Too Many Filipino words for "Corruption"

Interesting blog post from my friend Tony.  Notice how many words Filipinos use to describe "bribe" or "corruption" in the Philippines? Suhol, lagay, padulas, tongpats, kotong, regalo, Christmas gift, pamasko, delihensya, pangyosi, love gift, pang-almusal, pang-tanghalian, pang-merienda, pang-hapunan, pang-birthday, pakimkim, kickback, porsyento, just to name a few.

Two Top Filipino Botanists Passed Away - Dr. Dan Lagunzad & Dr. Leonard Co

Two of the top and world-renowned botanist and conservationist in the Philippines passed away within a week, Dr. Dan Lagunzad and Dr. Leonard Co. Dr. Co while in the field, died in a crossfire between the Philippine Army and of communist guerrillas. Dr. Lagunzad died a few days later.

Survey says, Family is No. 1 Source of Happiness for Filipinos

According to a recent survey conducted by the NSCB, both Filipino men and women ranked families as their primary source of happiness. Health ranked second and religion ranked third. Income or financial security only ranked 9th and politics, technology, sports, community and cultural activities made it to the bottom five (see embedded video below and survey results here).

RP no more: The Philippines is now PH or PHL

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila today formally announced that it would start using PH or PHL as the official acronyms to refer to the Republic of the Philippines.

The Lecture Every Filipino Must Watch

I'm from UP so I was very inspired and proud to hear this lecture from UP Economic Professor Winnie Monsod. But I'm also living in the US so the speech also made me think (malaki na pala utang ko sa UP kasi full scholar ako).

Reproductive Health (RH) Bill Debate in the Philippines

Many believe that economic and social problems in the Philippines are caused by the country's high population rate. Current census indicates that the country has over 90 million people and estimated to grow exponentially in the coming years. This is why lawmakers formulated the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill that will provide reproductive health care programs aimed to slow down the population rate and distribute proper social services to everyone.

Is the Philippines Hopeless?

Thanks to my friend Vicki, I came across the article below by political analyst Daniel Wagner who finds the Philippines "hopeless." Interesting enough is the mixed reaction the article has generated from Filipinos around the world. See the comment section here and you'll see na mukhang mas madami yatang Pinoy ang napikon o na-offend. The article has some honest analysis of the Philippines, it's harsh and painful and it's up to you to decide whether you'll take it as an insult or a constructive criticism. I think going back to the creator and source of hope is the best solution to this "hopelessness" - considering the Philippines as a Christian nation, Filipinos should easily know who I'm talking about.

Are Filipinos too Critical of Each Other?

An observation I made about the Philippines regarding last weeks events, the hostage drama at the Quirino Grandstand and the 4th place win of Ma. Venus Raj at the Miss Universe Pageant was how critical and borderline unforgiving Filipinos are of each other. The Philippines worse critic are Filipinos.

Manila Hostage Crisis - Where Was God?

Sad and frightening news greeted my Monday morning with the hostage crisis in downtown Manila by former policeman Rolando Mendoza. Demanding to get his old job back, Mendoza held 22 Chinese tourists hostage inside a tour bus for more than 10-hours and fatally shooting several of them.

Rebirth of Ninoy Aquino

Today, August 21st is Ninoy Aquino's death anniversary. It was 27 years ago when the news of Ninoy's assassination at the Manila International Airport shocked many Filipinos and sparked a united revolt that will eventually put his widowed wife Corazon Aquino to be the next president of the Philippines ending the 20-year regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

First 50 days of President Noynoy Aquino

Today is President Benigno Aquino III’s 50th day in office, mid-way through the so-called “honeymoon period” with the public and the media.The questions now are these:

President Aquino Rejects Divorce in the Philippines

President Noynoy said divorce is a no-no and a Las-Vegas type marraige- married in the morning and divorce in the afternoon has no place in the Philippines. He made this remark while her very own sister, controversial actress and TV host Kris Aquino is going through a very public separation with husband James Yap. (Complete article embedded below or click here. BTW - please pardon the image I chose for this blog post I just thought its humorous).

Do Filipinos Rely Too Much on Government?

Blogger and online marketer Carlo Ople has one good response to Noynoy’s recent SONA, huwag masyadong asahan si Noynoy.

