How to Ride the Jeepney in the Philippines

Equality

Andrew Philip message to all the people around the world and to the Filipino people.

WOW Mali Jeep Bayaddd

Filipinos Treat Misfortune As A Joke

Here's an article by Ramon Tulfo that explains quite well why Filipinos are posing and smiling after the hostage crisis last Monday.

According to Ramon Tulfo.

The reason bloody incidents like the one at Rizal Park and tragedies such as typhoon “Ondoy” keep recurring is that Filipinos take misfortunes like a joke.

We make jokes about other people’s miseries and mistakes.

One day after the Rizal Park incident, jokes about the bumbling cops involved in the rescue started circulating.

The acronym SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) had taken on different meanings:

Sorry We Aren’t Trained.

Sugod, Wait, Atras, Tago (Attack, Wait, Retreat, Hide)

Sana Wag Ako Tamaan (Hope I don’t get hit)

Sobrang Wala Akong Training (I’m very much ill-trained)

Here’s a wry comment from a friend about the incident: “The Luneta massacre shows that our policemen are trained for HOSTESS-TAKING, not hostage-taking,” an obvious reference to cops who raid sleazy bars and force bar girls to have sex with them.

The Manila Police District was once known as “Manila’s Finest.”

According to the current joke, it is now the “Philippines’ Worst.”"

I think it speaks more about the nature of the Filipino than being insensitive about the situation. That's why it is said that the Filipinos are always happy. Even in a tragic situation, they can manage to smile.

To be honest, I have a feeling that "depression" doesn't even exist in the Philippines. People may say they're depressed, but the next day, they're happy and smiling. Which is why for the longest time, I could never understand why there was an illness called depression on American TV because I've never seen it in the Philippines.

It's in the nature of the Filipinos to treat everything as a joke. Why? Perhaps it's an outlet so as not to add to their misery. Perhaps it is the Catholic teaching that God will provide. Maybe we've just been desensitized about events like these that we hardly feel any misery in tragic situations. I don't know, but I've seen so much blood and death on Philippine TV news that it doesn't freak me out anymore.

Just try to watch TV Patrol or GMA News, they actually show the victim's bodies and blood. You hardly see that in foreign news channels like CNN. If you see blood and gore regularly, it's no wonder the people there see the bus massacre as a photo event instead of shock and sadness.

As a Filipino, I am sad and embarrassed by what those cops and students did having a photo op after the incident. It was insensitive and inappropriate. But can you really blame them?

Case in point, here are some photos of Typhoon Ondoy's victims.
Judging by the photos, it doesn't seem like it was such a miserable situation to have lost your home and belongings in a flood doesn't it?

Sino Ako?

The Philippine Bus and Miss Universe

Here's an interesting article from The Huffington Post about the Philippines.


This week two noteworthy events involving the Philippines made headlines: the botched rescue of Chinese tourists taken hostage by a disgruntled former policeman, and a botched response to a question by Miss Philippines in the finals for the Miss Universe contest. You might ask, what do these two things have in common? Separately, not much, but taken together, they represent both the peril and promise of the Philippines today.

For many years pundits have commented that the Philippines appears to be heading backwards economically and politically, while many parts of Asia barrel toward middle income status and have maturing democracies. Yes, other countries have disputed elections, other countries' leaders do questionable things, and other developing countries struggle to achieve sustainable economic growth. And, yes, there are recent examples of fresh political turmoil and economic hardship not only in Asia, but throughout the world.

Read the full article here.

How To Mend A Broken Relationship

I am deeply saddened by what happened on Monday with the hostage crisis. It was a tragic event that did not have to happen. It could have been easily prevented had the people in charged been more careful and did their homework.

The Philippines now has a black eye caused by the incident and the international community has pretty much condemned the country for its tragic mistake. It's not just one, but several tragic mistakes.

The first one being President Noynoy Aquino being incommunicado during all of this. Hong Kong Administrator Donald Tsang tried to contact President Noynoy Aquino but was unable to reach him. Hong Kong residents and officials are mad because of Manila's failure to update them of the situation as it was happening.

