Armond's Loops

EKSODO AT NASYONALISMO: Chasing Apples, Growing Mangoes

2010-10-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Ano’ng balita sa radyo at TV?

Ganun pa rin. Kumakapa sa dilim.

Minsan naisip ko na umalis na lang dito.

Limutin ang lahat. Lumipad. Lumayo.

~Bamboo (sa kantang Hallelujah)

Sa henerasyon kung kailan nauso ang mga kantang may temang pag-ibig, K-Pop, mga revival, at kung kailan naging mahalagang puhunan ng bawat mang-aawit ang itsura at alindog ng katawan (Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, atbp), nariyan pa rin ang mga sumapanganib lumikha ng mga awiting tagos sa damdaming nasyonalismo -- na kadalasang hindi na kinakagat ng kulturang popular. Isa sa kakarampot na mga manunugtog na ito ay ang bandang Bamboo, isa sa mga tumulong magpasiklab ng aking pagiging makabayan. Kahanay na rin nila, sa aking palagay, sina Ely Buendia, Noel Cabangon, Francis Magalona, atbp.

Ngunit kapansin-pansin ang pagbagsak ng bilang ng mga ganitong uri ng kanta. Dahil na rin siguro sa pag-usbong ng Western music, K-Pop, atbp., ay humina ang marketability ng mga manunugtog dito sa atin. Pinasok na rin ng ating mga recording companies (Viva, Star Records) ang industriya ng revivals, acoustic versions, at P-Pop (Pinoy-Pop, hango sa Korean-Pop) matangkilik lamang ng mga kapwa Pilipino ang sariling atin. Nagmistulang instrumento ang Pop Girls, XLR8, si Princess, at ang karamihan sa mga sikat na Pinoy artists natin ngayon upang mapalago ang bagong mukha ng OPM. Nabura na di-umano ang orihinalidad sa mainstream. Sumabay sa agos ng popularidad na dala ng ibang bansa.

Para bang naubusan tayo ng mga solusyon at ang tanging kasagutang nakita natin para buhayin muli ang sigla ng OPM ay ang sumakay sa ibang bansa.

Ito ang repleksyon ng kasalukuyang lipunang mayroon tayo. Dala ng mga rumaragasang problema at kahirapan, ang kadalasang nakikitang solusyon ng mga Pilipino, maliban sa dasal, ay ang mangibang-bansa. Ito’y ayon sa Pulse Asia survey¹ noong 2008 na pinamagatang “Crunch Time and the Filipino Household.” Handa tayong magpaalipin sa ibang bansa makaramdam lamang na kakarampot na ginhawa.

* * *

Noong ako’y nasa ikaapat na taon sa hayskul, kabi-kabilang dilemma ang hinarap ng ilan sa aking mga kaklase patungkol sa kursong kukunin sa kolehiyo. Maswerte ako kasi hinayaan ako ng Nanay ko na pumili ng anumang nais kong kunin. Pero hindi sila. Ang gusto ng mga magulang nila ay Nursing o di kaya’ay Engineering. Palibhasa’y malakas daw ang demand sa ibang bansa.

Maging ako’y di nakaligtas sa mga ganitong uri ng habilin. Tinanong ako noon ng aking guro kung anong kurso ang nais kong kunin. Journalism ang sinagot ko. Di ko pa rin makalimutan ang biglaang paglaki ng kaniyang mga mata sabay sabi, “Journalism? Walang pera sa pagsusulat! Mapaphamak ka pa. Mahirap pa mag-abroad sa ganiyang trabaho.” Tumango na lamang ako.

* * *

Eksodo Ng Mga Propesyonal At Manggagawa

Brain drain, n.²

The migration of educated or talented people from less economically advanced areas to more economically advanced areas, especially to large cities or richer countries

Mahigit tatlong siglo rin tayong sinakop ng mga Kastila. Sinundan pa ito ng limang dekada sa ilalim ng mga Amerikano. Dahil nawalan tayo ng kapangyarihan sa sariling lupa, nawalan din tayo ng kapangyarihang mapalago at mapaunlad ang sariling bansa. Sinamahan pa ito ng daan-daang taong pakikipagsapalaran upang makamit ang kalayaan, ang pandaigdigang economic depression noong 1930, at ang destruksyon na dala ng ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig.

