The first day of Cyber Martial Law : I will not be silenced #NoToCybercrimelaw

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“The black tapes on our mouths symbolize the lack of freedom of speech when the Cybercrime law gets implement” – Lauren

The Cybercrime Prevention Act is now effective today , October 3. This law threatens our basic rights and freedoms. It works against ordinary netizens — bloggers, freelance writers, website owners, social network users. etc. — and disregards, among other things, our right to privacy and freedom of expression.

It saddens me to know that my daughter born on Freedom Constitution day (March 25, 1986) is now faced with Cyber Martial law because the Cybercrime prevention Act violates the right to free speech. I lived through martial law and I was overjoyed that my daughter was born free from the shackles of a dictatorship.

A month after the 1986 ““People Power Revolution,” President Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3 providing for an orderly transition to a government with a new constitution. It was popularly known as the Freedom Constitution. What a historical day to be born.


It saddens me, no wait., disappoints me that my daughter whom I introduced the internet when she was only nine years old in early 1996 faces this new law that unduly gives the Department of Justice extra-ordinary powers without due process of law to shut down websites on the Internet.

It is disturbing to read the Section 19 provision “When computer data [are] prima facie is found to be in violation of the provisions of this Act, the DOJ [Department of Justice] shall issue an order to restrict or block access to such computer data.”

I feel I didn’t fight hard enough for my children’s future when I see her tweet “It’s a sad time to be a Filipino living in the Philippines.”

It breaks my heart to see her tweet “I feel betrayed by the senators who voted yes to the #Cybercrime Law. I actually voted for some of you. ” It is a question most often asked by netizens. “Why did they vote for the CyberCrime Prevention Bill?”

How could you, President Noynoy sign this bill? I made noise together with some of your known supporters eight months ago.

I can’t believe you signed this …You of all people who won with the help of social media. I did not vote for you but my friends did. I would have thought you should have been on their side. Indeed like Marocharim stated :

It is a shame, to say the least, that a government in power – and empowered – by social media is the first to put limits on it. The political climate that brought President Benigno Aquino III and the lot of lawmakers in the Senate and the Congress was by and large shaped by the discontent in social media.

No, I will not be silenced.

Makibaka. Huwag Matakot!

STOP CYBER MARTIAL LAW

Photo credit to my daughter Lauren and Philippine Internet Freedom Alliance

Cobra Pinoy Hero Awards 2012: A tribute to everyday heroes

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Heroes are made not born. There are no automatic heroes. Sometimes it takes a lifetime of heroic deeds to make a hero. But there are everyday opportunities for anyone, even ordinary people, to become heroes. All we have to do is be aware of these opportunities.

One does not have to hold a high government position, be intelligent, charismatic or extraordinary. Most people can be heroic as the need arises.  Sometimes we just need to be inspired to move into action by being aware of everyday heroes.

 

(from left) Mark David Cerezo, Dionisio Abude and Leonilo Beltran

 

Take for instance the Cobra Pinoy Hero awards where three Grand Winners were chosen on August 29 at the Crowne Plaza. These three awardees are your everyday heroes with inspiring stories of strength, perseverance and determination.

The three Pinoy Heroes

Cobra Energy Drink capped its 3-month campaign of searching for everyday heroes from all walks of life wanting to share their experiences of victory over hardships, of giving back to those in need despite having little themselves. Around 2,000 stories were  gathered from this campaign . This is their way of taking a step towards nation building; in order to inspire Filipinos to be everyday heroes and take a step forward to become one.

Each of the three awardees embodied the greatness of a hero with their creativity, the passion  and courage to take on the awesome responsibility that came along their way.

Mark ““Rubberman” Cerezo of Marikina  learned to make sculptures out of trash and discarded rubber from shoemakers.

Police Superintendent Dionisio Abude from Davao took in the troubled youth with past crimes due to poverty and made it his mission to turn them into productive citizens.

Leonilo Beltran from  Baler,  Aurora, a former OFW electrician who founded Skills Caravan where fellow volunteers teach skills to out-of-school youth and jobless adults.

Other inspiring stories

The stories of the six other finalists need to be shared as well. Despite their limitations, these courageous men believed in themselves and made the choice to make a difference in their lives and that of others.

