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A Day of Sorrow for Filipinos
No one has stopped China. Death sentence has been meted out today. Three Filipinos, Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain received the most grave penalty after the Supreme People’s Court in China promulgated their punishment. Even the Philippine government failed to save them. It was President Benigno Aquino III himself admitted that they can’t question the final decision. What the administration did was just appeal to China leaders, up to the last minute. Hopes for a miracle, prayers and tears overflowed. But the destiny of the three Filipinos has been written. They are set to die through lethal injection. And they did. At the height of our news coverage…
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Family Survival Planning Checklist
In any situation, worst comes to worst, we could be at least have a little confidence if we knew we already prepared for something unexpected. Start this process by gathering all the members of your family and discuss the following: I. Emergency Escape Exits * Draw a floor plan of your home. * Make sure the children understand the drawing. * Emphasize a meeting place outside your home in case of an emergency: where to meet near your home and where to meet in case of evacuation II. Family Communication * Every disaster would have its own peculiarities and most often your family may not be together when disaster strike.…
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Are We Ready?
What happened to Japan should be an eye opener for every nation. No one can stop or even can predict natural calamities. Although many became helpless too in man-made tragedies. The Philippine Archipelago occupies the western rim of the Pacific Ocean (western segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire), a volcanically active part of the earth that is characterized by an ocean-encircling belt of active volcanoes and earthquake generators (fault lines). Earthquakes occur within the Philippines every so often mainly because the country is situated along two major tectonic plates— the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It experience an average of 887 earthquakes every year, or 2 quakes per…
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Japan Earthquake and Tsunami….What’s Next?
Not being alarmist, but many asked the same question.International tensions and tragedies really tells us something. We need to understand the message now. As of posting, there are about 300 bodies in Japanese City of Sendai, according to police in Miyagi Prefecture. Millions lost their homes after magnitude 8.9 earthquake and about 10 meters high tsunami strike Japan. In the Philippines, Tsunami Alert Level 2 was raised, especially to 19 provinces at the eastern seaboard of the country, facing Pacific Ocean. Forced evacuation of coastal residents were implemented. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology monitored that successive tsunami waves, ranging from 30 to 70 centimeters high, reached the eastern…
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PLDT Failed Me Again and Again and Again
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. is campaigning for a big change. Well, that’s what PLDT shouted on their huge billboard along a busy highway in Pasig City, Philippines. What do they mean by change? Is it for the betterment or for worst? Did PLDT actually examined their own services or policies? I don’t think so. Because ever since, PLDT is a failure. This is the third time I wrote about PLDT’s very disappointing services, especially their broadband. Today, I think I can’t be patient anymore. They gone too far. I called up their customer service center to follow-up my request for rebates. I seek rebates because it was almost two…
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Demoralized Military Alumni?
This weekend, I attended the 112th alumni homecoming of Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City. It was very noticeable that only few cavaliers attended the event compared to previous years. Traditionally, most of the graduates of the academy find time to take leave from their duties just to attend. It was almost a perfect attendance before. But after the controversies about the alleged corruptions in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the issue of "pasalubong" (welcome) and "pabaon" cash gifts and the suicide of former military chief and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, some glow has faded away. In my interviews, some ranking officials of the AFP and Philippine National…
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A Reasonable Death Sentence?
After the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines tried to hide the information, it is now confirmed in public— three Filipinos will be meted out with the death sentence next week for drug trafficking charges in China. President Noynoy Aquino played safe when he said he’s doing all the last-ditch efforts to save the three from death. However, he actually admitted that it will be really hard to convince the Chinese leaders since it involves illegal drugs, a crime which they considered as heinous. I wanted to believe that the Chinese government did a fair trial for the three Filipinos. But why taking lives for that violation? There are…
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More Sufferings for Filipinos
How an ordinary Filipino, especially with a big family could handle this? This is a classic example of a domino effect. 1. Fare hike (taxi, railway transits, and public utility jeep— more?) 2. Water rate increase (beginning next month, consumers of Maynilad and Manila Water will be billed with P2 to P60 increase every month— whew!) 3. Electricity hike (Manila Electric Co.’s generation charge will rose to P4.8623 per kWh in February. This increase means that households consuming about 100 kWh monthly will have to pay P11.84 more this month, while those consuming 200 kWh will have to pay P23.68 more. Households consuming 300 kWh can expect a P35.52-hike in…
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Suicide, An Admission of Guilt?
News about former Secretary Angelo Reyes’ apparent suicide is all over the internet, television networks, radio stations and expected to monopolize the tomorrow’s newspaper headlines. Some people judged him as guilty after apparently committing suicide. Others presumed that maybe Reyes failed to carry on with the political pressures which leads to his decision to end his life. However, we really don’t know why Reyes did such sin. If everybody don’t believe you no matter how you explain or if you and your family were relentlessly being dragged to controversies, what would you do to end it? Of course, Reyes’ death will not vindicate him from the allegations of anomalies. But…
