Philippine FUCKlitics

Corruption, graft, traditional politicians, mud-slinging, back-stabbing and I can go on for ages but shall I?

So how fukc up is politics in the Philippines?

 

Firstly, our politics is fukc up because among all the 13 presidents that the Philippines has seen, there is only ONE who didn’t win due to CIA machinations, it was Elpidio Quirino. You do not need me to expound this, do you?

 

Secondly, economic plunder (embezzlement of public funds), ambush interviews (surprise interviews), coddling criminals (treating leniently), or mulcting (extorting money from) motorists are just some new English terms which originated from the Philippines.

 

Thirdly, when I was still in college, I saw Kiko Pangilinan fukced up the Filipinos. The senators had to vote and the result was 10-10. Then he said,

 

“Your honour, …..Senator (…….) is out but he will vote for YES so that makes it 10-11.”

Kiko Pangilinan, a senator who was supposed to analyze the bill. Scrutinize it whether if it was passed, would do good to the people abandoned the Filipinos. During that moment, he was not a senator who was supposed to work for the masses. He was working for his boss.

Finally, our politics is fukc up because of Eduardo Ermita’s answer during an interview:

Interviewed at the Senate, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that by numbers alone, the political allies of Malacañang could easily beat the proponents of the impeachment complaint.

“It happens that the allies of Malacanang have the number. They are living up to the alliance (and) that is the essence of having a political alliance,” Ermita told reporters as he welcomed the House decision.

                                                             Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV

 

And Ermita said this during an interview. Don’t you just admire his audacity?

 

 

Back to Pangilinan’s statement, please notice that he had some subtlety then. After some years, Ermita is now here saying the aforementioned statement. A statement which is more blatant and more shameless than Pangilinan’s. The thought that in 2009 or 2010, being dirty will be a common characteristic of a Filipino politician creeps me out. By that time, any Filipino politician can say “How much will I get if I pass this law?”

 

After seeing that incident involving Pangilinan, I stopped watching any sessions involving any politicians. Unless I am depress, thus wanting to see monkeys in suits and tie.

 

I hate my job because it requires me to be aware of current events!!!

 

 

Raymond Manalo

I stumbled on this article at 8:30 a.m. today. This story is scary enough to be a horror novel. And why the heck is this posted under OPINION?

 

Read on and be horrified. If these unscrupulous people can do this to a Bulakeno, I can’t grasp the more unimaginable events happening in far-flung areas of the Philippines.

 

Rebel without a clue
Rage

By Patricia Evangelista
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:06:00 11/23/2008

THIS is the story of one Raymond Manalo, farmer, who disappeared on Feb. 14, 2006 with his older brother from their farm in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Manalo was neither activist nor rebel when he disappeared. He escaped more than two years later. He says there are many, many more like him.

* * *

They put you in a cage four feet by one foot small, the height of an average man. There are hollow blocks to the side and iron grills in front. You sit with three other men, crouched in a line. There is no other way to fit.

Your brother is in the same cell. The door opens, more of them come in. More of them like you—beaten, bruised, helpless. They are put inside the next cell. This time there are two men and a married couple. The woman has burns all over her body. She was raped, they tell you. She was raped and beaten until she soiled herself. They say she has gone mad. They take her away.

This is where you shit, where you piss, where you wash if you still care. You do not feel the wind; you do not see the sun. Your food comes rarely, and what comes is rotten, leftover pig feed. Three men arrive, from Nueva Ecija. They are tortured. One of them has both arms broken. Bleeding.

Sometimes, when the soldiers are drinking, they take you out of your cage and play with you. The game varies, but it is usually the same. Two by fours, chains, an open gardening hose shoved down your nose. You crawl back to your cage, on your hands and knees. You wake up to screaming, to the sound of grown men begging, and you wonder which one it is this time. Sometimes, one of your cellmates will disappear. Sometimes, they don’t come back.

Then they take you away, and there is a doctor, pills, antibiotics, a bed. They tell you they are taking you home to see your parents. You meet the man they call The Butcher, and he tells you to tell your parents not to join the rallies, to stay away from human rights groups, that they would ruin your life and your brother’s. He tells you, this small man in shorts, that if you can only prove you’re on his side now, he would let you and your brother live. He gives you a box of vitamins, and tells you that they are expensive: P35 per pill.

They put a chain around your waist. The military surround your farm. Your mother opens the front door crying, and hugs you. You tell them what you were told to say. You hand them the money Palparan told you to give. Then you are told you must go.

