Boxing experts predict Pacquiao win

BY Josef Ramos

“Pacquiao who’s expected to rely on his blistering speed and footwork to neutralize attacks… Pacquiao will see them [punches] coming, slide to his right, duck under them and unleash his left,” he said. “It’ll be close and exciting for a few rounds until Pacquiao takes over, pounding Mosley down the stretch en route to a unanimous decision.”

Boxing experts favored Manny Pacquiao to win over Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas but have differing opinions on how the Filipino ring icon would dominate the aging American boxer.

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) columnist Joe Tessitore and ESPN, Reuters and HBO boxing writer Kieran Mulvaney predicted that Pacquiao would win by late technical knockout or via unanimous decision.

“Pacquiao is faster than this older edition of Shane Mosley. He’s viper-like with his quick-striking left cross and right hook,” wrote Tessitore on the official website of ESPN.

Even though he is convinced that the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1 win-loss-draw card with 39 knockouts) could hurt Pacquiao (52-3-2 with 38 KOs) with uppercuts and body shots, Tessitore explained these are not enough to chop down the pound-for-pound king.

“In the end, I see very few scenarios that include Mosley pulling off the upset, so it would be Pacquiao by late TKO,” he said.

Mulvaney, for his part, said Mosley’s punching power and longer reach would not suffice to destroy Pacquiao who’s expected to rely on his blistering speed and footwork to neutralize attacks.
“Pacquiao will see them [punches] coming, slide to his right, duck under them and unleash his left,” he said. “It’ll be close and exciting for a few rounds until Pacquiao takes over, pounding Mosley down the stretch en route to a unanimous decision.”

Dan Rafael, another ESPN writer said the fight would definitely be exciting since both fighters are very aggressive and are expected to collide head-on.

“Mosley is a proud fighter who still possesses heart, a great chin and good power. In his one moment of note against Floyd Mayweather Jr., he almost knocked him out in the second round,” said Rafael.

Rafael though admitted that Mosley is now slower and his punches no longer possessed the same authority as they used to be.

Metro Manila’s waste generation up in 2011

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje is urging parents to make an effort of teaching their children on proper waste segregation especially in Metro Manila where people dump more garbage than before.

To do this, parents or older children can come up with creative ways to segregate waste such as selling collected empty bottles and old newspapers and magazines to the neighborhood junk shop.

The move came at the heels of studies made by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) showing Metro Manila’s daily waste generation has risen to 8,746 tons recently from 8,400 tons in 2010.

The same data show the capital region of 15.5 million people represents a 24-percent share in the national daily waste generation of 35,000 tons in 2010.

For its part, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had intensified its information and education campaign with the distribution of easy-to-understand leaflets and brochures in barangays in Metro Manila.

Metro Manila’s local environment officers also pledged to farm out the materials to households, in coordination with barangay officials.

“Our primary goal is to make solid waste management understandable to all, even by little children,” Paje said.

He also called upon local executives to reproduce the materials as a step to widen and speed up the circulation of the printed materials within their respective constituencies.

MMDA General Manager Corazon Jimenez said that the DENR’s intensified campaign for mandatory segregation shores up the agency’s efforts to bring down Metro Manila’s daily waste generation by 50 percent.

By Virgil Lopez

Bilingual people are smarter?

“…Bilinguals have to do something that monolinguals don’t do—they have to keep the two languages separate. Bialystok likens it to tuning into the right signal on the radio or television: The brain has to keep the two channels separate and pay attention to only one.”

by: Dan Mariano

Many of us Filipinos think that our fluency in English gives us an edge in the job market, especially overseas. However, our competitiveness may not be entirely due to our facility with the language we picked up from the Americans who occupied the Philippines from 1898 to 1946—and who continue to exert a po-werful cultural influence on our country to this day.

Most educated Filipinos speak English and Tagalog or whatever happens to be their native tongue. Many others actually speak more than two languages—but they are certainly not unique in this skill.

In this era of globalization the number of people who are bilingual, or even multilingual, continues to grow. More interesting is the scientific observation that the ability of people—not just Filipinos—to speak more than one language tends to make them smarter.

In an article titled “Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power,” Gretchen Cuda-Kroen wrote: “Research suggests that the growing numbers of bilingual speakers may have an advantage that goes beyond communication: It turns out that being bilingual is also good for your brain.”

In her article posted on the NPR website, Cuda-Kroen’s noted: “In an interconnected world, speaking more than one language is becoming increasingly common. Approximately one-fifth of Americans speak a non-English language at home, and globally, as many as two-thirds of children are brought up bilingual.”

The author cited the case of Judy and Paul Szentkiralyi who both grew up bilingual in the United States, speaking Hungarian with their families and English with their peers.

When they first started dating, Judy and Paul spoke English with each other. However, when their relationship turned serious they decided to raise their children speaking both languages.

“Today, Hungarian is the primary language the Szentkiralyis use at home,” Cuda-Kroen reported. “Their two daughters—Hannah, 14, and Julia, 8—speak both languages fluently, and without any accent.”

The case of the Szentkiralyi children refutes the fallacy that bilingual children become confused or fall behind kids who speak only one language.

Cuda-Koen quoted Janet Werker, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who studies language acquisition in bilingual babies, saying: “Growing up bilingual is just as natural as growing up monolingual.”

Werker’s research reportedly shows that babies of bilingual mothers can distinguish between languages even hours after birth. “There is absolutely no evidence that bilingual acquisition leads to confusion, and there is no evidence that bilingual acquisition leads to delay,” the psychologist said.
According to Werker and other researchers, the evidence to the contrary is actually quite strong. “Instead of holding you back, being bilingual, they say, may actually be good for you.”

Cuda-Kroen quoted another psychologist, Ellen Bialystok from York University in Toronto, saying the reason lies in the way the bilingual mind uses language.

“We don’t really know very much in psychology,” Bialystok reportedly said. “But the one thing that has been so overwhelmingly proven, that I can say with great certainty, is this: For a bilingual who really has two good languages that they use, both of them are always active.”

No matter what language a person is speaking at the moment, both languages are active in the brain.

“The evidence is very dramatic. Even if you are in a context that is utterly monolingual, where you think there is absolutely no reason to think about Chinese or Spanish or French, it is part of the activated network that’s going on in your brain,” Bialystok said.

As a result, bilinguals have to do something that monolinguals don’t do—they have to keep the two languages separate. Bialystok likens it to tuning into the right signal on the radio or television: The brain has to keep the two channels separate and pay attention to only one.

“The brain has a perfectly good system whose job it is to do just that—it’s the executive control system. It focuses attention on what’s important and ignores distraction. Therefore, for a bilingual, the executive control system is used in every sentence you utter. That’s what makes it strong,” said Bialystok.