Sa ilalim ng mga Amerikano lumawak ang pampublikong edukasyon sa Pilipinas na nagdulot ng pagdami ng mga unibersidad at kolehiyo. Noong 1956, pumangalawa ang Pilipinas sa may pinakamataas na literacy rate sa buong mundo⁴. Katunayan, ang bilang ng mga nagtatapos sa kolehiyo ay mas mataas pa sa kayang suportahan noon ng ekonomiya ng bansa. Magpasahanggang-ngayo’y ito rin ang problema ng bansa.

Sa tulong ng 1965 US Immigration Act at ng pagtaas ng demand ng mga propesyunal sa Middle East, nabigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga Pilipinong magamit ang kanilang pinag-aralan upang kumita³. Dekada 70 nang tanghalin ang Pilipinas bilang pangunahing suplayer ng mga doktor at siruhano sa

. Mahigit isang libo o 53.1% ng mga imigranteng doktor sa

noon ay nangaling sa Pilipinas.⁵Sa sumunod na dekada patuloy na dumagsa ang mga manggagawang Pilipino sa Middle East. Sa dahilang ito, itinayo ang Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) noong 1982 upang maitaguyod ang overseas employment program at upang mabigyang pagpapahalaga rin ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa at ng mga propesyonal.

Ngayon, kabi-kabila na ang mga trabahong maaaring pasukan ng mga Pilipino. Maliban sa pagdodoktor, pwede na rin mag-abroad bilang guro, caregiver, entertainer, construction worker, madaragat, IT professional, inhinyero, domestic helper, at marami pang iba. Global na kung tutuusin tayong mga Pilipino. Mapa-US, Canada, Middle East, Asia, Australia, Oceania, o Africa ay nandoon tayo. Basta’t may oportunidad ay kinakagat natin.

Mahigit-kumulang 4,500 Pilipino ang umaalis ng bansa kada araw⁶. Hindi bababa sa labin-isang milyon (o 10% ng ating kabuuang populasyon) ang bilang ng mga Pinoy na nasa labas ng bansa⁷. Kaya nga kung Pilipino ka, imposibleng wala kang ni isang kamag-anak na nagtratrabo o tumitira sa abroad. Yan na rin ang bagong tatak ng modernong pamilyang Pilipino: may katas ng banyagang pera.

Mas mataas na kita

Nagsulputan ang mga call center dito sa Pilipinas. Ayon sa tala ng Call Center Directory of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), 788 na ang mga nakatayong call center sa bansa sa mahigit 20 mga siyudad. Sa kasalukuyan, pumapangatlo ang Pilipinas sa industriyang ito (kasunod lamang ng

India

at Tsina) sa Asya at pumapang-anim naman sa buong mundo⁸. Ang dahilan: mababa ang pasahod sa Pinas.

Ang karaniwang sweldo na tinatanggap ng isang call center agent ay 12,000 hanggang 18,000. May mga sari-saring benepisyo pa. Mababa pa iyan para sa mga kapitalista. Gustong-gusto nila ang mga marunong magsalita ng Ingles pero mababa ang pasahod⁹. Less expenses, more income ika-nga. Third-world countries ang kadalasang tina-target ng mga ganitong uri ng negosyo. Kaya hindi nakapagtatakang umuusbong din ang industriyang ito sa

India

Kung tutuusin, mataas na ang sweldong ito para sa isang Pilipino lalo na’t hindi kinakailangang nagtapos ka sa kolehiyo. Kung ikukumpara sa isang nagtapos ng Nursing, di hamak na mas may kikitain ang isang Pinoy sa pagsusunog ng kilay bilang call center agent. Php6000-13000 lamang ang buwanang sahod sa mga nurses dito sa atin. Ang reklamo tuloy ng ilang kasapi ng Philippine Nursing Association noong 2007: bakit daw mas mataas ang sahod ng mga call center agent kaysa sa kanilang nagbuhos ng pera at ilang taon upang maging registered nurse.¹⁰

Likas din ang pagiging family-oriented sa ating mga Pilipino. Breadwinner ang sinumang makakuha ng desenteng trabaho sa pamilya. Pero minsan, mababa na nga ang sahod, marami pang kaltas. Maliban sa kaltas ng tax, nariyan din ang kaltas para sa kamag-anak na may sakit, kaltas para sa kapatid na nag-aaral, kaltas para sa magulang na hiniwalayan ng asawa, kaltas para sa kamag-anak na nawalan ng trabaho, at marami pang kung anu-anong kaltas. No choice, eh. Marami talagang umaasa sa sinumang may stable income sa pamilya. Paano pa kaya kung may sariling pamilya ring sinusustentuhan?