Always, you keep thinking of escape. You make yourself useful, to make them trust you. You cook. You wash cars. You clean. You shop. No task is too menial. And one day, while you sweep the floor, you see a young woman, chained to the foot of a bed. Her name is Sherlyn Cadapan, she tells you, Sports Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, the same Sherlyn who disappeared from Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006. She says she has been raped.

Later, you meet Karen Empeño, also from UP, and Manuel Merino, the farmer who rushed to save the two girls when they were abducted. Karen and Sherlyn are in charge of washing the soldiers’ clothes, you and Manuel and your brother Reynaldo wash the car and carry water and cook.

The five of you are taken from camp to camp. You see the soldiers stealing from villagers. You see them bringing in blindfolded captives. You see them digging graves. You see them burning bodies, pouring gasoline as the fire rose. You see them shoot old men sitting on carabaos and see them push bodies into ravines. And in April 2007, you hear a woman begging, and when you are ordered to fix dinner, you see Sherlyn, lying naked on a chair that had fallen on the floor, both wrists and one tied leg propped up.

You see them hit her with wooden planks, see her electrocuted, beaten, half-drowned. You see them amuse themselves with her body, poke sticks into her vagina, shove a water hose into her nose and mouth. And you see the soldiers wives’ watch. You hear the soldiers forcing Sherlyn to admit who it was with plans to “write a letter.” You hear her admit, after intense torture, that it was Karen’s idea. And you see Karen, dragged out of her cell, tied at the wrists and ankles, stripped of her clothing, then beaten, water-tortured, and burned with cigarettes and raped with pieces of wood. And it is you who are ordered to wash their clothes the next day, and who finds blood in their panties.

And you are there, on the night they take away Manuel Merino, when you hear an old man moaning, a gunshot and the red light of a sudden fire.

* * *

The day Raymond Manalo and his brother Reynaldo escaped was the day he promised himself they would pay, all of them who tortured Karen and Sherlyn, who killed so many, who tortured him and his brother until they begged and pleaded. They were pigs, he says, those men were pigs. If he escaped, they told him, and if they couldn’t find him, they would massacre his family. And if they do not answer to the courts here, they will answer to God.

They can still kill him, he says. But even if they do, it is too late. He’s told his story.

 

Licensure Examination for Teachers, 2008

The long wait is over. Actually, the waiting is not that long. The usual release date of LET passers is in September. PRC has released the 2008 result just this month. I wonder what took the officials so long. Is your alma mater included in the list of Top Performing School? Or worse, your name is not in the list.

A total of 17,816 elementary teachers out of 58,471 examinees and 18,801 secondary teachers out of 53,195 examinees have successfully passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers given by the Board of Professional Teachers in September this year, which was conducted in 24 testing centers all over the Philippines.

The Topnotchers

Elementary level

Rank	Name	School	Rating
1	Elisse Adrianne Hilario Regala	Philippine Normal University-Manila	91.8
2	Rudolf Tamangen Vecaldo	Cagayan State University-Tuguegarao	91.6
3	Melisande Cabacungan Juan	University of the Philippines-Diliman	91
4	John Wilbert Raymundo Aretaño	Polytechnic State College Of Antique	90.4
5	Sheilamarie Cabugon Cachero	Mariano Marcos State University-Laoag-Coll. of Education	90.2
	Iris Culanculan Duhaylongsod	University of the Philippines-Diliman	90.2
6	Roderick De La Cruz Marbella	Philippine Normal University-Lopez	90
7	Dorothy Joann Lei Osog Labrador	Ateneo De Zamboanga	89.8
	Estefanie Salcedo Vargas	Ateneo De Naga	89.8
8	Richelle Alday Steigerwald	University of the Philippines-Diliman	89.4
9	Princes Raymunda Guzman Gatan	National Teacher’s College	89.2
10	Catherine Gimang Capilla	Negros Oriental State University (Cvpc)-Dumaguete	89

