Current Events
9/11
Thursday, September 11th, 2008I was thinking of making a post about 9/11 tragedy last night but I got preoccupied with some thoughts and then some online stuff. So, I would like to ask everyone to offer a little prayer to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy. A little prayer means a lot..
So, where were you [...]
Why are the Filipinos still unhappy?
Sunday, February 24th, 2008Tomorrow (February 25) marks the 22nd year anniversary of EDSA revolution. It was one of the most historic events in the Philippines because democracy won over dictatorship. It showed the solidified unity of Filipinos to oust a greedy and corrupt leader. The Filipino nation rejoiced. We were freed! We should be happy, shouldn’t we? We were once dubbed as the second happiest people in Asia, after all.
Ironically, we can’t feel that so-called happiness right now. The current political crisis we are experiencing - the NBN controversy only proved the ongoing deception and corruption of our political leaders - is no reason to be happy.
In an article from The Philippine Daily Inquirer, analysts said that the Filipinos are still unhappy after 22 years since the fall of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos no matter how the present administration is boasting about economic growth, which has improved the lives of many because of Pres. Arroyo’s policies.
One reason cited for this unhappiness was the Filipino has become disillusioned with a political system that is fundamentally flawed and only benefits the few. Many Filipinos have become tired of street politics as nothing fundamentally changes. Erap, who was accused of grave corruption, was ousted because of people power. Hope for a non-corrupt and better governance filled the Filipinos. However, it turned out worse and as disappointment.
We couldn’t be happy because we are governed by deceitful leaders - remember the 2004 electoral fraud? We were considered the most corrupt country in Asia according to a survey done earlier in 2007. We are made to believe that the economy is growing, but only the high class were benefited. The less fortunate still remain as is and were taken advantage of.
Tomorrow, demonstration rallies are expected to take place. This might be another turning point in every Filipino’s life. We hope that justice be served to the guilty.
P.S. I don’t know if I made some sense in my post. Pardon me for my political ineptness.
Heath Ledger dies (and post-Oscar nom thoughts)
Thursday, January 24th, 2008I logged on to one of my favorite sites first thing yesterday to check on the 80th Academy Award nominations. But the first post made me forgot about the usual glee and excitement upon reading the nominees. Heath Ledger died. NYTimes reported yesterday…
The Better Side of the Philippines
Thursday, November 15th, 2007THE BETTER SIDE OF THE PHILIPPINES
The following was written by INTEL General Manager Robin Martin about the Philippines :
Filipinos (including the press, business people and myself) tend to dwell too much on the negative side, and this affects the perception of foreigners, even the ones who have lived here for a while. The negative perception of the Philippines is way disproportionate to reality when compared to countries like Columbia , Egypt , Middle East, Africa , etc.
Let us all help our country by balancing the negative with the positive especially when we talk to foreigners, whether based here or abroad. Looking back and comparing the Philippines today and 1995 (the year I came back), I was struck by how much our country has progressed physically.
Consider the following:
1. The great telecom infrastructure that we have now did not exist in 1995. 1995 was the year the telecom industry was deregulated. Since then billions of dollars have been invested in both fixed line and cellular networks producing a system with over 5,000 kms of fiber optic backbone at a world competitive cost. From a fixed line capacity of about 900,000 in 1995 we now have over 7 million. Cellular phones practically did not exist in 1995; now we have over 11 million line capacity.
2. The MRT, many of the EDSA flyovers (including the Ayala Avenue flyover), the SKYWAY, Rockwell and Glorietta 4, the Fort, NAIA terminal 2 and most of the new skyscrapers were not yet built in 1995.
3. If you drive to the provinces, you will notice that national roads are now of good quality (international quality asphalt roads). I just went to Iba, Zambales last week and I was impressed that even a not so frequently traveled road was of very good quality.
4. Philippine exports have increased by 600% over the past eight years. There are many, many more examples of progress over the last eight years. Philippine mangoes are now exported to the US and Europe .
Additional tidbits to make our people prouder:
1. INTEL has been in the Philippines for 28 years. The Philippines plant is where Intel’s most advanced products are launched, including the Pentium IV. By the end of 2002, Philippine operations became Intel’s biggest assembly and testing operations worldwide.
2. TEXAS INSTRUMENTS has been operating in Baguio for over 20 years. The Baguio plant is the largest producer of DSP chips in the world. DSP chips are the brains behind cellphones. TI’s Baguio plant produces the chip that powers 100% of all NOKIA cellphones and 80% of Ericsson cellphones in the world.
3. TOSHIBA laptops are produced in Santa Rosa , Laguna.
4. If you drive a BENZ, BMW, or a VOLVO, there is a good chance that the ABS system in your car was made in the Philippines .
