Monday, July 31, 2006

Youth civil rights group condemns killing of student activist

TANGGULAN Youth Network for Human Rights and Civil Liberties condemns today's early morning killing of Rie Mon Guran, 21 years old and the League of Filipino Students (LFS) chapter spokesperson in Aquinas University , Albay province.

Dion Cerrafon, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines chairperson and convenor of TANGGULAN blamed the Arroyo government for the "cold-blooded murder of student activists prominent in the Arroyo ouster campaign."

"Who has the motives to silent its critics? Who has the greatest benefit if those the government considers as 'enemies of the state' are physically eliminated?"

According to reports received by KARAPATAN national from its provincial chapter in Sorsogon, Rie or "Ambo" as he is fondly called by friends was shot today at around 6 a.m. in Bulan, Sorsogon.

"Sino ang Judas na patrydor na babarilin si Rie sa umagang-umaga ngayong araw? We hold this government accountable for the unabated attack on our organisations. We protest Arroyo government's inability to solve this hideous crime which already claimed the lives of two of our leaders in Bicol", Vencer Crisostomo LFS national chairperson and also TANGGULAN's convenor.

Rie is already the second student leader of LFS slain this year in the Bicol region after Cris Hugo of the Bicol University . Cris, 21 years old LFS regional spokesperson was killed by an unknown assailant last March 19 while walking home, after a class outing in the area of Washington Drive, Legazpi City.

TANGGULAN meanwhile said that Rie is the fourth youth leader victimized by extra-judicial execution since January this year.

LFS called for an indignation rally today, which is to be joined by other student and youth members of TANGGULAN.

Another LFS leader shot dead in Bicol

A few months after the murder of Cris Hugo, a National Council member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in Bicol, another LFS member was shot dead in Bulan, Sorsogon today.

Rie Mon "Ambo" Guran, a 21 year-old student from Aquinas University was shot dead this morning at around 6 a.m. He was a 4th year Political Science student and was the LFS spokesperson for Aquinas.

Guran's killing also came a month after the abduction of 2 UP students, Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, in Bulacan, both LFS members.

"We are very upset and very much outraged by this recent murder. We are holding President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directly responsible for this killing as it happened a week after she praised Gen. Jovito Palparan's acts in her SONA," said Vencer Crisostomo, LFS National Chairperson.

Crisostomo said Guran's killing shows that Arroyo's "vague" condemnation of political killings during her SONA last week "was only meant for PR".

"This proves the farcical nature of Arroyo's 'condemnation' of political killings: nothing is actually done to stop the murders and instead, murderers like Palparan are being honored. The implementation of her 'all-out war' and 'Oplan Bantay Laya' continue, targeting unarmed civilians and activists," said Crisostomo.

Crisostomo called on students to conduct "nationwide walk-outs and boycott protests" in response to the Guran's killing. "We have to stop this fascist rampage of the Arroyo regime. We cannot allow cold-blooded assasinations like this to continue targeting the youth of our nation. We will do every means necessary to make this government pay for its crimes and to get justice for the victims of the Arroyo regime," he said.

The League of Filipino Students (LFS) is a nationwide student organization formed in 1977 as an alliance against tuition increases. It has chapters in prominent universities, colleges and high schools accross the regions. Despite repeated categorical denial by the students, the group with around 10,000 members nationwide has been tagged as "communist fronts" and "destabilizers" by the government and elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). #

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Child Of The Sun: Belong To The Land And To The People, And Serve Them Well

Sun – Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.By Dr. Jose M. Tiongco / MindaNews / 22 April 2006
Speech delivered by Dr. Jose M. Tiongco at the 9th Commencement Exercises of the University of the Philippines in Mindanao, 22 April 2006

Were I to introduce myself, I would present a simple country bumpkin of a doctor, a surgeon who was born and raised in Mindanao. And will die here too. And that would probably be soon, if I do not finally learn in my old age to keep my mouth shut.
I have gone around the world a few times and talked to quite a number of people of different races, people of different cultural, economic and educational backgrounds. And this is not the first time that I am speaking to a UP audience. But I get goose bumps every time I find myself in a UP institution. It is not easy to talk to UP people. I should know that. I come from UP myself. You can always tell a UP graduate from those of the other Universities. You would generally be looking at a person who is multi-talented, multi-tasked, interesting, interested, articulate, efficient, effective, competent, self assured, and eager to learn more; even if you understandably would also have to deal with a certain palpable cockiness. Would you agree?

But if there were a Jesuit in the audience today, he will probably rise up to say that I am really describing an Ateneo person as well! I have been with the Ateneo much, much longer than I had been with UP. And I would have to agree, especially on the cockiness part. But I will argue that it is in the University of the Philippines that the student acquires on top of all that I described, a sense of Nationalism, of cultural identity, and a burning sense of outrage at the historical and present oppression of our country and our people.

And this is what UP is really known for. Would you agree?

Yes. I can attest to that, having graduated 35 years ago from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in Manila. And those were the times in our nation's history when the UP students hurled themselves at the Marcos military in the cities and in the countryside to tell them and the rest of the world that they would rather die than tolerate oppression.

That was 35 years ago. And today I often wonder what happened. How could such a pure and pristine movement that wore the invincible armor of love of country and esistance against fascism degenerate after all those years into the tattered rags of banditry, extortion and opportunism?

Those who were fortunate enough to die in the struggle have remained true to the cause. But that cannot be said for the unfortunate many who survived. For one can now see quite a number of them carving out their opulent lifestyles in USA, paying only lip service to the sufferings here in the Philippines. And those who have decided to stay in the Philippines can now be seen walking the corridors of power, integral parts of the system they had previously fought against and wished to destroy.

What started out with a bang has now ended with a pitiful whimper, if not with the clink and clatter of thirty pieces of silver.

Is our history really meant to be this way?

In a couple of years, the University of the Philippines System, the most venerable educational institution in the country will be celebrating its centennial.

How would history judge UP in the last one hundred years? If the long suffering people of the Philippines were to examine the University of the Philippines System and grade its performance for the country in the last 100 years, would the UP pass or fail the examination?

Or to put it bluntly and more graphically, if the President of the University of the Philippines System were to be dragged kicking and screaming into a people's court to account for the one hundred years the blood sweat and tears of the poor people of the Philippines were used to support UP as the citadel of the True, the Good and the Beautiful in the country, would she be able to give an answer that will be acceptable to the tubercular stevedore in Sasa wharf who eats only once a day and whose children sit in malnourished stupor by the roadside?

Can she answer for the fact that up to 90% of the graduates of the UP College of Medicine are serving the Americans and not the Filipinos who sacrificed for their education and training?

Can she answer for the fact that even as the graduates of UP College of Law top the Bar every year, the halls of Congress in the Philippines are filled with UP lawyers who use their legal gobbledygook to pass laws favorable to the multinational business industries in the country and detrimental to the poor in the Philippines? Can she justify why justice in the Philippines is officially and unofficially for sale and is out of the reach of the ordinary Filipino who lives below poverty level?

Can she answer for the fact that the graduates from the UP College of Agriculture in Los Banos devastate hundreds of thousands of hectares of prime land in Mindanao growing bananas, pineapples and oil palm for the transnational industries while the Philippines must still import the Filipinos' basic needs in rice and sugar?

Can she answer for the fact that UP Geologists and Mining Engineers ravage our mountains and soil our pristine streams, our rivers and our seas and irreparably harm the environment and the health of our indigenous tribes and people as they extract minerals and precious metals for foreign business concerns?

Can she answer for the fact that while UP College of Mass Communication supposedly teaches the loftiest principles of information dissemination and the responsibilities that come with the freedom of speech and ____expression, her graduates lead big Media organizations in the Philippines that are active and willing servants of big business interests and political pressure groups? The Philippine Media is a world wide marvel for its prattle and irresponsibility and for the naked arrogance of its power over our people. It has become more predatory, mercenary and corrupt than the government institutions it denounces every day in print and in lurid broadcast coverages.

I could go down the line and pile up quite a lot of indictments against the UP system. But my time here as a speaker is limited.

Of course, it could be argued that UP's role is that of Education and is different from that of the Government of the Philippines that makes the policies and enforces the laws of the land.

But UP's role as the country's premier institution in education and training precedes that of the government; because it uses the Filipino taxpayers' money to train the leaders who eventually control the reins of government and private enterprises in the Philippines.

If the University of the Philippines takes great pride that her graduates easily top the government examinations in any professional undertaking, the University of the Philippines must also bow its head in shame and sorrow because it cannot shirk the accountability and responsibility for her graduates who raid the coffers of the country, corrupt the morals of our people, and turn the Philippines into an international basket case and permanent laughing stock of the nations of the world.

I am a simple country doctor. And I do not have claims to be part of the academe. But I do not believe in Education and Training for the sake of Education and Training themselves. I do not believe that Education does not have anything to do with Moral Duty and Accountability. I believe that UP, as an educational institution, must have something to do with the clouds of unmitigated materialism and greed that darken the cultural horizon of the Philippines today. I believe that a University education, especially in UP has to do with the constant search for what is Good, what is True and what is Beautiful, no matter how polluted these concepts may have become through their constant prostitution for personal motive and gain. What makes a UP student momentarily flash the bright colors of Nationalism and love of country, and then upon graduation, promptly fall into the grey colors of compromise and conformity just to be able to exist in a way of life that forces him to suppress the shame and the painful voice of conscience within himself, shut himself inside his own ego, praise with bitter half-smiles the oppression and exploitation of his own people so he can beg with his eyes for a small part of the loot to be thrown his way? What dulls the edge of his seething outrage?

I came back to Mindanao from my studies in UP Manila to seek the answers to these questions.

Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines. It comprises thirty percent (30%) of the country’s land area and is home to twenty percent (20%) of the population. Seventy five percent (75%) of the Mindanawons are of migrant stock, from the different areas in the Philippines who came to escape the cultural, political and economic baggage that burdened them in their places where they were born. They came prepared to bear the new burdens of adjustments with and consideration for others of different cultures, traditions and religions. They came prepared to work. And work hard for their children and for their children’s children as well. They came prepared to respect others and be respected in their own right.

Mindanao is the richest island in the Philippines. It produces 54% of the Gross National Product but gets only 7% of the national Budget. One senator from Mindanao once describe it as the National Cash Cow that gets only dog food � crumbs from the tables of the rest of the country. But without Mindanao, the entire Philippines would starve to death.

The Philippines is a typical example of external exploitation by the G-7 countries, and Mindanao is the typical example of internal exploitation by the central government in Manila.

But it is here in Mindanao where the real heart of the Philippines beats.

The average Mindanawon is multi-cultural and multi-lingual. He lives in his community, comfortable in his culture, his own way of life, even when his next door neighbor and friend dresses differently, eats differently, talks to his children in another language, and adores another God. His children play happily with the children of people in his community whom his ancestors used to be afraid of and hated and waged continuous wars against.