There is Ramil Junasa Jactin of Butuan City, a polio victim who conquered his disability in order to be able to teach and was lauded by Malacanang as an Outstanding Youth of the Philippines; Mark Eden Ellaga of Antique, a driven scholar and the very first Outstanding Student of Antique Awardee; Sherwin Abanilla who hails from Zamboanga is a volunteer of the Philippine National Red Cross Emergency Response Team and dreams of becoming a great leader someday.

Other inspiring stories came from; Benjamin Vidallon of Taguig who used to be a lumpia vendor and janitor but turned his life around and now works as a Call Center Agent and Spanish Translator.  There is Ariel John Villares of Zamboanga, a jeepney conductor and security guard by day and a working student by night. Finally we have Ramley Chio Dangla Cruz who hails from Balut, Tondo and works as a med rep but is also a volunteer firefighter/medic.

It is just fitting that the keynote speaker and presentors are heroes in their own right and wonderful role models in inspiring one to be a hero. Keynote Speaker and Presentor is Efren Penaflorida  made us proud by being named CNN Hero of the Year in 2009.  Co-Presentors  include Tony Meloto, founder of Gawad Kalinga, Illac Diaz, founder of MyShelter Foundation and proponent of the IsangLitrongLiwanag campaign as well as Major General Renato Garcia, Executive Director of the Help Educate and Rear Orphans (HERO) Foundation where Cobra Energy Drink has committed sizeable cash donations to be spread out in five years.

A pledge to work at being Everyday Heroes

 

Inside every one of us is a hero with skills that can make the world a better place. But how? if only everyone gained enough courage, creativity, perseverance and drive  to make this happen, then our world will be a better place to live in. No wonder the event ended with a Panata that a commitment will be made to work at being Everyday Heroes.

River Maya ended the event with their new single Pilipinas, Kailang Ka Magigising . Their lyrics ring true on raising awareness of bringing out the hero in each one of us. ““Sino ang magbibigay ng buhay , Sa minamahal mong Pilipinas”


 River Maya song  Pilipinas, Kailang Ka Magigising

The Cobra Pinoy Hero Awards is indeed a  tribute to these men and women who continue to inspire us to become better as a nation.  It is fitting that the Cobra Pinoy Heroes Awards recognized these everyday heroes during  National Heroes day  when the nation also recognize our heroes of the past.

Be inspired! Check out other stories in the Cobra Fan Page www.facebook/CobraPhilippines

Growing up with the Puruntong-Jones family

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Dolphy’s critical condition suddenly brought me back to memory lane when John and Marsha aired weekly on RPN Channel 9 in 1973. In the early seventies, there were not many TV channels and interesting shows. Nothing much to distract a 15 year old teener. The cast always have me in stitches with their antics and funny quips.


Puruntong-Jones family(clockwise from top left Matutina, Doña Delilah G. Jones, Rolly J. Puruntong, Marsha J. Puruntong,John H. Puruntong and Shirley J. Puruntong. Photo via wikia.com)

John and Marsha TV show “starred Dolphy,Nida Blanca, Dely Atay-Atayan and Maricel Soriano with a cast of include John Purúntong (Dolphy), his wife Marsha (Nida Blanca), their children Rolly (Rolly Quizon), Shirley (Maricel Soriano). Later episodes show John-John, and the nagging mother-in-law Doña Delilah (Dely Atay-atayan). It ran every week for 17 years until 1990. ”

Growing up with Puruntong-Jones family until I had my own babies is quite a long time.

So what makes it so funny? For those who have never seen the series, wikipedia gives this short description.

Marsha Jones marries the impoverished John Purúntong much to the dismay of her wealthy mother, Doña Delilah. Although her daughter married the unemployed John, Doña Delilah often paid a visit to their house along with her maid, Matutína. When money was required, she would tell her maid Matutína to go sweep peso bills off the floor. Despite this, John rejects all the financial help Doña Delilah offers his family, the result of which is a hilarious exchange of insults between the two. The show ends with Doña Delilah’s loud catchphrase “Kayà ikáw, John, magsumíkap ka!” (“Therefore you, John, have to work hard!”) to insult John’s capability as the father of the household. They end up making amends, giving each other abrupt hugs with Doña Delilah exclaiming, “Peace man!” to proclaim peace. (Source: wikipedia)

In my teens, I could not imagine marrying someone who had no job. I found the whole show quite shallow but still fun to watch. I guess it was meant to be a satire type of entertainment. Lessons learned back then was that marriage is not simply just loving each other. One needed a stable source of income to meet daily needs of a family. Another lesson learned is laughing can be quite a stress reliever.