President Noynoy Aquino Delivers His First State of the Nation Address

Akin pong paniwala na Diyos at taumbayan ang nagdala sa ating kinalalagyan ngayon. Habang nakatutok tayo sa kapakanan ng ating kapwa, bendisyon at patnubay ay tiyak na maaasahan natin sa Poong Maykapal. At kapag nanalig tayo na ang kasangga natin ay ang Diyos, mayroon ba tayong hindi kakayanin? says President Noynoy Aquino in his first State of the Nation Address.

Aquino’s Truth Commission: Will justice be served?

Here's something to look forward to in the Aquino administration, earlier this month, the Truth Commission was formed to investigate and go after graft and corruption, human rights violation charges and other anomalies in the previous Arroyo administration.

Lindsay Lohan Goes to Jail

As Lindsay Lohan began her much publicized jail sentence this week, I was reminded of a quote from comedian Jim Carrey, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”

10 Thoughts On Lindsay Lohan and the Culture That Enables Her

The Lindsay Lohan case should prompt a meaningful discussion on how to preempt another loss of a talented but tormented celebrity.

The image of a child star in trouble is hardly new. Lindsay Lohan’s story has all the familiar elements: a dysfunctional upbringing, self-destructive patterns and an entourage of seedy characters. In Lindsay’s case the final outcome has yet to be decided unlike the stories of River Phoenix, Dana Plato and more recently Corey Haim.

Charice, 18, Gets Botox for "Glee" debut

According to this article from FoxNews.com, "Filipino teenage singer Charice Pempengco says she prepared for her debut on the hit TV show Glee by getting Botox and an anti-aging procedure to look fresh on camera."

If reports are true, this talented young girl got some bad advice from someone. I personally think she's too young for the procedure and it sends the wrong message to other young girls.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Sam 16:7)

State of Human Trafficking in the Philippines

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28).

Based on the recently released 2010 Trafficking in Person's report by the US Department of State, the Philippines still has a long way to go to combat modern human slavery.

Many Foreign Refugees Find New Lives in Manila, Philippines

This article from South China Morning Post was shared to me by my friend Vicky G. of Heirloom Rice. I feel proud and inspired on how the article put the Philippines in a very positive light. Reminds me of the words in Leviticus 19, When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Benigno Aquino Sworn in as New Philippine President

"Today our dreams start to become a reality - it's the end of a leadership that has long been insensitive to the suffering of the people"

Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino
President of the Philippines

Inaugural Speech of President Benigno S. Aquino III (with translation)

What do you think of President Noynoy's inauguration speech? I thought its very inspiring and straight-forward. Im sure many are still cynical but as I mentioned in my previous blog post my hope is that Filipinos will just continue to be prayerful and supportive to the administration God divinely appointed to the Filipinos.

Enjoy the Ride President Noynoy Aquino

The Philippines new President Noynoy Aquino will surely need our prayers starting today.

Remember the words of the apostle Paul: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Filipino Hospitality for Christ

Naaliw talaga akong tignan ang childrens outreach photos ng Gospel for Asia at ng dati kong home church na Kruz Na Ligas Baptist Church (KNLBC)- see embedded video below. More than 10 year din naging senior pastor ang dad ko sa KNLBC kaya memorable sa amin ang church na ito. Lagi kong naaalala sa KNLBC ang tradisyon nito noon na sa iba't ibang bahay ng miyembro pinag-lulunch ang pastors family pagkatapos ng bawat service. Syempre laging espesyal ang mga handa sa amin tuwing lingo kaya lagi ko itong inaabangan. Nasaksihan ko sa KNLBC ang isang epektibong paraan ng pagbabahagi ng Christian values sa iba na pinapractice na noon ng mga naunang Kristyano at alam kong kayang-kaya ng mga Pinoy - hospitality.

Ninoy's letter to Noynoy, "Son, the ball is now in your hands"

Thought I'll post the letter of the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino to his only son Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino Jr., from prison (Thank you Ramil Dizon for the link). To date, Noynoy is the leading candidate to become the 15th President of the Philippines. I've expressed many times in this blog my admiration to Ninoy and his worldview that sparked his bravery so I cant resist doing it again here. His letter to Noynoy was written 37 years ago but it still resonates today. My prayer is that with Noynoy's leadership, Filipinos around the world will be united to build a stronger democracy and instill self-sacricife in the Philippines. Ninoy's "impossible dream" was possible after all.

So What? Many Filipinos Optimistic About Quality of Life & Economy

Some good news, an exit poll conducted by Social Weather Stations shows that 49% of Filipinos are optimistic that their quality of life will be better in the next 12 months after the election while, only 2% expect life to be worse. As for economic outlook, 52% of surveyed Filipinos are optimistic, while 2% are pessimistic.