5. TREND-MICRO, makers of one of the top anti virus software PC-Cillin (I may have misspelled this) develops it “cures” for viruses right here in Eastwood Libis, Quezon City . When a virus breaks in any computer system in the world, they try to find a solution within 45 minutes of finding the virus.
6 . Today a majority of the top ten U.S. Call Center firms in the U.S. have set up operations in the Philippines. This is one area in which I believe we are the best in the world in terms of value for money.
7. America Online (AOL) has 1,000 people in Clark answering 90% of AOL’s global e-mail inquiries.
8. PROCTOR & GAMBLE has over 400 people right here in Makati (average age 23 years) doing back-up office work to their Asian operations including finance, accounting, Human Resources and payments processing.
9. Among many other things it does for its regional operations network in the Asia-Pacific region here in Manila, CITIBANK also does its global ATM programming locally.
10. This is the first year ever that the Philippines will be exporting cars in quantity courtesy of FORD Philippines. (I have an idea this article was written between 2001 - 2002, so this operation should have been on-going for the last 3 years or so. CYN)
11. The government is shedding off graft and corruption slowly but surely. This is the first time in our history that a former president is in jail and facing charges of plunder. Despite all odds, we are still pursuing the ill-gotten wealth of Marcos now enjoyed by his unrepentant heirs.
Next time you travel abroad and meet business associates tell them the good news. A big part of our problem is perception and one of the biggest battles can be won simply by believing and by making others believe. This message is shared by good citizens of the Philippines who persevere to hope and work for our country.
56,000,000 Filipinos speak, read and write in English even if we have our own national language. Speaking a second language takes a certain kind of unique intelligence.
Tags:Current Events, Philippine Politics, Philippines, Politics
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Ban text spam for good!
Friday, August 10th, 2007
The National Telecommunications had imposed a law about penalizing giant cellphone companies for sending unsolicited text messages composed mainly of advertisements and promotions. Smart Telecom was penalized a total of P20,800 and Globe of P12,200 for unwanted messages.
But the penalty imposed has not prevented these companies from sending spam text messages. I am a SMART subscriber and spam messages about the company’s latest promotions and offers, especially right after I reload my account, have been regular annoyance at my inbox, some of which, I admit, are tempting. Since these are spam, which rhymes with scam by the way, I do not easily succumb to them.
Why was this measure not effective? These maybe are few of the reasons:
1. Because a P20,800 is far incomparable to what they gain out of member subscriptions, which usually costs P2.50 (or P5.00 or more because there are offers which necessitates several texts for full registration). We are aware that these networks have millions of subscribers; probably half of it will subscribe, which may generate thousands of profit. Maybe P20,800 is not even a quarter of what they gain.
2. Although many has been complaining about spam messages, some also join these offers. The adage that goes “Walang manloloko kung walang magpapaloko” similarly applies to this case.
3. Lack of implementation of the law. Since the two cellphone giants have been penalized, have we heard of new penalties imposed? No.
Recently, Sen. Nene Pimentel proposed a law that will ban these spam messages. Under Senate Bill 1138, he proposes to bar telecommunications companies from sending unsolicited materials, such as commercial ads and contests to cellular phone subscribers via short message service or text, GMA News reports.
This was in response to the various complaints he received regarding these unsolicited text messages. Some subscribers also complained that these messages increased their phone bills or has resulted to rapid consumption call credit load of post-paid subscribers.
Under Senate Bill 1138, network companies are barred from sending unsolicited materials such as advertisements, offerings, promotions, subscriptions and other notifications to their subscribers via text or SMS.
The only exception is the sending of legitimate notices of past due accounts.
Violators would be fined between P20,000 to P100,000. A director, officer or employee found to have authorized or allowed the prohibited act shall likewise be fined P1,000 for the first offense; P2,000 for the second offense and P3,000 for the third offense
Image courtesy of Softpedia.com
Tags:Current Events, In the News, Philippine Politics, Philippines, Politics, Spam, Spam Filter, Technology
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Josh Hartnett in Goldlandia
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007Much hullabaloo right now on the Josh Hartnett visit in far flung Diwalwal, the contentious mountain in Monkayo, Compostela Valley (a two-hour ride away from Davao City) sitting in bazillion amounts of gold reserves. The Hollywood actor of Pearl Harbor…
Good news: Student loans may soon be granted
Sunday, July 29th, 2007The Commission on Higher Education will be increasing its funding for student loans to P4 billion from P215 million, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports. Due to this, student loans may soon be available from the government of as much as P30,000 per year to finance their education. This will serve as financial aid to less fortunate students and they can pay it later.
The funds could be availed of as early as the second semester of the current school year which begins in November. The student loan program’s bank is the Land Bank of the Philippines which has committed itself to providing some P1 billion in funding.
Further, the qualification standards will not be that strict so everyone can avail to it. The program will be available by the second semester this year and will be fully implemented by 2008.