There are now calls to bestow Dolphy with the National Artist Award considering his outstanding contribution in the entertainment industry for decades. Dolphy played other memorable roles outside of John and Marsha.

Dolphy deserves this award. Millions of us appreciated his work for many years. Growing up with the Puruntong-Jones family was very much a part of our lives. Though technical reasons will prevent the National Commission on the Culture and Arts from giving him the award this year, things can still be fast-tracked.

““we should give it to the man who made us laugh for decades.”

Timothy Bradley defeated Manny Pacquiao via split decision

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Timothy Bradley defeated Emmanuel ““Manny” Pacquiao via split decision to take Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welterweight title at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas earlier today.

In a stunning upset, the judges scored 113-115, 115-113, 113-115 in favor of Bradley, who remains undefeated.
Updated: Pacquiao loses to Bradley via split decision

A postfight analysis showed that Pacquiao landed 253 punches out of 751 thrown (34 percent). Bradley landed 159 punches out of 839 thrown (19 percent).

Pacquiao connected with 190 power punches, whereas Bradley landed 108.

Bradley himself seemed unsure of his victory.

“I have to go back to the tape and see if I won the fight,” Bradley said after the announcement.

Pacquiao’s last loss was in 2005 to Erik Morales.

Fight commentary

Bradley started aggressive and took the first round, putting Pacquiao off balance. Pacquiao soon found his range with multiple jabs and started landing his left by the second round, punctuating it with a flurry by the end of the fourth to get Bradley on the ropes. By the fifth round, Pacquiao started pulling away, his punches hitting with more weight and precision compared to Bradley’s. The Filipino champion managed to brush off Bradley’s shots while Bradley struggled to take the Pacman’s heavy hits. Pacquiao was able to finish strong each round.

Bradley wasn’t afraid to exchange blows but he got the worse of the exchanges as Pacquiao’s power overwhelmed him. Seven rounds in, Pacquiao has managed to come out on top on each flurry. Bradley put Pacquiao on the ropes again in the eighth, landing an uppercut.

In the ninth round, Bradley was still waging through with jabs but they were not as snappy as they were was in the beginning. His short uppercuts did find their way to Pacquiao’s body. Manny landed a hard left again in the last exchange, staggering Bradley.

In the tenth, Bradley mixed it up with rights to the body then a straight left, switching stances momentarily. Pacquiao slowed down momentarily, and Bradley landed a right at the end of another exchange as the round finished.

The eleventh round was highlighted by a one-two counter inside by Bradley, who was still jabbing, bringing the fight to Pacquiao. Pacquiao still landed power shots with his left. Commentators noted that Bradley needed a miracle KO punch to win entering the final round.

In the final round, Bradley began with a combination of three jabs and landed a hard hook to Pacquiao’s body, trying to keep his distance in the last. Bradley appeared content with getting out of the match on his feet, dictating the distance.

via Pacquiao loses to Bradley via split decision

Source of photo: Manny Pacquiao (left) goes on the attack against Timothy Bradley during their fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night (AFP/File, Joe Klamar)

A YEAR AGO on MAY 8, 2011


Source: New York Times

Today being Mother’s day, my husband decided to watch the live fight at home using livestreaming. He didn’t want me to be home alone on Mother’s day especially since the kids are away from home. Sad to say, our internet connection was so bad that the fight kept missing important scenes like when Mosley got knocked down. He didn’t miss much since the fight was boring anyway.

Even New York Times said so:

As Pacquiao and Shane Mosley tapped gloves, made small talk and generally engaged in a glorified sparring session, the crowd, once rowdy, once standing, once into it, simply booed.

When it ended, Pacquiao (53-3-2), the winner by unanimous decision, hung his head in victory. He did not look happy. Neither did the crowd.

A trending topic in Twitter was Jinkee Pacquiao, wife of Manny. She certainly bloomed. Thanks to Belo ?


