Potpourri

ColorPalette

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:41:38 GMT

Background: #fff
Foreground: #000
PrimaryPale: #69c
PrimaryLight: #36a
PrimaryMid: #025
PrimaryDark: #012
SecondaryPale: #ffc
SecondaryLight: #fe8
SecondaryMid: #db4
SecondaryDark: #520
TertiaryPale: #eee
TertiaryLight: #ccc
TertiaryMid: #999
TertiaryDark: #666
Error: #f88

How Much of the Philippines Have You Visited?

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:40:37 GMT

My Lakbayan grade is B-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

All you have to do is indicate for each Philippine province whether you

Live or have lived there
Go there often
Been there at least once
Passed through it
Never set foot on it

Then, after you submit your responses, your grade comes up, just like mine.

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"Schoolgirl" Crush

Thu, 31 May 2007 13:35:00 GMT

I haven’t written anything in my blog for over three weeks now. I can’t point my finger on any real cause. It’d be too easy to blame the Philippine election fever. Or the intense summer heat that engulfed the country for the past months. Even my one or two-day travels to Manila over the past weeks. But that would miss the point, so I won’t. Let’s just say that I just didn’t have it in me to update my blog.

Until today.

You see, there’s this guy. [Groan…. I can hear some of you.] Or, shall I say, a boy who has become a guy now. He is 21 and I first got acquainted with him when he was 12. [My God, it’s been that long ago – nine years! My, my, time does fly too fast.] How did that happen? Hmm, it was through this contraption that every Filipino now considers a vital part of him/her. Yes, the cellphone.

We became text pals, thanks to the frantic promotions of the GSM networks that somehow made a lot of Filipinos addicted to the cellphone, spending hours and money to talk with someone they haven’t met and who may have been reinventing themselves over the network.

He was a fun text pal, despite his using his dad’s, or his sister’s, cellphone to text me. We used to chat through GSM well past his bedtime, giggling like two boys. [Can you imagine me giggling, at my age nine years ago? I can't too; the thought sends shivers through my body.]

Somehow, the texting turned to phone calls. I just felt I needed to hear his voice, to hear his replies real-time. It was costly, as I had to call long-distance to talk with him for 15 minutes, half an hour, even an hour on rare occasions. It was all worth it (I think), as I enjoyed every second conversing with it. Gee, he liked Daniel Radcliffe’s eyes then! [My God, it just occurred to me that he is Harry Potter’s age, real-time! Wow, talk about transference.]

And then along comes the denouement. He was to finish high school and was going to college in a city near his hometown, still far from where I was. At that time, he still didn’t have his own cellphone, so we thought we’d get in touch through email. Never happened though. He wasn’t much of an email writer; neither am I. And I guess we had much better things to do than read and write email.

Simply put, we lost touch.

Until today.

I don’t know what happened, but I suddenly had the urge to explore one of the many networking sites (Friendster, MySpace, etc.). I’ve had an account there for as long as I could remember, but I’ve never really made use of it. But suddenly, I just felt like updating it. Now I am in a daze recalling what I did until I chanced across the profile of a guy who, while not using his real name, sounded just like my high school boy nine years ago. [Mind you, we never became boy friends way back then. It’s not in my character to get an under-aged boy for a boyfriend, even if it were only in name. I couldn’t ever imagine how it is to have a 12- or 13- or 14-, or 15- or even a 16-year-old boyfriend, for that matter.]

As I read his page further, particularly in the comments section, where your real-life friends usually shatter your self-reinvention, my suspicion was confirmed. He was my text pal nine years ago!

The photos he posted of himself showed the resemblance to the picture he gave me when he was still in high school. More importantly, the name his real-life friends called him by in their comments on his profile was the name I knew him by.

My heart must have skipped a dozen beats when I clicked that all-too-tempting “private message” link. Just a simple Hello-This-is-me-Still-remember-me message When that was over and done with, my nerves relaxed, ready to face the consequence.

Then, the good news arrived. He sent a reply: Yep-I-remember-you-How-are-you. Simple. Carefree. Neutral. And, like the Filipinos that we are, we ended getting each other’s mobile numbers. A flurry of text messages took place after that.

One big question he asked me: Do you have a boyfriend now? To which I simply answered: I’m a free spirit now. [I was tempted to throw the same question back to him, but I dreaded one of his two possible answers; so I refrained from doing that. At my age, I still can’t take that? Hmm, I’m beginning to act like a schoolgirl. And I’m not even senile yet!]

