nelvin

[Guest]

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[Gab]

mga sir..

   post lang po tayo dito ng mga importanteng balita na napulot nyo sa internet na sa tingin nyo eh makakatulong sa mga kapatid natin dito.  kahit hindi bago basta importanteng malaman ng ating mga kasama..

salamat po

-gab

[Gab]

katulad po nitong balita na ito na nadaanan ko at sa tingin ko ay importante dahil baka meron po kayong mga kamag-anak na gumagamit nito..

Xenical and Alli: Liver Risk?

FDA Investigating Reports of Liver Injury in Patients Using Weight Loss Drug Orlistat
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 24, 2009 -- The FDA today announced that it is reviewing adverse event reports of liver injury in patients taking the weight loss drug orlistat, marketed as the prescription drug Xenical and the over-the-counter medication Alli.

Xenical was approved by the FDA in 1999; Alli was approved in 2007 as an over-the-counter weight loss aid for adults.

Between 1999 and October 2008, the FDA received 32 reports of serious liver injury in patients taking orlistat. That includes 27 cases that involved hospitalization and six cases of liver failure.

Thirty of the 32 reports occurred outside the U.S., the FDA notes. Orlistat is approved in about 100 countries.

The most commonly reported adverse events included yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), weakness, and stomach pain.

The FDA is reviewing additional data submitted by orlistat makers on suspected cases of liver injury. The issue was also discussed in April 2009 at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Drug Safety Oversight Board.

"The issues here are complex, but FDA has benefited from the input of the Board, including comments from representatives from three FDA Centers and several other agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services," Steven Osborne, MD, executive director of the FDA's Drug Safety Oversight Board, states in an FDA news release.

The FDA is still analyzing the data and states that "no definite association between liver injury and orlistat has been established at this time." That means that it's not clear that orlistat caused the reported cases of liver injury. The FDA will release its findings on orlistat as soon as its review is completed.

In the meantime, the FDA isn't recommending any prescribing changes for orlistat and no changes in use of Xenical or Alli.

"Consumers taking Xenical should continue to take it as prescribed, and those using over-the-counter Alli should continue to use the product as directed," states the FDA.

The FDA also recommends that people who have used orlistat consult a health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with development of liver injury, particularly weakness or fatigue, fever, jaundice, or brown urine. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, itching, or loss of appetite.

Health care professionals and consumers can report side effects from orlistat -- or any other drug -- to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by calling 800-FDA-1088.

 
Drug Companies Respond

 Xenical is marketed by Roche. "Patient safety is very important to us and we continue to work very closely with the FDA. At this time, per the FDA's alert, no causal relationship can be established and changes in prescribing are not recommended," a Roche spokesman Terry Hurley told WebMD.

Alli is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline. "There is no evidence that Alli causes liver damage," Deborah Bolding, communications manager-North America for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, tells WebMD in an email. Bolding notes that Alli is "minimally absorbed in the blood and works locally in the gastrointestinal tract. There is, therefore, no obvious biological mechanism to suggest liver damage can occur with Alli."

"Liver changes can have many causes," Bolding says. "People who are overweight and obese are predisposed to liver-related disorders." Bolding says consumer safety is of "utmost importance" to GlaxoSmithKline and that orlistat is "the most-studied weight loss medicine, with safety established through 100 clinical studies involving more than 30,000 patients."

[jaypee]

Filipino who saved lives during storm among TIME's Top 10 heroes
SOPHIA REGINA M. DEDACE, GMANews.TV
12/10/2009 | 04:30 PM


A Filipino who sacrificed his life during the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) in September was named among TIME Magazine’s Top 10 heroes this year.

The international publication recognized the selflessness of 18-year-old Muelmar Magallanes, who braved raging currents, helping bring neighbors and relatives to safer ground when record rainfall submerged three-fourths of the Philippine capital.

“By the time the storm had unleashed its full fury, bringing the worst rains the region had seen in more than 40 years, Magallanes had changed the lives of dozens of family members and neighbors – and lost his own," TIME said on its Web site.

Barangay Bagong Silangan in Quezon City was among the worst-hit communities in the metropolis when Ondoy ravaged vast swaths in Luzon on September 26.

Magallanes, said to be a strong swimmer, rescued about 30 people but was unable to save himself.

While trying to save other neighbors, a wall collapsed on him and a television set fell on his head, killing him instantly.

Ondoy may have killed hundreds, displaced thousands of families, and destroyed thousands of homes.

But Magallanes and several other faceless heroes show that tragedy cannot dampen Filipinos’ resilience and bravery.

Just last month, CNN hailed Filipino Efren Peñaflorida for pioneering the mobile pushcart classrooms to bring education to impoverished children in Cavite, providing an alternative to gang wars prevalent in the communities. - RJAB, Jr./GMANews.TV

[jaypee]

Firm to invest $1B in biomass plants

12 power facilities to generate 420 MW
By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:26:00 12/16/200

SAN LEONARDO, NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines—Global Green Power PLC Corp. plans to spend as much as $1.04 billion to put up 12 biomass power plants in the country over the next eight years.

At the groundbreaking ceremony here for one of its first projects, Global Green president David de Montaigne said the proposed biomass facilities—the feasibility studies for which are being undertaken—would be able to generate a combined 420 megawatts in renewable, clean biomass energy.

Nueva Ecija is one of the 12 areas where Global Green, backed by UK-based firm Global Green Power PLC, is establishing the biomass facilities.

According to De Montaigne, it would take 18 months to construct the biomass power plant here. He said the company was in talks with several local banks on possible funding options.

“We have several lenders offering us the funding. We’re just negotiating the best terms for our customers. They’re all local lenders because all of our costs are in pesos and all of our payments are in pesos,” he explained.

Biomass facilities will also be built in Panay, Pangasinan, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Samar, Bukidnon, Negros, Agusan, Ilocos, Mindoro and Davao. Each of the project will have an initial 17.5 MW in capacity but will later on be expanded to 35 MW.

“Each 17.5-MW biomass power plant will deliver an estimated P200 million in the first year of operation and an extraordinary P9 billion over a 25-year period to the local farming and host community through our purchase of local fuels and associated ancillary services such as transport,” De Montaigne said.

Each facility is also expected to deliver an estimated 900 direct and indirect jobs, the company said.

On top of these, each biomass power plant can deliver energy security to the Philippines through the use of renewable fuel sources, foreign exchange savings to the Philippines, as well as climate change mitigation through the use of crop residues.

De Montaigne said the facilities in Panay, Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan have all the necessary permits, including the environmental compliance certificates, Department of Energy endorsement and Board of Investment incentives.

The three projects, along with the facility in Cagayan Valley, are expected to be completed within three and a half years.

De Montaigne said they were considering tapping other renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydro and ocean waves.

“So we may expand once the implementing rules and regulations become clearer [as well as] the feed-in tariffs. Then we’ll consider other avenues for renewable energy. But until then, we’re confident with our biomass, but we need to see the feed-in tariff in place before we make our financial planning on the other technologies,” De Montaigne explained.

Feed-in tariffs are regulated incentive structures that typically pay premiums for electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

[jaypee]

Canada law named after Filipina caregiver

INQUIRER.net First Posted 08:38:00 12/17/2009

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Canada is set to adopt a law nicknamed after Juana Tejada, a Filipina caregiver who had fought hard to improve the situation of fellow foreign live-in caregivers, it was learned Thursday.

In the website of Canada’s Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, Minister Jason Kenney on Saturday announced proposed regulations to better protect the rights of live in caregivers and to make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residence in Canada.

According to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Toronto, of the 400,000 Filipinos in Canada, about 66 percent (or 264,000) are caregivers. And by the end of 2008, a total of 1,821 new hires were deployed to Canada as caregivers.

“Our government fully supports the ‘Juana Tejada Law.’ We propose to implement this change in her honor, to ensure that no one else has to endure this same painful experience,” said Kenney after extensive consultations with caregiver groups from across the country, as well as heartfelt testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

The first proposed change to the Live-in Caregiver Program eliminates the requirement for live-in caregivers to undergo a second medical examination when applying to become permanent residents, a change advocated by the late Juana Tejada.

Tejada developed cancer while working as a live-in caregiver. She was initially denied permanent resident status when she did not pass her second medical examination.

