The D Spot

How fast time flies! Our youngest, Alan, Jr. is now 14 years old!

Who would ever think that this boy (who used to be my little boy) would grow up to be a fine young man despite the fact that during his first 10 years I was practically half-away from home traveling? It was only during the last 4 years after retirement that I got to see him day in and day out.

Who would ever think that even at a very young age, he has become independent? Is it because he has 6 other siblings to compete attention with? I don’t know, but as the youngest, his siblings (and even I) have assumed that we …

Continue reading "Happy 14th Birthday Alan, Jr.!" »

With the rest of the Filipino people, I wish to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were lost in the hostage situation at the Quirino Grandstand. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs has conveyed our deep feelings of sorrow to the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China and the people of Hong Kong through Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang. I have tasked Secretaries Soliman and Lim to provide everything necessary for the recovery and return home of the survivors. I have directed the fullest cooperation with the Hong Kong authorities on the part of our officials.

From the onset of this incident, the hostage-taker seemed to not be belligerent, as shown by the release of hostages. These were encouraging signs.

We were going to wait him out. The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert.

Continue reading "President Aquino’s Statement on the Quirino Grandstand Hostage Taking Incident" »

The 10-hour drama unfolded right before our very eyes, and it was caught by international media. Again, we are in the center of the world, not for the good things we have done, but for another FIASCO! There were too many in the past to remember, the most brutal of which was the Maguindanao Massacre. Our country is again the center of the world’s attention.

In the beginning I thought I was particularly desensitized from everything (though I literally puked days before at the video of the torture victim that was again and again and again shown on TV) until the hostage crisis happened and ended with really heartbreaking and tragic results. The hostage is over–with 4 hostages dead plus dead the hostage taker Rolando Mendoza himself (as of this writing).  Earlier, 9 hostages were released while the driver escaped. This was the policeman’s desperate act of asking for his position back. There were negotiations, I guess, and there were several armed men in the scene–SWAT, SOCO, policemen and what have we, including the media and the uzis.

Continue reading "A FIASCO–10-hour hostage taking drama in Manila for the world to see" »

The Big Dome was filled to capacity, bursting to the seams, with about 16,000 spectators. In a sea of blue in one side and green in another, the Ateneo Blue Eagles saw to it that this time (their 2nd encounter for the season) the La Salle Green Archers would not beat them. The Green Archers beat them during the last encounter in Round One (DLSU-66/ADMU-63) last July 24. Ateneo wanted revenge while La Salle wanted a repeat of their win.

The Blue Eagles’ win was obvious even in Q1 (excepT for DLSU’s 5-point lead at the start of the game), with a lead by as much as 20 points. By the end of Q2, the score was 39-21, an 18-point lead by the Blue Eagles. At the start of Q3 however, the Green Archers showed improvement by scoring one after the other, bringing Ateneo’s lead down to 14, but they had one wrong step after another and missed shots. The Blue Eagles lead by as much as 26 points in Q3. At the end of Q3, score was 61 ADMU/40 DLSU.

Continue reading "UAAP Season 73: Ateneo Blue Eagles Beat La Salle Green Archers (74-57)" »

The Ms. Universe Pageant 2010 will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on August 23 (August 24 in the Philippines). You can catch it live on August 24, 9:30 am at Channel 2, and primetime (7:30 pm) at Studio 23 and Velvet.

Here’s a post that I wrote for The Philippine Chronicles on 23 August 2009.

In the world and the universe as we know it, there will always be conflict, in matters regarding politics and government, economy, the peace situation, the environment, and the list goes on. But when it comes to appreciating the beauty of women, the entirety of human civilization is one.

Continue reading "Venus and the Universe" »

Modern communication has provided us a lot of benefits in the past few years. It has made connections so instantaneous that it is impossible not to contact anyone, anywhere in the world. Modern communication has also made the world relatively smaller as information and communication can be exchanged at the press of a button making travel unnecessary.

One beneficiary of this massive improvement of communication is the academe. Many schools now offer online lessons and you can even earn a degree without leaving the confines of your home.  All you will need is a computer and Internet access.

Knowledge and learning isn’t about location but opportunity as the saying goes, and this is particularly true for online learning as millions of students …

Continue reading "Online Learning–What are its benefits?" »

Now that it’s out–Partylist group GABRIELA has recently re-filed the Divorce Bill, it is time for us Filipinos to make a STAND!

Are you FOR divorce or are you NOT?

I have written about the bill being re-filed in Blogwatch.ph. Do take a look at it. There are more of this kind all over the net. Lets face it–IT has been an issue for a long time.

Voice out your opinion and make an informed decision.

If you feel that this measure is important to you, show your support for it. In the same manner, if you are against it, then voice your opinion. This is why we are a democracy. However, before shooting down the bill, educate yourself about the contents and merits of the bill. Think about the benefits and consequences carefully. Think about how you, someone you know, or even how your own children will be affected by the bill if it becomes law.

Continue reading "DIVORCE BILL: Are you FOR divorce or are you NOT?" »

Partylist group GABRIELA has recently re-filed the Divorce Bill. According to the group, there is a need for a law like this to be passed to provide married couples with options if their relationship cannot be salvaged.