What has come over me? A guy I haven’t met, and I’m having this mushy feeling for him. A guy I’m not sure the sexual orientation of, and I’m entertaining a physical longing for him. His description of himself must really be true: He is a dickhead, and I'd be glad if he were my dickhead.

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What Song Are You Listening To?

Thu, 31 May 2007 13:29:00 GMT

From Clif's newsletter, I was brought to a site that is beginning a social music revolution. It records the music you listen to, and then presents you with an array of interesting things based upon your tastes — artists you might like, users with similar taste, personalized radio streams, charts, and much more. This is Last.fm.

Once you decide to join, you're asked to download its application. (It's a 3.04 MB download that is compatible with Windows 98 / ME / 2000 / XP.) I thought the download would be another one of those applications that want to run at startup. Surprisingly, it doesn't! It simply runs whenever you open a music player that it supports, which can be any of the following:

foobar2000 0.9
iTunes
Winamp
Windows Media Player

When you listen to your music with your computer's music player or your iPod, Last.fm will scrobble your playlists. This means that every song you listen to with Last.fm will become part of your music profile.

Last.fm depends on your music profile. Once you've started scrobbling, you can:

Create personal music charts automatically
Find your musical soulmates
Discover and explore new music
Generate your own personal radio station
See what your friends are listening to

You are given a page which lists all the bands and songs you've scrobbled, so next time somebody asks you about your favorite music you can send them straight to your Last.fm profile. You can even show your musical insights on your MySpace, LiveJournal, Facebook, or blog with a variety of music charts generated automatically for you.

Here's my music chart, showing the last ten tracks I have been listening to:

And there are free legal mp3 downloads! Over 100,000 tracks are available for free download. You will just have to hunt for the free downloads, but Last.fm says they're working on a clever way to list all relevant free downloads based on users' profiles.

I'm enjoying the services of Last.fm!!! Now, I can't help but listen to my music all the time!!!

Why not join me there?

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Heaven or Hell?

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:30:00 GMT

While walking down the street one day a Philippine senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the man.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders. "I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him says, "Yesterday we were campaigning ...... Today, you voted."

Filipinos: THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE!

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Beatriz Is Safe! And Unlucky!

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:47:00 GMT

Maria Beatriz Saw from Muntinlupa was saved from eviction from the Pinoy Big Brother house tonight. Instead, Ma. Jasmin Engracia from Davao City was evicted.

But, as luck would have it, Bea answered the seventh and last call from Big Brother!

Remember that a large red phone was brought inside the Big Brother house last Saturday after the nomination show and would remain there for the whole week. It would ring seven times randomly during the duration of its stay inside the house, and will not stop unless a housemate answers it. Each call will have a good or a bad consequence for the recipient of the call. Here's a rundown of what happened:

1st call: Zeke had to stay under the sun and not take a bath for two days.
2nd call: Mickey got a haircut, a facial and a bonus foot massage (from Nel, who was instructed by Big Brother to use his feet to massage Mickey!)
3rd call: Bodie was granted his wish for "lots of pizza".
4th call: Dionne got a 60-second shopping spree worth PHP 5,000 for which she was only able to spend PHP 2,844.50 for lack of time.
5th call: Nel struck dirt when he became a pet dog for a day.
6th call: Wendy got the power to change a nominee in Sunday's nominations.
7th call: Bea receives an automatic nomination (right after being saved from eviction!)

Tsk, tsk. Tough luck, girl.

Someone in the Pinoy Big Brother forum suggested that Bea could still be saved by Wendy come Sunday night, though if Wendy is nominated herself, Wendy would, by all probabilities, save herself. I guess Bea'll just have to live through another nerve-wracking eviction week (and her supporters have to keep voting for her to survive).

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^{Video shared by kaizz.}

Goodbye, Stephanie Edwards

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:13:00 GMT

Stephanie Edwards is the second American Idol finalist to leave the competition.

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Go Melinda!

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:49:00 GMT

She's a background singer and a good one at that! Yet, she doesn't think so. You can see that from Melinda Doolittle's facial expression after she sings a well-applauded song in American Idol. You can see that she can't believe the raves she gets from judges Randy, Paula and Simon. But she's really good!