It was only through special ministerial intervention that she gained status in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

According to Jonathan Canchela of Migrante-Ontario, the announcement is a great honor for Tejada and organizations like the Independent Workers’ Association which worked for improved working conditions for live-in foreign caregivers.

”It was Juana Tejada who exposed this ambiguity in the immigration system. She risked her status and fought the threat of deportation so that other caregivers like her could have better protection of their rights. It was she who, with the help of her lawyer Raffy Fabregas and numerous advocates and activists and the community in general, pushed the immigration officials to act in the right direction,” he said.

“If there is someone to be called ‘champion and hero’ for the gains caregivers just won, it was Juana Tejada. She is, in this sense, a true ‘champion and hero’ of the Filipino people in Canada,” he added.

More changes

Another proposed change will allow live-in caregivers who work overtime to apply for permanent residence sooner. Currently, live-in caregivers must work for two years within the first three years of entry into the program before they can apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Unfortunately, events such as pregnancies or loss of employment have resulted in some live-in caregivers not meeting the two-year requirement.

Under the new measure, live-in caregivers would be eligible to apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours, the equivalent of working a standard work week for two years.

Also, a portion of their overtime hours could count toward the work requirement and enable caregivers to apply for permanent residence sooner. Equally important, these changes would also increase the time that live-in caregivers are allowed to complete the work requirement from three to four years.

“These important changes help fulfill Canada’s duty to those who care for our young, our disabled and our elderly,” Kenney said. “The government of Canada is taking action to protect foreign workers from potential abuse and exploitation.”

Additional administrative changes to the program will also require employers of live-in caregivers to pay for:

* travel costs for live-in caregivers to come to Canada;

* medical insurance until live-in caregivers become eligible for provincial health coverage; and

* workplace safety insurance and any recruiting fees owed to third parties.

Employment contracts will have to spell out these employer-paid benefits. They will also have to include clauses clearly outlining job duties, hours of work, overtime and holidays, sick leave, and termination and resignation terms.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), it will work closely with caregiver groups to improve information packages that live-in caregivers receive before they leave for Canada. CIC will also set up a dedicated live-in caregiver hotline.

Emergency processing of work permits and new authorization requests from employers to hire a live-in caregiver will help caregivers when they need to change employers urgently. Live-in caregivers will continue to be able to apply for study permits when they want to take courses longer than six months; they do not need study permits for shorter courses.

Stronger against erring employers

The announcement builds on recently proposed regulatory changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers found to have provided significantly different wages, working conditions, or occupations than they promised may be put on a blacklist making them ineligible to hire a live-in caregiver for two years under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers on this blacklist could be identified on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website in order to inform prospective and current temporary foreign workers of ineligible employers.

The Live-in Caregiver Program helps Canadians recruit caregivers to live and work in the homes of those they care for in order to provide child care or support for seniors or people with disabilities. The program facilitates the entry of qualified caregivers into Canada when there is a shortage of Canadians or permanent residents to fill available live-in caregiver positions. Because of Canada’s ageing population, the program is expected to grow in the years ahead. In 2008, Canada admitted 12,878 live-in caregivers.

The proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program will be published in the Canada Gazette on December 19 for a 30-day comment period open to all Canadians. Final regulatory changes will be published after this period.

Kenney’s announcement came a few days after the Ontario Parliament passed Bill 210 into law. The new Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act bans employment agencies or recruiters from charging live-in caregivers placement or recruitment fees. It also prohibits the practice of taking a caregiver's personal documents such as a passport or work permit.

”These initiatives—both federal and provincial—bring significant changes to the Live-in Caregivers Program. We say this is a victory for all caregivers and the community. Still let us not forget that implementation of these new measures requires our vigilant monitoring,” said Migrante-Ontario’s Canchela.

At the same time, he said efforts towards making further changes continue. These include making the live-in requirement optional, issuing job-specific instead of employer-specific work-permits, looking into acceptable wage rates, ensuring the safety and well-being of caregivers for the duration of their stay in the employers’ home, among other things.
With reports from Munting Nayon news magazine.

[Gab]

thats a great news sir joe..

[Rod_Colegado]

That's a beautiful change of treatment of caregivers...to put those changes in the law would greatly demand respect and dignity to caregivers in CANADA.. caregivers doesn't earn much but they bring with them their honor as a FILIPINO.. honest and with lots of love in their heart for others

Rod_Colegado

[jaypee]

The top 10 news stories of 2009
SOPHIA DEDACE & JOHANNA CAMILLE SISANTE, GMANews.TV
12/31/2009 | 03:43 PM

The year 2009 shocked the public. A novel virus swept the world into a health-conscious frenzy and caused at least 11,000 deaths globally. The Philippines’ icon of democracy passed away, uniting the country one more time and suddenly ushering her son into the presidential race. A brutal massacre enraged the Filipinos so much that many of them did not seem to mind the declaration of the dreaded martial law for the first time since the 1986 ouster of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. 2009 was the year of the unfamiliar, the unprecedented, the historic.

Maguindanao massacre

In the annals of political violence in the Philippines, the November 23 massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao is unparalleled in its ruthlessness. On a Monday morning, Buluan Vice Mayor Toto Mangudadatu sent his wife, accompanied by female clan members and lawyers, to file his certificate of candidacy in Shariff Aguak on his behalf. Around 30 local journalists covered the unprecedented gubernatorial bid, which did not sit well with the rival Ampatuan clan that has long lorded over the province and is notorious for running a large private army. On the road going to the Comelec office, at least 161 armed men intercepted the convoy and led the hapless civilians to a hillside, where they were brutally killed. Several witnesses have said Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. was at the massacre scene, firing at the victims and making sure they were dead. Andal Jr. and several members of the Ampatuan clan are facing multiple murder charges for the mass slaughter of 57 people in the worst election-related violence in the country.

The passing of Tita Cory

August was the month the country turned yellow. After more than a year of battling colon cancer, former President Corazon Aquino passed away on August 1. Her death saw the outpouring of support from Filipinos, who turned out in droves to pay their last respects to the woman who championed democracy after the two-decade tyrannical rule of Ferdinand Marcos. Her wake drew high-profile figures from the international community, who were inspired by the woman in the yellow dress. The transfer of her casket from a school stadium in Quezon City to the Manila Cathedral – a route that traversed major points in Metro Manila – took five hours. Her funeral cortege lasted more than eight hours as hundreds of thousands of supporters converged on rain-soaked streets, chanting “Cory, Cory!" and showering confetti on her flag-draped casket. Mrs. Aquino’s funeral is considered the public’s biggest sendoff since her husband Ninoy was laid to rest in August 1983.

Ondoy and Pepeng

Tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours, triggering the worst flooding to hit the Philippine capital and neighboring provinces in more than 40 years. Barely had the country recovered when typhoon Pepeng (Parma) pummeled northern Luzon a week later. The twin calamites left a trail of destruction – hundreds were killed, millions were displaced, and an estimated $4.4 billion worth of damage was reported. But the extent of devastation became more evident from images of flood-inundated and mud-covered homes, people wading in knee- to chest-deep floods, and throngs of people desperately scrambling for food. Despite the grim situation – four subsequent storms hit the country within the next month – the disasters saw the heroism of Filipinos and sparked the spirit of volunteerism in many places.

A(H1N1) flu

As it was new and unfamiliar, "swine flu" became one of the most feared diseases in 2009 despite its relatively mild nature. On June 11, the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years — as infections rose in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and other places. Countries all over the world scrambled to detect cases of Influenza A(H1N1) infection, and the Philippines was no exception. When the first Asian fatality turned out to be a 49-year-old Filipina who had a pre-existing heart disease, stores ran out of face masks and rubbing alcohol as the public went panic buying to protect themselves from A(H1N1) infection. The virus did not die down, but the panic over its spread eventually ceased as public knowledge about the disease increased.

Election fever

A month after Mrs. Aquino succumbed to colon cancer, Liberal Party president Senator Mar Roxas announced that he was dropping his presidential ambitions to give way to her only son Senator Noynoy Aquino, who was asked by several groups to follow his mother’s footsteps. Noynoy eventually heeded the clamor, joining other presidential aspirants such as Senator Manuel Villar Jr. and former president Joseph Estrada, who will again run for president despite legal questions. Meanwhile, Senator Francis Escudero announced that he would not be running for any post at all, despite his relatively high survey ratings early on. The political landscape became more interesting when President Arroyo finally ended speculation over her political plans and declared that she will seek a House seat for Pampanga's second district once she steps down in 2010.

