Metro Manila rose 16 spots from last year to become the 59th most expensive city in the world for expatriates after an economic rebound and a stronger peso made leases more costly, consultancy firm ECA said in its annual Accommodation Report.

Rental costs here were also the 12th most expensive in Asia, ECA said, based on September 2010 data on two-bedroom properties "commonly inhabited by international assignees".

The Philippine capital, which ranked 13th in Asia in the previous report, surpassed neighboring capitals like Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Shenzen.

Tokyo topped the global and Asian rankings due to the strengthening of the yen even as actual rental prices dropped by 7% last year. Expatriates there had to fork over an average $4,352 a month.

The Japanese capital was followed by Moscow, Hong Kong, London, Singapore, Caracas, Abu Dhabi, Bogota, San Francisco and Geneva.

In Asia, Tokyo was joined by Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, Hanoi, Bangkok, Mumbai, Jakarta and Beijing as the top ten cities.

The region saw leases rise by an average of nearly 7% in 2010 after falling by more than a tenth in 2009.

"The strong rebound in rental rates in many cities reflects both the rapid economic recovery and the continued expansion of companies into the region," Lee Quane, regional director of ECA Asia, said in a statement.

Rent in Metro Manila rose by 14% "due to the strengthening of the peso against the greenback", ECA said in an e-mail to BusinessWorld. This was based on properties mostly in Makati.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, saw rents increase by 22% to $2,830 a month for a two-bedroom unit after prices fell by roughly a quarter the previous year, ECA said.

US scientists have said there is strong evidence linking oral sex to cancer, and urged more studies of how human papillomaviruses (HPV) may be to blame for a rise in oral cancer among white men. In the United States, oral cancer due to HPV infection is now more common than oral cancer from tobacco use, which remains the leading cause of such cancers in the rest of the world.

Researchers have found a 225-percent increase in oral cancer cases in the United States from 1974 to 2007, mainly among white men, said Maura Gillison of Ohio State University.

"When you compare people who have an oral infection or not... the single greatest factor is the number of partners on whom the person has performed oral sex," said Gillison, who has been researching HPV and cancer for 15 years.

"When the number of partners increases, the risk increases," she told reporters at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington. Previous studies have suggested that people who have performed oral sex on six or more partners over a lifetime face an eight-fold higher risk of acquiring HPV-related head or neck cancer than those with fewer than six partners, she said.

Maybe, Gringo is correct but then, what if JPE is also correct—that the healing process would take longer once force is unleashed and there is no controlled use of weapons to preserve lives? Of course, this is already moot—like the issue on why then President Cory did not even bother to ask our creditors to write off our loans…The other day, I heard President Benigno Aquino 3rd lash at Marcos for incurring such a big foreign debt. Well, the debt should not have been that huge after EDSA. President Cory had the opportunity to ease that burden but she bungled it. Columnist Efren Danao opines;


“The Philippines waged in February 1986 the very first ousting of a strong man with virtually no blood-letting. It is very seldom that democracy was regained or won at virtually no loss of life. If I remember right, the only death was that of a soldier-sniper at the Channel 4 tower. And even then, there were murmurings that that soldier should not have been shot dead.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, one of the heroes in those four historic days in EDSA, said one of the lessons that Libya could learn from EDSA 1 was how to successfully unseat a strongman with controlled use of weapons to preserve lives.
“Once you use bullets, you unleash force; you’ll create a long healing divide in your society. If the government will use bullets, the possibility of the people’s arming themselves to defend and assert their rights is not farfetched,” he explained.
He recalled that the first thing his group did when they announced their rebellion against the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos was to see to it that unnecessary bloodshed would be avoided.

“The first thing I did when I arrived in Camp Aguinaldo that afternoon, Saturday, February 22, was to call Gen. Pedro Balbanero, he head of the Military Police brigade in Camp Aguinaldo. I told him that we were going to do what we did and please do not attempt to arrest or even indicate any use of force against my men because they are ready to die,” JPE related.

The lessons of EDSA could no longer be thought to those in Egypt, where hundreds died before Hosni Mubarak would yield his power, or in Libya where thousands had died, with Libyan dictator Moammar Kaddhafi vowing to fight to the finish.

Sen. Gringo Honasan, who was then an Army lieutenant colonel and a leader of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), also had good words for the bloodless ouster of Marcos. He said that it should be a source of pride for the Philippines that it was the first to succeed with that unorthodox manner.

At the same time, he considers this bloodless victory one of the reasons why the fervor of EDSA 1 is no longer burning in the hearts of Filipinos as intensely as before.

“There was no catharsis. It was over in just four days with little bloodshed. We bought our freedom at so cheap a price that we don’t seem to cherish it,” he said.
During the first years after the ouster of Marcos, Filipinos basked in the glory of EDSA 1. The very mention of EDSA then results in a sudden surge of national pride. A few years later, EDSA seemed like a mere footnote in history with the lack of meaningful commemoration and absence of mass participation.

It is the thesis of Gringo that had there been more blood shed in EDSA, the regaining of democracy would have stirred a longer memory and a stronger passion. He refuses to consider what took place at EDSA a revolution. He said that democracy was restored, a dictator was unseated but a revolution, it wasn’t.

Maybe, Gringo is correct but then, what if JPE is also correct—that the healing process would take longer once force is unleashed and there is no controlled use of weapons to preserve lives? Of course, this is already moot—like the issue on why then President Cory did not even bother to ask our creditors to write off our loans.

The Philippines and Cory were then the toast of the world. A word from her for a write-off of our debts would have been approved with alacrity by our debtors. It would not have been morally reprehensible to do so since she had been very critical on where our debts went. Until now, I still can’t understand why her administration honored our debt for the construction of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The other day, I heard President Benigno Aquino 3rd lash at Marcos for incurring such a big foreign debt. Well, the debt should not have been that huge after EDSA. President Cory had the opportunity to ease that burden but she bungled it.”

The spirit of the 1986 bloodless "People Power" revolt is still alive 25 years after, even as the government continues the struggle for good governance and the fight against corruption, said President Benigno Aquino III on Friday.

The President led Friday's commemoration of 25th anniversary of the four-day revolt that restored democracy and ended the 20-year iron fist rule of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Aquino said the revolt shows how Filipinos value unity despite challenges facing the country.

"This gathering is proof that the legacy of Edsa is alive in each one of us. I believe that instead of being divided, we can work towards unity. That instead of stealing, we can be true to our duties; and that instead of being afraid, we can trust our government," Aquino said at the Edsa Shrine in Quezon City.

Aquino said the revolt raised hopes that democracy would also bring prosperity and a government that would safeguard the people's money, but said that did not happen in the decade under his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"There were some who betrayed the public trust and raided government coffers," he said. "With good governance to fight corruption, we can free our people from poverty."

Arroyo held power for nine years, surviving several coup attempts by disgruntled military officers and impeachment bids by the opposition, who accused her of corruption, election fraud and human rights abuses. She has denied the charges.

Aquino is the son of the country's two democracy icons. His mother, Corazon Aquino, claimed victory against Marcos in the fraud-marred elections two weeks before the revolt, and was installed as his successor. His father and Marcos' archrival, former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was assassinated by soldiers in 1983.

