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Overnight in Dumaguete
Dumaguete, City Philippines is known as the City of Gentle People. But aside from this moniker Dumaguete is also known for several things: The Silliman University, and the Rizal Boulevard.
When I arrived in Dumaguete City, I immediately took a tricycle to one of Dumaguete’s food joint: Sans Rival Cafe and Pastry Shop. For breakfast I had spaghetti, 2 sylvannas, and a slice of sans rival. Grabe! the sans rival and sylvannas is the bomb!
A few minutes later, Marc arrived coming from Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. From Sans Rival, we then head to the
Rizal Boulevard. Rizal Boulevard is one of the most popular spots in Dumaguete, especially at night time. Usually after the sun sets, people would stroll at the boulevard while enjoying a stick of barbecue or balut.
From the boulevard, Marc and I then went to the Sidlakang Negros Park. Sidlakang Negros is a one-stop-shop park where towns and cities of Negros Oriental have assigned pavilions where they can promote their towns and sell local products.
From the Sidlakang Negros, we then headed to the Silliman University Main Campus. The large acacia trees keeps the entire campus cool even during noon time.
After we dropped by the Silliman University, we then headed to the City Tourism Office to get some brochures, maps, and check the ferry schedule for Siquijor. The tourism office is located at the City Plaza. From there we walk towards the Santa Catalina Church and Belfry and took some photos.
Our next itinerary was the Silliman University Marine Laboratory where we got to see how they culture giant clams. The marine lab also has a section where large Philippine Crocodile are kept.
We then waited for another friend Lew, at the Robinson’s Place for a quick dinner. We stayed in Bacong, Negros Oriental some 10 kilometers away from Dumaguete City.
On our secnd day, we left Bacong early then head to the its church, just near the plaza. From the plaza, we then took a jeepney going to Dumaguete Plaza then took a tricycle which will bring us to the Mystic Island of Siquijor.
Negros Oriental Provincial capitol
Marc and I left Dumaguete City at 9AM via Delta Fastcraft. Our ferry is scheduled to arrive at around 10AM in the town of Siquijor. More details about the trip Soon!
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Mangudadatu to shake hands with Ampatuan Sr?
Update: Ampatuan Sr. and 126 others charged with murder.
Someone very much involved in the 2010 elections said Buluan vice Mayor Ismael “Toto” Mangudadatu is agreeable to shaking hands with the patriarch of the Ampatuan clan for the sake of peace in Maguindanao.
Mangudadatu’s wife, Jenalyn, his sister, and some relatives were among the more than 57 killed in the Nov. 23 massacre allegedly perpetrated by the Mangudadatus in a fierce rivalry for the control of the province, the second poorest in the country. Thirty of those killed were journalists, who accompanied Mangudadatus’ wife who was to file her husband’s certificate of candidacy for mayor.
Andal Ampatuan, Jr, mayor of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao , has been identified by witnesses as the one who led the massacre. He has been charged with several counts of murder and is detained at the National Bureau of Investigation.
Ampatuan Sr. is in a military hospital in Davao City; his sons Datu Zaldy, Datu Anwar and Datu Sajid are detained in General Santos City with his son-in-law Datu Akmad Ampatuan Sr., husband of eldest daughter Rebecca.
The source said the much- hyped discovery of the Ampatuan’s arsenal, is just a small portion of the clan’s formidable arsenal which have remained intact. “They are still a force to reckon with and they can make trouble if they want to,” he said.
Maguindanao is notoriously known as “reservoir of votes’ and vote bank in past elections. The Ampatuans reportedly can deliver any number of votes even if they exceeded the number of registered voters. In the “Hello Garci” tapes, Gloria Arroyo was heard discussing with Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano how to manipulate votes in Maguindanao in her favor in the 2004 elections. It was apparently to offset the massive lead posted by Fernando Poe Jr in Luzon.
The November 23 massacre, which has shocked the world and put the Philippines as the most dangerous place for journalists, worse than Iraq, has not dampened the Ampatuan’s desire for political control in the province.
A report by Carol Arguillas of Mindanews said Ampatuan Sr lead the long list of candidates with Ampatuans running for elective position in the 2010 elections.
***
197 charged with murder over Maguindanao massacre
Agence France-Presse, INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—A former close ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and 196 other people were on Tuesday charged with murder over an election-linked massacre that horrified the nation, prosecutors said.
Andal Ampatuan Sr., the head of a Muslim clan and the former governor of Maguindanao province where the slaughter of 57 people occurred last year, was among those charged, according to papers filed in a Manila court.
In total, 197 people were charged, including other senior clan members, local government officials and policemen who allegedly helped organize the killings, as well as thugs accused of abducting and shooting the victims.
“The confluence of events before and immediately after the commission of the offense leads us to no other inference than that respondents Andal U. Ampatuan, Sr., Datu Zaldy “Puti” U. Ampatuan, Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr., Datu Norodin Ampatuan, and Datu Jimmy Ampatuan connived with the actual perpetrators,” prosecutors said in a lengthy report outlining their case against the group.
“There is direct evidence that these respondents agreed to commit the crime,” said the prosecutors led by Senior State Prosecutors Leo Dacera. “All the conspirators are answerable as co-principals regardless of the extent or degree of their participation.”
However, only 11 of those charged are in custody, with most of the others still on the run nearly three months after the November 23 killings, according to police.
“The rest are still at large, but our evidence against them is strong,” said Senior Superintendent Benito Estipona, operations chief with the national police force’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Those charged on Tuesday were in addition to Ampatuan Sr.’s son and namesake, who is already standing trial for murder after being accused of orchestrating the killings. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors alleged at Ampatuan Jr.’s trial that he and about 100 of his gunmen abducted and killed the victims to stop a rival, Esmael Mangudadatu, from running against him for the post of Maguindanao governor in May elections.
Mangudadatu’s wife and pregnant sister, as well as at least 30 journalists travelling with them, were among the 57 killed.
Mangudadatu had sent his relatives to an election office to register his candidacy, but did not go himself after being warned the Ampatuans intended to stop him.
Ampatuan Sr. had been the governor of Maguindanao for most of the past decade, and was a close ally of Arroyo who delivered crucial votes for her in the 2004 presidential election.
Ampatuan Sr. and Jr., as well as other clan members, had been members of Arroyo’s ruling coalition until they were expelled over the massacre, even though they had fearsome reputations as warlords.
Arroyo’s government had supplied the Ampatuans with weapons and allowed them to run their own private armies in Maguindanao as part of a controversial strategy to contain a Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines.
The prosecutors’ case, as outlined in the report released to the media, made it clear they believed the Ampatuan family had planned the massacre well in advance.
“From the witnesses presented by complainants, it can be deduced that the commission of the crime was planned deliberately by the perpetrators and that, until its consummation, there was an inexorable resolve to kill,” they said.
“There was also a considerable period of time that gave said assailants the opportunity to reflect and meditate on their intended acts.
“However, despite such period of time during which they could have withdrawn from their sinister plot, they still decided to consummate the crime.”