Where was the President during all of this? According to reports, he was in the Palace administering the oath of office to the sister of one of his most powerful backers, the sister of Gabby Lopez of ABS-CBN. He only did a pre-dawn press briefing a day after the whole crisis began.

One may think a situation like this doesn't merit the time of the President, but when foreigners are involved, you better be damn sure that someone high up is in direct line with the foreign country's officials to keep them appraised of the situation.

I do not expect President Noynoy Aquino to be personally involved in the situation, but the least he could have done is set up a press conference or talk to the Hong Kong officials that he has assigned his top man for the job.

The second problem is the lack of control by the police to bystanders and to media. In most hostage crisis situations around the world, the media are usually kept far away to as not to telegraph the moves of the police to the hostage taker. If the police did their homework, they should have known that the bus has a radio or a TV in it. It's common knowledge that most buses in the Philippines are now equipped with TV sets. Of course the hostage taker can see what was happening around him.

The police should have cordoned off a wide path and put up tarps to block the views to the bus. You can see from all the videos on the Internet that the photos and video taken during the rescue attempt were close enough to be seen in details by the hostage taker.

You cannot have the media around you all the time. How can you think properly if you are surrounded by reporters asking you questions all the time and letting them hear your plans? You can't keep blaming the media that they should police themselves and not air your plans. Of course they will air the plans! All they are after is getting the scoop and the ratings, they don't care about impropriety. The Philippine media is notorious of that.

Those in command should be in a secluded spot where no one can hear them and do the press briefing after the incident is over. If the media won't control themselves, then the police should exert their authority and control them. They don't have to resort to police brutality, just put up tarps or a news blackout. Have one person be a spokesperson to keep the media informed as needed. Not a play by play.

Third, the lack of training and equipment clearly shows in the video of the rescue. I'm not going to do a point by point error by the police as this has already been pointed out by the BBC.

The fourth mistake was not even having the proper rescue personnel to take care of the remaining hostages. You can see some civilians actually helping pull out the survivors and reporters and other civilians crowding around the bus after Rolando Mendoza was killed.

Where's the crowd control? Where's the medic? No wonder Hong Kong officials immediately chartered planes from Cathay Pacific to get the victims back home right away. They didn't want them to suffer any more than necessary.

We could have stopped with these four mistakes and gotten back to mending our image in the international community. But no, I found out later that more WTF moments happened after it was over.

Case in point.
Now don't tell me I'm making thing worst by showing these. I only found out about this on the Internet. After an incident like this, proper protocol is to cover it up for investigation and not allow anyone near it let alone take pictures of the bus.

I can forgive the students, but the police officers? These photos are all over the Internet with Chinese people getting angry commenting on these photos. I don't read Chinese, so how do I know they're angry? When you see a lot of exclamation points in their comments, I bet you they're not saying something nice.

We have to start fixing the situation and re-establish our broken relationship with Hong Kong and China. How we deal with this in the next few months is going to affect the lives of a lot of overseas Filipinos.

It's too bad that an incident like this has suddenly put a black eye in the progress we've been seeing in the last few months since President Aquino took over. The stock market is going up, investors are optimistic, the people are enthusiastic and then bam! One bungled event, shown around the world might suddenly stop everything that the country is trying to rebuild. And this all started with a lack of leadership from the President. A first test of his leadership which in my opinion he failed miserably.

So how do we mend our broken relationship? First, the Philippines has to make a formal and sincere apology to Hong Kong. Cooperate with them and do a thorough investigation and don't do any cover up. If it happens that some of the victims were shot by the police and not Rolando Mendoza, admit it and make amends. Don't make it worst by covering it up, because the truth will come out sooner or later.

Establish new protocols for handling situations like these. These things happens all the time in the Philippines, but proper protocols have never been established or enforced.

President Aquino must show more leadership, he cannot be unavailable in crisis situations like these. He must be front and center. He may not want to be in the media all the time, but as President, certain situations require you to be front and center.

