by: DJ Mojo Jojo

You’d think by now everyone would have learned the lesson - NOT to record their sexual encounters – especially after the much-publicized scandals of recent infamy. (Does “Maricar 1, 2 & 3” ring a bell?) But now Philippines media is rocked again with yet another video sex scandal… and believe it or not, this one ALSO involves doctors!

I got a Tweet from fellow broadcaster Marou Pahati Sarne which led me to the following article:

* * *

The PHA has its own ‘Hayden’ camera scandal

Written by Butch del Castillo / Omerta (Business Mirror)

WHAT is it with people who derive extreme pleasure from filming their most private bedroom activities? Is it a way of giving vent to a suppressed perversity (such as exhibitionism)? Or is it simply a modern lothario’s way of systematically recording his female conquests, in an age when keeping a diary has become all too passé or old-fashioned?

I can only say that it is simply a quirky way of indulging oneself. It’s a kind of activity that always erupts into a scandal when discovered. Anybody who gets a kick from making a video recording of one’s most private moments must be psychologically sick in some way. A pervert, as kindly as we can put it, is one who is prone to unusual or socially unacceptable behavior.

Still fresh in the public’s mind is the sensational Dr. Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex video. And now, there’s another scandal of the same genre involving another doctor of medicine, Dr. Tiburcio S. Macias. Macias was, until he was unceremoniously stripped of his position recently, the sitting president of the Philippine Hospitals Association (PHA). Now the PHA is headed by Dr. Ruben C. Flores, acting president or officer in charge.

In a unanimously approved resolution dated October 9, 2009, the PHA board declared the position of president vacant and expressly barred Macias from seeking any position in the PHA for the next two years.

The PHA counts among its members 1,811 private and government hospitals all over the country. Its board constituted itself into a fact-finding panel and looked into the complaints of two female employees who had formally complained to the association. The Philippine Medical Association and the Professional Regulation Commission were furnished copies of the complaints. The board also viewed damning film clips of the PHA president in a number of bedroom romps with different women of different ages and sizes.

Judging from the video clips that I’ve had a chance to view, the disgraced PHA president doesn’t exactly have the looks and vigor of the porno stars that the “upstanding” Dr. Hayden Kho represents. Dr. Macias’s partners, moreover, are hardly the kind that would be box-office hits in a triple-x flick. Perhaps they were the appropriate partners to an ungainly porno “star.”

The aging Dr. Macias has such a big paunch it often gets in the way of the hidden camera when the action gets under way. I viewed one disgusting reel, and couldn’t get myself to suffer the rest of the tapes; not even for the sake of journalism.

Actually, I got wind of this tale of lechery right after the PHA board passed its resolution. But I was asked to bide my time until the organization was ready to go public with the case. It was only yesterday when the PHA appeared ready to send out a formal advisory to all its members on the findings and decisions of the board. It seems that the board has finally decided to go public after its members learned that Dr. Macias would again seek the presidency of the PHA in its annual election to be held in the middle of November 2009 despite the board’s sanction.

Two female PHA employees had claimed they had been the objects of Dr. Macias’s brutal sexual advances during out-of-town sorties. The first woman claimed that while in Cebu City, Dr. Macias attempted to rape her in his room at Parklane Hotel on April 23. Excerpt from her complaint to the PHA ethics board: “…As soon as I entered his room, I noticed that he was alone. He then commanded me to take a bath, of which I was very stunned and refused to do so. But he then stood up and went to me and forcefully held my forearm and kissed my lips. Then he pushed me hard and violently pulled me to his bed. I strongly struggled with all my strength…and ran out to escape….”

In the case of the second woman, there was no physical attempt, only repeated dirty telephone calls of what he intended to do to her. Still, the board decided to include her complaint, which was not formally made, among the things to investigate motu propio, or on its own initiative. In both cases, the board gave Dr. Macias all the chances to refute or dispute the complaints. After Dr. Macias had flatly denied the charges of the two women, the board ruled that “Dr. Matias intentionally lied….”