President Aquino said the government is implementing reform measures to get rid of graft and corruption and regain the trust of the public to the administration.

One reform he underscored in his speech is how the government is helping common soldiers and police officers by building 20,000 housing units for them.

"This year, we will build 20,000 housing units for our soldiers and policemen by providing them very low housing prices, which is very much lower than what they are currently paying to rent dwellings that they do not own," the President said.

Celebration -- Aquino kicked off the celebration Friday by attending a flag-raising ceremony in White Plains Avenue along Edsa.

The President arrived around 7:30 a.m. and was welcomed by several officials led by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, and the commissioners of the Edsa People Power Commission (EPPC).

Also present were Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Armed Forces Chief Ricardo David, and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. About 17 mayors attended the event led by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Former President Fidel Ramos also attended the event. Upon Aquino's arrival, he was given full military honors with 21 gun salute.

A slight slip-up took place when the national anthem was sung before the President was able to raise the flag. Young singer Mauna Kea Chan then sang the national anthem again.

The flag-raising was followed by the "Panunumpa sa Watawat" (Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine flag) led by representatives of different sectors.

Aquino then led the release of the Philippine flag balloons with inscription of this year's theme "Edsa 25: Pilipino Ako. Ako ang Lakas ng Pagbabago."

He was assisted by Binay, Ochoa, House Speaker Feleciano Belmonte and former President Ramos. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was a no show in the event.

The unveiling of the People Power Monument Marker by the President was followed.

Aquino was assisted by the National Historical Institute (NHI) Executive Director Ludovico Badoy and the EPPC commissioners.

An ecumenical prayer that represented various religious groups, Catholic, Protestant, Islam, Iglesia ni Cristo, and Buddhist was made.

Singer Freddie Aguilar then sang "Bayan Ko," which he popularized before and during the Edsa revolution.

A chopper showered with confetti and flowers at the Edsa Shrine.

Tribute to Cardinal Sin -- After White Plains, the President proceeded to Rizal Park to grace the wreath-laying at late President Corazon Aquino monument and the unveiling of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin's monument.

Hundreds of people composed of Manila residents, religious leaders, bishops, and students trooped to the famous park.

Prior to Aquino's arrival, a thanksgiving mass in honor of Sin, considered as one of the heroes of Edsa, was held.

Lingayen Archbishop Soc Villegas and Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales delivered thanksgiving remarks for the celebration.

In the event, Aquino noted the relevant role of Sin played during the Edsa People Power 1.

"Despite threats to his life and his people, the Catholic leader chose to devote his time and prayers to restore the peace and freedom to the country," he said.

After Rizal Park, Aquino went back to the area of Ortigas near White Plains for the unveiling of the historical site marker and jobs fair at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) building.

He had a video conference with three Overseas Filipino workers where he directly answered their job-related concerns.

The President skipped the boodle lunch held along Edsa. He then graced the "Salubungan" ceremony also held in Edsa Shrine.

Salubungan -- A festive mood blanketed the People Power Monument on Friday as the government challenged the youth to do small tokens of heroism in their daily lives.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Arts Ambassador and matinee idol Dingdong Dantes made the call before a crowd of young people, when proponents of the successful Edsa People Power revolt reenacted the "salubungan" -- a historic moment during the People Power revolt.

"Salubong" is a reenactment of what happened 25 years ago when then General Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile met with civilian protesters and joined forces after formally breaking off from the Marcos regime.

Around 2,000 soldiers, 1000 policemen, and two tanks participated in the march as civilians composed of priests and non-government organizations met them at the People Power monument along Edsa.

A lot of people wearing yellow witnessed the reenactment as a chopper showered yellow confetti to the cheering crowd. Yellow is the color of the People Power revolution.

"I sincerely hope that the youth will respond to the call of our times and put to action the President's inaugural theme, 'Panata sa Pagbabago'," Dantes said as President Aquino, cousin Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, and government officials listened.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles and government chief negotiator for National Democratic Front peace talks Alexander Padilla also took part in the convergence.

Signifying unity and light for a peaceful nation, Deles led a torch passing ceremony with a former communist rebel and representatives from the military and the youth.

The Philippine flag was also passed on from Ramos to a youth leader and 25 doves were set free.

Local government units and civil society organizations across the country likewise joined the Edsa commemoration through medical missions, tree planting activities, monitoring of smoke belchers, and other projects.

Also on Friday, budget carrier Cebu Pacific joined the revelry as it put on sale domestic travel tickets at P25 each from February 25 to 26. The travel period is from June 1 to September 30 this year.

The Gokongwei-led airline earlier had a P15 seat sale in observance of Aquino's inauguration as the country's 15th president in June 30 last year.

Newly appointed EDSA People Power Commissioner Ogie Alcasid confirmed that Black Eyed Peas member Apl.de.ap will perform during the celebration of the 25th year anniversary of the EDSA People Power revolution on Feb. 25.

Alcasid announced so on Twitter last Feb. 20.

“Happy to announce that apl.de.ap has agreed to perform on February 25 for the 25th anniversary of edsa! Hope to see you all there!" read the post.

His announcement actually came a day late.

Although not part of the organizing team, presidential sister, Kris Aquino, preempted Alcasid's announcement by a day, tweeting on Feb. 19, “Apl de Ap is flying in to perform specially for the event. Doing a 1 hr set! Winner!"

Aquino also divulged to her Twitter followers that she will be among the hosts of the show.

In any case, Alcasid detailed that the concert will be held at the People Power Monument on EDSA. The concert will start at 6 p.m. and will last until about midnight.

Only a week ago, Alcasid proudly declared in a press conference that the concert will be "star-studded" as he was able to convince the country’s three biggest networks to lend a number of their "exclusive" stars for the occasion. Among those he confirmed have agreed to perform at the event include his wife, singer-actress Regine Velazquez.

Meanwhile, not a few expect Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, himself, to render a number at the event as he had obliged a couple of tunes during his inauguration party, June of last year.

Vice President Jejomar Binay will push through with his schedule in the Middle East despite escalating tensions in several countries there.

President Benigno Aquino III said Binay will represent him in several functions in line with the celebration of Kuwait National Day.

The Vice President is set to leave on Friday for an official trip to Kuwait and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He will stay in the Middle East for one week.

Aquino said he could not leave the country because of the long-week celebration for the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution anniversary.

“Matagal ng schedule yun… I asked him (Binay) if he can represent me in the celebration so he is proceeding to Kuwait. My instruction the primary topic has to be our OFWs and their protection. So that would be the main agenda,” the President said.

Political unrest beleaguered the countries of Libya, Bahrain and Yemen.

Aquino ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to act swiftly in attending to the needs of Filipinos caught in strife in these countries.

He said since the start of tension, the government has been in constant communication with the Philippine embassy in Tripoli in Libya.

He reiterated that there is still no need for force evacuation.

“Systems are in place and I understand that arrangements have already been made for our citizens to be brought to safer locations but it is still voluntary,” he said.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) data said there were 13,593 Filipinos in Bahrain, 10,901 in Libya and 1,081 in Yemen in 2010.

