Pinoys executed in China

Three Filipinos, Ramon Credo, Sally Ordinario-Villanueva and Elizabeth Batain executed in China , Wednesday, March 30, 2011, for possession of illegal drugs and suspected drug trafficking.  One of them plead guilty while the others seemed to be innocent victims of drug syndicates.  The laws of China are stirct and there was no way to save them from their fate inspite of the Philippine goverments pleas and requests.  The glimmer of making big money with least effort is simply too attractive to ignore, especially for those who are in a financial fit.

Looking at the Philippine situation when it comes to possession of illegal drugs, manufacture of it and drug trafficking, offenders are no longer worried of death  penalty when caught.  Anti-narcotics agents frequently arrest Chinese nationals for those offenses but I can't recall any instance that China interceded in their behalf and there is a reason on why.

The Filipinos go abroad to work abroad or try to find a decent one.  The Chinese nationals that are arrested because of illegal drug offenses in the Philippines are actually in the country for that purpose!  A good majority of them are not documented!

Some Filipinos abroad are forced into something illegal when in tight situations.  There is a saying in the country, "Ang taong gipit ay kuma-kapit kahit sa patalim" (A person in a tight situation will even hold on to a knifes blade).

Note:  They were all arrested separately in December 2008.  If the Philippines investigated they might have found out the syndicate and not wait for the last minute to appeal! 

Update:  Mapet Cortez a.k.a. Tita Cacayan recruiter of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva reportedly submitted herself to the NBI for investigation as she allegedly could not take in her conscience on what happened.  Why come out only now when the poor victim is already dead?

The first online anicom series soon to be launched some time in April 2011.  Entitled "S.A.G.I.P." is a coprighted script October 19, 2004 in the Philippines.  This fiction was inspired by a case where an OFW was taken hostage in the Middle East and really took a long time before he was freed.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni0dzqjk2Qs

Earthquake prediction by Oarfish

A YouTube interview of Jim Berkland Earthquake Prediction 2011 mentioned the Oarfish a few seconds before ending.  The Oarfish is considered to be the longest fish that can grow up to 56 feet long while regular length is  around  30 feet!  An interesting trait of this fish is that they hold themselves straight up and down in the water, that is vertical and not horizontal.  They are rare because they can only be seen in the deepest regions of the oceans.  The fish does not have commercial value and the meat is inedible.

The Oarfish might be able to 'predict' earthquakes that will happen near the seas or undersea but not for inland earthquakes.  Seismic waves hardly travel well through water as not all types of seismic waves can travel through it.  So, it seems practical that only the Oarfish can probably 'sense' an impending tremor because of its upright position and length!  Furthermore it is solid and chances with its upright stance, the 'tail' could be touching the ocean floor frequently.  It therefore can feel the seismic wave go through the length of its body!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110318/sc_ac/8084134_can_a_rare_deep_sea_fish_predict_earthquakes

 

Common Philippine Crabs

Curiosity made me search online and research crustacean cook books about crabs.  Unfortunately there was so little about edible crabs and if common Philippine crabs would have those that thrive in freshwater.  Wikipedia only described and distinguished four of them:  Alimango (Mud or Mangrove Crab); Alimasag (Blue or Spider Crab); Talangka (Shore or River Crab) and the Katang (Fresh water Crab).  Both Talangka and Katang are much smaller related to the Alimango.

CLICK photo for site where posted

The Alimango is the largest among the four kinds of crabs.  Having large pincers is the easiest way to distinguish them from the Alimasag.  Their shell is thicker and tougher to crack.   They can really grow large and I have seen at the Palawan Iwahig Penal Colony inmates selling them almost the size of dinner plates!  The crabs are caught or trapped in rice paddies of the colony.  With this I can conclude that those are freshwater crabs because rice would not grow in saltwater paddies.

CLICK photo for site where posted

The Alimasag is relatively smaller than the alimango with slender pincers and thinner shell.  It has more meat and 'less compartments' containing them compared to the alimango.  The 'compartments' are very thin shell-like within a crab when you open them.  The pincers are easy to crack by even just biting through them. 

CLICK photo for site where posted

The Talangka and Katang are small look-alikes of the Alimasag.  Many Filipinos simply love the fat extract of these crabs preserved and sold in wide-mouthed bottles.  Another recipe liked by some is the Burong (Pickled) Talangka.

The regular way in cooking the crabs is simple.  While fresh put them inside a covered cookware, salt them generously to bring out their flavor then heat over medium fire.  They would be ready to eat once their top shell has turned orange in color.

