So hot!

Do you how hot it was yesterday in Manila? It was 35.8ºC! No wonder it was so darn hot! Even a minute after taking a bath, you’d already feel sweat trickling down your back again. No wonder everyone was fidgeting inside the church last night.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) yesterday was the hottest temperature in Metro Manila this month.

Magnitude 8.8 Earthquake in Chile

These are some of the images of the devastation left by the magnitude 8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last Saturday. First, there’s Haiti. Now, it’s Chile.

Thank God the tsunami scare was just that. A scare. There were 5.5 feet waves that hit the shores of Japan, according to reports I’ve read. But that’s okay compared to the predicted 15 feet tsunami waves that would hit Hawaii, Japan, Russia, Alaska and California.

Let us all pray that this won’t happen again here in the country or anywhere else in the world. Let us all pray for the recovery of Haiti, Chile and all the victims of the earthquakes that shook both countries.

Credit: Photos courtesy of MSNBC

Is there truth to this video?

I have read about a viral video of Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. that is making the rounds in forums, blogs and other platforms of discussion in the net. It is actually a recording of him boasting about how the police force in Bacoor is under him (Update: Apparently, Bong did a reshuffle of police officials in Bacoor according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report), how he won’t let his brother lose in the fight for the mayoralty race (Update: Bong’s brother Strike Revilla is running for reelection), and how the Malacañang is backing all these up.

Watch the video below and see for yourself.

I read in an entertainment column that Revilla’s claiming the video was spliced. Another claim was that a voice-over talent was used to record this video.

My take on this is that the voice in the video does not really sound like him in some parts. The one who cursed sounds like him. But the other parts seem to be of someone else. I am not sure it’s really him all throughout the video. I do feel like the video was spliced and put together to put him in a bad light.

No, I am NOT a supporter. In fact, I am not a supporter of entertainment personalities jumping to the political bandwagon. What do they really know in running a country, right? But with this video, I think it’s more of a black propaganda against the senator. Then again, his claims of making sure his brother wins or that the police force is under his control plus the Malacañang backing him up are not an altogether far-fetched idea.

What do you think of the video?

Wrongfully declared governors?!

How reliable is the Commission on Election (Comelec)? The governors of both Bulacan and Pampanga are both declared wrongful winners of the past election. Both Joselito Mendoza and Ed Panlilio, governors of Bulacan and Pampanga, respectively, are now being asked to step down from their seat. This in favor of Roberto Pagdanganan and Lilia Pineda.

The news just made me think how reliable is the election count when after years it was done, the Comelec will declare that the count was wrong.

Sheesh.

Jason Ivler: Road rage killer

I apologize for not updating my post on the arrest of Jason Ivler. I was so caught up with the news about him that I forgot to update my post. Anyway, below is the update I have on the arrest.

Jason Ivler is the stepson of British senior economist Stephen Pollard of the Asian Development Bank and son of Marlene Aguilar, whose brother is famous folk singer, Freddie Aguilar. Ivler was once a teen actor in GMA-7’s TGIS and have tried his hand in singing rap songs. But he went out of the country to serve as a US soldier sent to Iraq.

In August 2004, Ivler was involved in a vehicular accident that left a presidential adviser dead. The car accident casualty was Nestor Ponce Jr., an adviser of President Arroyo. Ivler was charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide for Ponce’s death. He was out on bail when he was nabbed in Zamboanga City with two police escorts while trying to catch a ferry bound for Malaysia.

I don’t exactly know what happened to the case after this but considering it’s been years before another road rage involving this guy occurred and he’s out and about town, the case was probably dismissed.

Fast forward November 18, 2009, during a traffic altercation along Boni Serrano Avenue in Quezon City with Renato Ebarle, Jr., the son of assistant secretary Renato Ebarle, Sr., Ivler allegedly shot Ebarle, Jr. Ebarle died of 3 gunshot wounds in the body. Ivler hid for two months before the bloody arrest happened.

NBI agents raided Ivler’s house at No. 23 Hillside Drive in Blue Ridge A Subdivision at around 6 a.m. The house belongs to his mom, Marlene, and she allegedly hid him in the basement of the house. During the raid, Ivler shot at the raiding team of the NBI, wouding two of its agents. Meanwhile, Ivler sustained four gunshot wounds: the stomach, chest, shoulder, and leg and is being treated at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center. He is out of danger now. He will face charges after charges after what happened to the raid in his QC house.

Ivler’s mom, Marlene, on the other hand, was charged with harboring a known criminal and is out on bail. Her husband meanwhile might also be charged with the same case.