Among those charged on Tuesday was Zaldy Ampatuan, another son of the patriarch who until the killings was governor of a Muslim autonomous area in the southern Philippines that includes Maguindanao province.
The government had already charged Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Zaldy Ampatuan with rebellion after it briefly imposed martial law in Maguindanao to stop the clan members from resisting arrest and fighting back. Tetch Torres, INQUIRER.net
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Dagupan ICT Council Photo Editing Contest Winners
1st placer(JOHN PATRICK HERNANDEZ- UL)
Dagupan ICT Council DOTA Contest Winners
Dagupan ICT Council AVP Contest Winners
AVP participants
AVP Champions(RYAN BUSTOS,GARFIELA BAHAIN, KENNETH MANZOIC from University of Luzon)
Dagupan ICT Council Typing Contest Winners
ICT Dagupan Contest at Lyceum Northwestern
2nd placer for typing competition(RICHARD LEE-LNU) 
1st placer for typing contest(DIPTI VASSANDANI- AMA) 
Typing Champion! BELLARMINE SEVIDAL JR.- UL 
Judge who issued Lacson arrest nominated for CA
It’s too much just a simple coincidence.
Last Friday, Manila RTC Judge Myra Fernandez issued the arrest warrant against Sen. Panfilo Lacson for the murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.
It was revealed last Monday that the Judicial and Bar Council, by a vote of seven out of eight members, recommended her nomination to the Court of Appeals. Sen. Francis Escudero, a JBC member, as head of the Senate Justice committee, was the only one that did not vote for Fernandez.
Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez took pains in explaining that Fernandez’ inclusion in the JBC list was not a political payback by Malacañang for the valuable service she has just rendered in issuing a warrant of arrest against Arroyo’s number one nemesis.
Tell that to the Marines (with apologies to the Marines).
***
Political twist to Ping’s arrest?
by JP Lopez
Malaya
A few days after Manila RTC Judge Myra Fernandez issued the arrest warrant against Sen. Panfilo Lacson for the Dacer-Corbito slays, the Judicial and Bar Council recommended her nomination to the Court of Appeals.
Sen. Francis Escudero, a JBC member, confirmed Fernandez’ recommendation to CA was approved by the seven out of eight members of the JBC. He said he did not vote for Fernandez.
Escudero said Fernandez was the ninth nominee out of 31 applicants for the three vacant seats at the CA. He refused to comment further on the voting.
The CA vacancies were brought about by the appointment to the Supreme Court of Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin on April 3, 2009 and Mariano del Castillo on July 29, 2009 and the retirement of Justice Monina Zenarosa on Aug. 20, 2009.
Lacson left the country last Feb. 5 to evade what he said was an “evil conspiracy” against him. He accused the Arroyo administration of persecuting him for his criticisms against the administration.
Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said Fernandez’ inclusion in the JBC list was not a political payback.
“I don’t think her inclusion in the JBC list had anything to do with that. She had been interviewed. Her record is clean. She has been one of our outstanding judges. I think she really deserves to be in the shortlist,” he said.
Marquez said Fernandez’ application at the JBC was filed long before the issuance of the warrant of arrest against Lacson and even before the case against him could be filed by the Department of Justice.
Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar branded as “speculation” and “slur” allegations from Lacson’s camp that Fernandez might have been pressured by Justice Secretary Agnes Devandera into issuing the arrest warrant in exchange for the support and approval of her bid to be a justice of the Court of Appeals.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon urged Lacson to submit himself to judicial processes.
“The Senate I don’t think can be used as a sanctuary by any of its members especially if the offenses being charged against them are non-bailable,” Biazon said.
But Biazon said if the judge would allow “something like a house arrest within the vicinity of the Senate, I think the Senate leadership will be willing to extend that to him.”
Former CBCP president Archbishop emeritus Oscar Cruz said he remains convinced that Lacson is innocent.
Last week, Cruz admitted Lacson had told him of his plans to leave the country.
He said Lacson regularly consults him either by phone or visiting him in his office at the CBCP compound in Intramuros, Manila. – With Evangeline de Vera, Regina Bengco, and Gerard Naval
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Clans dominate in Maguindanao; 68 Ampatuans, 15 Mangudadatus running
by Carolyn O. Arguillas
MindaNews
Andal Ampatuan Sr ((December 4, 2009 - Photo by Jeoffrey Maitem/Getty Images AsiaPac)
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/08 Feb) – The Ampatuans, Mangudadatus, Midtimbangs, Sinsuats, Masturas, Sangkis comprise the majority among Maguindanao’s 879 candidates running for 374 posts: two congressional representatives to Congress, one governor, one vice-governor, 10 provincial board members, 36 mayors, 36 vice mayors and 288 municipal board members or councilors.
The Ampatuans lead the list of candidates with 50 carrying the same surname, at least 23 of them directly related to the patriarch, Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr., and 18 with Ampatuan as middle name, according to records of the Commission on Elections (see list in article below)
Among the Ampatuans running are the patriarch, Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr., the three-term governor of Maguindanao who resigned in January 2009 and returned as OIC governor in late 2009 (he was OIC governor when the November 23 massacre in Ampatuan town happened).
He is running for vice governor as an Independent candidate against three others, including his daughter Shaydee Ampatuan-Abutazil. His other opponents are Ma-arouph Bajunaid Candao and Ismael “Dustin” Veloso Mastura.
The Ampatuans were Lakas-Kampi members until evening of November 24 when the party expelled the patriarch and his sons.
Detained
Ampatuan Sr. is detained in a military hospital in this city; his sons Datu Zaldy, Datu Anwar and Datu Sajid are detained in General Santos City with his son-in-law Datu Akmad Ampatuan Sr., husband of eldest daughter Rebecca.
Datu Sajid, Ampatuan’s youngest son with first wife Laila Uy, is running for board member in the second district along with Datu Sarip Kasan and Puti Mamasapano Ampatuan.
Ampatuan Sr., and Sajid were unopposed when they ran for governor and vice governor in 2007. But Ampatuan Sr., resigned in January 2009 following the Supreme Court decision declaring unconstitutional the creation by the ARMM’s Regional Legislative Assembly, of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan which was earlier carved out of Maguindanao.
Andal Sr. claimed he had no mandate from Shariff Kabunsuan voters. A “New Maguindanao” was how the reconstituted Maguindanao was called. ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan named Sajid as OIC Maguindanao governor and his brother in-law Akmad, mayor of Mamasapano town, as OIC vice governor.
Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay town who was supposed to run for governor of Maguindanao, is presently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila. Ampatuan is principal suspect in the November 23, 2009 massacre of at least 58 persons (32 of them from the media) in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
The massacre victims, including six persons who happened to pass the highway at the wrong time, were on their way to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Shariff Aguak town to file the certificate of candidacy of Buluan vice mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, who was running for governor.
Wives, children running
The detained Datu Zaldy was reelected ARMM Governor in August 2008. His term is supposed to end on September 30, 2011. His wife and daughter are now running for mayor and councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan.
