Ang aking munting pahina: March 2012

Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Big Bang Theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory

The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers. It premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007.
The show is centered on five characters: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, two physicists who work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech); Penny, a blonde waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense. Three other supporting characters have also been promoted to starring roles: Leslie Winkle, a physicist colleague at Caltech and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard; Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard's fiancée, who is a microbiologist and part-time waitress alongside Penny; and Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist who joins the group after being matched to Sheldon on a dating website.
The show is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions. In August 2009, the sitcom won the best comedy series TCA award and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) won the award for individual achievement in comedy. In 2010, the show won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy, while Parsons won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. On January 16, 2011, Parsons was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, an award that was presented by co-star Kaley Cuoco (Penny). On September 18, 2011, Parsons was again awarded an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
When the third season premiered on September 21, 2009, Big Bang Theory ranked as CBS's highest-rated show of that evening in the adults 18–49 demographic (4.6/10), along with a then-series-high 12.83 million viewers. On May 19, 2010, it was announced that CBS would be moving the show to Thursdays at 8:00 ET for the 2010–2011 schedule. On January 12, 2011, CBS announced that the show had been renewed for an additional three years, extending it through the 2013–2014 season. The fifth season premiered on September 22, 2011, in its usual time slot with two back-to-back episodes.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Ang aking opinyon tungkol sa rally noong Marso 15, 2012

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2 - 3:56 p.m.) Activist groups on Thursday staged a nationwide protest that included motorcades to demand government action to stem incessant increases of fuel prices, belying government warnings of a transport strike that had the military and other government agencies scrambling to ready transportation for stranded commuters.
But the warnings, which included threats by Malacanang to sanction transport groups, were apparently enough to prompt class suspensions in several parts of Metro Manila, including the cities of San Juan and Paranaque, where classes at all levels were suspended for the day.
...In Quezon City, protest actions were also held along the Elliptical Road and at the Batasan Road where Bayan joined the 1,450-strong Batasan Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association for a program and noise barrage.

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26909/activists-stage-caravans-vs-oil-price-hikes-introduce-noynoying

about oil deregulation law: http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8479.htm

My opinion:

ayon sa aking narinig (sa balita at sa rally nila), malaki ang kinikita ng mga oil companies dahil sa 12% VAT(Value-Added Tax).

ang tanong: SAAN NAPUPUNTA ANG BILYON-BILYONG KITA NG MGA OIL COMPANIES?
NAPAPAKINABANGAN BA ITO NG MGA PILIPINO?

grabe naman sila. buti sana kung walang epekto ang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga tao sa Pilipinas. tapos, may balak pang humirit ng dagdag pasahe.

kawawa naman kaming mga naghihirap. hindi na nga mabili ang pangangailangan eh madaragdagan pa ang intindihin.

HINDI BA DAPAT NAKO-KONTROL NG GOBYERNO ANG PRESYO NG LANGIS?

kung hindi nila nakokontrol, hindi man lang ba sila gagawa ng hakbang upang mapakiusapan ang tatlong higanteng oil companies na mag-roll back sa presyo ng langis?

sa twing magro-roll back kasi eh piso-piso lang. samantalang kapag may price hike eh sobrang laki ng dagdag...

...

dapat maging mapamaraan tayong mga Pilipino..

may mga alternatibong bagay na maaaring ipalit sa langis..

mas mabuti kung gumamit na lang tayo ng bike..

nakatipid ka na, nakatulong ka pa sa kapaligiran.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Corona 'willingness' to show dollar deposits moots TRO, Drilon says

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26477/corona-willingness-to-show-dollar-deposits-moots-tro-drilon-says

MANILA, Philippines – After Chief Justice Renato Corona reiterated his vow to open for scrutiny his dollar accounts, Senator Franklin M. Drilon has called on the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order it earlier issued on the Senate’s subpoena on those accounts.

In a series of media interviews last week—an apparent roadshow to explain himself on the eve of resumption of trial at the impeachment court on March 12---Corona said that he was willing to open all his bank accounts, including his foreign currency deposits, when senator-judges are convened again.

“The TRO preventing the opening of dollar accounts of the Chief Justice has, in effect, become moot and academic since Corona said he was willing to divulge his dollar accounts,” explained Drilon.

“Kung yung may-ari nga ng account ay handang ipakita yung kanyang bank accounts, kasama ang dollar deposits, bakit pa kailangang pigilan ito ng Supreme Court [It doesn’t make sense for the SC to stop the revelation of the dollar deposits when the account owner himself professes willingness to show them],” said Drilon.