Baguio City No Smoking Ordinance

Fortunately I saw two friends this morning along Session Road that has been closed to traffic for the last week of Panagbenga.  Incidentally the three of us are smokers and it is only the other one who told us that the Baguio City No Smoking Ordinance covers all public spaces including streets and parks.

The latest articles that showed on my search about the ordinance was dated December 7, 2010 and December 10, 2010.  The articles were about the ordinance and not the ordinance itself and only referred to "Republic Act 9211 (Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003)or the Clean Air Act and the Comprehensive Anti-smoking ordinance of Baguio".  Another one, "Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act to achieve 100% smoke free environment".

What was clearly stated in the articles, the ordinance bans smoking in all public places, including pedestrian overpasses and public utility vehicles.  The articles also mentioned that "No Smoking Signs" will be displayed to make people aware of it.  For the past weeks, I have walked up and down Session Road several times and on other sidestreets but not a single sign and most of the time I was smoking.  Also there were many others who were smoking, maybe also unaware as I am.

I respect the non-smokers.  However, how will one abide by the ordinance or law if it does not clearly state or define the public places?  Many times it is not reliable to listen to people who just hang around listening and making gossips and hearsays.  What seems to be right for them is often exaggerated if not wrong.

EDSA Peoples Bloodless Revolution

There are only a few of us who realize and finally have analyzed what the EDSA peoples revolution 1986 was about.  True, Ferdinand Marcos would have plundered the nation in his years in power.  But comparing to what the Philippines is in now and what it was then before 1986, I would have preferred it then.  There were unscrupulous people close to Marcos that time, that he was not able to control.  Former President Fidel Ramos would have been a better Chief of Staff than Fabian Ver!  There is a video on how Ver reacted during the EDSA Revolt and his actions obviously showed how he wanted to hang on to power.  It was Marcos cool head that was calming Ver!  That alone is a very good example on why and how the military abused the trust of Marcos.  Former Pres. Ramos knows that with Enrile, and would have been the real cause of their going against Marcos.

Having been close to a family of one of Marcoses trusted people in government, there was really no ill-intention from the side of Marcos.  It was just those kiss-ass people and those who wanted to get rich quick who ruined Marcos' plan for the Philippines.  He was simply 'handcuffed' by the people to whom he owed something, favor or whatever.  He could not control them anymore.  In my personal opinion, that was the case in the assasination of Benigno Aquino Jr.,  Marcos would not be that stupid to mastermind the assasination because he knows it will be against him.

Who was the culprit that masterminded the assasination?  Your guess is as good as mine.  To narrow down the guessing, who are those who would lose most if Benigno Aquino Jr. was able to live through?  Very few of them in government but it will be more of those business people living the luxury of their lives without Ninoy!  Just check who they were before during the Marcos years, what and where they are now.

Having been in business during the time of Marcos and now, is a far cry.  As long as you did not cross the line with the military then everything is good.  Now, cross any line between big business people and the military whatever you do will be in jeopardy!  Crimes before were not as how they are now.  Criminals now can get all kinds of firearms and do their thing!

The EDSA Peoples Bloodless Revolution just changed the people in power and doing the abuse.  A repeat of history has happened with Gloria Arroyo becoming president then Noynoy Aquino now.  My best bet to be the next president is Bong-bong Marcos.  The repeat of history with Bong-bong might just be the best after all the others.

Latest Earthquake events Feb. 16 to 24, 2011

After days of searching for information about the earthquakes that shook Baguio City, I finally found it at the Philvlocs website but I had to go through  USGS first navigating the site.  It makes me wonder why news about the tremors could not link us directly to the site with information and relevance.  Well, here I am and done it for those interested on information about earthquakes in the Philippines.

Below is what I copy/pasted from the Philvolcs site for the time frame as stated in the title:


Philippine Standard Time (PST) is eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). (PST = UTC + 8H) UTC is the time standard for which the world regulates clocks and time.
Earthquakes in this list with their date and time underlined in blue have reported felt intensities. Intensity ratings are based on the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale.
Magnitudes in the list are color-coded: below magnitude 5.0 (M < 5.0) are in black, magnitudes 5.0 but below 6.0 (5.0 ≤ M < 6.0) are in blue,  magnitudes 6.0 and above (M ≥ 6.0) are in red.
DATE  - TIME               LATITUDE   LONGITUDE   DEPTH   MAGNITUDE       LOCATION
(PST)                           ( °N )        ( °E )      ( km )      ( Ms )
24 Feb 2011 - 02:22 AM         08.96       126.60       040          2.6         045 km S 71° E of Tandag (Surigao del Sur)
23 Feb 2011 - 02:30 AM         17.48       119.73       033          2.6         074 km S 82° W of Vigan, Ilocos Sur
22 Feb 2011 - 09:55 PM         18.20       120.88       009          2.7         032 km S 89° E of Laoag City
22 Feb 2011 - 08:42 PM         12.56       122.57       022          2.0         002 km S 03° W of Romblon (Romblon)
22 Feb 2011 - 12:20 PM         14.09       120.41       112          2.6         024 km N 86° W of Nasugbu (Batangas)
22 Feb 2011 - 10:10 AM         14.13       120.39       108          4.7         028 km N 75° W of Nasugbu (Batangas)
22 Feb 2011 - 06:06 AM         06.14       126.14       021          2.9         089 km S 05° W of Mati (Davao Oriental)
22 Feb 2011 - 02:09 AM         17.65       120.05       011          2.9         038 km N 78° W of Vigan (Ilocos Sur)
20 Feb 2011 - 12:00 AM         09.48       125.21       004          3.2         036 km S 79° W of Mainit (Surigao Del Norte)
19 Feb 2011 - 10:20 PM         11.37       124.99       005          3.5         011 km S 32° E of Santa Rita (Samar)
19 Feb 2011 - 07:43 PM         18.59       119.38       012          3.3         137 km N 63° W of Currimao (Ilocos Norte)
19 Feb 2011 - 10:27 AM         08.30       123.31       007          1.5         032 km S 6° W of Dipolog City
19 Feb 2011 - 08:10 AM         14.32       120.29       113          4.5         049 km S 34° W of Balanga (Bataan)
19 Feb 2011 - 02:46 AM         12.94       123.46       016          2.9         014 km N 78° W of Dansol (Sorsogon)
18 Feb 2011 - 08:39 PM         11.63       124.26       001          3.7         013 km S 61° W of Kawayan (Biliran, Island)
18 Feb 2011 - 06:28 PM         09.96       125.90       034          3.1         027 km N 37° W of Dapa (Siargao)
18 Feb 2011 - 06:20 AM         16.49       120.53       014          5.0         009 km N 61° W of La Trinidad (Benguet)
18 Feb 2011 - 05:42 AM         09.54       125.26       010          3.5         036 km S 45° W of Surigao City
17 Feb 2011 - 02:25 PM         16.45       120.55       023          2.8         006 km N 83° W of La Trinidad (Benguet)
17 Feb 2011 - 02:25 PM         16.34       120.50       008          3.1         007 km S 12° E of Baguio City
17 Feb 2011 - 11:54 AM         16.40       120.53       009          3.3         008 km N 68° W of La Trinidad (Benguet)
17 Feb 2011 - 01:51 AM         12.22       121.82       007          2.3         063 km S 52° W of Romblon (Romblon)
16 Feb 2011 - 11:51 PM         11.85       125.46       001          3.6         027 km N 07° E of Borongan ( Eastern Samar)
16 Feb 2011 - 09:33 PM         08.41       122.34       032          3.4         113 km S 80° W of Dipolog City
16 Feb 2011 - 04:13 PM         03.44       126.59       075          4.5         337 km S 28° E of General Santos City

Reference:  http://earthquake.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/update_SOEPD/EQLatest.html

Baguio Earthquakes - Feb. 17 & 18, 2011

Baguio City has been struck by quite strong earthquakes within 24 hours, from the afternoon of Thursday, February 17, 2011 and early morning of February 18, 2011.  A search I did on the USGS does not show any information on the two successive tremors on the afternoon of 02/17/2011.  What only shows is the one of 02/18/2011 and here are the details:

Magnitude    4.7

Date-Time    Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 22:20:53 UTC

                     Friday, February 18, 2011 at 06:20:53 AM at

                     epicenter

Location      16.520°N, 120.410°E

Depth          52.8 km (32.8 miles)

Region         LUZON, PHILIPPINES

Distances    25 km (15 miles) WNW of Baguio, Luzon, Phil.

                    55 km (35 miles) N of Dagupan, Luzon, Phil.

                    130 km (80 miles) NNW of Cabanatuan, Luzon,

                    Phil.

                    220 km (135 miles) NNW of MANILA, Phil.

Mild intensity Earthquakes that occur in Baguio reminds those who experienced the devastating 7.4 tremor of July 16, 1990, the fear it has struck in their minds.

Related Story/Report.