Datu Andal, Jr., was not able to file his certificate of candidacy before he was taken into the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation on November 26 but his wife is running for mayor of Datu Unsay town.
Datu Sajid’s wife is also running for mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha town while Datu Akmad and his children are running for top posts in Mamasapano.
Datu Zaldy’s wife, Bongbong is running for mayor of Datu Hoffer town while the eldest daughter, 20 year old Bai Noraillah Kristina is running for the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal board).
In Mamasapano, the political empire of the Ampatuan-Ampatuan (Rebecca Ampatuan, the eldest child of Datu Andal Sr. and Bai Laila Uy; and husband Datu Akmad Masukat Ampatuan, Sr., is apparently following the tradition set by the patriarch of fielding family members to run for the town’s elective posts.
But due to the uncertainties brought about by the expulsion of the Ampatuans from the ruling party in post-massacre Maguindanao, instead of the usual fielding of one candidate, two candidates from the same family branch are now being fielded – the Ampatuan-Uy branch fielding Andal Sr. against daughter Shaydee Ampatuan-Abutazil for Maguindanao vice governor – while the Ampatuan-Ampatuan branch is fielding brother against brother and daughter against father.
Brother vs Brother
Mohammad Bahnarin Ampatuan Ampatuan, was elected vice mayor of Mamasapano in 2007 with his father, Mayor Datu Akmad “Tato” Masukat Ampatuan Sr., (they ran, along with the board members, unopposed). Bahnarin was named acting mayor when his father was appointed OIC Vice Governor of Maguindanao in January 1999. Bahnarin, among those still being hunted for the massacre and for rebellion, filed his certificate for candidacy for mayor as an Independent, against his brother, Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan (Ind), Apisa Paglala Mascud (Lakas-Kampi) and Mama Alegria Masukat, Jr., (Ind).
Bahnarin’s and Benzar’s sister, Lady Sha-honey Ampatuan Ampatuan (Ind) is running for vice mayor against her father, Akmad “Tato” Masukat Ampatuan (Ind), Mahani Udeg Kalukal (Lakas-Kampi) and Jalandoni Sendad Masukat (Ind).
Four more Ampatuans are running for municipal councilor: Anwarudin Masukat Ampatuan, Mahir Masukat Ampatuan, Mohamad Nor Abdilla Ampatuan and Usman Unto Ampatuan, all running Independent.
Yacob “Datu Jack” Lumenda Ampatuan told MindaNews in a telephone interview that, indeed, the uncertainty pervading during their meeting before the deadline of filing for candidacy, prompted them to field two candidates “just in case.”
Yacob is running for mayor of Rajah Buayan against his brother Kuzbari.
All in the family
In Shariff Aguak town, Anwar Uy Ampatuan, Sr., mayor until his arrest on December 5, is running for vice mayor (Ind) while his wife Zahara Upam Ampatuan is running for mayor (Ind).
Zahara is running against Abdugani Adam Butuan (Ind), Datu Peka Singgit Mangacop (Ind) and Zainodin Mustapha Paglala (Lakas-Kampi).
Anwar Sr. is running against Menzi Mendeg Balabaran (Ind) and Noraisa Gadao Paglala (Lakas-Kampi).
Three of their children are running for councilor: Anhara Upam Ampatuan (Ind), Anwar Upam Ampatuan, Jr., (Ind) and Rowella Upam Ampatuan. Also running are relatives Farisha Imam Ampatuan, Norodin Datumanong Ampatuan and Syrah Fatima Biruar Ampatuan, all of them Independent candidates.
Reshal Santiago Ampatuan (Ind), first wife of Datu Andal Jr. is running for mayor of Datu Unsay town against Aisa Salman Paglala and Said Sinapal Salik, Sr.
Two other Ampatuans are running for councilor in Datu Unsay town: Abdullah Kaliangget Ampatuan and Pandag Salibo Ampatuan.
In Datu Saudi Ampatuan town, incumbent mayor Saudi Biruar Ampatuan, Jr. (Ind), is running for mayor against Kindtu Umar Datucali (Lakas-Kampi) and Diego Dianal Mamalapat (Ind).
Saudi Jr’s brother, Saudi Biruar Ampatuan III is running for vice mayor against Tamano Kamaong Mamalapat (Ind) and Zainudin Rakman Salik (Lakas-Kampi).
Their mother, Soraida Macarimbang Biruar Ampatuan (widow of Saudi Ampatuan Sr.,) is running for vice mayor of Parang while Saudi Jr.’s wife, Jehan-jehan Lepail Ampatuan is running for councilor of Saudi Ampatuan town.
Manny “Badboy” Upam Ampatuan and Nasser Ampatuan Datumanong are also running for councilor.
In Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Zandria Sinsuat Ampatuan, wife of detained former OIC Governor Sajid Ampatuan, and presently acting mayor of the new town, is running for mayor (Ind) against Mando Kambal Bituanen with Ameerah Ampatuan Mamalapat running for vice mayor (Ind) against Hamin Kelo Timbao.
Two more Ampatuans are running for councilor: Michelle Sakal Ampatuan and Zainal Buto Ampatuan.
Mangudadatus, Masturas, Sinsuats
Fifteen Mangudadatus are running, 10 of them carrying the surname. The remaining five are using Mangudadatu as their middle name.
Esmael “Toto” Gaguil Mangudadatu is running for governor (Lakas-Kampi) with Ismael “Dustin” Veloso Mastura as his running mate.
Esmael’s brothers, Datu Ibrahim Gaguil Mangudadatu, Zaid Gaguil Mangudadatu and Freddie Gaguil Mangudadatu are running for mayor of the towns of Buluan, Pandag and Mangudadatu, respectively. They’re all running under Lakas-Kampi.
Freddie is a sure winner as he is running unopposed along with Prince Mangudadatu Dilangalen and the entire slate of eight council bets, among them Jackson Kanda Mangudadatu and Fort Mangudadato Daniel.
Other Mangudadatus running for councilor in Buluan are Datu Mikisnan Kanda Mangudadatu and Kugao Dalimbang Mangudadatu. Also running are Macaraton Mangudadato Bedial , Bai Rhamla Mangudadatu Kadalim and Esmael Mangudadatu Piang.
Zaid Gaguil Mangudadatu is (Lakas-Kampi) is running against Jocelyn Tee Adam (Ind) and Seno Piang Adam, Jr. (Ind). His running mate is Dahlia Uko Magundadatu (Lakas-Kampi). The other vice mayoralty bets are Bai Babai Gaguil Mangudadatu and Esmail Midsalipag Padao.
Among those running for councilor in Pandag is Datu Kubo Mangudadatu and Sali Banog Mangudadatu.
The Mastura clan has two mayors and a vice mayor even before the election campaign could begin.
Tucao Ong Mastura, is running for mayor of Sultan Kudarat while incumbent mayor Armando Talusan Mastura of Sultan Mastura is running for reelection. Both are unopposed.