The TRO was issued in a vote of 8-5 favoring the petition of Philippine Savings Bank, through its president Pascual Garcia III, who opted to testify at the impeachment court only on local currency deposits of Corona and not on the dollar accounts.

With Corona’s supposed willingness, Drilon said opening his dollar accounts will no longer violate Republic Act 6426, the law that protects foreign currency deposits in the country, when the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, asks for it when session resumes.

“The bone of contention before was that the opening of his dollar accounts would violate the provision of RA 6426, but now, with the recent development, it appears to me that no provision would be violated in case the Senate inquires on his dollar accounts,” said Drilon.

Miriam wants law to regulate kids' access to soft drinks

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26490/miriam-wants-law-to-regulate-kids-access-to-soft-drinks

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a bill to regulate the sales, and distribution of soda-based products to mitigate against health risks posed to children and the general public.
"It is the responsibility of the State to protect our children from exposure to harmful substance. The sale of beverages that pose serious health risks can be curbed under the State's police power," Santiago says in her explanatory note on Senate Bill No. 3134. "Many academic studies have shown that there is nothing healthy about carbonated soft drinks or soda. Soft drinks contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, phosphorus, and carbon acids which have harmful effects on the body."
Santiago, picking up a proposed bill brought to Congress by an 8-year-old Quezon City student, highlighted studies suggesting that soda consumption is associated with bone diseases. "Soft drink intake also increases the incidence of dental caries or tooth decay and obesity especialy among adolescents and young adults.4 Phosphorus, high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, and the carbon acids impair the body's capacity to absorb calcium," she said. "Soft drink consumption of children (is) linked to insufficient calcium in the body, impaired calcification of growing bones, and increased risk of bone fracture." The senator added that high levels of caffeine in soft drinks could "disrupt sleep and lead to, anxiety and DNA damage and hyperactivity especially among children."
The World Health Organization, the senator says, recognizes that consumption of soft drinks contributes to the growing incidence of obesity and increases the risk for heart disease worldwide.
Santiago said the filing of her bill is especially relevant given that Filipinos' per capital consumption of soda is higher than the global average. She also noted plans by Coca-cola, the biggest soft drink manufacturer in the world, to increase its investments in the Philippines with an additional P1 billion pesos; South Korean beverage company Lotte Chilsung is meanwhile acquiring a 34.4% stake in Philippine Pepsi bottler Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines (PCPP). These developments point to still rising demand for soft drinks in the Philippines, she said.
"Although this is great news in terms of investment, this is not good for public health especially the children," Santiago said. "A study involving children aged 6- to 12-years-old in La Trinidad, Benguet shows the prevalence of dental caries and high consumption of sugar. Soft drinks are one of the most common sources of dietary sugar (84%)."
Dr. Tim Gill, the Regional Coordinator of the Asia-Pacific International Obesity Taskforce of Australia warns that more Filipino children and adolescents are becoming overweight, and therefore more likely to develop health problems and their complications. The greater the weight excess - the higher a child's body mass index (BMI) = the greater the risk of acquiring so-called metabolic syndromes early in life, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases.
A national nutrition survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) reveals a steady rise in obesity cases from 5.7 percent in 1989 to 8 percent in 1993 and then to 8.8 percent in 1998, Santiago said.
Santiago's bill, should it become law, would regulate the distribution of soft drinks in all schools in the Philippines, from pre-school to high school, whether public or private.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Hisss and hers: When women are best at spotting snakes

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26395/hisss-and-hers-when-women-are-best-at-spotting-snakes

PARIS - Women who have just finished ovulating are better at detecting snakes than at other times of their menstrual cycle, according to an unusual study that sheds light on in-built reflexes for survival.
Nobuo Masataka of Japan's Kyoto University tested 60 healthy women of child-bearing age at three different phases of their cycle.
They were simultaneously shown nine pictures, one of which was a snake among flowers while the others were only of flowers.
The volunteers were tested on how quickly they spotted the serpent.
The fastest women were those who were in the so-called luteal phase of their menstrual cycle, or the stage that immediately follows ovulation.
The study strengthens theories that we have a "fear reflex," or an innate response to threat signals such as potentially poisonous snakes, Masataka believes.
Previous research has found this trait among infants aged as young as eight months and even among non-human primates.
Among women, the reflex seems to be influenced by hormone levels at a stage when they could be pregnant and thus be more protective towards their fetus, the study suggests.
"It could contribute to women's ability to increase their vigilance towards biologically relevant threatening stimuli around themselves during this period of possible pregnancy," it says.
The paper was published on Thursday in the British journal Scientific Reports.

