(The Daily Citizen) - “He spent four days at the Cow Palace Arena in San Francisco waiting to be shipped overseas to the South Pacific, the Fiji Islands and the Philippines,” Poe said. “It took 15 days to get to the Fiji Islands. There was only their ship and one other older ship, and they ran off and left it because it couldn’t keep up.” ...full story here
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Filipino Tennis Players Shine In New Zealand
(cbs sportsline.com) - AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- The Philippines clinched their Asia Oceania Group Two Davis Cup tennis match against New Zealand when Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino beat Dan King-Turner and Simon Rea in four sets in Saturday's doubles.
Mamiit and Taino won 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in a match played on synthetic grass at the Parnell Tennis Club. The Philippines won both opening singles Friday.
Mamiit and Taino won 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in a match played on synthetic grass at the Parnell Tennis Club. The Philippines won both opening singles Friday.
Fire Renders 1,200 Families Homeless
(chinadaily.com & AP) - MANILA, Philippines -- A fire swept through a Manila slum Saturday morning, destroying hundreds of homes and leaving about 1,200 families homeless, a fire official said.
Two people were slightly injured as the fire gutted houses, many made of lightweight plywood, in Mandaluyong city, said Avelino Caya, chief of the arson division of the Mandaluyong fire department.
He said about 400 houses shared by about 1,200 families were destroyed in the pre-dawn blaze, which raged for about five hours before it was brought under control around 8 a.m. (0000 GMT).
Caya said the cause has not yet been determined. Witnesses told investigators the fire started in a house somewhere in the middle of the slum community.
Caya said firefighters had difficulty reaching the area partly because the alleys and narrow streets had been clogged by residents fleeing with their belongings... full story here
Two people were slightly injured as the fire gutted houses, many made of lightweight plywood, in Mandaluyong city, said Avelino Caya, chief of the arson division of the Mandaluyong fire department.
He said about 400 houses shared by about 1,200 families were destroyed in the pre-dawn blaze, which raged for about five hours before it was brought under control around 8 a.m. (0000 GMT).
Caya said the cause has not yet been determined. Witnesses told investigators the fire started in a house somewhere in the middle of the slum community.
Caya said firefighters had difficulty reaching the area partly because the alleys and narrow streets had been clogged by residents fleeing with their belongings... full story here
Should You Marry A Filipina?
It's up to you. There are several reasons you should. ...full details here
Global Warming? We Know That So Well
(pqbnews.com) - Filipinos with access to the Internet are among the people most aware of global warming, according to a November AC Nielsen survey. Ninety-four per cent of respondents there say they’ve heard or read about global warming compared to only 13 per cent in the United States. The results are significant given that island nations are likely to bear the brunt of predicted rising sea levels.
We Are Still Paying Marcos's Foolishness (billions!)
(GMA News TV) - More than 20 years have passed since the late president Ferdinand Marcos was ousted, but governments after him continue to honor questionable debts his regime incurred.
This was the lament of the militant think tank Ibon Foundation, which said Marcos’ debts will continue to haunt Filipino taxpayers for the next 19 years.
“As of 2005, the outstanding balance of of Marcos’s foreign debts stood at around $926.72 million or more than P48 billion (at $1:P52). Following the country’s loan schedule, taxpayers will pay for the foreign debts of Marcos until 2025, 39 years after he was ousted from office," it said.
Ibon said 33 percent of the country’s total borrowings during Marcos’s term did not go to infrastructure development projects or social programs but was pocketed by Marcos and his cronies.
This amount translates to more than $8 billion, and the bulk of these may have come from foreign loans, it added.
But the group stressed that the Marcos debts are clearly illegitimate and onerous loans that benefited the private interests of Marcos and his cronies.
Of these, it said the largest and most glaring is the notorious Bataan Nuclear Plant with $1.8 billion dollars in interest repayments alone since 1986, and $110.8 million more to go.
This was the lament of the militant think tank Ibon Foundation, which said Marcos’ debts will continue to haunt Filipino taxpayers for the next 19 years.
“As of 2005, the outstanding balance of of Marcos’s foreign debts stood at around $926.72 million or more than P48 billion (at $1:P52). Following the country’s loan schedule, taxpayers will pay for the foreign debts of Marcos until 2025, 39 years after he was ousted from office," it said.
Ibon said 33 percent of the country’s total borrowings during Marcos’s term did not go to infrastructure development projects or social programs but was pocketed by Marcos and his cronies.