Secondary level

Rank	Name	School	Rating
1	Ma. Cleofe Nicolas Tabangin	University of the Philippines-Los Baños	92.2
2	Romina Ann Soon Yap	Ateneo De Manila University-Q.C.	91.8
3	Angela Dimalanta Carreon	University of the Philippines-Diliman	91.6
4	Maria Elena Fermin Ferrer	University of Santo Tomas	91.2
5	Johnny Abellera Esmilla Jr.	University of San Agustin	91
	Lucille Virtudazo Gandionco	University of San Carlos	91
6	Tony Dane Bugarin Quetulio	Ateneo De Manila University-Q.C.	90.4
	Maria Nenita Silang Se	Philippine Normal University-Manila	90.4
7	Ariel Dangcalan Co	University of Santo Tomas	90.2
8	Ryan Oliver Dañganan Bautista	University of the Philippines-Manila	90
	Carl Jestoni Bariquit Dakay	University of San Carlos	90
	Elexor Torres Damasco	University of The Cordilleras (Baguio Coll. Fndtn.)	90
	Audie Dacumos Laudencia	Philippine Normal University-Manila	90
	Felizardo Nicodemus Pulumbarit Jr.	University of the Philippines-Diliman	90
9	Oliver Vallejo Aromin	Mindanao State University-Marawi City	89.8
	Miren Amale Mendezona Jopson	Ateneo De Manila University-Q.C.	89.8
	Rochell Casia Miguel	Philippine Normal University-Manila	89.8
10	Pamela Cristina Parciso Crisostomo-Tumang	University of the Philippines-Manila	89.6
	Israel Cruz Cruz	University of Santo Tomas	89.6
	Von Ryan Gasmeña Pangwi	University of Baguio	89.6

  

The list of Top performing schools (with at least 50.00% passing percentage) in the September 2008 L.E.T. Exam Results released by PRC.

Top Performing Schools in the September 2008 L.E.T. Exam Results are the following:

Elementary level
Category A: With 10-99 examinees

 

Elementary level
Category A: With 10-99 examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	Assumption College – Makati	11	11	100.00%
	Saint Theresa’s College – Cebu	14	14	100.00%
	University of Rizal System – Antipolo	13	13	100.00%
	University of Santo Tomas	41	41	100.00%
	University of The Philippines – Diliman	73	73	100.00%
2	Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology	65	63	97.00%
3	Saint Louis University	54	52	96.00%
	University Of Saint La Salle	28	27	96.00%

 

Category B: With 100 – 299 examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	Xavier University	126	118	94.00%
2	West Visayas State University – La Paz	213	184	86.00%
3	University of Southeastern Philippines – Tagum	123	102	83.00%

Category C: With 300 – 499 examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	Philippine Normal University – Manila	302	267	88.00%
2	Cebu Normal University (Cebu State College)	312	238	76.00%
3	Benguet State University – La Trinidad	301	193	64.00%

Secondary Level

Category A: With 10-99 examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	Ateneo De Manila University – Q.C.	42	42	100.00%
	Miriam College (Maryknoll College Foundation, Inc.)	26	26	100.00%
	University of Asia & The Pacific – Pasig	12	12	100.00%
	University of the Philippines – Baguio City	37	37	100.00%
	University of the Philippines – Manila	21	21	100.00%
	University of the Philippines – Visayas – Tacloban City	11	11	100.00%
2	University of the Philippines – Visayas – Iloilo City	40	39	98.00%
3	Assumption College – Makati	26	25	96.00%
	University of the Philippines – Los Baños	78	75	96.00%

Category B: With 100 – 299 examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	University of the Philippines – Diliman	209	206	99.00%
2	University of Santo Tomas	288	264	92.00%
3	Saint Louis University	208	183	88.00%

Category C: With 300 – 499 examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	West Visayas State University – La Paz	360	242	67.00%
2	Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute Of Technology	330	216	65.00%
3	Bicol University – Legazpi	332	200	60.00%

Category D: With 500 or more examinees

Rank	School	Number Of Examinees	Total No.Passed	% passed
1	Philippines Normal University – Manila	664	587	88.00%
2	Cebu Normal University (Cebu State College)	518	338	65.00%
3	Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Main – Sta. Mesa	577	344	60.00%

Data taken from www.philippinetopschools.com

For the complete list of board passers from A-Z, click this link www.mapiles.com

 

Medical Mission for our fellow Aetas and Abelling

On November 15-16, 2008, the UP Outdoor Recreation Group (UP ORG) will be conducting medical, dental and feeding mission in Tarlac Eco-camp, Lubigan, San Jose, Tarlac. The recipients of this two-day mission are the Aeta of Baag and the Abelling tribe of San Pedro.

