Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Almost sold out! Watch the webinar recording asap
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Power Vegetables In A Drink |
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The webinar last night with my friend the former money manager was 'sold out'! He gave us more powerful trading content than most paid courses. And, because the webinar was filled to capacity we are posting the recording.
Here's the link to register for the webinar replay.
One of the things he taught us is called the "Law of Association"; which states that in 5 years you will become like the people you hang out with and the books you read and the courses you study.
The bottom line is that if you want to learn to trade big, or profitably and consistently, you need to be around someone who does. Someone like our webinar instructor who used to trade $50 million at a time.
Here's a short list of only some of the highlights:
- A little known position sizing trick that can double your returns regardless of what market or system you trade.
- Two simple tricks that instantly remove 95% of your emotions in trading. As all traders know the emotions of fear and greed are the number one enemies of traders; beat them and you win.
- How some hedge funds hunt stops and a simple trick to avoid being a victim. Yes hedge funds, brokers and other individuals (not the "market") really do hunt stops.
- Why money managers only risk 1-2% per trade and still make great returns.
- Why trading is not a "zero sum game" and what this really means for the average trader.
- How to make strong profits using the daily charts and trading only 10 minutes per night.
- How Warren Buffett, Jim Rogers and others became great traders and investors.
- What the "gurus" selling hype trading courses are hiding from you and six easy ways to spot a counterfeit "trading teacher" from a mile away.
- One of his profit target strategies. (He has 4 proprietary tactics and gives us one, no charge).
- How to not be vague with your entries and stops like when others who say, "Buy a few cents, ticks, or pips above ___."
- A little known, no cost, scanner tool that can help you trade profitably, right now.
- A complementary excel sheet that does ALL the math for you so you can easily see the optimal position size and risk vs. reward ratio on all trades.
- Why ETFs are the best instrument to trade.
- Much more.
I promise it won't be a waste of your time. My friend really did do trades as large as 50 million before he left the world of money management. He did share a little of his story, but most of the hour is spent on the subjects above. As you know I like to share good content with my subscribers and this is one of them.
Click here to get the webinar replay:
See you there,
Cheers,
Ave Ramel
P.S. The $1,997 bonus day trade course might already be gone!
Labels: exchange traded fund, exchange traded fund etf, exchange traded funds, exchange traded funds etf, exchange traded funds etfs, exchange traded funds list, philippine news online
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Friday, January 01, 2010
A Scientific Breakthrough
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Power Vegetables In A Drink |
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Hi,
At last, have finished the First VitaPlus Tour that will answer
a lot of your questions about this scientific breakthrough in
Health, Wellness, and Beauty.
You may now proceed to: First VitaPlus
The First VitaPlus Tour answers the ff:
- Five Power Vegetables
- Five Little Things You Should Know About First VitaPlus
- Prevention and Maintenance of Diseases
- Availability and Product Sizes
Cheers,
Ave Ramel
***Trust in the Lord with all your heart***
Labels: health drink, health drinking, health drinks, new health drink, philippine news online
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
How The Rich are Debt-Free
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Power Vegetables In A Drink |
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Hi,
===========================================
Crisis ???
The Rich are debt-free and do really have
a lot of options in life.
If you want to be rich, you must know
- what kind of income to work hard for,
- how to keep it, and
- how to protect it from loss.
That is the key to great wealth.
Discover this kind of income in:
===========================================
Cheers,
Labels: become debt free, debt free, philippine news online
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Sunday, December 27, 2009
Philippine Central Bank sees 2009 BOP surplus at $4.9 bln
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MANILA, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Philippines will likely end the year with a balance of payment surplus of $4.9 billion on the back of strong remittance inflows from overseas Filipinos, the central bank said on Wednesday.
The central bank's full year estimate is way above the surplus of $89 million last year, but lower than the record surfeit of $8.58 billion in 2007.
In October, it predicted a BOP surplus of $4-5 billion for this year.
Remittances have held up well this year despite the global financial crisis, with total inflows in 2009 expected to settle 4 percent higher than the previous year's $16.4 billion.
Filipinos overseas sent home $1.5 billion in remittances in October, bringing inflows in the first 10 months to $14.3 billion. These inflows are expected to climb further in the last two months of the year in the run up to the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The country's current account surplus stood at $6.2 billion in the nine months to September, exceeding the central bank's $6 billion surfeit estimate for the whole year, central bank data also showed.
The country's trade deficit narrowed to $4.175 billion in the ten months to October, compared with $7.07 billion in the same period last year.
Manila expects merchandise exports to fall 25 percent this year but grow 7-9 percent in 2010, and imports to slip 25 percent this year and climb 13-15 percent next year.
Labels: balance of payment, current account surplus, merchandise exports, philippine news online, remittance inflows, trade deficit
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Saturday, December 26, 2009
Filipino sadness rating matches all-time high
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Filipinos are known throughout the world for a happy outlook, enabling them to cope with an assortment of miseries, from multiple disasters in the same year to the constant threat of crime to sordid governance by their leaders.
But this year was worse than others, and the latest happiness index reflects it.
According to the Social Weather Stations' (SWS) most recent survey, 10 percent of Filipinos are sad this Christmas season, "which matches the all-time high sadness level... posted in 2004," said the pollster. The Christmas expectations poll began in 2002.
2009 saw a series of tragedies, including epic floods in Metro Manila and around Luzon, and one of modern history's most horrific crimes, the Ampatuan Massacre. As scandals continued to hound the Arroyo administration, fueling pessimism about the country's political future, the nation also lost its beloved icon of democracy, Corazon Aquino.
Despite the setbacks this year, and the record-tying sadness rating, three out of five Filipinos still expected a happy Christmas, the SWS said last Thursday.
The survey, conducted December 5 to 10, said 64 percent of adult Filipinos expected a happy Christmas this year while 10 percent expected it to be sad.
Twenty-six percent, meanwhile, said their Christmas will neither be happy nor sad, the SWS said.
As expected, Malacañang gave the survey results a positive spin, saying Filipinos have many reasons to look forward to next year.
"It has been a difficult year but we look forward with hope," said deputy presidential spokesman for economic affairs Gary Olivar in an interview on dwIZ radio.
Olivar said the global economy is recovering from last year’s meltdown, while the country will have its first automated polls in 2010.
“Nakatutulong kapag positibo ang pananaw natin... Kung negatibo ang pananaw, masama ang mangyayari, kung positibo, maganda (It will help if we maintain a positive outlook. If we have a negative outlook, bad things are likely to happen. If we have a positive outlook, we can expect good things)," he said.
While the survey results showed majority of Filipinos expected this Christmas to be happy, the happiness rating was much lower than the one in 2002, and the sad expectation was the highest since 2004.
Lower happiness
The SWS noted this year’s 64-percent happiness rating was considerably lower than the high 82 percent in 2002, when SWS first surveyed expectations about Christmas-to-come.
Happy expectations for Christmas dropped slightly to 77 percent in 2003, and fell to the 60s starting 2004 - 64 percent in 2004, 62 percent in both 2005 and 2006, 64 percent in 2007, and 63 percent in 2008.
On the other hand, the 10 percent who are expecting a sad Christmas in 2009 is slightly higher than the 7-8 percent reported from 2005 to 2008, the SWS said.
In 2002 and 2003, only 3 percent reported having a sad Christmas.
Happy expectation lower in NCR
Those expecting a happy Christmas in 2009 are 50 percent in Metro Manila, lower than the 62 percent in the rest of Luzon, 68 percent in Visayas and 71 percent in Mindanao.
In Metro Manila, the 50 percent expecting a happy Christmas in 2009 was five points down from 55 percent in both 2007 and 2008.
“By the same margin, those expecting a sad Christmas increased from 11 percent in the previous year to 16 percent," SWS said, adding that happiness with Christmas has been lower among Metro Manila respondents than in other three areas since 2003.
In 2002, 77 percent of Metro Manila respondents anticipated a happy Christmas, but slumped to 65 percent in 2003 and 48 percent in 2004. It rebounded to 55 percent in 2005 but fell again at its lowest 45 percent in 2006.
In Balance Luzon, those expecting a happy Christmas slightly increased from 59 percent in 2008 to 62 percent in 2009. Eight percent expect a sad Christmas this year, unchanged since 2006.
In Visayas and Mindanao, while the percentages of those anticipating a happy 2009 Christmas were similar to those who expected a happy 2008 Christmas, those expecting a sad Christmas slightly increased in 2009.
In Visayas, those expecting a happy Christmas in 2009 barely changed From 70 percent in 2008 to 68 percent this year. Those who expect a sad Christmas this year is 11 percent, up by three points from 8 percent in the previous year.
In Mindanao, the 71 percent who are anticipating a happy 2009 Christmas is similar to the 70 percent posted in 2008. Those who expect a sad Christmas this year is 9 percent, up four points from 5 percent in 2008.
Happiness with Christmas same across classes
Those expecting a happy Christmas in 2009 are about the same across all socio-economic classes: 66 percent among upper to middle classes ABC, 63 percent among masa class D and 64 percent among the very poor class E.
Among classes ABC, those expecting a happy Christmas declined from 71 percent in 2008 to 66 percent in 2009.