With this increase in budget for student loans, the CHEd will be able to provide about P30,000 per year (or P15,000 per semester) to each of almost 200,000 student beneficiaries.
Many researches about the prevalence of out-of-school youths in our country had been conducted and financial problems or poverty are cited as the major reason for quitting from school. It’s a good thing that the government is making a move to solve this increasing problem.
Tags:Child Care, Current Events, Education, Good News, Philippine Politics, Philippines, Social Issues
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Nursing exam flunkers as practical nurses
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007The June 2007 nursing licesure exam results will be released in the middle of August 2007. Only half of the 78,000 board takers are predicted to pass.
For some people, not passing the board exam may mean a closed door for opportunities for being full nurses. Good thing that the Department of Labor and Employment or DOLE have proposed a program for those who won’t make it to the licensure exam.
While they can have a re-take, one fall back offered by the DOLE is to have them licensed as practical nurses, assuming they do not want a re-take. This opens another opportunity for nurses to work abroad and practice their chosen field even though they failed the test.
Practical nursing is a two-year vocational nursing courses usually taken by high school graduates. Practical nurses’ duties are simple medical tasks, mostly dealing with patient medication and care, under the direction of a full nurse or a physician.
Tags:Board Exam, Current Events, Education, Good News, Health, In the News, Philippines, School
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Pandesal will still be P1.00
Saturday, July 21st, 2007
Ever since I could remember, the price of pandesal, a staple bread for Filipinos, remains at Php 1.00. Good news! The price will still remain as is. The local flour millers, bakers and importers who’ve had a meeting with the Department of Trade and Industry promised that the price will not rise despite the increasing price of flour and all other commercial products.
Well, this should serve as good news to families who rely on pieces of pandesal for breakfast. We just hope also that the size of the pandesal stays as is. But as I could remember, prior to the continuing price increase lately, one pandesal was already sufficient for one person, nowadays, you need to buy for two more.
Tags:Current Events, Diet and Nutrition, Good News, Odd News
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Philippine SEC site has a badware?
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that the website of the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission has been tagged by Google Search and StopBadware.org as a ‘harmful’ site. When you try to go to this government’s agency website, you will be redirected to a warning page.
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission is responsible for securities laws and regulating the securities industry. It is a state commission within the Philippine Department of Finance. Wikipedia
StopBadware.org is a “Neighborhood Watch” campaign aimed at fighting badware, seeking to provide reliable, objective information about downloadable applications in order to help consumers to make better choices about what they download on to their computers. A badware is a software that behaves in malicious and/or deceptive ways and is commonly referred to as spyware, malware, and deceptive adware. Downloading files containing badware may harm your computer.
It is odd how an agency which is responsible for securities laws could be accused of containing “unsecured” files. The SEC already wrote a letter to Google seeking explanation on how their website was tagged harmful.
People can still visit their website through directly typing their URL (http://www.sec.gov.ph/) to the address bar or through links from other website. The warning page only appears when the traffic come from Google search, that is if you click the SEC website using the search results.
What could have caused this warning?
1. Badware available for download on their site, especially in cases where it is bundled with the software or zipped files. In case of the SEC website, I only saw one zipped file which is a Microsoft Word Document entitled “Model Corporation - Manual on Corporate Governance”. I tried to download it but ZoneAlarm Anti-Virus did not detect any malware.
2. Badware available on sites that they link to. These are caused by direct linking to third-party sites that may contain badware.
3. Badware distributed through ads running on their site. So far, I don’t see any ads running on their website.
4. Hacking attacks to their site. I see this as a plausible reason for this incident.
Another common source of badware on websites is hacking attacks, which allow third parties to insert code or executables onto poorly secured websites. A common example is the “injection attack,” in which a hacker uses a security vulnerability to inject harmful code into one of your web pages. Usually this code will be invisible on your site to you and to any site visitors, but will trigger the download of badware in the background of a visitor’s computer. You can often detect whether this kind of attack has occurred by looking at the source code of your web pages and determining whether it contains any code that you did not place there. StopBadWare.org
Tags:Current Events, Google, In the News, Internet
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The New 7 Wonders of the World
Sunday, July 8th, 2007So were you one of the millions who participated for the elections of the new 7 wonders of the world?
The New7Wonders organization announced the 7 candidates which have been elected to represent global heritage throughout history during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07.
The ceremony was star-studded featuring a fanfare of musical performances and a parade of world dignitaries. They all came together for one night to highlight the world’s cultural gems and shared heritage.
The New7Wonders organization also launches the nominations for the New7Wonders of Nature which will continue through August 8, 2008 - 08.08.08. A panel of experts will create a list of 21candidates from which voters worldwide will elect the 7 wonders of nature.