 

Please support this mission and help our indigenous brothers and sisters by donating one kind in the food items and one in the medicine items:

 

FOOD LIST:

1) 10 kgs RICE

2) 20 cans of CORNEDBEEF;

3) 20 cans of TUNA;

4) 30 cans of SARDINES;

5) 50 pcs INSTANT NOODLES;

6) 50 pcs PANCIT CANTON; and

7) 15 packs of individually wrapped BISCUITS/ CUPCAKE/BREAD

 

MEDICINE LIST:

 

(For COLDS, COUGH, and FLU)

1) 100 pcs Ambroxol Tab;

2) 100 pcs Bromhexine HCL Tab;

3) 100 pcs CARBOCISTEINE Cap;

4) 100 pcs GUAIFENESIN Cap;

5) 100 pcs PARACETAMOL+ PHENYLEPRINE+CHLORPHENIRAMINE (coldzep);

6) 100 pcs AMOXICILLIN Cap;

7) 100 pcs LAGUNDI Tap;

 

(for hyperacidity/ulcer)

100 pcs ANTACID Tab;

9) 100 pcs RANITIDINE Tab;

10)100 pcs OMEPRAZOLE;

 

(for amoebiasis)

11) 100 pcs METRONIDAZOLE Tab;

 

(bulate/pampurga)

12)100 pcs MEBENDAZOLE Tab;

 

(for diarrhea)

13)100 pcs HYDRITE Tab;

 

(laxative/for constipation)

14)100 pcs BISACODYL Tab;

 

(for ASTHMA)

15) 100 pcs SALBUTAMOL Tab;

16) 100 pcs SALBUTAMOL+GUAIFENESIN Cap;

 

(for UTI)

17)100 pcs CIPROFLOXACIN;

 

(allergies)

18)100 pcs CHLORPHERAMINE Tab;

 

(other antibiotics)

19)100 pcs AMPICILLIN Cap;

20)100 pcs CEFALEXIN Cap;

 

(vitamins)

21) 100 pcs FEROUS SULFATE;

22) 100 pcs MULTIVITAMINS+MINERAL Tab;

 

(pain reliever)

23) 100 pcs MEFENAMIC Cap;

24) 100 pcs PARACETAMOL Tab;

 

You can also donate other medicines which you think are needed for this type of mission. Please drop your donations at Sefali Restaurant in Krus na Ligas, UP Diliman, Quezon City on November 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11 from 8pm to 10:30pm. For further inquiries, pls dont hesitate to contact 0919-8291139 / 0915-6455088 or you may reply to this post.

SALAMAT PO!

Oldies but goodies

These are my super vintage Converse shoes. They are more or less 7 years old. My brother handed them to me after a year. I am the youngest in the family hence the hand-me down tradition is on my shoulders.  If my memory serves me right, they’ve been serving me for 6 years now.

7 years old

 

When will I be washed?

 

My friends and officemates get mortified whenever they see me on these shoes. However, I have met a few foreigners who actually find my Chuck Taylor cool. I am still not planning to wash them. I have this fascination with old, rusty things and History. Once, my sister wanted to wash these antiquated footwear, but I hid them.  

The answer is “No, you will not be washed.”

Instead, I bought a new pair!

Orange anyone?

 

So, how old are yours?

Motorola ROKR E8 Review

             While contemplating what phone model to buy, my dead phone suddenly resurrected itself as if telling me “Hey, I am not dead yet. Don’t buy a new phone. Please don’t discard me.”I gave my Motorola A768 another chance. After a week, faith meddled. I lost my phone. I left it in a cab on my way to work. It gave me a solid three years of satisfying performance. Thankfully, I was able to get my old number back. What pisses me are the comprehensive contacts that went away with my phone. The birthdates, home and email addressess, and IDs. Sure, my scandalous videos and pictures worry me, but I can always make them in just a matter of time, can’t I?

 

        I have always been a Motorola user so it isn’t surprising that I bought a Motorola ROKR E8.  

 

The 3 faces of E8 - camera,phone,music player

 

          This general specifications table is from www.gsmarena.com. There is also a good bunch of comments there. 

Size

Dimensions

115 x 53 x 10.6 mm, 60 cc

Weight

100 g

Display

Type

TFT, 256K colors

Size

320 x 240 pixels, 2.0 inches

- Touch-sensitive keypad - Navigation scroll wheel

Ringtones

Type

Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC

Customization

Download, order now

Vibration

Yes

- 3.5 mm headset jack

Memory

Phonebook

Yes, Photo call

Call records

50 dialed, 50 received, 50 missed calls

Card slot

microSD (TransFlash), buy memory

- 4 GB internal user memory

Data

GPRS

Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 – 48 kbps

HSCSD

No

EDGE

Class 12

3G

No

WLAN

No

Bluetooth

Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared port

No

USB

Yes, v2.0

Features

Messaging

SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging

Browser

WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML

Games

Yes+ downloadable, order now

Colors

Dark Navy, Platinum

Camera

2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, video

- Java MIDP 2.0 - Stereo FM radio - MP3/AAC player - Calculator - Organizer - Built-in handsfree

Battery

Standard battery, Li-Ion 970 mAh (BK60)

Stand-by

Up to 300 h

Talk time

Up to 5 h

 

 

 

            I won’t give a detailed review of ROKR E8. Those features above are all working well. Allow me to defend this music phone from unjust negative reviews by some bashers and websites. Points I will tackle would be helpful to those people considering this phone.