Compared with 2008, the percentages of those who expect a happy Christmas in 2009 barely changed among class D, from 61 percent to 63 percent, and class E, from 65 percent to 64 percent.
Among class E, those expecting a sad Christmas doubled from 6 percent in the previous year to 12 percent in 2009.
Those expecting a sad Christmas in 2009 barely changed among classes ABC, from 5 percent to 6 percent, and class D, from 8 percent to 10 percent.
Muslims neutral on happiness with Christmas
Most of the Muslim respondents were neutral on their expectations with Christmas, with 50 percent expecting their Christmas this year to be neither happy nor sad, 23 percent see it to be sad, and 25 percent anticipate a happy one.
Among the Roman Catholics, 65 percent expect a happy Christmas, slightly lower than the 68 percent among Other Christians who are also expecting a happy Christmas in 2009.
Happiness slightly higher among the youth
Those expecting a happy Christmas in 2009 were 68 percent among the youth [18-24] and 66 percent among the intermediate youth [25-34], slightly higher than the 63 percent among those aged 35-44, 60 percent among the 45-54, and 62 percent among those aged 55 and above.
The Fourth Quarter of 2009 Social Weather Survey was conducted from December 5 to 10, using face-to-face interviews of 2,100 adults divided into random samples of 300 in Metro Manila and 600 each in Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Sampling error margins of ±2.2 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila and ±4 percent for Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, applied to the survey.
- with Johanna Camille Sisante/LBG/RSJ/HGS, GMANews.TV
Labels: happiness rating, philippine news online, sadness level, sadness rating, Social Weather Station
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Thursday, December 24, 2009
Arum says Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is off
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GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (AFP) - Manny Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, says the Filipino hero's planned welterweight mega-fight against unbeaten US star Floyd Mayweather is off because the sides cannot agree on drug testing.
Arum told the Grand Rapids Press, Mayweather's hometown newspaper, that he thought the American never really wanted to fight "Pac-Man", who took his pound-for-pound throne during a retirement that Mayweather ended in September.
"We're going in a different direction," Arum told the newspaper. "What I believe is that Floyd never really wanted the fight and this is just harassment of Pacquiao."
"Floyd, to me, is a coward and he has always been a coward. Not a physical coward, but a coward because he's afraid to face somebody who could beat him. And believe me, Manny Pacquiao could beat him."
"So he will go his way, we will go our way and that will be fine."
The last stumbling block after all other negotiations had been completed was on Mayweather's request for World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) doping test procedures rather than those commonly used at fights in Las Vegas.
"I have already agreed to the testing and it is a shame that he is not willing to do the same," Mayweather said. "It leaves me with great doubt as to the level of fairness I would be facing in the ring that night."
At issue is blood testing. Mayweather wants testing close to the fight as well as after, which became a deal-breaker for Pacquiao that has wiped out what could have been the biggest moneymaker of a fight in boxing history.
"We appeased Mayweather by agreeing to a urine analysis at any time and blood testing before the press conference and after the fight," Arum told the Press.
"Mayweather pressed for blood testing even up to the weigh-in. He knew that Manny gets freaked out when his blood gets taken and feels that it weakens him. This is just harassment and to me just signaled that he didn't want the fight."
Pacquiao agreed to random urine tests at any time and blood tests at a pre-fight news conference in two weeks in New York as well as after the planned March 13 bout.
Arum had sympathy for boxing fans who have been looking forward to seeing two of the sport's finest fighters meet in a fight expected to bring more than 100 million dollars in revenue.
"Sure they will be disappointed, but they've got to understand what's up," Arum said. "We're not going to keep appeasing this guy for no damn reason, especially over something that would affect, psychologically, my fighter."
"We're not going to be pushed around by this guy. We're not going to do it."
Arum said he backed out of talks on December 10 in favor of stepson Todd duBoef after Mayweather refused to consider a bid to fight in the 100,000-seat stadium of American football's Dallas Cowboys.
Two days later, Mayweather Promotions chief executive Leonard Ellerbe made the demand for WADA-style testing.
"I knew what was up. I'm not a fool," Arum said. "I knew the fight wasn't going to happen. But I could be wrong and that's why Todd made a 'college' try.
"Manny Pacquiao doesn't know anything about drugs. This is just typical nastiness by wise guys like Ellerbe and Mayweather."
Arum, who called the blood tests a psychological ploy to gain an edge over Pacquiao, said telecaster HBO tried in vain Tuesday to find agreement on the testing but to no avail.
"This is all a bunch of hooey and nonsense," Arum said. "Nevada has stringent drug testing, right before the fight and after the fight. The kind of testing we agreed to was designed, 100 percent, to detect everything.
"Remember, 40 years of fights in Las Vegas and nothing like this has ever come up. If you want more stringent testing, sure, as long as it doesn't inconvenience and psychologically affect Pacquiao, sure, who cares? They could analyze urine from today until tomorrow, it wouldn't affect anything."
"It's the blood testing close to the fight, while he's in training, that's unnecessary. And everybody who knows anything about drug testing will tell you it's unnecessary."
Another factor complicating the matchup should the sides sort out their testing woes is that Pacquaio is running for Congress in his homeland in May, wiping out the original May 1 date organizers had in mind for the bout.
Possible next foes for Pacquiao, Arum said, include Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez, American Paulie Malignaggi or unbeaten Israeli Yuri Foreman, the World Boxing Association super welterweight champion.
Labels: floyd mayweather, manny pacquiao, philippine news online
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Saturday, December 19, 2009
Philippine investigative team wins AFP award
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MANILA (AFP) - The Philippine Center For Investigative Journalism has won Agence France-Presse's Kate Webb Award for its fearless work in the world's deadliest country for reporters, the agency announced Thursday.
The PCIJ has for two decades braved the wrath of powerful interests in the Philippines to expose corruption, the dangers of which were highlighted last month when 31 Filipino journalists were killed in a political massacre.
PCIJ executive director Malou Mangahas said it planned to use the 5,000 euros (7,250 dollars) in prize money from the AFP Foundation to train Filipino journalists in how to safely do investigative reporting on the nation's elite.
"The last stories of journalists killed in the Philippines are typically about local graft, local corruption and local criminal activities," Mangahas said.
The PCIJ is the second winner of the annual prize, which was created in memory of Webb after she died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 64.
New Zealand-born Webb was one of the finest correspondents to have worked for AFP, and earned a reputation while covering the biggest events in the Asia Pacific as a brave and compassionate reporter.
The Kate Webb award is for local reporters or media organisations in the Asia Pacific who have produced exceptional work in dangerous or difficult circumstances, or have demonstrated moral or physical courage while reporting.
The award is administered by the AFP Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to promote higher standards of journalism worldwide.
The AFP Foundation commended the PCIJ for 20 years of work worthy of the award, while also paying tribute to a series of in-depth reports in 2008 on the southern province of Maguindanao where last month's massacre occurred.
"The PCIJ's body of work is of the highest standard and we hope it will continue to inspire Filipino journalists to do their best even in the most difficult working conditions," said AFP Asia Pacific director Eric Wishart.
Mangahas said she wanted this year's Kate Webb award to recognise all reporters who worked courageously in the Philippines, particularly those 31 murdered in Maguindanao.
"It is very difficult, almost discomfiting, to say our situation as journalists from Metro Manila could even come close to the vulnerability of our colleagues in Maguindanao or in the provinces of the Philippines," she said.
"So I think a fitting tribute is to accept it in their honour."
The 31 local reporters were among 57 people abducted then shot dead in a massacre allegedly orchestrated by members of the province's ruling clan who were seeking to maintain their hold on power.
Those deaths brought the number of journalists killed in the Philippines since the fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos 23 years ago to 134, cementing the nation's reputation as the world's deadliest place in which to report.
The training programme to be set up with the award prize money will focus on teaching reporters how to stay out of danger while carrying out investigative reports on the nearly 200 families that dominate Philippine politics.
The reporters, to be gathered from outlying regions of the Philippines, will then produce material to be published on the AFP Foundation's website as well as by the PCIJ.
"We hope this training programme will help promote professional safety, strengthen ethical standards and sharpen investigative reporting skills among Filipino journalists. And, quite possibly, save lives," Wishart said.
The PCIJ, a non-profit organisation that operates out of a small office in a Manila suburb, has a staff of 10 people and a large network of fellows who contribute investigative reports.
One of its highest-profile achievements was a series of reports on the ill-gotten wealth of then president Joseph Estrada, which played a key role in his downfall in 2001.
The Kate Webb award will be given to the PCIJ at a ceremony early next year in Manila attended by AFP's regional managers and members of Webb's family.
Labels: Agence France-Presse, Kate Webb Award, PCIJ, Philippine Center For Investigative Journalism, philippine news online
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Monday, December 07, 2009
Wesley's run in World Chess Cup ends
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MANILA - Wesley So's astounding run in the 2009 World Chess Cup came to an end after the Filipino grandmaster lost his playoff match against Russian GM Vladimir Malakhov in the fourth round of the competition in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
So (ELO 2640), who twice held Malakhov (ELO 2706) to a draw, yielded to the Russian GM in three straight tie-break matches of rapid chess.