Pero kung nasa

ka, USD6,700 ang kikitain o mahigit-kumulang tatlong daang libong piso buwan-buwan bilang nurse.¹¹ Halos 40 beses na mas mataas sa kinikita sa Pilipinas. Buong-buo ang maibibigay na suporta sa sinumang nangangailangang kapamilya. May sobra pa.

Sweldo rin ang isa sa mga naging dahilan ng 25 na mga piloto ng Philippine Airlines noong Hulyo 2010 upang magbitiw at pumunta ng Middle East. Triple sa sahod na natatanggap nila sa Pinas ang kasalukuyan nilang tinatamasa. Ito rin ang naging problema ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) nang ihayag nila noong Agosto ang pangingibang-bansa ng 89 na geologist sa nakalipas na tatlong taon. Maging ang Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) ay nabibiktima rin ng lumalalang brain drain. Dalawamput-apat na miyembro ng kanilang workforce ay nagsipag-abroad na rin. Naging pahirap sa ahensiya ang paghahanap ng kapalit sa umalis nilang spokesperson na si Nathaniel Cruz o mas kilala bilang Mang Tani.¹⁴

Mas maraming job opportunities

Ayon sa ulat na inilabas ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) noong 2009, dalawang daang libong nurse ang naipro-produce sa bansa taun-taon. Samantalang ang naghihintay na trabaho para sa kanila ay 2,500 lamang.¹²Mismong DOLE ang umaming wala silang magagawa sa pangingibang bansa ng mga nurse. Ang maipapayo na lamang nila sa mga may balak kumuha ng Nursing ay ang maghanap ng ibang kurso.

Sa kaso naman ng mga doktor, walang overproduction pero may problema sa distribusyon. Kapansin-pansing karamihan sa mga doktor ay matatagpuan lamang sa mga metro. Hanggang ngayo’y problema pa rin sa mga probinsya ang kakulangan sa mga serbisyong pangmedikal. Mahal na nga, malayo pa. “Una sa lahat, kaunti lamang ang mga posisyong maaaring pasukan sa probinsya,” wika ni Dr. Marilyn Lorenzo na isang propesor sa UP College of Public Health.¹³ “Gustuhin man nilang pumunta ay wala ring mangyayari dahil wala ring naghihintay sa kanila,” dagdag niya.At dahil sentralisado na ang mga medical services sa bansa, nagkakaroon din ng kompetisyon. Pangingibang bansa tuloy ang nagiging resulta.

Kompetisyon. Ito ang siyang bumubuhay sa industriya ng brain drain. Hangga’t may kompetisyon sa pera, hangga’t may kompetisyon sa paghahanap ng trabaho, hangga’t buhay ang kompetisyon sa pagitan ng kaginhawaan at kahirapan, buhay ang brain drain.

* * *

“Bakit kailangan mong mag-abroad ‘te?” tinanong ko kay Ate sa gitna ng katahimikan ng aming pag-aalmusal.

Nakahanda na ang kaniyang passort noon. Aprubado na rin ang kanyang migrant visa at nakabili na siya ng tiket para sa kaniyang flight. “Diba sabi mo pangit ang mga serbisyong medikal dito sa Pinas? Eh di mas kailangan ka ng bansang ‘to kaysa ng Australia. Maayos naman ang healthcare nila dun eh,” dagdag ko. Ang totoo, ayaw ko lang siyang umalis. Ilang taon din niya akong pinaghandaan ng masasarap na ulam, pinaglabhan, pinagplantsahan, pinagpayuhan, pinakinggan. Nag-e-emo lang ako.

Pareho na lang kaming natawa sa kakornihang nasambit ko. Mabuti na lamang at sinakyan niya ako. “Loy (palayaw ko), wala nang pag-asa dito satin. Huwag mong sabihin hindi mo kami susundin ng asawa ko sa Australia. Pakiusap doon ka na magtrabaho pagkatapos mong grumadweyt sa UP. Pag nandoon ka na, mapepetisyon na natin si Nanay. Hindi pa nakakapag-abroad yun. Kawawa naman siya kung puro siya trabaho. Mas maganda Loy kung sama-sama tayo. Huwag na tayo magpaka-slave pa sa sistema dito sa Pinas. Para din ‘to sa magiging pamilya mo,” sagot niya.

“Ayoko. Mas gusto ko pa rin dito. Diba after 5 years pwede mo nang ipetisyon si Nanay? Kayo na lang. Ayokong sumama,” nagtunog makasarili ako.

