be true, but they have never happened to me.

This is not a sponsored post.

Our SmartBro was installed on April 14, 2007. During the first three months I admit there were problems. Slow, sometimes intermittent connections, but after the tech support guys ironed those out our connection went on without a hitch. There was that time when a typhoon knocked the canopy down, and the other time when the enormous neighborhood stray cats who run across our roofs like they were in Le Mans did the same thing. Both times, 24 hours after I made the call to SmartBro support the contractors came and brought it back up. The cat incident even damaged the antenna and they replaced it with no charge. That’s a pretty good coverage for circumstances beyond our control.

This is the speed test result I get from Speedtest.net, choosing the Makati Server (PLDT) as my testing point.

This is the result when I use the Quezon City server (BayanTel) as the testing point.

In my opinion, the results are not bad, if you are a personal user with a couple of kids, a yaya, and a husband who are all Internet junkies.

I have recommended SmartBro to my friends who live in places that are otherwise not reached by landline DSL’s. The wait time from application and initial payment to the day of installation is practically nil. I admit some of their call center agents need a bit more training on how to reply to network-savvy clients, those who will not be put off by gobbledygook they read off their standard replies sheet. But other than a couple of false alarms and one or two actual mistakes on my end, I have never had a problem with them.

So if you’ve arrived on this page while looking for advice on whether to get SmartBro or not, I’d suggest you do. Just make sure that you are in direct line of sight with the nearest Base Station (no trees or buildings in the way), and that you provide the installer guys with a solid platform on which to attach the canopy and you’ll be OK.

Ito ang aking makukuha pag ayaw na nya magpakuha ng litrato. At sisigaw yan ng malakas na, Tapos na ako, Mom! hehe

{This is what I get when he doesn’t want me to take pictures of him anymore. Then he will shout with a loud, I am done, Mom! :D}

Ito ay kuha nung Spring 2007. {Taken last Spring 2007}

Salamat sa pagdaan at Maligayang Huwebes!

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My husband is currently driving his Mazda mini van given by his Mom. It's also the same car I used for practicing driving. So if ever I would learn driving completely, I would love to get my own Mazda too since I am familiar with it in terms of parts etc. I just check the latest auto deals for Mazda and wow they have great cars with great value. Check out this link orlando mazda truck now!

I already have six blog but I get tired of it now. I mean it is just impossible for me to update all of them plus the yearly maintenance. So I was thinking of letting go to one of my domain but I can't just figure out which one. I was thinking of letting go my pr250.c0m but I felt bad since there's already pr on it. A silly thought came across my imagination thinking, I could maybe sell this domain. I have seen some hosting company that sells domain name for 100 bucks and above so I wonder if there's somebody out there who would be interested to buy my pr1 domain http://pr250.com.

It's quite a long time now since I hang out with my friends.Though they live locally but it is impossible for us to see each other often for many reasons,one big factor that hinders us from hanging out together is DRIVING.Annie and Rose live just 25 minutes away from me but it will take us ages before we can meet and stroll somewhere for we all have different taping or shooting schedules,hahaha...mura mga artista? lolz..just kidding.

Seriously,life in the US is alot different from where we originally lived. We all need to set appointments first before visiting someone else's house even if the person is your close friend.No driver,no laag! SIGH big! But,tomorrow is surely gonna be fun again for all 3 musketeers and the little Princess for we're going laag after weeks of not wandering around.

Lunch at our fave Pinoy resto is expected to take place before doing anything else at the mall or somewhere.Weewww..see you both tomorrow guys! Annie,don't forget the RAMBO dvds ok?

It's quite a long time now since I hang out with my friends.Though they live locally but it is impossible for us to see each other often for many reasons,one big factor that hinders us from hanging out together is DRIVING.Annie and Rose live just 25 minutes away from me but it will take us ages before we can meet and stroll somewhere for we all have different taping or shooting schedules,hahaha...mura mga artista? lolz..just kidding.