The Bacoor-based chess player yielded to the 22nd-seeded Russian in 55 moves using the black pieces during their first-tie break match. This was followed by another win by Malakhov after 61 moves in the second match.
The 59th-seed So tried to fight back in the third game but Malakhov took advantage of the momentum to win the round in 32 moves.
The score was 4-1 in favor of the Russian.
Thus ended So's campaign in this year's World Chess Cup, which saw him winning over two chess heavyweights on his way to the fourth round.
Prior to facing Malakhov, So shocked Chess Cup defending champion super GM Gata Kamsky of the US in Round 3. He also pulled the rug from under World No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2.
So, who is already assured of $30,000 (P1.41 million) prize money for reaching Round 4, also defeated GM Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan in Round 1.
Best showing for RP So’s fourth-round finish is arguably the country’s best showing in World Chess Cup history, surpassing the efforts of his compatriots, GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Mark Paragua.
Antonio and Paragua reached the second round of the competition.
GM Eugene Torre, Asia’s first GM, reached the quarterfinal stage under a different elimination format.
So earlier said he will be working to achieve super GM status by breaking the 2700 ELO barrier.
"I dream that sooner or later, I will come to the magical point 2700. I don't know how much time I will need for that," he said.
ABS-CBN
Labels: Gata Kamsky, philippine news online, Vassily Ivanchuk, Wesley So, World Chess Cup
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
In Maguindanao, no one dares cross the Ampatuans
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The massacre on Monday of women, lawyers, and journalists by alleged gunmen of the Ampatuan clan shocked the nation. But people in Maguindanao have always known that you defy the Ampatuans at your peril. In 2008, journalist Jaileen Jimeno, then of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, ventured into Maguindanao, dared probe the hold of the Ampatuans over the province, and made it out alive. She reported on a place bristling with guns and on a clan supported by the Arroyo administration because the Ampatuans can virtually guarantee victory at the polls.
SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao. The sound of sirens precedes the passing of a long convoy of 4×4 sport utility vehicles. As if on cue, jeepneys and private vehicles begin moving to the right side of the street, where they all then ground to a halt.
"Kailangan tumabi ka, kasi babanggain ka nila. Palalabasin nilang kaaway ka (You have to get out of their way, otherwise they'll hit your car. And then they'll make it appear you're one of their enemies)," explains an old man watching the scene by the roadside.
Asked if he knows whose convoy of black, heavily tinted vehicles is whizzing by, the man replies without hesitation: "Si Governor. Ganyan ang mga sasakyan niya (That's how his vehicles look like)."
In the last two weeks, this southern province has become one of the sites of a cat-and-mouse battle between soldiers and rebels from a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), displacing thousands of people. But the armed clashes aside, residents here know that only one family wields real power in Maguindanao: the Ampatuans, led by its acknowledged patriarch, Governor Andal Ampatuan.
It may not only be peace between combatants but respite from political clans that Maguindanao needs.
The Ampatuans are just the latest in a long line of political dynasties that have thrived in Mindanao. Yet while the Ampatuan clan has lorded over Maguindanao only since 2001, its members already have a hold over key government positions, elective and appointive, and not only in the province itself.
In 2005, Andal Ampatuan's son Zaldy, then 38 years old, became the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the youngest ever to head the regional government.
And if the results of the recent AMMM polls are any indication, the Ampatuans seem to be digging in for the long haul. The baby-faced Zaldy took more than 90 percent of the votes among seven candidates in the ARMM elections held just a few weeks ago. His closest rival Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji got just a tad over two percent of the votes.
It did not help Isnaji any that he was battling kidnapping charges filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against him and his son Haider, midway through the campaign. But Ma. Krizna Gomez of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) observes: "We were all surprised to not see any election campaign materials (other than Zaldy Ampatuan's) around the province. The dynasty runs deep into the entire political set-up and this is capped by the election result itself."
Guns, Palace blessing
Andal Ampatuan has four wives and over 30 children, and intermarriages with other political clans have made his political stock stronger. But political analysts trace the clan’s formidable clout to two main factors: guns and the blessings of Malacanang. They even note that no less than the Palace made it legal for the Ampatuans to have hundreds of armed men and women under their employ.
The 1987 Constitution bans private armed groups. In July 2006, however, the Arroyo administration issued Executive Order 546, allowing local officials and the PNP to deputize barangay tanods as "force multipliers" in the fight against insurgents. In practice, the EO allows local officials to convert their private armed groups into legal entities with a fancy name: civilian volunteer organizations (CVOs).
Interestingly, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued the EO just weeks after a bombing in the Shariff Aguak public market that killed five people. Andal Ampatuan, who has survived several other ambushes, was said to have been the target.
According to a military officer who served for 16 years in ARMM - five of them in Maguindanao - Andal Ampatuan employs about 200 CVO members. The officer adds that Ampatuan's sons and relatives maintain armed men, supposedly for their protection. (Andal's eldest son Saudi was killed in a bomb blast in Shariff Aguak 2002.)
"Everybody carries firearms, mga paltik (homemade guns)," says the military officer. "Or (they) either borrow from the military or the PNP, or they buy."
A soldier who spent five years on assignment in Maguindanao says of the CVOs here: "They support the internal security requirement of the capitol or the municipio." He adds that while some of the CVOs are paid by the local government in areas where they serve, they are often "borrowed" for personal use by local officials.
And whenever they board the back of spiffy pickups that are staples of Ampatuan convoys, these CVO members typically lug long firearms. At times, the convoys of 20 vehicles or more also begin and end with pickups mounted with big machine guns.
Indeed, long before the military resumed chasing the MILF in earnest across the region, Maguindanao was already dotted with checkpoints. Soldiers manned entrances to municipal halls, and armored vehicles hogged major road networks.
PCIJ tried for months to interview Andal Ampatuan here and during his visits in Manila, but Maguindanao provincial administrator Norie Unas repeatedly said the governor does not grant interviews. Instead, it has been Unas who has fielded questions from PCIJ.
In an interview with PCIJ late last year, Unas said that the older Ampatuan's political stance has earned his clan several enemies, hence the need for heightened security. Unas explained that while previous Maguindanao leaders played footsies with secessionist forces, "Governor Ampatuan is not really sympathetic to the MILF or other forces wishing for a separatist Muslim state."
But Datu Michael Mastura, former congressman of Maguindanao's first district, seems less than convinced by the argument. "I will tell you, the word 'impunity' does not even suit it. It's inappropriate," he says, referring to the Ampatuans' chronic show of force. Pointing to the clan's numerous bodyguards and vehicles, Mastura wonders aloud: "Just imagine, how do you maintain them? How do you house them?"
No one here is ready to come forward with any answers to that, but at the very least, the presence of armed men and women helps explain why residents would rather not do anything to cross an Ampatuan. One journalist who unwittingly did is certainly thankful that all he got was a dressing-down from the provincial governor.
The journalist had helped a colleague get in touch with the Ampatuans for an article that the governor apparently perceived to be unflattering. The helpful journalist says he was summoned to the governor's mansion and there received a tongue-lashing. "I just sat there," he recalls, "and took it, not saying a word."
'Hello, Garci' then 12-0 in '07
To some political analysts, it is easy to explain why the Ampatuans command solid hold on Maguindanao: The clan enjoys close ties with the Palace in faraway Manila, simply because the clan has managed to deliver the votes for administration candidates.
In its 2007 Elections Forensics Report, the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) noted: "The Ampatuan dynasty based in Maguindanao province is Arroyo's present conduit in helping ensure her influence over the whole of Mindanao, which hosts many of the country's grizzled but otherwise powerful political clans."
During the 2004 presidential elections, "(Governor Andal) Ampatuan addressed the political requirement of Arroyo," says Bobby Tuazon, CenPEG's director for policy study, publication, and advocacy. "She needed somebody to control the votes."
In the controversial "Hello Garci" recordings, then elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was heard saying that Maguindanao would not be "much of a problem" for President Arroyo. His words turned out to be more than prophetic, with Maguindanao giving Arroyo 193,938 votes, against the 59,892 votes obtained by popular action film star Fernando Poe Jr. In Ampatuan and Datu Piang towns, Poe even scored zero, and in the capital Shariff Aguak and other Maguindanao towns, received just a handful of votes.
In the 2007 congressional and local elections, the 12 senatorial candidates of the administration's Team Unity slate made a clean sweep of the polls in Maguindanao, or scored 12-0, to be exact. Family members and allies of the Ampatuans who ran for local positions also clinched wins.
Maguindanao officials have since brushed off suspicions of election fraud, saying local candidates did not bother campaigning for their own seats. They say that "negotiations" were held before the elections to "amicably" settle the battle for positions. Besides, they note, many of the Ampatuan candidates had run unopposed and thus had devoted time to campaign for the administration’s senatorial slate.
In his interview with PCIJ last year, Maguindanao provincial administrator Unas said political contests here are settled even before any balloting through "consultation and consensus-building."
"People are critical of our system and ridicule us for the manner by which we choose our leaders," he said. But, he asserted, it is a system that works for the province, "not that demo-democracy."