Lastly, please appoint someone as spokesperson for the police. We cannot have an official saying something like this:

"Philippine police defended their action but promised to review all events leading to the deaths. “Of course what happened was far from ideal. Nevertheless, we are congratulating our personnel because despite the lack of equipment ... they risked life and limb,” he stressed."

What's there to congratulate? The mission failed. If you are going to congratulate them, don't do it in public. I understand where the police official is coming from and I admire the courage of the officers who stormed the bus despite their lack of equipments. But it just doesn't sound right and it sounds more like arrogance on the part of the police. A little humility goes a long way.

Also teach proper etiquette to all policemen. Please please please don't make a tragic event into a photo opportunity. It shows a lack of respect for the victims. But as I said before, this probably comes more from the Filipinos getting numb from crimes like this more than their lack of etiquette.

I'm sure they are not trying to be disrespectful, it's more like they've gotten so used to these events which happens pretty much every day that they just start seeing it as an attraction instead of a tragedy. It's also the Filipino's nature to still smile even if a tragic event happens. How else can you explain people smiling even though their homes have been burned down or the flood victims of Typhoon Ondoy still smiling even after they lost everything? We as Filipinos understand our nature, but the international community certainly doesn't. They see it as disrespect to their fellowmen.

Only time will heal this wound and I hope the Philippines will learn from this mistake and rebuild our standing in the international community.

Another Fail!

Etong mga taong eto parang walang pinag-aralan. Show some decency naman.


But can you really blame them? It shows how insensitive Filipinos have become. They've gotten so used to all these violence and stupid things that's been happening in the country that tragedies like these have become like tourist attractions to them.

I really hope their parents and teachers teaches them to be a little more considerate.

Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong

Here's a summary of what went wrong from BBC News.

====================

A security analyst who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, Charles Shoebridge, says the officers involved in Manila's bus siege showed great courage - but they were not properly trained or equipped for the task.

Here are 10 areas where, in his view, they could have done better.

1. Determination

Philippine police end Manila bus hijack
The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They showed great courage to go on board. It's very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it's not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."

====================

Read the full analysis at BBC News.

Philippine Police Fail!

These policemen just have no sense of propriety. Epic Fail!


Pano ka nga ba hindi mapipikon sa mga pulis na eto?

Smart rubber promises self-mending products

Hostage Taker Shot by Chinese Police Woman

This lone police woman has more balls than the whole Philippine SWAT team that tried to rescue the hostages.

Another Police Booboo

I got this e-mail accounting the personal observations of a friend regarding the botched rescue attempt of the hostages in Manila on August 23, 2010.

====================

Personal observations on Mendoza’s hostage taking


It is very disturbing to see how inept our police forces have remained in handling hostage situations.

To wit:

· Failure to control the crowd and media. Media was unwittingly telegraphing the PNP plans and positions over TV and radio. Rolando Mendoza apparently was able to listen to radio broadcasts.

· The police was ill-equipped with gas masks and comfortable assault uniforms and not office attires. Can you imagine executing assault moves in office uniforms?

· It is very important that the hostage taker be kept calm so he will decide on drastic steps not out of panic but clear thinking. The hostage takers must have panicked hearing over the radio the rough handling of his brother by the police who decided to arrest him for obstruction of justice.

· The police should have asked the help of his past superiors (as part of the negotiating team) who may have residual respect of the suspect having worked together in the past. They also may have an idea of the strength and weaknesses of his person and character which can be exploited for negotiation.

They should have been able to penetrate the Plexiglas windows of the bus fast knowing the character of Plexiglas and having the right equipment to break past them.

· The tentative behaviour of the assault team revealed their lack of courage and lack of training. We have been witness to live field demonstration of bus assaults during PNP anniversaries and see how penetration of the bus is done with team members being lifted to an assault teammember’s shoulders to get a clear view and shot of the inside of the bus. This was not employed.

· The assault teams cowered in fear as if at a loss on what to do next.