*Based on news articles here, here, and here.

Breaking News: Jason Ivler caught!

NBI Operatives have finally caught slay suspect Jason Ivler at his mother’s home in Blueridge Subdivision, Quezon City. He is in critical condition in a hospital right now after engaging in a shootout with the NBI agents.

I will update more after I’ve watched the news.

Update on the Boyet Fajardo-Duty Free scandal

Do you still remember that Boyet Fajardo – Duty Free Philippines incident last March 2009? If not, let me refresh your memories…

Angelino “Boyet” Fajardo is a local fashion designer who went shopping at Duty Free Philippines. He threw a tantrum when upon paying for his purchases, the cashier asked for an ID seeing as his credit card was unsigned. Plus, it’s SOP nowadays in some stores to ask for a valid ID when using a credit card. He created a scene and asked for the cashier to kneel in front of him, even shouting at the store manager while at it.

I just read last January 2nd in Philstar.com that the Department of Justice gave a go signal for the slander raps against Fajardo. Justice, even delayed, will be served for this conceited designer who thinks the world revolves around him. The case filed against Fajardo by DFP cashier Marvin Fernandez and manager Susan Gonzales is grave slander by deed and oral defamation.

You can read the full article here.

PAGASA without hope

Maybe the government should look into the fact that PAGASA is always far from right when predicting the weather. Is it the weather equipments? Or is it the people already? I guess it’s both!

We need more agressive weather people and equipment! We are a country that always encounters catastrophe one way or another. We need to be on top of this lest we lose people because of a wrong weather update.

Like this Tropical Storm Ondoy. Sure, the PAGASA said that it will land on Saturday afternoon. But midnight before the landfall, rain was already pouring down hard and even someone who’s not an expert in weather would know that it will result to deep floods especially in areas that are normally flooded even with slight rain. But there was no announcement from PAGASA telling everyone to stay put, the rain would pour down harder. Nothing! Even college students and their universities were not advised to cancel classes. When they knew all along that the intensity of the storm is stronger than predicted.

Malamang nakatulog sila sa kangkungan kasi!

When will we ever learn to be prepared in cases like this? We encounter storms every year. We all know that! The experts know that! Why not be on the alert and go out on a limb, tell everyone to stay put in their homes because there will be a great flood coming? At least they put out a warning, right? But nothing at all!

No landline and DSL at home!

I am almost loving Bayantel now that they’re giving me a consistent internet connection and speed. But I am reminded why I didn’t like them in the first place… when the electricity is cut off, the landline and internet connection go kaput! Imagine when all of you at home are using a prepaid cellphone and you all forgot to load it. What will you use in an emergency?

I thought, at first, that all phone lines were cut off. You know, because of the storm. But then we were able to call my uncles’ homes using our cellphones. They are PLDT subscribers. Imagine that!

Bayantel, your subscribers are paying you. Most, like me, even pay ahead of the due date. Why not invest in something more stable than rent out from PLDT? Of course, they will sabotage your operations! Even a kid knows that! Invest in your own facility so when there’s an emergency, you need not shut it down!

Last night, there was a fire scare in our neighborhood. People couldn’t call the firestation or the nearest police station because we didn’t have landlines. Most of the neighbors are also Bayantel subscribers. PLDT is an asshole in this place, always delayed in their installation. Of course, Bayantel would swoop in when they feel the disappointment from the people. No landlines, no internet connection…

I wonder what excuse Bayantel will use this time!

You got to be kidding me!

I read this post from a personal blog by an Entrecard member. I am trying to leave a comment but it won’t work. I would like to tell the author of this blog that…

1. Ferdinand Marcos was a dictator who killed so many Filipinos and was not even sorry for it. Sure, some can be attributed to her crazy wife, Imelda Marcos. But then he’s still the president who could have done something to stop all the craziness back then.

2. He stole so much money from the country that he made Switzerland so rich! It could have been our country but then he stole what should have been the citizen’s money.

3. Remember the bombings???

4. He ruled for 20 years and who really knew every little dastardly thing he did during that time? He wouldn’t have stopped being the dictator if not for the People Power with Cory Aquino.

5. His family still won’t return the money they stole!!!

So, blog author, do you really want to give this man…

President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the great military man, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of the Philippines deserves to be treated the way we did to Cory Aquino. Full military honors, paying tribute to what he really did for the entire nation, the good side of it.

Yes, we are taught to forgive and forget. We are a Catholic nation. But then some things are really hard to forget. Forgive, sure. But to even think of giving this man honor???