“Hay naku Loy! Magtatampo talaga ako sa’yo. Kung gusto mong makatulong sa country natin, edi sa Australia ka muna.Magpakadalubhasa ka doon. Siguro pagkatapos ng ilang taon pwede ka nang bumalik dito. Reverse brain drain, diba?”

* * *

Nasyonalismo

“If you are going to help this country, you’ve got to be in the country.”

~Prof. Solita Monsod (sa huling klase niya sa Econ 100.1)

Ayon sa 1973 Constitution Proclamation 1102 (sa ilalim ng panunungkulan ni Marcos), tatlo ang mithiin ng edukasyon sa bansa.¹⁵ Una, to foster love of country. Pangalawa, to teach the duties of citizenship. At pangatlo, to develop moral character, self discipline, and scientific, technological and vocational efficiency.

Kabayanihan

Hinding-hindi makakalimutan ang kabayanihan nina Lapu-Lapu, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, at ang daan-daang Pilipino, mapalalaki o babae, na nagbuwis ng buhay makamtan lamang ang kalayaan mula sa mga dayuhang mananakop. Kalayaang napagtagumpayan din. Kahanga-hanga ang di-mapigilang pag-usbong noon ng damdaming nasyonalismo.

Itinuturing ngayong mga bagong bayani ang mga OFW dahil malakas ang tulong na naibibigay nila sa pagpapaunlad ng ekonomiya. Mahigit sampung porsyento ng kabuuang ekonomiya ng bansa ay mula sa mga OFW remittances o mga padalang pera galing sa abroad.¹⁶

Gayunpaman, hindi raw madali maging OFW. Marami nang kaso kung saan ang asawa’y kailangang lumisan para makapagtrabaho bilang domestic helper sa Singapore o kaya’y manggagawa sa Middle East. Pamilya ang naiiwan – mga anak, ang asawa, at pagmamahal.

At hindi lahat happy-ending ang kinahihinatnan. Dahil sa pagkawalay ng asawa, kadalasa’y nauuwi ang lahat sa pakikiapid. Minsan nama’y nagiging rebelde ang anak. At kung buong akala’y masagana ang buhay sa labas ng bansa, minsan nandoon pa ang sakripisyo: ang mga mapang-abusong employer, mababang pasahod, illegal recruitment, remittance taxes, contract substitution, atbp.

Bahala nang maisakripisyo ang lahat, makaramdam lamang kaunting kaginhawaan ang pamilyang sinusuportahan. Likas na mapagmahal ang Pilipino sa kanyang pamilya.

* * *

Mag-aabroad nga ba talaga ako? Para ba akong traydor kung iiwan ko ang bansang ito?

Hindi ko rin talaga alam kung papaano sagutin ang tanong kong ito. Hindi naman ako pinipilit ng bansa ko na tumira dito. Pero patuloy pa rin akong binabagabag ng konsyensya at pagmamahal sa bayan.

Totoo kaya ang sinabi ni Ate na wala nang pag-asa pa ang bayang ito? Ang pangingibang-bansa ba ay bahagi na ng kulturang Pinoy? Luho nga lang ba ang pagpunta sa abroad o ito’y isang pangangailangan na?

Gradeschool pa lamang ako ay pumasok na sa aking kaisipan na ang pagtratrabaho sa ibang bansa ay parang pagpapaalipin din sa mga dayuhan. Pero marami pa rin sa atin ang nais magpaalipin sa ibang bansa para sa kaginhawaaang hindi kayang ibigay ng bansang ito. Kung gayo’y hindi nagtagumpay ang ating mga bayani. Walang independence. Dahil ang totoo, dependent pa rin tayo. Magpasahanggang-ngayo’y umaasa pa rin tayo sa financial aid galing

at mula sa mga karatig bansa. At para bang ang masaganang buhay ay posible lamang kung tayo’y mangingibang bansa.

Kung gayo’y kailangan pa ba natin ng isa pang Jose Rizal o Andres Bonifacio para makamtan ang tunay na independence?

Iniisip ko: paano kung yung 11,000,000 na mga Pilipino na nasa labas ng bansa ay bumalik dito sa Pilipinas? Ano kaya ang gagawin nila dito?

Baliktarin natin ang sitwasyon. Ang nurse halimbawa na gumastos ng ilang daang libong piso makapagtapos lamang sa kolehiyo at nagsikap pumasa sa boards ay piniling magtrabaho sa bansang ito. Pinangibabawan siya ng kanyang pagmamahal sa sariling bayan. Hindi siya ‘nagtraydor.’ Pero ang sweldong kanyang tatanggapin ay hindi pa sapat para suportahan ang edukasyon ng sarili niyang anak. Hindi kaya siya ang pinagtraydoran?