According to the psychologist, constantly engaging this executive control function is a form of mental exercise. Bialystok and other researchers believe that this can be beneficial for the brain, Cuda-Kroen reported.

Bilingual speakers have been shown to perform better on a variety of cognitive tasks, and one study Bialystok did found that dementia set in four to five years later in people who spent their lives speaking two languages instead of one.

“They can get a little extra mileage from these cognitive networks because they have been enhanced throughout life,” said Bialystok.

Moreover, the advantages of bilingualism may be due to more than just
“mental fitness,” Cuda-Kroen wrote.

According to Bialystok, preliminary evidence suggests that being bilingual may physically remodel parts of the brain.

“It’s something researchers are only beginning to look into, but she says there is reason to believe that speaking a second language may lead to important changes in brain structure as well,” Cuda-Kroen reported.

These observations apply to people who speak their native tongue and their second language correctly. Whether or not mongrel idioms—such as the Taglish or “swardspeak” popularized by the news and entertainment media—help boost the brain power of speakers is yet unclear.

What is clear is that speakers of such patois do not sound smart at all.

ADB says rising food prices threaten Asia's poor

The Asian Development Bank says world food prices have surged by more than 30 percent in the first two months and threaten to push millions of Asians into extreme poverty.

The Manila-based lender says in a report Tuesday that food inflation in many Asian economies has averaged 10 percent early this year and is likely to continue because of the global oil hikes, production shortfalls due to bad weather and export restrictions by several food producing countries.

The fast increases in the cost of food are a serious setback for the region that has rebounded rapidly from the global economic crisis.

ADB chief economist Changyong Rhee says food export bans should be avoided and greater investments made in agriculture.

(AP)

Today is World Intellectual Property Day

To raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks, and industrial designs impact on our daily lives and to promote respect for the intellectual property rights of others, World Intellectual Property Day is observed on April 26 each year.

This year’s theme “Designing the Future” highlights how respect for intellectual property increases public understanding of what IP means and demonstrates how the intellectual properly system fosters not only music, the arts, and literature, but also all products and technological innovations that shape the future of the world.

The concept of copyright and intellectual property is enshrined in the Intellectual Property Code which states that government has the power to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries. Artists and creators should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor for a specified time period, after which the material becomes available for public use. Society benefits from the copyright laws because this incentive to create will yield a rich and valuable cultural menu for its citizens.

Intellectual property issues are getting more attention these days. The assurance of quality and accountability is lost when counterfeiters illegally use a trademark and deceive consumers with their goods. Many international institutions such as the World Bank, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the UNESCO recognize the link.

By increasing public awareness of what intellectual property means and how important it is to value the intellectual property rights of others, the event gives all stakeholders the opportunity to make broader decisions to meet their goals.

Investigating Trixie Angeles and Reyn Barnido

How was lawyer Trixie Angeles able to allegedly evade payment from a reputable cosmetic clinic in Metro Manila?

Who helped her allegedly con the clinic?

A team of investigative journalists came up with their finding on the defraud alleged perpetrated by lawyers

Argee Guevarra,

Trixie Angeles

a certain Reyn Barnido...

(CLICK on the article BELOW)

House passes bill granting athlete benefits

House Bill 4352, which grants pension, health and medical assistance, and death benefits to professional athletes, has passed third and final reading in the House of Representatives.

Known as the Professional Filipino Athletes Retirement, Health Care, and Death Benefits Act of 2011, beneficiaries will be athletes identified by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and must already be 50 years old.

Athletes who have won in individual competitions will receive monthly pensions worth P15,000 while those who have won in team events will get P10,000.

The amount will be sourced out as part of the General Appropriations Act, which is released annually.

Aside from the pension, beneficiary athletes who have won international competitions will be covered by the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

If a beneficiary athlete is hospitalized, all medical expenses will be paid for by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), under its Medical Assistance Program (IMAP).

Upon death of a professional athlete, the primary and secondary beneficiaries will get P30,000 to cover funeral expenses. The bill also states that the benefits will be retroactive to all living professional athletes who are licensed by GAB.

According to the bill’s author, Rep. Pedro Acharon, Jr. (1st District, South Cotabato), the goal is to encourage young athletes to become more determined to win in both local and international competitions.

Only recently, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago had also pushed for providing benefits to professional athletes. It also provided similar pension amounts of P10,000 and P15,000 for athletes who have won in team competitions or as individuals.

By Alexander Villafania

P-Noy's Easter message: Faith against graft, poverty

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has asked Filipinos to rely on their Christian faith as an effective tool in winning the war against corruption and poverty, especially in the light of other crises besetting the country.

In his Easter message, Aquino urged every Filipino to do their share in combating the scourge of graft and corruption that has long marred the nation’s march to progress. He added that poverty could be addressed if Filipinos would unite against it.

“Bawa’t isa sa atin ay may maiaambag sa pagtuldok sa katiwalian upang maisalba sa hirap at pasakit ang marami nating kababayan. Sa pamamagitan lamang nito, mararamdaman ng bawat Pilipino ang tunay na liwanag ng pagbabago (Each of us can contribute towards ending corruption, to save our fellow Filipinos from poverty and suffering. It is only through this that each Filipino can truly feel the light of change),” the President said.

Aquino also encouraged the people not to lose hope and to trust God, live by His words and share love to all.

“Gaano man kadilim ang kabanatang ating dinaanan, ang pagsusulong ng tapat at mabuting pamamahala, kaakibat ang matibay na pagtitiwala at pagkakaisa, ang pundasyon natin upang malampasan ang kalbaryong ating dinatnan. Patuloy nating alalahanin ang tunay na diwa ng Kaniyang dakilang sakripisyo (No matter how dark things may seem, faith, unity and good government will be our foundation in overcoming the darkness. Always remember His sacrifice),” the President added.

By Ailyn D. Galura

Penitents re-enact annual tradition despite Church disapproval

Twenty-two penitents were crucified under the scorching heat of the sun during a bloody annual tradition on Good Friday in three barangays of San Fernando, Pampanga.

The crucifixions were held in the barangays of San Juan, Sta Lucia and San Pedro Cutud.

According to the to the City Tourism Office, about three penitents were nailed to the cross at 9am, while in Sta Lucia there were also three crucified at past 10 a.m..

In Barangay Cutud,the most known crucifixion site, 16 penitents were nailed to the cross at around 2 p.m., the City Tourism Office said.

The event is a re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion that is practiced ach year in the city of San Fernando that originated in 1955 with the staging of “Via Crucis (Way of the Cross).