"We know that the Manila system does not fit us," Unas said. "We have stabilized the political landscape because there's no contest every election. This is one better way for us Muslims coming out with our leaders."
CenPEG fellow Ely H. Manalansan Jr., however, insists that shura or the Islamic practice of consultation was not a factor in Team Unity's 12-0 win in Maguindanao. He says that even Islamic experts dismiss such an assertion, adding, "(It) merely serves as a justification for the widespread and systematic fraud perpetrated by the administration during elections in Mindanao."
Last year, public schoolteacher Musa Dimasidsing had also revealed that days before the 2007 vote, he had seen teachers and students writing and then putting their thumbmarks on ballots. Days after he spoke up, Dimasidsing was shot dead; his murder remains unsolved.
No 'Big Man' monopoly
CenPEG's Tuazon, though, cautions against stereotyping this conduct of elections as unique to Maguindanao and ARMM. "Oligarchs also rule in Luzon and Visayas, and you will see a lot of similarities in what is happening there in the Moro homeland," he says.
"Ampatuan is no different from (Luis) Chavit Singson," points out Fr. Eliseo Mercado Jr., who briefly chaired the government peace panel with the MILF. Singson, former governor of Ilocos Sur in northern Luzon, has built a reputation for keeping an iron grip on his home province.
Unas himself acknowledges the perception that Ampatuan is a warlord. Reached by phone by PCIJ recently, he said, "May katotohanan din siguro. The same way na may perception na warlord sina Joson (of Nueva Ecija) at Singson, (Probably there's truth to that. The same way there is a perception that the Josons and the Singsons are warlords)."
But the provincial administrator denied that the capitol pays for the CVOs protecting Ampatuan and his clan. He said that the CVOs are hired and funded by town mayors, while those who guard the governor are made up of soldiers, policemen, and civilians "who, as Muslims, will die for their leader."
This relationship between leaders and the governed, said Unas, has its roots in the history of Muslim communities down south, and is found not only in Maguindanao.
Poverty, mega projects
In Mercado's view, the resiliency of the Ampatuan clan will rest mainly on its ability to deliver the needs of its constituents. Then again, if Mercado is right, the Ampatuans' days in power may be numbered, based on the province's sorry showing in several sectors.
For one, despite the Ampatuans' expanded powerbase, Maguindanao's poverty numbers are worsening. In 2000, the poverty incidence was recorded at 59.3 percent. It grew to 60.4 percent in 2003, and rose further to 62 percent in 2006, turning Maguindanao into the third poorest province in the country.
For another, Maguindanao's spending for education remains low, even as the elementary teacher-to-pupil ratio has worsened to 51 in school year 2005-06, from 43.9 in school year 2000-01.
These dismal statistics are among the reasons why, according to the Philippine Human Development Report (PHDR) of 2005, only 39.7 percent of adults in Maguindanao have six years of basic education, compared with the national average of 84 percent.
Too, the PHDR reveals that Maguindanao has the second lowest life expectancy in the Philippines at 52 years, edged out only by Tawi-Tawi's 51.2 years. The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reports as well that the number of health stations in the province has remained stagnant at 163, from 2000 to 2006.
Amid worsening poverty and education services for its population of 600,000 as of last year, Maguindanao has been pouring money into new town halls and a bigger capitol. The latter is now estimated to cost the province about P116 million, or nearly twice as much as the original price tag of P60 million.
According to Unas, Andal Ampatuan had asked President Arroyo for help in funding the new capitol project. Arroyo, Unas said, committed an initial P20 million, paving the way for construction work to start.
The renovation project has since evolved into a government center that will feature other huge structures, including a sports-and-culture center that would cost P80 million.
Young guns, young terror
ALL OVER the world, the practice of engaging children and teenagers in criminal gangs and private armies continues unabated. The Philippines is no exception.
A little-known academic study documents how minors are being recruited down south in private armies better known as civilian volunteers organizations or CVOs. These groups help keep village adults in a perpetual state of fear and obeisance, even if some of the "volunteers" have not moved past puberty.
The 80-page study was conducted across a five-month period in 2003 by researchers led by Agnes Zenaida Camacho of the University Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UCIDS) at the University of the Philippines.
It focused on three towns of Maguindanao and the use of minors by the pagali or clan to keep itself in power. The researchers interviewed 10 young CVO members, who had to be assigned pseudonyms in the report, for their own protection.
Most of the young CVO members were recruited into the armed group as replacement for their fathers who had been killed in action, the researchers learned. Of the 10 interviewees, only two were 18 years old at the time they started working for a pagali. One interviewee was drafted into CVO service when he was only 10 years old, and the seven others, in their early teens.
Maguindanao is not lacking in funds. On top of benefiting from foreign and ARMM-funded projects, it received an internal revenue allotment (IRA) of P555 million in 2005, which grew to P633 million the following year.
Yet of the P590 million budget the capitol lined up for 2006, P124 million or 21 percent was set aside for the provincial governor's office alone. Over P185 million or 31 percent, meanwhile, went to the salaries and benefits of the capitol’s 587 employees.
The people's view
The people in Maguindanao offer a common opinion of Andal Ampatuan as "mabait (a good person)." One resident says, "If you need a job, he'll provide one for you." Another intones, "We don't say no to him because he takes care of us."
But such positive comments almost always come with a caveat: "Basta sundin mo ang gusto niya (As long as you do as he says)."
"He is like a pharaoh, that's what people call him," says Mastura, himself a member of one of Mindanao’s prominent families. "You don't go against his wishes."
The one person who has tried to keep the Ampatuans in check, albeit in his own turf, is Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
Over the years, Duterte, who is known for his tough stance against crime, has repeatedly warned various clans - not only the Ampatuans, to be sure - against "misbehaving" in Davao City. But Duterte has also zeroed in on younger Ampatuan scions for using sirens whenever they drive around Davao. In 2006, Duterte let it rip when three Ampatuan youths were arrested in his city for possession of high-powered firearms, including rifles fitted with telescopic sights, and rounds of ammunition.
"Davao City is not your kingdom," a fuming Duterte reportedly said. "If you want to show off, you better do it in your place, not here."
Unfortunately for Duterte, Maguindanao has no known nightlife to keep privileged youths entertained and occupied.
Once the sun sets in this province, the roads turn empty, save for one or two vehicles rushing to their destinations, and the occasional convoy of huge, black cars and pickups flashing their lights and sounding their sirens. Invariably, the convoy carries an Ampatuan as passenger. - PCIJ
Labels: Ampatuan, Maguindanao, philippine news online, Shariff Aguak
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Friday, November 20, 2009
PACMAN SONG TO FLOYD (MAY-WITHER)
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To the tune of "Sometimes When We Touch"
They asked you if you'll fight me
And you choked on your reply
I'd rather Arum deal with you
Than mislead you with a lie
And who am I to judge you,
On what you say or do
The fans are now beginning
To see the real you
And someday when we tats
My LEFT will be too much
That you have to close your eyes
Where do you hide?
I wanna pound you 'til you're white
'Til your face breaks down and cry
I wanna beat you
'Til you dream and say, goodnight.
You think you are a strategist
That you can insult my pride
But through your insecurities
You're ZERO loss seemed right
You're just another fighter
So far from what is true
An overrated boxer
Who never gives his due
And someday when we tats
My RIGHT will be too much
That you have to close your eyes
Where do you hide?
I wanna pound you 'til you’re white
'Til your face breaks down and cry
I wanna beat you
'Til you dream and say, goodnight.
At times I'd like to break you
And drive you to your knees
The fans would like to watch you
And see your first defeat
Your huggers understand you
And we know how hard they try
I've watched your Dad protect you
And your Uncle loves to smile
My coach thinks you're a loser
Still searching for a break
You think your odds are better
But then the public bets AGAINST!
And someday when we tats
My SPEED will be too much
That you have to close your eyes
Where can you hide?
I wanna pound you 'til you’re white
'Til your face breaks down and cry
I wanna beat you
'Til you dream and say, goodnight!
Posted by Kyoss
Labels: floyd mayweather, manny pacquiao, pbf, philippine news online
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Dumb Comments of Floyd Mayweather Sr. About Pacquiao
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'Cotto has the edge over Pacquiao' - Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Controversial American trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr. said Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto has the upper hand over pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather said he thinks Cotto will prevail over Pacquiao on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) because he said not all of the boxers knocked out by the Filipino boxing icon were stunned by his speed.
"Cotto has the edge over Pacquiao," the elder Mayweather told ABS-CBN News.
He even dared Pacquiao and Cotto with the pronouncement, "Whoever wins this Pacquiao-Cotto fight will challenge my boy," referring to his son, former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Floyd Jr. came out of retirement in May. He remained unbeaten (40-0, with 25 knockouts) after defeating Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez by unanimous decision in September.
Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) will defend his WBO welterweight title against Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The WBC diamond belt will also be at stake.
Mayweather"s father and boxing trainer Floyd Sr. fired the opening salvo against Pacquiao when he speculated that the Filipino boxer could be using "some type of supplements."