Calls for higher internet speed and better regulation of telecommunication services snowballed on Wednesday as a lawmaker proposes an online consultation over a bill on mobile and internet usage.

Taguig City Representative Freddie Tinga said they are inviting concerned groups to participate in drafting the legislation that aims to democratize internet.

“This will be the first time that we are doing this (online consultation). But we want to prevent an online riot. I think by having one or two groups with same advocacy will be enough to represent that sector,” he told reporters.

“It makes my life maybe a little easier but harder at the same time because there will be more voices who will be studying each and every line of the legislation,” Tinga, who is also chairman of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology said.

Militant groups and consumer advocates earlier hit major telecommunication companies for supporting a proposal of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to limit internet speed.

Public pressure however pushed the NTC to shelve the plan as Kabataan Party-list Representative Raymond Palatino detailed the issues raised by internet users during a public consultation held over the weekend.

Among the problems raised by so-called netizens include overbilling, exorbitant fees, slow, unreliable and sub-par broadband internet connections, limited network coverage, and questionable practices like data-capping and long contract periods.

Palatino, for his part, added to the list of internet problems the lack of clear-cut legal or administrative definition of broadband in terms of standard download and upload speeds in its various forms.

The two-term congressman also said that there is no existing mechanism to check if telecommunication firms and internet service providers are complying with their advertised speeds and services.

“They can examine my bank account, my credit card records etcetera,” Cimatu said, adding that he was willing to waive his rights under bank secrecy and other statutes—and more. “They can go to my house, the only one that I and my wife own, and search room to room for evidence of ill-gotten wealth.” Columnist Dan Mariano opines in his column; Cimatu's detractors need to present proof more persuasive than the say-so of a confessed plunderer-turned-whistleblower...

Believing the words of a plunderer-turned-whistleblower...

"I don't know about the other top officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who have been linked to financial skullduggery, but retired Gen. Roy Cimatu does not seem like he was also a “thief of staff.”

Speaking at a media forum Saturday, Cimatu, who had served as AFP chief of staff for all of four months in 2002, declared that he would willingly bare all that he owns to probers—be they from the Congress, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Anti-Money Laundering Council or any other legitimate investigating agency.

“They can examine my bank account, my credit card records etcetera,” Cimatu said, adding that he was willing to waive his rights under bank secrecy and other statutes—and more. “They can go to my house, the only one that I and my wife own, and search room to room for evidence of ill-gotten wealth.”

He added: “They can contact my son, who is an architect and is now in Singapore as an [overseas Filipino worker (OFW)], and find out for themselves that whatever assets my family and I have we earned by the sweat of our brow.”

After retiring from the AFP, Cimatu, the son of public school teachers from Bangui, Ilocos Norte, continued to serve the Republic as a diplomatic troubleshooter that took him to hazardous locations overseas, including Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan, finding solutions to the problems facing OFWs in distress.

Cimatu, who carries the title of Special Presidential Envoy and chairs the Presidential Preparedness Team to the Middle East, claimed that he had no knowledge of the P80-million pabaon or send-off money, which former AFP budget officer George Rabusa—a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy who only got as high as the rank of lieutenant colonel—said Cimatu received.

Rabusa has made similar accusations against other AFP chiefs. Before congressional probers, he testified that he personally handed the equivalent of P50 million to Angelo Reyes upon his retirement.

As for Cimatu and Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, Rabusa said he was ordered by former AFP comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia to “produce” the pabaon funds—but has no personal knowledge if the money was actually turned over to the two generals.

At the media forum Saturday, Cimatu said: “I categorically deny that I received any funds from anybody in the AFP for my personal use or aggrandizement.”

Cimatu is one of a handful of Arroyo administration officials that President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd opted to retain—and there must have very good reasons for that.

Not once has Cimatu led efforts to bring OFWs out of harm’s way. While in uniform, he earned numerous medals and citations as symbols of the nation’s appreciation for valorous service and distinguished leadership.

Had Cimatu been a “thief of staff,” his detractors need to present proof more persuasive than the say-so of a confessed plunderer-turned-whistleblower."

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to work closely with the Oh My Gulay! advocacy of Senator Edgardo Angara to expand the department’s vegetable garden project in schools called ‘’Gulayan sa Paaralan’’ to address malnutrition, which affects one in every three public school children.

DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said one of the ironies in our society is the fact that children go hungry when food can be grown here year round.

“Wala sanang bata na undernourished kung lagi tayong nagtatanim at kumakain ng gulay at prutas na madami dito sa atin,” said Luistro.

Luistro said children who are not properly nourished are physically and mentally weak, susceptible to infection and diseases and cannot cope with school work. “At sa kanilang paglaki, hindi rin makapagtrabaho ng maayos,” added Luistro.

At present, there are some 6,000 public elementary and high schools involving 1.8 million students in the Gulayan project. “While 6,000 seem like a big number, it only represents 15 percent of all public schools in the country,” noted Luistro.

Lowest in vegetable consumption
Studies have shown that among Southeast Asians, Filipinos rank lowest in vegetable consumption at 40 kilograms per head each year. This is in contrast to China whose consumption is 250 kilos per head each year.

Latest figure from the Food and Nutrition Research Council showed that 26 in very 100 children (6-10 years old – 25.6 percent ) or about 1.8 million school children are underweight for their age; 33 in every 100 children (6-10 years old – 33.1 percent) or about 1.2 million school children are stunted or short for their age and 20 in every 100 school children (6-12 years old – 19.8 percent) are anemic.

“Paano natin papalaganapin ang kaugnayan ng masustansiyang pagkain sa kanilang pag-aaral at sa pagtatrabaho sa di-kalaunan? Paano natin maipaparating sa mga bata at sa kanilang mga magulang ang kabutihang dulot ng regular na pagkain ng prutas at gulay?” Luistro asked.

Luistro noted that the advocacy on healthy diet focused on eating more vegetables and fruits are drowned out by a more aggressive advertising campaign of fast food chains which push for more meat consumption.

“Sa totoo lang kaagapay din sila sa edukasyon pero ang sinasabi natin sana mabalanse ang kampanya at mabigyan ng patas na importansiya ang pagkain ng gulay at prutas,” Luistro emphasized.

School gardens
One of the future plans of DepEd is to scale up Gulayan sa Paaralan and make it an institutional advocacy in schools and not just a passing fancy.

It also envisions more activities on environmental protection, waste composting in schools and to work closely with the organizers of Oh My Gulay! on healthy eating advocacy.

Based on DepEd estimates, it costs an initial P50,000 to start a school garden to cover seeds, fertilizer, garden tools and farm implements, farmer’s hut, nursery and fencing.

“Maliit na halaga lang ito kung tutuusin kapalit ng napakalaking benepisyo sa buong komunidad ng gulayan sa paaralan,” quipped Luistro.

DepEd’s goal is to establish a sustainable vegetable garden in all of the country’s 42, 076 public elementary and secondary schools.

Pacman knows, Pacman tweets. Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has officially joined social networking site Twitter.