Tonight, she sang As Long As He Needs Me and it was another moving performance, strengthening my contention that she deserves to be in the season finale. That, despite the show's theme (songs of the 60s) which she claims is out of her comfort zone and despite her saying "as long as she needs me" at the start of the song.

And the judges gave her nothing but praises! Watch her facial expressions in this video:

The other Top 11 contestants sang these songs during the British Invasion show of American Idol:

Haley Scarnato - Tell Him
Chris Richardson - Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
Stephanie Edwards - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
Blake Lewis - Time of the Season
LaKisha Jones - Diamonds Are Forever
Phil Stacey - Tobacco Road
Jordin Sparks - I Who Have Nothing
Sanjaya Malakar - You Really Got Me
Gina Glocksen - Paint It Black
Chris Sligh - She's Not There

I think of the 11, in danger of landing in the bottom three are Stephanie Edwards, Phil Stacey and Gina Glocksen.

And Melinda Doolittle will sing another song next week! Definitely!

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PBB Season 2 First Nominees

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 16:06:00 GMT

After three weeks of stay in the Pinoy Big Brother house, four housemates in Season 2 are in danger of being evicted next Saturday, 24 March 2007.

The first one is Fil-Persian Kian, who was automatically nominated through a game of cards that Big Brother asked him and five other housemates with violations to play.

Watch the announcement of the second nominee in this video of the show:

The third and fourth nominees are: Diskarte Queen Jasmin from Davao and sassy girl Bea of Bicol.

Of the three housemates nominated by the housemates themselves for eviction, Jasmin got 12 votes while both sosy Assumptionista Gee-Ann (she with Pamela the doll) and Bea had five votes each. My province mate, Nel, did not get any nomination vote at all!

One of these four - Kian, Gee-Ann, Jasmin, Bea - will exit the Pinoy Big Brother house next Saturday. If you want to save them, text PBB [SPACE] [NAME OF HOUSEMATE] and send to 2331 for Globe, Touch Mobile and Sun Cellular subscribers, or 231 for Smart, Talk n’ Text and Addict Mobile. Vote cards may also be purchased and you can also vote online. The choice is yours.

As for me, I want Jasmin out.

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The Next American Idol: Melinda Doolittle or LaKisha Jones?

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:36:00 GMT

The top 12 of American Idol Season 6 began their final competition and, to my pleasant surprise, they sang songs popularized by no less than Diana Ross!

It was like reminiscing the 60s; hearing these songs being sang:

Brandon Rogers - You Can't Hurry Love
Melinda Doolittle - Home
Chris Sligh - Endless Love
Gina Glocksen - Love Child
Sanjaya Malakar - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Haley Scarnato - Missing You
Phil Stacey - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
LaKisha Jones - God Bless the Child
Blake Lewis - You Keep Me Hangin' On
Stephanie Edwards - Love Hangover
Chris Richardson - The Boss
Jordin Sparks - If We Hold On Together

And at this point of the competition, I am rooting for two finalists: Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones. I think they're the better singers among the final 12. Good thing that Americans listen to the show's judges and that the results reflect the reviews of the judges. At least, I can safely predict that I'd see these two girls in the finals.

As for the bottom two, I'm picking Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, who both murdered two of my favorite Diana Ross songs. I'd be glad to see either of them go home tomorrow.

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^{Sanjaya Malakar, Phil Stacey and Brandon Rogers were actually the bottom three, with Brandon Rogers leaving the competition for having garnered the lowest number of text and phone votes.}

Seeking help for ANG LADLAD's accreditation as a party-list group

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 23:33:00 GMT

Email from Doni Santos of Ang Ladlad

Hullo, everyone. Please call and send letters to COMELEC. COMELEC has insulted Ang Ladlad and the Filipino LGBT community by denying accreditation and calling Danton Remoto as a nuisance candidate. Let us show these bigots that we are not to be taken lightly.

A couple of days ago, Commissioner Abalos said that no one will campaign for Ang Ladlad because its members are in the closet. He impled that LGBTs are all too embarrassed to campaign during the day because we are in the closet. We might, according to him, more probably campaign when it is already dark.

The LGBT cause is not a joke. Ang Ladlad cannot be taken lightly. Write to COMELEC. Do not take this sitting down.

Many thanks for Manolo Quezon for getting these numbers and contact details.