In its unprecedented decision kicking out a sitting president of the organization, the board said in its October 9 resolution: “Wherefore premises considered, the PHA Board Committee on Ethics, finds Tiburcio S. Macias, guilty of unprofessional and unethical conduct and acts inimical to the best interest of the PHA, and so decides that effective upon the signing of this decision by the majority of the members and officers of the PHA board of directors, which has been constituted into a Committee on Ethics, Dr. Tibuercio S. Macias, is suspended to run and hold any position of office in the PHA, for a period of two years. Further, for lost trust and confidence, the position of PHA president is herewith declared vacant effective upon the signing of this decision by majority of the members of and officers of the PHA board of directors, and until his replacement is elected by the members of the PHA board of directors meeting in a quorum.”

The PHA board members who signed the decision are Dr. Ruben C. Flores, now acting president; Dr. Romulo A. Busuego, vice president for Mindanao; Dr. Concepcion O. Lim, vice president for Visayas; Dr. Edgardo V. Salud, treasurer; Dr. Hermogenes D. Jarin, public-relations officer; Dr. Jeremias Gonzales, secretary; and lawyer-doctor Bu C. Castro; and Dr. Rodolfo P. Ante and Dr. Ricardo P. Ramos, directors.

And so this tale of lechery ends.

* * *

Now for all you “feeling-pornstars” out there that think there’s nothing wrong in making your own homegrown porn… take heed and think again:

“There is nothing wrong with recording my sexual encounters.”

While it may be disputed that videotaping your sexual romps is immoral or a perversion, it is legally dubious as well. Recording a person without their consent in a private setting is a disaster waiting to happen… especially if they find out and slap you with a lawsuit. Even if your home-made porno is recorded with both partners’ consent, if the video gets out, such a fiasco would be embarrassingly damaging to one’s reputation and could even cost you your job or worse.

“But I trust my partner and I know they would keep our sex video private.”

That’s what you think. No matter how much you love your partner, relationships are dynamic and change. Hell hath no fury like that of a lover scorned. Spare yourself the potential scandal of a vengeful ex-lover making public your sex video. You’ve heard the urban legends of ex’s that have released the naked photos of their past flings or the bitter lover that uploaded sex videos to the internet, “conveniently” editing out his face from the footage. Even if you think your partner can keep your video private (how good are YOU at keeping a secret?) - What if someone steals the cellphone where it was recorded? Or how about if someone hacks into your computer and finds it? (Hayden Kho knows this all too well - Dr. Kho is a friend of mine and I know he is repentant after all that has happened.) Spreading your once private porno film is way too easy in today’s digital age. The risks are just too high.

“I only record my sexual encounters and watch them afterwards with my lover. We make sure to erase the footage immediately after so that there’s

no evidence or risk of public scandal.”

Don’t think you’re safe just because you make sure to delete your sex video right after your romp. Many people have made the same mistake. Even if you erase the file from your mobile phone or the hard drive of your computer, they still can be retrieved. Technology is very tricky nowadays. There are programs that can recover files and programs that were supposedly deleted from a recording device. The next time you get your cellphone or laptop fixed at your local repair shop, don’t be surprised if the techn

ician isn’t snooping through your files and looking for something interesting to see. They might be able to recover those “lost” files of yours or even hack into your password protected or hidden folders where you keep your porno stash. Look at the case of Hong Kong cum Hollywood star Edison Chen. His sex pictures were spread all over the World Wide Web after they were stolen by workers at the shop repairing his computer. His film career eventually floundered and his life was even in danger from the husbands of the women he slept with!

Whatever the case might be, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

So - unless you’re willing to risk public chastisement or have real hopes of becoming a bona fide pornstar in the near future… save yourself the scandal and think twice before you pic

k up your camera-phone or turn on your webcam the next time you get down and dirty with your bedmate.

By DJ Mojo Jojo

With Undas upon us, many Filipinos are set to celebrate the auspicious holiday with their family, friends and loved ones.

In celebration of All Souls Day, many of us will visit the graves of those who have passed away in all-night vigils. What some of us do during Undas is indeed varied and far in between; some engage themselves in prayer in intersession for souls of the dead while others choose to drink in the cemeteries and/or gambling the night away with games like tongitz, pusoy dos or mahjong. Some do a little of both. Some engage in even more clandestine activities.