Incumbent Sultan Kudarat mayor Shajida Biruar Mastura, daughter of Tucao, is running for vice mayor, unopposed.
Ismael Veloso Mastura, son of Datu Michael O. Mastura and Lourdes Veloso, is running for Maguindanao vice governor under Lakas-Kampi, as running mate of Esmael Gaguil Mangudadatu.
The Sinsuats have a mayor, vice mayor and two councilors even before the campaign could start. Brothers Lester Siesmundo Sinsuat and Sajid Siesmundo Sinsuat (B.Bayan-VNP) are running for mayor and vice mayor, unopposed, along with their slate of eight council bets, among them Dexter Datumanong Sinsuat (Ind) and Osmena Lucas Sinsuat III (Ind).
Datu Ombra Quesada Sinsuat, the father of Lester and Sajid, is the incumbent mayor of Datu Odin Sinsuat. He is running for governor under B. Bayan-VNP. Two other Sinsuats, Michael I Cueto Sinsuat and Russman Quesada Sinsuat are running for the provincial board’s first district with Asnawi Sinsuat Limbona.
Sidebar: Detained, yes, but Ampatuans still running for top posts in Maguindanao
by Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews
DAVAO CITY (MindaNew/08 February) – Their leaders may be detained outside Maguindanao but they remain a clan to reckon with in Maguindanao, if we are to base it on the number of candidates running for election or reelection on May 10. The Ampatuans, Sinsuats, Sangkis, Mangudadatus, Pendatuns, Masturas, Midtimbangs, etc.. are fielding candidates for the May 10 polls but the Ampatuans have the highest number at 68, 50 of them carrying the same surname while the remaining 18 use Ampatuan as their middle name.
Of the 50, at least 23 are members of the immediate family of the patriarch, Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
The Mangudadatus have 15, 10 of them bearing the surname with the remaining five use Mangudadatu as middle name
On November 23 last year, the Mangudadatus sent a convoy of relatives, women lawyers and 32 journalists to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao, to file the certificate of candidacy for governor of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Gaguil Mangudadatu.
The convoy was stopped by armed men believed led by Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr. who would have been the Ampatuans’ candidate for governor and along with six others who happened to pass the highway at the wrong time, were herded into Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, where they were massacred – at least 58 of them — 35 of them buried in three mass gravesites.
Andal Jr. was taken into custody on November 26.
On December 5, hours after martial law was declared over portions of Maguindanao, Andal Sr., then OIC Governor of Maguindanao, was taken into custody at 1:30 in the morning while his son Datu Zaldy, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was taken in at around 7 a.m. and brought to General Santos City. Two other sons, Datu Anwar, mayor of Shariff Aguak and Datu Sajid, former OIC Governor of Maguindanao were also taken in along with son-in-law Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr., were also arrested and brought to the 6th Infantry Division in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat but a few days later were transferred to General Santos.
So who’s running among the Ampatuans?
Candidates directly related to Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
Datu Andal Salibo Ampatuan, Sr., for vice governor
Shaydee Ampatuan-Abutazil (daughter), for vice governor
Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan (son), for Provincial Board
Bongbong Midtimbang-Ampatuan (wife of Datu Zaldy), for mayor of Datu Hoffer
Ampatuan, unopposed
Bai Noraila K. Midtimbang Ampatuan (daughter of Zaldy and Bongbong), for councilor,
unopposed
Saudi Biruar Ampatuan, Jr., (son of the late mayor Saudi) for mayor of Datu Saudi
Ampatuan
Saudi Biruar Ampatuan III, (Saudi Jr’s brother) for vice mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Soraida Macarimbang Biruar-Ampatuan (wife of the late Mayor Saudi Ampatuan), for vice
mayor of Parang
Jehan-jehan Lepail Ampatuan (wife of Saudi Jr.), for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Reshal Santiago-Ampatuan (wife of Andal Jr.), for mayor of Datu Unsay
Yacob “Datu Jack” Lumenda Ampatuan (husband of Aloha, a daughter of Andal, Sr.) for
mayor of Rajah Buayan
Zahara Upam Ampatuan (wife of Anwar), for mayor of Shariff Aguak
Zandria Sinsuat Ampatuan, (wife of Sajid) for mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Mohammad Bahnarin Ampatuan Ampatuan (son of Rebecca and Datu Akmad Sr.), for
mayor of Mamasapano
Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan Ampatuan (son of Rebecca and Datu Akmad Sr), for mayor
of Mamasapano
Akmad Masukat Ampatuan (father of Bahnarin and Benzar), for vice mayor of
Mamasapano
Lady Sha-Honey Ampatuan Ampatuan (daughter of Rebecca and Akmad Sr.), for vice
mayor of Mamasapano
Anwar Uy Ampatuan, Sr. (son of Andal Sr.; wife of Zahara), for vice mayor of Shariff
Aguak
Anhara Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Anwar Upam Ampatuan, Jr., (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Rowella Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Manny Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara), for councilor of Datu Saudi
Ampatuan
Galema Ampatuan-Olimpayan (daughter of Andal Sr. with another wife) for councilor of
Shariff Saydona MustaphaOther candidates with Ampatuan as family name:
Datu Sarip Kasan Ampatuan, for Provincial Board
Puti Mamasapano Ampatuan, for Provincial Board
Akmad Baganian Ampatuan, for mayor of Datu Salibo
Marob Batabol Ampatuan, for mayor of Datu Salibo
Kuzbari Lumenda Ampatuan, for mayor of Rajah Buayan
Datu Rennier Sinsuat Ampatuan for mayor of Talitay
Kanor Datumanong Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Datu Salibo
Baiungang Dilangalen Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Farida Lidasan Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Matanog
Normina Baganian Ampatuan, for councilor of Ampatuan
Bai Sittie Sugadol Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Datu Khalid Sandag Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Norodin Lakman Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Mama Datumanong Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Moharif Batabol Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Yasser Baganian Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Abdullah Kaliangget Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Pandag Salibo Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Anwarudin Masukat Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Mahir Masukat Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Mohamad Nor Abdilla Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Usman Unto Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Farisha Imam Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Norodin Datumanong Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Syrah Fatima Biruar Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Michelle Sakal Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Zainal Buto Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Saydona MustaphaCandidates with Ampatuan as middle name:
Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema (wife of incumbent Cotabato City mayor Muslimin Sema) for
1st district rep against Didagen Piang Dilangalen
Simeon Ampatuan Datumanong, for 2nd district rep, unopposed.