Via Crucis is the only Kapampangan piece on the passion of Christ by an amateur, Ricardo Navarro of the City Tourism Office said.

It was performed during the Holy Week 57 years ago by volunteer artists from barrio San Pedro Cutud. But it was only in 1962 that an actual crucifixion was witnessed during the play and Christ role was portrayed by Artemio Anoza, a resident of Apalit town.

Anoza was a quack doctor who dreamt that he would become a religious leader and full pledge healer. To realize these, he volunteered to be crucified as a sacrifice.

For this year’s event, 50-year old Ruben Enaje will again be the main character as Christ to be crucified on a man-made hill in barangay San Pedro Cutud. This is Enaje’s 25th year to be crucified on the same site.

Enaje, the most known among the penitents to be nailed to the cross, said that this his way as a religious vow of thanking God for surviving a fall from a scaffolding during work.

He added that he would do this for two more years before retiring.

Another penitent is Hernando Mangun from Barangay Sta. Lucia who has been already crucified for 17th time, including this year.

Manun, a barker for passenger jeepneys, said he would not stop his vow until somebody lends assistance for the medical needs of his son.

During the crucifixion last Good Friday, some of the penitents nailed to the cross fainted due to the heat and were carried by stretchers to waiting ambulance and brought hospitals.

More than 200 policemen were also deployed to provide security to local and foreign tourists who witnessed the crucifixion.

The crowd was estimated to reach 20,000 to 30,000 by the City tourism Office in Cutud alone.

The Catholic Church has voiced its disapproval for this common practice during the Lenten season.

By Froilan E. Magtoto

Manny Pacquiao to release pop single

Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is adding another job to his resume. The welterweight champion, Filipino congressman and actor is releasing a song on April 28.

Pacquiao's recording of "Sometimes When We Touch" will be released globally before his May 7 WBO welterweight title fight in Las Vegas against American Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao, 32, recorded the song with its creator, Dan Hill, who made it a top ten hit in 1978. Other artists that have covered the song include Tina Turner, Tammy Wynette, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow and Engelbert Humperdinck.

"I was immediately drawn by the honesty and the gentleness of his performance. It was like 'wow'," Hill said of Pacquiao.

Pacquiao has performed the song before, on U.S. late night TV show "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" in November 2010. He is due to return to "Jimmy Kimmel" to debut the new track on Thursday next week.

But asked if he would sing for the media in Los Angeles earlier this week, Pacquiao shied away, laughing, and agreed only to pose for photos holding the promotional DVD for the new song.

By Lindsay Claiborn & Jill Serjeant

Pope Benedict XVI to call Outer Space

Pope Benedict XVI will be in satellite contact with two Italian astronauts aboard the International Space Station in what would be the first papal call to space.

The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported Friday that the hookup will happen on May 4 when Shuttle Endeavor docks with the station.

Two Italian astronauts will be meeting up, one a space station resident; the other, a visitor from the shuttle.

One of the two Italians will be carrying a silver medal donated by the pope. Others on the space station are Russian and American.

AP

Pinay karate expert repels would-be abductors

A Filipina karate expert single-handedly thwarted an attempt by two high school students to kidnap her in Kuwait, an Arab newspaper reported.

The two tried to kidnap the Filipina while she was on her way to work, according to a report on news site Gulf News.

Gulf News cited a report from Kuwaiti daily Al Rai that the Filipina also taught her would-be abductors “a lesson they will never forget.”

While the report did not name the Filipina, it described the suspects as students of a private high school.

According to the report, the two students tried to kidnap the Filipina but she took them on and the boys fled the scene. But the woman followed the students and called the police after she saw them enter a private school in Farwaniya.

With the Filipina’s help, the police identified the duo and arrested them.

— LBG

Filipinos flock to online "Visita Iglesia"

The virtual version of the yearly "Visita Iglesia" continued to peak Thursday and Friday as a Church-run site logged nearly 90,000 visitors less than a month after it was launched – including the more than 30,000 on Maunday Thursday alone.

As of 5:10 a.m. Friday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' Visita Iglesia site recorded 88,431 visits.

Binondo Church in Manila's Chinatown district was one of the most visited churches this year, both virtually and in reality. On Maundy Thursday, several Catholic faithful visited it as part of their “Visita Iglesia" tradition. The church is also featured in the CBCP's Visita Iglesia online site, which had more than 80,000 visitors as of Thursday night.

It was an increase of more than 30,000 from the the 58,337 visits as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

As of 5 a.m. Friday, the site had shown no sign of slowing down or crashing due to "technical difficulties."

The peaking appeared to start Wednesday, from 40,187 as of 6:35 a.m. to more than 50,000 as of 10 p.m.

Last year, visits to the site had peaked on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday. Last year's version attracted only 47,473 visitors.

The CBCP launched this year's Visita Iglesia site last April 1, for overseas Filipino workers who could not make it home and Catholics who cannot physically make the traditional church visit.

"Version 2" of the site features many improvements from the old site, including a YouTube introduction, and catecheses on Lent, the Holy Week an Easter.

It also had added features like the Pasyon and Seven Last Words, as well as homilies – but also links to its commercial sponsors as well.

— LBG

Good Friday: Today also International Mother Earth Day

To remind each of us that Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance and that it is imperative that we recognize our responsibility to promote harmony with nature to achieve a just balance for the needs of the present and future generations, World Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, 2011, in many parts of the world.

Our environments are an extension of ourselves and we feel better and function more efficiently when we are in harmony with our environment. Just as we have relationships with people, we also have a relationship with our environment. Clean are, pure water, and an uncontaminated environment are conducive to man's health and longevity. In some parts of the world, people significantly live to a hundred or more.

In the last 60 years, storm waves have been getting higher and have become dangerous to human lives. Storms are becoming more frequent even in the Arctic Ocean as the area that is free of ice continues to increase.

Global environment variation is increasingly causing storms, melting glaciers, eroding soil, and displacing people from communities to live in poverty in urban areas. The atmosphere has warmed up in the last several decades. Half of what is known as the lungs of the ecosystems, our tropical forests, are gone, with only 10 percent left standing. Oceans, lakes, rivers and streams are being polluted with an average of two million tons of sewage and industrial and agricultural wastes discharged into these waters.

We should all be living in harmony with nature on planet Earth. Man should always be morally concerned about the environment.

Are you addicted to Technology?

Technology addiction taking its toll in Asia-Pacific region -- A baby girl starves to death as her parents raise a virtual child online; a boy scolded for excessive gaming kills his mother then commits suicide -- technology addiction is taking a toll in Asia.

With more 100 million “smartphones” now sold annually in the Asia-Pacific region -- expected to double in five years’ time -- it is the world’s largest market for advanced mobile devices.