The reflection of the Filipinization of this religious holiday is not all too different than the way Mexican’s Catholics celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead ~ All Souls Day) as they honor their deceased with Mardi Gras-esque fiestas where people dress up in macabre costumes, dance, sing and make merry. This observation was mentioned on our radio program this morning... the meaning of Undas can even be eclipsed by the ommercialized partydom of the Halloween season.

Trick or treat?!

Whatever your stance may be, Undas practices like those mentioned above have become “normal” activities for Filipinos – a fact that has alarmed local Church officials. For Catholics, the solemnity of Undas is overshadowed according to an article published by the Manila Bulletin:

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Halloween blamed for youth forgetting meaning of Undas

(By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO)

A Catholic priest on Thursday blamed the rising popularity of Halloween parties for the youth forgetting why people commemorate All Saints and All Souls Day.

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said because of Halloween parties, the youth often forget to pray for the saints and the dead during All Saints and All Souls Day.

“Sometimes they are already tired from attending a Halloween party the whole day that come November 1 and 2, the days when they are supposed to be praying, they are at home resting or sleeping,” he said over Church-run Radio Veritas 846 yesterday.

“I hope they won’t forget the real intention behind the observance --s to pray for the saints and the dead,” said Lagdameo.

The Jaro prelate issued the reminder to the youth and the faithful as Filipinos start flocking to different cemeteries to visit their departed loved ones.

Lagdameo said it’s the obligation of every Catholic faithful to pray for the dead, saying a time will come that they’ll be the ones who will be in need of prayer.

“Time will come that it is going to be us who will be prayed for by the living,” he said.

He urged those who won’t be able to visit the tombs of their dead because of old age or a serious sickness to just stay at home and pray.

“Those who are weak and sick should just stay at home and pray. But those who are still capable should go to the cemetery and pray,” Lagdameo said.

* * *

Should we blame the youth for the shift in attitude towards the celebration of All Souls Day? This accusation goes way too far, at least in my book.

In any case, regardless of how you chose to spend the long weekend...

We would like to wish everyone a safe and meaningful Undas.

No More Chiz?

At the Club Filipino, a weary looking Senator Francis 'Chiz' Escudero announced that he was still undecided on whether to run for president in next year's elections. He also announced that that he has resigned from the Nationalist People's Coalition. There are rumors circulating that Escudero is having problems with campaign funding. He was reported to have met with SMC’s Ramon Ang and was reportedly frustrated with the repartee. ABS-CBN also reported that “Escudero Escudero met with NPC chair emeritus Eduardo 'Danding' Cojuangco Jr. Tuesday night after which he decided to leave the party. He had been a member of the NPC since 1998.”

Will this be the last of Chiz?

Manila Times reported in a text message from House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. said that Escudero’s departure from the NPC “has made the political scene fluid.”

Happy 40th Birthday INTERNET!

Leonard Kleinrock never imagined Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube that day 40 years ago when his team gave birth to what is now taken for granted as the Internet. "We are constantly surprised by the applications that come along," Kleinrock told AFP as he and others at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) prepared to throw the Internet a 40th birthday party on Thursday.

"It's a teenager now. It's learned some things but it has a long way to go. It's behaving erratically, but it's given enormous gratification to its parents and the community."

On October 29, 1969 Kleinrock led a team that got a computer at UCLA to "talk" to one at a research institute.

Kleinrock was driven by a certainty that computers were destined to speak to each other and that the resulting network should be as simple to use as telephones.

"I thought it would be computer to computer, not people to people," Kleinrock said in a nod to online social networking and content sharing that are hallmarks of the Internet Age.

"I never expected that my 99-year-old mother would be on the Internet like she was until she passed away."

A key to getting computers to exchange data was breaking digitized information into packets fired between on-demand with no wasting of time, according to Kleinrock.

He had outlined his vision in a 1962 graduate school dissertation published as a book.

"Nobody cared, in particular AT&T," Kleinrock said. "I went to them and they said it wouldn't work and that even if it worked they didn't want anything to do with it."

US telecom colossus AT&T ran lines connecting the computers for ARPANET, a project backed with money from a research arm of the US military.

Engineers began typing "LOG" to log into the distant computer, which crashed after getting the "O."

"So, the first message was 'Lo' as in 'Lo and behold'," Kleinrock recounted. "We couldn't have a better, more succinct first message."

