To those who care about Tiffy

After 24 days of staying with mommy and daddy, our baby, Tiffany Nicole is finally home with GOD. To EVERYONE who wants to see baby Tiffy for the last time, her wake will be at St.Mary's Chapel, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. She'll be there for 3 nights (July 31-Aug.3). Her christening will be tonight (July 31). Your sincere condolences are very much appreciated! God Bless!

Fertilizer Scam

The Senate Committees on Agriculture and Food, and Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) have concluded that agricultural funds intended for farmers were diverted by Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-joc" Bolante for the 2004 electoral campaign of President Gloria Arroyo. Testimonies and corroborative statements of DA officials, 13 farmer groups, Commission on Audit officials, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin, and alleged "runners" of Bolante concluded that farmers did not get a single "farm input or implement" in 2004. At least two LGU officials testified that then districts did not receive any fertilizer in spite of records showing that deliveries had been made. Several Congressmen also denied having made requests for fertilizer assistance or receiving fertilizers.

HAGGARD

After a week long of waking up early in the morning and sleeping soooooo late at night, I can finally feel the effect of it. My eyes are swollen this morning, I was really shocked to see my eyes like this. No, I didn't cried to sleep...I guess it's because of puyat...got swollen eyes with big eyebugs. I decided to wear eyeglasses today...Good thing no one noticed it, whew!
I decided to rest early tonight no matter how many thousand paperworks do I still need to finish! Health becomes first, beauty comes next LOL...
I feel so sleepy, tired, wasted, haggard, everything...

The deteriorating quality of education

Just a few weeks ago, PGMA lost her temper in a cabinet meeting because DepEd OIC Fe Hidalgo admitted that there was a shortage of classrooms. Based on statistics and reality though, there is indeed a shortage of classrooms and even worse problems insofar as the educational system is concerned:
1.] Only 6 out of every 1,000 Grade Six elementary graduate students are prepared to enter high school.
2.] Only 2 out of every 100 Fourth Year high school students are fit to enter college.
3.] Only 19 out of every 100 public school teachers have confidence and competence to teach English.
4.] The Philippines is No.41 in Science and No.42 in Mathematics among 45 countries.
5.] 1 in every 8 schools has teacher to pupil ratio of 1:50 and above.
6.] 1 in every 5 students does not have a classroom.
7.] 1 in every 5 students does not have a desk.
8.] 1 in every 3 students does not have a single textbook.
9.] 2 to 8 students share a single set of textbooks.

CRITHIN A51 MWF 8:10-9:10 A1706
CRITHIN A52 MWF 9:20-10:20 A1706
CRITHIN A58 MWF 10:30-11:30 A1706
PHILPER A52 MF 1:00-2:30 M318
PHILPER A53 TH 8:00-9:30 M308
GENDERS A52 TH 9:00-11:10 M319

There are other more profs available for these courses.
For CRITHIN, Dr.Raj Mansukhani would be the other prof aside from me.
For PHILPER, it would be Dr.Elenita Garcia and Dr.Tintin Ramos.
For GENDERS, Mr. Michael Lim.

Thanks!

Rolling with the Punches

"If only the Philippines is as united as we were during Manny Pacquiao matches."