It is here in Mindanao where the people consider diversity not as a divisive factor but the key to Unity and progress. It is here where we respect the rights of others to their own thinking and culture. Here where the central government is physically and administratively distant, the people have learned that working together in mutual respect and consideration is the key to save our families, our communities and our country.

For generations, your fathers and mine, products of different cultures in the Philippines, have worked hand in hand and side by side in peace and brotherhood with each other and the indigenous peoples here in Mindanao. We belong here. It is only when the Manila government makes moves in Mindanao that devastating wars happen among the inhabitants of our island. It is a past and present government practice that the undesirables in the military and civil services in Luzon and the Visayas are punished for their transgressions by sending them to Mindanao - where they usually wreak havoc on our lives.

Generations of hard work and carefully nurtured goodwill among peoples in our island have been erased by thoughtless and exploitative laws that are passed in Congress in Manila by people who have never been to Mindanao and are even afraid to visit it.

Twenty years or so ago, a group of UP graduates here in Mindanao visited the other sites of UP in other areas in the Philippines like, Baguio, Diliman, Manila, Los Banos, Iloilo and Cebu. And they wondered why there was no UP in Mindanao.

Thus was born a dream. And the dream was brought to a reality ten years later. I have watched UP Mindanao's development through the years as the youngest, least funded and most neglected institution in the UP system. And I have cheered your valiant efforts. I knew in my heart that you would be different from all the other UPs in all the other places in the Philippines because of the legacy of cultural belongingness, respect and tolerance you have been exposed to. And I never doubted your success.

I do not believe that the majority of your students use UP Mindanao only as a jumping board to UP Diliman. Only the most calloused and unseeing students would not swear to the vision and mission of UP Mindanao.

The University of the Philippines in Mindanao is committed to lead in providing affordable quality education, scholarly research, and responsive and relevant extension services to diverse, marginalized and deserving sectors in Mindanao and neighboring regions through its programs in the sciences and the arts inculcating a passion for excellence, creative thinking, and nationalism in the context of cultural diversity in a global community.

As you graduate from the youngest UP institution, aware of your role in community building in Mindanao, you are sending a dare to the older institutions in the University of the Philippines System. Here is UP Mindanao's answer to the failures of the University of the Philippines System: Belong to the Land and to the People, and serve them well!

From here onwards you have crowned yourself with the laurels of commitment to service.

Do not listen when they tell you that the crown of laurels you wear is soaked in disappointments and bitterness and the dried leaves hide thorns and maggots. Do not listen when they say that a life dedicated to others is not a life; that it does not bring food and comfort to you and your children; that it brings you no honor and laurels serve not even as condiments for a meal. Do not sell your life of service to your countrymen for thirty pieces of silver.

Because if you do, then deep in the night, years and years from now, when your remaining hair has turned to silver, a small voice will speak to you, just before you fall asleep. And you will have to listen to it. Or break apart.

And it will be in Spanish. Because it was said by a man who died young, twelve years before the University of the Philippines was born in 1908. He was a man who spent the last years of his life here in the service of our people in Mindanao. And he said it to an old man like me, who had white hairs on his head. And this may well have been spoken by you, the graduates of a young and dynamic UP Mindanao to the old and failing University of the Philippines System.

Cuando tenga canas come esas, senor, y vuelva la vista hacia mi pasado y vea que solo he trabajado para mi, sin haber hecho lo que buenamente podia y debia por el pais que me ha dado todo, por los cuidadanos que me ayudan a vivir, entonces, senor, cada cana me sera una espina y en vez de gloriarme de ellas, me he de avergonzar!

Ug sa ato pa:
Sir, pagabut sa panahon nga ang akong ulo, maora sad kadaghana ang uban susama sa inyo, unya balikon nako ug lantaw ang akong kinabuhi, unya Makita nako nga ang akong mga paningkamut diay, alang lang sa akong kaugalingon ug walay kalabutan sa mga maayong butang nga ako untang nabuhat u di kaha kinahanglan buhaton alang sa lungsod nga mao'y naghatag sa ako sa tanan, alang sa akong mga isigkatao ng mitabang sa ako arun manginabuhi; nianang panahuna, Sir, ang tagsa-tagsa ka uban nga anaa sa akong ulo mahimo ug maidlot nga tunok nga muduksak sa akong panghunahuna ug inay nga mahimayaon ako sa akong katigulangon, iduko hinuon nako ang akong ulo sa tumang kanugon ug kaulaw!

So if there is anything then, that Mindanao has taught you here in University of the Philippines, it is to belong to land, to belong to others, especially those who have made you what you are; to be sensitive to their needs, to constantly consider the other person's way of thinking, in much the same way as you considered everyday, what language to use to talk to the little child of a jeepney conductor who took your fare, or to the daredevil habal-habal driver who took you over the butt breaking roads to your refreshing little UP Mindanao campus.

Look up to the mountain that you see everyday. Breathe in the pure air of Mindanao. This may be your last day in the campus. Take it all in. And remember it well. Most of you will wander far over yonder, but you will never find anything more beautiful.

Because you will never find the True, the Good and the Beautiful in the world, no matter where or how you search, unless you find them first here on that mountain where the gods of our beloved Mindanao dwell, here among your people who made you what you are now, and finally, here in your own heart.

(Dr. Jose M. Tiongco is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine Class 1971. He writes a column titled "Child of the Sun" for MindaNews and is the author of "Child of the Sun Returning," a book about the early years of the Medical Mission Group Hospitals and Health Services Cooperative-Philippines Federation, where he is chief executive officer).

Friday, July 21, 2006

Support This Cinemalaya Full-Length Film Entry

ANG HULING ARAW NG LINGGO

Written and Directed by Nick OlankaAssistant Director: Emman PascualCinematography: Pao PanganEditing: Amrei DizonProduction Design: Roma Regala and Armi CacanindinMusic: Nani NaguitVitalStrats Creative Solutions and Red Door Productions present Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo.Written and directed by UP Film Institute fresh graduate Nick Olanka; and stars Johnny Delgado, Boots Anson-Roa, Jenifer Sevilla, Baron Geisler, Monica Llamas, Arnold Reyes and Angeli Bayani. Featured music by Mica Magsaysay and Aizo.The story spans a week in a life of seven individuals with interconnected narratives. Domeng is involved in networking or multi-level marketing business and plans to encourage his estranged daughter Luna to join in this unscrupulous business. Luna is abandoned by her husband and son so she asks help from her mother Aling Tess. Aling Tess is a land lady who lives alone and fancies a young male boarder named Kulas. Kulas is a grocery store employee who aspires to become a store manager to impress Julie. Julie is a laundry shop attendant who is obsessed with a male costumer named Brian. Brian is a nurse in a local hospital who wants to work abroad so he persuades his girlfriend Sally to provide for his "fixer" fees. An accounting graduate who failed to pass the board exam for two consecutive years, Sally enters Domeng's networking business in the hopes of proving her worth. When she found out that networking is a scam Sally plans to take revenge on Domeng. The film illustrates the interconnectedness of our lives, a cycle of random events in which the decisions we make are as important as the choices we didn't take. Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo will be shown on the following schedule at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.22july sat 12:45pm main theater22july sat 6:15pm mkp hall23july sun 3:30pm little theaterTickets available at the gate.50 php for students100 regular price

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Iba Talaga Ang Pulis Pinoy

Filipino police – Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.Nagkaroon ng exam ang agencies ng USA para malaman kung sino sa mga agency ang magaling mag execute ng man-hunt. Ang mga participants ay:
NYPD = New York Police Department, USA
FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA
CIA = Central Intelligence Agency, USA
PNP = Philippine National Police, Phil (Special International Guest Participant)

Isang puting rabbit ang papakawalan sa isang gubat. Each agencies will be given three (3) months to find the rabbit.

Unang grupong contestant, NYPD. Pumasok sa gubat ang kanilang search and rescue squad, S.W.A.T., at pinalibutan ng mga police ang buong gubat. Ipinasok rin nila sa gubat ang kanilang detectives, at experts sa paghahanap ng nawawala.

After 3 months, lumabas ang NYPD sa gubat. Nag release sila ng press statement, "After 3 months of intensive searching for the white rabbit, we regret to inform you that because the rabbit had a head start, it was able to elude our units, and was able to pass through our dragnet. The rabbit has escaped."

Next ang FBI. Pumasok rin sa gubat mga FBI, dala dala ang mga helicopters, mga sniffing dogs, at sari saring experts para hanapin ang rabbit.

After 3 months, lumabas ang FBI sa gubat. Nag release rin sila ng press statement, "After 3 months of searching for the white rabbit, we had some interesting leads. However, as we are closing in on it's location, somebody must have tipped it off, and it was able to elude us by disguising itself as a deer. The rabbit has escaped."

Next ang CIA. Pumasok ang CIA, at dahil meron silang special powers to request assistance from the US Military, dinala na rin nila ang US Army para tulungan sila sa paghanap.

After 3 months of firefighting, bombing, and special operations, lumabas ang CIA sa gubat. Sabi nila sa press statement, "We used everything at our disposal. We didn't leave any stone unturned. We bombed everything in sight. I'm sure, you will not find the rabbit there anymore. He's probably scattered all around the forest in tiny little pieces!"

Last, but not least, the PNP. Napatawa ang ibang agencies dahil ang pumasok lang sa gubat na PNP ay lima lang. Pero laking gulat na lang nila dahil next day mismo, lumabas ang PNP, dala dala ay isang grizzly bear, na naka posas, bugbog sarado ang mukha, halos sarado ang isang mata dahil sa bugbog, dugu-an, at sumisigaw, "OO NA! OO NA!!! AKO ANG WHITE RABBIT!!! AKO ANG WHITE RABBIT!!!"

Kwentong Kababaliwan

Sleeping on the bus – Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.LINGGO noon. Nakatakda ang araw na 'yon para sa date namin ng girlfiend kong si Maji. Pero tumawag s'ya sa 'kin at sinabing cancel muna ang date dahil sasamahan niya daw ang kanyang tita sa isang importanteng lakad. Sabi ko okay lang, naintindihan ko. Subalit dahil wala akong magawa sa bahay at talagang bored ako noon, ako na lang ang pumunta sa mall at nanood ng sine mag-isa. Libang na libang ako sa paggagala sa mall, di ko alam na iyon na pala ang katapusan ng mundo.

Pagpasok ko sa entrada ng sinehan, nagulat ako sa nakita sa may snack bar. Si Maji! At may kasama siya--hindi ang kanyang tita--kundi isang lalaki. Nakaakbay pa ito sa kanya. Shocked ako pero ganunpaman, gusto kong ipaalam sa kanya na nandoon ako at nahuli ko siya. Pero di man lamang s'ya nagulat nang makita ako. Relaxed s'ya at nakangiti pang sinabi sa 'kin: "Tapos na ang lahat sa atin." "Ha?" Di na 'ko nakapagsalita.