Smart, green move? Plastic ban leads to rise in paper use, says industry

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26350/smart-green-move-plastic-ban-leads-to-rise-in-paper-use-says-industry

MANILA, Philippines – Is the widening initiative to ban plastic in many facets of life a really smart “green” move, or will it create more problems for the environment?

A plastics industry group on Thursday raised this question, asserting that the ban on plastic “has increased the use of paper, raising bigger environmental issues including the cutting of trees, and the use of more water and electricity for its production compared to plastic.”

It said a ton of paper equals 17 cut trees, 116 times more water usage and five times more power consumption.

Crispian Lao, spokesperson for the plastic industry, said: “One ton of paper requires the cutting of 17 trees; none is cut for plastic. One supermarket paper bag uses one gallon of clean water, which is all that is needed to make 116 plastic bags. Paper uses as much as five times more energy than a comparable plastic production.”

Lao’s group is asking for a scientific and enlightened approach to plastic, which he said has been demonized to the point that people now wrongly believe that paper is more environmentally friendly.

“It is not. This is the reason developed countries are taking a balanced approached. People are given a choice between plastic and paper because both are needed, and have their pros and cons,” he said.

He added: “If the problem is flooding, a plastic ban is definitely not the solution. The floods during typhoons Ondoy, Pedring, Sendong etc were caused not by plastic but by global warming which has generated more violent typhoons and unusually heavy rainfall.”

Even assuming that plastic products were to be blamed for lesser floods, he said the solution is still not a ban on plastic but in changing people’s ways of disposing waste.

By banning plastic, Lao said local governments are in effect making global warming worse because more paper means fewer trees and therefore more carbon dioxide in the air; less water for people to use; and more power to be generated which produces more greenhouse gases.

“All this misimpression started with simple floods, and it was very convenient to blame plastic because it was the most visible. But first of all, we have poor drainage systems. And the plastic is there because we refuse to segregate. We must segregate and recycle. The solution is that simple,” he said.

Plastic, he said, is more environmentally friendly than paper but the two must co-exist because each one is needed in the current world.

In terms of use, however, he said plastic offers unmatched convenience because it can carry more weight, and both dry and wet contents. Paper, once wet, can carry even less and become unrecyclable.

Paper cups, for instance, are lined with either wax or plastic to keep liquids in. Diapers; bottles used instead of glass for tea, softdrinks; sacks; eyeglasses; ballpens and just about anything used everyday has plastic, he said.

“All we need to do is to be responsible users and disposers of plastic. To ban it is to deny ourselves unneccessarily a ready convenience in favor of paper that causes new problems for us,” he said.

Suspect in UPLB killing surrenders to Tulfo, News5

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26379/suspect-in-uplb-killing-surrenders-to-tulfo-news5

(UPDATE - 9:50 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - A suspect in the killing of University of the Philippines-Los Banos student Ray Bernard Peñaranda surrendered Thursday evening, denying any involvement in the crime.
Tyrone Kennedy Terbio, 18, who has been accused of stabbing Peñaranda, turned himself in to broadcast journalist Raffy Tulfo at the TV5 office in Novaliches, Quezon City.
Terbio denied reports linking him to Peñaranda's death, according to a News5 report aired Thursday evening. He was tagged by another suspect as the one who stabbed the UPLB agriculture student in the chest using a fan knife or balisong.
Terbio was turned over to Philippine National Police chief Nicanor Bartlome, who personally fetched the suspect at the TV5 office.