Call Commissioner Florentino Tuason at 527-3225. Also, call the Comelec hotline numbers at 525-9295, 525-9294, 525-9302, 525-9334, 525-9335 and 525-9345.

If you're outside Metro Manila, call your regional Comelec office:
National Capital Region: 527-9624 or 527-0846
Cordillera Administrative Region: (074) 304-2444
Region 1 (072) 888-3145
Region 3: (045) 961-5015
Region 4: (02) 527-0835
Region 5: (052) 245-5147, (052) 480-4812, (052) 245-5807
Region 6: (033) 337-4124, (033) 338-1450
Region 7: (032) 416-9773, (032) 416-9774
Region 8: (053) 321-2045
Region 9: (062) 992-0519, (062) 991-2653
Region 10: (088) 350-3512, (088) 858-6269
Region 11: (082) 297-7221, (082) 297-3847
Region 12: (064) 390-2469
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: (062) 991-4011
Caraga: (088) 342-4976
If you're overseas, call your nearest embassy or consulate.
Fax a note to the Comelec at 525-9301.

Email to chairman@comelec.gov.ph or comm_tuason@comelec.gov.ph

Write to Commissioners Tuason, Sarmiento, and Ferrer at this address: 8/F Palacio del Gobernador, Commission on Elections, Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila 1002

Leave a comment online in the Comelec's blogs: inside the Comelec, James Jimenez, and Overseas Absentee Internet Voting

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My Sentiments Exactly

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 16:26:00 GMT

Dear Fellow Filipino,

Good day to all of you! Before I begin my letter... just a disclaimer, for people who know me they know that I love the Philippines very much and I am not really one who rants and complaints to high heavens about what is happening to our country and does nothing about it, in fact, I feel that at my relatively young age of 27, I have done much service to the Philippines by setting up Pathways to Higher Education which has sent more than 500 poor but deserving students to college and AHON Foundation which has already built two public elementary school libraries that have benefited more than 3,500 students. Yet, after seeing how events in our nation have transpired the past few weeks and talking with some friends, I feel the urge to share with you my own thoughts and feelings.

Over the weekend, we saw the completion of two major political alliances for this coming Senate Elections that has just began here in the Philippines. Now we have two political forces with familiar faces nonetheless on opposite sides of the fences. On one end, you have Tito Sotto and Tessie Aquino-Oreta who were two major stalwarts of the opposition and the FPJ Campaign in 2004 hobnobbing with the woman (Pres. GMA) whom they claimed to have cheated FPJ in the last presidential elections. On the other side of the fence, you see Manny Villar, the former house speaker who was actually responsible for impeaching Erap now part of the United Opposition who is led by no less than... Erap himself. Now if you don't see anything wrong with this picture then you must be one of the many Filipinos who have accepted this very sad reality that there is indeed no permanent ideals that our government leaders stand up for but rather they just go where there self-interests can best be served. It is this kind of politics why I no longer wonder why good people like Ramon Magsaysay awardee Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City or outstanding Bulacan Governor Josie Dela Cruz will find it hard or worse, never be, elected to national positions.

It is with these in mind that I'd like to share with you what are events this coming May elections that will make me consider leaving the Philippines:

If former COMELEC Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano of Hello Garci fame wins in his bid to become Congressman of Bukidnon...seeking to replace a good man no less in incumbent Cong. Neric Acosta... We would really be the laughing stock of the whole world if we allow a man with the reputation of Garci to be one of our so called "Honorable Gentlemen".
If Dancing Queen Tessie Aquino Oreta reclaims her seat at the Senate... I hope that all of us would still remember that dance that she did during the 2001 impeachment hearings after they voted to overrule the decision of then Chief Justice Davide... let us make sure that people like her never make it to the Senate again.
If Richard Gomez becomes a senator... what does he know about making laws? We already have the likes of Bong Revilla and Lito Lapid in the Senate and their performance or lack of it would be reason enough not to elect another actor who has no prior experience in government to the distinguished halls of the Senate.
If Gringo Honasan wins again.... have we not learned our lesson? I cannot believe that just because someone is charismatic then we will just elect him to become one of our senators despite the fact that he has time and again caused so much instability in our country... if we want a military junta similar to that of Thailand... then lets all vote for this guy....
If Manny Pacquiao becomes Congressman of General Santos City... everybody loves Manny the Boxing Champ but Manny the Lawmaker? Let's be realistic here, Manny is our Hero alright but I think it takes more than just great boxing skills and a desire to serve to be able to make appropriate laws that would help uplift the lives of the many Filipinos who live in Poverty.
If Lito Lapid wins for Mayor of Makati City... I don't like Jojo Binay as well but Lito Lapid as city mayor of the country's finance and business center?!?! And do you really think he is from Makati and has good plans for the city? The Arroyos asking someone like him to run just goes to show you how much love and concern this government has for our country.
If Chavit Singson becomes a Senator, Illegal Gambling = Chavit... enough said.