Perhaps, we can nominate the Banawe Rice Terraces, or the glorious sunset at Manila Bay, and other scenic spots in the Philippines.
Tags:Blogging, Current Events
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10 Commandments for Drivers from The Vatican
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007The Vatican has issued a “Ten Commandments” for motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or even simple rudeness.
1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.
I think when pertaining to Filipino jeepney and taxi drivers, we could add 11th and 12th commandments (or more):
11. Obey the rules first when you want your passengers to follow. I’ve noticed quite a number of jeepney drivers who carry signs such as “No Smoking” yet they violate it themselves.
12. Be conscientious enough not to ask for fare exceeding the regular rates.
Tags:Current Events, In the News, Life, Safety Tips, Tips
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Comelec to proclaim 10 senatorial bets
Monday, June 4th, 2007The COMELEC will proclaim 10 senatorial bets on Wednesday. I am glad that whom I voted for were also the choice of the majority.
My senatorial bets were:
1.Panfilo Lacson was first on my list because of health was included in his agenda.
2. Francis Joseph Escudero
3. Ninoy Aquino Jr.
4. Edgardo J. Angara
5. Joker P. Arroyo
6. Gregorio B. Honasan
7. Antonio F. Trillanes IV
8. Aquilino L. Pimentel III
9. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri
10. Sonia M. Roco
11. Nikki Coseteng
12. Loren Legarda
Partial and Unofficial as of 5 p.m. June 2, 2007
1. LEGARDA, Loren B. - 17,715,734
2. ESCUDERO, Francis Joseph G. - 17,517,068
3. LACSON, Panfilo M. - 14,928,818
4. VILLAR, Manuel Jr., B. - 14,710,755
5. PANGILINAN, Francis N. - 13,992,091
6. AQUINO, Benigno Simeon III C. - 13,797,782
7. ANGARA, Edgardo J. - 11,833,990
8. CAYETANO, Alan Peter S. - 11,322,274
9. ARROYO, Joker P. - 11,163,030
10. HONASAN, Gregorio B. - 11,060,153
11. TRILLANES, Antonio IV F. - 10,716,241
12. PIMENTEL, Aquilino III L. - 10,445,489
13. ZUBIRI, Juan Miguel F. - 10,253,628
14. RECTO, Ralph G. - 10,046,284
15. DEFENSOR, Michael T. - 9,342,850
Source: ABS-CBNNews.com
Tags:Current Events, Philippine Controversies, Philippine Politics, Philippines, Politics, Senatorial Candidates
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Violence vs. Hospitality
Monday, May 7th, 2007The photo in PDI last Saturday shows aggrieved Bicolanos lighting candles for their favorite volunteer Julia Campbell, who was slain in Batad, Benguet while she treaded the muddy tracks of Banawe Rice Terraces during the Holy week.. It was also …
Bankerohan bridge collapses.
Friday, April 20th, 2007Due to the recent slew of despairing news, I almost forgot that this incident happened about a week ago. Perhaps because I don’t pass that way. But most of my colleagues who are north-bound sure feels the brunt. Calling the LGU City Engineering’s Offic…
The Shooter
Thursday, April 19th, 2007The shooting of 32 people in Virginia Tech by a young Korean man is the worst shooting incident in America’s history, after a similar shooting in a state high school some years before. The news was cringe-worthy not only because of the death toll but t…
Campaign ads on your cellphone
Monday, March 12th, 2007Cell phones and SMS are now widely used for many purposes. Opportunists find a weapon through cellpones to spread scamming activities, promotional campaigns, and sending many unwanted text messages to defenseless subscribers. On the good side, cell phones and SMS have helped resolved a number of crimes.
With the coming of the May 2007 national [...]
Global warming and its feared harmful effects
Sunday, March 11th, 2007The feared harmful effects of global warming are said to show up decades from now. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a draft document which focuses on global warming’s effects. The report, which is currently revised by over a thousand scientists from dozens of countries, will be shown at a convention next month in [...]
circus politicos
Thursday, February 15th, 2007This could easily be part two of the asshole chronicles — on a national (grander) scale.The regular commercial programming nowadays is punctuated by those annoying political campaigns that either portray politicians as would-be clowns and comedians or…
Smart and Globe Telecom were fined for text spam!
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007Jhay posted about the current pestilence of mobile world, spam text messages. I’ve been receiving promotional text messages and “free” inspiring quotes, feng shui tips, etc. from Smart every time I load up. I usually reload my cell phone thrice a week and it is how frequent I get those messages. Although they are helpful [...]
a sidewalk adventure
Wednesday, January 10th, 2007I wonder what’s really in it for me why I can’t be stopped looking for Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. I’ve searched every possible pirated DVD ‘labyrinths’ in downtown metro but couldn’t find one. When I reckon the vendor have difficulty pronoun…