Critics up in arms against #Kony2012 viral social media campaign

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/critics-up-in-arms-against-kony2012-viral-social-media-campaign

MANILA, Philippines — The people behind Invisible Children, a non-profit organization aiming to help free children from conflict in Uganda, had set out to do one thing: Stop Joseph Kony, an indicted war criminal that has been abducting children for his personal army for 26 years.
To achieve that, Jason Russell, one of the founders of the group, created a 30-minute video and posted it on YouTube, illustrating how Kony had amassed an army of 30,000 children over the years for his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda.
Since posting the video on Monday, it has garnered more than 21 million views on the video-sharing site. The terms #Kony2012, Invisible Children and Uganda had all been top Twitter trending topics in the Philippines and in the world since the video’s launch. Users on Facebook are also chiming in, posting and reposting the video for their friends to see.
In just less than a week, more people had come to know about Kony today, considered the most wanted criminal by the International Criminal Court, than those who did in the past two decades.
Thanks to the power of social media, the campaign to raise awareness about the repulsive ways of a Ugandan criminal had become an overnight viral success.
But now that the dust has slightly settled, people who had the opportunity to step back have pointed out the obvious cracks in the pavement: about how the organization behind the advocacy had been remiss in the use of donated funds, and how a single social media campaign couldn’t possible end conflict in Central Africa.
In a blog post, which had also gone viral as of late, Acadia University sociology and political science student Grant Oyson pointed out how Invisible Children had been “condemned” time and again for their financial mishaps.
“Last year, the organization spent $8,676,614. Only 32% went to direct services (page 6), with much of the rest going to staff salaries, travel and transport, and film production,” Oyson asserted in his blog post.
“This is far from ideal for an issue which arguably needs action and aid, not awareness, and Charity Navigator rates their accountability 2/4 stars because they lack an external audit committee,” he added.
The issue of money particularly came to light since one of the group’s call to action is the purchase of a Kony2012 bracelet and action kit, which costs $30 each.
The group had also been criticized for twisting certain facts in the video–such as the total number of children currently in LRA’s army–and for letting slip critical information such as the fact that Kony is no longer in Uganda and that the LRA had not been as active for about six years now.
“The small remaining LRA forces are still wreaking havoc and very hard to catch, but Northern Uganda has had tremendous recovery in the 6 years of peace since the LRA left,” wrote Joshua Keating for the Foreign Policy blog.
To their defense, the people behind Invisible Children responded by publishing a page answering all the critiques against their cause.
“Our Accountability and Transparency score is currently at 2 stars due primarily to the single fact that Invisible Children does not have 5 independent voting members on our board of directors–we currently have 4,” the statement said, adding that the group is currently in the process of interviewing potential board members to up their rating.
The group further stressed that they had been independently audited by Considine and Considine since 2006, “and all of our audits have resulted in unqualified opinions on the audit reports.”
Critics had also pointed out how the LRA vs. Ugandan people polarization had been an oversimplification of the conflict in the African country, especially since Uganda’s government security forces are also guilty of crimes similar to those perpetrated by the LRA.
“Both the Ugandan army and Sudan People’s Liberation Army are riddled with accusations of rape and looting, but Invisible Children defends them, arguing that the Ugandan army is ‘better equipped than that of any of the other affected countries’,” Oyson said.
The group, however, denied defending the human rights accusations hurled against the Ugandan government, adding that no money donated to the group “ever goes to the government of Uganda.”
Oyson concedes, however, that raising awareness about Kony is good, since that could ultimately lead to his arrest.
“But these problems are highly complex, not one-dimensional and, frankly, aren’t of the nature that can be solved by postering, film-making and changing your Facebook profile picture, as hard as that is to swallow,” he stressed.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Regulators clear Coke, Pepsi of cancer link

US regulators said soft drinks from PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola Co posed no cancer risk, contrary to a watchdog group that reported several popular brands contain high levels of a chemical linked to cancer in animals.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said it found unsafe levels of a chemical used to make caramel color in cans of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc's Dr. Pepper, and Whole Foods' 365 Cola.

The group asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban caramel coloring agents that contain the chemical known as 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI. This follows a similar plea last year.

"Coke and Pepsi, with the acquiescence of the FDA, are needlessly exposing millions of Americans to a chemical that causes cancer," said CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson. "If companies can make brown food coloring that is carcinogen-free, the industry should use that."

The FDA said it is reviewing the group's petition, but that the drinks were still safe.

"A consumer would have to consume well over a thousand cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered in the studies that have shown links to cancer in rodents," said Doug Karas, an FDA spokesman, in a statement.

The cans were all taken from stores in the Washington, DC area, and some had levels of 4-MI near 140 micrograms in each 12-ounce can, the watchdog group said. The state of California has a legal limit of 29 micrograms of 4-MI, it added.

However, the group said a bigger health risk came from high-fructose corn syrup, which is used to sweeten soda and can contribute to diabetes.