Martial law in Maguindanao

Filipinos swore "never again to martial law" when they ousted Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, and many have since trooped to the streets over the slightest hint of possible authoritarian rule. Interestingly enough, Mrs. Arroyo's declaration of martial law in Maguindanao following the November 23 massacre in the province was not met with massive protests, although several political personalities slammed Proclamation No. 1959 as an unnecessary show of force. The declaration prompted the two chambers of Congress to convene into a joint session, the first in history, to decide whether they would revoke the edict. However, the Senate and the House of Representatives never got to vote on the matter, as Mrs. Arroyo lifted martial law eight days after the proclamation.

Con-ass

On June 2, majority of the members of the House of Representatives did what previous Congresses have failed to do: it approved a charter change measure, House Resolution 1109, which called on Congress to convene into a constituent assembly that would amend the 1987 Constitution. Many Filipinos are averse to the idea of amending the Constitution under the Arroyo administration, the bad memories from the Marcos era still fresh in their minds. Critics slammed Mrs. Arroyo’s manipulation of the lower house, which "railroaded" the resolution’s approval by cutting short the interpellation of opposition lawmakers, and various sectors joined huge protests condemning the move. HR 1109 has been gathering dust in the House, as the Senate has not acted on it.

Lavish dinners

Mrs. Arroyo's July 30 meeting with US President Barack Obama was overshadowed by news of her lavish dinners with her entourage. The dinner at the posh Le Cirque restaurant in New York reportedly cost $20,000 (P960,000), considered by many as an obscene amount considering that the world was still reeling from the global financial crisis. Public outrage was further fueled when news leaked out that Mrs. Arroyo’s entourage had a $15,000 dinner at Bobby Van's Steakhouse in Washington DC. Two lawmakers, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, allegedly paid for the New York and Washington dinners, respectively. Nevertheless, Mrs. Arroyo received severe criticism for the dinners, as they were reported at a time when the Philippines was mourning the death of former president Corazon Aquino, who was known for her modest lifestyle.

Kidnappings: ICRC, Fr. Sinnott, and teacher Canizares

In the afternoon of January 15, three International Committee of the Red Cross volunteers went to the Sulu provincial jail in Patikul town to inspect a water sanitation project. Mary Jean Lacaba, Andreas Notter, and Eugenio Vagni were intercepted by armed men from the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group near the provincial capitol in Jolo. The bandits released Lacaba on April 2 while Notter escaped on April 18. Vagni was released on July 12. In October, MILF rebels kidnapped Irish priest Michael Sinnott in Lanao del Norte. The missionary was released a month later, on the day US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton arrived in the Philippines for a short visit. But public school principal Gabriel Canizares was not as lucky as the other kidnap victims. On November 9, Canizares’ severed head was found at a gas station in Sulu.

Suicide of Ted Failon’s wife

“Papa, I’m so sorry. Gustung-gusto ko ang magsabi sa iyo ng totoo pero hindi ko po alam kung paano uumpisahan. Sobrang takut na takot ako…Sana po mapatawad mo ako, papa." This was Trinidad Etong’s note to her husband, broadcaster Ted Failon (Teodoro Etong), the night before she shot herself. On April 15, Failon found Etong slumped in their bathroom with a gunshot wound. He took her to the hospital but she died a day later. Her death was wrapped with controversy after police found the bathroom cleaned up – raising suspicions that her death was not a case of suicide. Failon’s house maids – who were charged with obstruction of justice for supposedly tampering with evidence – said they had to scrub the bathroom floor so that the couple’s youngest daughter would not see her mother’s blood. After a month-long inquiry, the NBI concluded that Etong committed suicide over financial woes. - YA, GMANews.TV

[jaypee]

RP population to reach 94 million
By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)
Updated January 03, 2010 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - With some two million Filipino babies born annually, the country’s population will grow to 94 million this year, an official of the Commission on Population (PopCom) said yesterday.

PopCom executive director Tomas Osias said this increase, which represents a population growth rate (PGR) of 2.04 percent, is quite high, considering that Thailand’s PGR is less than one percent.

The Philippines and Thailand used to be known as “twin countries” as they were almost on equal footing when it came to economy and population in the 1970s.

But while the use of contraceptives in the Philippines is being discouraged by the Catholic Church, Thailand has been aggressively promoting the use of condoms to limit family size and to fight the spread of HIV.

In an interview, Osias claimed the country’s ideal PGR is less than one percent to effectively match the economic growth rate.

“We have to manage our population by providing couples with informed choice. All medically safe and ethically accepted family planning methods must be available to them,” he added.

But, apparently influenced by the Catholic hierarchy, the national government under the Arroyo administration does not procure contraceptives. Instead, it allows local government leaders to buy their own supply of contraceptives.

According to Elizabeth Angsioco, secretary general of the non-government organization Reproductive Health Alliance Network (RHAN), the Philippines must have a strong family planning program to ensure a better “quality of life” for Filipinos.

“It’s so simple. The bigger the family, the harder for it to overcome poverty,” she said.

Angsioco further said that for the past 14 years, the Reproductive Health Bill has been pending in Congress. The measure would provide couples with the opportunity and means to decide for themselves the size of their family.

“RHAN does not believe in controlling the population. What we want is for couples to have access to all (family planning) information and services and then they can decide for themselves how they want to (manage) their family,” she added.

She expressed hope that the next president or whoever will be elected to Congress in the 2010 polls will support the RH bill.

“We need leaders who will respect our rights to make the right choices. Depriving us of information and services on family planning is like coercing us (into doing something we don’t really like),” Angsioco said.

[jaypee]

Honored: RP pupils’ win of 450 math medals in ’09

By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:48:00 01/02/201

MANILA, Philippines--They deserve more than accolades for doing the country proud.

A total of 303 elementary and high school students have brought honor to the country by winning over 450 medals in more than a dozen international mathematics and science competitions in 2009.

For their exemplary achievement, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) awarded them medals and installed them in its “roster of honorable young men and women.”

The DOST’s YES medal, short for Youth Excellence in Science, signifies “high regard for excellence and competitiveness through the distinguished achievements of young Filipinos in international science and math contests.”

The young achievers, mostly from private schools in Metro Manila, were feted in simple rites recently at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City.

DOST Secretary Estrella Alabastro called the math and science wizards an “overflowing deluge of hope for the Philippines.”

“Our generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers are slowly taking the backseat to give way to fresher faces, fresher ideas who could sustain the gains we have achieved in the science community,” Alabastro said.

The bountiful medal haul came from international competitions, including the 5th Singapore International Math Contest, 8th China Girls Math Olympiad, China Junior High School Math Olympiad, 10th World Youth Invitational Inter-Cities Math Competition in South Africa, Wizards at Math International Competition in India, China Primary Math Olympiad, 1st Robotics International Competition in Hawaii, International Math & Science Olympiad in Indonesia, 3rd International Earth Science Olympiad in Taiwan and the 5th International Junior Science Olympiad in South Korea, among others.

The math aces capped the year by topping the 2009 Philippine International Math Competitions in November 2009 with a harvest of 100 medals, including 24 golds.

Most of the DOST honorees were wards of Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines, a nonstock, nonprofit organization headed by Dr. Simon Chua.

St. Jude school tops

The group, which aims to promote excellence in math education and training, hosted the Philippine competitions.

St. Jude Catholic School in Manila topped the list of medal winners, with a total of 87 medals, including 28 golds.

The Philippine Science High School in Quezon City came in second with 71 medals, followed by Grace Christian College, also in Quezon City, with 33 medals.

Other schools which won numerous medals were Chiang Kai Shek College, with 26 medals; Xavier School, 24; St. Paul College-Pasig and San Beda College-Alabang with 23 medals each; St. Stephen’s High School, 20; Quezon City Science High School, 15; Jubilee Christian Academy and Paref-Southridge School, both with 14 medals; UNO High School, 13; Gideon Academy, 8; and Colegio San Agustin-Makati, British School-Manila and Philippine Institute of Quezon City, all with 7 medals each.

Multiple medal winners

Among the multiple medal winners were John Russell Virata from Gideon Academy; Vance Eldric Go, Arielle Elise Chua, Austin Eldrich Chua, Martin Lewis Koa, Wilford Jason Julio, Carmela Antoinette Lao, Czarina Angela Lao, Seanne Daphne Ng, Adrian Reginald Sy, Andrew Lawrence Sy, Keith Brian Yu, Abigail Sy and Mikaela Angela Uy, all students of the St. Jude Catholic School.