Manhattan Declaration: A Filipino Christian Blogger's New Gig

I accepted an invitation to be a regular contributor/blogger for the Manhattan Declaration’s new blog site. The Manhattan Declaration is a 4,700-word declaration defending the sanctity of human life, traditional marriage and religious liberty in the United States. The declaration was released on November 2009 in New York City and to date has almost half a million signatures in support. Moreover, the Manhattan Declaration is a growing grassroot movement of people taking a principled stand on critical moral issues.

GMA 7 Introduces the Hologram Effect in Election News Coverage in the Philippines

GMA 7 news coverage of the May 10th Presidential election introduces Filipino audience to the first hologram effect aired live in Philippine TV. It's the same technology CNN used for the first time in 2008 during the US presidential election (click here to see a clip). Its a switch from a typical split screen effect to a "live 3D" remote reporting from the station's field journalists.

Voting is a Sacred Duty: Philippine Presidential Elections, May 10

Filipinos are scheduled to vote this May 10th for the next President of the Philippines. Christians I believe should lead in heading to the polls and set an example to other Filipinos that casting a vote shouldn't be taken lightly. As Christians, our perspective should be voting is a sacred duty - God, after all, ordains our leaders.

Filipino Christian Blogger is Back!

That's me! - one of the many Filipino Christian bloggers online who's trying to blog their heart out for the Kingdom and influence other Filipinos for the King of Kings. After a down time of relevant blog posts due to my hectic Spring graduate school semester, I am now back in normal schedule and hopefully back blogging again.

WEEKLY BLOG #11: First Campaign 2012

This week's class assignment is to imagine the 2012 US presidential election campaign - what will it be like and what are key to win the White House. Definitely, Barrack Obama's campaign is the model or the ideal poster child of successful Web 2.0 presidential campaign. I expect that social media in the 2012 US Presidential elections will be still be dominant. All candidates will channel their inner Barrack Obama, and will try to emulate his election success through online grassroot organizing and social web campaigns. I see presidential candidates diving into new social media trends and grabbing every opportunity these new platforms has to offer to give them an edge and give their message more prominence.

WEEKLY BLOG #10: US Military Blogging - Good Idea or Bad Idea?

I personally think that military blogging should be encouraged. There is no doubt that the internet has power in informing and influencing the public on how all should perceive the United States military. I think the US will benefit if the military will utilize the technology as a tool to create positive perception and combat misinformation about their mission and activities on international territories.

Why Nga Ba Taglish Services in the Philippines Are So Dami and So Popular?

I was glancing through a Filipino church's website and noticed on the church schedule a Taglish Service. I checked the websites of other urban churches in the Philippines and saw what used to be the Tagalog afternoon service is now labelled as "Taglish." People (including me) have been using Taglish in churches for a long time, but officially labeling a service as "Taglish" is new to me so please forgive my ignorance or commentary if you go or your church has a Taglish service. I still can't get over the stereotypical story of a kolehiyala's encounter of a popular street food in UP Diliman every time I think about "taglish."

Our Blessed "Virgin" Lady Gaga

I've featured entertainment personalities in this blog before that are or were celibate (click here and here). But there's a new artist that's worth mentioning, Lady Gaga. Yes, you heard it right, Lady Gaga who's music videos were recently banned for offensive and high sexual content is now claiming to be celibate.

WEEKLY BLOG #9: Online & Japanese

This week's class assignment is to write about a country's blogosphere. I picked Japan as my subject not only because we're required to pick a country that begins with the first letter of our first name but also in honor of the 220,000 Filipinos living in Japan including my sister who is currently stationed in a US Air Base in the country.

WEEKLY BLOG #8: Power of the Crowd

Wikipedia uses the concept of crowdsourcing which according to the online encyclopedia is a a neologistic compound of "crowd" and "outsourcing" for the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing them to a group of people or community, through an "open call" to a large group of people (a crowd) asking for contributions.

RESPONSE BLOG #3: First Time Social Media Engagement is Like Your First Time Having Sex?

Call me old-fashion or prude but I wont go as far as Jason Mical's comparison of first time social media engagement to first time sex. Though I must admit his post on the subject was eye catching and quite entertaining (Warning: article contains mild profanity). Consider my response on first-time social media engagement for companies and businesses to be more conservative or modest in tone and content - suitable for children and the audience I'm trying to reach.