Kleinrock's team logged in on the second try, sending digital data packets between computers on the ARPANET. Computers at two other US universities were added to the network by the end of that year.

"We had four-node network and tested the heck out of it," Kleinrock said. "We were able to break the network at will. It was very valuable to shake those things out early on."

Funding came from the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) established in 1958 in response to the launch of a Sputnikspace flight by what was then the Soviet Union.

US leaders were in a technology race with Cold War rival Russia.

Kleinrock's team ran a 15-foot cable between an Interface Message Processor device referred to by the acronym IMP and a "host" computer and tested sending data back and forth on September 2, 1969.

"That was the day this baby was born," Kleinrock said.

The National Science Foundation added a series of super computers to the network in the late 1980s, opening the online community to more scientists.

"The Internet was there, but it was not known to Joe Blow on the street," Kleinrock said.

The Internet caught the public's attention in the form of email systems in workplaces and ignited a "dot-com" industry boom that went bust at the turn of the century.

"The original plan was that it should be very creative, basically it should be like a sandbox," British professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee said of creating the World Wide Web in 1990.

Kleinrock pegs the launch of "the dark side of the Internet" to the 1988 release of the first malicious software "worm."

It was April of 1994 when the first spam email hit, according to the engineer.

"We started sending email back to those folks saying 'Stop it'," Kleinrock said.

"We sent so much email we crashed their computer. Inadvertently, the first spam email created the first denial-of-service response."

Kleinrock, 75, sees the Internet spreading into everything.

"The next step is to move it into the real world," Kleinrock said. "The Internet will be present everywhere. I will walk into a room and it will know I am there. It will talk back to me."

He also foresees intelligent software "agents" that do people's bidding online.

During an on-stage chat at a Web 2.0 Summit that ended Thursday in San Francisco, Berners-Lee said governments and big firms shouldn't meddle with the Web.

"I'm always worried, of course, about anything large coming in to take control," Berners-Lee said.

"Web technology itself should not tell you what's right and wrong; humanity has ways of doing that. It isn't the Wild West. The laws apply."

By Amiel Aguilar Cabanlig

As a Deist, I used to argue with friends over this Benjamin Franklin saying that “God helps only those who help themselves”. In case you’re wondering, a Deist is one who believes that supreme being does not involve itself in human affairs. No matter how “unchristian” it may sound, I believe in it… some how? Take the case of a compulsive LIAR. What good would it do for God to show the con-artist the path of truth? Perchance, when a guy is hell-bent on ruining his own life in such a fashion, the best help we can give is simply to let him do what he wants, and hope he learns his lesson someday!

I might be writing this article out of frustration so please bear with me…

One thing good about Ferdinand Marcos’ “new society” is the creation of the anti-mendicancy law. The law defines a mendicant as "any person who has no visible and legal means of support, or lawful employment and who is physically able to work but neglects to apply himself to some lawful calling and instead uses begging as a means of living" (Section 3, Par. 3, PD 1563). Mendicants have a criminal liability (Section 5). To top it all, abetting mendicancy also has its punishment.

For those who lived during the 70’s, begging used to be the very last resort. But now mendicancy has become an accepted way of life for some, and a substitute for uphill struggle. Beggars have become a traffic nuisance, poking and prodding motorists to take pity on them. Near where I live in Pasig Ultra, what used to be my only sanctuary for peace and tranquility was transformed into an evacuation center for typhoon victims. Weeks after the typhoon, when the sun was shining vibrantly, I saw physically able evacuees’ lugubriously sitting, waiting and doing nothing until for the next batch of Red Cross donations arrive.

Our culture of mendicancy comes to us in many forms and sizes!

My former UP professor Behn Cervantes wrote that self-serving politicians have long realized that the have-nots are taught to believe they are dependent on the generosity of the haves, who take advantage of this by practicing a culture of patronage. Thus, they wield power over the have-nots through another Filipino phenomenon, the utang na loob or debt of gratitude. TV shows like Wowoweee perpetuates another kind mendicancy, the dole-out mentality. The underprivileged pins their hopes on a game of chance and gamble money in hopes that luck will someday smile on them.