On a Sunday afternoon, the whole Philippines was at a standstill. Malls, usually brimming with people during weekends, were almost empty. The roads were clear of vehicles, pedestrians, and commuters. Silence overwhelmed the streets, and only occasional outbursts of screeches and squeals were to be heard. If one didn't know any better, it was as if everyone disappeared and the Rapture has begun. But since you are still there reading this journal and things are as peachy as it could be, certainly that wasn't the case.
Everyone was just at home glued to their television sets, watching the anticipatied boxing match between hometown hero Manny "Pacman" Pacquaio and Mexico's Oscar "Chololo" Larios at the Araneta Coliseum.
I remember back in 2002 when I watched my first boxing match at Amas Capitol Gym in Kidapawan. I am not really a fan of boxing; I prefer WWE wrestling actually. There wasn't much venue for creativity in boxing, only hands could be used during the match while in wrestling, the sky is the limit to where your imagination can take you to win the match one could even improvise with nearly equipments. I initially thought of boxing as boring. But my cousin had free tickets with good seats so I was thinking, "Why not?"
The gym was packed. Manny Pacquiao was not even nationally known back then, but he already had a large crowd of supporters. Everyone came to see him win as he constantly did. I don't really know much about boxing except that you have to knock your opponent out, but as it turned out, I enjoyed the event we watched. His boxing style has greatly improved now compared to then. Instead of merely using brute force and his trademark left hook, he is now psyching out his opponents. He wasn't as good as he is right now but he still gave the crowd one helluva fight. I never imagined that I would be typing about it now but even then, it was evident that this guy was destined for greater things.
Nothing unites the whole Philippines better than a Manny Pacquiao fight. For one whole day, Filipinos from all walks of life set aside their differences and cheer for the People's Champ. More often than not, Pacquiao delivers what is expected of him. With yet another victory for Pacquiao, Filipinos worldwide feel an enormous sense of pride and patriotism as he dedicated this fight for his fellow countrymen. With the tremendous pride and honor he has brought to our country, Manny Pacquiao's status has gone from boxing legend to National icon. This would probably result to even more songs, another string of commercial endorsements, TV shows and more movies about or with Manny. It would be impossible not to see him within a span of a day, when every billboard, every commercial has him on it. This could get painfully annoying at some point but what the heck.
Aside from the Filipino's blatant love for sports like boxing, Pacquiao's triumph resonates on a deeper level. This goes way beyond a boxing championship or anything superficial. It symbolizes the Philippines and its potential for greater things. Being a Third World country, the Philippines is often the underdog but it shows that Filipinos could compete with the best foreign countries has to offer and win. Through Manny Pacquiao, we have at the least ephemerally conquered the colonial mentality that has been dominating our culture.
If only the Philippines is as united as we were during Manny Pacquiao's matches. Probably we would be in a better condition than the one that we are in right now. During the day of the fight, the political wars were put on hold and it was reported to have zero crime rate. Even crooks and lawbreakers were cooperative enough to take a day off their evil ways just to watch the match. Pacquiao shows us what could happen if we set our differences even for just one day. For the whole day the country behaved in the way that it should have been all these times.
Do we really need Manny Pacquiao to compete everyday for us to figure these things out? It's sad how we can only achieve the sense of concord and pride that should have been innate in the first place through boxing matches and sporting events. It should have been deeper and more profound than that, lasting longer than merely a season or so. Perhaps its things like these that could be the starting point for us. At least it is the first step at the right direction. This kind of nationalism may grow into something that can make us great once more. Even things like these have to start somewhere. I hope this is it.

NO CLASSES TOMORROW!

Today was like a so-so day..Nothing happened, just did my school works..Wasn't able to finish all of it, good thing there are no classes tomorrow! Oh yeah...

a night to call

Last night, Gwen and I together with her sister and some friends went to have some fun at Tomas Morato. It was whole lotta fun! I drank lots of shots of tequilla...Was feeling dizzy on our way home actually...
I slept around 4:30 this morning...The first time in my life to have gimmick this late!
It was fun to go out with friends once in a while...Just like last night...

Political Killings

A total of 601 have been victims of political killings from the time Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the Philippine presidency in 2001 up to May 20, 2006 according to Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights). Of this number, 258 belonged to cause-oriented organizations and the rest were civilians who had been accused of being active in or supporting the people's democratic movement. Bayan Muna (The People First) partylist is the hardest hit with 94 of its members killed by elements from the military, police, para-military units or hired killers. The Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) partlist has lost 21 if its coordinators and members. A total of 68 women have been summarily executed, 35 of whom were organized mostly under GABRIELA with three from the Gabriela Women's Partlist (GWP). The killings are allegedly part of its Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL), a national program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines wih full knowledge and approval of its Commander-in-Chief Gloria Arroyo. It includes those from the democratic movements as targets for assassination and summary execution. In 2006 alone, there are already 70 victims. Whether GMA has something to do with these killings or not, the fact of the matter is, it is her utmost duty and obligation to stop such a vicious cycle from happening.

not feeling well

Despite the fact that I'm not feeling well today, I still went to school and visit my baby Tiffany after class. I've been feeling sad and stressed these past few days due to workload and problems....
I've got to talk with the 2 doctors this afternoon. They said that Tiffy's condition is quite sensitive since her organs are not functioning; it's only the apparatus which lets her organs function. However, the good news is that, she has the greater chance to surpass this problem since she is consiered big for her age. The only assurance that they gave me was that Tiff can make it due to her size, but for the organs, they still have to look in the long run to know if there are improvements in her organs.

missing something

After 3 days of not being able to go online in yahoo messenger, I finally had the chance to go online again! My computer still isn't fixed, in fact I don't have any plans of installing the yahoo messenger into my computer yet...I'm just using my son's computer when he's not around hehehe...I hope my computer will be fixed as soon as possible. I have asked more than 10 friends about my computer's case. Well, majority of them doesn't know what it is all about. Some had said it's not a virus though it makes your computer run slower, while others got some other different versions which I don't wanna think they're right, too negative for me...
I'm still stressed as usual, hope to have my stress-free day this weekend.
Tiffy is not going along well. This morning, doctors called me on my phone and told me to go to the hospital quickly since Tiffy's organs are all not functioning well. I was really really worried. I don't wanna talk more of about that matter, it just makes me feel sad...stressed na nga sad pa, wala nang nangyari sa buhay ko...
I just hope that she's going to recover and be back to normal again soon...

whew...