 

              1. Touch-sensitive keypad

              Its morphing keypad is undoubtedly the best cell phone innovation this year. When E8 is in call or text mode, the keypad, at least with my fingers, works perfectly.  Naturally, there was an adjusting period for the first few days (hours in my case).  The virtual keypad is accurate and very responsive. The word – predicting mode is helpful and so does the landscape screen. The haptic feedback gives you the feeling that you are actually pressing conventional keypad. I prefer this over a full touch screen, too. When a friend of mine borrowed my E8 to text, she wondered where the feedback was coming from. Aside from ROKR’s music capability, it is texting that I love the most.

 

            2. Camera

                     I wasn’t really interested in E8’s camera since I have my own digicam already. The camera is poor and has no flash, but good enough to take pictures for your contacts and well-lighted subjects. This is a music phone for music-lovers. Users with interest in pictures will surely be disappointed. The pictures are usable if printed in wallet size. One thing is for sure, I have never and will never try to develop pictures captured by a cell phone.

 

            3. Scroll Wheel

                       It isn’t really a full circle, but a horseshoe shape. A lot of people find this difficult to control.  The trick is YOU DON’T USE IT IN NAVIGATING MENUS AND SUB-MENUS. Use the 4-way navigation key instead. Click the center button to access the main menu. It has 10 features and each of them corresponds to numbers 1 to 10. For instance, if you want to use the calculator, just press number 6 and Office Tools will open up. Press number 9 and Calculator will show itself. So what is the Fast Scroll’s point? I think E8 was equipped with this strictly for navigating your music. Imagine if want to find “Yellow” by Coldplay without the aid of the Wheel, it would take me hundred times of pressing the down button. I have stored more than 180 songs already and going through them with the wheel is such a breeze. All it takes is a little practice.  When I learned how to speed up and slow down, I actually find it addictive.

 

            4. Call

                   Hands-down to Motorola. While other manufacturers are busy in improving camera features of their models, Motorola is doing the same, but in handling calls hence the genesis of Crystal Talk. It automatically and effectively reduces the noise background and adjusts the volume during calls. I never experienced dead signal on the subway. Genius! My personal experience can attest that.

 

            5. Music

                     E8 is a music phone hence the sound quality is superb! There are review websites that tested its music functions against Nokia Music Express and Sony Ericsson Walkman Phones and the results are in favour of the E8! E8’s music player has an equalizer with 11 options, a bass boost, a 3D stereo and a first class built-in speaker. If you turn up the volume to its highest level, there is no tinnying effect. The speaker can be heard in a small room. And if you have a head set better than the supplied one, just plug it into the 3.5 mm universal headset jack situated on top of the phone. ROKR E8 truly rocks!

            6. Built

                   With its elegant look, one can’t help but say “Every new phone looks good.” E8’s construction materials include rubberized aluminum and chrome- plated metal hence cracks and squeaks found in plastic phones are nowhere to  be found in E8.

 

            6. Battery Life

                    E8’s stand-by time lasts up to 3 days. With my day going  by with 3 to 4 hours of listening to music, receiving and replying to calls and text messages, and fiddling of notepad, calendar and task list, E8’s power lasts for 1 and 3/4 days easy. To prolong battery life, brightness and screensaver are customizable.

 

              Conclusion

            Other manufacturers create phones with good music player but terrible call function or vis-à-vis. E8 is a perfect example of a phone capable of playing decent music and making crystal clear calls. That alone make up for its sluggish interface. Another negative thing, there is only 1 skin, and downloadable application and games are rare to find. However, if you are brave enough to try modding it, here is the best site for it http://motohell.com/index.php?board=51.0 . Another wow factor is E8’s morphing into three forms: an MP3 player, a camera, and a cell phone. With E8’s outstanding phone function, handsome design, and tiptop music, I am glad that I purchased it. 

For a comprehensive review, try this site http://smape.com/en/reviews/motorola/Motorola_E8-rev.html

Frilly Silly Messages

 

 

Your eyes aren’t fooling you. There aren’t any optical illusion here. My inbox really has 1884 messages. Not to mention another thousand in the “sent” folder.