With twitter name @mannypacquiao, the eight-division world champion tweeted, “Kamusta kayo hi everybody” in his verified twitter account last February 20.

The Filipino ring icon has not tweeted since, and has only followed 12 people—one of which is television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who had Pacquiao as guest on his show.

It took two days before Pacquiao's fans fully picked up on the news about his Twitter account, but by Tuesday afternoon he has eclipsed the 4,000th mark of followers—a testament to his worldwide popularity.

Though there has not been any confirmation yet from Pacman himself, his account has a verification seal from Twitter.

Pacquiao joins other boxing greats who is hooked with the networking site—including compatriot Nonito Donaire Jr., Floyd Mayweather Jr. and even Sugar Shane Mosley, who has a very active Twitter timeline.

Mosley, who is set to fight Pacquiao on May 7 at the MGM Grand is Las Vegas, has shown general congeniailty towards Pacquiao—even tweeting photos of their stare down on his account for amusement.

Mayweather, who remains reluctant in fighting Pacquiao, meanwhile, seemed more hostile as he tweeted video links of Pacquiao's three defeats—against Erik Morales, Medgoen Singsurat in 1999 and even as far back as Pacquiao's first loss to Rustico Torrecampo in 1996—last week.

As the country is set to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first Edsa People Power revolt, the City of Manila has decided to pay tribute to Jaime Cardinal Sin, deemed as one of the main figureheads of the said uprising, through the construction of a monument in his honor.

Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila ordered the construction of the first monument in Manila dedicated to the late former Manila archbishop for his contribution to the revolt which effectively toppled the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand Marcos.

Sin was a wellknown Catholic Church leader credited for the call made over Radio Veritas urging people to defy the dictatorship by going out to the streets in order to support then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and Philippine Constabulary Chief Fidel Ramos who withdrew support from the unpopular regime.

Lim stressed that the role played by the church leader during the people power uprising on Edsa that led to the downfall of the Marcos regime is something worth honoring.

“We know that it was Cardinal Sin who called on the public for a people power,” Lim said.

The life-size statue of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin will be unveiled on February 25 as the main highlight of the first people power commemoration which will be held near Luneta Park.

Lim said Sin’s monument will be put close with those of former President Corazon Aquino and former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr.

The late former president is credited for the restoration of democratic institutions during her term while her husband, the late former senator, is hailed as a martyr who was assassinated in connection to his staunch opposition to the deposed regime.

“There will first be a Mass, after which we go to Edsa, and then we come to Manila where the monuments are. I invite all of you to witness the unveiling of Sin’s monument,” Lim said.

BY JOMAR CANLAS

Filipino boxing sensation Nonito Donaire Jr. now ranks among the world’s elite fighters, according to the legendary Roy Jones Jr. and a top trainer.

Former pound-for-pound boxing king Roy Jones Jr. said Donaire is in the same league as Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the two best boxers in the world today.

Donaire scored a scintillating second-round technical knockout over Fernando Montiel Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) to snatch his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization bantamweight titles in an HBO-televised championship fight at the Mandalay Bay Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Jones said in a post-fight interview that he has not seen the kind of boxing finesse of Mayweather and the punching power and explosiveness of Pacquiao demonstrated by Donaire in dispatching Montiel in just six minutes of their title fight.

“Nobody else comes close to Pacquiao and Mayweather,” said Jones, the only second man middleweight champion to go up in weight and win the world heavyweight title.

“Mayweather would be No. 1 if he was active. Pacquiao is up there now . . . and Donaire belongs in the same elite league,” he added.

Jones, an HBO boxing analyst and former top pound-for-pound boxer in the 90s, thinks Donaire, 28, would eventually get the No. 1 pound-for-pound slot, if he stays focused and keeps his winning ways.

“Watch this kid [Donaire]. All three of them are pound-for-pound best. It ain’t about a popularity contest,” Jones stressed. “It’s about who does the job. This kid does the job. I see this kid doing some special things that not many fighters can do.”

Donaire’s trainer Robert Garcia thinks Donaire could be just as good as Pacquiao “or even better as a fighter,” referring to his ward’s combination of boxing skill and power.

“We get one Manny maybe every 100 years, so maybe we cannot get the same in Nonito because it’s just something unbelievable the way Nonito is turning out to be as good or even better as a fighter,” Garcia said.

Garcia, a Mexican-American for¬mer world featherweight champion, thinks Donaire has a long way to go and could actually follow in Pacquiao’s footsteps of wining multiple titles in different weight classes.


“Manny’s got something that we don’t see that often and we might not see any time soon,” Garcia said, referring to Pacquiao eight world titles in as many weight classes.

“But I know that Nonito is very skillfull and could be as good or better,” he added.

For all these positive comments, Donaire insists he would be happy being second to his Filipino boxing idol.

“I just came out there believing in this talent that God had given me. I actually predicted this second round knockout about three months ago,” said Donaire, who now has won world titles in three weight categories.

“I don’t mind being No. 2. I have the utmost respect for Manny Pacquiao. I’m happy being No. 2, if that’s what people want to call me,” he said.

“I’m happy and grateful for the people I have supporting me, that makes me No. 1 with them,” he added.

BY JUN MEDINA

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr.won’t be just called second best anymore behind compatriot Manny Pacquiao after all.

Even former champion Roy Jones Jr. claimed that Donaire surprisingly caught his attention without a doubt when the Filipino fighter put Fernando Montiel crashing back to earth via solid second round knockout Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“I saw this kid on TV a couple of years ago and I picked him out then,” said Jones, the long-time pound-for-pound who served as a color analyst for HBO on Saturday.

Jones, in an interview by Yahoo! Sports boxing columnist Kevin Iole, also said the Donaire’s style is absolutely different with Pacquiao, which is enough not to compare him if he’s No. 1 or No. 2.

“To be honest, there’s an argument whether he’s No. 1 or No. 2. I see [Donaire] doing things I don’t see many fighters do. He uses his feet first and his hands second. That check hook he threw was incredible. It was a punch I had perfected. I brought that punch to the game and this kid has it down pat solid.”

Jones, who saw Donaire’s ability to counter-punch Montiel’s blistering throws in the second round, considered the 28-year-old Donaire even before the next best incomparable fighter in the last 10 years.

“This kid, when I saw him on TV a couple of years ago, I told my people he was the next best fighter I had seen in the last 10 years,” said Jones, a future Hall of Famer who held world titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

“That’s the truth. It was about two, three years ago and that’s how I remembered his name. I said, ‘That’s the best kid coming up I’ve seen in 10 years.’ They didn’t believe it, but I knew it.”
For most boxing fanatics around the world, Donaire’s speed and the strong left hook all over the second round were absolutely the factors that wiped out Montiel, who now fell to 44-3-2 win-loss-draw card with 34 knockouts.

Donaire, who now hiked his record to 26-1 with 18 knockouts, was never threatened. He was faster, he was smarter and he was far more powerful, according to Jones. And Montiel paid the price for playing cocky in the first round.

Donaire raked him with a straight right in the opening moments. About a minute or so later, Donaire ripped him with a left hook that seemed to bother the champion.