And as social networking sites and mobile games explode in tandem with the telecom industry, many young Asians are finding it tough to cope without a gadget in hand or a computer within reach.

“I guess you can call me addicted, fine,” admitted 22-year-old Singaporean university student Hanna Ruslana, who has befriended more schoolmates on Twitter than on campus.

She checks her iPhone at least every 15 minutes and maintains accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn.

When Twitter freezes, she and her friends plunge into an anxious wait.

But hers is a mild case compared to tragic examples in South Korea, one of the world’s most electronically- connected societies.

Last December, a mother was arrested for allegedly killing her three-year-old son while she was tired from Internet game-playing.

A month earlier, a 15-year-old boy committed suicide after killing his mother for scolding him over his gaming habits.

In May 2010, a 41-year-old South Korean man was sentenced to two years in jail after he and his wife left their baby daughter to die of malnutrition while raising a virtual child on the Internet.

The Seoul government estimates the number of web addicts at about two million in a nation of almost 50 million.

From this year, it will offer free software to people at risk to limit the time they spend on the web.

Parliament is also about to consider a “Cinderella” law which would ban those aged under 15 from playing online games between midnight and 6.00 am.

In Singapore, a survey conducted on 600 university and polytechnic students earlier this year showed 88 percent of them preferred communicating through technology over face-to-face chats.

More than 40 percent of respondents spent more than four hours a day glued to their mobile phones in a country where there are now 1.4 mobile phones per person, most of them web-enabled.

Clinical director of privately-owned Raffles Hospital’s pain management service Ho Kok Yuen likened the craving felt by tech addicts for their hit to drug addicts’ “compulsive need to obtain certain medication”.

“So it becomes abnormal behavior, where the compulsive behavior will lead to harm to a person or to people around him or her,” he told AFP.

In Japan, the internal affairs ministry has warned that young people’s addiction to gaming and mobile phones can make them apathetic and harm their social relations and health.

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said cases brought to it for consultation on online games-related concerns rose to 1,692 in 2010, up from 1,437 in 2009, many of them involving youths. In Malaysia, the population has embraced social networking sites enthusiastically.

According to a study released by global research firm TNS in November 2010, Malaysians are the most sociable people on the Internet with an average of 233 friends in their network, compared to 68 in China and just 29 in Japan.

The University Malaya Center of Addiction Sciences said it received about 50 cases when it began a study on addiction to social networking giant Facebook in 2009, and the cases increased to about 70 last year, most involving young people.

“It is more common among youth because they have more exposure to the Internet and social networking sites,” said Muhammad Muhsin Ahmad Zahari, deputy chief coordinator of the center.

“They are more inclined to attach themselves to the computer and ignore other modes of socializing.”

2011 International Year of the Forests

All line agencies of the government spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and city government of Butuan are all roads in the launching of the “2011 National Year of the Forests” Friday.

On the same day, the government agencies concerned, which is participated in by the Caraga Conference for Peace and Development (CCPD) spearheaded by the founding chair Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos of the Diocese of Butuan and former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), will also conduct massive tree planting in line with the “National Greening Program” (NGP) of the Aquino Administration in Caraga region.

Region Xlll DENR Regional Executive Director (RED) Leonardo Sibbaluca and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Carmencita Cochingco, who also chair the Mount Mayapay Rehabilitation Task, said that the launch for Butuan City and Agusan del Norte will be held at the Mt. Mayapay Rehabilitation Project at the military reservation in barangay Nongnong, this city.

By MIKE U. CRISMUNDO

Loren: Holy Week also time to reflect on state of environment

Holy Week should also be a time for Filipinos to reflect on the state of the environment, Sen. Loren Legarda said Tuesday.

“As we celebrate this year’s Earth Day, which coincides with the Holy Week, we must rekindle our relationship with nature," said Legarda in a statement. “As stewards of God’s creation, let us reflect on how we treat the benefits we receive from our natural resources."

Legarda, who chairs the Senate climate change committee, said Filipinos do not need to wait for another natural disaster to understand the “sad state" of the Philippine environment. She said Filipinos should strive to save the country’s natural resources by recycling and saving on fuel, energy, and water consumption.

“Let us all work, in our own and simple yet big and determined steps to help resuscitate our ailing environment," she said.

Earth Consciousness Day -- On the other hand, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed Senate Bill No. 2752, which seeks to make every first day of the month “Earth Consciousness Day" in the Philippines.

“This bill will require the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Education (DepEd), along with other stakeholders, to provide information, coordination, and support services to public and private entities in ensuring a systematic and lasting effort of protecting the environment," Santiago said in her exploratory note.

Under the proposed legislation, the heads of government agencies, local government units, employers, and their employees shall be required to organize and participate in activities designed to raise public awareness on the state of the environment.

The DENR and DepEd shall likewise be tasked to lead schools in organizing "conscious-raising" activities on the need to protect the environment while primary and secondary schools shall be required to plant at least one seedling during earth consciousness days.

By Kimberly Jane Tan

MMDA lifts number coding for Holy Week

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) lifted the number coding starting yesterday (Tuesday) until Good Friday.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said only Makati is not included in the lifting.

He however clarified that it will not have an overall effect since the number coding will just apply within the city’s Central Business District (CBD).

Tolentino assured that his agency is all set for the observance of the Holy Week.

Under the Oplan Mass security program, the MMDA will be deploying 1,900 personnel all over the metro.

It was implemented last April 15 and will run until the 25th.

The MMDA also implemented a “No day off, No absent” policy on Holy Thursday, Black Saturday, Easter Sunday and the Monday after Easter.

Tolentino said they will be anticipating about 180,000 vehicles to traverse the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) starting from noon of Holy Wednesday until lunch time of the following day while 70,000 vehicles are expected to traverse the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) during the same period.

By Jill Beltran

How MONEY destroys people…

Jenni Epperson's article which was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer was a pitiable rehash of Rhonda Byrne's book, "The Secret". It was as a defense to Tim Yap's new line for Folded and Hung.

Tim Yap's shirts have slogans such as

"Filthy Rich",

"Big Spender"

and Don't Hate Me, Envy Me".

Jenni Epperson dares bloggers to criticize the shirts.

Columnist Rita Jimeno writes in her column: “money has destroyed and will continue to destroy persons whose moral values are not strongly grounded. But there are a few questions that can perhaps lift them from their obsession… If only money could tell tales of how it has enslaved souls and mocked man for adoring it.

How money destroys people…

by Rita Linda V. Jimeno

If money could talk, can you imagine the tales it would tell? There would be stories of unimaginable greed; of large-scale corruption; and of man fs loss of his conscience, dignity and honor. Money may be an essential ingredient for human existence and a nation fs prosperity. But why do some men obsess about amassing more than they need?