Gusto kong magalit sa kanya. Gusto kong sapakin ang lalaki. Gusto kong umiyak.

Pero kinimkim ko ang lahat ng aking naramdaman at sinabing "Wala akong magagawa. Basta kung saan ka masaya…"

Tumalikod ako agad at pumasok sa loob ng sinehan. Doon ko ibinuhos ang lahat ng pinigilan kong lumabas sa aking mga mata. Komedi ang palabas at nagtatawanan ang mga tao sa paligid ko ngunit ako nama'y abala sa pagdadrama sa aking kinauupuan. Natapos ang pelikula na di ko naintindihan ang istorya. Wala ako sa sarili hanggang sa pag-uwi ko sa boarding house.

Kinabukasan, nagdesisyon akong umuwi sa probinsiya namin upang makalimot. Mataas ang araw noon at mainit ang biyahe, pero wala pa ring tigil ang ulan at bagyo sa aking mga mata. Mabigat pa sa aking mga bagahe ang dinadala ko sa aking dibdib. Kahit na wala pa kaming isang taon ni Maji, masakit pa rin sa 'kin ang nangyari dahil mahal ko talaga s'ya. Di pa man nakakalabas ng Maynila ang bus na aking sinasakyan, bigla kong naisip na bumaba. Wala nang silbi pang mabuhay kaya naisip kong magpakamatay na lang.

Inakyat ko ang isang billboard ng GMA7 kung saan nakalarawan dito ang final 14 ng Starstruck. Dream, believe, survive. "Kagaguhan!" sabi ko. "Tingnan ko lang kung makaka-survive pa 'ko pag tumalon ako mula rito...maliban na lang kung may pipigil." Pero wala ngang pumigil. Dahil walang nagmamalasakit. Walang nagmamahal. Tumalon ako. "Aaaahhh...blag!"

Nabagok ang aking ulo sa gulong ng trak ng MMDA na sa mga oras na 'yon ay nagsasagawa ng wet flag scheme. Hindi naman ako namatay. Wala lang akong maalala pagbangon ko. "Sino ako? Anong ginagawa ko rito?" tanong ko sa sarili ko. Nagka-amnesia ako.

Mula noon ay nagpalaboy-laboy ako sa lansangan. Sa ilalim ng overpass ako natutulog at doo'y madalas na ka-jamming ko ang mga taong-grasa at mga rugby boys. Namalimos ako sa daan, papunas-punas ng mga sapatos ng pasahero ng jeep, o kaya'y humihingi ng 'love offering' sa mga pasahero ng bus. Umasenso naman ako hanggang sa makapagtinda na 'ko ng fishball, squidball, at kwek-kwek.

Kung anu-anong trabaho ang pinasukan ko para lang may maipanlaman sa kumukulo kong tiyan. Nagbenta rin ako ng mga pirated na CD, VCD, at DVD. Pero di pa rin sapat ang kinikita ko sa pagbebenta ng mga produkto kaya ibenenta ko na rin pati ang aking sariling laman. Nagpagamit ako sa kung sinu-sinong bakla at mga matrona. Kumita ako ng malaki. Subalit sadyang malupit sa akin ang tadhana dahil sa isang iglap ay nawala lahat ng aking pinaghirapan.

Nadukot ang wallet ko nang makipagsiksikan ako sa libing ni FPJ. Nalungkot akong lubha at nawalan ng pag-asang makabangon pang muli. Nang biglang tumunog ang cellphone ko. May nag- text. Sabi sa message, ang Oracle daw ang tanging makapagbabalik sa aking alaala. Nag-reply ako: hu u? Pero di na s'ya nag-text back. Di ko alam kung saan ko hahanapin si Oracle.

Nilibot ko ang kamaynilaan. Ipina-blotter sa pulis. Ngunit kahit anino ni Oracle o ni Madam Auring ay di ko nakita. Naisip kong baka wala s'ya sa siyudad kaya pumunta ako sa mga probinsiya. Nakarating ako sa kabundukan ng Quezon Province pero mga illegal loggers lang ang nadatnan ko. Nilisan ko ang lugar na 'yon at sa pagbaba ko ng bundok, nasalubong ko ang mga nagtatakbuhang...hobbits! -- sina Frodo, Samwise, Merry, Pippin, at si... Dagul yata
ang pangalan ng isa. Hinahabol daw sila, hindi ng mga ringwraiths kundi mga..battle droids ng Starwars! "Huh?! Ano 'to?!! Nasa'n ba ako?!!!" Sa sobrang lito ay nakitakbo na rin ako. Napakaraming kalaban. Libo-libong droids. Kakampi pa yata nila ang mga robot sa I, Robot.

Mabuti na lang at dumating ang mga astig na superheroes: sina Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Daredevil, Blade, Van Helsing, Elektra, X-Men, Charlie's Angels, Powerpuff Girls, the Incredibles, Voltes V, Mulawin, Capt. Barbell, Darna, Volta, Krystala, Lastikman, Panday, Andres Bonifacio...marami pang iba.

Madaling natalo ang mga kalaban. Subalit...sugatan si Frodo. May tama siya. At may iniabot siya sa akin --isang singsing! May elvish inscriptions dito na sa tingin ko'y hindi kayang i-decode kahit ni Dan Brown. Pero bago pa man malagutan ng hininga si Frodo, nasabi niya sa akin ang kahulugan ng nakasulat: "God will never leave you empty. He will replace everything you lost. If He asks you to put something down, it's because He wants you to pick up something better and best for you." Inilagay ko ang singsing sa bulsa ng aking pantalon at nangakong iingatan ko iyon.

Samantala, nagdiwang ang mga superheroes sa pagtatagumpay. Gumimik sila sa Libis at nag-inuman. Sasama sana ako pero sabi ko kailangan kong umuwi ng bahay dahil ending na ng Lovers in Paris.

Pero naalala ko na may amnesia pala ako at di ko alam kung saan ako nakatira kaya sumama na rin ako. Habang nagdi-disco ang Justice League kasama ang Marvel superheroes, nagtugtugan at nagkantahan naman ang mga anime' heroes. Panalo sa Japan!

May ledge dancing pa sina Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Black Mamba, at Sailor Moon! Pero di rin kami nagtagal sa lugar na 'yon. May nagyaya kasi na pumunta sa Baywalk dahil may show daw doon ang The Bodies. Ang saya-saya! Idagdag mo na lang si Kuya Germs, kahit wala nang tulugan!

Subalit naudlot ang kasayahang iyon nang biglang lumindol... at mula sa Manila Bay ay dumating ang isang dambuhalang... TSUNAMI!!! Swooossshhh!!! Naitaboy ang mga superheroes. Hindi nakayanan ng kanilang powers na pigilin ang dumating na sakuna. Mabilis na bumaha ang paligid at nalunod kaming lahat. Oo, pati sina Aquaman, Marina, at Nemo. Patay kaming lahat. Dumilim ang kapaligiran. Katahimikan.

"Gising! Gising!" Isang tinig ng lalaki ang narinig ko. Pagdilat ko, nakita ko ang isang lalaki. "May tiket na po ba kayo? Sa'n po kayo bababa?" "Huh?!" nagulat ako. Kunduktor pala iyon ng bus. Panaginip lang pala ang lahat! Nasa bus pa pala ako at pauwi ng probinsiya. "Sa Tarlac po," sabi ko sa kanya pero ang mga mata ko'y nakatitig sa kanyang t-shirt na may nakasulat na "the Oracle". Parang narinig ko pa si Morpheus na bumubulong: "Welcome to the real world..."

Buhay pa ako. May pamilya at mga kaibigang nagmamahal sa akin. May tirahang nauuwian, may magandang hanapbuhay, at... virgin pa 'ko!

Habang nasa biyahe, naisip ko, napakababaw na dahilan pala ang iwan ka ng boyfriend o girlfriend mo para magpakamatay ka. I have to stand up and move on. Lalaki ako at di dapat ako maging mahina. Di dapat ako maging tanga para sa isang gaga at walang kwentang babae. Naisip ko rin na mabuti na rin ang nangyari at nakilala ko nang maaga ang tunay niyang kulay bago pa man humaba ang relasyon namin. Hindi siya ang karapat-dapat sa akin.

Nasa gate na'ko ng aming bahay nang may tumawag sa aking pangalan. Si Rizi, kababata ko, kapitbahay namin. Sabi niya umalis daw ang lahat ng tao sa bahay namin at iniwan sa kanya ang susi. Nang abutin ko ang susi sa kanya, doon ko lang s'ya nakaharap nang malapitan at doon ko rin lang napansin na maganda pala siya. Matapos akong magpasalamat ay sinuklian n'ya 'ko ng isang matamis na ngiti. (Cue: new Coca-cola theme song)

Pagpasok sa bahay, diretso agad ako sa banyo upang makapaghilamos. Maginaw sa loob ng banyo at malamig ang tubig. Pero may naramdaman akong mainit na bagay sa bulsa ng aking pantalon. Dinukot ko ito at nakita ko ang isang... singsing.

UP Press Release: 19 July 2006

Vigil – A Blog With No Name – Internet fun, trivia, and good reads.UP Holds "Tagulaylay" Procession July 20 To Denounce Abduction Of Two Students

July 20 marks the 24th day of the forced disappearance of two University of the Philippines (UP) students. The UP community remembers this day with a requiem procession.

UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, together with a farmer, were abducted by masked men in Hagonoy, Bulacan last June 26. Prior to their forced disappearance, the two students were working as volunteers for a peasant organization.

Karen and Sherlyn are now two of the 181 victims of forced disappearances in the last five years. Since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed office in 2001, 705 activists have also been killed.

In this light, Tigil-Paslang UP -- a broad alliance of students, faculty and staff formed in the wake of Karen and Sherlyn's disappearance -- will organize "Tagulaylay: Hinagpis at Pakikibaka," a requiem procession for the victims of Macapagal-Arroyo's state terror on July 20 (Thursday), 5 p.m. at the Quezon Hall in UP Diliman.

The activity aims to show the UP community's collective grief and indignation over the continuing violations of the people's civil liberties and the demand that Karen and Sherlyn be released. It includes lamentations, protest songs and poetry prepared by faculty members and students. A procession around the academic oval will culminate with the laying down of 100 crosses at the Sunken Garden to represent the growing number of victims of human rights violations.

Those who will join are encouraged to wear black and red and bring candles.

It may be recalled that UP President Emerlinda Roman as early as last July 3 wrote to the secretaries of the Department of National Defense and the Department of Interior and Local Government asking their assistance to locate the two missing students.