Suicide of Gen. Angelo Reyes

The events surrounding Gen. Angelo Reyes' death is a question to many of us.  Was it really because he was guilty or was he unable to sustain a military officers' sanity in the state of depression?  It is a difficult situation to say in what state of mind he was in.  Normally, a well schooled officer, dedicated and one who has made achievements in the military profession will not ever consider suicide in the worst of conditions.

My personal conclusion is this:  He wanted to give his family a convenient and good life that is why he did whatever he did, except suicide.  Military people don't get a decent income compared to sacrifices they have to do, so don't blame graft and corruption if ever they get into it.  A story told by my deceased geologist brother was about really hungry troops coming from a tedious patrol, wanted to buy produce bound for market.  They were willing to buy at the fair market price!  The vendors declined.  It was at that point that the military people pointed their guns at the vendors to sell!

WTF, is this what they say as military abuse? No!  It is the people who force them to do that!  Just imagine that they were protecting these same people who are now denying them food and nutrition!  In  Gen. Angelo Reyes case it might or could be the same except for the fact that he did not have the balls to get his act together.  His side of the story could be a similar story to what I have just narrated here.  It is really difficult to justify ones actions with suicide.

A short history: Raiders of the Sulu Seas - History Channel

The History channel showed a documentary about what was claimed then as pirates of the Sulu seas from Mindanao, Philippines.  The documentary was on how these raiders were actually plying their trade before and during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.  This bit of history would not have been taught and learned from Philippine history subjects in school.

The Spanish established their colony on the southern tip of Mindanao in Zamboanga.  Fort Pilar was constructed with ten (10) meter-high wall fortification all around. This was the base of the Spaniards to facilitate their trade.  Zamboanga is very close to Basilan, the Tawi-tawi and Sulu group of islands and the Maguindanao area where there we three different tribes of seafaring Filipino Muslims.  The three tribes were known as Balangingi-Samal, Ilanuns and Sultanate of Sulu, all which were employing Taosogs who were excellent warriors.

http://www.zamboanga.com/arts_and_culture/Icelle_raiders_of_sulu.htm

The three tribes are not really pirates during the times they were plying their trade of capturing people and selling them as slaves.  Slave trading was a business then and they were not raiding ships in high seas.  What they did was go and land in different shores posing as fishermen.  Without any warning, draw their 1-meter long swords and take as many slaves as they can.  Once captured, the slaves’ palms are punctured and tied to each other. The slaves are loaded in their 25 to 27 meter by 6 meter boats that has 30 to 34 oarsmen and sails.  It was said that their boats were the fastest that Spanish Galleons could not even give chase.

The History documentary was actually focusing on how the tribes were able to organize a flotilla of a hundred ships or more with more than 3,000 men.  This happened when the three tribes connived to raid Fort Pilar.  The Spanish were stricken with fear upon seeing the number of boats and the army they were to face.

How were the hundred or more boats gathered?  Well, the three tribes had some sort of a pact on how to go about their business and employing Taosogs as their warriors.  One tribe could set out to sea with a few boats then drop-by each of the several bases of the tribes along the shores.  They would call upon all available seafarers to join the expedition.  As they go along, their numbers grow.

The slavery trade of the three tribes ended only when the Spaniards ordered three steamboats from England.  The steamboats were faster, easier to navigate and had various armaments to take on the tribes.  Spaniards were now able to chase and follow the boats to their bases and conduct raids.  It was said that the conflict between the tribes and the Spaniards did not stem from business or trade but was more on belief, religious belief.

Panagbenga 2011 Schedule

It took me some minutes to search for the Panagbenga 2011 Schedule before I got to the web site.  In case you reach my page first here is the schedule: (this post is linked to the Panagbenga website - just click on the title to get there if you need more info. Thanks)

Horoscope Zodiac signs shift

For a few days now, news at Yahoo almost always includes the change of Earths rotation that could affect a shift of some peoples' zodiac sign or probably fall under the 13th Zodiac sign Ophiuchus.  The article says that there are or were changes of positions of the zodiac constellations in the sky with the change in rotation of Earth.

A quick reference is copy/pasted below on the 'alleged' zodiac sign shifts including the months and dates they cover:

"According to the Minnesota Planetarium Society, here is where the real signs of the Zodiac should fall. Get ready for your world to change forever.

Capricorn:      January 20-February 16.
Aquarius:       February 16-March 11.
Pisces:           March 11-April 18.
Aries:            April 18-May 13.
Taurus:          May 13-June 21.
Gemini:          June 21-July 20.
Cancer:         July 20-August 10.
Leo:              August 10-September 16.
Virgo:            September 16-October 30.
Libra:            October 30-November 23.
Scorpio:         November 23-29.
Ophiuchus:    November 29-December 17.
Sagittarius:   December. 17-January 20."