"In my honest opinion, I believe that he's on some type of supplements," Floyd Sr. told Michigan's Grand Rapids Press. "I think they're pushing Pacquiao too much -- even if he's got [ste]'roids in his body."
"I don't think that he can beat Little Floyd with steroids in him or not. He don't have that kind of talent or that kind of skill -- whatever he has in him," said Floyd Sr., whose boxer Ricky Hatton was knocked out by Pacquiao in just two rounds.
Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach, for his part, said Floyd Sr. is just bitter over his ward's victories, especially over Hatton.
"Steroids? Where in the hell did that come from? You know, these guys, they had to come up with a reason why they lost. They lost because [Floyd Sr.] sucks as a trainer and I had the better fighter," said Roach.
Ariza (conditioning trainer) also took the time to hit back at Mayweather Sr and his puzzling steroid accusations:
"We want Manny to be explosive and we want him to build up muscle in moving up to 145 pounds," he said. "We use supplements, not steroids. Someone who never finished high school, like Floyd Mayweather Sr., wouldn't understand the difference and that's why they make dumb comments."
Labels: manny pacquiao, mayweather, philippine news online
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Oakland Raiders Celebrate Filipino Heritage
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The Second Annual Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta, presented by Lucky Supermarkets, will be held Sunday, October 18th, when the Oakland Raiders take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Raiders will pay tribute to Filipino Heritage Month by showering the stadium with Pinoy excitement.
The Raiders have a long-standing tradition of multicultural initiatives and became the first team in American professional sports to launch its own Tagalog language web section when www.raidersintagalog.com went live in 2007.
"We are pleased to again celebrate Filipino Heritage Month and to salute our Filipino fans as part of our long standing tradition to our global and multicultural fans," said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask.
Fans are encouraged to visit Raiderville - the very latest in pre-game entertainment - located in the Coliseum's parking lot 'G.' On the Raiderville stage, there will be a lineup of Filipino artists which includes Lil Jordan, Mike Dash E, Desi Arnez, Divo Bayer, TTB Hip Hop's Bwan and Mr. Rey, Jern-Eye, Jeremy John, and the dance groups Soulciety and Step, Styles & Spotlights. Filipino DJs CMC, B-Strut, Steez-O, Samala will be commanding the turntables on stage.
The Raiders will hold and on-field ceremony to honor the following Filipino non-profit organizations: Filipino American Arts Exposition, Filipina Women's Network, The ABS-CBN Foundation and The Young Filipino Professional Association.
These organizations are beneficiaries from the Raiders ticketing fundraising program and are key contributors to the Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will help these organizations and the four of them will donate those proceeds to the relief and rehabilitation efforts for the victims and survivors of Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines.
Top Rank fighter Manny Pacquiao was scheduled to appear at the game, however Pacquiao is heavily involved in the relief efforts in his home country.
"World Champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines was looking forward to appearing at the Oakland Raiders Filipino Heritage game this Sunday, Oct. 18. Manny has thousands of fans in the Bay area. He was thrilled to be the guest of honor at the 2009 Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta game," said Top Rank Chairman of the Board Bob Arum.
"Manny, a national hero, and his team worked tirelessly to assist displaced families. It is heart-breaking. Manny believes, as do we at Top Rank, the right thing is to remain at home during his national catastrophe."
A video message from Pacquiao, during which he salutes the Raiders Filipino Heritage Game and encourages the Raider Nation to support the relief efforts, will be showcased during Sunday's game. World Champion boxer Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton, among other Filipino celebrities, will be present in Raiderville prior to the game to participate in a special autograph session in exchange for donations to benefit the victims of the catastrophe.
One of the most celebrated choirs in Asia and the world, The University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers, will perform the National Anthem. The halftime Filipino cultural presentation will feature three dance ensembles showcasing distinct folk styles. Parangal Dance Company will present the ceremonial worship dance Subli, Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble will participate in a Tinikling traditional dance while Kawayan Folk Arts will be dancing to Pandanggo Sa Ilaw using tinghhoy oil lamps simulating fireflies at dusk.
The Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta 2009 will feature a special commemorative limited edition Filipino rally towel. The Raiders, who have long been a leader in NFL merchandise sales, are reaching out to the Raiders international fan base by offering a new t-shirt commemorating the team’s Filipino Heritage Game. The Raiders Filipino t-shirt will be available in the stadium’s merchandise stands, select Raider Image stores and online at www.raiderimage.com.
The Raiders have long been pioneers, both on and off the field, with regards to the team's global outreach. The Silver and Black maintains a global presence and communicates with the worldwide Raider Nation through the team’s official web sites which feature original and translated content in six different languages - Tagalog, Japanese, German, Chinese, Spanish and English.
Source: globalnation.inquirer.net
The Raiders have a long-standing tradition of multicultural initiatives and became the first team in American professional sports to launch its own Tagalog language web section when www.raidersintagalog.com went live in 2007.
"We are pleased to again celebrate Filipino Heritage Month and to salute our Filipino fans as part of our long standing tradition to our global and multicultural fans," said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask.
Fans are encouraged to visit Raiderville - the very latest in pre-game entertainment - located in the Coliseum's parking lot 'G.' On the Raiderville stage, there will be a lineup of Filipino artists which includes Lil Jordan, Mike Dash E, Desi Arnez, Divo Bayer, TTB Hip Hop's Bwan and Mr. Rey, Jern-Eye, Jeremy John, and the dance groups Soulciety and Step, Styles & Spotlights. Filipino DJs CMC, B-Strut, Steez-O, Samala will be commanding the turntables on stage.
The Raiders will hold and on-field ceremony to honor the following Filipino non-profit organizations: Filipino American Arts Exposition, Filipina Women's Network, The ABS-CBN Foundation and The Young Filipino Professional Association.
These organizations are beneficiaries from the Raiders ticketing fundraising program and are key contributors to the Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will help these organizations and the four of them will donate those proceeds to the relief and rehabilitation efforts for the victims and survivors of Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines.
Top Rank fighter Manny Pacquiao was scheduled to appear at the game, however Pacquiao is heavily involved in the relief efforts in his home country.
"World Champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines was looking forward to appearing at the Oakland Raiders Filipino Heritage game this Sunday, Oct. 18. Manny has thousands of fans in the Bay area. He was thrilled to be the guest of honor at the 2009 Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta game," said Top Rank Chairman of the Board Bob Arum.
"Manny, a national hero, and his team worked tirelessly to assist displaced families. It is heart-breaking. Manny believes, as do we at Top Rank, the right thing is to remain at home during his national catastrophe."
A video message from Pacquiao, during which he salutes the Raiders Filipino Heritage Game and encourages the Raider Nation to support the relief efforts, will be showcased during Sunday's game. World Champion boxer Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton, among other Filipino celebrities, will be present in Raiderville prior to the game to participate in a special autograph session in exchange for donations to benefit the victims of the catastrophe.
One of the most celebrated choirs in Asia and the world, The University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers, will perform the National Anthem. The halftime Filipino cultural presentation will feature three dance ensembles showcasing distinct folk styles. Parangal Dance Company will present the ceremonial worship dance Subli, Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble will participate in a Tinikling traditional dance while Kawayan Folk Arts will be dancing to Pandanggo Sa Ilaw using tinghhoy oil lamps simulating fireflies at dusk.
The Raiders Mabuhay Fiesta 2009 will feature a special commemorative limited edition Filipino rally towel. The Raiders, who have long been a leader in NFL merchandise sales, are reaching out to the Raiders international fan base by offering a new t-shirt commemorating the team’s Filipino Heritage Game. The Raiders Filipino t-shirt will be available in the stadium’s merchandise stands, select Raider Image stores and online at www.raiderimage.com.
The Raiders have long been pioneers, both on and off the field, with regards to the team's global outreach. The Silver and Black maintains a global presence and communicates with the worldwide Raider Nation through the team’s official web sites which feature original and translated content in six different languages - Tagalog, Japanese, German, Chinese, Spanish and English.
Source: globalnation.inquirer.net
Labels: Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, philippine news online
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Thursday, October 08, 2009
White House's Pinay chief awarded for culinary excellence
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The first Filipino executive chef of the White House was awarded a certificate and a medal in a recent dinner reception hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Washington.
Cristeta Comerford holds the distinction of being the only Filipino chef to have served three US Presidents in the White House. Cristeta Comerford received a Certificate of Recognition for Culinary Excellence from Mama Sita Foundation President Clara Lapus, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
"Mrs. Comerford was also presented with an 18-carat gold medal during the occasion," the DFA said.
Comerford, born Cristeta Pasia in Manila, is the first female and Filipino-American to be selected as White House executive chef.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa hosted the dinner reception at his house in Washington D.C., the DFA said.
Comerford, initially appointed in 2005 by Mrs. Laura Bush, was reappointed by new US First Lady Michelle Obama early this year to continue serving under the current administration.
GMANews.TV
Cristeta Comerford holds the distinction of being the only Filipino chef to have served three US Presidents in the White House. Cristeta Comerford received a Certificate of Recognition for Culinary Excellence from Mama Sita Foundation President Clara Lapus, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
"Mrs. Comerford was also presented with an 18-carat gold medal during the occasion," the DFA said.