This amount translates to more than $8 billion, and the bulk of these may have come from foreign loans, it added.
But the group stressed that the Marcos debts are clearly illegitimate and onerous loans that benefited the private interests of Marcos and his cronies.
Of these, it said the largest and most glaring is the notorious Bataan Nuclear Plant with $1.8 billion dollars in interest repayments alone since 1986, and $110.8 million more to go.
Bahrain Embassy: Overcrowded
(Gulf Daily News) - A RECORD number of workers are being sheltered at the Philippine Embassy, in Zinj. Eighty-three Filipinos, the majority housemaids, are currently housed in the shelter.
"More workers are coming in than going out," said officials.
"An average of about three workers are sent back to the Philippines by the embassy per day, if we are lucky, but we also receive an average of three workers coming to our shelter every day seeking assistance," said embassy case officer Geoffrey Puy.
"This is the most number of workers we have had at the shelter and this is probably due to the busy summer season of the airlines.
"We are starting to experience difficulty in booking flights to the Philippines for these workers, because the majority of flights out of Bahrain to our country are already full." ...full story here
"More workers are coming in than going out," said officials.
"An average of about three workers are sent back to the Philippines by the embassy per day, if we are lucky, but we also receive an average of three workers coming to our shelter every day seeking assistance," said embassy case officer Geoffrey Puy.
"This is the most number of workers we have had at the shelter and this is probably due to the busy summer season of the airlines.
"We are starting to experience difficulty in booking flights to the Philippines for these workers, because the majority of flights out of Bahrain to our country are already full." ...full story here
Gen. Abu: Hall Of Fame
Three Command and General Staff College alumni have been inducted into the International Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame: Gen. Efren L. Abu, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Retired Gen. Efren L. Abu was promoted to major general in 2001 and promoted to lieutenant general in 2003 when he was designated as the 45th commander of the Philippine Army. In 2004, he became chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and retired from that position in 2005. He is still serving his nation as special envoy to Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Association of Southeast Asian Nations Growth Area... full story here
Hall of Fame: Gen. Efren L. Abu, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Retired Gen. Efren L. Abu was promoted to major general in 2001 and promoted to lieutenant general in 2003 when he was designated as the 45th commander of the Philippine Army. In 2004, he became chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and retired from that position in 2005. He is still serving his nation as special envoy to Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Association of Southeast Asian Nations Growth Area... full story here
Blasphemy: Filipino Version
(Boston Globe, Reuters) - More than a dozen Filipinos were nailed to crosses and scores more whipped their backs into a bloody pulp on Friday in a gory ritual to mark the death of Jesus Christ.
The voluntary crucifixions in the northern Philippines were the most extreme displays of religious devotion in this mainly Catholic country, where millions are praying and fasting ahead of the Easter weekend.
In the small village of Cutud, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, seven men cried out as nails the size of pencils were driven into their hands and feet before they were hoisted up in the scorching heat.
Up to 20,000 people watched the spectacle, which has grown from a village production started in 1962 to a media and tourist attraction copied in other parts of the country.
The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" blared out from speakers before the penitents approached the crosses... full story here
The voluntary crucifixions in the northern Philippines were the most extreme displays of religious devotion in this mainly Catholic country, where millions are praying and fasting ahead of the Easter weekend.
In the small village of Cutud, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, seven men cried out as nails the size of pencils were driven into their hands and feet before they were hoisted up in the scorching heat.
Up to 20,000 people watched the spectacle, which has grown from a village production started in 1962 to a media and tourist attraction copied in other parts of the country.
The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" blared out from speakers before the penitents approached the crosses... full story here
"Unprecedented Success In Fiscal Policy"
(Yahoo News) - The Philippines must concentrate on attracting more investment in order to combat the entrenched problem of unemployment if it wants to sustain its economic growth, the World Bank has warned.
In its latest East Asia and Pacific Update report, issued every six months, the World Bank noted that the Philippines had achieved "unprecedented success in fiscal policy in a difficult political environment," posting growth of more than five percent annually in the past three years.
This is the first time this Southeast Asian archipelago has enjoyed such growth rates since the 1970s, the Bank added, also citing success in controlling inflation... want more? click here
In its latest East Asia and Pacific Update report, issued every six months, the World Bank noted that the Philippines had achieved "unprecedented success in fiscal policy in a difficult political environment," posting growth of more than five percent annually in the past three years.
This is the first time this Southeast Asian archipelago has enjoyed such growth rates since the 1970s, the Bank added, also citing success in controlling inflation... want more? click here
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