The article about this I have shared at FaceBook for friends to check if their zodiac sign has changed.  Those who took note and had changes believe they are still in their original zodiac sign.

Frost on Vegetables

This article was prompted after watching on TV news how frost is affecting vegetable plantations in the Cordillera Region.  The cold spell in the region starts some time every December until around mid or late February the following year.

The first time I went to Atok, Benguet where vegetable plantations are severely affected by frost, was in  January or Febraury of 1980.  It is part of the area I cover as a medical representative with a pharmaceutical company.  The Halsema Highway roads then were really terrible and you'll be glad to be on some very rare paved roads just a few meters long.  I was still not issued a service vehicle at that time, so I had take the bus.

Mystery Mountain thanks to http://cordilleraonline.com

 My job requires me to stop at every medical clinic or emergency hospital along the road to promote our medical products.  The entire trip up to my final destination, Bontoc, Mt. Province is just around 120 kilometers but it would take about 6 to 8 hours, depending on loading and off-loading of passengers and baggage.

Atok is only about 25 to 30 kilometers from Baguio City where I started off at 4:00 in the morning.  When the bus was entering the boundaries of Atok, it was very visible that almost anything exposed to open air had some frost!  Green grass and Pine trees were not as green as they should be.  It never came to my mind that the vegetable plantations would be affected by frost.

After I alighted from the bus, I took the time first to touch the frost on grass and leaves around the hospital.  Maybe people watching me then saw how ignorant I was.  Well, it was the first time for me and I had to feel if it was true or if I was still in slumber and just having a wonderful dream.

Filipinos relying on Luck

Many people around the globe believe in luck.  I have not lived in any country outside my own, the Philippines, and that's the reason for this luck blog!  The word "Luck" is "Suwerte" or "Swerte" in Tagalog or Pilipino.  There are many superstious beliefs in our country that may be 'indigenous' or copied from other cultures. The Philippines has been host to several 'rulers' and/or influences like the Chinese, Spaniards/Portuguese, Americans and Japanese.  But, mind you, the Filipinos might just have more superstitions when it comes to luck as against the combined superstitions of all the other cultures and countries.

Here are some, I believe, to be genuine Pinoy superstitious beliefs when it comes to luck:

• Sweeping away floor dirt out and towards the main door of the house.
• Cutting of finger nails at night.
• Paying out money or a debt at night.
• Leaving much unfinished food on dinner plate.
• And, many others they claim that should not have been said or done in some hours of a day.
• Also, some religious beliefs  or superstition that may have something to do with luck.

There are times that they might seem to be 'believable' - but checking on circumstances surrounding them could be a contrubutory factor.  Most of the the time some event that would look like miracluous is equated to luck.  Luck, as I see it is, happens to the right person at the right time and under some special right circumstances that could only be attributed to the previous 'rights'.

Luck for New Year

Maybe most people are looking for anything that would give them luck for every New Year.  The kinds of luck they look for are different, like: luck for love, luck to have children, luck for health and, most of all, luck for money or wealth.

A popular source of what luck New Year brings is the horoscope.  There are many forecasts and predictions with both the regular zodiac and Chinese zodiac.  Some people also rely on fortune tellers who have a high success prediction rate and even pay for their services!

What I find funny every year, especially in the Philippines, are people believing in luck for New Year with round objects like coins, round fruits and red.  This belief, I believe, originated from the Chinese.  Television stations come up with features about these round things bringing luck for New Year.  Often it is a feature in their news programs.  It is funny because almost all families who can afford it will buy all the round fruits suggested to bring luck for the following year!

The question is, how come they can’t come up with people who bought these fruits and say they were really lucky for the year that passed?  They should at least explain to their audience that the luck they should expect is not more on winning in the lottery, get a high-paying job, landing a big contract or winning big or grand raffle prizes.  Have you ever heard anyone who really hit the jackpot attribute their luck on those round objects?

What kinds of luck should people be thankful for after every year:

• That they are alive and kicking.
• Did not have any real bad health concerns.
• That everyone they love is still around and in good health.
• Was not fired or laid off from work.
• Luck enough to survive the year unlike others worse misfortune.

Those round things will not give the luck that you might be craving for.  Only very few or maybe only one will hit real good fortune out of luck.  The luck for New Year is really on the person and the people that matter most to them.  

Happy New Year and Good luck for 2011!