Justin Edric Yturzaeta, Benson Tan, Audrey Celine Lao and Jason Allan Tan, all from Jubilee Christian Academy; Adrian Raphael Co from British School-Manila; Kate Andrea Bonamy and Gisel Ong, both from Grace Christian College; Henry Jefferson Morco, Andrew Brandon Ong and Aldric Cristoval Reyes, all from Chiang Kai Shek College.

Ana Karenina Batungbakal, Kenneth Co, Amiel Sy, Elvis Jeremy Ayroso, Isaiah Paolo Lee and Joelle Sophia Peña, all from Philippine Science High School; Geraldine Baniqued and Reine Jiana Reynoso, both from St. Paul College-Pasig; James Daniel Cordon and Angelo Gabriel Llamas, both from Paref-Southridge School.

Alvin Uy-Lim and Aaron Christopher Agtarap, both from Quezon City High School; Matthew Chris Chan, John Thomas Chuatak, Julius Vincent Sy, Sterling Alvin Tiu and Dielle Tio, all from St. Stephen’s High School; Jason Joseph Fernandez and Casey Oliver Turingan, both from San Beda College-Alabang; Samuel Christian Ong and Daniel Christian Ong, both from UNO High School; Aljan Balbuena from Tenement Elementary School; and Marquis Alexandre Tan, Nathaniel Ryan Ang and Matthew Brendon Go, all from Xavier School.

Last year, a total of 215 students were awarded YES medals by the DOST.

Dr. Ester Ogena, director of DOST’s Science Education Institute, said the agency was “ready to support the students should they decide to advance their knowledge in science and technology.”

DOST supports about 3,500 students taking up science and technology-related courses in college.

[Gab]

Star supernova 'could wipe out Earth'

A star in our galaxy is ready to explode and could wipe out the Earth if it does, according to American astronomers.

Sky News reports astronomers from the Villanova University in Philadelphia conducted a study showing a star called T Pyxidis is much closer than previously thought.

They say it is set to self destruct in an explosion called a supernova - the force of '20 billion billion billion megatons of TNT.'

The result of this impending doomsday scenario could cause an explosion which strips away the Earth's ozone layer and allow deadly space radiation into our atmosphere.

It has been reported the satellite has shown the T Pyxidis as two stars, with one sucking in gas and steadily growing.

When that star reaches a critical mass, it will blow itself to pieces, becoming "as bright as all the other stars in the galaxy put together and shine like a beacon halfway across the universe."

The Hubble Telescope has been photographing the star, and astronomers believe it has been gearing up for its big bang with a series of smaller "burps" called novas.

"The star may certainly become a supernova soon," said vice-president of the UK's Society for Popular Astronomy Robin Scagell.

"But soon could be a long way off, so don't have nightmares."

Scientists from the Americn Astronomical Society in Washington believe the next blast is overdue, as the novas were occuring every 20 years since 1890, but stopped after 1967.

[jaypee]

172 Pinoy nadale ng lindol sa Haiti
Nina Ellen Fernando, Mer Layson at Joy Cantos (Pilipino Star Ngayon)
Updated January 14, 2010


MANILA, Philippines - Inaalam na ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ang laki ng pinsa­lang nagawa ng 7.0 magnitude na lindol na yu­manig sa Haiti sa Filipino community at sa Philippine peacekeeping contingent na naroroon.

Aminado naman si DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya na sa ngayon ay nahihirapan sila kaagad na matukoy ito dahil na rin sa kawalan ng komuni­kasyon matapos na mapu­tol ang communication at power lines sa lugar.

Nakatanggap na rin naman umano ng ulat ang DFA na may ilang Pinoy peacekeepers na na-trap sa ilang gusaling naapek­tuhan ng paglindol, ngunit nasa ligtas naman uma­nong kalagayan ang mga ito.

Umaasa ang DFA na walang Pinoy na nadamay sa lindol na sinasabing posibleng pumatay sa libu-libong katao.

Ayon kay Elemer Cato, spokesperson ng Phil. Mission to the UN, nasa 155 ang sundalo, 2 military observer at 15 pulis ang nasa Haiti.

Bukod dito, mayroon din umanong 447 Pinoy na nagtatrabaho at nanini­rahan sa naturang bansa, na posibleng naapektuhan ng lindol.

Kinumpirma naman ng Armed Forces of the Philippines na kabilang ang mga peacekeepers nito sa mga na-trap sa gumuhong gusali sa malakas na lindol na yumanig sa Haiti.

Ayon kay AFP-Public Affairs Office Chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. ang impormasyon ay nabatid lamang nila sa Misis ni Filipino peacekeeping Commander Lt. Col. Lope Da­goy na nagawang makata­wag sa kaniyang mayba­hay sa pamamagitan ng sa­tellite phone.

“He (Dagoy) was able to borrow a satellite phone and called his wife,” ani Brawner na sinabing agad ring naputol ang communication system sa nasa­bing bansa bunga ng epek­to ng lindol.

Una nang napaulat na niyanig ng lindol ang Haiti na sumira umano sa mara­ming gusali at kabahayan doon, kabilang na ang headquarters ng United Nations peacekeeping mission at marami sa mga miyembro nito ang nawa­wala.

Maging ang ilang ba­hagi ng Presidential Palace ay naapektuhan din umano nang pagyanig ngunit masuwerteng ligtas naman umano si Haitian President Rene Preval.

Nabatid na ito na umano ang pinakamala­kas na lindol na naitala sa Haiti sa kasaysayan at ito ay naramdaman maging sa Dominican Republic, Jamaica at Cuba.

Ayon sa mga awtori­dad, maaaring abutin ng dalawa hanggang tatlong araw bago malaman ang pinsala ng lindol ngunit ina­asahan nang marami ang nasawi dahil dito, dahil sa ngayon pa lang umano ay nagkalat na ang mga bang­kay sa Port-au-Prince.

Ang Haiti na itinuturing na pinakamahirap na bansa sa Western Hemisphere ay mayroon uma­nong mahigit sa 10 mil­yong populasyon.

[RP Triple Bloody Katana]

My sincerest condolences to the grieving families devastated by these carnage..

Let's just pray that their souls may rest in peace..

[jaypee]

2 Filipino fatalities in Haiti confirmed
By Veronica Uy, Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 2) The first two Filipino fatalities in the magnitude-7 earthquake that rocked Haiti last week were confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs Tuesday after the remains of Jerome Yap, a United Nations staffer, and Pearlie Panangui, a UN peace worker, were found.

Yap, who was from Pampanga, served as executive assistant to Luis Carlos Da Costa, the deputy special representative of the UN Secretary General who was also killed in the collapsed building of the headquarters of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah).

The body of Navy Petty Officer 3 Panangui, a native of Zamboanga Del Norte assigned as clerk in the Office of the Force Commander at Minustah, was recovered by rescue operators early Tuesday morning from the rubble of the UN headquarters in the 2nd floor of Christopher Hotel in Haiti, said AFP spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr.

Still missing are Air Force Sergeant Janice Arocena and Army Sergeant Eustacio Bermudes Jr., Brawner said.

"All efforts are being done to find and rescue them as we are conducting massive retrieval and rescue operations. We continue to pray that more lives shall be saved with the ongoing recovery efforts participated in by our Filipino peacekeepers," Brawner said.

The DFA expressed “regrets to inform the public that the Philippines lost one of its own in last week’s earthquake that struck Haiti with the recovery of the remains of Mr. Jerome Yap at 5:15 a.m. (Haiti time).”

Yap’s remains were recovered several hours after the bodies of the special representative of the UN Secretary General, Hedi Annabi, and several others were pulled out of the ruins, the DFA said, quoting the report from the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York.

The Philippine Mission has already informed Yap’s family in New York and Pampanga after learning about the recovery of remains by Lieutenant Colonel Lope Dagoy, Commander of the 10th Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent.

"On behalf of the AFP Chief of staff General Victor S. Ibrado and all the men and women of the Armed Forces, we wish to convey our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Family of DP3 Panangui," Brawner told reporters in a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo Tuesday.