WEEKLY BLOG #7: In Wiki We Trust

I had a brief career as an encyclopedia salesman in 1995. We were trained to knock on doors and persuade people that they can trust the Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia for their school and home research. Once a lawyer bragged that he didn't use an encyclopedia in law school to become a successful attorney. My response, you're a judge by now if you used an encyclopedia in law school. I was immediately pointed out to the door.

RESPONSE BLOG #2: Can Presidential Candidates in the Philippines Rely on Social Media to Win?

The festive atmosphere during Philippine election campaign is at its peak. Candidates are busy doing campaign staples such as song-and-dance numbers, baby hugs, TV appearances, autograph signing and photo opportunities to earn more vote on May 10th election day. Many of the presidential candidates are also channeling their inner Barrack Obama with the use of social media to win a presidential election. All of the 10 presidential candidates and their running mates are online selling their platform and personalities on popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Friendster, Multiply, Twitter and Youtube.

WEEKLY BLOG #6: Welcome to Second Life

I did it! I signed up for Second Life today. Second Life as Business Week puts it "is one of the many so-called massively multiplayer online (MMO) games that are booming in popularity these days. Because thousands of people can play at once, they’re fundamentally different from traditional computer games in which one or two people play on one PC.”

WEEKLY BLOG #5: Who's Scared of Google?

If you can't find answers to your questions, what do you do? You, "Google it!" If someone asked you a question and you don't know the answer? You say, "Google it!" The fact that Google has become a vocabulary of its own, is proof that Google's influence to the public is widespread.

PERSONAL BLOG #3: Drought Perils the "8th Wonder of the World"

According to this report, the world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces and the entire town of Banaue in Ifugao province has been placed under a state of calamity due the continued drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon. The lack of rainfall and invasion of large earthworms made rice paddies vulnerable to erosion thus affecting the livelihood of many farmers in the Cordillera region.

WEEKLY BLOG #4: The Long Tail and a Deadly Tale

As a marketer, applying the Long Tail, a concept developed by Wired Magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson means implementing new marketing techniques to build markets and a successful business. The Long Tail suggest a new way to generate profits, to sell less of the popular items and sell more of the unique and hard-to-find. This new model relies on niche communities as target consumers and to sell to them requires heavy use of online and word-of-mouth marketing strategies in social media networks and virtual communities.

RESPONSE BLOG #1: The Dancing Inmates of the Philippines are Back! But is it for Good?

The dancing prisoners of Cebu in the Philippines are back. This time one of Michael Jackson's choreographers was flown in from the U.S. to teach inmates a new dance routine to top their original "Thriller" performance in 2007 that made them an instant viral video sensation.

PERSONAL BLOG #2: Buying Sex is Not a Sport

The Olympics is a time to celebrate human excellence and sportsmanship, but it also exposes the worst in human behavior. An event unknown to many that takes place during large sporting events like the Olympics is human sex trafficking -- a dirty little sport played mostly by male tourists that victimizes many innocent women and children. According to a report by The Future Project, an anti-human trafficking organization in Canada, the sex trade grows exponentially during the Olympics. The number of sex trade victims doubled in 2004 during the Athens Games and still hasn’t returned to pre-2004 levels.

WEEKLY BLOG #3: Changes on the Way People Communicate Changes Society

Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations is a book I just started reading on what happens when people are given the tools to do things together, without needing traditional organizational structures. Author Clay Shirky elaborated a fascinating thesis that we’re now going from a world where the media’s role to inform changes to a new role of sharing and collaborative action to bring change. Shirky also noted that changes on the way people communicate changes society (more on embedded video below).

PERSONAL BLOG #1: Celebrating Tim Tebow

The pro-life movement almost went nuts over Tim Tebow's Super Bowl ad aired last Sunday. Below is the clip and you decide if commercial was worth the fuss. Tell me what's so controversial about it? Personally, I didn't see anything divisive, political or anti-choice on the ad.

WEEKLY BLOG #2: Will the World's First Blogger Please Stand Up?

Names that claims to be the world's first blogger is shady. As CNET News said, 

Awarding the bragging rights a the first blogger is more than a little tricky because the definitions of "blog" and "blogger" are slippery. Any definition should probably include posts sorted by date, with the newest posts at the top and the rest archived for future use. 