Samsodhen Ampatuan Sangki, for vice mayor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Monir Ampatuan Asim, Sr., for vice mayor of Datu Unsay
Ameerah Ampatuan Mamalapat, for vice mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Tulondatu Ampatuan Sumagka, for vice mayor of Talitay
Johaipa Ampatuan Basilan, for councilor of Ampatuan
Datumama Ampatuan Dilangalen, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Rohaida Ampatuan Ebrahim, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Bai Giom Ampatuan Kindo, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Prince Razul Ampatuan Sangki, for councilor of Datu Adullah Sangki
Nasser Ampatuan Datumanong, for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Mohammad Don Ysriel Ampatuan Asim, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Datumama Ampatuan Bandila, for councilor of Rajah Buayan
Saada Ampatuan Sambolawan, for councilor of Rajah Buayan
Norodin Ampatuan Datumanong, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Amil Hamza Ramshais Ampatuan Macapendeg, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Melvin Ampatuan Sumagka, for councilor of Talitay
Cotabato City is not part of Maguindanao but there are three Ampatuans running for elective posts there: Linda Untal Ampatuan, running for vice mayor; Johariz Usman Ampatuan, running for councilor; and Omarkhalid Ampatuan Ampatuan, running for councilor.
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Pampanga Provincial Capitol
When I got the chance to visit the Province of Pampanga, Philippines last December,I made it a point to include in my travel itinerary its Provincial Capitol, located in the city of San Fernando.
The provincial capitol in San Fernando is the seat of the Provincial Government of Pampanga. Its Governor, Among Ed holds office here.
The original capitol of Pampanga is located in Bacolor, but was moved to its present site in 1904.
Pampanga has always been known for its delectable cuisine, and its capital San Fernando it known as the Christmas Capital of the Philippines. But every month of February, Pampanga gets busy for another tourism event: the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Every love month, scores of colorful hot air balloons from all over the globe would come to clark Field Pampanga Philippines to the delight of the crowd. Check out this year’s schedule of the 15th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon fiesta
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Behind the Curve
Penman for Monday, February 8, 2010
FRIENDS AND readers have been asking me what I thought of Apple’s new digital product, the iPad, a tablet computer that—like the iMac, the iPod, and the iPhone before it—has been touted by Apple’s angels as humankind’s next greatest invention.
I, of course, am a hard-core Apple and Mac freak, a guy who still counts going to Macworld in San Francisco and standing within ten feet of Steve Jobs (well within SJ’s fabled “reality distortion field) as one of the highlights of his life, who still keeps a stable of aging Macs and PowerBooks going back to the Classic and the PowerBook 100 in his study and beneath his bed, and whose sometime chairmanship of the Philippine Macintosh Users Group he looks back on with more pride than most of his trivial, professional titles.
And unlike even most Apple fans, I’ve never waited for the so-called “Rev B”, or improved version, of a new product to run to the store to get one. Here in Pinoylandia, I was among the first, if not the very first, to get a Titanium PowerBook, a 12-inch Aluminum PowerBook, an iPod shuffle, an iPhone, and a MacBook Air. This usually meant waiting up all night for the Macworld extravaganza and for that inevitable announcement from Steve Jobs about “one more thing”—and making a beeline for the Internet to order or pre-order whatever that new gizmo was, sight unseen.
I feel a need to say all that because—for the first time in a very long time—Apple came out with something that actually had me asking “Do I need this? Or even if I don’t, why should I want one?” Unlike that mind-blowing moment a couple of years ago when Steve Jobs pulled a MacBook Air out of an office envelope to introduce the world’s thinnest laptop, the iPad’s stage debut left me underwhelmed, maybe because I was too busy figuring out where, in my lifestyle, the gadget would fit.
Don’t get me wrong: the iPad, from what I see, is still a neat, beautifully designed device embodying the seamless integration of hardware and software that’s been Apple’s calling card since the very beginning. It should do a good if not a great job as a browser, a media viewer, an e-book reader, a gaming console, a repository of a zillion iPhone apps, and, in a pinch, a mini-workstation running a modified office suite (in this case, iWork).
But my MacBook and my iPhone can already do 90 percent of that, so why should I want one more thing to carry—and something I’ll need to hold in one hand while the other one works?
I’m sure there will be many Mac users—and yes, new converts—for whom the iPad will be the perfect convergence device or digital accessory. Just because I don’t need it now doesn’t mean others don’t, or that I wont. The thing about Apple is that it’s gotten ahead not just by meeting needs, but by creating them. Heck, nobody needed an iPod before Apple made one. As TIME’s Josh Quittner puts it, Steve Jobs is “a veritable Innovator Bunny: while competitors scramble to follow him, Jobs races ahead to invent the next thing.”
Here’s my theory about my initial reluctance to embrace the iPad like the Mosaic tablets, which I’ve been telling anyone willing to listen: another tectonic division is upon us—that between those who need keyboards and those who don’t. We already got a glimpse of this when the iPhone arrived three years ago. Like many others, I grabbed one and pronounced myself in love with it—until I realized how much I missed the tactile pleasure of typing on a physical keypad; and so, like many others, I took to using a BlackBerry, and haven’t let go of it since.
Of course the iPad will allow typing on a fairly large virtual keyboard on its multitouch screen. That should do well enough for email, but I doubt that it’ll be as good for heavy-duty, long-distance typing. A physical keyboard’s virtues don’t consist just in the audible confirmation—in the reassuring click—of a keypress. The key travels downward and springs back, cushioning the impact of thousands of strokes. When I think of typing for long stretches on the iPad’s glassine surface, I imagine my fingers falling like heavy rain on hard concrete. But then again, maybe that’s just me and my romantic notions about the physicality of writing; the farther away we move from ink, the more ephemeral things get.
I’m beginning to wonder if my natural age (56) is finally catching up with me. I’ve been arguing these past several years—some of which I’ve spent writing product reviews and columns for techie magazines—that what I love about being on the cutting edge of new technology is how it allows me to cheat time, to experience now what people will be taking for granted ten years hence. I still believe that.
Lately, however, I’ve noticed myself slipping way behind the curve. When I took serious stock of things, I realized that my interest in newness for newness’ sake has begun to wane, to the point that I should probably be surrendering my techie credentials soon, if I were to be honest about walking the walk instead of just talking the talk. For example:
1. I don’t play games. I’ve never even tried World of Warcraft, or the Sims, or Grand Theft Auto. My mom bowls on Wii and can give my brother-in-law Eddie a run for his money. I’ve never even touched a Wii, or a PSP, or a Nintendo.
2. I don’t do social networking. I don’t do Facebook. I don’t Tweet. Nor have I ever accepted any of the hundreds of invitations I must’ve received to Hi-5, Multiply, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, and what have you.
3. I haven’t bought a new tech toy in ages. And it isn’t just because poker’s sucked up all my loose change, along with the Christmas bonus. Strangely enough, I’ve been very happy with the computer (a MacBook Air) and cell phone (a Blackberry Bold) that I’ve been using for over a year now; the MBA’s going on two—an eternity in digital time. Where I used to dress up my gear like they were blushing debutantes, my MacBook’s hard shell has acquired all sorts of battle scars; even my desktop pictures have been banished in favor of blank gray screens, the better for me to focus on the work I need to do. My iPod and iPhone—both one or two generations behind—have been languishing in the drawer.
So—will I eventually get an iPad? Knowing me, probably, yes. I’d be too curious not to. But at least you can’t say I didn’t stop to think about it. Just let me make these noises about not needing it, and valiantly saying no, for the time being, while the reality distortion field works its magic on me.