Prior to her deployment as a UN Peacekeeper in Haiti, Panangui was assigned as secretary at the Philippine Navy Headquarters and Headquarters Support Group. She was a recipient of various medals, including Mindanao-Sulu Campain Medal and Ribbon, Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal and Ribbon, and Anti Dissidence Campaign Medal and Ribbon.

Arrangements are being made for the repatriation of the remains of Yap and Panangui to the Philippines.

Of the estimated 700 Filipinos in Haiti, including the 172 Filipino UN peacekeepers, 165 are confirmed alive and safe.

Earlier, two Filipinas, Grace Fabian and Aurora Aguinaldo, were saved from the rubble of the Caribbean Supermarket. Both are safe and well. A Filipino peacekeeper, Army Corporal David Catacutan, was also rescued from the Montana Hotel on Thursday.

Another Filipina, Geraldine Calican, is still trapped under the Caribbean Supermarket, the DFA said.

Last week, the UN and its partners launched an appeal for nearly $600 million to help the victims of the earthquake, which has left basic services on the brink of collapse in Port-au-Prince.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved the release of $50,000 as Philippines' contribution to the flash appeal for funds intended to assist an estimated 3 million affected people over a period of six months. Half of the funds will be earmarked for emergency food aid, with the rest targeted at health, water, sanitation, nutrition, early recovery, emergency education, and other key needs.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also called for an additional 3,500 UN troops and police officers to be deployed to Haiti, already the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation before the disaster, to ensure that aid would the victims of the disaster as quickly as possible.

Ban visited Port-au-Prince on Sunday and asked the Security Council for an extra 1,500 police officers and 2,000 troops to reinforce the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, known as Minustah, which has 9,000 uniformed personnel already on the ground.

“The heartbreaking scenes... witnessed yesterday compel us to act swiftly and generously,” Ban told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.

“The Haitian people need to see that today is better than yesterday. They need to believe that the future will be better than the past,” he added.

Minustah and others taking part in the operation have agreed on a clear division of responsibilities regarding the provision of security and humanitarian support, he said.
With reports from Cynthia Balana, Philippine Daily Inquirer

[Gab]

nakalimutan ko pala ilagay to dito kahapon...

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, 51, passes away

(Update 3 - 7:49 p.m.) Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was pronounced dead at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) at 11:51 a.m. Tuesday, official sources said. He was 51.

"Isang malungkot na balita. Kaninang 11:51 ng umaga ang ating kalihim Sec. Remonde ay binawian ng buhay," (Sad news. At 11:51 this morning, Sec. Remonde passed away) Press Undersecretary for Operations Romeo Junia said.

Remonde's personal staff found him unconscious in the bathroom of his home in Bel-Air Village in Makati and brought him to the hospital, Junia said.

FAREWELL, CERGE. Colleagues in the government and friends from the media grieve the death of the press secretary. Photo from Remonde's Facebook page"Secretary Cerge Remonde was brought to the emergency department of the MMC at about 11:20 this morning. He was unconscious, he was not breathing, no heartbeat. We were there to resuscitate him. Despite heroic measures, he expired at 11:51," head of the MMC's patient relations office Dr. Eric Nubla told reporters at the hospital.

In an interview on government-run Radyo ng Bayan (dzRB), Remonde's personal physician Dr. Anthony Leachon said the press secretary underwent a surgical spine operation in 2007. Leachon said he began to closely monitor Remonde's health condition during the holidays.

Asked what could have been the cause of his patient's death, Leachon said, "Sa tingin ko cardiac arrest secondary to myocardial infarction ... Baka nagkaroon siya ng irregular heartbeat na naging cause ng pagkamatay niya."

(I think it was cardiac arrest secondary to myocardial infarction...He could have had irregular heartbeat, which became the cause of his death.)

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had been informed about Remonde's death, adding, “We are all in grief with the passing away of our beloved friend, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. It was a very untimely passing away of Cerge."

"The staff at OPS and in Malacañang are doing everything to make the appropriate arrangements from the time that the remains are taken over by the funeral parlor of Heritage in the Makati Medical Center...while we are awaiting the arrival of Mrs. Remonde, the remains will (stay) at Heritage tonight," Ermita added.

Remonde's wife, Marit Stinus Remonde, arrived in Manila before 3 p.m., Tuesday. She flew from her husband’s home province of Cebu.

Mrs. Remonde, a Danish national, arrived at the Aboitiz Hangar of the Manila Domestic Airport in Pasay City and immediately went to the MMC to see her husband's remains.

Junia said there was no indication that Remonde, who was used to a heavy workload, was ill. "Kagabi (Last night), we were working late at the office, we had a late dinner and routine work at the office. We stayed until 9 p.m. There was no sign he was under any kind of physical condition that was threatening," he added.

He also said it was unlikely that Remonde's trip to Cebu last weekend to attend the Sinulog festival caused his death, saying Remonde had been attending the festivities yearly.

At high risk However, Remonde's personal physician said the official had been suffering from diabetes and hypertension prior to his death. Leachon said Remonde’s cigarette-smoking habit also affected his health.

“Medyo mataas ang kaniyang risk factors. Eight out of 10 ang kaniyang risk factors," Leachon told dzBB. (His risk factor was high. His risk factor was eight out of 10)

He added that Remonde suffered from cardiac arrest at about 9:30 a.m. and was found unconscious in his bathroom an hour later. Had Remonde been rushed earlier, he would have survived, Leachon said.

“Kung mga isang oras siya sa banyo, malaking bagay ho iyon. Dapat mga five to 20 minutes na oxygenation (puwedeng mabuhay) pero kung isang oras, imposible," the doctor said.

(It was impossible for him to survive because nobody was able to attend to him one hour after he fell unconscious. He could have been saved had he been attended to within five to 20 minutes.)

According to information reaching Leachon, Remonde had asked for a cigarette before he went inside the bathroom, where he was found unconscious.

KBP chairman

Last Monday night, Remonde posted the following prayer as his Facebook status update:

“Lord, thank you for your infinite love that meets our every need and provides all the beautiful and wonderful things we experience in life. Release our hearts and minds from fear and worry. Fill us with your peace as we learn to fully trust in your providence. Help us to do all that we are capable of and the rest we entrust unto you. Amen."

A screen grab of Remonde's last Facebook post at 6:51 p.m., Monday

Remonde assumed the post of Press Secretary in February 2009, after serving as Director General of the Presidential Management Staff for more than two years. He joined the administration of President Arroyo in 2001 and worked in various government-owned media agencies including NBN 4, RPN 9, IBC 13, Radyo ng Bayan, Bureau of Communication Services, and the Philippine News Agency.

A native of Cebu, Remonde served for a long time as chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. Herman Bastaño, president of KBP, issued the following statement:

"KBP mourns with deep sorrow the demise of Secretary Remonde, who had distinguished himself as the only KBP chair who had served for six consecutive terms. His death is not only a big loss to the broadcast industry but to the country whom he has really served with utmost dedication.

One of his many accomplishments with KBP is to institutionalize the training of its provincial chapter officers. With what he initiated, the KBP now has a good crop of future leaders. The KBP leadership and its members will definitely miss him."

Longtime friend and colleague Pablito “Bobby" Nalzaro of RGMA-7 Visayas described Remonde as a “mentor, a brother, and a compadre rolled into one."

In an interview with radio dzBB, he added: “Parang ordinaryo lang. Kumakain kami niyan sa tabi-tabi. Kahit nung naging press secretary niya, hindi pa rin siya nagbago, hindi naman nagkakape sa class na coffee shop."

(He was just an ordinary person. We ate in ordinary restaurants. He did not change even when he became a press secretary. We did not have coffee at expensive coffee shops.)

Nalzaro said the last time he saw Remonde was last Sunday, during the Sinulog festival in Cebu. He said Remonde told him that he was planning to go back to mainstream media either in Manila or Cebu after the Arroyo administration steps down in June.

Gabriel Claudio, former presidential political affairs adviser, said Remonde was "devoted to his job and determined to do his best in achieving the objectives of his office," he said in a text message.

"He was a good man and a true friend, compassionate, loyal, appreciative of others' talents and accomplishments, and carried an infectious sense of humor and positive disposition," Claudio's text message added. "It's going to be difficult to realize and understand that he's gone."

A good sport

On November 30 last year, Remonde displayed undeniable sportsmanship when he showed up at a rally by journalists and militants in Mendiola despite loud boos from the protesters. Video footage of the incident showed the late press secretary smiling amid the insults thrown at him.