From a macro point of view, writer Craig de Mott tells us the danger when persons want more and more money. He says millionaires want to become billionaires. In time, fewer and fewer individuals or companies own more and more. One multinational company, for instance, has bought another multinational company for more than $40 billion, an amount bigger than the Gross National Product of many nations. In time, Craig says, we will be nothing but slaves and little employees producing products or rendering service for the few families and companies which own and control practically the whole world. And because money is power, the rich contribute to all the political parties; get the laws that will make their companies richer passed and have judges in their back pockets. Thus, when the rich violate the laws, these laws can be twisted to let them get away.

The super-rich, Craig adds, are not like you and me. They may look like us, dress like us, but they think, plan and carry out things in ways we would never do. You can even say they are not human, Craig asserts. And this brings to my mind some disturbing encounters with the rich Craig speaks about.

Years ago, I met a woman who seemed very religious. She went to church on a daily basis and served the church she went to diligently. Still, there was something about her that made me uneasy. Then one day, she requested for a consultation with me together with all her siblings. It was then that I learned how very wealthy her family was. They owned many large businesses and vast real estate holdings. Their father \the one who built their empire--was old and ailing. They feared he would go any time. What they wanted to do was to avoid paying taxes on the properties their father would leave behind. They also wanted to leave as little assets in their father fs name when he died, to make sure that the wife their father married after their mother died (this was when they were young) would inherit little, if at all. Their father and his second wife had a daughter and a son who were then still minors. They wanted that only one small house should effectively be left for them explaining (in a tone of feigned concern), that the second wife and their young half-siblings would not have the means to maintain a big household. My conversation with them stressed me out as any suggestion from me entailing the payment of taxes such as donor fs taxes (if their father were willing to transfer properties to them in his lifetime); and giving what legally belonged to their step-mother and half siblings was met with vicious arguments by them. Greed ruled them. When they realized I was the wrong lawyer to ask, they left, visibly irritated. What struck me was that they did not seem bothered, or the least bit ashamed, that what they wanted done was shamefully unjust.

In another case, two of five siblings instituted criminal cases against the three others. They were co-stockholders in a family corporation established by their parents. Their parents put into the company all the real estate assets they acquired in their lifetime, which consisted of high value properties in various cities in Metro Manila. Their father had long died while their mother was old and in-and-out of hospitals. The cases filed against the three siblings were obviously harassment suits calculated to make them give up their control of the corporation. Meanwhile, their mother fs hospital bills kept piling up as no one among the siblings was willing to foot them. Their mother fs subsequent death changed nothing. Their mother fs unpaid hospital bills remained outstanding. If at all, their bitter divide as a family widened even more.

A third case involves a group of doctors who have been putting up hospitals, one after another. They have invented a scheme that proved enormously profitable at the expense of unsuspecting new doctors who buy into the scheme and the doctors f patients. First, they pinpoint a location where a hospital will be built. Then, even before registering their company, they invite new doctors to become stockholders. The price at which they sell a block of shares is ten times more than its par value. So, if the par value of shares is, for instance, P25,000.00 they sell to new doctors at the price of P250,000.00 per block of shares. They then use the money they collect from would-be stockholders to pay up their own subscribed capital in the corporation which they have yet to register. And it doesn ft end there. They also either own the construction company that will build the hospital or, choose a contractor friendly to them, without any bidding. This, of course, means kickbacks and commissions. And then this same group of doctors, excluding those they recruited to invest in the hospital, will put up another company that will handle the diagnostic procedures for all patients who get admitted in the hospital. As they are the ones who prescribe the so-called needed procedures to patients and they own the diagnostic enterprise, unsuspecting patients often undergo unnecessary but expensive procedures. What boggles the mind is that doctors are supposed to have their patients f interest, not money, at heart.

Money has destroyed and will continue to destroy persons whose moral values are not strongly grounded. But there are a few questions that can perhaps lift them from their obsession. Does it matter how much one owns when one dies? Will one fs heirs become happier and better persons by having more money than they really need? History tells us that surviving heirs lose their drive and sense of responsibility when inheriting too much wealth. Good relationships among siblings, parents and children, turn into bitter fights over money.

If only money could tell tales of how it has enslaved souls and mocked man for adoring it. Money is only a tool to serve our needs and to make life comfortable. To be happy, one has to make others happy. But a willingness to do this can only spring from a recognition that we were created by a Supreme Being not just for ourselves but for our fellowmen and for society, too. A blessed Lenten week to all.

Black Eyed Peas to start music academy

The Black Eyed Peas are opening a school where local teenagers will learn video and music production using professional-quality equipment.

The six-time Grammy Award winners announced Tuesday that their Peapod Foundation together with the Adobe Foundation will open a Peapod Adobe Youth Voices music and multimedia academy in lower Manhattan.

The Peapod Foundation is the hip-hop group's charitable organization; it's administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The Adobe Foundation is the philanthropic arm of software maker Adobe Systems Inc., whose products include Acrobat, Flash and Photoshop. The two foundations already run three Youth Voices academies in California — in Los Angeles, Oakland and Redwood City.

The New York academy will offer classes to students ages 13 to 19 starting this July, the foundations said.

"Our passion for music and media was fueled by many generous people on our road to success," Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am said. "Expanding the network of Peapod Adobe Youth Voices academies enables us to pay it forward, giving more youth the skills and encouragement they need to realize their dreams."

The academy will be housed in a facility operated by Urban Arts Partnership, which runs after-school arts programs for teens who attend high-poverty schools.

Students will be accepted into the academy based on recommendations from teachers and demonstrated interests in subject areas such as camera work, editing and graphic design.

Jejomar Binay is both pro-life and pro-choice in RH Bill issue

Vice President Jejomar Binay said he is both pro-life and pro-choice in the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill issue, the press reported yesterday.

Binay sees nothing wrong with using condoms because "there's no abortion" and it is "just prevention." However, he is against abortion and "abortifacient" pills. According to Inquirer.net, he supports women's freedom of choice as long as they do not "cross the line to abortion."

Asked what he thinks of birth control pills, he said, "Those abortifacient ones should not be allowed. Those drugs will cause abortion. But those only used for prevention (are fine) because there's no life involved yet." He added, "My position is consistent. As long as there is life, even for one second, that's abortion already. That's not right anymore."