(Image from apple.com)
Simula ng matagal ng nagsimula na kampanya
Noynoy: Hindi ako magnanakaw!
Gibo: Hindi ko na kailangan magnakaw!
Villar: Hindi na ako magnanakaw!
Erap: Kailangan ko ulit magnakaw!
GMA: Wala na kayong mananakaw pa!
‘Yan ang kumakalat na text at marami pa tayong makukuha na mga ganyan habang palapit na palapit na ang eleksyun. Ang iba nakakatuwa, ang iba nakaka-inis. Kailangan salain ang impormasyun. At i-enjoy ang nakakatuwa.
Ngayong araw ang simula ang opisyal na kampanya. Sa totoo lang matagal ng nagkakampanya ang mga kandidato dahil sinabi ng Supreme Court na hindi daw labag sa batas ang magkampanya kahit hindi pa official camapign period. Huwag lang daw sabihin na “Iboto mo ako.”
Simula ngayon maari ng ipapatupad ng Commission on Elections ang kanilang regulasyon katulad ng limitasyon ng advertisements sa media. Siguro mabawas-bawasan na ang napakaraming TV ads lalo pa kay Manny Villar ng Nacionalista Party.
Kaya lang mukhang nakalamang na si Villar dahil itong mga nakaraang buwan talagang binaha niya ang TV ng kanyang advertisements. Sa tantya ko umabot na sa isang bilyon piso ang nagastos niya sa advertisements.
Kaya kahit may limitasyon na ngayon, okay lang kasi nakilala na siya ng mga botante sa buong bansa.
Depensa naman ni Villar sa mga bumabatikos sa kanya, pera nya raw yun at kaya raw ginagawa niya kasi ang nanay at tatay raw niya at hindi naman sikat at wala raw siyang kapatid na artista.
Bahala na ang botante kung maniniwala sa kanyang mga advertisements.
May limitasyon din ang Comelec sa dapat gagastusin ng bawat kandidato at political party. Ngunit mukha namang hindi angkop sa realidad dahil parang aabot lang yata ng kalahating bilyun ang maari gastusin. Sigurado lahat na kandidato lalabag sa regulasyon na ito at magsisinungaling pagdating sa pag-report sa Comelec pagkatapos ng eleksyun. Ang magsasabi ng totoo ng kanyang ginastos ang siguradong masasampahan ng kaso.
Noong isang araw, may nahuli ang mga pulis ng mga grupong nagdidikit ng political posters sa Avenida. Pinanghuli sila dahil ayun sa batas may lugar lang na dapat magkabit ng posters at hindi kung saan na saan na nagpapa-pangit ng kapaligiran. Sabi ng mga nagkakabit, hindi raw nila alam na may ganuoong batas. At trabaho lang naman ang sa kanila. P200 daw ang bayad sa kanila bawat isa.
Ang nakakatawa kasi ang poster na kanilang kinakabit ay kay Gordon at Bayani. Di ba si Bayani ang masyadong istrikto sa mga nagkakalat sa Metro Manila. Ang buhay nga naman.
Military justice, almost
Philippine Navy reaction to the dismissal of charges against Lt. Raymundo and the “disrespect” charge:http://www.malaya.com.ph/02092010/news9.html
lLt Artemio Raymundo
Romel informed me that the motion of his client, Marine First Lieutenant Artemio Raymundo’s motion for finding him not guilty was sustained on all serious charges.
“Light charge remained but maximum sentence already served,” he said.
Romel was referring to what we call the “Erap CD case”. This is a classic example of injustice in the military system. I’m glad that after almost three and a- half years, the military court has corrected the injustice. Although not yet fully.
Since September 26, 2006, Raymundo has been in detention at the Marines Brig accused of violations of Articles of War 96 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman) ; 97 (Conduct Prejudicial to Good Order and Military Discipline) and 64 (Disrespect Towards Superior Officer).
What did Raymundo to be charged with these offenses that would have resulted in his dishonorable dismissal from military service?
On Sept. 25, 2006, 1Lt. Artemio Raymundo Jr., was riding the LRT and he saw someone distributing DVDs of “Ang Mabuhay para sa Masa”, “The Original Sin” and “At All Costs”. Since it was for free, he got six copies and upon arriving at the Marine barracks in Fort Bonifacio, he shared the extra copies with his fellow soldiers.
“Ang Mabuhay para sa Masa” is a biopic of former President Estrada while “The Original Sin” and “At All Costs” are about Gloria Arroyo’s power grab in 2001 and the rigging of the 2004 elections.
Afraid of the truth, the Arroyo administration had banned the public showing of “Ang Mabuhay para sa Masa”. The documentary has not been declared illegal and therefore can be viewed privately.
For sharing the CDs with other soldiers, Raymundo was ordered detained by Maj. Danilo Luna. When he protested about his detention, that’s when Luna slapped him with “disrespect towards a superior officer.”
In the course of covering Raymundo’s trial, there have been hilarious incidents like when the Estrada biopic was shown in court, everybody, even the waiters in the next-door restaurant, were watching. One of the lawyers quipped, “Baka pagmatapos ito, lahat boboto na kay Erap.”
We were amused also when a sergeant who was a prosecution witness was asked why he accepted the CD shared by Raymundo. He answered, “Kasi libre.”
We had talked with a Marine officer who said that they knew from the very beginning that the case against Raymundo was “no case” at all but it was the order of then Brig. Gen. Jonathan Martir, the brigade commander of Combat Service and Support Brigade.
What Martir has against Raymundo, we do not know.
What’s difficult to accept in this case of Raymundo is that, even if the major charges have been dropped, the people who have committed injustice against him have been promoted. In fact, Martir’s promotion to major general was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments last week despite the fact that he still has a pending case before the Ombudsman for having gone on AWOL (absent without leave) for more than one year (477) days from July 1998 to January 2000.
A number of ordinary soldiers have been punished for going AWOL for a few days but Martir has been amply protected and rewarded. Equality is a strange word in the military.
Romel said they are appealing the denial of their motion to dismiss the charge “disrespect towards a superior officer” because Raymundo does not want a taint in his service record.
He has been unjustly imprisoned. That’s the least that the military can do to make up for the injustice done to him.
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Journalists score on libel raps filed by Mike Arroyo
by Evangeline de Vera
Malaya
Mike Arroyo
The newsmen are seeking P12.5 million in damages before the Makati regional trial court in response to the flurry of libel cases that Arroyo filed since 2003 – 10 against 45 members of the press, a number unprecedented in Philippine history.
All these libel cases that Arroyo filed against the journalists prospered, with the city prosecutor of Manila supposedly finding probable cause to charge them.
In a 23-page decision penned by Associate Justice Sesinando Villon, the CA’s Ninth Division sustained the ruling of Judge Zenaida Galapate-Laguilles in denying Arroyo’s motion to dismiss the damage suit for failure of the journalists to immediately answer the written interrogatories within the extended period.