WEEKLY BLOG #1: The Cluetrain Revolution

I just started reading the "Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business As Usual" for class. The book was published a decade ago but the essence of the book remains current and applicable to this day. Cluetrain Manifesto has 95 Theses that serves as  the "golden rules" a company should live but in order to be succesful in their business. But the theses can be summed up into three main points: (1) Market are conversations; (2) the internet is about giving the public a voice; and (3) understanding and engaging in the conversation can lead to results organizations want.

Pessimistic About Smartmatic?

Public cynicism toward politics seems to be an all-time high. Many express disgust for the political process and many are unhappy with the corruption and dishonesty that are expected to occur during election season. That’s why I am hopeful that COMELEC is boldly going where no Philippine election has gone before, automated polling.

Psyched 100 Days Before the Philippine Elections, May 10

I'm totally psyched this week because of my social media class at Georgetown. I'm ready to learn from my professors and begin hands-on application of the various social media platforms online. We're required to write 18 blog posts and I'll be posting my blog assignments on the The Living Rice in the next three months or so - please pardon me if you see entries that are not related to what I usually post on this site (requirement lang po sa eskwela).

Would You Allow a Bronze Statue of Barrack Obama in the Philippines?

I posted a question on Facebook that I want to publish here on the blog. Apparently, our neighbors in Indonesia are debating if a bronze statue of a young President Barrack Obama should remain displayed on Jakarta’s Menteng Park. Obama was known to live in Jakarta when his mother married an Indonesian man in the late 60’s. The statue was unveiled near the elementary school Obama went to and was intended to inspire young Indonesians to dream big. Opponents of the statue which are mostly organized through social media argue that a statue of a native Indonesian should be honored instead of Barrack Obama who is an American. They also claim that Obama has not yet played a significant role in helping Indonesians nor has any important connection to the country except for knowing a few Indonesian words.

Epigenetics and Sin

TIME magazine's cover story on the new science of epigenetics examines evidence that environmental factors like diet and stress can make an imprint on ones gene's without changing the DNA, and can be passed down from one generation to the next.

I still can't wrap my mind around the possible implications of epigenetics on the "I was born this way" argument, commonly heard from many claiming genetic predisposition for behaviors such as homosexuality and sexual infidelity. But the article reminded me of the numerous Biblical warnings about sin and its consequences passed down from fathers and succeeding generations.

Are You Smarter than Flipper?

If tuna is the “chicken of the sea,” dolphins may soon be labeled the “non-human person of the sea.” According to this report, scientists are suggesting that because dolphins are so bright, they should be treated as “non-human persons" and qualify for "moral standing as individuals."

Sex DOESN'T Sell

I found an interesting article from the American Psychological Association's (APA) journal, released late last year, that proves sex in the movies doesn’t sell. According to their research:

Pray for Haiti

Raw footage of the earthquake that hit Haiti found on Youtube recently reminds me of the 7.7 Richter scale earthquake that devastated the northern Philippines in 1990 that killed more than 5000 people.

Marriage Contract Expiration Date: Deal or No Deal?

GMA 7 news reported that Filipino feminist group, 1-ABAAM were proposing a 10-year expiration date on marriage contracts and failure to extend the contract automatically makes the marriage null and void (click here to see video report). Though I know the effort is a long shot from ever happening, the subject can still be considered alarming since proponents and their liberal agenda made it to prime time local news.

Adapting from an article I read, the assault on marriage  "uses the rhetoric and language" of choice and the marketplace to make it sound attractive and convenient to everyone. The market rhetoric is a subtle disguise on a group's extreme liberal agenda and their goal to create the perfect independent woman. This worldview is deceptive and dangerous to Filipino families.

What do you think will happen if marriage simply become a "contract" and stopped being a holy matrimony? Its anything goes! Both parties are free to negotiate and demand terms of their contract. Instead of the solemn vow made before God and the community, it becomes a "business deal" where the main rule is to get what I want and get the best end of the deal. It will weaken important values such as generosity and self-sacrifice essential to a healthy family. Because it will encourage selfish actions and destroy families, expiration dates on marriage contracts is a "NO DEAL!"

Lessons from Kimmy Dora

The last few days of my recent Christmas vacation was spent catching up on the Filipino movies I missed in 2009 with my wife. One flick that I made sure I get a glimpse of was the Kimmy Dora. An indepedently produced comedy which stars Eugene Domingo, Ariel Ureta, Dingdong Dantes, et al. The positive reviews the film got commending the lead actor, script writers and director were well deserved. The film was well done and was truly entertaining.