Donaire’s tremendous win earned him the world boxing council and world boxing organization bantamweight straps.

Donaire was a longtime flyweight champion—the same division where Pacquiao began his historic run—and also had won an interim junior bantamweight belt. BY JOSEF T. RAMOS

Show NO MERCY to DRUG traffickers

Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that “Miscarriage of mercy is as much to be guarded against as miscarriage of justice.”

Almost every day, we see examples of miscarriage of mercy. A robbery victim readily forgives the weeping culprit who, as all thieves and robbers almost invariably do, claims that abject poverty forced him to commit the crime. Well, with the stolen item recovered, the victim finds nothing wrong in not pressing charges. With that, the culprit goes scot-free. Free to victimize other persons again? But this may no longer matter to the “merciful” victim. After all, he or she already recovered the stolen property.

Of course, robbery and theft are just common crimes. And a person does not get victimized every day. How about when the crime is drug trafficking? Should we seek mercy for the “poor” convicted trafficker who merely wanted to ensure a good future for his or her family? Or, is this a case of miscarriage of mercy?

A former congressman said his blood pressure goes up every time he hears of drug traffickers. “They almost destroyed the future of my son,” he told me. He said he wanted all drug traffickers eliminated so they could no longer victimize other children. I say, we should not wait for our children to be victims of drug syndicates before getting roused into anger against drug dealers and traffickers.

When Filipinos agree to become drug mules, I’m sure they are aware of the immense damage they could inflict on users and on society. But I bet they ignore this. They don’t care about other human beings, for the money that they could get from the crime is all that matters to them.

Call me insensitive, but I feel no pity for persons arrested and convicted for drug trafficking. If they are meted the death penalty, then so be it. I consider the penalty commensurate to the crime.

I’m in full support with the proposal of Senators Tito Sotto and Migz Zubiri for the reimposition of death penalty for the heinous crime of drug trafficking. You want to take revenge against the Chinese for executing our drug mules? Then do it on those convicted of drug offenses.

After all, most of them are Chinese. I’m very sure the Chinese government will even thank us for doing the dirty work for them in executing the criminal elements from their country.

I consider it an abomination that our government has been humbling itself before China in a bid to save the lives of three Filipinos condemned for drug trafficking. I say, drop the move. After all, our government had already made sure that the three were given due process. I believe that the government should stop there. That should be its only role on drug trafficking cases filed abroad against Filipinos. There has been no showing that the Chinese judges did not give a fair hearing to the accused and convicted them in accordance with their laws.

“Humanitarian” reason is readily invoked in asking for the commutation to life sentence of the punishment for Filipinos sentenced to die abroad. But, is life sentence really preferable to a death penalty. If our leaders believe so, then they should immediately provide more budget for the food of prisoners. They should also support the proposal of Sen. Chiz Escudero to regionalize our penal institutions to ease the congestion and keep the prisoners nearer their families. Unless life in jail is made more conducive for reforms, a lifer might even prefer to be executed by lethal injection.

Continue Reyes Investigation: Media Should Practice Restraint

By Dan Mariano

Going by the comments posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, not a few Filipinos found the coverage of the February 8 suicide of Angelo Reyes by Manila dailies and networks far from appropriate. A large number of complaints focused on the apparent “glorification” of the retired general’s decision to end his life.

Objections to the traditional media’s reports on the Reyes suicide were not limited to news consumers, however. At least one media watchdog shares the public’s disappointment. The independent Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) has actually detailed the lapses and excesses committed by the dailies and networks.
In an article titled “Media coverage of the Reyes suicide: Breaking all the rules,” posted Monday on the Philippine Journalism Review (PJR) website, CMFR observed that “the press went out of its way to cover practically everything that had to do with Reyes and the controversy he had been involved in. In the process, they broke almost every rule ever devised in the coverage of suicide.”

Some journalists were careful not to immediately report the incident as a suicide, as CMFR acknowledged. “At press time, most news organizations were referring to Reyes as an ‘apparent suicide.’” But that seems to be the only positive aspect of the coverage.

According to CMFR, it monitored nine Manila-based newspapers, the newscasts of three networks and their online news sites.

“Given that Reyes was a government official implicated in a military fund scandal, and his death happened at the height of the congressional hearings, the incident was without doubt newsworthy,” CMFR noted. “However, the press could have been more restrained in its coverage. The reports were instead sensationalized in many cases and extremely detailed.”

On the day Reyes shot himself the top stories on the network news were all about him. The following day the majority of the dailies—with the exception of one newspaper—bannered the story on the front-page.

“Not only did the media highlight the cause and method of death, more disturbingly, morbid and dramatic photographs, video footage, and interviews (the tools used, blood, venue of the suicide, the wake, crying relatives and friends, etc.) were displayed,” CMFR said. In a couple of newscasts, one network “even illustrated the suicide method in a graphic presentation.”

The media watchdog said: “Journalism ethics discourages this practice because detailed reporting could encourage vulnerable individuals to imitate the behavior—also known as ‘suicide contagion’ or the ‘copy-cat’ effect.”

Moreover, CMFR said that the prominent, repetitive and continuous news coverage of Reyes’ death was unnecessary, and at worst irresponsible.

It said news organizations did little to explore the series of events that led to his death while discussions on how situations like this can be avoided were limited.
Quoting professional guidelines as articulated in Suicide Sensitive Journalism Handbook, CMFR pointed out that “suicide is rarely the result of a single factor or event, but rather results from a complex interaction of many factors and usually involves a history of psycho-social problems, particularly depression. Public officials and the media should explain carefully that the final precipitating event was not the only cause.”

If many social media subscribers found incongruous—to put it mildly—the mainstream media’s portrayal of Reyes as a hero, so did CMFR, which observed: “There was a surfeit of reports on community expressions of grief (public eulogies, flying flags at half-mast, military honors, rescheduling of congressional hearings, etc.).”

The media watchdog added: “Some reports focused on positive characteristics and achievements in life have the tendency to venerate the deceased. This aspect of Reyes’ life should be acknowledged, but balanced by recalling the controversies surrounding his government service.”

CMFR cautioned: “Without proper context, such reporting may suggest—especially to those at-risk and/or facing similar dilemmas—that killing one’s self is an appropriate or acceptable way to solve personal problems.”

It cited a monograph, titled “Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals,” issued by the World Health Organization (WHO): “Glorifying suicide victims as martyrs and objects of public adulation may suggest to susceptible persons that their society [honors] suicidal behavior. Instead, the emphasis should be on mourning the person’s death.”

There were also efforts in the media to pin the blame for Reyes’ suicide on his detractors, including two senators and a former military subordinate-turned-whistle blower.

“Reports on [who is] to blame are hardly of value, being merely speculative,” CMFR noted. “But the media immediately ran stories on the reactions of the senators, particularly Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes IV, who had grilled Reyes during the [Senate] hearings. The press also went after the statements of [former military budget officer George] Rabusa.”

CMFR also advised the media “to respect the privacy” of grieving family members. “But the papers and TV news nevertheless published photos and ran video footage of the place where Reyes died, the hospital where he was taken, crying relatives and friends, and the wake.”