The assault members apparently were not individually equipped with communication radios.

· Even bystanders were seen assisting in bringing victims to the emergency rooms. Apparently the emergency recovery team were not adequately organized.

What aggravated the situation was the fact the world was witness how we bungled the hostage situation.

When can we have an adequately trained and equipped police force? Gas masks lang, wala pa!

Just an opinion.

Full Account of 2010 Manila Hostage Crisis - Wikipedia

Here is the full entry of the 2010 Manila hostage crisis as posted in Wikipedia.

====================
The 2010 Manila hostage crisis occurred on August 23, 2010, in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines, when a dismissed police officer from the Manila Police District, former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza (10 January 1955 - 23 August 2010),[3] took 25 people hostage[4] aboard a bus.

By the evening, the police assaulted the bus after gunshots were heard, eventually leading to the shooting and subsequent death of Mendoza. Eight Chinese nationals from Hong Kong died in the incident.
====================

Read the full entry here.

DFA mum on Aquino’s snub of Hong Kong chief’s calls

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

====================

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs is keeping quiet on the diplomatic blunder that President Benigno Aquino III may have made for being inaccessible to Hong Kong officials at the height of and immediately after the hostage crisis Monday.

DFA spokesman Ed Malaya only referred to the DFA statement expressing the country’s and the President’s “deepest condolences to the government and people of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the People’s Republic of China, especially the families and relatives of the eight Hong Kong Chinese nationals who perished during a hostage-taking incident” in Manila.

In a press conference Monday night, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang expressed disappointment over the aftermath of the crisis. He also said he had been unable to reach Aquino.

Under such circumstances and as part of protocol, the chief executive of the host country takes the initiative to get in touch with his counterpart.

Tsang said Filipino authorities must provide full account of the deadly incident to the Hong Kong government.
====================

Full story at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Philippine SWAT Training

Star Wars - A Light in the Darkness

Amazing fan made film.

A Light in the Darkness - Part One from A Light in the Darkness on Vimeo.

Philippine SWAT Storm Bus With Hostages In Manila

Here's the footage of the storming of the bus with hostages in Manila on August 23, 2010.

There were 25 hostages and 7 people were killed, 5 were injured and taken to the hospital and 9 were released by the hostage taker Rolando Mendoza.

Because of this incident, Hong Kong has issued a travel ban to the Philippines.

One of my co-workers who's from Hong Kong said, "My people were killed! How can you live in a country were the peace keepers cannot keep the peace? The police were inept and doesn't even seem to know what they were doing. I wouldn't want to go there."

If you look at the footage, you can see that the Philippine SWAT team really looks disorganized. Here's what some of my friends called the SWAT. SWAT = Sorry Wala Akong Training / Sorry We Aren't Trained / Sulong, Wait, Atras, Tago LOL.

What a damn shame, goodbye tourism!

Here's another video of the hostage crisis from AP.


Here are some photos I found online of the situation.

Photo copyright from their respected owners.

Here are more photos from Google Image Search.

Hostage-taker killed as crisis ends

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

===================

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 6) It’s over. The hostage crisis that gripped the world for at least 10 hours Monday ended with at least three people killed, including the hostage-taker, and 17 survivors, according to reports culled by INQUIRER.net.

The body of dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza was recovered inside the tourist bus that he took over in Manila about 9 a.m. He was taken to Ospital ng Maynila. Also taken to the same hospital were seven of the hostages, five of who are alive and two dead.

Five – one in critical condition and one dead – are at the Manila Doctors’ Hospital while one confirmed dead is at San Juan De Dios.

Mendoza who was charged with drug-related offenses, took over the bus with 22 Chinese nationals and three Filipinos and demanded his reinstatement into the force.

Aside from Mendoza, two of the hostages were also killed although Metro Manila Police Director Leocadio Santiago in an interview with CNN refused to confirm this.

Santiago said there were 17 survivors – nine having been released by Mendoza earlier on Monday and eight walking off after the police had secured the bus.