The eight million Filipinos living abroad has also fashioned a new-fangled form of mendicancy. The Philippines is the largest recipient of foreign exchange inflows from overseas workers, who mostly reside in the US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. A study commissioned by the International Monetary Fund said that the inflow of money by workers abroad creates a moral hazard; there is danger that the recipient will become dependent on his or her working kin abroad. Instead of contributing to the family upkeep, some members, even those of the appropriate age, lose their incentive to work and begin to regard the money as a right.

We have created an alarming culture of mendicancy! Let us put an end to it. Frederick Douglas wrote that human nature is so constituted, that it cannot honor a helpless man, although it can pity him…

Martyrdom is endemic in every Filipino. And patience is its sidekick. Though thousands are now homeless as a result of the super typhoons, many are patiently waiting, accepting charity given by those who are able at the same time bracing for another storm to come. Many have banded together to survive, drowning in instant noodles, and adding an extension higher than the previous, well at least above water. And what is astoundingly stupendous is the spirit of many Filipinos to rise above it all and adapt by making a water raft to get from point A to B where it used to be paved road over garbage. They can’t move away from the flood plains, but they can build a higher floor. Admirable, but to me it is the ultimate cost of a system flawed by corruption.

No one is rioting for lack of organized help from the authorities, no mass protests from the victims because of atrocities committed by the Republic and no demands of a Senate inquiry regarding the catastrophic failure by this administration to protect its citizens. Why? Well, the Filipino citizenry has completely embalmed itself in martyrdom. Anointing itself with every typhoon Ondoy’s that come. Like survival zombies, onwards and upwards seeking satisfaction because it is courageous and ones right to show that one can survive the trials and tribulations of nature. Some even welcome the profundity of fate by staying put in homes teetering on landslides.

This is the price we all pay for an utterly corrupt system. Because the system cannot cope, many people are left to make do with what’s left of their lives and properties. There are no alternatives or a glimmer of hope. In other civilised countries people would be forced by the authorities to leave for their safety. The obvious apathy even in the midst of a miserable calamity is objectionably shocking. It’s like we all are waiting for every miserable thing to entombed us all eternally in misery and filth?

Corruption sucks and it kills.

What we need to do is look at how are these people for instance able to move some of the 56.5 DPWH billions into multi-currency bank accounts and complex asset management. Thereby, establishing complex structures of offshore companies and trusts spread across several different offshore opaque financial centres with ambiguous jurisdictions. I am only insinuating the former. But it is a fact that in the Philippines, laundering people’s money is just as easy as moving it from A to B to C

to D to W to X and finally back to

A. How do you do it?

(from the Files of Mr. Jarius Bondoc http://www.philstar.com/ArticlePrinterFriendly.aspx?articleId=495192 )

EXAMPLE: (from the Files of Mr. Jarius Bondoc http://www.philstar.com/ArticlePrinterFriendly.aspx?articleId=495192 )

The Dept. of Agriculture’s P728-million fertilizer scam in 2004 is a case in point. Nine of the 13 NGOs that received multimillion pesos were inexistent. Yet the DA repeated the scam in 2007, another election year. Seven of the ten NGOs were dubious. Sen. Noynoy Aquino’s staff noted that three of the fake NGOs in 2004 got money again in 2007, as reported Monday.

Other NGOs that received fertilizer funds in 2004

• Aaron Foundation (Philippines) Inc. — received P8 million although its given address was a vacant lot;

• People’s Organization for Progress & Development Foundation Inc. — received P13 million, with COA reporting “found in address and equipment and personnel”;

• Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc. — got P28 million, “found in address but was closed”;

• Masaganang Ani para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc. — got P11.5 million, “found in address but was closed”;

• Sikap Yaman Foundation Inc. — got P4.9 million in an office with “no signage, unknown in residential neighborhood”;

• Philippine Environment & Ecological Development Association — got P1.95 million in “multi-story building occupied by RMN Network”;

• Bukid Tanglaw Livelihood Foundation Inc. — got P10 million, “no signage, unknown in the area”;

• Ikaw at Ako Foundation — got P8 million, office in Camarines Norte has “no SEC registration”;

• Kabus nga Mag-Uuma ug Managat Foundation Inc. — got P.5 million, address in Cebu City has “no SEC registration”;

• Workers Cooperative of the Philippines — got P5 million, address in General Santos City has “no SEC registration”.