Nine days after (July 12), UP Diliman's University Council (UC) -- composed of assistant, associate and full professors -- passed a resolution expressing "great concern" over the inaction of government authorities to produce the two missing students. For their part, UP students through their University Student Council (USC) and other organizations have initiated a number of activities to call attention to the plight of the two students including a rally in Mendiola which was violently dispersed, as well as a mass and symbolic candle-lighting at the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.

Despite these initiatives, Karen and Sherlyn remain missing.

Tigil-Paslang UP is the response of the concerned constituents of UP to the spate of killings, abductions, torture, illegal arrests under Arroyo's Oplan Bantay Laya. Among its convenors are National Artist Bien Lumbera, Faculty Regent Roland Simbulan, Student Regent Raffy Sanchez, Former CSWCD Dean Angelito Manalili, Former CSSP Dean Connie Paz, Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Dr. Ramon Guillermo, Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, Prof. Sarah Raymundo, Prof. Danilo Arao, Buboy Cabrera and others. The students are also represented by Paolo Alfonso of the USC, as well as STAND-UP, NNARA-YOUTH, AGHAM Youth and GABRIELA Youth, among others.

For details, please call Profs. Judy Taguiwalo, (0916) 782-9666; and Sarah Raymundo, (0918) 693-3181.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Kin Of Missing UP Students File Habeas Corpus Petition

By Tetch Torres (INQ7.net)
Last updated 05:31pm (Mla time) 07/17/2006

PARENTS of two missing students from the University of the Philippines (UP) have asked the Supreme Court to compel the military, which several quarters believe to be behind the disappearances, to release the students from custody.

In a Petition for Habeas Corpus, Erlinda and Asher Cadapan and Concepcion Empeño said Major Generals Romeo Tolentino and Jovito Palparan; Lieutenant Colonel Rogelio Boac, a Lieutenant Samson and a certain Arnel Enriquez should release Sherlyn Cadapan, Karen Empeño and Manuel Merino from their custody.

"(We) have exhausted all efforts legally available and that there is no other plain, speedy and adequate remedy to protect the rights of the victims except by this application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus," the parents said.

Sherlyn Cadapan, Karen Empeño and Manuel Merino were allegedly taken by elements of the Philippine Army from a house in Hagonoy, Bulacan last June 26.

The parents point to troops of the 56th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan as the ones who allegedly abducted the three.

They said witnesses William and Wilfredo Ramos saw how the military tied up and led the three to a stainless jeep with plate number 597.

"The military camp which was usually open to accept them as visitors was now closed and they were not allowed inside," the petitioners said.

They added that a barbecue vendor outside the camp asked them who it was they were looking for: "'Yong mga babae ba (Are you looking for the women)?"

When they replied, "Yes," the vendor "did not say a word."

They also cited Palparan's statement that the two girls were not students anymore.

Such statements, they said, meant Palparan knows the whereabouts of the three missing activists.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Vanity Fair

Gloria Arroyo @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.The worst way to wake up squirming in the morning is to read the newspaper via Internet and find how much propaganda has been heaped by your government, particularly with reference to your church.

I am very appalled with the way the Arroyo Administration has been handling its publicity in relation to the Holy See. When John Paul II died, Gloria Arroyo gave an interview to CNN during the wake for the demised pontiff and said that she had received blessings to run for President from the deceased.

Now, a few months later, in an audience with Benedict XVI, Mrs. Arroyo claims that the present Pope does not look kindly toward the supposed meddling of the Philippine Catholic Hierarchy in Philippine secular politics. This, after presenting the Pope the signed resolution abolishing death penalty in the Philippines in an apparent move to court the Vatican's support in changing the Constitution.

While I personally support the abolition of the death penalty, the recent move of the Administration smells of politics and inconsistency. One only has to remember the photos of a docile and prayerful Gloria Arroyo in a rally in support of rape victim "Baby" Echegaray so as to cringe in disgust. After all, when you see the situation from a broader perspective, it would be much better to have a lawful way of punishing criminals than to have a paralegal way of silencing dissenters. No matter how meritorious the move is to be pro-life superficially, the rate journalists and activists are killed during this regime negates all claims of sanctity.

Then, as if this still wasn't enough, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo has begun his campaign to present for canonization two nuns from the Arroyo-Tuason clan. One of the nuns is Rosario Arroyo y Pidal, whose surname she most unfortunately shares some generations hence with the infamous Jose Pidal. I don't know how people are canonized as saints but if ever, this is the first time a secular government in recent times has involved itself in the declaration of who is blessed and who is not. We then are lead to the premise this Administration brandishes, that the Philippine bishops are meddling into politics. If this is not meddling in the canonical processes of the Catholic Church, I don't know what is. If Sor Rosario would be proclaimed blessed, I really hope the Vatican would change the Pidal surname to another. As a Catholic, I cannot bear to ask a blessed nun with Pidal in the name to intercede for me.

Tsk, tsk. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if this Administration asks for the canonization of La Gloria or the elevation to the cardinalate of Mike if and when it deems it fit.

***This post was taken from a friend’s Friendster blog.***

Diliman Students' Summit

TO: ALL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS, FRATERNITIES, SORORITIES, LOCAL COLLEGE COUNCILS, AND DORMITORY HOUSE COUNCILS

FROM: UNIVERSITY STUDENT COUNCIL

Project Title
DILIMAN STUDENTS' SUMMIT

Date
July 20, 2006, 1-5 pm

Venue
Benitez Theater, College of Education

The University Student Council (USC) is the highest student body in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. Through the years, the USC has embodied and provided a strong and principled leadership, as well as uncompromising commitment in serving the students, the whole UP community and the Filipino people in general.

The USC together with the Office of the Student Regent (OSR) and Katipunan ng Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP (KASAMA sa UP) will be holding the Diliman Students Summit on July 20, 2006 at the Benitez Theater, College of Education from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. This activity aims to consolidate the ranks of student leaders in UP Diliman and to form unities regarding the imperative issues faced by the students. Issues such as the the Tuition fee increase and the situation in UP Diliman will be tackled in the said activity.

With much fervor, we cordially invite you to participate in this convention. Please send at least two representatives from your organization. We believe that this will be a great opportunity to help inform our students about the current situation in our university and to form solidarity in advancing the rights and interests of the students. We fervently hope that you find this activity beneficial and empowering to your organization and its members.

Should you have any inquiries or confirmation of attendance, please contact the following:
Shahana Abdulwahid (shan)- 09275688418 / shanea1107@yahoo.com
Vanessa Faye Bolibol (ipay) – 09183391708 / coolcat_ipay@yahoo.com

Thank you very much and we are hoping for your favorable response.

Friday, July 14, 2006

UP Student Council Invitation

Students’ summit @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.

THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT COUNCIL
invites you to

UPRISING:
SONA WEEK 2006

JUL7 17
A forum regarding the Human Rights Situation under Arroyo's Administration
(together with UP Praxis)
AS lobby, 1-4 pm

JULY 18
Rage Against Violence II: Denouncing the Rape of our Nation
(together with Gabriela Youth and Inter-Sorosity Council)
CM Recto Hall, 1-4 pm

JULY 20
DILIMAN STUDENTS' SUMMIT
Benitez Theater, College of Education, 1-5 pm

JULY 21
UPRISING Concert
(together with ANAKBAYAN - UP Diliman)
UP Lagoon across FC, 8 pm onwards

JULY 24
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS MOBILIZATION

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

More Of Kim And Gerald

Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson are pretty hot today. And to make you crave more for them, here are some pictures that were created by Kimerald fans from PEX.




Kimerald Love Spell @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.





Kim & Gerald @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.

Kim Not Feuding With Sandara

Kim Chiu @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.PBB Teen Edition winner Kim Chiu couldn’t believe it when thousands greeted her in her homecoming to her native Cebu City.

“Nagulat ako sa reception ng mga kababayan ko as it was raining then but they were still there to meet me,” she says. “Talagang sobrang dami ng tao and I even had to tell them: ‘Umuwi na kayo so you wouldn’t get wet.’ But it made me feel so proud to be a Cebuano.”

Joining the PBB has changed her life so much.

“From being a nobody, biglang pati relatives ko who put me down, naging mabait sa akin. Even people who ignored me then, friends ko na ngayon.”

Is it true she’s feuding with Sandara Park?

“No. Pero nu’ng magkasama kami, I noticed naiilang siya sa akin. Ni ayaw niyang tumingin sa akin when I was smiling at her. Sabi nila, baka she feels na threat ako sa kanya. But how can I be a threat, e, ang layo na ng agwat niya sa akin, ‘di ba? I’m just starting.”

She and PBB runner-up Gerald Anderson are paired in the first episode of ABS-CBN 2’s new Sunday afternoon show Love Spell. They’ll be featured for four Sundays in the romance-fantasy My Boy, My Girl.

“I play a very difficult role as a girl named Stephanie, who turns into a boy named Stephen. It’s because Gerald curses me after he finds out I’m just using him as a trophy boyfriend para maging in ako sa school namin. It’s really a big challenge dahil unang sabak ko pa lang sa acting, very complex agad ang role. They even had to put a wig on me and prosthetic makeup para mayroon akong Adam’s apple and bigger arms at nang magmukha akong totoong lalaki. Iniipit din ang dibdib ko to make my chest look flat.”
The show is directed by Jerry Sineneng, who’s very excited about the new loveteam.

“When I look at Kim and Gerald, the chemistry is so great parang ‘yung kina Jolina [Magdangal] at Marvin [Agustin] nu’ng araw. Naging fan nga nila ako agad at kinikilig ako sa romantic scenes nila. Maging sa Bench fashion show at Araneta, grabe ang reception sa kanila ng audience. Ang lakas talaga ng sigawan when they appeared.”

Kim now rents a condo unit in Cubao, Quezon City, and her dad stays with her.

“I’m really thankful na sinasamahan ako ng dad ko sa Manila. My eldest sister is requesting her company to move her to their office here para siya na ang makasama ko rito.”

What happened to the condo unit she won in PBBTE?

“It has not been released to me yet. Pero ang layo pala nu’n, sa Valenzuela, so I want to request sana if they can get me a unit nearer sa ABS.”

What’s the news about her mom whom she has not seen for seven years?

“She finally called me up at ilang beses na ka-ming nag-usap sa phone. Pero ayaw pa niyang magpakita sa akin. Marami pa raw siyang dapat ayusin sa buhay niya. But I’m glad may communication na kami uli.”

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Dagohoy Story

American History @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.It was the first day of school in Washington, DC and a new student by the name of Dagohoy, the son of a Filipino immigrant, entered the fourth grade.

The teacher began, “Let’s review some American history, class. Who said ‘Give me liberty or give me death?’”

She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Dagohoy’s who had his hand up, “Patrick Henry, 1775.”

“Very good,” said the teacher.

“Who said ‘Government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth’”?