This afternoon, I, together with the kids and their yayas went to Antipolo to visit Iya.
Iya's doing good, very "healthy" as usual hehe... Well, she's getting BIGGER and BIGGER now... So adorable, really really cute... How I wish I can always be with her...
I can really see myself in her, from her physical features up to the facial reactions. I can really see myself in her when she does the "nakatanga" expression, hahaha! I guess the reactions/manners are also inherited...hmm...Iya is a test to that...

bad day

My computer got a virus. I'm not sure if the stupid american guy putted in on my files while I was logged on in yahoo messenger last night. His ym id is shaniejust4u. Darn it!
I need a check-up for my computer...
I have uninstalled my yahoo messenger and installed it again. However, it's still not functioning. When I turned my computer on this morning, I was really shocked to see my computer checking its data scanning for virus. The computer results had detected the virus coming from yahoo messenger, and I knew who did that...

Changing Lanes

"....Are we ready to be called the Federal State of the Philippines?"

It has been 20 years since the Marcos regime was toppled by a peaceful civilian revolution. After the fall of the unyielding Martial Rule, it was then replaced by the Aquino regime elected through people power.
Fourteen years after, Filipinos went again to the EDSA shrine to end the governance of another president, Estrada. Within a week of protest, it was then time to start the administration ----- this time Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo ----- again, through people power. From these instances we can see a pattern in our history ---- unfortunately not of economic growth, but of weakness on the part of the government. Why does history seemingly repeat itself over the decades? Who is to blame, the voters or the ones in position?
An answer would be both. Blame the Filipinos because of their strong emotion and dissatisfaction; unseating the person presently in position and replacing him with a new one without scrutinizing who this successor will be. Responsible voting is also rarely practiced. Some are carried away by false promises. Worse, due to extreme poverty, people allow their votes to be bought by opportunistic politicians. Blame the political leaders because they take advantage of the power vested to them by the people. Blinded with the trapping of power, the very means of selfless service ----- public office ----- will in turn be of selfish service.
To remedy the problems of the government and the economy, bills will be passed and the Constitution will be amended. Now, a pending decision to modify the present system is in controversy. Changing the presidential system of governance to a federal parliamentary centralizes power of authority. The whole archipelago will be divided into federal states, with each region led by a governor. A prime minister will replace the president. The election process will be modified: instead of directly voting a person for the highest position per se, voters will be entitled to vote for a political party. Representatives from the elected parties will in turn vote among themselves a prime minister. Consequently, lower levels of authority (the barangay level) will be abolished. From a bigger perspective, federal states will be given the autonomy to act independently.
Checks and balances present in the status quo are risked, in this case. Autonomy in a sense may lead to corruption since there is no one to check the actions of a state leader. On a positive view, there will be no more regionalism and provincial concepts. Hence, remuneration among the workers regardless of the place they came from will be equal with the metro. Moreover, job opportunities will grow as industries will be opened in the federal states. In terms regulation, each federal states is given an autonomy to implement laws distinct from other states. Given the features of the federal parliamentary system, are we ready to be called the Federal States of the Philippines?
This system offers advantages and disadvantages, and changing the system of government into a new one will test the government's stability. Would this be the solution to problems of poverty and governance? Come the time it is enacted, what will happen if it doesn't work? Will the new system be abolished? It was just 20 years ago when the 1987 Constitution was drafted; there are now calls for extensive amendments to it.
Successful countries like United States of America and Australia have proven the strength of federal government system. This is so because these countries have the economy to support the system. Having the federal parliamentary system would require stricter discipline.
Once the resolution to revert to a federal parliament set-up is passed, the entire Philippines will undergo a long adjustment process. If so, the focus priority of the government will be more on the transition process rather than pressing concers ----- again, like poverty. Budget appropriations during this transition will definitely be an issue. Instead of focusing on projects for citizens and developing better infrastructure, the transition process will most probably take up most of the budget. It seems easy to propose for a change in the government system especially when it is believed to resolve all the problems our country has; however, it is the implementation process that will be crucial.
True, calls for people power are rarely ignored and almost always succeed. However, irresponsible usage of this power would expose us to some great decision making risks. We started with the Marcos regime when a strong authority was eradicated by people power. Some would say this was a mistake because questions of efficiency and corruption persist. An impeachment complaint was recently filed by militant groups against President Arroyo; will we commit the same mistake again? Will changing the person in power provide an answer? We could not just rally and go to the EDSA shrine if we do not like the present leader. Simply put, to prevent further mistake, try to start the change from the start.
Some historians might claim that history merely repeats itself, but repeating a mistake implies that there is something wrong ----- not on the policies that were implemented, but on the people responsible for them. To prevent such mistake, responsible involvement and social criticism is encouraged for everyone.
As Rock Ed Philippines says again and again, "No more excuses Philippines!"