The FDA's limit for 4-MI in caramel coloring is 250 parts per million (ppm). That caramel would then be diluted when it is put in soda. The highest levels of 4-MI found by CSPI were about 0.4 ppm, according to Reuters calculations.

"This is nothing more than CSPI scare tactics," the American Beverage Association said in a statement. "In fact, findings of regulatory agencies worldwide ... consider caramel coloring safe for use in foods and beverages."

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26125/regulators-clear-coke-pepsi-of-cancer-link

Singapore rest day for maids still behind international standards - Human Rights Watch

MANILA, Philippines - Although an "important reform," Singapore’s decision to grant foreign domestic workers a mandatory weekly rest day still "falls short of international standards," an international human rights watchdog said.
At the same time, the overseas Filipino workers' organization Migrante urged Middle Eastern countries, where millions of Filipinos are employed, to follow Singapore's lead and improve working conditions for domestic workers.
The new Singapore policy, announced on Monday, takes effect only for new contracts beginning January next year and does "not address the exclusion of domestic workers from other key labor protections in Singapore's Employment Act," Human Rights Watch noted in a statement released Tuesday.
"The Singaporean government's recognition of a weekly rest day as a basic labor right will make the lives of migrant domestic workers better," said Nisha Varia, HRW senior women’s rights researcher. "But this important reform should go into effect this year and apply to all domestic workers and their current contracts."
The new policy allows employers the option of paying their domestic workers instead of granting them a rest day should the employee agree.
However, HRW noted that, "Given the imbalance of power between employers and domestic workers, there is significant risk of abuse that employers may coerce workers to sign away their day of rest."
She urged the Singapore government to do away with this loophole "and ensure that domestic workers will actually get at least a minimum number of rest days."
There are an estimated 206,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore, some 65,000 of them Filipinos, the rest mostly from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.
Notwithstanding a number of reforms introduced recently, HRW said Singapore's labor protections "still lag behind those of other migrant-receiving countries," including Hong Kong.
It also noted that Singapore was "one of only nine countries that did not support adoption" of the International Labor Organization's Convention No. 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.
Among others, the convention requires governments to provide domestic workers with labor protections equivalent to those of other workers, including for working hours, minimum wage coverage, overtime compensation, daily and weekly rest periods, social security, and maternity protection.
Meanwhile, Migrante said Singapore's new policy poses a challenge to Middle Eastern countries where there are some 25 million domestic workers, mostly from Asian countries.
John Leonard Monterona, an OFW based in Saudi Arabia who is Migrante’s Middle East coordinator, noted that most of the Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) member-countries "have reservations in recognizing domestic workers’ alienable rights as a worker and a human being citing 'customary practices and traditions.'"
"Kuwait, for example, opposes the granting of day-offs and the internationally prescribed eight-hour work (day) of domestic workers," Monterona said. "It has been known that other GCC countries and non-GCC governments also cited 'preserving tradition and modesty of maids' as reasons to restrict domestic workers freedom of movement and giving them day-offs, among others."

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26122/singapore-rest-day-for-maids-still-behind-international-standards---human-rights-watch

Corona admits withdrawing millions 'because we lost our trust in the bank'

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 4 - 10:07 a.m.) Chief Justice Renato Corona admitted on Wednesday that he and his wife withdrew millions of pesos from their accounts in the Philippine Savings Bank Katipunan branch on December 12, 2011, the day he was impeached in the House of Representatives, because “we had lost our trust in the bank.”

Responding to a question in an interview in “Unang Hirit” of GMA-7, Corona said they had known there was a leak in the bank because they were warned by several friends -- several of them neighbors and co-depositors in the same branch -- that “people were talking about our accounts.”

“Ang dahilan n’yan (withdrawals) kasi, nawalan na kami ng tiwala sa bangko kasi alam naming doon nanggaling ang leak kasi may mga nagsasabi sa amin (The reason for that is because we had lost confidence in the bank because we knew that the leak had come from there because we had been told about it),” Corona said. “Ikaw ba magtitiwala ka pa sa bangkong ganun, hindi mo ba wi-withdrawhin ang pera mo kung ikaw ang nasa lugar namin (Would you trust a bank like that, wouldn't you withdraw your money if you were in our place)?”

At one point, Corona said he was told that “even the branch manager was talking about it,” but when asked if he was referring to Annabelle Tiongson, who testified at the impeachment court weeks ago, he said he didn’t know the person’s name at that time.