I used to be captious. I find fault on just everything too readily.

Since I become a part of employment sector of this country, that negative trait just went away.

No matter how cool I want to be in any situation,  there are still circumstances that make my blood boil. In my case, receiving frilly messages just like this one.

“Nxa n if knuha me ung # u s pwenz me.”

As far as I know, you make some alterations only if:

1. You are in a hurry. I am not being unequivocal here. You are forgiven if you are in a commotion.  

2. You are in a cab or in a place where the situation makes texting  physically challenging.  My phone sports  a touch screen keypad so  I only use text speak whenever I am in a moving vehicle.

3. There isn’t enough space and you still have 3 or 4 more words to tell the receiver. It is called stretching your load.

The sender of the message above was clearly neither in a hurry nor in a difficult situation. She wanted a text mate.

Here is another one.

“Its tym 2 eat lnch n p0h mglnch n poh ikw msama p0h mgpLpAz ng gt0m. Tc oWiz!”

Text speak is understandable for me. A frilly message such as this one is a big NO-NO!

,.ndE scEnd poh Un,xE ilA2gAy qO xA fr!EndztEr un s0ng nA wAnnA bE,,n0od xE mhE ng myx…..nUh ul!t Un Ask m0h.?

Do I have to tell you that I stopped replying to her messages already? Well, I didn;t know what to reply. I couldn’t figure out what her message was.

My phone fell for the 19^th time if my memory serves me right. And it’s busted now. Finding the right cellphone for me is such a big task. There are thousands of mobile phones out there and I can’t just grab one as what other people can easily do. Buying something has always been a daunting task for me. From a bottle of cooking oil to a pair of shoes. So far, I narrowed down my choices to Motorola RAZR2 V9, Motorola Z10, and Motorola E8. Your help will be highly appreciated.

Untold Pinoy Stories # 2

Here is another tsismis or fact I received! You get to be the judges!

They were the best of friends. They were always seen together around the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman: one was undoubtedly a very good-looking guy and the other was unquestionably a plain-looking guy. Opposites really attract. Hey, but they’re both brilliant students. Well, birds of the same feather also flock together. Indeed, they were very close to each other. Unusually close.

They were the perfect tandem. Like suman and ripe mango. Or nuts and bolts. Peg and a hole.

They were both proteges of then UP Student Council chairman Chito Gascon. Soon, the good-looking guy took the helm as UP Student Council chairman. But the best friends seem to follow each other’s path. The plain-looking guy also ran for the same position with the all-out support of his good-looking friend. He won, of course.

The good-looking guy was the crush ng bayan of the iskolars ng bayan.

During lunchtime, students of all persuasions flocked to the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) cafeteria to catch a glimpse of the good- looking guy. Even singer-actress Regine Velasquez later admitted on national television that she had a big crush on the good-looking guy.

But loveless Regine’s daring admission did not earn her even just a movie date invitation from the good-looking guy; instead, the good- looking guy merely flashed a demure smile in response to desperate Regine’s thinly-veiled date invitation.

But after finishing college, the best friends went their separate
ways. (Or so it seemed). The plain-looking guy pursued his law
studies and later taught law courses. The good-looking guy delivered the evening news on TV, hosted a TV quiz show and wrote analytical articles on pop culture. His good looks, intelligence and impeccable manner endeared him to televiewers.

Despite their divergent career choices, the good-looking guy and the plain-looking guy really seemed to follow each other’s path. But this time, their path led to a nice little apartment near the Ateneo de Manila campus. And they shared that nice little apartment. Just the two of them.

Yes, the plain-looking guy and the good-looking guy lived together.

Those gifted with wild imagination got titillated at the mere thought of these two young men sharing a lovely apartment. The moralists out there shook their heads at the mere thought of the goings-on beyond that innocent-looking apartment door amid rows of middle-class houses in Loyola Heights in Quezon City.

But the pair would not budge from their nest. Nor would they yield to any pressure. Not even from the plain-looking guy’s bible-reading siblings who berated him for living with another guy. The plain- looking guy’s own family started to cast doubt about his masculinity.

All telltale signs which have accumulated all those years could no
longer be ignored. People started talking openly about the two guys.

Speculations about the true nature of the pair’s friendship became a daily fodder for gossip mongers. The academic freedom which alma mater UP’s oblation symbolizes seemed to have gone beyond the duo’s lust for knowledge.

In order to prove to his family that he was not what they thought he was, the plain-looking guy suddenly announced that he was getting married. His family jumped with joy.