From Spot.ph

The new “perfect man”

"Women find femininity appealing in a male face because they said they associate it with co-operation, honesty and parental ability," said Tony Little, the principal research psychologist. "Strongly masculine features are considered threatening and less attractive, but they still want some combination involving masculine features because they want dominance, too… It’s possible that these looks stimulate not only sexual but also maternal feelings. If women want to be more dominant, they will look for a little-boy face "

The new “perfect man”

By:Lois Rogers

Scientists believe they have created the perfect male face, a man so handsome that any woman would automatically pick him out of a crowd.

He has large expressive eyes set in a smooth-skinned symmetrical face, a straight nose and rounded hair and jaw line.

Although his makers admit he looks slightly girly, they have found modern women want caring feminine traits rather than more macho markings.

They say bearded men and others with features that suggest they are unlikely to wash up or change a nappy can forget about impressing women.

Single women now want a trophy partner, a "new man" with domestic attributes that her friends can admire at a party, but who can be trusted not to go home with one of them.

Real men will be relieved that this Adonis does not exist. He is a composite computer-generated photograph of 12 moderately attractive, average-looking young men. The researchers at the St Andrews University psychology department, who created him, discovered women are most attracted to a man with features representing the "average". They believe women prefer such features because they signal that the individual is one of the mainstream majority who have survived down the evolutionary process, and are therefore less likely to carry harmful genes.
The face was created with a computer program that calculates average distances between the features of different faces, and average hair and jaw lines.

The volunteer men were picked from the local student population, and 34 female "raters" with an average age of 20 were asked to give marks out of seven for masculinity and attractiveness to various composite images of the men.

The psychologists found people questioned had almost identical opinions. The clear winner was a composite of all 12, feminised to soften the jaw line and perfect the complexion. The researchers say smooth skin in men conveys an absence of inherited disease or damage - a factor that would reduce the score of sex symbols such as Richard Burton whose face had pock marks.

Symmetry in male and female features has long been recognised as an important attribute in sexual attraction, but the rise of feminine appeal in a male face is a modern trait.

"Women find femininity appealing in a male face because they said they associate it with co-operation, honesty and parental ability," said Tony Little, the principal research psychologist. "Strongly masculine features are considered threatening and less attractive, but they still want some combination involving masculine features because they want dominance, too."

Little cites Jude Law and Brad Pitt as embodiments of the ideal man. Leonardo DiCaprio’s looks would be too girlish to attract the mainstream, and a super-masculine Arnold Schwarzenegger type would be too aggressive and promiscuous to make a reliable partner.

Although many observers feel women are increasingly taking a masculine attitude and picking a partner purely on looks, others emphasise that sex appeal for women is based on far more than facial features alone.

Marcelle D’Argy Smith, a former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, said soccer stars such as David Beckham and Michael Owen and film stars such as George Clooney typified today’s desirable male. But she pointed out: "Some men who look absolutely gorgeous are completely doomed from the moment they open their mouths. Men can be thrilled to bits by a lap dancer with an IQ of 43 and even marry them. A woman could never do that."

Films over the past decade have moved away from featuring Terminator-type action heroes, according to Little. Instead they have concentrated on caring male characters, as typified by Hugh Grant’s relationship with a child in About A Boy.

The popular television comedies Sex and the City, about the agonies of urban dating, and Cold Feet, about established couples attempting to stay together, have both frequently concentrated on male emotions and used male stars with feminised looks to appeal to women viewers.

Desmond Morris, the man-watching expert, said the shift in male attractiveness reflects women’s increasing dominance. "Smooth-skinned and feminised looks are characteristics of youth," he said. "It’s possible that these looks stimulate not only sexual but also maternal feelings. If women want to be more dominant, they will look for a little-boy face."

Fighting MAROONS or MORONS?

Columnist Jojo Robles opines "that there was a time when people believed UP was hard-wired to oppose any President simply because it had been doing so for so long. If Mother Teresa had become President, UP would find a way to oppose her, the thinking went.… We recall that Joseph Estrada, when he was in Malacñnang, was also offered such an honor—but Erap, even if he never finished college, wisely declined his honorary UP degree."

Fighting maroons or morons?

"The University of the Philippines has decided to give President Noynoy Aquino a doctor of laws degree, honoris causa. Old hands at Diliman wryly commented that perhaps UP wanted to be first again—or at least to beat Noynoy’s beloved Ateneo to the “honor” of giving the President an award that not even his old school has given him yet.

There was a time when people believed UP was hard-wired to oppose any President simply because it had been doing so for so long. If Mother Teresa had become President, UP would find a way to oppose her, the thinking went.

Well, not anymore, apparently. The premiere university, we’ve been told, is now on full mendicancy mode and will do anything to get more funds from the state—and a doctorate degree does seem a small price to pay for that.

On the other hand, it’s not the first time UP has tried to confer academic awards to Presidents with such callow motives. We recall that Joseph Estrada, when he was in Malacñnang, was also offered such an honor—but Erap, even if he never finished college, wisely declined his honorary UP degree.

The official Diliman UPDate Online site said the award will be given to Aquino “for providing leadership in rallying the people to stamp out corruption, campaigning for institutional reforms and creating an environment for agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to act with dispatch on malfeasance in government, promote the rule of law, and respect people’s constitutional rights.” Law Dean Marvic Leonen, an Aquino booster who has joined the administration, could not have written a better citation." by: Jojo Robles

Filipinos' optimism down by 11 points to 24 percent – SWS

Nearly a year into the new administration, optimism may be starting to diminish among Filipinos, according to a survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations.

But the SWS said its survey, conducted March 4 to 7, showed those who are bullish about their personal lives and the economy still significantly outnumber "defeatists," at least for now.

According to the study, 35 percent of Filipinos believe their lives will improve in the next 12 months, compared to 11 percent who said otherwise.

The results of the SWS survey were published Friday on SWS’ media partner BusinessWorld.

Optimism down -- While the March survey showed a “high" net personal optimism score of +24 (optimistic minus pessimistic), this was 11 points down from November 2010’s “very high" +35 (42 percent optimistic, 7 percent pessimistic).

The respondents’ outlook on how the economy would fare in the year ahead also deteriorated, plunging 26 points to just +4 (27% “will be better" minus 24% “will be worse") from +30 (39 percent minus 8 percent) last November.

Asked about how their lives had changed in the past 12 months, 36 percent said it had worsened and 26 percent said it improved, resulting in a net gainers-losers score of -13, eight points lower than November’s -5.

Net personal optimism dropped -- The SWS said net personal optimism dropped in all areas except in the Visayas, where it rose by three points to a “very high" +33.

It was down by 21 points in Balance Luzon (Luzon minus Metro Manila) to a “fair" +17, 11 points to a still “very high" +30 in Metro Manila, and seven points to a “high" +25 in Mindanao.