The procedure to file for divorce will be the same as filing a civil case. There must be a petition for divorce, and the petitioner must be able to prove the grounds for divorce. There will be a trial before a judgment is rendered.

Divorce vs Annulment

The divorce bill is different from the annulment law. In a divorce, a couple acknowledges that they are legally and married validly, except that some extenuating circumstances compel them to go their separate ways. Grounds can be abandonment and irreconcilable differences. For an annulment to be granted, it must be proven that the marriage was conceptually problematic to begin with, which makes the marriage invalid in the first place. In our country, the main basis for an annulment to be granted is the psychological incapacity of one or both parties in the marriage.

Continue reading "The re-filed divorce bill" »

In the recent months, the entertainment world has been rocked by the suspension of Willie Revillame from his ABS-CBN ratings juggernaut Wowowee. The show has already been replaced by the Kris Aquino headliner Pilipinas Win na Win. The new show isn’t getting the same warm welcome that its predecessor got, probably because it doesn’t have the charm and earnestness of Willie.

Recently, Revillame held a presscon and declared that he is ending his contract with ABS-CBN, more than a year early that it is due to expire. For those of you who have lived under a rock or simply haven’t cared, this whole bruhaha started because Willie made some sort of comment threatening to walk out of his show if his network executives don’t fire and put a stop to Jobert Sucaldito bad mouthing Willie on his radio show, which is also owned by the network.

Talk about power of the press! A few on air comments and it resulted in the suspension of the host and ultimate cancellation of one of the most successful shows on daytime television.

Continue reading "Who cares about Willie Revillame? And about P-Noy anyway?" »

Games Schedule (Round 2)
Aug 12: Araneta Coliseum
2:00 pm UST 65 – 75 UE
4:00 pm FEU 63 – 64 AdU

Aug 14: Araneta Coliseum
2:00 pm ADMU vs UP
4:00 pm DLSU vs NU

Aug 15: Philsports Arena
2:00 pm FEU vs UE
4:00 pm AdU vs UST

Aug 19: Araneta Coliseum
2:00 pm UP vs DLSU
4:00 pm ADMU vs NU

Aug 21: Philsports Arena
2:00 pm UE vs AdU
4:00 pm UST vs FEU

Continue reading "UAAP Season 73: Round 2 Schedule for Men’s Basketball" »

As it is in the past years, the UPCAT will take place on Saturday (7 August) and Sunday (8 August). The UPCAT Tips I have given in my 1 August post still hold true (at least most of them). Though there is not much that you can do now, after reviewing and preparing for hthe last few months, take a look at the tips, you might get one or two pointers that you might have missed.

AT LEAST ONE DAY BEFORE UPCAT DAY:
(1) Know where your building is located (maybe, even go there for an inspection, and plan how to go there and be there on time. I have lived in the UP area for the past 15 years, and it has always been the same each year–traffic is real real bad. I just hope that the UP authorities have devised ways and means to alleviate this traffic on exam dates.
(2) Check if the building has air conditioning, so that you will know what clothes to wear. You must be ready for hot and humid days.
(3) RELAX, RELAX, RELAX (It’s not difficult you know). Some schools give the seniors 1 day off–on the Friday before UPCAT DATE.
(4) Sleep early, especially those scheduled in the morning (in Tagalog, huwag magpuyat)
(5) Set your alarm on time, and as contingency, your mom, dad, lola, lola, even yaya, to wake you up at the time you have set.
.

Continue reading "Last Minute UPCAT Tips and Reminders" »

Whether you are working in an office or in the comforts of home, improving work performance and doing the best you can should be a continuous process. Work performance is affected by how you handle yourself, your job, and how you deal with other people in your job.

Here are a few tips to improve work performance and be the best you can.

Know your responsibilities. Working means you handle certain responsibilities, and that you’re expected to fulfill them.  Know the things that you have to do.  Be clear about them, and avoid doing less than what’s required from you.  Working more than what’s required from you may be a good or bad thing, depending on the results you produce and the effects the added responsibilities have on you.

Know yourself. Know your talents, strengths, and capabilities. Know your weaknesses and flaws as well.  When you know yourself thoroughly, you know which aspects to make use of, and which aspects need changing or developing.  Knowing your limitations means you know when to stop or refuse work, so that you don’t work inefficiently.  This makes you use your time and effort in the things that you can do well.

Continue reading "Tips on how to improve your performance at work" »

The co-hosts (and alternate hosts), the guests, the viewers and many others (like the production staff and dancers) are crying–some wlll be losing their jobs, some will be missing the show that they have been watching 6 days a week for the past 5 years (for TFC subscribers more than 6 times a week because it seems like the show is aired a number of times during the day).

For others, it does not matter at all, while others who have been averse of the game show for various reasons are heaving a sigh of relief.

Let’s face it–Wowowee has been part of the lives of many Filipinos here and all over the world–it is a phenomenon. It has touched the lives of people from all walks of life. Even The Lettermen, during their concert at the Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday said that they have been watching Wowowee, that they look for Wowowee wherever they are. They know that Filipinos, at least a great number, are fans of the daily game show.