Such intrusive coverage “largely ignored established guidelines on interviewing relatives and friends.”

Guidelines, such as the University of Hong Kong’s “Suicide and the Media: Recommendations on Suicide Reporting for Media Professionals,” offer the following advice:

•“The surviving relatives and friends usually cannot accept the fact right after the incident. Therefore the media should be considerate and must avoid disturbing them;

• “The grieving survivors may have emotional fluctuation or even have suicidal thoughts. Media professionals should refer the case to social workers, psychiatrists or healthcare professionals; and

• “The journalists should bear in mind that the accounts based on the initial reaction of surviving relatives and friends are often unreliable.”

As if the incident were not unsettling enough, the dailies and networks’ decision to dramatize Reyes’s death did not help the public grasp the complexities of suicide. “Rather, this kind of reporting has the potential to do more harm,” CMFR said. “News organizations should promote suicide prevention through sensitive coverage of incidents such as this.”

In conclusion, the media watchdog said: “Reyes made a choice to end his life. But, finding the truth behind the allegedly systemic and systematic corruption in the AFP and the government as a whole should not die with him. If in fact what they say is true, that Reyes was indeed innocent, it would be wise for the family to cooperate with the authorities. The public and especially the press should not forget that they supposedly got millions as well.”

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday inhibited himself from deciding whether the remains of the late President Ferdinand Marcos should be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery).

“Whatever I say will be bias. I’m thinking of inhibiting myself from deciding on the matter,” Aquino said in an interview following the command conference in Camp Aguinaldo.

Aquino said he will assign a government official to study the matter. “I will let somebody who has less personal attachment decide on it.”

“Anything I say on the matter sasabihin decided on a subjective basis rather than on an objective basis and we would want to spare our country form that,” he added.

The President said he will be meeting the person he was referring to Wednesday afternoon but refused to reveal name.

He admitted that burying Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani has many implications.

“There will be a sector, a significant sector, especially we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of Edsa by next week, there will be sector who will say to give him honor as commander in chief… there is a sector who will say as president, the mandate was removed from him, so how come there will still be entitlement.”

Allowed to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani are Filipino military personnel from privates to generals, as well as former presidents, heroes, and martyrs.

“Should it be in recognition of his being a soldier during World War II, should it be because he was former commander in chief, should it be because he was a former president,” Aquino noted.

After his multi-city tour to promote his fight on May 7 (May 8, Philippine time) against five-time title holder Sugar Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, along with his wife Jinkee, went to the White House as special guests of US President Barack Obama.

Sen. Harry Reid, whom Pacquiao helped during the last Senatorial campaign, made the meeting between the two superpowers happen. It was a dream come true for the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter to meet with one of the world’s most powerful people.

The two traded barbs mainly about basketball and boxing, and perhaps a little bit about politics, Pacquiao being the Congressman of Saranggani. It would’ve been enlightening if Pacquiao had shared his take on how, during his fights, the crime rate in the Philippines goes down drastically and how he unifies a divided nation every time he’s in the ring.

Bags and bags of blue M&M’s chocolates with the presidential seal was given to Pacquiao, which is perfect because chocolates are some of the favorite “pasalubong” items of Filipinos. Paqcuiao also received a watch from President Obama adorned with the presidential seal. Pacman invited the president to the fight which is to take place in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Pacquiao is poised to make over P600million pesos, which will definitely increase based on his share in the earnings from Showtime’s pay-per-view.

Legal action needed!

By: Rick Saludo

When Congress conducts its next hearing in aid of demolition, it should hire The Lightman Group or rather a real-life equivalent of the fictional outfit featured in the TV series Lie to Me. In it Dr. Cal Lightman, played by Tim Roth (Incredible Hulk, 2008), and his team of experts in psychology and micro-expressions pick out liars in police interrogations and business meetings.

Media, too, could use such services before they rush to headline unsubstantiated accusations and insinuations. In recent weeks, two banner stories on alleged corruption in the military were disavowed the very next day by quoted accusers Col. George Rabusa and Sen. Antonio Trillanes. The top daily that published them should run a disclaimer warning that its headlines may be hazardous to the truth.

In fact, simple common sense and diligent journalism should be enough to catch most dodgy claims. Asked to produce proof, most accusers would become circumspect. Then the public is spared the unwarranted destruction of personal reputations and the undermining of national institutions on the basis of unsubstantiated assertions headlined by publications and programs that put newsstand sales and ratings above the undistorted truth.

Sadly, media, politicians and public often don’t care to let the facts get in the way of sensational stories.

Last week that cavalier attitude toward public accusations triggered tragedy with the death of of Angelo Reyes. The former Defense Secretary and AFP chief went from resource person to surprise accused at a Senate hearing supposedly on the plea bargain agreed by accused plunderer Gen. Carlos Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).

With Reyes’s demise, there is a bit of introspection in Congress on rules for hearings as well as the conduct of legislators. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile rightly admonished Sen. Trillanes to produce evidence supporting any accusations he makes. Other senators agreed that civility should be restored in their deliberations, even those who were guilty of such excesses in the past. At least for this week, the baseless accusers are kept at bay.

But not for long, it seems. From a senator who is usually careful about his statements came a sweeping accusation against the Commission on Audit (COA) checking government finances. Sen. Francis Escudero was quoted by ABSCBNNews.com yesterday: “Karamihan ng problema ng corruption sa bansa, ang puno nasa COA. Kaya nga parating may porsyento ang COA. Every time that an issue of corruption crops up, we always find out that COA has 1percent to 2 percent.”

Let’s go over those quoted remarks sentence by sentence.

Most corruption problems have their root in COA, which always gets a percentage presumably of the anomaly allowed?

Every time corruption emerges, it always turns out that COA has 1 percent to 2 percent?

These superlatives were apparently based on Col. Rabusa’s allegation of payoffs to two COA officials, and former auditor Heidi Mendoza’s misgivings about the Commission Chairman during her time. Does Sen. Escudero include in his tally of COA-abetted graft the hundreds of billions of pesos in tax evasion and smuggling every year, which, in fact, the Commission does not audit? Oh, and would Senate President Enrile ask Chiz to present the basis for his accusations? Or would that demand for proof have to wait until a COA official commits suicide?

One wonders how legislators would take a similarly sweeping generalization like: Members of Congress are behind much corruption in the country. They get kickbacks from pork barrel spending not subject to stringent auditing. At their behest, their minions are appointed to government positions, where the appointees pile up corruption gains, most of which go to their patrons. And they lobby for government projects and concessions, for which they get big commissions from companies.

Legislators would be justified in protesting that such accusations are untrue, unfair and unfounded. They would be right to demand proof and to complain that the alleged graft of a few should not be extrapolated to tar everyone in Congress. And yet in hearing after hearing not only in recent weeks, but in the past several years, both lawmakers and media have been quick to impute wholesale graft on a whiff of sleaze.

We need to bring sanity and objectivity into the crusade against corruption. Yes, let us expose and punish anomalies, but always with evidence and due process, including the presumption of innocence.