During a hearing of the impeachment trial, private prosecutor Demetrio Custodio said Corona closed at least three PSBank peso accounts with deposits totaling P32.6 million on the day he was impeached.

These were Account No. 089-121023848, opened on June 29, 2011, with P17 million; Account No. 089-121019523, opened on Dec. 22, 2009, with P8.5 million; and Account No. 089-121021681, opened Sept. 1, 2010, with P7,090,099.45.

Corona claimed the money came from the corporation owned by his wife’s family, from which he had obtained an P11-million loan, and from the proceeds of properties they sold.

Asked why he did not declare these in his in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, he said: “Siyempre, kasi hindi naman amin iyon, sa korporasyon iyon. Ikaw ba ide-declare mo sa SALN mo ang ari-arian na hindi sa iyo (Of course, because it wasn’t ours, it belonged to the corporation. Would you declare in your SALN property that isn’t yours)?”

Corona also claimed sources in Malacanang, where he used to work, informed him that people were gathering information about his properties and accounts even before he was impeached.

“Hindi naman tayo parang bulag at saki bingi. Doon sa Malacanang, matagal din akong nanilbihan, marami akong kaibigan doon, nagmamagandang-loob, tini-text sa akin na ganito ang galawan dito, maraming nagre-report sa akin na taga-loob (We weren’t blind or deaf. In Malacanang, where I served for a long time, I have many friends who, out of concern, texted me that this was happening here, many from inside were reporting to me),” he said.

Asked about the controversy involving his wife’s corporation, Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc., from which they obtained the loan in 2003, Corona said the internal squabble within his wife’s family had nothing to do with his impeachment trial.

He said the wrangling between Cristina and her cousin, Anna Basa, has been going on for 30 years and has spilled over into the courts. He also denied pointing a gun at the Basa family’s caretaker, an accusation made by his wife’s relative.

What should be looked into, he said, was how the family of Jose Basa, the brother of his mother-in-law, managed to produce a new title for a huge property in Eastwood, Quezon City that excluded his mother-in-law from among the owners of the property, estimated to have a current value of P2 billion.

Corona asserted he can answer squarely all the accusations against him when the trial resumes March 12, at which time the defense will start presenting its evidence.

He said the impeachment was part of one big demolition job against him because of his differences with the Executive.

InterAksyon tried to get the reaction of PSBank president Pascual Garcia III on Corona’s allegation but the bank official refused to take calls, hanging up several times.

However, in his newly created blog, ‘in my own words,’ Garcia, in an entry on Tuesday, said he was very careful in disclosing information about depositor’s accounts because this could make the bank liable under the Bank Secrecy Law.

The entry was written in response to “some of the things people are saying on the Internet, and some people think I was holding back or hiding something.”

“From day one, we have declared to the court that we could provide anything and everything the court asks for, provided that it is within our bounds to provide it,” he wrote.

He said this was why he limited his answers only to the information sought by the first subpoena issued by the Senate on February 7. “We cannot provide anything more than that, because if we do, we will be violating the confidentiality of our depositors.”

But the succeeding subpoenas on February 9 and 14 gave him more liberty to disclose information on Corona’s bank accounts.

The second subpoena asked for PSBank Katipunan branch manager Annabel Tiongson to testify, while the last subpoena ordered them to disclose “any and all peso accounts other than the original ten.”

“I understand that to some onlookers, it appeared that I was holding back... People have suggested all sorts of possible reasons for this, but I hope now you can see that the third subpoena lifted the restrictions which enabled me to give the impeachment court all the information they required without violating the law,” he said.

The Senate's committee on banks has mounted a separate inquiry into the leakage of Corona's bank accounts.

However, during the probe, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile suspected Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas examiner Jerry Leal of being the source of the leak and moved to have him cited in contempt for lying.

(with a report from Joseph Holandes Ubalde, InterAksyon.com)

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26220/corona-admits-withdrawing-millions-because-we-lost-our-trust-in-the-bank

Sunday, March 4, 2012

ICT body renamed, placed under Science department

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has reorganized and renamed the Commission on Information and Communications Technology and transferred it to the Department of Science and Technology.
Aquino signed Executive Order No. 47 renaming the CICT into the Information and Communications Technology Office.
He also abolished the position of CICT chairman and commissioners. Instead, the ICTO will be headed by an executive director who will have the rank of Technology undersecretary.
“The transfer and reorientation of the functions of the CICT and its attached agencies to the DoST will strengthen the alignment of ICT development with the thrust of the department to provide continuing innovation as the core of the sustained global competitiveness of our country's ICT industry,” the President said.
The CICT used to be under the Office of the President after it was transferred by the former administration from the Department of Transportation and Communication.
Under EO No 47, the National Communications Center and the Telecommunications Office will also be transferred under the DoST.
The National Telecommunications Commission and the Philippine Postal Corporation, however, will remain under the Office of the President.
Aquino also ordered the DoST to submit a medium-term development plan for ICT research development and a medium-term e-governance infrastructure and information systems plan three months after the issuance of the executive order.