I think it is her estimated 7 million pesos earrings that is causing the trending in Twitter.

I can’t blame her for keeping herself beautiful. It’s good for take care of oneself, especially as mother to her four children and wife to Manny. Mommy Dionisia, his mother must be proud of her son’s victory and that his son did not sustain injuries.

So that’s how we spent our lunch today. It was certainly sweet of my husband to stay home just to be with me.

So how did others react to Pacman’s win?

On the bikini facebook photos controversy of 5 STC Cebu High school students

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Updated October 23, 2014: SC junks Cebu ‘bikini students’ plea vs. school : In an 18-page decision, the SC’s Third Division denied a petition for the issuance of a writ of habeas data filed by parents of two of the five sanctioned students.

Update April 1: Is STC Cebu placing itself above the law by defying the TRO?

Check STC Student Manual Sec V. High School Policies on Discipline

Open Letter to St. Theresa’s College

The other side of the Coin: St. Theresa’s speaks out

Update March 31: Cebu school defends action

Update March 30 RTC Branch 19 Sheriff Manuel Gimeno and process server Rey Christian Matta (left) are denied entry at the gate of St. Theresa’s College where they were supposed to serve a temporary restraining order on school officials who blocked five high school students from participating in the graduation ceremony. Gimeno and Matta were unable to serve the order. The school turned away the five students involved in the controversy of photos uploaded to Facebook showing them in bikinis and allegedly, with alcohol and cigarettes. They were not able to participate in the baccalaureate mass and the graduation rites that would have capped their high school lives. See photo of sheriff turned away and this No graduation rites

—-

Virtue, science, and the arts are the seeds carefully planted in the student’s mind and heart – STC motto

That’s me 38 years ago after my High School graduation. A loyalist Theresian. I walked down the aisle of the St. Theresa’s College (STC) Cebu Chapel giddy with excitement that a new life awaited me in College. Nothing extraordinary happened the weeks before this momentous occasion.

It pained me to read the story of five girls who were initially not allowed to march on graduation day. My alma mater banned the girls from attending even pre-graduation rites because they were posing in bikini and posting their pictures online. The mother of one girl petitioned the court on behalf of her daughter. On Thursday, Judge Wilfredo Navarro issued a temporary restraining order on the STC’s sanction that applied to all the 5 students. The TRO said that STC must ““treat the minors with kindness and civility befitting true graduates of a respectable institution sans any discrimination for the entire duration of the commencement exercises.”

The offensive photos in Facebook

Having been in STC, I am aware how strict the school can be. During my time, someone had to measure how short our skirts were…that we should wear pantilets under our skirt and many more. I think shorts were not even allowed to be worn under our skirt. It was not feminine. Modesty was taught early on. I recall we had to wear a chemise or sando so that our bras will not be seen through the blouse. I think most Catholic girl schools have these rules.

Despite the strict rules, I appreciate the values and knowledge that prepared me for life.

Anyway, the school officials scolded the girls for posting their photos of themselves clad in bikini at their Facebook accounts. . The students said they ““were deeply hurt and cried” after being scolded by the officials whom they accused of humiliating them with abusive language calling them ““easy, drunks and addicts.” The girls say the photos posted in their Facebook accounts were about past events held outside the school and were not offensive. The school officials say the photos were considered by the school as ““offensive to the virtues” espoused by the Catholic school.

The sanction imposed on the students was based on the provisions in the STC Handbook. I am not sure if we had the handbook back then. I do recall we couldn’t go around town with our school uniform. In the handbook, STC bars students from drinking outside the school, engaging in lewd behavior and dress in clothing that exposes underwear.

Vague standards

Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (Scap) believes that STC’s Student Handbook violates students’ rights and the Constitution.

“One of the rules stipulates that students should not be ‘posing and uploading pictures on the Internet that entail ample body exposure’ among numerous provisions that impede on the private and personal affairs of their students.” Scap said in a statement.

University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Study director Sylvia Estrada-Claudio explained that the issue is an ““institutional problem.”

““Every institution, even private religious ones, need to think disciplinary rules through so that they do not end up with institutional mechanisms that provide vague standards for discipline that lead to discriminatory and cruel interpretations,” Estrada-Claudio said.