Sure, give witnesses parliamentary immunity, but let their unproven testimonies be given in executive session, where reputations of both individuals and institutions are protected from unfounded attacks by accusers protected from libel penalties designed to deter untruths.

Most of all, lawmakers must make sure that their hearings on graft result not in character assassination against political opponents, but legal action based on evidence and reform legislation to prevent irregularities in the future. That may not generate many sensational headlines, but it will contribute far more toward real change.

From picket in the Senate to giving out condoms in a public market, supporters of reproductive health (RH) bill used Valentine’s Day to intensify their call for the passage of the controversial measure.

In Pasay City, around 50 women members of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) carried red pillow hearts to push for the bill’s passage in the Senate, which was recently excluded in the list of Aquino administration’s priority legislations.

To their dismay, PM and other groups voiced disgust over President Benigno Aquino III’s decision to put the RH bill at the backseat despite his apparent support for the measure early on.

“Eleven poor working women are dying every day from pregnancy and birth delivery complications alone. Don’t we want an end to this continued ‘daily slaughter’ of women? With the passage of the RH bill, we can avoid losing 4,015 precious women’s lives per year,” PM secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda said.

Over at Nepa-Q Mart in Quezon City, members of the Akbayan Party gave away free condoms to the public to continue the initiative made last year by then health Secretary Esperanza Cabral.

“Love yourself. Love your partner. Love your family. Be safe. This is the message we want to convey to the public. The campaign to push for the passage of the RH bill is not only about securing and protecting our rights, it is also fundamentally about love,” Akbayan Representative Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao said.

For Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, true love is like measles - "You only get it once in your lifetime and you are immune forever," Santiago told reporters on Monday, Valentine's Day.

Known for her sharp remarks, Santiago said many people believe in "serial love" or loving one person after another without knowing that it is detrimental to one's mental health.

"I think we should get it over with," she said.

She even cited what happened to her when she met her husband, presidential adviser on revenue enhancement Narciso Santiago Jr.

"I am completely immune to any temptation. All men who have passed my life after I got married might as well have been sticks of furniture," she said.

The senator has two adopted daughters and two biological sons with her husband, the youngest of whom died in 2003.

"Of course, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez and all the other people who piled on Reyes can say that it was the ex-defense chief who aimed the gun to his chest and pulled the trigger…
And so we must ask this question of the self-righteous and self-important lawmakers (and all self-righteous and self-important people everywhere) who drove Reyes to his death and cheered it when it actually happened: Are you happy now? …
Reyes may be guilty as charged or entirely innocent. We’ll never really know. "

Self-righteous lawmakers killed Reyes…

Columnist Jojo Robles opines that “if there is anything we can learn from the suicide of former Armed Forces chief and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, it is this: Some people value their reputations above everything else, and they will go to any extreme if they feel that their honor has been unjustly ruined forever.

And so we must ask this question of the self-righteous and self-important lawmakers (and all self-righteous and self-important people everywhere) who drove Reyes to his death and cheered it when it actually happened: Are you happy now?

Sure, nearly everyone who has a Facebook account has weighed in on the matter of Reyes’ suicide. And many of them seem perfectly willing to proclaim that the former defense chief was guilty as charged and must now be burning in hell.

But that would be assuming that Reyes was indeed guilty—and, furthermore, that he is the only one guilty in an institution that now seems rotten to the very core. And that is an assumption that not even Reyes’ tormentors in Congress will be able to make with any degree of confidence.

Of course, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez and all the other people who piled on Reyes can say that it was the ex-defense chief who aimed the gun to his chest and pulled the trigger. If he could not stand the heat, what the hell was he doing in the kitchen anyway?

But to say that none of them helped kill Reyes is to pretend that the suicide happened in a vacuum, as if he took drugs or was insane. And we certainly know that this was not the case.

Indeed, we can imagine anyone who feels he or she has been unfairly pilloried in the Senate or the House during these chambers’ many investigations must have felt that suicide was a viable option. And any honest appraisal of the inherent unfairness and ultimate worthlessness (as far as ferreting out guilt or crafting laws) of our congressional investigations would certainly make us want to sympathize with them.

A Senate or House probe, after all, is never like an actual court of law, where even people like Andal Ampatuan, pere et fils, can expect a modicum of fairness and a presumption of guilt before it is clearly and incontrovertibly established. In nearly all cases, such investigations have long been decided before the first hearing is even scheduled, by lawmakers who have axes to grind against the people they intend to summon, humiliate and eventually destroy.

But Congress does this all the time, it can be argued. And Reyes could have toughed it out like everyone else given the same treatment, knowing full well that while his honor and reputation may be dragged through the mud, he will eventually get out of the Senate or the House in one piece and on his own power.

But that is precisely why Angelo Reyes, whose guilt or innocence was never established (because the pursuit of either was never really the goal), is different. He simply decided, rightly or wrongly, that he had enough and that he saw no other end to the suffering and pain but to end his own life.

Reyes may be guilty as charged or entirely innocent. We’ll never really know.
We can only hope that the people who cannot hide their happiness over Angelo Reyes’ death can say to themselves that they value their reputations as much as he did. And that, even if they were somewhere else far away, they didn’t have anything to do with pushing him over the edge.”

Bad news for lovers: On Valentine's Day, the Department of Health (DoH) of the Philippines won't be around to give away free condoms to couples assailed by temptations.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona has announced his department would not be doing what it did around this time last year when it handed condoms to adult customers at the popular Dangwa Flower Market in Manila.

Instead of condoms, the DoH will be dispensing advice. "Be careful on Feb. 14 ... Enjoy it with your wife or husband," Ona said in a press briefing. "Have sex, but only with your wife or husband ... Avoid sex if not married."

For spouses only - The DoH is promoting abstinence and monogamy to help curb the growing number of HIV and AIDS cases in the country. Ona reminded Filipinos of the importance of safe sex and to be aware of the dangers of HIV and AIDS.

"I'm addressing this to everybody: What is really important is that our morality tells us that one must only have sex with the wife or husband," he said.

"We'd like adults to understand that there is this scourge that we have to avoid and, therefore, use your judgment if and when tempted."

The human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, leads to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), a condition in which the body's immune systems are attacked and damaged by the virus, ultimately causing death.

323 deaths - Last year alone, the DoH National Epidemiology Center officially logged 1,591 HIV cases, bringing the number of total incidence to 6,015 since the virus was first detected in the Philippines in 1984.

Since 1984, the DoH has recorded 323 deaths due to AIDS. At least two deaths were reported from January to December last year. The National Center for Disease Prevention and Control last year staged a condom-giving campaign, dubbed "Be My Valentine, Ingat Lagi," to enhance awareness to the perils of unprotected sex, and not as a family planning method.

The Catholic Church branded the stunt as "vulgar and gross."

Fidelity, not condom -- Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, supported the DoH's plan to scrap the campaign on Valentine's Day this year.

"The number of HIV cases is increasing because they are giving young people a false sense of security by distributing condoms," Castro said.

He said giving away condoms was one way of enticing young people to be experimental and promiscuous.