Again, no response except from Dagohoy: “Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, 1863,” he said.

The teacher snaps at the class, “Class, you should be ashamed, Dagohoy who is new to our country knows more about our history than you do.”

She hears a loud whisper from the back: “Screw the Filipinos.”

“Who said that?” she demanded.

Dagohoy put his hand up. “General John Pershing, Manila, 1896.”

At that point, Jack, another student says, “I’m going to puke.”

The teacher glares and asks, “All right! Now who said that?”

Again Dagohoy answers, “George Bush, Sr. to the Japanese Prime Minister during the state dinner, Tokyo, 1991.”

Now furious another student yells, “Oh yeah? Suck this!”

Dagohoy jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher at the top of his voice, “Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky, the Oval Office, 1997!”

Someone shouts, “You little shit if you say anything else, I’ll kill you.”

Dagohoy yells, “Congressman Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, Washington, D.C., 2001!”

The teacher faints.

“I’m outta here!” mutters one student as he slides to the door.

“President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Baguio City, December 30, 2002!!” Dagohoy responds.

As the class gathers around her on the floor, someone says, “Oh shit, now we’re really in big trouble!”

“Saddam Hussein, on the Iraq invasion, Bhagdad, May 2003!” Dagohoy bellowed.

“Now, I really have to run,” Jack mutters, heading for the exit.

“Gloria Macapagal Arroyo again, Pampanga, October 4, 2003!” Dagohoy shouts triumphantly jumping with glee.

Monday, July 10, 2006

A Letter From The UP President

University of the Philippines (UP) logo @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.Office of the President
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
Quezon City
July 3, 2006


Honorable Avelino J. Cruz, Jr.
Secretary
Department of National Defense
3/F Department of National Defense Building
Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City


Subject: Request for Assistance
Enforced Disappearnce of UP Students
Ms. Karen Empeño and Ms. Sherlyn Cadapan


Dear Secretary Cruz:

We write to seek the assistance of your office so that the friends, student colleagues and parents of Ms. Karen Empeño and Ms. Sherlyn Cadapan may locate them and provide them with medical or legal assistance if necessary.

Ms. Karen Empeño is a BA Sociology student of the College of Social Science and Philosophy (CSSP). Ms. Sherlyn Cadapan is an award winning trialhlete from the College of Human Kinetics (CHK).

According to raw reports reaching my office, six or more masked armed men forcibly took them at about 1:00 in the morning of Monday, June 26, 2006 in Purok 6, Barangay San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan. The masked armed men were using long guns and apparently did not show nay court order fortheir physical detention. We were also informed that Karen was asked to remove her shirt. They used this shirt to blinfold her. Sherlyn is pregnan. The women were then forced into a vehicle that proceeded in the direction of Iba, Hagonoy.

We are confident that you will understand the concerns of our constituents. We know that you share with us a commitment to the spirit of the UN General Assembly's "Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance" (Resolution 47/133 of December 18, 1992). We also know that the acts done by the masked armed men are criminally punishable under our laws. Most of all, as parents committed to teacht he virtues of valuing human dignity, we are certain that you could address this matter with empathy.

Hoping that you could lend the resources of your public office to assist them in these difficult times.


Very truly yours,

Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman
President

3 Missing, 34 Hurt In Mendiola Youth Rally Dispersal

Mendiola rally @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.By Jhong dela Cruz
Posted 6:50 p.m. July 7, 2006

At least 34 youth activists were hurt during a march-rally toward Mendiola when police forcibly dispersed them. Six demonstrators remain unaccounted for as of press time.

About 900 youth belonging to Youth-DARE or Youth Demanding Arroyo's Removal tried to reach Mendiola, the bridge leading to the presidential palace and traditional venue of anti-government demonstrations, to protest the government's renewed anti-insurgency drive.

At about 3 p.m., the protesters composed of students from 16 colleges in Metro Manila and residents of three urban poor communities led by the Kabataan Party, held a brief program at Morayta Street near España Avenue. After the program, they marched near the University of Manila where some 20 policemen attacked them, rally leaders said.

Among those injured was Juan Paolo Alfonso, student council chair of the University of the Philippines-Diliman and Vencer Ramos, chair of the League of Filipino Students. They plan to file formal complaints against the police.

Earlier, the groups reported 10 youth protestors could not immediately be found, including an eight-year old from a community in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

President Arroyo has come under fire upon announcement of the P1 billion fund to beef up the government's anti-insurgency drive. The fund, said militant youth groups, should have just been used to buttress the education sector. "May pera sa gera, wala sa iskwela" (There is money for war but not for education) was the main slogan during the protest action.

Meanwhile, the recent wave of abductions by suspected military agents of activists include student victims: University of the Philippines students Karen Empeño, 23, and Sherlyn Cadapan, 25, who were seized together with a local farmer by unidentified armed men in Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26.

This week, the youth groups declared the youth's "all-out war" against the Arroyo government, swearing to conduct more protest forms in the light of intensifying human rights violations in the country.

Body Talk with Gerald Anderson

Gerald Anderson & Kim Chiu @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.By Ricardo F. Lo
The Philippine Star 07/08/2006 (Funfare)

• Full Name: Gerald Randolf Anderson Jr.
• Nickname: RJ
• Birthday: March 7, 1989
• Zodiac Sign: Pisces
• Color of Eyes: Black/brown
• Color of Hair: Black
• Shoe Size: 11"
• Pant Size: 32"
• Height: 5’8"
• Weight: 156 lbs.
• Nationality: Fil-Am/Hottie (Amboy)
• Parents’ Names: Gerald and Evangeline
• Siblings: Ken, Jen and Darling
• Birthplace: General Santos City

FAVORITES
• Food: Pizza, hotdogs, Chicken Curry
• Color: Red
• Drink: C2
• Book: Dictionary
• Movie: Coach Carter
• Actors: Tom Cruise and Joross Gamboa
• Actress: Eva Mendez
• Band: Rivermaya
• Songs: So Sick, Yo, Run It, Crazy 4 U and 241
• Singers: Neyo, Chris Brown, Usher and Gary Valenciano
• Hangout: Mall
• Game: XBox
• TV Shows: A.S.A.P. and Love Spell
• Gadgets: Cellphone and iPod
• Subjects: History and P.E.
• Pastime: Sleeping
• Cartoon Character: Superman
• Candy: Chocolate
• Holiday: Christmas
• Get-up: Jeans and T-shirt
• Magazine: Sports Illustrated
• Sports: Basketball, football and baseball
• Basketball Teams: Cavaliers, Sixers and Heat
• I like girls who are: Beautiful, sexy, funny and with long hair
• I don’t like girls who are: Plastic, noisy and with "poor hygiene"
• Best Friends: Mickee and Fred
• Hidden Talent: Dancing
• Phobia: Snakes and failing
• Bad Habits: Biting my nails and sleeping
• My Biggest Splurge is: Car
• The first thing I notice in a girl: Her face
• The last time I cried: When I was at an acting workshop
• The last time I laughed: When I was with my friends
• In my CD player right now: Neyo’s So Sick
• Prized Possession: Basketball, jersey

Oh, well, need I say more?

By now, this basic information about Gerald Anderson, second runner-up to Kim Chiu on ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition, must have been recorded for posterity in the minds of the legions of teen fans Gerald has won while he and 13 others were inside Big Brother’s house.

But, wait. Did you know that Gerald, who spent part of his childhood years (from age three to 14) in Missouri, USA, was a back-up dancer of Joross Gamboa? He was discovered in Gensan by movie writer Jun Reyes, Joross’ manager and now Gerald’s, who recruited him for PBB.

No wonder Universal Records lady boss Kathleen Dy-Go promptly signed up Gerald for the album Gerald’s Dance Picks (GDP, to be launched tomorrow, July 9, on ASAP Mania) which contains 10 global hits, including as carrier single Dale Candela which has a music video (showing for the first time at 12 noon tomorrow in MYX) where Gerald co-stars with Pink Butterflies and the Focus E Dancers.

Now you know why Gerald is now known as the Dancefloor Heartthrob.

Other selections on the GDP CD include Out of Touch (a Top 10 chart-topper in UK), Billy Crawford’s Know You Wanna (a certified hit in Europe), Y-Not’s Blah Blah Blah, Scooter’s Shake That, Raghav’s Can’t Get Enough featuring Iceberg Slimm, British rapper/producer Jaimeson’s Bounce, Vinylshakerz’s Club Tropicana, Global Deejays’ Clap Your Hands and DJ Bobo’s Pirates of Dance. (Note: The "52 Facts About Gerald" reprinted as opener for this article are part of a promo-poster for Gerald’s CD. Buy the CD and you get the poster for free.)

Meanwhile, let’s get to know Gerald better via the Body Talk.

What have been the changes in your life since PBB?
"Well, I’m busier now with two shows, Love Spell and Aalog-Alog (both on ABS-CBN). I still can’t believe all this is happening to me. I used to be just a kid from Missouri, you know. And, yes, I am sleep-deprived."

How much sleep do you get per night?
"Not much these days. Like yesterday, we started taping at 7 a.m. and we finished at 9:30 this morning."

So, hasn’t your nightlife been affected?
"I don’t really have a nightlife. My only nightlife is with friends – you know, istambay lang kami sa harap ng bahay."

Hasn’t it gone to your head?
"No, I don’t think so. I’m still the same guy I showed everybody when I was inside Big Brother’s house – playful, corny, makulit, lahat! I still want to be a basketball player. I haven’t stopped my studies. I’m on the home-study set-up."

What sort of diet do you follow?
"None. I don’t go on a diet."

Showbiz is so stressful. How do you cope with stress?
"Stressful? I don’t feel it! Come on, what 17-year-old boy wouldn’t want to be in my shoes? It’s exciting, not stressful at all. I’m having lots of fun!"

What about your love life?
"I don’t have any. I used to have one. But now, I hardly have time for a girlfriend. Why, I don’t even have enough time for myself!"

Do you work out?
"I don’t. Kasi if I work out, baka tumigas ang katawan ko and I might not be able to dance as well."

What part of your body is your favorite?
"My eyes."

What part of your body do you think needs some improvement?
"My 32-inch waistline."

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?
"I pray. I’ve started praying even harder after I got out of Big Brother’s house."

What do you usually pray for?
"For my family, for everybody in (the ABS-CBN) Talent Center, for my manager, my PBB housemates. My prayer is usually very long because I have to mention so many people."

And the first thing that you do when you wake up.
"Aside from brush my teeth? When I was inside Big Brother’s house, I put on my lapel. Now, I pray."

What’s something you can’t do without?
"Wallet? No, I always forget my wallet. Hmmmm. Let me see. I guess prayer. I never leave the house without praying."

Are you vain like most good-looking guys?
"Inside Big Brother’s house, there were mirrors all over. I’m energetic and I was always moving around, so I would look at every mirror that I passed by. They thought I was vain but I am not."