Reporters at the scene saw five hostages come out alive, one was unconscious and three were dead, including Mendoza.

In a separate press interview, Superintendent Nelson Yabut who was part of the 30-man assault team said they were initially unable to enter the bus because Mendoza had the hostages lined-up and leaning on the bus windows.

“He [Mendoza] used them as a shield,” Yabut told reporters. He added that they also had to pull back during the downpour.

Yabut said Mendoza was standing at the back of the bus and ran towards the front after seeing members if the assault team trying to enter through the rear.

“Parang tatakas [It looked like he was attempting to escape],” Yabut added.

A sniper opened fire at Mendoza who was hit on the right temple, Yabut said.

Before this, Yabut said Mendoza also fired back at the assault team and hit a policeman on the head although he survived the attack.
===================

Full story at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

VP Of Citibank Binondo Branch Disappeard With Millions - Wanted Francis Bryan Ang

More news about Francis Bryan Ang who stole more than P100M from Citibank Binondo.

While the news says he stole around P100M. I heard from the grapevine that he stole somewhere between P600M to P1B as in Billion.

This guy has been in the bank a long time and is one of the top producer in the bank when he started. How do I know? You don't become VP if you're not a top producer. I'm just surprised that nobody found out about this until now.

Citibank exec goes missing; millions stolen

From ABS-CBN News.

====================
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - A private banking officer of Citibank's Binondo branch has gone missing after allegedly carting away hundreds of millions of his clients' money.

Francis Bryan Ang is the former assistant vice-president of the bank's Citigold Wealth Management group, which is aimed at high-value clients with bank deposits of no less than P4 million. Most of Citigold's customers are wealthy Chinese-Filipinos.

A note on the Citibank website states that Citigold clients enjoy various privileges including premium information and assistance from a dedicated wealth management team that will manage their accounts.

ABS-CBN News, however, learned that Ang embezzled more than P100 million of his clients' money.

One Citigold client lost P10 million from his time deposit after Ang forged his signature. An affidavit signed by Citibank's lawyer showed that Ang changed the client's address so that bank statements would not reach the account owner.

Citibank officials said Ang promised much higher interest for time deposits than what was offered by the bank. He also gave higher referral fees to clients than the standard referral fees approved by Citibank.

Bank sources said Ang maintained an extravagant lifestyle and would often sport pricey watches every week. A bank document showed that Ang used one client's account to pay off Lucerne, a store that sells expensive watches.

Ang, 36, is the eldest son of Manila Councilor Bernie Ang. He finished high school at Xavier School in 1992, and graduated with a BS Economics degree at University of the Philippines-Diliman.

ABS-CBN contacted Ang's father who said he has not seen his son for the past 2 weeks. He denied any knowledge about his son's activities.

Ang was scheduled to marry his girlfriend, who comes from a prominent businessman's family in Valenzuela, this November. A source from the Chinese community, however, said the bank official also victimized his fiancée.

The girl's father, however, has denied this. He added that they can no longer do anything after Ang went missing.

Several of Ang's former clients refused to speak on camera until Citibank has refunded their money.

Citibank management said it has identified a small number of Ang's clients who are holding fake time deposit certificates.

"We have identified a small number of clients who are impacted. We are reviewing these accounts and our priority is to work closely with these clients to ensure a satisfactory outcome," it said in a statement.

The bank said it has already fired Ang and filed criminal and civil cases against him.

"We are investigating certain questionable transactions initiated by an employee whose employment has since been terminated. We have filed criminal and civil cases against him, supported by his own admissions and very strong documentary evidence," the bank said.

It added: "We are working closely with the relevant authorities who are assisting us in this matter. Although the investigation is still ongoing, we believe this is an isolated case, and we are taking all necessary measures to protect our clients."

In response to ABS-CBN News' report, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla, Jr. said: "The matter has been reported to us and the bank is continuing its investigation. We are satisfied the matter is being handled properly." -- report from Ces Drilon, ABS-CBN News
====================

I'm guessing this has been happening for years. I find it interesting that there's no audit done in the bank to catch such transactions. If there was an audit, how come they didn't notice that their client's moneys were missing? How did he take the money out? Where did he transfer it to? It can't be all in cash.

