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Buhayin ang magandang tradisyun ng Pasko; ingat sa manloloko

Simbang Gabi
Pasko na talaga. Simula na ng simbang gabi.

Maganda naman at buhay na buhay pa rin ang tradisyun ng simbang gabi, ang misa sa medaling araw. Paglabas mo ng simbahan, nandiyan ang puto-bumbong at bibingka.

Dito sa Manila, kape ang mainit na inumin. Three-in-one na. Sa probinsiya, salabat. Yung may kaya, tsokolate na malapot kasama ng ibos-suman at mangga. Ang sarap. Tamang-tama sa malamig na simoy ng hangin.

Ang ginagawa pa namin noon, nagsisindi ng mga naipon na basura na kadalasan ay dahon ng mga puno. Upo kami doon sa paligid ng apoy at magkwentuhan habang umiinom ng salabat o kape. Ang kape doon, kung hindi barako, kape ng bigas.

What’s Pacquaio take on his men’s boorish actions?

Michael Koncz grabs photographer’s shirt
Manny Pacquiao should be asked what he should do with his confidante and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez and adviser Michael Koncz who assaulted photojournalist Al Bello who was taking a picture of Pacquiao unconscious after he was knocked out by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.

The deplorable incident was captured on camera by Chris Cozzone and can be viewed at http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxing/manny-pacquiao-aides-allegedly-attacked-photographer-brutal-knockout-005405170–box.html

A Yahoo news report by Kevin Lole showed a picture of Koncz grabbing Bello by his shirt while the burly Fernandez kicked him.

Another picture showed an enraged Fernandez going down through the ropes running after Bello.

Aquino missed the chance of making Human Rights Day more meaningful

Missing since March 9, 2010
Malacanang’s enumeration of its human rights initiatives last Monday, International Human Rights Day, would have been more meaningful had President Aquino signed the proposed “Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012” which had been on his table for almost three weeks.
Fernando “Butch” Fortuna, Jr: his son disappeared more than two years ago.

Families of those who just “disappeared” from the face of the earth, most of them for their political beliefs, were fervently hoping for an early Christmas gift for the President. But alas, there was no such gift from the President.

Fernando “Butch” Fortuna, a taxi driver, tearfully appealed to the President to help find his son Daryl who was forcibly taken, with an female companion , Jinky Garcia, and Ronron Landingin, one evening in Masinloc, Zambales by men suspected to be members of the 24th Infantry Batallion of the Philippine ArmyB-PA while he was in an outreach activity in connection with his thesis. At that time, Daryl was a graduating student of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Paala-ala kay Pacquiao: hindi ka superman

Pacquiao crumples to the floor
Akala ko ang leksyun na nakuha ni Manny Pacquiao sa kanyang pagkatalo niya sa Mexicanong si Juan Manuel Marquez ay hindi siya superman at dapat na siyang mag-retiro.

Hindi pala. Gusto pa niyang lumaban ulit. Kaya pinag-uusapan na ngayon ang panglimang Pacquiao-Marquez fight. Baka sa Abril daw.

“I am going to rest and come back to fight. I would go for a fifth,” sabi niya sa interview sa kanya sa Las Vegas isang araw bago siya pinatumba ni Marquez.

Naloko na. Gusto yata maging gulay. Anhin niya ang kanyang bilyunes kung gulay naman siya.

Sabi ni Ronnie Nathanielsz, sports analyst, na delikado sa edad ngayon ni Pacquiao (magiging 34 siya sa Disyembre 17) , ang magpapatuloy sa boksing, isang sports na talagang bugbog ang katawan.

Sabi ni Nathanielz kapag tinitingnan niya ang coach ni Pacquiao na si Freddie Roach na dati ring boksingero at ang dating heavyweight champion na si Muhammad Ali, parehong may Parkinson’s disease, natatakot siya para kay Pacquiao.

Pacquiao shines in defeat

Pacquaio flat on the floor
While most were expressing their disappointment on Manny Pacquiao’s loss to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez (many even ridiculed him), Ace Esmeralda of Security Matters Magazine made this discerning note:

“The first person I saw who smiled after the knockout was Pacman. How he conducts himself now defines his true relationship with his new found faith. How we treat his defeat defines our own.”

Agree.

In defeat, Pacquiao showed his greatness. He offered no excuses. All he said was :” “I never expected that punch. He got me with a good shot. That’s boxing.Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

Kailan pa tayo matutoto na huwag abusuhin ang kalikasan?

Thanks to Yahoo for this photo.
Nakakabagbag damdamin ang nangyari sa Compostela Valley at Davao Oriental na talagang hinagupit ng bagyong “Pablo.”