““The vagueness of ‘ample body exposure’ leaves the interpretation up to whoever is looking at the pictures. This allows school authorities such a broad latitude that it allows for arbitrariness. In this case this arbitrariness is now the subject of controversy and like many others, I think the student’s rights have been violated.”

Jerbert Briola of Human Rights Online Philippines said the sanction is a violation of Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act ““for causing psychological violence to the student” and that the school was ““harsh” for not allowing her to march on graduation day.

The parents plan to file charges of child abuse and “grave oral defamation” against the school and school officials.

Academic freedom

Academic freedom covers standard of conduct. The concept of academic freedom includes not just standards of academic performance but also of conduct and decorum. Every educational institution has the right to prescribe proper behavioral requirements.

But these standards must be reasonable, clear and made known to the students and parents beforehand. The standards of conduct of a respected institution like my alma mater STC Cebu which has been in existence for generations were crafted at a time when there was no social media as we know it today. Who could have foreseen the impact of Facebook?

Ideas of propriety and privacy are continually evolving and it now seems that the standards prescribe by STC are outdated. It might be time to review the code of behavior required of STC students. In the meantime, maybe a less rigid penalty can be imposed.

In this age of social media, this will not be the last instance of STC students posting comments , pictures in Facebook or other social media sites. It might be time for STC Cebu to accept certain realities and adjust to them in a positive and constructive way. Why call them out with abusive language as ““easy, drunks and addicts”? Name calling will not result in constructive engagement.

After all the values instilled by STC will remain with them for life and will not be destroyed by a mere error in judgment.

To this day, I carry the values that STC instilled in me. The school’s rallying cry is ““Let your light shine. Be a blessing to those in need, especially the underprivileged.” I hope these girls will not be traumatized and will rise above this pain. After all, a Theresian is a “woman of faith and a seeker of truth with a strong sense of mission” and as such will respond “creatively to the cry of justice and fullness of life.”

Come, Theresians, and acclaim,
St. Theresa’s glorious name.
Grateful hearts their tribute bear,
Loving lips shall sing for her,
For she stands among the rest
As a leaven for the quest.
Dearest home we stand for you.
Far or near our song rings true.
And our theme fore’er shall be,
“St. Theresa, hail to thee!”
And our theme fore’er shall be,
“St. Theresa, hail to thee!”
Photos via Chokyuhyn and tumblr post

Photos: Blogging and tweeting at the Senate Impeachment Court

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How did I end up covering the Impeachment trial? Has it all been worthwhile? How did I end up sitting it out for 5 hours or so 4 times a week since the middle of January 2012? I could be doing something else, travel around the Philippines, start a new home project or write a book. But no…I got hooked and never stopped watching, tweeting and writing.

All I know was I would be in Cebu with my two girls, enjoying the sunny blue skies and festive Sinulog Celebration. It never occurred that I should do a coverage . I blame Tonyo Cruz for asking if Blog Watch was covering the Corona Impeachment trials. When I told him there were no plans, he suggested we should do it to complement traditional media. I thought, “hmm maybe awareness of the impeachment process and being open minded”. I took the challenge.

Instead of the walk to the mountains on January 16, I cuddled up on my comfy bed at my hotel room covering Day 1 to day 4 of the Corona Impeachment trial in the afternoons. In all the 34 trial days, I think I only missed hearing it once. Well, I am not going to talk about the trial but about how it was in those 34 days. (here is Blog Watch Impeachment Watch coverage)

I never imagined myself covering the trial inside the Senate session hall. First of all, the Senate is at least an hour’s drive away. Secondly, I am not after news. Commentaries or features work best with bloggers like me. But I thought watching it in the Senate would give me the pulse of the audience as it goes live.

My first visit was showing my daughter (who was bound for Australia in a week) about the impeachment process. I liked that she was interested in our current affairs. It was also this day when PSBank President Pascual Garcia first testified at the Senate. It felt like watching a movie, filled with suspense as Corona’s account details were announced. I thought I’d hear 100 million pesos or something. It was just 20 million pesos best explained as Defense presents its evidence.

It isn’t a bad idea after all to be at the Senate Impeachment trial . I tried my luck applying for media accreditation. It was the first week of February and it seemed media dwindled inside the session hall. I got it without a problem since Philippine Online Chronicles (Of which I am features editor) issued me a media ID.