“We find that the delay is excusable by force of circumstance… Private respondents’ (newsmen) filing of motions for extension of time to answer the written interrogatories and request for admission clearly speak of their due diligence to comply with the same,” the Court ruled.
The CA noted all private respondents are represented by only one law office, thus, it is to be expected that their counsel would have difficulty in coordinating with each of them.
It further said that the request for time by the journalists would not be of material injury to Arroyo since there is no showing that they deliberately refused to comply with the modes set by the court.
The appellate court, however, granted Arroyo’s petition to hear his defenses before the hearing at the Makati RTC.
The CA found that the respondent judge “wantonly, whimsically and oppressively” issued the assailed orders dated May 13, 2009 and June 18, 2009 terminating the presentation of Arroyo’s affirmative defenses and setting the case for pre-trial conference for no justifiable reason.
“Respondent judge should have considered the fact that the circumstances which prevented petitioner from presenting further evidence on his affirmative defenses were not attributable to him alone,” the CA said.
The appellate court noted that based on the records of the hearing at the RTC, only four instances that the resetting of the hearing had been made upon the initiative of the petitioner, which have been found to be valid and without intention to delay proceedings.
Among these instances was when Arroyo underwent surgery for cardiac-aneurysm, causing the resetting of the hearing on April 12, 2007, and on May 23, 2007 when he moved for another postponement as he was still not physically fit to stand trial.
Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Mario Guarina III, chairman of the division, and Franchito Diamante.
Arroyo earlier moved to dismiss the amended complaint for damages sought by newsmen due to their alleged failure to pay the correct docket fees.
Joining the damage suit were television, radio and print journalists, among them Malaya’s Ellen Tordesillas, Minnie Advincula, Regina Bengco, JP Lopez and columnist Lito Banayo; Ninez Cacho-Olivares and the Daily Tribune, Marites Vitug, Glenda Gloria, Ricky Carandang, Romulo Marinas, Gina Capili-Inciong Gerry Baldo, Sherwin Olaes, Lito Tugadi, Jing Santos, Rustico Otico, Maria Concepcion Cruz, Miriam Grace Go, Ma. Romina Gonzalez;
Ma. Cristina Rodriguez, Yvonne Chua, Alcuin Papa, Ramon Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, William Esposo, Jose Pavia, Rowena Paraan, Sweet May Cawicaan, Jofelle Tesorio, Jose Bimbo Santos, Rachel Khan, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Inc., Francisco Tatad, Conrado de Quiros, Nixon Cua and Vergel Santos.
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San Fernando Metropolitan Cathedral in Pampanga
When I was in Pampanga last month, the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando, Pampanga Philippines was included in our itinerary.
The San Fernando Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of San Fernando. The original structure was built in 1755 by the Augustinians and the administration was later transferred to the secular priests in 1788.
In 1948 the Church of San Fernando Pampanga was elevated to the status of Cathedral, after it became the seat of the Diocese of San Fernando. In 1975, the diocese was then elevated to the status of Archdiocese of San Fernando under the papacy of Pope Paul VI.
From San Fernando Cathedral, it is just approximately 30minutes via public transport going to the former US Airbase Clark Field in Pampanga. Visitng the San Fernando Cathedral is a good side trip during the 15th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon fiesta in Clark Field. The four-day festival will feature scores of hot air balloons from all over the globe, sky diving, remote controlled airplane exhibitions and a whole lot more.
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Deco’s original La Paz batchoy comes to Manila
Deco’s is the inventor of the famous La Paz batchoy – an Ilonggo comfort food consisting of noodles in a hot bowl of soup, topped with pork meat, liver and sinful bits of chicharon. I was certainly glad to learn that I don’t have to fly as far as Iloilo to partake of this mouthwatering treat because there’s now a Deco’s branch right outside the Magallanes MRT station in Makati. Here, special batchoy can be had for as little as P67 and can be paired with the so-called pre-war pan de sal for P3.50 or the Manapla puto @ P6.50.
It’s just a pity that other establishments beat Deco’s in establishing the now common batchoy joints in the metro. However, this original brand has partnered with Mang Inasal and we should expect their presence to be felt more strongly soon, with the grant of some franchise locations. In the meantime, they give some tips on how to know if your bowl of batchoy is D’Original:
Overflowing with toppings and served with generous servings of meat that it promises to be a very filling meal by itself.
Unlimited kaldo or broth. There’s a separate counter where a steaming container of broth is available and refilled without fail, along with chopped garlic and onions.
No lard settling on top, even when the broth gets cold.
The crispy pork skin (chicharon) remains crispy even after it is submerged in the broth. It stays that way up to the last bit, making your batchoy a truly gastronomic treat.
Affordable price at P67 for the large (Special) bowl, P75 for the Super bowl and the biggest bowl with added toppings (Extra) is only P77.
Deco’s first branch in Manila is located at the ground floor of Alphaland Southgate Mall at the corner of EDSA and Pasong Tamo Extension, just beside the Magallanes MRT
Bacolaodiat 2010 Schedule: Bacolod’s Chinese New Year Celebrations
Chinese New Year is just around the corner and Bacolod city is all set to paint the town red! Every year, Bacolod city, Philippines hold the annual Chinese New Year Celebrations known as “Bacolaodiat festival”
Bacolaodiat is a combination of two words Bacolod, and LaoDiat, a Fookien term meaning happy
During the Bacolaodiat, various activities ar lined up like street dances, dragon dance, lion dances, food fests, and cultural programs featuring the colorful Chinese culture. Lots of Chinese Foods are offered along the Food Festival site, like dumplings, chinese noodles, and of course the main food during this time of the season: Tikoy
This year’s Chinese New Year falls on February 14, which is also the Valentine’s day. Check out the schedule below:
February 12, 2010
4:00 pm Chopsticks Alley North Capitol Road (beside the provincial lagoon)
4:30 pm Dazzling Grand Parade (Bacolod plaza to Provincial Lagoon)
6:30 pm Convergence (A Tsinoy Show)
9:00 pm Symphony of Lights & Sparks (Fireworks Display)
9:30 pm Globe Night – Live Band
February 13, 2010
4:00 pm Chopsticks Alley North Capitol Road (beside the provincial lagoon)
7:00 pm Lantern Street Dancing Competition (Lagoon to 22nd Lacson St.)
10:00 pm Symphony of LIghts & Sparks (Fireworks Display)
10:30 pm Rexona Night – Rico Blanco Live
12:00 am Closeup Lovapalooza (Kissing Couple)
February 14, 2010
4:00 pm Chopsticks Alley North Capitol Road (beside the provincial lagoon)
5:30 pm Kapuso Night
9:00 pm Symphony of Lights & Sparks (Fireworks Display)
If you wish to come, join the party and experience Chinese New Year in a whole new level, try booking your Hotel in Bacolod now. Hotel rooms are usually fully booked during this peak travel season.