Declines were recorded in all socioeconomic classes. The indicator fell by 31 points in class ABC to +21 (“high"), by 15 in class E to +17 (“fair"), and by eight points to +27 (“high") among the class D or masa.

Net economic optimism plunged in all areas and classes. Balance Luzon saw a 34-point drop to -3 while a slightly lower 27-point fall to +14 was recorded in Metro Manila.

The decline was 21 points to +9 in Mindanao and 18 points to +5 in the Visayas.

Class ABC’s economic optimism plummeted 44 points to +3 while the masa’s dove by 27 points to +1. Among the class E, the result was a 21-point tumble to +11.

Net gainers -- Reflecting the latest personal optimism scores, net gainers — the percent of gainers over losers – became less negative in the Visayas (up six points to -8) and remained steady in Metro Manila (-7).

It worsened in Balance Luzon (down 14 points to -19) and Mindanao (an identical 14-point fall to -10).

Net gainers fell to double-digit negatives in all classes, the SWS said. The drop was 26 points to -16 for class ABC, 14 points to -17 in class E and four points to -11 among the class D.

Score standards -- The SWS classifies net personal optimism scores of +30 and above as “very high" and +20 to +29 as “high" since they are greater than what is normally expected or above the category containing the median and the mode (“fair", ranging from +10 to +19).

For net economic optimism and net gainers-losers, the SWS classes the most common answers, the median and the modal, as “low" and “very low."

“Fair" is assigned to the negative category (-9 to zero) as this is above what is normally expected. “Mediocre" applies to the category between “fair" and “low."

In the March survey, the SWS polled 1,200 adults nationwide via face-to-face interviews. Error margins of ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages applied to the survey.

Aquino satisfaction down; hunger, poverty up -- Earlier, the SWS disclosed its survey showed President Benigno Aquino III's satisfaction ratings have taken a dip.

It said that while most Filipinos approve of Aquino, his net satisfaction rating is down 13 points to +51 (69% satisfied minus the 18% dissatisfied) from November’s +64 (74% satisfied, 10% dissatisfied).

According to the SWS survey, nearly half or 48 percent said Aquino's purchase of a Porsche sports car last year was not a good example for the chief executive of a country like the Philippines.

The results reflected a poll by Pulse Asia Feb. 24 to March 6 where Aquino's ratings dropped slightly to 74 percent from 79 percent Oct. 20 to 29.

Also, the SWS disclosed some 20.5 percent of Filipinos or about 4.1 million families are going hungry while more Filipinos are considering themselves poor.

The survey, also conducted March 4 to 7, said some 20.5 percent of Filipino families claimed to have gone hungry at least once in the past three months.

"This was up from the 18.1 percent (an estimated 3.4 million families) recorded in November 2010 when the rate again began climbing from that year’s 15.9 percent low," it said.

Also, the survey found 51 percent, or some 10.4 million families, consider themselves "mahirap" or poor – two points up from November’s 49 percent. e rest of your post here

Batangas leaders told to prepare for Taal

The Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo on Monday told the provincial government of Batangas and local officials of nearby towns to start laying out plans for the possible evacuation and relocation of residents living near Taal Volcano in
Talisay town following the heightened activity of the volcano.

Robredo made the call after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) upgraded the alert level status of the volcano from 1 to 2 after at least 21 volcanic quakes were detected by the seismic network in the past 24 hours.

Phivolcs also upgraded the alert warning over Taal with the interpretation that magma has been intruding toward the surface, as manifested by carbon dioxide being released in the main crater lake.

The agency also declared Daang Kastila Trail and Mount Tabaro areas as strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate.

“What is important is for the local government units to come up with a massive preparation plan to ensure the safety of the public,” Robredo said.

The department secretary said the local disaster risk reduction management council should identify possible relocation sites such as public schools and town plazas where affected residents might temporary seek shelter should an eruption happen.

Robredo further said that the council should also constantly coordinate with the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection who can help them during evacuation and relief efforts.

He also appealed to the public to cooperate with local authorities by staying away from areas that have been declared as off-limits.

By Jefferson Antiporda

Pacquiao returns to Twitter, taps staff to tweet for him

Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has returned to Twitter, using the account “@MannyPacquiao”.

According to Twitter, @MannyPacquiao is a verified account and currently has more than 26,000 followers.

Pacquiao’s latest tweets are mostly updates about his upcoming fight with American boxer “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

Unlike his previous Twitter account, however, Pacquiao said he has designated his staff to “manage” the account instead of posting the tweets himself.

The Filipino boxing champion Pacquiao returned to using the microblogging site after quitting last month expressing disappointment over the criticisms from some of his Twitter followers.

Hurt by critics hitting his use of English, Pacquiao closed his Twitter account “@congMP.”

The boxing champion apparently took the jabs at his grammar personally, answering back at critics by saying that at least he was doing his own tweets instead of paying for someone else to tweet for him.

With his new Twitter account, the boxer invited his fans to follow him as he trains with Freddie Roach for the Mosley fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7.

By Joel Pinaroc

WILLY: Coincidence or Karma

WILLY: Coincidence or Karma

Sakyong Mipham once said that like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it- And Willie Revillame is definitely a victim of very bad karma. Do you remember certain events prior to the Jan Jan Estrada mishap? I’m talking about Mr. Revillame’s irreverent live phone patch with his former best friend, John Estrada.

Revillame was seen talking to John Estrada, live on his show, TV5′s Willing Willie. The egotistical game-show host was heard saying; “Pag nag-Channel 2 ka at nag-noontime show ka dyan, wala kang kaibigan na Willie. Masakit ‘yang gagawin niyo sa’kin dahil inayos ko na, nag-meeting na ko kagabi, tungkol sa noontime show dito [TV5]. ‘Yun lang.” he said. “Hindi na ko pupunta sa kasal mo [John's wedding], maghanap ka na ng ibang best man.”

Less than a month after the John Estrada brouhaha, a younger Jan Jan Estrada entered Willie’s life.

The six-year-old Jan Jan Estrada caught the attention of netizens when he was seen gyrating with tears in his eyes in Willie’s show. Netizens went up in arms and later several sponsors of the highly-rated show suspended their placements in “Willing Willie.” Fellow blogger Paul Farol wrote in his http://pinoybiz.blogspot.com/ :

Just got an e-mail from Sol Liboro, Consumer Relations Manager, Procter & Gamble Distributing Phils. It announces that P & G has suspended advertising on Willing Willie.

We would like to let you know that P&G always strives to advertise on programs that align with our values as a company and with our purpose to touch and improve life. We routinely monitor the media in which our brands' messages appear and make advertising decisions that meet our policies and achieve our goals. As what we have mentioned in our first email, we are taking the Willing Willie case seriously and have been working closely with TV5 on the incident that happened in the said show last March 12, 2011. We would like to inform you that we have suspended advertising on the show beginning April 7, 2011 while the incident is being reviewed and investigated by authorities.