Now if all of these seven things happen during the coming elections then don't be surprised if I decide to leave this country that I love dearly. Like I said during the first part of my letter, I feel that I have done much for this country but I think it's time that Filipinos become more vigilant and critical in selecting our leaders for the sake of our future and the generations that will go beyond us. So I appeal to every Filipino who asks what can I actually do for my country... Choose and vote for the right people this coming election. Huwag na tayong magpaloko sa mga kandidatong maganda lang ang jingle o gwapo lang sa mga poster. Let us choose leaders who have a good track record for service and who are genuinely committed towards serving our country.

Manindigan naman tayong lahat para sa ating Kinabukasan at para sa Kapakanan ng ating Bayan!

Thank you very much for your time in reading this letter.

Sincerely,

Harvey S. Keh

Hear, hear!

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The Senatorial Candidates

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 07:53:00 GMT

The Philippine voter's education site has put up the list of the 80 senatorial aspirants for 12 seats in the Philippine Senate. Good, but not enough. The only information posted there are their names, party affiliation, and the order in which they filed their certificates of candidacy!

These really don't give any useful information that would help voters discern the platforms of these aspirants and how they stand on national issues of interest.

Given these information, one has nothing to guide him/her in choosing who to vote for. And I thought this site was supposed to help Filipino voters in making the right choices. As the site's description goes:

The new voter may be someone who is exercising his right of suffrage for the first time, or he may be a voter who is determined to reclaim the power of his vote. This site is dedicated to both kinds of new voters and is intended to help them in the exercise of their right to decide who will make decisions on the issues that affect us all everyday.

So, what can one make out of these data?

NOTHING.

Unless you're a fanatic of any political party, where you'd vote for its candidates no matter who these are.

Unless you're bullish about celebrities, and you'll pick out any actor/actress on the list, equating their movie roles with their actual competence.

Unless you're a sucker for people who manage to land themselves in the front pages of daily newspapers as a result of some grievance they aired to media people or being associated with a dead person, hoping that such circumstances would have anointed these persons with enough capability to act as lawmakers.

No wonder our country is in such a mess these days! We don't make informed choices. The agencies that are supposed to inform us, can only manage to give us useless pieces of information, if at all.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

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Let the Circus Begin!

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 04:30:00 GMT

It's that time in the Philippines.

The time when supposedly formal and respectable people dance on stages across the country, even if they have two left feet.

The time when people who want to be called "Honorable" sing out-of-tune songs just to regale the audience to stay up and listen to their monotonous voices drone on and on and on, with nary any substance at all.

The time when people who normally do not leave their air-conditioned luxury cars would walk from house to house, shaking hands with the residents, feigning interest on their needs, but conveniently forgetting what was articulated to them the minute they turned their backs to go to the next house.

Yes, folks! It's the election season in the Philippines!

Up for grabs on the second Monday of May 2007 are

12 seats in the Senate
All seats in the House of Representatives, of which 20% shall be from party-list groups
All elective provincial, city and municipal positions.

With the closing of the period for the filing of certificates of candidacy for senatorial seats last 12 February 2007, news items reveal that 80 persons are seeking election to the Senate. It really is just too bad that the list of the candidates is not published by the Commission on Elections, either in its official website, its blog or in a purportedly voter's education site. No wonder Filipinos haven't ever learned to be wise voters; they're never presented all their options!

Oh, the candidates just love that!

No wonder major political parties pick candidates whose names are easily remembered.

No wonder movie stars, sports celebrities, and anyone who manages to land his/her name in the front pages of national dailies suddenly become interested in serving the people.

No wonder popular commercial songs are transfigured to campaign ditties favoring particular candidates.

No wonder political figures sacrifice their principles and jump from one political party to another, especially if the other political party has more money, better organization, and an well-oiled machinery.