Comerford, born Cristeta Pasia in Manila, is the first female and Filipino-American to be selected as White House executive chef.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa hosted the dinner reception at his house in Washington D.C., the DFA said.
Comerford, initially appointed in 2005 by Mrs. Laura Bush, was reappointed by new US First Lady Michelle Obama early this year to continue serving under the current administration.
GMANews.TV
Labels: Cristeta Comerford, Cristeta Pasia, philippine news online
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Saturday, October 03, 2009
PNP seeks phaseout of barangay tanod
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The Philippine National Police (PNP) is eyeing the phaseout of the system of employing barangay tanod across the country as it pushes for the creation of a new peacekeeping force in every barangay that will be supervised by local cops.
Dubbed as Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT), members of the new unit will serve as replacement of barangay tanod in more than 42,000 barangays in the country once the recruitment becomes full-blown starting late this year.
''It will take sometime before the phaseout of barangay tanod is done but we hope to accomplish our program, the BPAT, at the end of next year,'' said Senior Supt. Agrimero Cruz, of the Directorate for Police Community Relations (DPCR).
Unlike the hiring system of barangay tanod, Cruz said the term of office of those who will be hired as BPAT members is not co-terminus with the barangay officials since the town or city mayors, with the direct assistance of the local police, will be the ones who will approve the application of would-be members.
Under the present time, the responsibility of choosing and employing barangay tanod is entrusted to the barangay captain with the approval of the barangay council. Those who are chosen would serve under the pleasure of the barangay captain and the council.
But under the BPAT system, Cruz explained that any BPAT member will remain on their post until he resigns or is found guilty of wrong-doing. The only participation of the barangay captain and the council, he explained, is submitting recommendation and forwarding the intent to join the BPAT by those interested in joining the barangay peacekeeping team.
''So they will not be under the barangay captain. The barangay captain will only serve as co-supervisor of a representative from the local police unit,'' said Cruz.
''We would like also to clarify that BPAT members will not be handpicked, only those interested to volunteer as BPAT members from various sectors like student groups or other non-government organization, will be considered.''
Manila Bulletin
Dubbed as Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT), members of the new unit will serve as replacement of barangay tanod in more than 42,000 barangays in the country once the recruitment becomes full-blown starting late this year.
''It will take sometime before the phaseout of barangay tanod is done but we hope to accomplish our program, the BPAT, at the end of next year,'' said Senior Supt. Agrimero Cruz, of the Directorate for Police Community Relations (DPCR).
Unlike the hiring system of barangay tanod, Cruz said the term of office of those who will be hired as BPAT members is not co-terminus with the barangay officials since the town or city mayors, with the direct assistance of the local police, will be the ones who will approve the application of would-be members.
Under the present time, the responsibility of choosing and employing barangay tanod is entrusted to the barangay captain with the approval of the barangay council. Those who are chosen would serve under the pleasure of the barangay captain and the council.
But under the BPAT system, Cruz explained that any BPAT member will remain on their post until he resigns or is found guilty of wrong-doing. The only participation of the barangay captain and the council, he explained, is submitting recommendation and forwarding the intent to join the BPAT by those interested in joining the barangay peacekeeping team.
''So they will not be under the barangay captain. The barangay captain will only serve as co-supervisor of a representative from the local police unit,'' said Cruz.
''We would like also to clarify that BPAT members will not be handpicked, only those interested to volunteer as BPAT members from various sectors like student groups or other non-government organization, will be considered.''
Manila Bulletin
Labels: Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team, barangay tanod, philippine news online
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Sunday, September 27, 2009
Calls for help flood cyberspace as ‘Ondoy’ pummeled Luzon
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It's the old Filipino practice of bayanihan, expressed in the age of Web 2.0. As strong winds, torrential rains and extensive flooding due to tropical storm "Ondoy" buffeted Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, Filipinos turned to various Internet sites not only for the latest news updates, but also to share information and to call for help.
The online world of social media became a convenient means to keep connected as land lines went busy, cell phone networks conked out, and government websites bogged down. In the microblogging site Twitter, for example, "Ondoy" and "NDCC" (the government’s National Disaster Coordinating Council) became top-trending topics on Saturday, mostly due to Filipinos twitting contact numbers of disaster relief agencies that they could contact for help.
At another microblogging site, Plurk, Filipino users not only "plurked" emergency numbers but also suggested ways to channel donations to the disaster victims. "Let us reach out to the victims of typhoon Ondoy. In this time of need, every charitable act will matter," said a Filipina who goes by her username pearlychelle.
The social networking site Facebook was also flooded with calls for help and wall posts on information about relief centers and hotline numbers. GMANews.TV's Bagyong "Ondoy" Facebook page became an interactive bulletin board where Filipinos can post contact numbers, addresses, calls for help, inquiries and various messages of people stranded in flooded neighborhoods and buildings, vehicles trapped in gridlock, and travelers stuck in ports and terminals.
Bloggers and other citizen journalists did the same, often staying up overnight to update news tidbits, advisories, interactive spreadsheets and maps to help rescue teams, government agencies, non-government organizations, and concerned individuals take action. A tech-savvy Filipino who goes by username KaninLamig (Cold Rice) created an interactive Google map that pinpointed dozens of locations that reported urgent calls for rescue, evacuation, food relief, and other emergencies related to "Ondoy."
A number of volunteers soon offered to help update the map.
Blogger Manuel L. Quezon III, for his part, kept his site well updated, and provided links to other helpful sites, including KaninLamig's Google map. "Fellow bloggers may want to help on collating specific types of information they encounter online: appeals for rescue, traffic/flood updates, places to send relief goods, power failures, etc. This allows relief workers and media to focus on who needs help," Quezon said in a blogpost on tropical storm "Ondoy."
A site entirely dedicated on "Ondoy" was built in the blogging platform Tumblr. Photos of various heavily flooded areas were posted on the site. Videos of flooded areas were also uploaded on YouTube. Through clicks, posts, tweets and blogs, Filipinos found alternative means to extend simple acts of help to those in need of them.
The "Ondoy" experience showed that the Filipino sense of community really can overcome any storm - with a little help from technology. - GMANews.TV
Labels: bayanihan, Ondoy, philippine news online
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
Stop politicizing energy issues, Reyes tells critics
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Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes took direct assault on critics and the lawmakers who have been insistently blocking his confirmation at the bicameral Commission on Appointments.
"I don't try to politicize the issue because energy is very, very important issue. That should not be politicized, and they should stop politicizing it," has been the energy chief's fierce comment to critics.
Reyes further noted that since energy is a commodity that affects everybody; people conveniently ride with the issues to gain mileage for political brownie points.
"Energy is a very, very politicized issue that affects everybody, so people would like to ride on it. But please, we should stop doing it," Reyes said.
He further pointed out that the issue being thrown against him is the Department of Energy's (DOE) supposed passive stance on oil pricing, especially in controlling upward adjustments.
"Well, bad news, I cannot really control oil prices," Reyes said, explaining that external factors have stronger influence on how pump prices are set by market.
"Number one, the law (referring to the Oil Deregulation Law) does not allow me; and number two, the reality is that prices of oil are set in the international market," he explained.
Reyes enthused it was quite unfair that the issues thrown against him by some members of the CA are something that goes beyond his control because these are market fundamentals that even the most powerful leaders in the world cannot hold sway over.
"Sometimes people are tempted to say something that is very, very popular even if it's not exactly true. That's not right," he stressed.
While at the department, Reyes said he will just keep on doing what is being expected of him based on the mandates of the policies governing the energy sector.
Sometimes, he said, leaders must keep working beyond the political noise, especially if the agenda of the others are just anchored on selfish political intensions.
He bared that the other lawmakers' dislike of him are actually deeper than oil pricing issues; but on concerns that can be traced back when he was still at the helm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
By MYRNA VELASCO, Manila Bulletin
"I don't try to politicize the issue because energy is very, very important issue. That should not be politicized, and they should stop politicizing it," has been the energy chief's fierce comment to critics.
Reyes further noted that since energy is a commodity that affects everybody; people conveniently ride with the issues to gain mileage for political brownie points.
"Energy is a very, very politicized issue that affects everybody, so people would like to ride on it. But please, we should stop doing it," Reyes said.
He further pointed out that the issue being thrown against him is the Department of Energy's (DOE) supposed passive stance on oil pricing, especially in controlling upward adjustments.
"Well, bad news, I cannot really control oil prices," Reyes said, explaining that external factors have stronger influence on how pump prices are set by market.
"Number one, the law (referring to the Oil Deregulation Law) does not allow me; and number two, the reality is that prices of oil are set in the international market," he explained.
Reyes enthused it was quite unfair that the issues thrown against him by some members of the CA are something that goes beyond his control because these are market fundamentals that even the most powerful leaders in the world cannot hold sway over.
"Sometimes people are tempted to say something that is very, very popular even if it's not exactly true. That's not right," he stressed.
While at the department, Reyes said he will just keep on doing what is being expected of him based on the mandates of the policies governing the energy sector.
Sometimes, he said, leaders must keep working beyond the political noise, especially if the agenda of the others are just anchored on selfish political intensions.