Seriously,life in the US is alot different from where we originally lived. We all need to set appointments first before visiting someone else's house even if the person is your close friend.No driver,no laag! SIGH big! But,tomorrow is surely gonna be fun again for all 3 musketeers and the little Princess for we're going laag after weeks of not wandering around.

Lunch at our fave Pinoy resto is expected to take place before doing anything else at the mall or somewhere.Weewww..see you both tomorrow guys! Annie,don't forget the RAMBO dvds ok?

Have you been in business for a year or so? Do you think you need more capital for your business to grow or to expand? I know that every businessman’s goal is to succeed and expand his business not only nationwide but worldwide as well. But in every goal, more capital would be needed to reach it.

If you think you need more money for your business expansion, then considering of getting an sba loans available at www.onlinecheck.com would be a great idea for you. Most industries and small business started from loaning money for more business capital and most of them succeeded. But of course the business success entirely depends on how you manage your business.

You can get more knowledge and tips about making your business grow by visiting The Small Business Administration web site.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is an organization or independent agency that helps and will help businessman like you on how you can develop your business plans, find networking services, how a business loan works and many more.

For faster and easy way of getting Business Loans, Click Here. No closing cost or fees and it has faster approval period.

Lesson for today is the latin word "Carpus" is a word derived from the Greek word "karpos" which means "wrist". The carpal tunnel is the tight space between fibrous band and the wrist bone.The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel to receive sensations from the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the hand.
Swelling and irritation the median nerve with the carpal tunnel in this manner causes tingling and numbness of the thumb,index and the middle fingers,this condition describing it is called carpal tunnel syndrome.

Once you feel little hurting in your wrist or thumb,don't make it become worse,seek for treatment right away or seek carpal tunnel relief to avoid suffering further pain in the future.People,take note if you have any of these common conditions,be prepared to find help because it may lead you to have carpal tunnel syndrome.Conditions are as follows; obesity, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, arthritis, diabetes, and trauma. Tendon inflammation resulting from repetitive work, such as uninterrupted typing, can also cause carpal tunnel symptoms. Mind you bloggers,watch out also.So far I have not experienced it but if I will not take good care of myself,probably I will suffer this too.

Find help,seek carpal tunnel relief and try any of products of www.imakproducts.com. My mother and grandmother best fit to use this kind of product for they are suffering the said syndrome which is hard for them for they use their hands too much to work.

Lesson for today is the latin word "Carpus" is a word derived from the Greek word "karpos" which means "wrist". The carpal tunnel is the tight space between fibrous band and the wrist bone.The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel to receive sensations from the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the hand.
Swelling and irritation the median nerve with the carpal tunnel in this manner causes tingling and numbness of the thumb,index and the middle fingers,this condition describing it is called carpal tunnel syndrome.

Once you feel little hurting in your wrist or thumb,don't make it become worse,seek for treatment right away or seek carpal tunnel relief to avoid suffering further pain in the future.People,take note if you have any of these common conditions,be prepared to find help because it may lead you to have carpal tunnel syndrome.Conditions are as follows; obesity, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, arthritis, diabetes, and trauma. Tendon inflammation resulting from repetitive work, such as uninterrupted typing, can also cause carpal tunnel symptoms. Mind you bloggers,watch out also.So far I have not experienced it but if I will not take good care of myself,probably I will suffer this too.

Find help,seek carpal tunnel relief and try any of products of www.imakproducts.com. My mother and grandmother best fit to use this kind of product for they are suffering the said syndrome which is hard for them for they use their hands too much to work.

...was the date of the orange juice I was drinking today.At first,the taste is no difference than new juices in tetra pack but as I am sipping it almost to the end,it changes.I decided to just throw it away for I think it really was bad.

I pour the remaining juice in the kitchen sink and there it was,the color was kinda dark brown...ewwww...then too late to know that it is dated July 26,2007 as the expiry date.We got that juice from my FIL's (father in-law) place.We had to move all his things in to the storage and took all the perishable and canned foods with us...

Hope that bad juice won't make me sick....

...was the date of the orange juice I was drinking today.At first,the taste is no difference than new juices in tetra pack but as I am sipping it almost to the end,it changes.I decided to just throw it away for I think it really was bad.