Shane Mosley reaches out to Filipino fans, tweets in Tagalog

Shane Mosley is using a different psyche-war approach in his upcoming fight with Manny Pacquiao. While others would retort to trash talking and the like, the two boxers thus far have been cordial towards each other. Mosley now is even trying to reach to, and maybe win over, Filipino boxing fans by tweeting in Tagalog.

Under the Twitter name @SugarShaneM, Mosley first tweeted, “Hindi ko nais maliitin ng isang mandirigma Filipino ako igalang ang kanilang espiritu,” which could translate to “I don’t belittle the Filipino warrior. I respect his spirit.”

He even sent some love to all Filipinos and tweeted “Pagpapadala ibig at paggalang sa mga tao ng mga Philippines,” (Sending love and respect to the people of the Philippines) and “I tumingin forward sa magandang malinis na laban,” (I’m looking forward to a good clean fight).

Though obviously using Google Translate evidenced by the loose and direct translation of the sentences, Filipinos nonetheless appreciated the effort of Mosley and in fact endeared him to some of them.

Mosley and Pacquiao will meet on May 7, 2011 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas for WBO welterweight championship.

Senator: Manila needs 87 more fire stations

A fire that broke out in Quezon City on Monday morning underscored the Bureau of Fire Protection's (BFP) lack of firefighting equipment and facilities, a senator said.

Senator Edgardo Angara said BFP needs at least 87 more fire stations in Metro Manila to meet international safety standards. Citing BFP data, Angara said Metro Manila has 127 fire stations.

"Right now, it’s up to the local leaders to ensure that their constituents are protected from this kind of hazard," he said, explaining local governments pay the upkeep of fire stations in their area.

At a recent Senate hearing on disaster preparedness, the BFP said it would be helpless if a fire broke out at the Pandacan oil depot in Manila.

BFP Superintendent Joselito Cortez of the Fire Suppression Operation Division said they do not have high-power hoses to deal with a fire at the depot. The fire bureau added it only had 12 chemical hazard suits to protect its firefighters.

Senators Loren Legarda and Juan Miguel Zubiri promised to push for a bigger share of the 2012 national budget for the BFP.

By Jonathan de Santos

CYBERSPACE ruined WILLIE!

“May this serve as a warning to other would-be celebrities yearning to follow in Revillame’s footsteps as well as to their handlers and network bosses… It was via Facebook, Twitter and similar networks that Filipinos with access to the Internet were able to form a consensus… The traditional media actually had to play catch-up as the anti-Revillame movement gathered steam online. It soon became a development that none of the broadsheets, tabloids, radio stations and TV networks could ignore.”

BY: Dan Mariano

I seriously doubt if many—or any—of the critics of Willie Revillame were able to watch live the March 12 episode of his varie-ty show Willing Willie. Outrage over his maltreatment of a 6-year-old boy began to snowball only days later thanks to a video clip that ran for just 10 minutes or so and quickly circulated via YouTube.

The spectacle of the crying Jan Jan who was forced to simulate the lewd body movements of a macho dancer shocked Netizens who got to watch it. Within hours the video clip had gone viral.

Contrary to Revillame’s protestations, I don’t think ABC5’s rivals were responsible for the campaign to have both Willing Willie and its host pulled off the air. I have been monitoring the traffic of critical comments online, primarily through Facebook—although I understand the flurry of anti-Revillame remarks was much thicker on Twitter.

In fact, early on in the controversy the other networks seemed to be distancing themselves from the issue. I have little reason to doubt that the backlash was entirely spontaneous.

In his rant last Friday, Re-villame pinned the blame for his recent predicament on—not unexpectedly—his previous employer. The aim of his monologue was to dismiss this latest controversy around him as nothing more than an extension of his legal battle with ABS-CBN.

Revillame’s attempt to divert the public’s attention away from the Jan Jan episode has obviously had little effect that could be considered favorable to him. Rather than extricate himself from this storm, Revillame only succeeded in proving that he indeed deserves the lashing he is now getting from the typhoon of popular indignation.

Whether or not Willing Willie manages to return on air two weeks from now, the Jan Jan incident has shown the awesome power of social media.

It was via Facebook, Twitter and similar networks that Filipinos with access to the Internet were able to form a consensus. It was in cyberspace where they vented their revulsion over Revillame’s exploitation of a toddler and his pathetic elders, where they first aired their demand to have both the show and its host yanked off the air, where they announced a plan to boycott the products of Willing Willie sponsors and where the advertisers themselves sensed that the anti-Revillame backlash had become a genuine popular movement.

The traditional media actually had to play catch-up as the anti-Revillame movement gathered steam online. It soon became a development that none of the broadsheets, tabloids, radio stations and TV networks could ignore.

In North Africa and the Middle East, social media have become a powerful communication tool capable of sparking social unrest and actually toppling dictatorships. Here, Facebook, Twitter and the other online networks have persuaded some of the biggest corporations into withdrawing commercial support for a TV monster.

May this serve as a warning to other would-be celebrities yearning to follow in Revillame’s footsteps as well as to their handlers and network bosses.

To paraphrase Honest Abe, you may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time—especially if they already have access to the Internet.

Police rescue men and women from Cebu cybersex den

Poverty drove seven victims—four men and three women—to degrade themselves in front of web cameras of two suspected cybersex dens allegedly operated by a Dutch in the first-class northern town of Consolacion raided by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Police filed on Friday before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office human trafficking charges against Dutch national Eric Maurice Fons and his alleged manager, Rauline Villacastin, who reportedly eluded arrest when authorities swooped on the two suspected cybersex dens rescuing the seven victims.

“I was hesitant to do the work. But because of the dire need to earn a living to support my family, I forced myself to do the job,” one of the male victims said in his affidavit.

He claimed he was promised to have a salary of P15,000 every 15 days but was only paid between P1,000 and P2,000 for his “performance” at least thrice a week and about four hours a day. His “job” included exposing his private parts, masturbating and performing sexual intercourse in front of the webcam.

One of the female victims also said she was forced to take on the job because of poverty. All of them were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 15 Judge Samuel Malazarte, Senior Inspector Ricky Naron of CIDG said they raided the apartments rented by Fons in Barangay Poblacion following tips from a concerned citizen about the alleged illegal activities.

Police said two women were caught in the act performing lewd acts in front of a webcam and among the items seized in the raid were five desktop computers with complete accessories, one laptop computer, several sex toys and assorted documents.

By Junex Q. Doronio