He bared that the other lawmakers' dislike of him are actually deeper than oil pricing issues; but on concerns that can be traced back when he was still at the helm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
By MYRNA VELASCO, Manila Bulletin
Labels: Oil Deregulation Law, philippine news online
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Monday, September 21, 2009
Bata rules Texas tilt
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Efren "Bata" Reyes rose back from the losers' bracket to beat American Shannon Daulton twice in the finals and win the Galveston Classic One Pocket tournament on Friday at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston City, Texas.
It was Reyes' third consecutive title in less than a month after he ruled The Manny Villar Cup Kadayawan Leg in Davao City and the 2009 World Cup of Pool with partner Francisco "Django" Bustamante in Quezon City.
The 55-year-old Reyes, a member of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines and Senator Manny Villar's Team Villards, was sent into the losers' bracket late in the elimination round but bounced back by beating Cliff Joyner to earn the second finals slot against the erstwhile undefeated Daulton.
Reyes, who is one of the best One Pocket players in the world, had a tall task of beating the American twice and he did that by winning the first match, 3-1, and then scored a pulsating 3-2 squeaker to rule the inaugural edition of this tournament and pocket the $25,000 top prize.
Reyes is set to take on fellow Asian pool legend Chao Fong-pang in Face Off Series 3 - The Grandmasters slated on Oct. 28-29 at the posh Club Capo Exclusive in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
Manila Bulletin
It was Reyes' third consecutive title in less than a month after he ruled The Manny Villar Cup Kadayawan Leg in Davao City and the 2009 World Cup of Pool with partner Francisco "Django" Bustamante in Quezon City.
The 55-year-old Reyes, a member of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines and Senator Manny Villar's Team Villards, was sent into the losers' bracket late in the elimination round but bounced back by beating Cliff Joyner to earn the second finals slot against the erstwhile undefeated Daulton.
Reyes, who is one of the best One Pocket players in the world, had a tall task of beating the American twice and he did that by winning the first match, 3-1, and then scored a pulsating 3-2 squeaker to rule the inaugural edition of this tournament and pocket the $25,000 top prize.
Reyes is set to take on fellow Asian pool legend Chao Fong-pang in Face Off Series 3 - The Grandmasters slated on Oct. 28-29 at the posh Club Capo Exclusive in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
Manila Bulletin
Labels: Efren "Bata" Reyes, Galveston Classic One Pocket, philippine news online
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Friday, September 18, 2009
HCSB dancers fete their wins abroad via 'Salute to Pinoy'
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At the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet (HCSB), the most fitting way to celebrate thanksgiving and triumph in dance is through a dance performance.
"Salute to Pinoy," a dance concert, is a celebration by and for the energetic and enthusiastic HCSB dancers. The concert will be held at the Main Theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Sept. 13, 6 p.m.
The dance concert will feature all HCSB dancers who have won a grand slam victory for the country in different international competitions. Some of these international dance competitions were in Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore; Malaysia; Korea; and Los Angeles, California, USA.
Last July 16-21, 2009, the Shirley Halili-Cruz dancers competed as the Philippine representatives in the 11th Asia-Pacific Dance Competition held in Bangkok, Thailand, besting more than 800 dancers from Australia, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Japan, India, Malaysia, Hongkong, and Indonesia.
There, the Philippines emerged as the Grand Prize Winner, garnering 12 Perpetual Trophies (awarded to competitors who garnered the highest grade in the major categories), 22 Gold Trophies, First prize winner and the Grand Champion in both Classical Ballet and Modern Contemporary Dance!
"I had been going around the world as adjudicator of different international dance competitions, but I have never seen such strength, versatility, technique, and artistry. You are truly world-class artists," said the competition judges of the HCSB dancers.
The achievements of the Halili-Cruz dancers made the international community recognize that the Philippines has a great reservoir of talents and creativity which showcase the depth of the Filipino soul. The 70 young and talented dancers proved to their counterparts that dedication, good training, and teamwork are keys to success.
The three-day event proved to be challenging to the HCSB dancers who competed against 25 dance troops in various categories.
From the successful recitals last March 29 and June 4, 2009, at the Meralco Theatre and CCP Main Theatre, the successful participation in the Dance Excellence 2009 in Los Angeles, California, last April 4-11, 2009, where they brought home four First Prizes, and in the Ansan Arts Festival in Korea last May 2-6, 2009, the teachers and students of the HCSB show how great the enthusiasm is in their ballet classes, rehearsals, and performances in different venues around the country and in international dance competitions.
This year, the school is preparing 70 students for entry into various categories of classical ballet, modern dance, neo-classical, and national.
The school's dedicated and committed artistic team is headed by artistic director Shirley Halili-Cruz and ballet teachers Grace Garalde-Perez and Anna Tuazon-Balmadrid who choreographed 59 new numbers for the 11th Asia-Pacific Dance Competition.
The HCSB delegation is composed of the following:
Professional Category: Cheka Cabreza, Lemuel Capa, Nordic Caraig, Gabby Quinto, Glenn Ragel;
Under 18 Category: Regine Magbitang, Nicole Orteza, Aira Rostrata, Misha Bernas, Rizza de Jesus, Sophia Magadia, Lindsay Lopez;
Under 15 Category: Agatha Bongosia, Princess Brillantes, Chelsea Cacho, Bei Castigador, Frances Castro, Nicole Chiong, Chi Chi Chua, Iye Cortez, Jackie del Pilar, Joyce Dizon, Mary Ann Farro, Precious Flores, Princess Flores, Raja Gavina, Jeng Guerrero, Jolina Leonardo, Alyssa Morales, Katja Palisoc, Erika Rapinan, Cheekey Reyes, Cassey Ruiz, Anna Santos, Sharmaine Valeroso, Allysa Escota
Under 12 Category: Camille Asi, Kariz Bautista, Leila Caro, Tisha Caro, Franzia Castro, Krisha Castueras, Jackie Chua, Kimberly Davies, Allison Ee, Nyssa Escarez, Rieza Escarez, Andrea Evangelista, Nica Ferrer, Ella Francia, Allyza Francisco, Ferro Lao, Kelly Lao, Pia Leido, Louisse Lopez, Summer Magsino, Gabby Paras, Nicole Paredes, .Isabelle Sarrosa, Angela Rivera, Eia Tagaban, Kahrie Tizon, Loise Tizon, Nicolei Umali, Alee Young
Under 8 Category: Nica Mendoza, Toni Noel, Yana Hermoso, Jill Feliciano, Ianne Francisco, Angela Esluzar
Labels: Halili-Cruz School of Ballet, philippine news online, Salute to Pinoy
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Mary Travers of 1960s folk anthem trio dies at 72
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Note: The trio sang at the 1986 EDSA Revolution the Bob Dylan's song "Blowin' In The Wind"
BOSTON - Mary Travers, of the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, that used beautiful, tranquil harmonies to convey the angst and turmoil of the Vietnam antiwar movement, racial discrimination and more, died after a yearslong battle with leukemia. She was 72.
The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, said Travers died Wednesday at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.
Bandmate Peter Yarrow said that in her final months, Travers handled her declining health with bravery and generosity, showing her love to friends and family "with great dignity and without restraint."
"It was, as Mary always was, honest and completely authentic," he said. "That's the way she sang, too — honestly and with complete authenticity."
Noel "Paul" Stookey, the trio's other member, praised Travers for her inspiring activism, "especially in her defense of the defenseless."
"I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career," he said.
Mary Allin Travers was born on Nov. 9, 1936, in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of journalists who moved the family to Manhattan's bohemian Greenwich Village. She quickly became enamored with folk performers like the Weavers and was soon performing with Pete Seeger, a founding member of the Weavers who lived in the same building as the Travers family.
With a group called the Song Swappers, Travers backed Seeger on one album and two shows at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared (as one of a group of folk singers) in a short-lived 1958 Broadway show called "The Next President," starring comedian Mort Sahl.
It wasn't until she met up with Yarrow and Stookey that Travers would taste success on her own. Yarrow was managed by Albert B. Grossman, who later worked in the same capacity for Bob Dylan.
In the book "Positively 4th Street" by David Hajdu, Travers recalled that Grossman's strategy was to "find a nobody that he could nurture and make famous."
The budding trio, boosted by the arrangements of Milt Okun, spent seven months rehearsing in her Greenwich Village apartment before their 1961 public debut at the Bitter End.
Their beatnik look — a tall blonde flanked by a pair of goateed guitarists — was a part of their initial appeal. As The New York Times critic Robert Shelton put it not long afterward, "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager ... who searched for months for `the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers."
The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)"
They were early champions of Dylan and performed his "Blowin' in the Wind" at the March on Washington in August 1963.
And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream.
The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind."
At one point in 1963, three of their albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs as they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement.
It was heady stuff for a trio that had formed in the early 1960s in Greenwich Village, running through simple tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
Their debut album came out in 1962, and immediately scored a pair of hits with their versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." The former won them Grammys for best folk recording and best performance by a vocal group.
"Moving" was the follow-up, including the hit tale of innocence lost, "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" — which reached No. 2 on the charts, and generated since-discounted reports that it was an ode to marijuana.