NGOs that received agricultural pork barrel in 2007

• Antipolo Philanthropy Foundation Inc. — got P146.6 million in address occupied by a school, “unknown in the area”;

• Commoners Foundation Inc. — got P9.13 million, address occupied by commercial establishments, “unknown in given address, no SEC papers;

• Coprahan and Gulayan Foundation Inc. — got P31 million, “no office or signage at given address”;

• Samahan ng Manininda ng Prutas at Gulay sa Gabi Inc. — got P20 million, “no office or signage at given address”.

That’s why behind any foundation is a millionaire politician. Yes, most trapos have their own “Foundation” as a front for money laundering until emerging as a mansion on Beach Park Blvd., Foster City, San Mateo County, California. It is simply a stage in Money laundering.

Placement stage where illegal funds are introduced into the financial system and broken down into a number of different financial packages. 728 Million dispersed legally out into multiple foundations.

Layering stage. This is where chaos is introduced. Lack of paperwork and undocumented funds transfer. Each individual foundation goes through a series of conversions and/or movements of the illicit funds. This is designed to create a buffer of opaque activities to distance them from the source and make it more difficult to track. And then shut shop.

Integration stage is the last stage where a proportion is kept and the rest is funneled back into the source hence bagful of cash at the Palace by the river or from the provincial governador. Funds are re-integrated into the legitimate economy by, for example, buying American real estate or investing in a club where the trapo is one of the proprietors which also include a brother or sister or an uncle or a cat and dog.

And there you have it martyrdom and corruption gorging on each other, nourishing on what’s left of the carcass of the nation.

It is a byzantine power struggle.

But it’s time to end it.

Soon I hope.

(Because we all need a good laugh once in a while, especially after all the hullabaloo after the storms and election talk… this true story is worth a good snicker or two!)

Designer duds, decadent highs and murderous lows… Hollywood has just announced that Angelina will be staring in a Gucci-centric film next year.

Now before all the Tiny Tim’s, Celine’s and DJ’s out there get their knickers all twisted out of shape, Jolie’s movie does not center around Manille’s debaucherous “high” society (Come on, puh-leez!) – Jolie’s Hollywood flick is a theatrical, if not sartorial, step toward the Gucci scandals of the fashion empire.

According to reports, Jolie will be stretching her acting muscles as the femme fatale Patrizia Reggiano, the woman who was sentenced to nearly three decades behind bars for plotting the 1995 murder of ex-husband Maurizio Gucci.

The film will be set in the design house's '70s and '80s heyday, when Maurizio emerged, in the wake of a vicious power struggle, to take over the family business. Prior to the show that would relaunch the brand (courtesy of designs from Tom Ford, incidentally), Maurizio was shot dead in front of his Milan home.

Talk about one day you're in and the next you're out.

No actor has signed on to play Jolie's ill-fated love in the film, which starts production next year, though Leonardo DiCaprio has been approached by director Ridley Scott.

In other Gucci Gang news, Brian Gorrell is still searching for Delfin “DJ” Montano.

Victorina has vowed to continue the fight against the injustice done to Gorrell!

(click here if you have any leads: http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com)

Victorina: Register and Vote!
by: Amiel Aguilar Cabanlig

Many years from now, when we talk about Elections 2010 over coffee or pitchers of beer, we are likely to reminisce about how it changed the trajectory of Philippine history. We have become conscious of the fact that the leaders that we choose are crucial to the very survival of our beleaguered nation. We have become cognizant of the value of safe-guarding our ballots.

During an recent event in Taguig City, 13 prospective candidates walked arm in arm and pledged to uphold clean and honest elections next year. The candidates avowed before the Commission on Elections Chair Jose Melo and signed a sworn statement enumerating 13 points to ensure clean elections and good government.

“I will not use any form of cheating … I will not use money for nefarious ends or use arms or any form of violence to ensure my win in the elections,” the sworn statement said in Filipino.

The statement added “I will honor and follow the ‘Rule of Law, I will try to be an example of honesty and urge my relatives and friends to follow my example … I will not use the national treasury or whatever property of the Philippines for my own personal interests.”

Chairman Jose Melo added that “this is for the elections so that everybody will follow the rules. That it will be conducted in a very civil and gentlemanly manner, observing all the rules.”