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/7219/ict-body-renamed-placed-under-science-department

Cold Summer Nights (Francis Magalona)

I keep on blaming my self
I should have eaten my pride
How can I convince you
It's just a matter of time
Many times I've hurt you
With my foolish ways Oh girl
Now I know I have to pay the price
Is there a way for you to turn around,
Turn around and come back baby
Ohh baby can't you see

CHORUS:

It's been cold summer nights
Since we drifted apart
Cold summer nights
Since you walked out that door
Cold summer nights here on my own
'Coz I miss you baby, I need you here

RAP:

Cold summer nights girl, I really miss you
You rocked my world
I wanna touch you and kiss you
It's my fault
I never called you at home
I'm on the phone, wishing you could call
I'm all alone
Is there a way for you to turn around and come back to me
I hope you understand
That I'm your man and together we can kiss
And make up 'coz you know I can't stand

CHORUS:

It's been cold summer nights
Since we drifted apart
Cold summer nights
Since you walked out that door
Cold summer nights here on my own
'Coz I miss you baby, I need you here

Hinahanap ng Puso (Gloc-9)

Pasensya na aking mahal
Di naman ako magtatagal
Nais ko lang marinig mo ang bawat nilalaman
Ng puso kong ito inaalay ko sayo
Dinggin mo sana mga sinasabi ng awitin ko
Pilitin mang ibalin at sa iba'y isalin
Ay di malimot ang halimuyak na hatid ng hangin
Ng una kang makita hindi makapaniwala
Parang panaginip at langit aking nadarama

Nais kong malaman mong ikaw ang aking iniibig
Sana ay dinggin mo ang tibok nitong dibdib
Nais kong malaman mong ikaw ang nasa panaginip
At magkalapit agwat ng ating daigdig

Hinahanap ng puso ang pag-ibig mo (makinig ka sana sakin)
Hindi ito malilimutan ng pagmamahal at ligaya na dala mo (laman ng aking damdamin)
Kung saka sakli na kaya mo pang ibalik (sige na wag kang magalinlangan)
Ang dating pagtingin sa puso kong nananabik pa sa iyo

Ngunit ngayon alam ko na
Sadyang magkaiba
Ano nga naman ang hindi mo pwedeng makita sa kanya
Merong magarang kotse
Wallet na doble doble
Di tulad ko na di man lang makapanood ng sine
Sana'y malaman mo na mawala man ako
Ay may pag-ibig na laging gumagabay sayo
Di ka pababayan, laging aalagaan
Hanggang sa dulo ay tunay ang aking naramdaman

Nais kong malaman mong ikaw ang aking iniibig
Sana ay dinggin mo ang tibok nitong dibdib
Nais kong malaman mong ikaw ang nasa panaginip
At magkalapit agwat ng ating daigdig

Hinahanap ng puso ang pag-ibig mo (makinig ka sana sakin)
Hindi ito malilimutan ng pagmamahal at ligaya na dala mo (laman ng aking damdamin)
Kung saka sakli na kaya mo pang ibalik (sige na wag kang magalinlangan)
Ang dating pagtingin sa puso kong nananabik pa sa iyo

Hinahanap ng puso ang pag-ibig mo (makinig ka sana sakin)
Hindi ito malilimutan ng pagmamahal at ligaya na dala mo (laman ng aking damdamin)
Kung saka sakli na kaya mo pang ibalik (sige na wag kang magalinlangan)
Ang dating pagtingin sa puso kong nananabik pa sa iyo

Hinahanap ng puso ang pag-ibig mo (makinig ka sana sakin)
Hindi ito malilimutan ng pagmamahal at ligaya na dala mo (laman ng aking damdamin)
Kung saka sakli na kaya mo pang ibalik (sige na wag kang magalinlangan)
Ang dating pagtingin sa puso kong nananabik pa sa iyo

Ang aking munting pahina