In early February , not many bloggers I knew were covering it inside the Senate Impeachment trial. I often came in early so I could get a parking slot. Media room is almost empty just before the trial. I use this when I arrive at 10:00 in the morning.

After the trial the corridor is lined with journalists waiting to interview the senator-judges or the lawyers. I don’t join the frenzy. I’d rather snoop a bit to hear if there is anything interesting.

Cameras line up for a press conference.

I just take a peek at the prosecution press conference.

Aside from being there as it happens , I wanted my own photos in my posts. Too bad I am not allowed to take photos as soon as trial starts. There is pool of photographers allowed to take photos during the session.

Watching the trial became more interesting when Leslie Bocobo and other social media users came regularly at the Senate. There’s nothing like sharing comments while the prosecution or defense asks questions.

Wenchie, another Blog Watch blogger drops by the Senate every now and then. It is good to exchange notes. Not all of us in Blog Watch share the same views. We do agree to hear all sides first before making a conclusion.

When Justice Cuevas came back after two days of rest, I asked how he was and told me he was getting better. I told him people in Twitter were praying he recovered fast. I then requested a photo so I could share it in twitter. He turned around gamely for this shot.

There are times I cannot help but nod off while watching the Corona Trial especially if the voice is in monotone. My coat does not warm me enough from the chilly temperature inside the Senate. I leave the session hall and wait it out at the lounge so I don’t get caught live on TV. Yes, I have been caught live once , frowning on something I read in my Tweet deck.

Cuevas the rock star is the most requested person to have a photo taken with.

Here I queue just to have one with him. I will not pass up my chance.

The sweet Justice Cuevas held my hand tightly as this photo was taken. I was visibly touched as he reached out for my ID tag and asked for my name. I guess because I kept asking him if he felt better.

One of the most confusing things that happen during recess or the trial ends is when prosecution and defense lawyers mingle. I always thought there was a dividing law somewhere in the center between these two groups. At the end of the day, all the lawyers are buddies. It is work after all.

I alternate sitting at the prosecution and defense gallery. When PSBank President Garcia took the witness stand, exasperated sighs could be heard short of saying “reveal the dollar accounts” or “why are you taking so long to reveal the numbers?”. While at the Defense gallery when LRA head Atty. Diaz testified, I chuckled over a comment “Ang computer na ang mag-impeach” to which a twitter user piped in and said “much like the plagiarism where Word was accused for it”.

At the end of every trial, it is a time to unwind , take more photos or just mingle with the people I know. I take the hot seat , imagining what it is like to sit it out there for hours on end.

But Rep. Farinas breaks my fantasy into “real-life” drama as he acts out the part of the prosecution. How funny he is. This could be his FAMAS best actor award.

I pretend to be in the Defense team.

I do the same as I sit in the prosecution desk.

On the last day , I bumped into Roxanne at the gallery. As a balikbayan graduate on vacation, I didn’t know the impeachment trial could be a tourist spot. Another pleasant surprise is she reads this blog. Such a sweet girl, she hugged me because she read my son’s story.

This lovely lawyer is someone close to my sister-in-law (a lawyer herself) so it is easy to talk to her. She also gets a lot of requests for photo ops.

My husband has always been telling me to talk to his friend and fraternity brother Prosecution spokeperson Rep. Miro Quimbo. I thought he was too intimidating so I never bothered. Well one day, I bumped into him at the elevator and introduced myself. Blame it on senior moment, I do not recognize Miro in a suit. He was always in t-shirts back then. Miro told me my husband was his mentor in Law School . Miro and my husband seems to be members of the Mutual Admiration society as they both have good words about each other. It totally escaped my mind that the last time Miro saw me was at the wake of my beloved son in 2000. (I was a recluse for many years) He said I look different now. Perhaps because I have moved on to this new normal. A lot of small talk and laughter as we talked about my dear old husband. He introduced me to Rep Sonny Angara who recognized me as @Momblogger in twitter. Awkward! I think I am quite critical when @sonnyangara tweets.

Talking to Miro made me reflect on how much I have indeed changed from 11 years ago. He saw the difference. How my grief must have evolved to doing something meaningful today. Like I often say, the death of my son gave me the courage to pursue and fight for my goals in life..