No wonder that the eventual winners do everything they can to recoup the money they spent to win an elective position that pays less than the cost to win it.

So, from now on until the 14^th of May 2007, Filipinos will be ~~regaled~~ pestered by these candidates. Then, on Election Day, Filipinos will dutifully troop to the voting precincts to cast their votes for these candidates whose interests, sad to say, are only for the candidates' own good. Worse, their votes may not even be counted!

Oh, when will we ever learn?

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CNN.com: Manila Hints at Ransom Approval

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 01:35:00 GMT

CNN.com reports this breaking news item:

The Philippine government strongly hinted Friday it would approve the payment of ransoms to win the freedom of 26 Filipino hostages missing or kidnapped in Nigeria.

"Whatever it takes ... we will go along with it," Esteban Conejos, undersecretary for migrant workers' affairs, told reporters in Manila Friday. He stressed the negotiations were being handled by Nigeria, and "we have never had any reason not to trust the Nigerian government."

CNN this past week aired video of 24 Filipino seamen who were abducted from the German-owned freighter Baco Liner II on January 20. The video showed dozens of militants, dressed in black and wearing black ski masks, dancing around the hostages and firing automatic weapons into the air. The story has been running prominently on Philippine media.

Conejos said he was in personal contact with the families of all 24 men, although they naturally would be alarmed by the CNN video. The families are deeply anxious, he said, but also "hopeful and prayerful."

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has claimed responsibility for the mass abduction. The militia is seeking more returns for impoverished villagers from the vast oil wealth of the Delta region. Increasingly, brazen rebel attacks have disrupted oil production to the tune of billions of dollars over the past year.

Since late 2005, MEND militants have carried out numerous attacks on Nigeria's oil sector and abducted dozens of foreign workers. Nearly all of them have been released unharmed.

In addition to the 24 captured seamen, a Filipino engineer and the Filipino wife of an Iranian construction executive were abducted in separate incidents last week.

Jane Gregorio, the sister of the abducted woman, Josie Beth Foroozan, 37, told CNN Foroozan managed to alert her husband in a cell phone call before being cut off. The husband was later contacted on the same number by a man who claimed Foroozan had drowned after jumping from a boat in an escape attempt, Gregorio said. There has been no independent confirmation of that account.

Conejos said Philippine authorities believe Foroozan was kidnapped by a criminal group separate from the Delta rebels. Two citizens of Italy and citizens of Lebanon, the United States and France are also currently believed held by Niger Delta gangs.

Hmmm.... This wouldn't be the first time that the Philippine Government has been willing to pay ransom, I suppose. And, if this happens, it won't be the last.

Tsk, tsk...

(The 24 Filipino seamen were reported to have been released “on humanitarian grounds” without receiving any ransom, following the intervention of local elders and authorities. Tell that to the Marines!)

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Ay Te, Ilonggo Ka Guid Eh!

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:14:00 GMT

There's this email that's making the rounds of inboxes of Ilonggos lately. I don't know if this is a new one or something that has long been circulating in cyberspace.

Just the same, I find it hilarious (not to mention, accurate) that I feel I must share it with you.

You know you're a true blue Ilonggo if...
Your one peso is pisos.
You take a bath using a tabo which you call Caltex.
Your bathroom has at least one lugod (some have one for every family member).
Your nanay used to make you drink Mirinda or Royal Tru Orange when you had a fever, which is supposed to make you feel better.
Sinamak is a staple in your dining table (the best Ilonggo invention if you ask me; was even banned from airplanes long before 911).
Your toyo is patis and your patis is toyo.
You use atsuete for your adobo and pinamalhan (pinaksiw).
Your daily meal will likely include laswa, kbl (kadyos, baboy, langka), ginat-an nga tambo with tugabang and okra, ginat-an nga munggo, linutik, apan-apan, etc.
November 1^st means eating ibus, suman, suman-latik, kalamay-hati, bayi-bayi, valenciana or other native delicacies with glutinous rice and coconut milk.
You call those you love palangga, pangga, langga or ga.
You call your siblings or cousins Inday, Nonoy or Toto... (the househelp may call you the same).
You call those who are older than you Manang or Manong.
You catch the attention of sales attendants by calling them Day or To.
Your childhood games include tumba patis, taksi, panagu-ay, balay-balay, ins, tin-tin baka, sikyu, etc.
You used to be (or still are) scared to go out at night lest you meet the aswang, tik-tik, tayhu, kapre, kama-kama, morto, etc.
You used to listen (or still listen) to Sin-o Ang May Sala, Lain Siya Sa Iban, and Toyang Ermitanya.
Your grandparents read Yuhum magazine (I actually read Hiligaynon!)
You call a person, thing, place and event kwan when you forget it (si kwan, ang kwan, sa kwan).
You used to sleep in an aboy-aboy made of patadyong when you were a baby (probably applies only to us below the poverty line).
You understand that the "Particulars Keep Out" sign means outsiders keep out (believe me, this sign may look and sound English but only us Ilonggos use it).
You use words such as ahay (expression of pity, grief, empathy), yuga (expression of disbelief, surprise), ambot ah (to say you don't know, expression of impatience).
You often start your sentence with ti.
You say goodbye by saying halong.