simple message actually means a lot...

A friend of mine texted this to me, I find it touching. A simple text messages sometimes do really touch one's heart. This one really touched mine:
If your blood could save me,
I'd ask only for one drop.
If your air could save me,
I'd ask only one breath.
But if your tears could save me,
I'd rather die than to make you cry.

Simple but nice. However, in reality, I'd rather cry than see you die dear. You're worth more than my tears...

corny

I arrived early to school today. So, I had the time to have some chit-chats with the people inside my first class. There was this guy who approached and talked to me the whole time until the bell has rang. His name was Derek, and I can say that he's nice, a Dean's Lister, good student though.
He was a poetic student, very romantic one. He likes to write love poets...And I mean it, even the way he expresses and talks can show that he is a very romantic type of person. However, people not close to him might find him awkward since he always shows the "romanticness" in him. HAHAHA! I feel awkward too at first, but awhile ago, I just told myself that he's just really like that.
He gave me a joke while we were talking this morning. He said:
D: Ano tawag mo sa mabilis na pagkain?
Me: Fastfood?
D: No
Me: Ano?
D: Sopas (So fast)
Me: (smiled)
D: Ano tawag mo sa pagkain na mas mabilis sa Sopas?
Me: Ano?
D: Pasta! (Fastahh = Faster)
Me: (smiled again)
D: Ano naman tawag mo sa pagkain na di gaanong mabilis?
Me: Ano?
D: Nacho Fast (Not so fast)
Me: hahaha!

The joke was a bit corny, though the person who thought of that was creative. Imagine creating a joke out of foods...Not bad..

Ok class...

Woke up around 6:00AM today, took a bath, had my breakfast then I headed to the hospital to visit my baby Tiffy. I didn't noticed how time passes whenever I would visit Tiffy, in a glimpse, I just found out that it's already quarter to 8. In an instant, I rushed out of the nursery's ICU and ran into the parking as I was already late for my 8:10AM class!
It was traffic along EDSA. Thank God I made it just in time although I was a few minutes late. Nonetheless my first class was almost still empty when I arrived at the classroom.
Midterm week had just passed, it's time to give the students as well as the professors to have a break. ANIMO LA SALLE!

Spending a day with my miracle

Woke up around 2PM today. It was my first time to woke up this late actually. The reason: I slept around 6AM this morning...
I went to visit my baby this late afternoon, got to talk to the doctor in charge of her, she said Tiffy is doing very well, if this will continue, she will be able to recover in no time. Then I signed some consent for her x-ray, then talked with my baby for a few minutes. After that, I decided to go home since it was almost dinner time already.
On the lighter side, Linx and Chesca have been craving extra time from me, they won't even let me take a bath! It's hard to explain to them why I'm spending more attention to their baby sister since they're still too young to understand. If they were in Tiffy's situation, perhaps I would've done the same thing too...

Happy!

Went to visit my baby Tiffany this afternoon. She's looking better the more that I see her. She looks like her mommy, over photocopied talaga I swear!
Was fun today...I just hope Tiffany will continue improving...
Daddy loves you so much dear...

My first blog...

I'm not feeling well today. Woke up around 12noon awhile ago and was feeling dizzy. Got my thermometer and it says 38.5, I have fever....
It's raining hard outside. In fact, I woke up because of the noisy rain drops...
I still have paperworks to finish. Good thing I'm not as pre-occupied as I was during the last few weeks. I have a party to attend this evening, I'm still having a second thought of whether to go or not...
I'm feeling lazy today (I feel lazy everyday anyway)...