I pour the remaining juice in the kitchen sink and there it was,the color was kinda dark brown...ewwww...then too late to know that it is dated July 26,2007 as the expiry date.We got that juice from my FIL's (father in-law) place.We had to move all his things in to the storage and took all the perishable and canned foods with us...

Hope that bad juice won't make me sick....

I saw this a while ago somewhere. I don’t have 13 other things to share and thought this 13 stuff are interesting!

Did You know?

1. In the weightlessness of space a frozen pea will explode if it comes in contact with Pepsi.
2. Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular water.
3. Although difficult, it’s possible to start a fire by rapidly rubbing together two Cool Ranch Doritos.
4. Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting.
5. Due to the natural “momentum” of the ocean, saltwater fish cannot swim backwards.
6. Urine from male cape water buffaloes is so flammable that some tribes use it for lantern fuel.
7. Every Labrador retriever dreams about bananas.
8. The only golf course on the island of Tonga has 15 holes, and there’s no penalty if a monkey steals your golf ball.
9. The trucking company Elvis Presley worked at as a young man was owned by Frank Sinatra.
10. Smearing a small amount of dog feces on an insect bite will relieve the itching and swelling.
11. A cat’s purr has the same romance-enhancing frequency as the voice of singer Barry White.
12. It is impossible to sneeze with your eye’s open.
13. Approximately one-sixth of your life is spent on Wednesdays.

Have a great Thursday everyone!

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It’s hard to share something you can’t hardly understand. A friend of hubby is expanding his business. And I had no idea what they’re talking about so, I search! And this gives me ideas about this pos products. And if you own a company/business online you might as well check this refurbished point of sale that might be useful in your business. You might have something you might like their. Most of the products here like portable terminal and scanner, CPU’s, Fujitsu Team PoS which point of sale terminal system can help reduce costs, improve customer service, support advanced loyalty schemes… They even have a scanner and wireless data terminal. All this sorts of stuff are needed for such company. If you are looking for this check it out! Plus you might want to see this pos scanners too! Helps you understand more and then you might come to realize that there are such information you need to jot down notes! this company simply helps you about your point of sale products! Let them do their work for your companys success!

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Now that Firefox 3.01 has more or less stabilized quite a few of my favorite add-ons and plugins have been updated to run in this latest version. I love Firefox because it enables me to work my browsing to the fullest, and with Firefox the browser is not just a browser. It is an indispensable tool that I use everyday doing while I do what I do for a living.

Add-ons enhance the power of Firefox and provides you with tools that allow you to browse the internet, save important bits of data and save you time while you do what you do on the ‘net. The following is a list of my favorite Firefox Add-ons (in random order) and why they continuously make me say “wow, there can’t be a faster way of doing that”.

1. Colorful Tabs - This is an indispensable plugin for me as it makes tab identification easier, adding a different color to each tab. It looks cute on multiple tabs too.

2. Password Exporter - essential if you maintain two (or more) computers and would like your saved passwords present on all of them.

3. Split browser - pretty nifty for keeping everything in sight without having to switch tabs or open another instance of Firefox. It can be a little confusing to use at first, but once you get the hang of it it’s almost indispensable.

4. Abduction! - screenshots have never been made easier. Extremely useful for making documentation that require snaps of entire web pages or a selection thereof. I used to hit PrtSc or Alt-PrtSc and then load up the clipboard into Photoshop or even MS Paint, but Abduction lets me bypass the photo editing and allows me to save either entire web pages or snippets directly into a file.

5. Entrecard Toolbar - If you are an avid Entrecarder you definitely will need this. Simplifies card dropping, switching from one linked account to another, enables you to purchase card advertising on the site you are currently on.

Those are my top 5 favorites. I have used quite a few more since I started using Firefox but some of them haven’t quite caught up with version 3.0.1. When they do, they will find their way back to my add-on’s list.

I’m sure there are a few Firefox add-ons for you and the way you browse the Interwebs. Head on over to the Firefox Add-ons page and see how it can make browsing with Firefox a breeze.