Te, Ilonggo ka guid man?

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What Is Love?

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:05:00 GMT

One can find a lot of definitions for the word love. Notable among these are:

A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
Sexual passion; sexual intercourse; a love affair.
An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.

But what really is love?

Is it love when, after he ditches you for no apparent reason, you still forgive him when he comes back to you?

Is it love when he always has a ready excuse not to go with you when you ask him out for a date but, when he asks you for a date, you drop all your previous appointments just to be with him?

Is it love when you always make the first move after a fight?

Or is this stupidity?

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And The Winners Are...

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 20:18:00 GMT

Award	Kasadyahan	Ati-Atihan
Special Awards
Best Costume	na	Aninipay
Best Headdress	na	Molave
Best in Discipline	na	Atub-Atub
Best in Street Dancing	Tinuom	Paghidaet
Minor Awards
Best in Costume	Mandurriaonon	Ilonganon
Best in Music	Kahilwayan	Paghidaet
Best in Choreography	Kahilwayan	Paghidaet
Best Choreographer	Kahilwayan	Paghidaet
Best in Performance	Kahilwayan	Ilonganon
Major Awards
4th Runner-up	Saad	Atub-Atub
3rd Runner-up	Mandurriaonon	Silak
2nd Runner-up	Tultugan	Ang Taga Jaro
1st Runner-up	Tinuom	Paghidaet
Champion	Kahilwayan	Ilonganon

Hmmm.... I wasn't that far off.

Right there during the awarding ceremony, the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. was handed an invitation to the Aliwan Dance Festival on 26-28 April 2007 at the CCP Complex, where a grand prize of one million pesos will be up for grabs.

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Hala Bira!

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 08:49:00 GMT

Take 48 dancing warriors, all in black body paint. Dress them up with colorful costumes, skimpy bikinis and headgears. Arm them with spears and shields. Add 30 drummers, also in black body paint. Multiply this group by 20. What do you get?

Carnival fever! That's the 2007 Dinagyang Ati-Ati Competition, the highlight of the best tourism event in the Philippines!

The 20 competing tribes for this year's competition are:

Tribu Silak
Tribu Ilonganon
Tribu San Pedro
Ohh.... Those gyrations... What was that? A striptease?
Tribu Himala
Tribu Pari-anon
Tribu Hamili
Tribu Pana-ad
Tribu Paghidaet
Dang! What did Cable Star eject that blanked the screen?!?
Tribu Molave
Tribu Familia Sagrada
Tribu Angola
Tribu Halimau
Tribu Bantu
Did you see the darling of the crowd? Shows that weight doesn't matter, huh?
Tribu Atub-Atub
Tribu Kalubihan
Tribu Aninipay
Tribu “Ang Taga Jaro”
The sight of those boys in very skimpy loin covering must have gotten to the cameraman that he had to focus on someone's butt!!
Tribu Dagyaw-Ta
Tribu Baryohanon
Tribu Pag-asa

I'm really grateful that Cable Star (Iloilo) has this live coverage of the annual festivities in Iloilo City. Yet, I was dismayed that no less than its vice-president was overzealous in giving national politicians precious airtime in-between the competing tribes' performances, thus causing us viewers to miss the entrance of at least three tribes and hearing the voices of these politicians over the performances of at least two tribes.

To think that the day before, the same person interviewed the chair of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. who said that they have refused to invite national politicians to the festivities particularly this year, an election year.