Who exactly is at stake?

Last 2004, there was projected voting population of 49.25 million persons. The figure below represents about 60 percent of the projected 82.67 million Philippine population for 2004. The female voting population numbers a little more than the expected male voters with a sex ratio of 98.89 males for every 100 females. There are more male voters in the younger age groups 20 to 24 and 25 to 29 years old while female voters dominate the older age groupings 50 years old and over according to a study made by Carmelita Nuguid. Ericta.

“Of the 49 million projected voters for 2004, about two thirds (66%) or 33 million have completed some elementary or high school education; 15 percent are college undergraduates; and only 7 percent are college degree holders. In addition, there are about 1.6 million voters who have no education,” adds Ericta. The projected voting population literacy rate was observed at 92 percent or 45.5 million literate voters out of 49.2 million voters for 2004.

With this optimistic numbers of eager and literate voters, Victorina is anxious to help educate voters and safeguard our democratic electoral process!

Blogger RJ Marmol of adayinthelifeofrj.com made a list on how To Vote Using PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) Machine in the 2010 Automated Elections:

1. Before leaving the house, write down your complete list of preferred candidates on a piece of paper so that you can use it as guide when voting in the precinct later. It’s perfectly okay and actually highly recommended that you bring a list of your chosen candidates specially if you have unreliable memory that suddenly hangs-up shortly before it’s your turn to vote. This will also make you vote faster. They call this the "ZERO COUNT" ballot check (or something like that). This is printed prior to voting to ensure there are no pre-installed or pre-recorded info inside. A high-grade thermal paper will be used, expected to last 5 years on optimal condition.

2. Arrive at your designated precinct at least an hour earlier than scheduled to give you leeway in case you need to look for your name longer than usual. Remember that because we have limited PCOS machines, some precincts will have up to four times the usual number of registered voters. The usual 250 or so per precinct will go as high as 1,000.

3. Bring the registration stub portion given to you when you registered for the elections. Your precinct number is written on that stub.

4. Check in with the Board of Elections Inspectors (BEI) and secure an empty ballot, ask for a marker as well.

5. Using the marker given to you by the BEI, shade the circles corresponding to your chosen candidates . Make sure to shade it completely. Do this until you’ve shaded all that you want to vote on.

6. There are portions of the ballot where you will be asked for more than one choice, so make sure you read the instructions carefully (instructions are in Filipino). Avoid writing anything outside the circle or anywhere else on the ballot. While SMARTMATIC-TIM claims that anything written outside the circles will be disregarded by the machine, better not to do this just for the heck of it.

7. Remember, it’s okay to undervote (to choose less names than what is asked, ie. voting less than 12 senators), but you are never allowed to overvote. If you overvote, the entire section where the overvoting was committed will be disregarded. It will result to a spoiled section in a valid ballot. For example, voting 13 senators instead of 12 will spoil all your answers in the senatorial posts section, but all other remaining sections on the ballot, if shaded properly, will be counted as good votes.

8. After shading, feed the ballot paper to the PCOS machine and allow the machine to eat it up, should there be wrong orientations (bottom first or upside down) the PCOS should be able to detect it.

9. Your ballot paper will be checked for shading intensity (every PCOS machine can be programmed in terms of shading intensity settings, I have yet to find out the specifics on this one, whether there will be a standard setting for all precincts or whether it may vary from precinct to precinct — but of course, by default, it should be standardized). If it passes the test, then it will fall inside the ballot box and a “Thank you for voting” prompt/message will appear on the touch screen.”

10. Let the BEI officers put ink/tint on your index finger.

11. There you have it, you’ve just participated in the much-awaited automated elections — the first of its scale in the world! You’re now part of this historic event! (Give yourself a pat on the back and flash a wide smile of confidence and hope! :) This is the AUDIT LOG's header. It is printed once the voting is finished/precincts are closed. All actions done on that specific PCOS machine with that specific serial number are logged and printed on that receipt. Once again, it ensures that system would be tamper-proof or if such tampering happens, that it will be detected through the report.

This is the main body of the same audit log.

12. If you have online access, remain vigilant by guarding your votes. Log on to the public domain site that COMELEC will put-up prior to elections