So perhaps I was meant to cover the Impeachment trial for a reason. This impeachment trial is a momentous and defining moment in the growth of our democracy. It is a significant opportunity for me to be a part of building on the gains we have made as a democracy.

But now, it’s time for a break.

Not a decision of men. In the end, God will decide

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“In the end, dear friend, it is always between us and God, not between us and them.” Mother Teresa

Pain has been a great teacher. I guess I can relate to pain of others. Losing my precious son, my mother , father and two siblings opens my heart to others in similar pain. Last wednesday , I arranged a meeting with Chief Justice Renato Corona and Blog Watch. Many things have been said about this man. Mostly horrible things. I wanted to know what he was like. CJ Corona does not appear charismatic in his public appearances. Perhaps that should be the case because he is not an elected official. A friend thinks that CJ Corona ” acts and speaks like a chief justice should – with utmost respectability and decorum after all, he is NOT a politician, concerned about “facade” or image.”

Talking to him offered me a glimpse of a mild-mannered man with soft spoken voice, but hurting from the demolition attacks from various interest groups. When asked how he felt from all these attacks, he said

““Nasaktan ang pamilya ko. Tao lang kami. Hindi ito madali. We are just human beings. We were insulted. Nilait kami on TV, on radio, in the papers. We were demonized. We were called names. My wife was demonized and we do not deserve this.”

My heart fell. Here was a man vilified by the Court of Public Opinion. How does he cope?

““Napalapit kami sa Dyos. We used to pray individually. I have become spiritual.”

Prayer was something that they used to do as a family but as the children got older, the practice soon fell through. Their US-based daughter joins the family prayer via Facetime. A priest advised him that to be blessed by God, one must learn to forgive. It must be difficult forgiving those that besmirched your private life and the family.

I believe in prayer. It’s the best way we have to draw strength from God. I also know how it is to turn to God when things are beyond our control. I have been there, helpless with the grief engulfing my life. Lifting the pain to God makes one feel the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders. Turning our worries into prayer works, but we must leave it in God’s lap and refuse to allow it to plague our minds. When things happen to me that are out of our control I try not to worry about it excessively, instead I offer my worries to God and trust that He will make things better for me.

This time around, I see Corona and his family are hurting from all the mud thrown about their private life , ““rather than a process to determine his guilt or innocence based on due process according to the rules of court.”

In those two hours I spent time with him, I was visibly moved with his sincerity that I almost teared. How could these unseen forces judge him when he has yet to present evidence? The horrible things said of Corona will have its day in the Senate Impeachment Court. Innocent until proven guilty. I just do not feel any bad vibes from this man. Now I understand the reasons why employees of the Supreme Court defend their Chief Justice. CJ Corona is highly likable person. I even met his wife , son and eldest daughter before the meeting and were all gracious and easy to talk to.

I am not saying CJ Corona is innocent. Let’s distinguish between Corona the person and Corona , the public servant here. It is not my place to ascertain if he is guilty of the Articles of Impeachment. That is the job of the Senate Impeachment Court.

Whether the Senate Impeachment Court delivers a verdict of acquittal or conviction, CJ Corona will accept it. He said, this is not a decision of men. In the end, he says ““God will decide.”

(Hope you read the posts written by other bloggers who got to talk with Chief Justice Renato Corona)

2011 Philippine Bar Exam Results

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2011 Bar results

Updated February 29, 2012 : 1,913 passed the 2011 bar exams. The 31.95% is the second highest passing rate in this millenium.

2011 Bar Examination results.- 1, 913 Passed

2010 Bar results

A total of 982 examinees passed the 2010 Bar examinations. Passing Percentage is 72.5%. The passing rate for 2010 is the second lowest in the past decade – next only to 2002 when only 19.68 percent passed the Bar exam. The Supreme Court added that a total of 4,847 examinees finished taking the tests in all 8 law subjects.
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Safety of medicines in children

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A TV commercial of a cough medicine caught my attention tonight as I settled down on the sofa after a long day. I cringed at the image of a wriggling bacteria on the teaspoon. Eww. Good thing I only give safe, proven cough medicines to my family. As a fussy mom with a Bachelors degree in Food Technology, I am quite aware about adverse effects of bacterial contamination especially in young kids with lower immune systems.