Mangyan Weds American

Love know no bounds.

Simon's Cat

Saw these animations on Youtube. They're great to watch!

Blind Date With Beautiful Girl

Inside a Russian Billionaire's $300 Million Yacht

Must be nice to have some money to throw around for toys.

Ay Basta, Bahala ka!

Mrs. Tanoy is very kuripot. When her husband died, she inquired with the newspaper, asking the price for the obituary.

The ad taker replied: P300 pesos for 5 words.

She said: Pwede ba 2 words lang? "Tanoy dead"

Ad taker: No mam. 5 words is the minimum.

After thinking for a while, Mrs. Tanoy said: 'Ok, para sulit, ilagay mo : 'TANOY DEAD, TOYOTA FOR SALE '

---------------------

Boy: Nay may ulam ba?

Nanay: Tignan mo na lang dyan sa ref, anak.

Boy: Eh nay, wala naman tayong ref, di ba?

Nanay: O, e di wala tayong ulam. Konting common sense naman dyan!

---------------------

Caloy: Tay, di ba sabi nyo bibigyan nyo ko ng P100 pag pumasa ako sa Math?

Tatay: Oo. Bakit, pumasa ka ba?

Caloy: Gud news, tay! Di ka na gagastos ng P100.

---------------------

Man at 33 quits smoking. Will Power;

At 43, quits drinking. Will Power;

At 53, quits gambling. Will Power;

At 63, quits having sex. Power Failure.

---------------------

Kano (trying to speak Tagalog): Meg-kanow isang kilow mang-gow?

Tindero: One way.

Kano : Meg-kanow?

Tindero: I sed ONE WAY.

Kano : Aynowng ibig sabeyhin ng one way?

Tindero: Isang daan. Understang?!

---------------------

Erap: Kalokohan! Di ako naniniwala! Walang taong ganun kataba!

Loi: San ang balitang yan?

Erap: Dito sa dyaryo. Sabi; 'British tourist lost 2000 pounds.'

---------------------

MMDA (with pen and ticket to a traffic violator):

Name?

Foreigner Driver: Wilhelm Von Corgrinski Papakovitz.

MMDA: Ahhh okay...(sabay tago ticket)...Next time be careful, ok?

---------------------

BF: Sunduin kita mamaya ha. Bubusina nalang ako pag nasa harap nako ng
bahay nyo.

GF: Cge. Anong sasakyan ang dala mo?

BF: Wala. Busina lang...

---------------------

Nag-aapply si Tomas na security guard...

Interviewer: Ang kailangan namin ay taong laging may suspicious mind, highly alert, insistent personality, strong sense of hearing with a killer instinct. Sa tingin mo ba qualified ka?

Tomas: Sa palagay ko po hindi. Pwede po bang yun misis ko nalang ang mag-apply?

---------------------

Always remember, when SHE cancels a date, she HAS TO.

But....when HE cancels a date......

he HAS TWO.

---------------------

Junior: Nay, bibili ako ng HIGH CAKE.

Nanay: Hindi high cake, anak. HOT CAKE yun.

Junior: Ok nay, watever. Pahingi nalang ng barya.

Nanay: Sige, kumuha ka nalang dyan sa SOLDIER BAG ko.

---------------------

Pasyente ... magkano ang facelift?

Doktora ... complete treatment ay P145,000

Pasyente ... mahal!!! ano bang pinakamurang treatment para
magmukha akong bata?

Doktora ... heto tsupon, P20 lang!!

------------ ---------

ORDER

Customer ... waiter! bakit ang tagal ng order ko? ilan ang cook
nyo dito?

Waiter ... ay, sir, wala pu kame cuk dito...pipse lang po!!

------------ --------- -------

PROBLEMA NGA

Pasyente ... Doc, may problema ako...tuwing alas otso ng umaga dumudumi ako...