What’s your favorite sleeping wear?
"Bench shorts."

How long does it take you to fix yourself?
"Fast. Very fast. I take a shower for five minutes especially when I’m racing with time. And I dress up just as fast."

Do you apply anything on your face?
"No, I don’t. That’s why I have a lot of pimples."

Favorite perfume?
"Cool Water. Or Avon Sticks."

Any role model?
"Gary V. Inside Big Brother’s house, he sang for us and gave us inspirational words. When he performs, he does so not for himself but for other people. I’ll never forget the (piece of) advice he gave us: As long as you can make even just one person in the audience happy, you’re good enough."

Who’s your favorite fantasy, somebody you would love to be stranded on an island with?
"Eva Mendez! She’s sexy, she’s beautiful and her skin is, wow, delicious!"

Name three women you think have nice bodies.
"One is Eva Mendez, of course. There’s also Angel Locsin. And Mariel Rodriguez (co-host of PBB Teen Edition)."

And three men...
"Dwayne Wade (the basketball player). Zanjoe Marudo. Richard Gutierrez."

Using body language, how would you make a girl know that you admire/like her?
"I keep smiling at her. Does it work? Sometimes!"

Friday, July 07, 2006

8-Year Old Makes It To Pasay’s Hall Of Fame

Honor @ Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.By Jocelyn Uy (Inquirer)
Updated 00:47am (Mla time) 07/08/2006

AN eight-year-old chess prodigy is the youngest Pasay resident to make it to the city’s Hall of Fame.

Paulo Bersamina, the overall champion in the 7th Asean Age Group Chess Championships held last month in Jakarta, Indonesia, has been included in the prestigious list, city public information officer, Manny Aun told the Inquirer yesterday.

Bersamina, of Taylo Street, Sta. Clara, won two gold medals in the chess tournament attended by children across Asia from June 10 to 20.

“We are very proud of Paulo. As a former Asian Games campaigner, it always warms my heart see a young Pasayeno doing well in sports,” Mayor Wenceslao “Peewee” Trinidad said during a ceremony held on Monday in honor of Bersamina.

The young woodpusher will be joining the mayor, a former swimmer, multi-awarded Philippine Basketball Association player Elmer Reyes, Olympic swimmer Jairullah Jaitullah, Olympic sprinter Benjamin Silva-Netto and former basketball star and television personality Freddie Webb, among others, in the Hall of Fame list.

Bersamina learned to play the game at the age of 4. The multi-awarded chess awardee, a third grader, is also a scholar at the University of the East, excelling in math and computer subjects.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

The New Five-Peso Bill

New five peso bill   @   Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.

COURAGE Eastern Visayas Chair Gunned Down; Activists Death Toll Reaches 696 Under Gloria

Gunned down   @   Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.The Chairperson of COURAGE Eastern Visayas and a member of COURAGE National Council was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in motorcycles in front of his house in Tacloban City, at about 7:00 this evening. Paquito "Pax" H. Diaz, Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Palo Leyte and also a media practitioner, was the 696th activist and the 3rd leader of COURAGE, the militant organization of government workers unions nationwide, who have been brutally murdered under the Arroyo administration.

In a statement, COURAGE National President Ferdinand Gaite condemned the Arroyo government’s policy of annihilation and all out war against the leaders and supporters of progressive peoples’ organization and those perceived by the administration as its enemies. "The killings must stop now, the people must rise against this culture of impunity and make accountable the perpetrators of these gruesome crime. Church workers, lawyers, students, labor leaders, and now government employees. It seems that nobody is being spared from these systematic killings and the fact that not even a single perpetrator is brought to the bar of justice all the more bolster our beliefs that blood is in Gloria’s hands".

Gaite said Diaz was the third leader of COURAGE who suffered the same brutal slaying. Last year, Sammy Dote, a municipal employee in Eastern Samar and Secretary General of COURAGE Samar, and early this year, Albert Terredaño of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Abra and Provincial Chairperson of COURAGE Abra were also shot dead by the same pattern – motorcycle riding gunmen in bonnets.

The leader added that Diaz earlier have already sought COURAGE assistance because of the death threats he was said to be receiving. That Diaz was on the "OB list" of the military was confirmed to him by no less than the police officers in Tacloban City. In fact, COURAGE has already officially requested the DAR Secretary to transfer Diaz to the Main office for security reasons.

COURAGE also assailed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) labeling of COURAGE as one of the CPP/NPA’s alleged "front organizations". "With the harassment and surveillance our leaders are now experiencing, the tag would mean another license for the so-called death squads to carry-out their mission orders".

"We call on all government employees to condemn the killings. Let us be on guard and continue to expose and oppose the rottenness of this administration. We must never be afraid for this is what they want, to perpetuate their rule of greed and terror. The cause for which Pax, Sammy and Albert have given up their lives for will not be forsaken. Tuloy ang laban!".

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Kakilala Mo Ata Sila?

This was taken from a friend’s Frienster blog.

Noong June 26, dinukot si Karen Empeno at Sherlyn Cadapan kasama si Manuel Merino. Si Karen at Sherlyn ay parehong taga-UP. Si Karen nga, Socio pa. Praxis din siya at LFS. Si Sherlyn naman ay taga-CHK. Parang eroplanong nag-crash pa din sakin ito nung nabalitaan ko. Alam ko na ginigipit ang mga taong nasa labas ng akademya. Pero hanggang noong Huwebes, nang malaman ko yung kela Karen, tsaka ko pa lang naramdaman ang totoong galit sa mga ganitong nangyayari. Hindi na lamang mga konsepto sa isang diskurso sa dyaryo o sa klase ang mga taong dinudukot at ginigipit ni Arroyo. Kapareho na natin sila ng profile. Kung hindi man natin sila kilala, kakilala sila ng mga kakilala natin. Hindi na sila abstract. Hindi tayo ligtas,marahas talaga ang panahon at ang ating kaligtasan ay nakasalalay sa ating pagsagot sa mga ganitong sitwasyon. Palayain si Karen at Sherlyn! Ibagsak ang rehimen ni Arroyo!


UP Students Abducted in Central Luzon
Two students from the University of the Philippines (UP) - Diliman and a peasant organizer were abducted in Hagonoy, Bulacan las Monday.

Ms. Karen Empeño, a BA Sociology student of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and a member of the League of Filipino Students-UP Diliman, Ms. Sherlyn Cadapan, an award-winning triathlete from the College of Human Kinetics (CHK) and a former representative to the University Student Council of UP Diliman, together with Mr. Manuel Merino, were abducted by suspected military men at around 2 a.m, July 26.

A fact sheet prepared by a human rights group in Central Luzon, tells how the three were abducted. The report says a 14 year old witnessed the abduction by hooded men who identified themselves as "vigilantes," forcibly entering the house where the three were staying. Here is the full text of the report:

Fact-sheet
TIPO NG PAGLABAG: Pagdukot, Pambubugbog, Pananakot

MGA BIKTIMA
1. Manuel Merino
2. Shierlyn Capalan
3. Karen Impeno

PETSA AT ORAS NG PANGYAYARI: Hunyo 26, 2006 alas 2:00 ng umaga

LUGAR NG PANGYAYARI: Purok 6, Brgy. San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulakan

MGA PINAGHIHINALAANG MAY KAGAGAWAN: Mga labinlimang kataong nakasibilyan, mga nakabonnet ng itim at nagpakilalang mga vigilante group daw sila.

BUOD NG PANGYAYARI:
Noong Hunyo 26, 2006, Lunes, alas 2:00 ng umaga ay sapilitang pumasok ang anim na mga di kilalang kalalakihang sibilyan armado ng mahahabang baril sa bahay ni Ginoong William Halili Ramos.

Anim na sibilyang naka-bonnet ng itim armado ng mahahabang baril ang kumatok sa kanilang bahay. Nag-alalang buksan ng huli ang pinto, sumilip muna siya sa bintana kasama ng kaniyang anak na si Wilfredo Ramos 14 na taong gulang. Nang di agad niya nabuksan ang pinto ay sumigaw ang isa na "bumaba ang lahat ng mga tao sa loob ng bahay kapag hindi ninyo binuksan bibilangan ko kayo!" Dito na napilitang buksan ni Ginoong Ramos ang pinto.

Pagkabukas ng pinto, agad siyang hinablot ng isang malaking lalaki, ibinalya pahiga sa semento piniringan at inilabas ng bahay kasama ang anak na si Wilfredo. Si Manuel Merino na noo'y nasa itaas ng bahay ay bumaba kaya nang makita siya ng mga armadong kalalakihan ay agad siyang binayo sa tiyan gamit ang mahabang baril kung saan ang puluhan ng baril ang pinambayo. Pagkabagsak sa semento ay itinali siya, inilabas sa bahay at isinakay sa pampasaherong dyip na nakahimpil sa humigit kumulang 100 meter mula sa bahay nila Ginoong Ramos.

Ang batang si Wilfredo na noo'y nasa labas din ng bahay ay nakitang bitbit na din ng armadong kalalakihan sina Karen at Sherlyn. Ang dalawa ay kinuha sa bahay ng kanyang tiyahin, isang bahay ang pagitan mula sa kanilang bahay. Duon natulog ang mga nabanggit. Hinubaran si Karen ng pang-itaas na damit at ginamit na pampering sa kanya. Isinakay sila sa nabanggit ding sasakyan. Bumaybay ang sasakyan direksiyon patungo sa Iba, Hagonoy.

Unity Statement: Youth And Students Demand The Immediate Release Of Sherlyn Cadapan And Karen Empeno

University Of The Philippines   @  Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.WE, YOUTH AND STUDENTS from different colleges, universities, organizations, communities and individuals, demand for the immediate release of our fellow students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño.

On June 26, bonnet-wearing armed men, suspected as elements of the 7th Infantry Division, forcibly entered a house of local folk in Hagonoy, Bulacan and took Sherlyn and Karen, together with a companion. Sherlyn, who is reportedly pregnant, was hit in the stomach as she was shouting for help. Meanwhile, the armed men removed Karen's shirt and used it to cover her face. They dragged the two women outside and took them away in a vehicle.

Until now, Sherlyn and Karen have not yet surfaced. While the military denied their involvement in their forced disappearance, Major Gen. Jovito Palparan, head of the 7 th ID, immediately accused them as members of the New People's Army. He insultingly added that the people of Bulacan are happy they disappeared because they are rebels.

Sherlyn and Karen are simple yet multi-talented students who went to Bulacan to conduct research on the peasant situation in the province. They are also known student leaders before they decided to learn more outside the four walls of the classroom in the University.

Sherlyn is an award-winning triathlete and a former College of Human Kinetics representative to the UP Diliman Student Council. Karen, on the other hand, is a Sociology major who is also an active member of UP Praxis and UP Zambaleños. Both are members of Anakbayan and League of Filipino Students, consecutively.