The militants and journalists then were protesting the alleged "culture of impunity" that they blamed for the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province.

Remonde personally reached out to the protesters to reassure them that the government is working to bring justice to victims of the massacre. - Sophia Dedace/ARCS/MM/CBS/YA/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV

[jaypee]

CAN'T BELIEVE THIS..


UN: RP trails Tanzania, Zambia in education

By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:48:00 01/20/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The United Nations has warned that the Philippines is in danger of leaving the poor behind when it comes to their education.

Noting an “absence of decisive political leadership,” a major UN report on education on Tuesday said the Philippines was in “real danger” of missing its target of providing universal primary education by 2015.

The 2010 Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, which was launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at UN headquarters in New York cited the Philippines as a “particularly striking example of under-performance” in educational reforms as its current polices were failing to make a difference in improving the education of the poorest Filipinos.

“Education indicators for the Philippines are below what might be expected for a country of its income level … With an average income four times that of [African countries] Tanzania and Zambia, it has a lower net enrollment ratio,” the report said.

“The unfavorable comparison does not end there. Whereas Tanzania and Zambia have steadily increasing net enrollment ratios, the Philippines has stagnated,” it said.

RP could miss its goal

“Given the country’s starting point in 1999, achieving universal primary education by 2015 should have been a formality. There is now a real danger that, in the absence of decisive political leadership, the country will miss the goal,” the report added.

The Global Monitoring Report (GMR) is produced annually by an independent team of UN experts and is published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The report assesses the global progress towards the six EFA goals to which over 160 countries committed themselves in 2000.

These goals include expanding early childhood care and education, providing free and compulsory primary education for all, providing learning and life skills to young people and adults, increasing adult literacy by 50 percent, achieving gender equality by 2015, and improving the quality of education.

In the portion “The Philippines—leaving the marginalized behind,” the 2010 report said “extreme poverty and regional disparities were at the heart” of the mismatch between the Philippines’ income level and its poor educational outcomes.

It noted that, in 2007, the number of out-of-school youth aged 6 to 11 “broke through” the one-million mark and “there were over 100,000 more children out of school then than in 1999.” It added that around one-quarter of those entering school drop out before Grade 5.

Deeply marginalized

“The net enrollment ratio was 92 percent in 2007, which is comparable with countries at far lower levels of average income, such as Zambia, and below the levels attained by other countries in the (East Asia) region, such as Indonesia,” the GMR said.

“Why have countries that were so close to universal net enrollment at the end of the 1990s failed to go the extra mile? One factor is the difficulty in extending opportunities to certain regions and parts of society,” it added.

The report said that this happened to countries like the Philippines and Turkey that faced “problems of deeply entrenched marginalization.”

“In the Philippines, marginalization is strongly associated with poverty and location, with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and some outlying islands falling far behind,” the GMR said.

Low investment

“It is evident in the cases of the Philippines and Turkey that current policies are not breaking down inherited disadvantage. One contributory factor is the low share of national income invested in education,” it added.

The report noted that the gap separating the poorest 20 percent of Filipinos from the rest of society was “far wider than in most countries in the region.”

“Those aged 17 to 22 in the poorest quintile average about seven years of education—more than four years fewer than in the wealthiest 20 percent. Data on school attendance provide evidence that current policies are not reaching the poorest,” the GMR said.
“Around six percent of 7- to 16-year-olds from the poorest households are reported as not attending school or to have ever attended. Extreme economic inequalities fuel education inequalities, notably by pushing many children out of school and into employment,” it added.

Deep fault lines

The report said regional data also reveal “deep fault lines” in educational opportunities within the country.

“Nationally, about six percent of those aged 17 to 22 have fewer than four years of education. In the best-performing regions—Ilocos and the National Capital Region—the share falls to one percent to two percent. At the other extreme, in the ARMM and Zamboanga Peninsula over 10 percent fall below this threshold,” the GMR said.

“The disparities are driven by a wide array of factors. The impact of high levels of poverty is exacerbated by conflict in Mindanao, and by the remoteness and wider disadvantage experienced by indigenous people in the Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga,” it added.

The sound of howitzers

To give a “human face” to the conflict in Central Mindanao and its ill effects on education in the region, the report included the story of 13-year-old Muhammed, a refugee living in a tent on the grounds of Datu Gumbay Piang Elementary School in Maguindanao.

“Most of the children come to class to escape the dismal living conditions in their tents. But there is no immediate escape from the destruction and violence they have witnessed,” the report said.

“When the children are in class, they are either lethargic or very nervous because [evacuees] often hear howitzers being fired not far from [them],” it added.

Quoting an evacuee who works in the school, the report said: “‘Students are often absent because they spend hours lining up for rations and water at the pump or because they’re sick.”

Shortages

Given these problems, the GMR said Filipino authorities faced “difficult policy choices if the Philippines is to achieve universal primary education by 2015.”

“Far more weight has to be attached to reaching marginalized populations and providing them with good quality education. Social protection and conditional cash transfer programs, such as those in Brazil and Mexico, could play a vital role in combating child labor and extending educational opportunities to the poor,” the GMR said.

The report added that another urgent priority was the use of local language when it comes to teaching in indigenous areas.

“The diversity of the challenges sets limits to what the central government can do. Regional and sub-regional authorities need to develop and implement policies that respond to local needs. However, the central government could do more to create an enabling environment,” the GMR said.

“The education system suffers from chronic shortages of teachers and classrooms, rising class sizes and low levels of learning achievement. Addressing these problems will require an increase in the 2.1 percent share of national income directed towards education in 2005—one of the lowest levels in the world,” it added.

[RP Triple Bloody Katana]

MY SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREIVED FAMILY OF THE LATE PRESS SECRETARY REMONDE.. MAY HE REST IN PEACE..

nakalimutan ko pala ilagay to dito kahapon...

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, 51, passes away

(Update 3 - 7:49 p.m.) Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was pronounced dead at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) at 11:51 a.m. Tuesday, official sources said. He was 51.

"Isang malungkot na balita. Kaninang 11:51 ng umaga ang ating kalihim Sec. Remonde ay binawian ng buhay," (Sad news. At 11:51 this morning, Sec. Remonde passed away) Press Undersecretary for Operations Romeo Junia said.

Remonde's personal staff found him unconscious in the bathroom of his home in Bel-Air Village in Makati and brought him to the hospital, Junia said.

FAREWELL, CERGE. Colleagues in the government and friends from the media grieve the death of the press secretary. Photo from Remonde's Facebook page"Secretary Cerge Remonde was brought to the emergency department of the MMC at about 11:20 this morning. He was unconscious, he was not breathing, no heartbeat. We were there to resuscitate him. Despite heroic measures, he expired at 11:51," head of the MMC's patient relations office Dr. Eric Nubla told reporters at the hospital.

In an interview on government-run Radyo ng Bayan (dzRB), Remonde's personal physician Dr. Anthony Leachon said the press secretary underwent a surgical spine operation in 2007. Leachon said he began to closely monitor Remonde's health condition during the holidays.

Asked what could have been the cause of his patient's death, Leachon said, "Sa tingin ko cardiac arrest secondary to myocardial infarction ... Baka nagkaroon siya ng irregular heartbeat na naging cause ng pagkamatay niya."

(I think it was cardiac arrest secondary to myocardial infarction...He could have had irregular heartbeat, which became the cause of his death.)

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had been informed about Remonde's death, adding, “We are all in grief with the passing away of our beloved friend, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. It was a very untimely passing away of Cerge."

"The staff at OPS and in Malacañang are doing everything to make the appropriate arrangements from the time that the remains are taken over by the funeral parlor of Heritage in the Makati Medical Center...while we are awaiting the arrival of Mrs. Remonde, the remains will (stay) at Heritage tonight," Ermita added.

Remonde's wife, Marit Stinus Remonde, arrived in Manila before 3 p.m., Tuesday. She flew from her husband’s home province of Cebu.

Mrs. Remonde, a Danish national, arrived at the Aboitiz Hangar of the Manila Domestic Airport in Pasay City and immediately went to the MMC to see her husband's remains.

Junia said there was no indication that Remonde, who was used to a heavy workload, was ill. "Kagabi (Last night), we were working late at the office, we had a late dinner and routine work at the office. We stayed until 9 p.m. There was no sign he was under any kind of physical condition that was threatening," he added.