But the plain-looking guy’s marriage did not dispel wild speculations about his sexuality; instead, it only succeeded in erasing any remaining doubt about his alleged agenda of using his wife to finally succeed in his failed initial crack at pursuing his lifelong dream.

 

And it was well worth his efforts. Because this former loser’s
desperate act finally triumphed. Thanks to his wife.However, the plain-looking guy’s deep friendship with his good-
looking friend took a backseat as a result of the former’s new civil
status. The plain-looking guy did not want to hurt his new wife’s
flourishing career nor spoil his newfound success. That’s why he
played his role as a good family man to the hilt. However, he had not forgotten his good-looking best friend at all. As a token of their undying friendship, the good-looking guy stood as one of the godfathers of the plain-looking guy’s first baby, together with Edu Manzano, Cesar Montano, Cherie Gil, Ciara Sotto, Angeli Valenciano, Fanny Serrano and a host of other household names. Of course, the plain-looking guy’s wife was clueless about her husband’s past.

But the plain-looking guy’s wife had her share of dark past. She is a single mother who parted ways with her good-looking “first husband” after she discovered that her good-looking “first husband” was already married to another woman when she hastily married him after she got pregnant at a young age. This meant that her marriage to her good-looking “first husband” was not legally binding after all. Now, the plain-looking guy was her knight-in-shining- armor who rescued her from the stigma of being an unmarried mother.

Ironically, while her non-binding marriage with her good-
looking “first husband” was solemnized by several high-ranking
priests at the cavernous Manila Cathedral amid countless clicking
cameras and thousands of shrieking admirers several years ago, her supposedly legitimate marriage with the plain-looking guy was
officiated not by a Catholic priest but by a pastor in a cramped
living room, with only few relatives and friends as witnesses.

Later, the good-looking guy reportedly got married also without
fanfare.. They said that his bride was a creative consultant for ABS- CBN Interactive. However, some women still believe and hope that he is still unmarried to this day.

The good-looking guy soon rose to become ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) Director for Current Affairs. He has been circling the globe as host of ANC’s weekly travel show, Executive Class.

Yes, the good-looking guy is David Celdran.

And the plain-looking guy is megastar Sharon Cuneta’s husband,
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan

 

Untold Pinoy Story #1

I got this from the internet. Read and be awed.

Her Mother’s Joy

Her mother has always been proud of her. Mighty proud. And rightly so.

In the spring of 1991, Julia Roberts graced the cover of People
Magazine’s special issue featuring its annual list of The 50 Most
Beautiful People in the World. Together with Julia Roberts in this
ultimate list of the most beautiful people were Brad Pitt, Tom
Cruise, Madonna, Mel Gibson, Whitney Houston, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Isabella Rossellini, supermodels Claudia Schiffer & Naomi Campbell
and oops, a Filipina?

Yes, People Magazine’s 1991 list of The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World included a true-blooded Filipina who was born, raised and educated in the Philippines.

Unlike most beautiful Filipinas who were the products of mixed
marriages and who have therefore acquired foreign physical features, this Filipina was born to a Filipina mother and a Filipino father. It is no wonder that she does not typify a beautiful woman by any standard: She is short, standing only 5′2″. She has a huge and deep acne scar on her forehead. She has that distinct Asian nose (read: flat). She uses only Avon cosmetics (gasp!) and applies makeup by herself. During her pre-Inno Sotto days, her clothes were not made by known couturiers: They were lovingly
sewn at home by her mother who is a dressmaker. She does not even have the right genes to inherit beauty from: Her mother was plain, even stern-looking. Her father was a dark-skinned guy with the tough facial features of a hardened military man..

Although both the first names of her mother and father means happy in two different languages, their union was not as joyous. Her mother and father were never married, making her and her only brother illegitimate children.

In the mistress hierarchy, her mother was not even her father’s
second woman. Her father had a first mistress who ranked above her mother.

She and her brother only belong to their father’s third family. And yes, the gay club performer who once appeared on national television was indeed her half-brother. She couldn’t therefore be faulted for not talking about her father. In contrast, too much has been known about her mother. Her mother was always visible, too visible for comfort.

Her mother gave her the name Carmen and raised her in a province north of Manila. However, when it was time for her to go to school, her overprotective mother brought her and her brother to Manila to give them the best education. Carmen studied in Preciosa Soliven’s Operation Brotherhood Montessori in Greenhills where she emerged as the school’s valedictorian. However, Carmen’s academic rival protested the school’s decision to award Carmen the school’s highest honors, claiming that she had better grades than Carmen. Carmen’s rival even revealed that the school’s owner, Mrs. Soliven, was only fond of Carmen because she always performed in school programs which gave Carmen an edge in extra-curricular activities. But academically, Carmen reportedly did not really rise above her rival.