Karen and Sherlyn are the latest youth victims of the Arroyo government's hysteria, violence and policy of state terror. In its desperation to remain in power, the government has unleashed a wave of terror to eliminate and persecute its "enemies." Arroyo's dictator-like rule has claimed 692 victims of extrajudicial killings, 179 forced disappearances and hundres of other human rights violations, the worst after the dark days of Martial Law.

Oplan Bantay Laya, Arroyo's counter-insurgency program, blatantly makes no distinction between the armed revolutionary movement and the legal democratic organizations, making them all vulnerable to human rights violations.

We hereby demand that Sherlyn, Karen and all the missing immediately be resurfaced, and the abductors release them unharmed. We strongly call for an end to the extrajudicial killings by the military's "death squads." No amount of denial shall convince us that it is not the military, Palparan, and Arroyo, their commander-in-chief, are the ones liable for this mad killing spree and terror.

We condemn and hold no less than the Arroyo government and the military for the numerous human rights violations. We cry for an end to this bloodshed. We immediately call for an end to the Arroyo government.

Hinggil Sa Pagdakip Kina Karen Empeno At Sherlyn Cadapan

Sherlyn Cadapan   @   Proud To Be Pinoy - Everything Pinoy in this blog.
Pambansang Komiteng Tagapagpaganap, League of Filipino Students (July 3, 2006)

Noong Hunyo 26, bandang alas-2 ng madaling araw, sapilitang pinasok ng mga armadong elemento na pinaghihinalaang kasapi ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ang tinutuluyang bahay nina Karen Empeno at Sherlyn Cadapan sa Hagonoy, Bulacan at dinampot sila kasama ang isang lalaking si Manuel Merino na taga-Bulakan.

Sina Karen at Sher ay parehong mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) – Diliman na nagsasagawa ng kanilang pagsasaliksik sa mga magsasaka sa Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (AMGL). Si Karen ay isang mag-aaral ng BA Sociology sa College of Social Sciences and Philosophy at si Sher, isang 'award-winning' triathlete, ay dating College Representative ng College of Human Kinetics. Pareho silang naiulat na kasapi ng LFS.

Iginapos umano ang mga tao sa kanilang bahay na tinuluyan, at kinaladkad si Karen, She at Manuel sa isang pamapasaherong jip at ibinyahe patungong HQ ng militar sa Iba, Zambales. Si Karen umano ay tinanggalan pa ng pang-itaas na siyang pinantakip sa kanyang mga mata at si Sher naman ay binigwasan. Ayon sa kanyang ina, kasalukuyang buntis si Sher.

Sa kabila ng malinaw na testimonya at mga ebidensiya na nagtuturong militar ang dumampot kina Karen at She, buong karuwagang itinatanggi nina Palparan at ng militar sa Central Luzon na nasa kanila ang dalawa, kasabay naman ng pagsasabi na kumpirmadong umanong mga NPA ang mga dinukot at masaya umano ang mga tao na wala na sila. Sa kabilang banda naman, labis ang pangamba at pagdadalamhati ng mga kaibigan at pamilya ng dalawa.

Sina Karen at Sher ay mga kabataang biktima ng all-out war at Oplan Bantay Laya ng rehimen. Ilan lamang sila sa napakarami ng mga biniktima ng mga pamamaslang at ng pagdukot nitong mga nakaraang mga buwan. At ngayon, tila rumururok sang karuwagan ng AFP at ni Arroyo pagkat mula sa pagpaslang, tumataas ngayon ang bilang ng mga dinadampot at mga "forced disappearances."

Ang todong giyera ng rehimen ay nakikita na ngayon bilang todong kawalanghiyaan ng rehimen sa kabataan. Matapos tayong agawan ng badyet para sa ating edukasyon at suhayan ang pagtataas ng halaga ng ating edukasyon, ngayo'y tayo ang binibiktima sa kampanya ng rehimen para makapanatili sa kapangyarihan.

Tinatawagan ang lahat na magsagawa ng todo-largang kampanya para ipanawagan ang pagpapalaya kina Karen at Sher at labanan ang buhong na giyera na ipinapakana ng rehimen. Lahat ay inaaasahang gawin ang iba't ibang pamamaraan para ipalaganap sa masang mag-aaral at sambayanan ang sinapit ng dalawa, at magkaroon ng iba't ibang paraan para ipanawagan ang kagyat nilang paglaya.

Gawin natin ang iba't ibang pamamaraan para mairehistro ang ating protesta: signature campaign, candle lighting/noise barrage, mga assembly, martsa rali at iba pa. Maglabas din ng maraming mga poster at teaser na nananawagan sa paglaya ng dalawa.

Sa darating na July 7, itinakdang pambansang araw ng protesta, bibitbitin nating mayor na panawagan ang pagpapalaya kay Karen at Sher at pagtigil sa todong giyera ng rehimen.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Glorietta Modus Operandi

Glorietta   @  Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.Let's be aware that the "squashing technique" is a current practice, so we'll know what to do. How about a karate chop?

Dear All:
I would like to share with all of you my horrible and scary experience last Friday night at Glorietta. Maybe, by being aware of this incident, you will be more vigilant as you do your leisure shopping.

It was one rare moment on a weekday that we, my daughters and I would have the chance to have a leisure evening together. And a rare occasion that I would go around Glorietta as I have been used to the South shopping malls. Anyway, we took the escalator leading to the Rustans store (the Bon Apetit entrance). The escalator that would lead you to the bus stop at Ayala Avenue. I was about five steps away from my two daughters and in front of me were two people (one gay and one girl) in white. They were about 5 to 6 steps ahead of me. I noticed that these two people were walking backwards and to my mind, how could adults play in the escalator.

I only see children doing this. They continued stepping backwards until they were about 2 steps away from me. I noticed that the gay removed her pony tail band from her hair. Then as I reached the top, the gay bent forward trying to pick up something from the floor. I was standing there trying to hold my grip for fear of falling down. All I could say was Ano ba, Ano ba and I felt I was being squashed. I did not know that my daughters were overtaken by another two people and they thought that it was rude of them to do this. The next thing they saw was that I was being squashed in front and at the back. They thought that the one in front of them got their shoe stuck. I finally got out and was cursing the two people in front of me for being so ignorant in the use of the escalators. My daughter noticed that my bag was opened and she asked me to check it out. My cell phones were there. But my wallet was gone. She immediately ran outside to chase the two but they were gone. The other two according to my daughter went the side way.

I told the security guard stationed by the door leading to Ayala. All he asked was that "Inipit ba kayo"? I said yes. And then he said that it is a modus operandi and if I were to interpret what he said, this is not the first time this happened. I was shocked for a while. I did not feel like looking around anymore and just confined myself inside Rustans.

The good thing about this was that next day, a construction worker called my house to advise that he saw my wallet in one of the planter boxes near the bus stop. He saw a receipt with my name and phone number and called hoping he can find the owner of the wallet.

This can happen anywhere where they have these escalators. For those who have connection with the Security of Ayala, please tell them to pose some guards at the escalator areas.

Manny: This Is All For You (Filipino Champ Batters Foe After 3rd Round Scare)

Pacquiao vs. Larios   @  Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.By Francis Ochoa (Inquirer)
Posted 02:16am (Mla time) July 03, 2006

FOR A BRIEF moment in the third round, a hush fell over the Araneta Coliseum, interrupted only by surprised, uneasy gasps.

Manny Pacquiao, the boxing hero many believed to be unconquerable, was at the receiving end of a barrage of blows from Mexican Oscar "Chololo" Larios, the challenger many felt was just a piece of meat tossed into the lion's den.

Then, from the far corners of the coliseum, a chant cut through the silence and built up to a roar as the crowd repeatedly shouted Pacquiao's name.

At that, the Filipino ring icon turned everything around in an instant, showing the speed and power that have made him a byword in the 130-lb ranks, to twice floor Larios, come out a unanimous decision winner and retain his WBC international super featherweight title.

"This is for all the Filipinos who always watch me fight and support me," Pacquiao said in Filipino after yesterday's noontime bout at the Big Dome.

Egged on by the crowd that had shelled out their hard-earned money to purchase pricey tickets to watch him live, the General Santos native knocked Larios down midway in the seventh round with a solid right to the jaw and then floored the challenger again 45 seconds before the final bell with a combination set up by a crisp left jab.

Although none of those knockdowns welded Larios to the canvas for good--the Mexican got up quickly both times--it was enough to ice the victory Pacquiao had promised his compatriots.

But it was a present that the country's favorite son nearly failed to gift-wrap.

Larios, the former two-time world champion, was not the sacrificial lamb Pacquiao's camp had hoped he would be for this homecoming fight of sorts.

The 29-year-old ring veteran surprised everyone as he applied pressure on Pacquiao early on and pinning the Filipino on the ropes in the third round and nearly taking him down.

Larios's shining moment, however, also turned out to be the beginning of his downfall.

"I felt that I could knock him out [after the third round] and I stopped listening to my corner," Larios said through an interpreter in the post-match press conference.

"He started fighting the wrong fight after the third round," said Rafael Mendoza, Larios's agent and adviser. "He lost his head thinking he could knock Manny Pacquiao out."

Suckered into a brawl, Larios gave Pacquiao the stage he needed to do what he did best: Showcase a natural flair for slugging it out and fusing a divided nation with a display of raw speed and punching power.

A country behind him

With the crowd--and an entire country--rallying behind him, the 27-year-old superstar slipped out from under the weight of Larios's third-round onslaught and uncorked a sharp combination that opened a cut under the Mexican's left eye.

"For a while, I was a little bit concerned," said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer. "But Manny recovered well after that."

"He hit me hard, but I wasn't that hurt," Pacquiao said. "In fact, I was able to get out of the ropes quickly after that. Hearing the crowd chanting my name helped. I knew I couldn't let [my countrymen] down."

"When he came back to the corner after the round, I told him not to get caught sleeping on the ropes again," Roach recounted.

By the time the sixth round came along, Pacquiao was certainly wide awake. His feared left straight started to find its range and his right cross, a weapon developed by his camp for his two previous fights against Erik Morales, came into play.

"He was just coasting in the early rounds and he did not turn up the heat until the sixth round," said Roach.

Pacquiao unleashed rapid combinations to the body and the head that repeatedly rocked Larios from the sixth round onwards, giving the Guadalajara native a sample of his much talked-about power and speed.

After bringing Larios to his knees in the seventh, Pacquiao kept up the pressure. In the 12th round, he drove a left jab straight to the head before uncorking another flurry that had Larios seated on the floor.

Larios: Speed beat me

"Manny's a great fighter, he beat me with his speed," said the former super bantamweight champion of the world.