"In the end, a change in attitude and behavior towards sex will help bring down the prevalence of HIV," he said.

Castro said that instead of condom use, marital fidelity and abstention among unmarried pairs should be promoted by the government.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has given the 2011 tax collection campaign of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) a big boost by paying P34 million in capital gains tax (CGT) and documentary stamp tax (DST) for the sale of a piece of land in Antipolo City, it was learned Wednesday.

Insiders said the accountant of the President did not ask for discount and readily paid the assessment when he went few weeks ago to the Marikina revenue district office which has jurisdiction over Antipolo.

Concerned BIR officials refused to give information on the deal for fear they might be accused of unlawful divulgence.

However, they expressed the hope that the magnanimous gesture of the President should be emulated by other taxpayers for the good of the country and its people.

Under Section 270 of the Tax Code, a revenue official or employee found guilty of unlawful disclosure may be jailed up to five years. The offense also carries a fine of P50,000 and perpetual disqualification from holding a government job.

But reliable sources said the 14-hectare land is not personally owned by the President but formed part of the estate of his mother, former President Corazon C. Aquino.

The buyer was said to be one of the firms belonging the Robinsons Group of Companies.

Based on the payment of the six percent CGT and 1.5 percent DST, the selling price was estimated at around P466 million.

The transaction surfaced during the launching of the BIR's 2011 tax collection campaign hosted by the Quezon City revenue region, headed by Director Nestor S. Valeroso.

The Marikina field office, headed by Lino Yap, is one of the 10 revenue district offices under the Quezon City region.

Records show the district offices of the region raised P7.3 billion in January which was P1.4 billion higher than the actual collection of P5.9 billion for the same period last year, or a collection growth rate of more than 24 percent.

BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto--Henares has instructed all regional and district offices nationwide as well as the specialized audit divisions in the national office to hike the growth rate by at least 20 percent to enable the agency to hit its P940-billion target of the year.

The Philippine Azkals delivered what everybody wanted – a resounding victory. Putting on a dominating performance, the Azkals romped to a 2-0 win over an outclassed Mongolia side in the first of their home-and-away series in their AFC Challenge Cup before a record crowd at the Panaad Stadium here.

It was a magical moment for Philippine football as the Azkals attacked relentlessly to the delight of some 20,000 roaring fans that filled every space of the stadium.

Fittingly, it was Barotac Nuevo’s Chieffy Caligdong who broke the ice in the first half. Barotac is widely acknowledged as the country’s football capital.

He hit his goal in the 42nd minute before Phil Younghusband capped the Azkals’ splendid showing with a goal in the waning moments of injury – thanks to an assist of Jason Sabio.

If not for some missed opportunities, the Azkals could have scored more.

Also credit the Mongolian keeper for rejecting several dangerous attempts of the Azkals.

Overall, the Azkals controlled 80 percent of the match.

Despite owning the lion’s share of possession in the first half, the Azkals had a hard time penetrating the defensive phalanx of the Blue Wolves until Caligdong hit a right-footed, close range shot in the 42nd minute.

The kick was a flowing shot that started when Caligdong faked with a left shot to evade his defender before his right-footed shot passed through between the legs of goalie Ganbayar Tseveensuren that electrified the banner crowd no end.

The Azkals had seven legitimate attempts before that, but could not capitalized on the visibly inexperienced Mongolian side, which could not even make a decent throw in.

It the 36th minute, the Philippine Azkals saw their first clear goal-scoring opportunity when Ian Araneta’s header from a cross by Caligdong nearly drowned deep before goalie Tseveensuren saved it anew.

Inactive for nearly two years, the Blue Wolves finally saw scoring opportunity in the 39th minute after midfielder Tsedenbal Tumen Jargal nearly converted fine volley from a Ganbatar Tusbayar cross, but Azakals Neil Etheridge was there to deny it.

The Mongolians could not crack at the 4-4-2 formation of the Azkals, and troubles worsen after midfielder Pagamsuren Altantulga was shown the door in the 25th after two yellow cards.

Scalper held

Meantime, Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, the Negros Provincial director, said that at least four scalpers were apprehended and were brought to the organizers' office for questioning.

He said the scalpers were caught selling complimentary tickets to as high as P600. The four were released and were not charged, though.

The PFF has allocated 10,000 free tickets for match, the first leg of the home and away series.

“Generally, the event was peaceful except for the scalping,” Guisihan said.

He also said those people who were not able to avail of the free tickets were encouraged to watch in a wide screen at the nearby gymnasium which was provided by Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr.

Columnist Efren Danao writes about how Senators deal with the “forgetfulness” of their respective “resource speakers”…

He writes: “Senator Jinggoy was so exasperated with the testimony of Ligot that he once called the retired military officer “General Limot.” He immediately corrected himself, however, and pronounced the correct family name “Ligot.””



Two witnesses of the Senate blue-ribbon committee are not suffering from Alzeihmer’s disease but why are they often forgetful? Could it be because retired M/Gen. Carlos Garcia and retired Lt./Gen Jacinto Ligot are both former comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines? Why, whistleblower George Rabusa, former AFP budget officer, exhibited better memory than them, and he had just suffered from a stroke!

Between Garcia and Ligot, the latter is the more forgetful. Why, Ligot could not even remember how much was his salary when he was AFP comptroller! When Rabusa, spoke about the anomalies in the liquidation of United Nations peacekeeping fund for East Timor by J-6, Ligot said he could not remember these things.

Ligot also said he was not familiar with some names mentioned by Sen. TG Guingona, blue ribbon chairman, as allegedly connected to a forfeiture case filed by the Ombudsman against him. When Guingona reminded Ligot that he was under oath, Ligot suddenly remembered that one was a cousin of his wife and that he knew the two others.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada showed records from the Bureau of Immigration showing that Ligot’s wife, Erlinda Yambao Ligot, travelled 42 times to the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and Brunei from 1993 to 2004. Well, what do you know! Ligot said he was not aware that his wife had traveled abroad 42 times and that there were times when he did not know that his wife was abroad.

Jinggoy was far from convinced. “Forty-two times umalis ang misis niyo, hindi niyo alam? Kung mga alagang aso’t pusa nga natin, pag nawawala, hinahanap natin!” he said.
Jinggoy also could go nowhere with Ligot on the issue of two US properties titled in the name of Mrs. Erlinda Yambao Ligot. The two properties, both in California, were paid for in cash. One was for $504,000 and the other, $183,868. Ligot said he was surprised when he heard of the two properties being mentioned in the forfeiture case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Ligot said he was not sure but he thought he asked her about this and that he could not remember her reply. He then said that upon advice of his lawyer, he would invoke his right against self-incrimination.

Jinggoy was so exasperated with the testimony of Ligot that he once called the retired military officer “General Limot.” He immediately corrected himself, however, and pronounced the correct family name “Ligot.”

It became apparent that Guingona had already associated forgetfulness with General Limot, I mean General Ligot. Last Monday, when Garcia said he could not remember the thing mentioned by Rabusa, Guingona interjected: “No, no, no. You can’t say that. That is the line of General Ligot!”