The only time I tune in full-time to Cable Star's community channel is during the Dinagyang Festival, as doubtless many other subscribers. The only time we could forget about this damn political business in the Philippines, what do we get but nonsensical motherhood statements from these politicians who have brought us nothing but woes! Worse, everyone knows that Senator Manuel Villar, Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (he was already interviewed yesterday, for heaven's sake!) and Secretary Michael Defensor are all gunning for Senate seats in May! Are their thoughts more important today than the performances?

That concern out of my chest, I'm glad that the level of energy of the competing tribes has skyrocketed upwards. I'm particularly putting my money on Tribu Paghidaet though I think Tribu Atub-Atub will give it a run for its money. The last five performing tribes at the Freedom Grandstand, especially Tribu Ang Taga Jaro, also put in superb performances that I'm glad I'm not one of the jurors in this year's festivities (though I have sat as a judge in three Dinagyang Festivals in the past).

And what's this about the judges encoding their own scores after the competition? I hope the judges would encode the scores they wrote down during the competition and not change some of the figures while encoding these. For everyone knows that people's memories are always not very photographic.

Anyway, the winners of both the Kasadyahan and the Ati-Ati competitions will be announced at six this evening. Cable Star will be covering it live again and I'll be watching its community channel for that. I hope I don't see the shadows of any national politician on tv tonight.

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^{NOTE: The original mpeg clips recorded from the live telecast of Cable Star (Iloilo) over its community channel are too large (>200MB each) for YouTube. So, I converted them to DivX files and uploaded them to Stage6. However, you'll need a DivX player to view these clips.}

2007 Dinagyang Kasadyahan Notes

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 16:32:00 GMT

Iloilo City's central business district streets have been overlaid with asphalt. The area in front of the Freedom Grandstand has been painted yellow. The judging and viewing stages have been constructed (to the chagrin and inconvenience of the commuting public for the past five days).

Dinagyang 2007 is finally here! Let the show begin!!!

Saturday's highlight is the Kasadyahan contest, which, as I said earlier, is a historical cultural dance competition performed in five judging areas in the central business district of Iloilo City through a carousel-type order. According to the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc., the performance/dance entry must depict Filipino culture and tradition, specifically the culture of the Western Visayas region. In addition, such presentation should be distinct to a festival of a locality.

This year's Kasadyahan competing groups (with DivX clips of their performances at the Iloilo City Freedom Grandstand) are:

Tribu Pasidungog of San Miguel, Iloilo
Giving honor to San Miguel
Watch the performance
Tribu Saad of Leganes, Iloilo
Promising undying devotion to San Vicente Ferrer
Watch the performance
Tribu Saludan of Tigbauan, Iloilo
Showcasing fishing practices in Tigbauan, Iloilo
Watch the performance
Tribu Mandurriaonon of Mandurriao National High School
Reenacting the barter of Panay
Watch the performance
Tribu Tinuom of Cabatuan, Iloilo
Celebrating Cabatuan's popular delicacy, tinuom.
Watch the performance
Tribu Kahilwayan of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo
Reenacting the "Cry of Santa Barbara"
Watch the performance
Tribu Pahinis de Laua-an of Lauaan, Antique
Showcasing Laua-an's main product, muscovado sugar
Watch the performance
Tribu Bayluhay of San Joaquin, Iloilo
Reenacting the barter of Panay
Watch the performance
Tribu Tultugan of Maasin, Iloilo
Showcasing the bamboo industry of Maasin, Iloilo
Watch the performance

Just a comment on the competition: There were far too many non-competing groups in between competing groups. This stretched what could have been a less-than-four-hour activity into six hours!

Many non-competing groups performed in front of the judging area that, at one point, the emcee had to request them to limit their performance times. Didn't the organizers of the Kasadyahan competition have any guidelines for non-competing groups? What's the point for having these non-competing groups in the activity, anyway?

By and large, Kasadyahan 2007 again showcased the culture and history of Western Visayas and, more importantly, the talents of the youngsters in the region who had to endure the morning and noon heat just to tell all and sundry how rich their culture is.

Who will win? For me, it's a toss-up between Tribu Mandurriaonon and Tribu Kahilwayan.

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^{NOTE: These movie clips were recorded from the live telecast of Cable Star (Iloilo) over its community channel. Since these are mpeg files too large (>300MB each) for YouTube, I converted them to DivX and uploaded them to Stage6. However, you'll need a DivX player to view these clips.}