The only thing faster than Pacquiao's punching flurry, it seemed, was Larios's ability to come back after every barrage, withstanding everything the Filipino threw at him to force the fight to go the distance. That was the Larios fight plan, to force an upset through the scorecards.

But Pacquiao still managed enough to seal a points victory--the three judges had it all for the champion at 117-110, 118-108 and 120-106--even if it wasn't quite the slam-bang performance the Filipino's camp had foretold during prefight interviews.

Partly, it was because, so Pacquiao said, he didn't go full steam against Larios.

"I knew I was in control of the match, leading on points, and I did not want to risk being too aggressive because he might catch me with a lucky punch," Pacquiao (42-3-2) said.

"If I pushed a little harder, I think you all know what the result would have been," he added, hinting that Larios (56-5-1) would not have lasted the distance.

It was also because Larios seemed to have the stars aligned for him yesterday.

Not only was Pacquiao far from the form that allowed him to knock Morales out early this year, but Larios himself seemed to have benefited greatly from the three-month preparation he undertook for this bout.

"Larios couldn't have fought a better fight than he already did [yesterday]," Roach said. Larios earned $450,000 for his effort while Pacquiao, who only prepared for six months for yesterday's tiff, picked up a cool $1 million.

Churches, Malls Miss Sunday Crowds As Fans Watch Bout On TV

Pacquiao vs. Larios   @  Proud To Be Pinoy – Everything Pinoy in this blog.By Metro Staff, PDI Bureaus (Inquirer)
Posted 02:30am (Mla time) July 03, 2006

JEEPNEY DRIVERS stopped plying their routes. Church attendance was down. Malls, normally packed by noon on a Sunday, cried out for customers.

College sophomore Mae Santos, 18, summed it all up. No lover of the blood sport, she crossed her fingers for a Manny Pacquiao victory.

“Even if I’m not a sports fan, I’m still a Filipino,” she told the Inquirer as she navigated her way through Robinson’s Place in Ermita, Manila, where the crowd of customers was noticeably thin because many of the usual shoppers had stayed home to watch the fight.

For a day, everybody seemed to be a Pacquiao fan -- well, almost everybody. Three Roman Catholic bishops whom the Inquirer texted -- Oscar Cruz, Deogracias Iñiguez and Leonardo Medroso -- said they did not watch the fight.

Traffic was fairly light on Metro Manila streets and in cities as far away as Davao, apparently because people were glued to television sets to see Pacquiao duel Mexican Oscar Larios.

Crime incidence in Metro Manila from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. yesterday -- or around the time of the delayed telecast of the fight -- was zero, according the National Capital Region Police Office.

The fever didn’t spare President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Back from her weeklong European trip, Ms Arroyo returned yesterday in time to watch the fight on television in Malacañang.

She said Pacquiao’s victory was “another moment of pride for the Filipino.” But her statement was not without political overtones: She said the nation needed “to be focused as Manny in preparing and persevering toward our goals -- a strong economy, a stable political system and a prosperous society.”

Earlier, Ms Arroyo said she would bestow on Pacquiao the country’s first “Champion for Life” award.

For its part, the House of Representatives, which awarded Pacquiao the Congressional Medal of Achievement last year, will honor him with a new commendation when Congress resumes sessions later this month.

Prayers for Manny
In the City of San Fernando in Pampanga province, calesa driver Cipriano Mainin, 64, went to Mass and offered prayers for his man.

“Manny’s my idol because he fights well and he’s doing well in life,” Mainin said.

The fight was special, too, for Jerby Santo, a disc jockey in Tacloban City in Leyte province. He said it helped him forget “my personal problems and those of the nation.”

In Pacquiao’s hometown, around 2,000 people saw a delayed telecast of the fight at the air-conditioned General Santos City gymnasium.

“Hit him hard,” they chorused each time the hometown boy connected. “Kill him,” another group shouted.

Sky-high prices
When Larios fell twice to the canvas, the crowd went wild and chanted: “He has been knocked out. He has been knocked out.”

But the Mexican was still on his feet.

Sky-high ticket prices prevented the crowds milling around the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City from getting in to watch the match, but they did not leave disappointed.

For a few moments, they were able to gaze at the stars and hobnob with a virtual “Who’s Who” in show biz and politics.

Cheers erupted and cameras clicked away every time a major celebrity stepped on the carpeted VIP entrance of the coliseum.

Among the stars spotted were Gary Valenciano, Aga Muhlach and wife Charlene Gonzales, siblings Richard and Ruffa Gutierrez, Jericho Rosales -- who played the role of the boxer in “Pacquiao the Movie” -- and Heart Evangelista.

Politicians, too
Politicians were not far behind: Senator Manuel Roxas II, who came with broadcaster Korina Sanchez, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Representatives Gilbert Remulla (Cavite), Prospero Nograles (Davao City) and Joel Villanueva (Cibac party-list), and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

Some of the crowd had come expecting their P50 and P100 would buy them a ticket. They were shocked to find out that the cheapest ticket cost P528.

Still, others stayed, hoping that tickets would later be sold at discounted prices. But that did not happen.

Patron 1 and 2 tickets were sold for P52,800 and P47,520, respectively, while Patron 3 and 4 tickets cost P31,680. Lower Box tickets fetched P21,120, while Lower Box A and B were worth P7,920 and P2,640, respectively.

A consolation
Construction foreman Peter Balbon, 36, brought along his wife Teresa, 36, and son Carlo, 8.

“I thought it would only cost about P100 or so. We never expected it would cost so much,” Teresa said.

Carlo seemed happy enough. “I saw Richard Gutierrez,” the boy said.

Jun Cañete, 27, a nurse, also thought his P50 would be able to get him in.

“I’d rather stay here and watch the stars,” he consoled himself, laughing. “It’s not every day that I get to see them in person.”

Sponsors made their presence felt at the coliseum entrances, with banners and streamers mounted at conspicuous spaces, booths offering souvenir shirts and Pacquiao CDs, and promo persons handing out freebies like balloons, carton fans and even samples of painkillers and cough medicine.

Impressed with Larios
The crowd watched the fight on monitors set up near the Araneta entrance. Cheers rang out every time Pacquiao landed a punch -- until the coliseum staff moved the monitors away after seven rounds.

An usher later told the disgruntled crowd: “Please just watch it on TV later.”

One Mandaluyong police officer watched the live telecast at the SM Megamall Cinemas without having to pay for the P320 ticket. He was impressed with Pacquiao’s opponent.

“Larios was really strong. I did not expect he would last until the last round,” said the officer. “He was already full of bruises but he was still fighting.”

He and another policewoman were on beat patrol when the cinema manager invited them into one of the five cinemas showing the fight at the mall.

Packed theaters
The five cinemas were packed.

“I think more people went to SM than to the Araneta Coliseum,” the cinema official joked, saying the steep ticket prices might have turned off the fans.

The cinemas virtually shook with cheers every time Pacquiao scored.

Under the Ortigas flyover in Mandaluyong, only one Metropolitan Manila Development Authority traffic enforcer was at the intersection; the others were inside the station, watching the fight on TV.

Policemen at the Eastern Police District Annex Office also gathered in one office to watch the delayed telecast. Two people reporting a crime were also glued to the set, resuming their story during the long commercial breaks.

Still, not everyone had gone crazy.

In parts of Quezon City, some people did not seem very excited about the fight.

Stalls selling secondhand television sets on EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) were tuned to the bout but there were very few people watching.

One possible reason was that people had tuned in to radio station dzMM, which described the fight blow by blow and revealed the result before the ABS-CBN’s telecast got underway almost two hours later.

“There was too much hype. That turned me off,” said a reporter, who chose to play games on the computer.

Here is how it was like in the rest of the country:

Luzon
Melito Lacanlale, a mini-bus dispatcher, spent the day at the People’s Gym at the provincial capitol of Pampanga to watch the delayed telecast.

“Iba ang kamao niya (Pacquiao’s fist is unique),” Lacanlale said. He said he challenged his neighbors to place bets on Larios but no one took his dare.

The large viewing screen in San Fernando, Pampanga, drew only a small crowd of 200 men and boys, leaving half of the seats in the gym empty. Many spectators were irked by the delayed telecast and the numerous commercials.

ABS-CBN personnel at the gym kept up the audience’s enthusiasm by holding games like arm wrestling. They gave away free drinks and candies.

In La Union province, farmers in Calungboyan in Balaoan town were all ears to the Bombo Radyo broadcast of the bout. They said they were robbed of the excitement of seeing the fight on TV because of the delayed telecast.

In Tarlac City, a number of meat stalls at the new public market on Ninoy Aquino Boulevard were empty because their owners had chosen to watch the fight at home.

In Tuguegarao City, bets took the form of plates of pancit (noodles), bottles of beer and as much as P500.

In eastern Laguna, streets were empty as drivers of jeepneys and tricycles parked their vehicles.

At the Our Lady’s Nativity Parish in Pangil town, a few people were seen attending a 2 p.m. funeral Mass for a relative, said its parish priest.

Mario Marjalino, an Information Technology consultant in Masbate province, mocked Malacañang’s announcement that Pacquiao would be given the “Champion for Life” award.

“It’s just a mere mask that hides the failures of our political system,” he said.

Broadcaster Jun Galias of Sorsogon province said: “For a country in shambles like ours, every victory counts.”

Viel Balmeo, a third-year high school student at Maryhill College in Lucena City, said: “Yes, he’s still the champion, but he no longer has the true heart and fighting spirit of a champ. Maybe because he wanted to stay longer so he could earn more money. He played it safe so as not to cause more harm to his body.”

Visayas
Most Filipinos across the Visayas, even those who do not care much for boxing, either stayed home to follow the fight on TV or watched it on wide-screen televisions set up in public places and restaurants.

But there were some who were frustrated. In Maasin City in Southern Leyte province, subscribers to Dream TV were dismayed to learn that the cable firm did not carry ABS-CBN, which beamed the fight.

In Tacloban, Malyn Caca, 42, traveled 21 km just to watch her idol fight. Jeepney driver Virgilio Villablanca, 56, took the day off to watch the match.

Mayor Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez put up a 42-foot wide screen TV at the convention center so that people from out of town could see the bout.

Many Cebuanos were dismayed by the delayed telecast. Betting was relatively light because it was hard to find someone who would bet on Larios.

In Bacolod City in Negros Occidental province, thousands trooped to the arts and youth center, where the city government had set up a widescreen TV, even if they already knew that Pacquiao had won.

Many people went to church early or chose to hear a later Mass so they could watch the fight.

Mindanao
In Davao City, children mimicked the two boxers during breaks, at times sparking petty quarrels.

In Cotabato City, fish vendor Mokamad Ayob gladly paid for the pulutan (bar chow) and the liquor he and his friends were consuming when Pacquiao floored his opponent in the 7th round.