He also said it was unlikely that Remonde's trip to Cebu last weekend to attend the Sinulog festival caused his death, saying Remonde had been attending the festivities yearly.

At high risk However, Remonde's personal physician said the official had been suffering from diabetes and hypertension prior to his death. Leachon said Remonde’s cigarette-smoking habit also affected his health.

“Medyo mataas ang kaniyang risk factors. Eight out of 10 ang kaniyang risk factors," Leachon told dzBB. (His risk factor was high. His risk factor was eight out of 10)

He added that Remonde suffered from cardiac arrest at about 9:30 a.m. and was found unconscious in his bathroom an hour later. Had Remonde been rushed earlier, he would have survived, Leachon said.

“Kung mga isang oras siya sa banyo, malaking bagay ho iyon. Dapat mga five to 20 minutes na oxygenation (puwedeng mabuhay) pero kung isang oras, imposible," the doctor said.

(It was impossible for him to survive because nobody was able to attend to him one hour after he fell unconscious. He could have been saved had he been attended to within five to 20 minutes.)

According to information reaching Leachon, Remonde had asked for a cigarette before he went inside the bathroom, where he was found unconscious.

KBP chairman

Last Monday night, Remonde posted the following prayer as his Facebook status update:

“Lord, thank you for your infinite love that meets our every need and provides all the beautiful and wonderful things we experience in life. Release our hearts and minds from fear and worry. Fill us with your peace as we learn to fully trust in your providence. Help us to do all that we are capable of and the rest we entrust unto you. Amen."

A screen grab of Remonde's last Facebook post at 6:51 p.m., Monday

Remonde assumed the post of Press Secretary in February 2009, after serving as Director General of the Presidential Management Staff for more than two years. He joined the administration of President Arroyo in 2001 and worked in various government-owned media agencies including NBN 4, RPN 9, IBC 13, Radyo ng Bayan, Bureau of Communication Services, and the Philippine News Agency.

A native of Cebu, Remonde served for a long time as chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. Herman Bastaño, president of KBP, issued the following statement:

"KBP mourns with deep sorrow the demise of Secretary Remonde, who had distinguished himself as the only KBP chair who had served for six consecutive terms. His death is not only a big loss to the broadcast industry but to the country whom he has really served with utmost dedication.

One of his many accomplishments with KBP is to institutionalize the training of its provincial chapter officers. With what he initiated, the KBP now has a good crop of future leaders. The KBP leadership and its members will definitely miss him."

Longtime friend and colleague Pablito “Bobby" Nalzaro of RGMA-7 Visayas described Remonde as a “mentor, a brother, and a compadre rolled into one."

In an interview with radio dzBB, he added: “Parang ordinaryo lang. Kumakain kami niyan sa tabi-tabi. Kahit nung naging press secretary niya, hindi pa rin siya nagbago, hindi naman nagkakape sa class na coffee shop."

(He was just an ordinary person. We ate in ordinary restaurants. He did not change even when he became a press secretary. We did not have coffee at expensive coffee shops.)

Nalzaro said the last time he saw Remonde was last Sunday, during the Sinulog festival in Cebu. He said Remonde told him that he was planning to go back to mainstream media either in Manila or Cebu after the Arroyo administration steps down in June.

Gabriel Claudio, former presidential political affairs adviser, said Remonde was "devoted to his job and determined to do his best in achieving the objectives of his office," he said in a text message.

"He was a good man and a true friend, compassionate, loyal, appreciative of others' talents and accomplishments, and carried an infectious sense of humor and positive disposition," Claudio's text message added. "It's going to be difficult to realize and understand that he's gone."

A good sport

On November 30 last year, Remonde displayed undeniable sportsmanship when he showed up at a rally by journalists and militants in Mendiola despite loud boos from the protesters. Video footage of the incident showed the late press secretary smiling amid the insults thrown at him.

The militants and journalists then were protesting the alleged "culture of impunity" that they blamed for the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province.

Remonde personally reached out to the protesters to reassure them that the government is working to bring justice to victims of the massacre. - Sophia Dedace/ARCS/MM/CBS/YA/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV

[Gab]

sir JOE...

  ang education kasi sa atin is para sa mga may pera nlng eh.. sabi ng gobyerno libre? pero pagdating sa school ang dami ng fees.. pambili nga ng chalk sa student pa galing eh... and marami pang iba... hindi lang talaga ang mga tao sa gobyerno ang corrupt but also yung mga ordinary persons din na nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon mangurakot, mangungurakot.. like some stupid teachers specially in public schools.

[jaypee]

6,000 healthcare workers needed in Saudi Arabia
By JC BELLO RUIZ
January 22, 2010, 9:08pm

The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in urgent need of more than 6,000 healthcare workers according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

In a post on its website (www.poea.gov.ph), POEA said the KSA-Ministry of Health needs 2,000 female specialized nurses; 3,000 female general nurses; 200 male and female specialists; 200 male and female general practitioners; 200 female asst. pharmacists; 200 female physiotherapists; 200 female dental assistants; 200 female medical technologists; 100 female infection control nurses; and 100 male and female respiratory therapists.

The 2,000 female specialized nurses needed are those with specialization in Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neo-natal intensive care unit, Hemodialyis, OR, MS, ER, and cardiac nursing.

Applicants should be Bachelor of Science graduates with Board License (optional for RT; with at least 1.5 years of hospital work experience; not more than 55 years of age for doctors and not more than 40 years of age for other positions; and preferably with Saudi Council exams.

Also needed are 50 male bio-medical equipment technicians or hospital safety officers. Applicants should be BS Engineering graduates with or without board license; with at least two years hospital work experience and not more than 50 years of age.

The 100 female infection control nurses; and 100 male and female respiratory therapists; and 50 bio-medical equipment or hospital safety officers have been previously posted, POEA said.

Deadline for submission of application is on March 10, 2010.

“Qualified applicants may personally submit a detailed resumé with job description, school credentials, employment certificates, original and photocopy of the first page of the passport and six pieces 2x2 recent picture at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, Ground Floor, POEA main office in Ortigas Avenue cor. Edsa Mandaluyong City or register online at www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph.

Applicants are advised to submit original documents if they submit the requirements in person. “Those who will register online will be asked to present original documents for authentification of written information before forwarding the resumé to the employer,” POEA said.

[jaypee]

Expanded Senior Citizen’s Act approved
By HANNAH L. TORREGOZA
January 22, 2010, 6:20pm

A Congress bicameral conference committee has approved the reconciled version of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act exempting senior citizens from the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) to allow them full enjoyment of the 20 percent discount on basic goods and services.

Senator Pilar Juliana Cayetano, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice and the bill’s principal author, said the measure was approved Wednesday night by both contingencies from the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The bicameral report is expected to be submitted for ratification by both houses of Congress next week before it is forwarded to Malacañang for the President’s signature.

Twelve-percent VAT exemption of senior citizens will apply to the purchase of medicines and essential medical supplies, accessories and equipment; fees of attending physicians; and medical, dental fees and diagnostic and laboratory fees.

Likewise, they would also enjoy full discounts on fares for buses, jeepneys, taxis, AUVs, shuttle services, public railways, domestic air transport and other vessels; services in hotels, restaurants and similar establishments; admission fees in cinemas, theaters and other places of culture, leisure and amusement; and funeral and burial services for the death of senior citizens.

Cayetano said senior citizens have long been clamoring for VAT exemption to enable them to fully enjoy the 20 percent senior citizens discounts embodied in the original Senior Citizens Act passed years ago.

She said the discount had been effectively reduced to eight percent since seniors are also required to pay the 12 percent VAT in their purchase of medicines and services.

Indigent senior citizens will also be entitled to a monthly stipend of P500 which will be subject to a periodic review of Congress in coordination with the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD).

In case of death of an indigent senior citizen, an amount of P2,000 will also be awarded to his or her nearest kin as death benefit.

Under the bill, senior citizens may also enjoy a five percent discount on water and electric bills on the condition that the utilities are named under the senior citizen residing in the household. Consumption for electricity and water should be below 100 kilowatt-hours and 30 cubic meters per month, respectively, to enjoy the discount.

Likewise, the measure increases penalties for establishments that refuse to grant senior citizens benefits. Violating establishments including their owners, managers and personnel may be fined a penalty of not less than P10,000 but not more than P50,000, or imprisonment of not less than a month but not more than six months.