Doktor ... so, anong problema doon?

Pasyente ... Eh alas nuwebe po ako nagigising.

------------ --------- --------


PINTURA

Erap ... Honey, nagpintura ako ng banyo.

Loi ... Bakit dalawa ang suot mong jacket, ang init, init !!!

Erap ... Sabi kasi sa label, for best results put on 2 coats.

------------ --------- -

MANNY PAKYAW

Reporter ... Manny, anong bill ang gagawin mo kapag congressman ka na?

Manny ... Ano'ng bill? yung tomotonog pagkatapos ng bawa't
round sa bukseng?

---------------------

HOLDAP

Lola ... Amang, wala akong pera!

Holdaper ... Alam ko kung asan ang pera mo...[sabay pasok ng kamay sa bra ni Lola]

Lola ... Ituloy mo iho, may dollars pa sa ibaba!!

Justin Long - iPhone Chat On Jimmy Kimmel

Apple - iPad - iPad is Delicious

Notice anything about the Apple iPad commercial? No mention of specs, just what it can do for you. That's what advertising should be.

Armless Pianist Liu Wei

For those people who complain life is hard, nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

How to Sharpen and Reuse Your Razor Blades for Years

Interesting concept, I wonder if it's true.

Fridge Locker Stops Refrig-A-Raiders - With Anthony Sullivan

This is hilarious. The things people buy...

Diamond Tipped Razor Balde Slicing Human Hair

That is just amazing.

Why the secrecy in the printing of new currency?

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

======================

VERY FEW people are aware of it, but we are going to have a new set of peso bills very, very soon. We may be giving our godchildren the new bills as gifts this Christmas. The present set of paper Philippine currency will be phased out. New coins will be issued later.

The question is, why is the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) doing this secretly and hastily? The nation is totally unaware of what will happen to their money or how the new money will look like. Malacañang, Congress and the Supreme Court did not know anything about it beforehand. The BSP claims that it is an independent entity and can do anything it wants. In other words, it is the fourth branch of government, a co-equal of the executive, legislative and judicial branches. To get a favorable reaction from President Aquino, the images of his parents, Ninoy and President Cory, will be in the P500 note. But no one, except insiders and a privileged few, have seen the designs.

The new banknotes will be printed by several European printers led by the British company De La Rue although we have a Security Printing Plant that cost the Filipino taxpayers billions of pesos.

The BSP’s ostensible reason for completely changing the nation’s currency—dubbed as the New Generation Currency Project—is “to guard against counterfeiters by making it very difficult and costly for counterfeiters to produce exact copies of our money.” It will do this by upgrading the security features in all our peso bills “to make it easier for the public to detect fake money.” It said it will educate the public “on how to tell genuine banknotes from counterfeits.”

The financial and business community is mystified by the project for several reasons:

1. The reason given by the BSP for the project is to make the country’s currency “counterfeit-proof.” But the present peso bills are not being counterfeited, or facing a “clear and present danger” of being sabotaged by counterfeiters. The BSP has not offered any proof, or even claim, that our currency is being counterfeited. We had a counterfeit president, a counterfeit senator and many counterfeit congressmen, but not many counterfeit peso bills. Financial experts say the Philippine peso is not likely to be targeted by serious counterfeiters because it is not widely used and the volume is small. Counterfeiters will focus their talents, energies and resources on the US dollar, the euro and other heavyweight currencies because the criminal returns there are huge.

======================

Read the rest of the article at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Mukha Ng Pera- The Youth

10 year old learns 720's

Amazing kid.

Speaking of... Batman, with Michael Uslan

Cyan Banister interviews Michael Uslan, Executive Producer of the Batman movie series, about his efforts to bring a dark, serious Batman to the big screen

Here are some details about Michael Uslan from Wikipedia.