Continue reading "Wowowee–will it be good-bye or see you soon?" »

The public is fascinated with our new president P-Noy. People can’t get enough of any personal tidbits and ondits about him. His father is a national hero. His mother is a former president and one of the most beloved Filipinos in modern history. His sister is a famous television personality. He is the only son of his illustrious parents. He is one of the heirs to Hacienda Luisita and the Cojuanco fortune. He won the presidency of the country in an unusual grass roots movement that took momentum soon after his mother’s funeral and never lost steam till the May 2010 elections.

Continue reading "Will we see a Malacanang wedding?" »

Three days ago, on July 26, 2010, President Noynoy Aquino delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA). After dispensing with the formalities, he went ahead and revealed what was probably the first true state of the nation—a country riddled with anomalies in the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS), National Food Authority (NFA), National Power Corportaion (Napocor), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT). Aside from this, we enter the second half of the year with only a little over 6% left on the national budget to spend for the remaining five months of the year.

Finally! The highest ranking person in government telling and confirming to us what we’ve known all along! Listening to the SONA, you can’t help but yell out “I knew it!” or “Oh my ghad! Sabi ko na nga ba!”

Now what?

Continue reading "After the SONA—now what?" »

Former Tagaytay mayor and new MMDA chief Atty. Francis Tolentino is bent serious! He was installed as MMDA chief only last Tuesday (27 July) where he said, “I have accepted the position with great hope of attaining a better quality of life in Metro Manila and making MMDA a model agency.”

He already has a long list of things to do, beginning with looking into Metro Manila’s traffic problems. He has made ineffective the coding exemptions issued by the former MMDA administration beginning on Monday (2 August), totalling around 4,000 private cars owned by government offices and officials. The law allows only very few exemptions from number coding like media and medical practitioners.

Continue reading "SCOOP! MMDA is serious–Names bus companies that give “kotong”" »

If you watched the State of the Nation Address (SONA), it’s interesting to note the similarities between Pres. Aquino and his mother, former Pres. Cory. One can’t help but feel nostalgic as he walked up the steps of the Batasan to deliver his first State of the Nation Address.

They both start the same way. “Mga minamahal kong kababayan” (My beloved countrymen) is both their opening salvo. One can’t help but feel endeared to both Noynoy and Cory when addressing the nation in such a personal manner. Cory delivered most of her speeches in English, while Noynoy gave his first SONA in Filipino.

They both lambast the corruption of the previous presidency. Noynoy has GMA, while Cory had Marcos to thank for the mountainous debt and issues they both inherited. They both painted a realistic picture of the nation given how it was mishandled and how government coffers were utilized for personal gain.

Continue reading "P-Noy and Cory compared when delivering a speech" »

The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is the one time in the year when all lawmakers from around the country come together. Even former presidents, congressmen and senators no longer in office are present to welcome the President. Political wives come in all their finery, and even ambassadors and other members of the Diplomatic Corps are present. As the must be seen in political social climbing event of the year, a seat at this SONA is a highly coveted seat.

It then becomes glaringly obvious when the most recent president, Gloria Arroyo is absent for the very first SONA of her successor, President Noynoy Aquino. As a former President and current congresswoman of her district in Pampanga, Mrs. Arroyo’s presence should have been mandatory.

Continue reading "GMA’s Absence in P-Noy’s First SONA" »

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay, Chief Justice Renato Corona, Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps;

My beloved countrymen:

Our administration is facing a forked road. On one direction, decisions are made to protect the welfare of our people; to look after the interest of the majority; to have a firm grip on principles; and to be faithful to the public servant’s sworn oath to serve the country honestly.

This is the straight path.

On the other side, personal interest is the priority, and where one becomes a slave to political considerations to the detriment of our nation.

This is the crooked path.

For a long time, our country lost its way in the crooked path. As days go by (since I became President), the massive scope of the problems we have inherited becomes much clearer. I could almost feel the weight of my responsibilities.

Continue reading "English Translation of President Aquino’s First State of the Nation Address (SONA 2010)" »

July 26, 2010
[Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City]

“Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay; Chief Justice Renato Corona; Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; my fellow workers in government;

Mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Sa bawat sandali po ng pamamahala ay nahaharap tayo sa isang sangandaan.

Sa isang banda po ay ang pagpili para sa ikabubuti ng taumbayan. Ang pagtanaw sa interes ng nakakarami; ang pagkapit sa prinsipyo; at ang pagiging tapat sa sinumpaan nating tungkulin bilang lingkod-bayan. Ito po ang tuwid na daan.

Sa kabilang banda ay ang pag-una sa pansariling interes. Ang pagpapaalipin sa pulitikal na konsiderasyon, at pagsasakripisyo ng kapakanan ng taumbayan. Ito po ang baluktot na daan.

Matagal pong naligaw ang pamahalaan sa daang baluktot. Araw-araw po, lalong lumilinaw sa akin ang lawak ng problemang ating namana. Damang-dama ko ang bigat ng aking responsibilidad.

Continue reading "Full Transcript of President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA 2010)" »