“I thank my colleagues in the bicameral panel for working double-time and doubly hard to reconcile the Senate and House versions in spite of many differences in our provisions,” Cayetano said.

Besides Cayetano, the Senate panel members were Senators Edgardo Angara and Loren Legarda while the House contingent was led by Representatives Reynaldo Uy, counterpart chairperson of the committee on social justice, together with Reps. Eduardo Zialcita, Abigail Binay, Maurico Domogan, Bienvenido Abante Jr., and Rufino Biazon.

[Gab]

sayang naman wala akong line sa saudi...

[jaypee]

Para sa ating magagaling na Pinoy Imbentor dahil sa daming Surot (dati, aywan ngayon hehehe) sa atin.

How to Build Your Own Bedbug (Surot) Detector

  By SORA SONG Sora Song   – Fri Feb 5, 11:45 am ET

Itching for a good after-school science experiment? Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have created a homemade bedbug trap using a plastic cat-food dish, an insulated jug and some dry-ice pellets. According to Wan-Tien Tsai, who reported her findings in December at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, the dry-ice-and-thermos combo captured the bloodsucking critters in an infested apartment just as effectively as, if not more so than, equipment used by professional exterminators.

The most important part of this MacGyverized contraption is an insulated one-third-gallon jug--like the kind sold in camping-supply stores--filled with 2½ lb. of frozen carbon dioxide, which costs about $1 per lb. (and should be handled only with gloves). As the dry-ice pellets slowly evaporate, the open thermos spout lets the CO[subscript 2]--which falsely signals bedbugs that a breathing, blood-filled meal is nearby--seep out overnight. That's usually enough time to entice the nocturnal insects into the other key component of the trap: the overturned food-and-water dish on which the thermos sits. The bugs climb the outer surface of the dish, which can be scuffed with sandpaper for better traction, and get stuck in its moat, made slippery-smooth with a dusting of talcum powder.

This trap was designed to give consumers a cheap way to determine if they have--or, in many cases, still have--a bedbug problem that requires a proper extermination. Bedbugs have made a serious comeback in North America over the past few years, especially in big cities like Toronto and San Francisco. And they are notoriously hard to get rid of. As evidence, amid the enthusiastic talk on Bedbugger.com about the Rutgers invention, one commenter noted, "Dude, I am so going to try this once a month or so."

[Gab]

ok yan ah.... kaso di ko alam kung saan bibili ng materials dito sa atin... tsk tsk tsk...

sir meron bang pics? hehehehe

[jaypee]

It’s now law: Seniors get 20% discount
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:07:00 02/17/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Senior citizens can now stretch their cash a little farther. A P150 value meal, for example, at an international fast food chain would cost them only P120.

This after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo affixed her signature Tuesday to the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (ESCA), or Republic Act No. 994, a law that will benefit some five million elderly Filipinos in the form of discounts on certain goods and services.

“The President has signed the bill,” said Charito Planas, deputy presidential spokesperson. The official copy of the measure arrived in Malacañang on Monday night.

The law will allow senior citizens to avail themselves of the full 20-percent discount they are supposed to enjoy.

The discount was reduced to 8 percent with the imposition of the 12-percent value-added tax on certain goods and services in 2005.

A group of senior citizens hailed the signing of ESCA.

“This is a victory of the senior citizens! We drafted this bill and lobbied for it over the past three years,” said Salvacion Basiano, a member of the Council of Elders of the Confederation of Older Persons’ Association of the Philippines.

The Coalition of the Services of the Elderly (Cose) said it was relieved that Ms Arroyo had finally listened to the elderly’s demand.

“If not for the older people who have patiently pushed for this bill to become a law, we will not have a landmark legislation on social protection for the elderly,” Cose said in a statement.

The coalition said it also recognized the legislators who cooperated with the senior citizens in the drafting and passage of the measure.

Assistance

“With the signing of the (measure), our elderly can now expect additional financial assistance to help them weather the uncertainties of old age in an uncertain global economy,” Gary Olivar, Ms Arroyo’s deputy spokesperson, said.

Olivar said Ms Arroyo was fully aware of the fiscal costs of the law.

“But people should remember that this is only one of many social services and safety net programs that have been created precisely to spread the benefits of our fiscal recovery to the neediest of our citizens,” he added.

Unlike other landmark measures, the signing of the ESCA had no special ceremony.

Lobby groups had urged Ms Arroyo to sign it as soon as it was approved by the bicameral conference committee on Jan. 27.

Members of Cose and the Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (Campaign for People’s Dignity) staged rallies at the Chino Roces (formerly Mendiola) Bridge near Malacañang to press the President to sign the measure. KAMP advocates social protection for all especially the vulnerable sectors.

Forgone revenue

The Department of Finance earlier expressed reservations on the measure, saying it would result in P54.4 million in forgone government income.

But Sen. Pia Cayetano, a proponent of the bill, said the amount was small.

Cayetano had said that the foregone government revenue was “really a small price to pay compared to the invaluable contribution of our grandfathers and grandmothers to society at the prime of their lives.”

Long way to go

Jude Esguerra of the Institute for Popular Democracy, which is a member of KAMP, said the law was a victory for social protection in the Philippines.

Esguerra, nevertheless, said the campaign for social protection in the country “still has a long way to go.”

“The battle is still being fought by the urban poor who are being swept out of Metro Manila by Malacañang. The budgets for those who have become unemployed due to Typhoon ‘Pepeng’ and Tropical Storm ‘Ondoy’ have yet to be released and we hope these won’t be diverted,” said KAMP facilitator Von Mesina.

Mesina said “peasants need assistance and protection from the negative impact of climate change. And even when the senior citizens go to government hospitals, medicines are not available.” Christian V. Esguerra

[jaypee]

Benefits under Expanded Senior Citizens Act
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:26:00 02/17/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 gives the elderly benefits and privileges not included in the Senior Citizens Act of 1992 (Republic Act No. 7432).

Some five million senior citizens, defined as resident citizens of the Philippines aged 60 and above, will get the following:

• A 20-percent discount and exemption from the value-added tax on the sale of goods and services (medicines, medical and dental fees, transport fares, services in hotels and restaurants, admission fees in theaters and other places of leisure)

In case of discount promos, the senior citizens shall avail themselves of either the promotional discount or the 20-percent discount, whichever is higher.

• Mandatory PhilHealth coverage

Free medical and dental service, diagnostic and laboratory fees in all government facilities

• A monthly stipend of P500

For indigents, a P1,500-monthly stipend and free vaccination against the influenza virus and pneumococcal disease

• A five-percent discount on water bills (if consumption is less than 30 cubic meters a month) and electric bills (if consumption is less than 100 kilowatt-hours)

• Educational assistance for those who shall meet school admission requirements

To avail themselves of benefits, senior citizens should present their passport or other documents establishing their citizenship and age.

In case of death, the nearest surviving relative of the deceased senior citizen shall get P2,000.

The law also orders the Department of Health, local government units and other concerned organizations to institute a national health program for the elderly.

It also establishes an Office for Senior Citizens Affairs in all cities and municipalities, and a senior citizens ward in every government hospital.

First-time violators of the law face imprisonment of six months to two years and a fine ranging from P50,000 to P100,000.

For subsequent violations, the fine can go up to P200,000, and the prison term can reach six years.

Anyone who abuses the privileges granted in the law shall pay a fine of P5,000 to P50,000, and shall be jailed for at least six months. Cyril L. Bonabente, Inquirer Research

Source: www.senate.gov.ph

[silencer1972]

ayos na ayos tong law na to boss joe, boss red ace, tatay rod...... cno pa nga ba.......

[Rod_Colegado]

up ko lang.. baka meron kayong bagong nagbabagang balita .. ehehehe

Rod_Colegado

[Gab]

bagong balita tungkol sa akin.. hehehe.... may trabaho na ako.... kaya po mga sir pasensya na kung na na ako nakakadalaw dito sa ating munting tahanan... pero pipilitin ko parin po na makadalaw sa abot ng aking makakaya... kasi si misis din po eh nagtratrabaho din sa internet kaya minsan di talaga ako makaupo sa computer... hehehe....

god bless po sa inyong lahat...

[jaypee]

Iyan talaga ang nagbabagang balita Bro Gab! CONGRATS.

[Gab]

hehehe.... thanks... but i was diagnosed with hematuria...  kaya pahinga daw muna me ng 3 to 5 days.... water water lang then balik sa doctor for another urinalysis.....