Two years ago, I wrote about the salmonella contamination in a peanut butter brand. Concerns about food safety have grown stronger and more far-reaching. I recall the milk products being distributed in the country that were found to have traces of melamine that can cause bladder or kidney stones. Melamine-tainted milk was blamed for four deaths and kidney stones and other illnesses in 54,000 children in China. Remember the pullout of food products from Taiwan that is suspected to be contaminated with plasticizer di(ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)? How could I forget the candy products with formaldehyde content found to be carcinogenic? There was also a noodle brand that was recalled from the market after the discovery of ““traces of salmonella”.

It is scary to see our children suffer from potential adverse effects from toxic ingredients but bacterial infections as well. It can range from an upset stomach to more serious symptoms such as fever and gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, which in severe cases, could lead to life-threatening dehydration. Safety is about more than keeping our children’s hands away from a whirring food processor blade. It means knowing how to avoid spreading bacteria, safe shopping, and more.

The thing is, bacteria is practically everywhere yet I am in control of things I can do. I know I have control over food products or medicines to purchase. I have control about keeping my house clean and making sure handwashing procedure is followed.

So I can see how herbal cough remedies can become contaminated from bacteria originating from the soil. In addition to the risk of bacterial and viral contamination, herbal remedies may also be contaminated with microbial toxins. How can I be sure that these herbal medicines conform to quality control standards from harvesting and production practices? Am I sure microbial contamination are at acceptable levels set by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration or WHO Guidelines for Quality Standardized Herbal Formulations?

Better to be safe than sorry.

Read more on the safety of medicines in children:

WHO Promoting Safety of Medicines in Children

The World Medicines Situation 2011 Traditional Medicines- Global Situation, Issues and Challenges

When an alleged rape slay is not just a news item

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A rape victim describes it…as ” something that happens to other people. We read about it in the newspaper, see reports of it on the TV, but once read or seen we move onto the next item of news. We dismiss it, forget about it. Yes, at the time of reading it or seeing it we may think “oh how awful” or “poor thing” but because it isn’t happening to us we can’t even begin to understand how it must affect someone’s else’s life, so it is easier to just dismiss it as just another tragic event. It happens.”

It happened to an extended family member.

ACV (let’s call her ACV), the wife of my nephew (the son of my paternal first cousin) is beautiful. Being sweethearts for three years, they decided to get married last year. Now with a two month old baby, they moved to a new place in San Pablo on January 1 this year. The year must be so promising as they chose January 1 as the move-in date. The transfer made sense since it is closer to their work. On their second day, A went outside their subdivision to buy cellphone load . It was only 8:00 PM. My nephew got worried when his wife did not return home. He could not leave their two-month old baby so called my uncle and aunt to help look for his wife. They arrived at 1:00 AM and started their search.

At 7:00 AM, my cousin (the uncle of my nephew) found A’s naked body in a vacant lot just 10 steps away from their home. I cannot begin to imagine the horror on my relatives’ faces.

Reading the news in the Inquirer website is even surreal. Rape is something I only watch on TV or read in the news.


“CAMP PACIANO RIZAL, Laguna, Philippines’ woman was found dead in a vacant lot in San Pablo City, Laguna, the police said Wednesday.

In a phone interview, De Castro said …. was last seen Monday evening when she left their apartment in Green Valley Subdivision in Barangay San Francisco to buy load credits for her cell phone.

At around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, a relative found the victim’s body dumped in a vacant lot inside the subdivision.

De Castro said … body bore bruises in the chest and head which may have been inflicted using a blunt object.

He said the victim was also found naked, leading police to suspect she was raped…

Police were conducting an investigation to find a suspect in the killing.”

I visited ACV yesterday. Speechless. Devastated. Horrified. No words.

Her chest bones were broken and her death was caused by the internal injuries. The criminals meant to kill her. I think two criminals were involved here.

In Philippine society, rape is a heinous crime but only punishable by reclusion perpetua, and not life imprisonment. Reclusion perpetua is prison for 20 to 40 years. There are still no suspects but A’s father told me they will certainly pursue a case.

Will ACV ever get justice? Will she be another statistic of unresolved crimes?

I will see what I can do to help. This blog post is a start.