Album No. 3, "In the Wind," featured three songs by the then-22-year-old Dylan. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "Blowin' in the Wind" both reached the top 10, bringing Dylan's material to a massive audience; the latter shipped 300,000 copies during one two-week period.
"Blowin' In the Wind" became another civil rights anthem, and Peter, Paul and Mary fully embraced the cause. They marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and performed with him in Washington.
In a 1966 Times interview, Travers said the three worked well together because they respected one another. "There has to be a certain amount of love just in order for you to survive together," she said. "I think a lot of groups have gone down the tubes because they were not able to relate to one another."
With the advent of the Beatles and Dylan's switch to electric guitar, the folk boom disappeared. Travers expressed disdain for folk-rock, telling the Chicago Daily News in 1966 that "it's so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."
But the trio continued their success, scoring with the tongue-in-cheek single "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," a gentle parody of the Mamas and the Papas, in 1967 and the John Denver-penned "Leaving on a Jet Plane" two years later.
They also continued as boosters for young songwriters, recording numbers written by then-little-known Gordon Lightfoot and Laura Nyro.
In 1969, the group earned their final Grammy for "Peter, Paul and Mommy," which won for best children's album. They disbanded in 1971, launching solo careers — Travers released five albums — that never achieved the heights of their collaborations.
Over the years they enjoyed several reunions, including a performance at a 1978 anti-nuclear benefit organized by Yarrow and a 35th anniversary album, "Lifelines," with fellow folkies Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Dave Van Ronk and Seeger. A boxed set of their music was released in 2004.
They remained politically active as well, performing in 1995 on the anniversary of the Kent State shootings and performing for California strawberry pickers.
Travers had undergone a successful bone marrow transplant to treat her leukemia and was able to return to performing after that.
"It was like a miracle," Travers told The Associated Press in 2006. "I'm just feeling fabulous. What's incredible is someone has given your life back. I'm out in the garden today. This time last year I was looking out a window at a hospital." She also said she told the marrow donor "how incredibly grateful I was."
But by mid-2009, Yarrow told WTOP radio in Washington that her condition had worsened again and he thought she would no longer be able to perform.
Travers lived for many years in Redding, Connecticut She is survived by her husband, Ethan Robbins, and daughters, Alicia and Erika.
By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON - Mary Travers, of the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, that used beautiful, tranquil harmonies to convey the angst and turmoil of the Vietnam antiwar movement, racial discrimination and more, died after a yearslong battle with leukemia. She was 72.
The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, said Travers died Wednesday at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.
Bandmate Peter Yarrow said that in her final months, Travers handled her declining health with bravery and generosity, showing her love to friends and family "with great dignity and without restraint."
"It was, as Mary always was, honest and completely authentic," he said. "That's the way she sang, too — honestly and with complete authenticity."
Noel "Paul" Stookey, the trio's other member, praised Travers for her inspiring activism, "especially in her defense of the defenseless."
"I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career," he said.
Mary Allin Travers was born on Nov. 9, 1936, in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of journalists who moved the family to Manhattan's bohemian Greenwich Village. She quickly became enamored with folk performers like the Weavers and was soon performing with Pete Seeger, a founding member of the Weavers who lived in the same building as the Travers family.
With a group called the Song Swappers, Travers backed Seeger on one album and two shows at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared (as one of a group of folk singers) in a short-lived 1958 Broadway show called "The Next President," starring comedian Mort Sahl.
It wasn't until she met up with Yarrow and Stookey that Travers would taste success on her own. Yarrow was managed by Albert B. Grossman, who later worked in the same capacity for Bob Dylan.
In the book "Positively 4th Street" by David Hajdu, Travers recalled that Grossman's strategy was to "find a nobody that he could nurture and make famous."
The budding trio, boosted by the arrangements of Milt Okun, spent seven months rehearsing in her Greenwich Village apartment before their 1961 public debut at the Bitter End.
Their beatnik look — a tall blonde flanked by a pair of goateed guitarists — was a part of their initial appeal. As The New York Times critic Robert Shelton put it not long afterward, "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager ... who searched for months for `the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers."
The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)"
They were early champions of Dylan and performed his "Blowin' in the Wind" at the March on Washington in August 1963.
And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream.
The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind."
At one point in 1963, three of their albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs as they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement.
It was heady stuff for a trio that had formed in the early 1960s in Greenwich Village, running through simple tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
Their debut album came out in 1962, and immediately scored a pair of hits with their versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." The former won them Grammys for best folk recording and best performance by a vocal group.
"Moving" was the follow-up, including the hit tale of innocence lost, "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" — which reached No. 2 on the charts, and generated since-discounted reports that it was an ode to marijuana.
Album No. 3, "In the Wind," featured three songs by the then-22-year-old Dylan. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "Blowin' in the Wind" both reached the top 10, bringing Dylan's material to a massive audience; the latter shipped 300,000 copies during one two-week period.
"Blowin' In the Wind" became another civil rights anthem, and Peter, Paul and Mary fully embraced the cause. They marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and performed with him in Washington.
In a 1966 Times interview, Travers said the three worked well together because they respected one another. "There has to be a certain amount of love just in order for you to survive together," she said. "I think a lot of groups have gone down the tubes because they were not able to relate to one another."
With the advent of the Beatles and Dylan's switch to electric guitar, the folk boom disappeared. Travers expressed disdain for folk-rock, telling the Chicago Daily News in 1966 that "it's so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."
But the trio continued their success, scoring with the tongue-in-cheek single "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," a gentle parody of the Mamas and the Papas, in 1967 and the John Denver-penned "Leaving on a Jet Plane" two years later.
They also continued as boosters for young songwriters, recording numbers written by then-little-known Gordon Lightfoot and Laura Nyro.
In 1969, the group earned their final Grammy for "Peter, Paul and Mommy," which won for best children's album. They disbanded in 1971, launching solo careers — Travers released five albums — that never achieved the heights of their collaborations.
Over the years they enjoyed several reunions, including a performance at a 1978 anti-nuclear benefit organized by Yarrow and a 35th anniversary album, "Lifelines," with fellow folkies Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Dave Van Ronk and Seeger. A boxed set of their music was released in 2004.
They remained politically active as well, performing in 1995 on the anniversary of the Kent State shootings and performing for California strawberry pickers.
Travers had undergone a successful bone marrow transplant to treat her leukemia and was able to return to performing after that.
"It was like a miracle," Travers told The Associated Press in 2006. "I'm just feeling fabulous. What's incredible is someone has given your life back. I'm out in the garden today. This time last year I was looking out a window at a hospital." She also said she told the marrow donor "how incredibly grateful I was."
But by mid-2009, Yarrow told WTOP radio in Washington that her condition had worsened again and he thought she would no longer be able to perform.
Travers lived for many years in Redding, Connecticut She is survived by her husband, Ethan Robbins, and daughters, Alicia and Erika.
By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer
Labels: peter paul and mary, philippine news online
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Palace flip-flops on text tax
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In the wake of bitter protests from some consumer groups and mobile phone companies, Malacañang Friday backtracked from its earlier support for a congressional proposal to impose new taxes on text messages.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Palace will instead wait until the two houses of Congress pass the final version of the proposed five centavo tax on every text message sent from mobile phones before making any decision.
"At this point, it is premature to say that the administration is for it. We have to study carefully the final version of the bill that will be tackled by the Senate," Ermita said in a radio interview.
"For now, we cannot say if we can support it because we don't know the nuances and details of the proposed measure," he added.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman for Economic Affairs Gary Olivar pushed for a thorough study on the new tax proposal on text messages amid concerns the measure was an additional burden to low-income consumers.
Olivar, speaking to reporters in the Palace, said the lawmakers should scrutinize the measure "very carefully because we are talking about a major industry in our country" and make the necessary adjustments.
He admitted though that the administration supports the "no-pass on provision" in the proposed tax on text. "
"We are talking about a major revenue gain but would create political issues. We don't want to be wrong messages to investors from outside. We don't want to give the policy that we are soaking the rich just because they are rich," he said.
"If you are seeing objections coming from both sides of the fence, there is really room for further study and maybe some revisions are in order," he added.
Olivar said as far as he knows, the controversial measure is not among the priority administration bills pending in Congress. "Those original measures had a benefit of close study by the Department of Finance including very clear and well measured estimates of the revenue impact," he said.
In a bid to raise additional revenues for government programs, Malacañang earlier threw its support behind the proposed tax on text, which could generate as much as R36 billion every year, but with certain conditions.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez said the Palace will endorse the proposed tax on text as long as the measure was not passed on to consumers. Golez added that lawmakers should also make clear on how the tax will be implemented and ensure the proceeds are used for specific purposes such as education.
Last Wednesday, Ermita said the government will support "any measures that will help generate funds and resources for governance" amid moves in Congress to pass the new tax on text.
Early this week, the House committee on ways and means approved a proposal imposing a five-centavo tax on text, multimedia messages, and calls. The proceeds will be allocated for the education sector, particularly for skills training.
Congress is expected to debate the bill next week.
Labels: philippine news online, tax, text messages
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