Lured into show business, Carmen became part of German Moreno’s inane daily afternoon TV show, That’s Entertainment, where she got paired with comedian and now Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista. (Some say that Vice Mayor Bautista was so enamored with Carmen that he later refused to marry his partner despite their having a child.) As one of the countless stars of Kuya Germ’s That’s Entertainment, Carmen’s talent was overshadowed by the ridiculous mass appeal of the triumvirate of Sheryl Cruz, Manilyn Reynes and Tina Paner.

Later, Carmen made a couple of forgettable films which were big flops. Unsuccessful in local show business, Carmen enrolled as a BS Biology student in Ateneo de Manila, hoping to become a doctor. However, the lure of fame and fortune shattered her medical ambition. She followed her other dream and landed in a |Dreamland! Yes, instead of comforting innocent and fresh-smelling babies in a hospital, she ended up entertaining horny, sweaty and foul-smelling drunken men in seedy bars.

When Carmen was a little girl, a local manghuhula predicted that she would be crowned Miss Universe. Her mother, legally known as Miss Imutan, was ecstatic upon hearing this. Sadly, the prophecy did not come true.

However, when Carmen was 18 years old, she bagged a beauty title. But it was farfetched from a Miss Universe crown. Carmen became Miss Saigon.

Yes, the only true-blooded Filipina who was included in People
Magazine’s The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1991 is Feliciano Salonga and Ligaya “Joy” Imutan’s only daughter: Carmen Lea Imutan Salonga.

Most of us know her simply as Lea Salonga

Earth Hour

Global Warming is happening. When these preachers are saying that the end of the world is near,I say YES, it is coming. The world is going to melt in time. Let’s say 30 years from now.  You know why? It is not because some Messiah is going to show up and actualize what is said in the Bible. Apocalypse is happening. Abnormal climate and weather, rising oceans, melting of Arctic ice caps, increasing global temperature and the list goes on and on.

In the Philippines, it is not just Global Warming, it is also about pollution. We have every type of pollution, from noise to water to land. Destruction of tropical rainforest and marine ecosystem is a fact in our country. I can name every environmental problem we have, but it would just ruin my day.

If Global Warming is too big for you to stop, think of your own easy way to help reduce the garbage we produce every year. Be not one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. These are my simple acts that reduce the trash I produce in a year.

1.  I bring old plastic bags when buying grocery items. I often ask the bagger not to use too many plastic for my items. And if it just a small thing like a toothbrush of lip balm, I just put it in my pocket.

2.  I avoid eating at restaurants that use Styrofoam plates and plastic spoons and forks. When I do, I bring them home and re-use them again.  When I put these Styrofoam products in my bag, I just ignore the humiliating looks I get from other customers.

3.  I use scrap paper from the office as memo and note reminder. Yes, those stationeries look cute and smell damn good as well, but it is the content of the memo that matters.  

4.  I use old notebooks.

5.  I give away my old bags, shoes and clothes.

6.  I buy products in big size. A 200 ml shampoo is more economical than 25 pieces of 8 ml shampoo. You are wasting more time, energy and effort every time you go out and buy a sachet.  And it will take the Earth 10 to 15 years to break those 25 sachets down. And don’t forget that you are only one of those hundreds of people buying 25 sachets every month. Do the multiplication and be horrified with the amount of trash we produce by using shampoo alone.

7.  Reduce, re-use, recycle, refuse, and RE-THINK. Before buying something, think if you really need it. I do these simple things to help.  

 

The Earth Hour 

Why not start on the 29^th of March? A global event is happening. It is called “Earth Hour”.  It started as a local campaign to increase the awareness of global warming in Sydney, Australia last year.  This social activism reduced Australia’s energy consumption by more than 10 %.Now, it is a global event. Countries are joining.

On the 29^th of March, 2008, turn off your lights for an hour at 8.00. P.M.

Tell your family, friends, and everyone you know about it.

Blog about it just what The Meliorist did.

Be a part of history! 

So when the “apocalypse” reach us 25 years from now, and the Philippine islands are starting to sink one by one and we are all drowning, I can tell myself that I did my part. Did you? 

For more information visit 

http://www.earthhour.org/about

http://savetheearth-now.blogspot.com/2008/03/lets-join-earth-hour.html