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Bacolaodiat 2010 Schedule: Bacolod’s Chinese New Year Celebrations
42 community health workers, suspected as “reds” detained in Camp Capinpin
Update: Kin of 43 health workers go to Supreme Court
Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) strongly condemned the illegal raid and abduction of 42 community health workers and doctors who were conducting health skills training in Morong, Rizal Saturday.
Around 300 soldiers and police of the Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Rizal Philippine National Police and headed by Colonel Aurelio Baladad and Police Superintendent Balonglong, respectively, forcibly entered the farmhouse of Dr. Melecia Velmonte around 6:15 this morning. The training participants were then lined up, frisked, blindfolded, and forcibly brought to Camp Capinpin, headquarters of the 202nd Infantry Brigade, AFP.
Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, civil-military operations chief of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said in a text message to GMA News that the 17 men and 26 women are suspected members of the rebel group He said initial investigation showed that the suspected rebels were conducting a training on how to make improvised explosives when they were nabbed by authorities.
“We denounce the illegal raid and violent abduction perpetrated by the Rizal-PNP and AFP-SOLCOM against medical personnel,” declared Dr. Geneve E. Rivera, HEAD Secretary-General. “We hold the Arroyo government fully accountable for whatever happens to our colleagues.”
“The raiding team used bogus search and arrest warrants, and disregarded the rights of Dr. Velmonte, who owns the property,” added Rivera.
Velmonte is a renowned and respected infectious disease specialist and her farmhouse is the regular venue of health trainings, with participants coming from both the communities and the academe.
The health workers are volunteers who provide health services to poor communities, while the doctors are community-based medical practitioners working for different non-government organizations (NGOs). Their personal belongings, as well the training materials used, were all confiscated by the military.
HEAD believes that state security forces are doing everything to sow disorder and instigate turmoil that will be used as excuse to impose martial law and further vilify progressive organizations.
“The persistent attempts to link the participants to the New People’s Army are obvious efforts to discredit legal organizations that have been critical of the Arroyo regime.The military and police remain the biggest violators of human rights in the country. We demand the immediate release of our colleagues!” Rivera said.
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Red Horse Muziklaban Rock Challenge 2009
Gayuma, Red Horse Muziklaban 2007 Champion
Red Horse Muziklaban’s 11th year has finally concluded it’s roster of activities with the Grand Finals of the Rock Challenge last January 30 at Metrowalk Parking Lot. I think the choice of this location is a good one. In addition, the security was also quite good based from what I saw.
There are a lot of people who went to Muziklaban. We even spotted supporters of one of the finalists (Kukumban) of Muziklaban.
As usual, they have a big net covering the stage so that the bands/artists will be protected from random flying objects. So far, I haven’t seen anything thrown towards the stage. Because of the net, it was challenging to take photos even if we’re situated in the VIP area.
Zach Lucero of Zach and the Action Pact
Amongst the bands that I’ve seen that night that I was not expecting to be included in the list of bands/artists to perform was Zach and the Action Pact. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching the band since I don’t get to watch their gigs always. 
Cambronero - 2009 Muziklaban Rock Challenge Finalist from Bacolod
I was only able to take photos of three bands out of all the finalists. The first one is Cambronero, they are from Bacolod. Obviously, their music is highly influenced by Urbandub. Other bands that I was not able to take photos of are Kukumban (from Naga), and 2nd Squad (from Baguio). 2nd Squad took home a special award that night.
Hatankaru - 2009 Muziklaban Rock Challenge Grand Champion
Hatankaru won the Muziklaban Rock Challenge 2009 and took home 500,000 pesos. 
They also won two special awards namely, Best Live Act and the Breakthrough Performance Award.
Hoodswhite - 2009 Muziklaban Rock Challenge Finalist from Cagayan de Oro City
One of the finalists that caught my attention was Hoodswhite, a heavy metal band from CDO. They reminded me of KISS because of their face paint and their costume as well. The vocalist changed his voice while he was talking on-stage.
HardBoiled Eggz, former Muziklaban Grand Champion
Aside from Gayuma, previous winners of Red Horse Muziklaban that I was able to perform that night was HardBoiled Eggz, Mayonnaise, and Even (2008 Muziklaban Champion).
Mayonnaise, former Muziklaban Grand Champion
Karl Roy of Kapatid
It has been a long time since I saw Kapatid on-stage. I noticed that Karl Roy has less adrenaline rush on-stage now however, I’m still happy that he’s there rocking the crowd.
Reg Rubio of Greyhoundz
Greyhoundz had a notable performance that evening. Ian Tayao (of Queso) and Jamir (of Slapshock) jammed with Greyhoundz on-stage.
Franco
Franco is one of the bands that I’ve been waiting to perform that night. It was my first time to see them and I hope to see them in more intimate gigs.
Congratulations again to Hatankaru for winning the Red Horse Muziklaban Rock Challenge 2009. You really deserved it.
Three music videos launched by Drip
Last January 29, Drip launched three music videos (”Blood Letting”, “Blind”, and “Turning Grey”) from their album Identity Theft. It was held in The Gallery at Greenbelt 5. Even though it’s not a perfect venue for music events, I enjoyed it while listening to Drip’s performance.
Bloodletting
The music video of “Bloodletting” is directed by Jason Tan. The concept of the music video was simple. Two women are swimming in the music video (Shawn Yao and Annicka Dolonius). There’s also a part where Beng (Drip’s vocalist) was also swimming in the video.
Turning Grey
The music video of “Turning Grey” is directed by Jelise Chung. The treatment made for the music video is film noir where violence is shown. The main actor for the said music video is Cholo Devilla.
Blind
The music video of “Blind” is directed by Johnny Alcazaren. The video features animation consisting of individually sketched index cards.
Drip also performed some of their Spanish songs. The said songs in Spanish will be included in an album that they collaborated with Instituto Cervantes. How I wish I could understand the songs though.
Saosin: Live in Manila
Saosin just had their concert in Manila on the evening of January 22 (a Friday night) at A Venue Hall in Makati. Although the size of the venue was just right for the expected audience that will be coming in, the acoustics could have been improved more. Typecast, a local rock band, opened for Saosin.
After Typecast’s set, the familiar white curtain covered the entire stage. Some ads from Globe were projected on the white curtain. After a few minutes, Saosin’s logo (includes the name of the band and the beetle) was projected on the curtain. An animation of the beetles were projected as well while Saosin is preparing. When the band was ready to rock A Venue Hall, the white curtain dropped on the stage.
It has been a long time since I’ve been in a mosh pit.
It was actually a big challenge for me to take photos there especially that there are a lot of taller people in front of me. I made use of the live view of Canon EOS 500D and I switched to manual focus instead of using the auto-focus feature.
Below is the set list of Saosin:
I Keep My Secrets Safe
Sleepers
Voices
Changing
Collapse
Deep Down
It’s Far Better To Learn
The Alarming Sound of a Still Small Voice
On My Own
I Never Wanted To
Bury Me
You’re Not Alone
Seven Years
Fireflies
Encore:
They Perched On Their Stilts, Pointing And Daring Me To Break Custom
Sha was able to take videos in HD during the concert as well as Fritz.