"Uslan is best known as a key producer (another being Benjamin Melniker) of all of the modern Batman films to date, starting with Tim Burton's 1989 film, and continuing to 2008's The Dark Knight and also includes various feature-length films based on the Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman. Uslan envisioned a dark Batman, not the sort of Batman that came from the "funny books," as reflected in the 1960s TV series starring Adam West."

Revillame scraps ABS-CBN contract

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

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MANILA, Philippines—Willie Revillame wants out. ABS-CBN says, “No way.”

The controversial TV host Monday said in a press conference that he was rescinding his contract with the network, on account of the shabby treatment it was giving him.

Revillame complained of what he believed were continued violations of the terms of his contract with the Kapamilya station. The TV host is bound by a contract until September 2011 to the Lopez-owned network.

ABS-CBN gave Revillame his biggest break through the daily noontime game show, “Wowowee,” which was recently canceled after more than five years.

In a statement released shortly after Revillame’s press conference in a Quezon City restaurant, the network insisted that it was the TV host who violated “behavioral provisions” of the contract when he threatened management during the May 4 episode of “Wowowee.”

Threat to resign

On that show, Revillame demanded the dismissal of another network talent, radio host Jobert Sucaldito, for criticizing “Wowowee.” Otherwise, Revillame said, he would resign.

The network said this behavior was “generally seen as a display of disrespect and arrogance… unacceptable to the Filipino public.”

“As the one who violated the contract,” the statement noted, “Willie has no right to have it unilaterally invalidated.”

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This guy is the most saddest sack ever. How many times has he been given a chance only to blow it. You would think that for someone who came from humble beginnings to the top of the entertainment industry would have become more mature from all his missteps in the past.

Who else commands a P1 million per episode salary in the industry today? Which entertainer has his own private jet? That's right, nobody but Willie Revillame. But he's not satisfied with that, no, he thinks he's untouchable. But always remember this, no employee is untouchable. In the end, he may make a lot of money, but he's still an employee of ABS-CBN and they have the final say on whether to fire or keep him.

Too bad he's never learned from his mistakes. Money didn't make him smarter, it just magnified his arrogance.

A Short Essay About The Philippines

Got this from an e-mail and just wanted to share it with everyone.

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In light of the concluding elections, I would just like to share this inspiring piece --not by a Filipino -- but a Korean: practically an alien in the Philippines.

My Short Essay about the Philippines
by Jaeyoun Kim


Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because the entire country was destroyed completely after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans diedof famine. My father's brother also died because of famine. Korean government was awfully corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to
Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through a horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw President Park . They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So,President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help develop the country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in a well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for a Catholic church when I was in the army.The only thing I learned from the Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighbor. And I have loved my neighbor. Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for the Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they
would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighbor. The owners of factories and companies distributed their profits to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and save money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith.I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation.They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pagsanjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would be fun. However, they were not happy after taking the boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they sympathized with the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for a Catholic church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves,we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are the same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighbor and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from the person. Love must start in everybody in a small scale and have to grow.

A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with new eyes. I discover that every person is worthy to beloved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships.It changes the world. Please love your neighbor and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others, we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighbor and country. You already know that God also will be
very happy if you love others.

That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.


"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." -Anatole France

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I hope we can learn from this man to love our country and to do our best for our country. We are going to leave this country to our children. Hindi na bale na naghirap tayo, basta may mabuting kinabukasan ang mga anak natin, diba?

Please pass this on as much as you can, in words and in deeds.

simplyceecee.multiply.com
You're only as tall
As your heart will let you be
And your only as small
As the world will make you seem
And when the going gets rough
And you feel like you may fall
Just look on the bright side
You're roughly six feet tall
--Never Shout Never
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Häagen-Dazs' "No. 596" Summer Love Commercial

Cute commercial.

News Reporter Got High While Reporting On Burning Weed

UST Singers Win Choir of the World 2010

The University of Santo Tomas Choir won the Choir of the World competition in UK as well as 14 other 1st place wins in several other European contest. They last won the contest in 1995 and has the distinction of being thea the only group to have won the contest twice.

Here's a sample of one of their performances. You can find more on Youtube.