Habang pinapanood , pinapakinggan at binabasa ko ang mga report galing doon, naisip ko,tayo na hindi tinamaan ng hagupit ng bagyong “Pablo” ay walang karapatang magreklamo at mamaktol sa mga problema natin.

Kung ano man ang ating problema – walang pera pangbili ng bagong IPhone o pinakabago na labas ng Samsung o kulang ang ating pang-Christmas shopping – wala yan sa kalingkingan sa hirap na dinaranas ngayon ng mga tao sa Davao Oriental at sa Compostela Valley na mismo ang kanilang evacuation center ay tinangay rin ni Pablo. Wala silang masilungan habang patuloy ang pag-ulan. Kahit sa pagkain at inumin kinukulang.

Lolarga and Silverio win 1st Chit Estella awards


By Eimor P. Santos, VERA Files

In death, Vera Files trustee and journalism professor Lourdes “Chit” Estella Simbulan continues to champion human rights campaign in the country.

The 1st Chit Estella Journalism Awards honored the best journalistic reports on human rights, Dec. 7. This is in line with the celebration of the National Human Rights Consciousness Week with the theme, “My Voice Counts in Ending Impunity: I Work for Human Rights-Based Governance”.

Babeth Lolarga
his year’s awardees were Ina Alleco Silverio of Bulatlat.com for her online story, “Three months after Sendong, Iligan residents still far from rebuilding their lives” and Elizabeth Lolarga of the Philippine Daily Inquirer for her print story, “365 political prisoners go on hunger strike”.

Links to winning stories:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/107101/356-political-prisoners-go-on-hunger-strike

http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/03/16/three-months-after-sendong-iligan-residents-still-far-from-rebuilding-their-lives/

The works of Silverio and Lolarga were chosen among seven other finalists, four from online and two from print which were all published between October 1, 2011 and October 1, 2012. The winners each received P10,000 and a trophy, funded by the Simbulan-Estella family, and co-presented by the University of the Philippines Department of Journalism and Vera Files.

Chit Estella Journalism awards focus on human rights reports

Congratulations to the winners in the 1st Chit Estella Journalism awards.

The awardees were Elizabeth Lolarga of the Philippine Daily Inquirer for her print story, “365 political prisoners go on hunger strike” and Ina Alleco Silverio of Bulatlat.com for her online story, “Three months after Sendong, Iligan residents still far from rebuilding their lives.”

The winners of the 1st Chit Estella Journalism Awards will be known Friday (Dec 7) in an event at the UP College of Mass Communications Auditorium that will also include a Memorial Lecture.

The Chit Estella Awards honor the best journalistic report on human rights in print and online, published between October 1, 2011 and October 1, 2012. Each awardee will be given a cash prize of P10,000 and a trophy.

This year’s finalists for online media are:

-Three months after Sendong, Iligan residents still far from rebuilding their lives by Ina Alleco Silverio

-Jonas Burgos, gentle and brave by Ronalyn Olea

-Privatization of government hospitals, further marginalizing the poor in the name of profit by Anne Marxze Umil

Ballet Manila’s Sinderela: poignant Elgar and dazzling Prokofiev


By Pablo A. Tariman,VERA Files

Stepmother and stepsisters with Sinderela
Ballet Manila has an interesting twin-bill for its holiday treat and with contrasting flavors at that.

It opened with an austere, if, poignant Sonata (choreographed by Osias Barroso) to the full music of Elgar’s Sonata in E Minor, Opus 82 for violin and piano. Providing live music is British violinist Robert Atchison with Russian pianist Olga Dudnik on the piano.

Sub-titled “Love’s Awakening With A Kiss,” Sonata is a complicated piece to interpret owing to the cerebral nature of the the music. But you actually warm up to both the music and the choreography as the story unfolds. Danced by Hana Oh and Harold Salgado with a corps de ballet, the Sonata wove its own magic when the music and the choreography found their common link. Salgado is a very competent partner and a very supportive one. A highly lyrical dancer with a luminous face is Hanna Oh whose subtle acting gave you a romantic clue as to what the piece is all about.

Aquino confirms appointment of Basilio as ambassador to China

President Aquino confirmed the appointment of Foreign Undersecretary for Policy, Erlinda Basilio as ambassador to China.

Following the is the transcript of the “ambush” interview”:

President Aquino Q: Sir, how soon will we name our next ambassador to China? Usec. (Erlinda) Basilio has been floated as a replacement.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Well, as soon as we will submit her name to the Commission on Appointments. Once they confirm (her), therefore, we can seek the—the French term was ‘agrément’—parang the agreement for the designation of Usec. Basilio as our new ambassador to China.

Q: So you’re confirming it is Ambassador Basilio?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Yes.