Hindi kaya ako pagtraydoran?

* * *

“You can’t force people to stay. All you can do is provide the environment for them to stay.”

~Diosdado Banatao, pilantropo at negosyante sa Silicon Valley

BATIS

¹Filipinos migrate during hard times. Inilathala October 16, 2008. Inquirer.net

²Brain Drain. Wiktionary. Pinuntahan noong Oktubre 10, 2010

³Alburo, Florian A at Abella, Danilo I. Skilled Labour Migration from Developing Countries: Study on the Philippines. Nailathala sa International Labour Office, Geneva.

⁴Pido, Antonio J.A. The New Immigrant Wave: Brain Drain Philippinos. SOCIETY - Volume 14, Number 6, 50-53, DOI: 10.1007/BF02712518

⁶ Santos, Kara. Death Penalty Dashes Migrant Workers’ Hopes. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51383. Pinuntahan noong Oktubre 11, 2010

⁷ Overseas Filipino Workers as the Philippines’ New Heroes. http://www.philippine-travel-guide.com/overseas-filipino-workers.html. Napuntahan noong Oktubre 11, 2010.

8 http://www.gmanews.tv/story/63053/Philippines-still-top-BPO-destination---consulting-firm

9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_center_industry_in_the_Philippines

10 http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=473025

11 http://getrichtalks.com/top-5-reasons-why-most-filipino-professionals-want-to-work-overseas/

12 http://nursingcrib.com/news-blog/the-philippines-produces-200000-nursing-graduates-yearly/

13. http://visayas.up.edu.ph/upforum.php?issue=34&i=299

14 http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/exodus-of-skilled-workers-leaves-philippines-struggling-to-get-ahead/389695

15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Philippines

16 http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/feb/13/yehey/opinion/20090213opi1.html

Try Konami Code in Facebook

2009-10-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

I just learned about the Konami Code from my professor in Computer Science. I thought this code is worth sharing (although some of you already have knowledge about this). In case you're wondering what this is, it's but a cheat code. It does nothing essential but it may present something interesting or perform some tricks or tweaks.

Konami code sequence:

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, ENTER (for Facebook)

This code, popularized by the Japanese, originally started from Nintendo's Gradius but was popularized under Contra, also from the same console. Because of the difficulty of its levels, most players relied on the Konami Code. Once all the keys have been pressed in order, players will be granted 90 additional lives. Contra became so popular that even this Konami code rose to popularity. Many games started adapting this code including Castlevania, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Dance Dance Revolution.

Believe it or not, this code was not only adapted in games. Today, websites like Facebook and Plurk have added a Konami Code integration. What happens when the Konami Code is applied? The effects vary. Some sites pop out some animations. Others may direct you to an underground link. The possibilities are limitless. It's for us to explore!

ESPN.com

Unicorns shroud the webpage of ESPN in funky-girlie style once the Konami Code is applied. Image is from this link.

Try doing the Konami Code in Facebook and see what happens!

Explore a list of webpages with Konami Code integration here :

Store or backup your files online!

2009-10-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Backup your files online!

Thanks to those pesky computer viruses, our data files can easily get corrupted. Even with an armament of antivirus softwares installed, viruses still find ways to get pass through our defensive softwares.

Our portable storage devices like USBs won’t even do. “Evil” experts have made it a medium for virus multiplication.With just one plug, you can lose all your saved files.

A safer alternative for backing up files is through the INTERNET. Yes, this is true. Some of us may have even tried this before through mail, e.g. using the Save As Draft feature in Yahoo Mail. You may have also heard of online virtual drives where you can upload and store documents. But all these sound too good to be free. Believe it or not, lots of file-hosting sites nowadays offer this feature for free! Still, there are limits.

RECOMMENDED SITES:

1. BOX.NET

The Lite package is totally free for everyone. All you have to do is sign up with your email and you can start uploading your files.

Features:
-- >Create 5 folders
-- >Store up to 1 GB of memory
-- >25MB filesize limit for each
-- >Public file sharing (create links so others can download your file)

1GB is more than enough for important documents. Needless to say, everything you upload over box.net will become accessible anywhere where there is an internet connection. Plus, you can share your files for others to download. You also have the option to access your files privately. Box.net has an effcient encryption function to ensure your privacy.

Files can be of any type, e.g., doc, zip, rar, mp3, swf, fla, etc. If you’re running a business and you want more space, you can avail of Box.net’s priced packages.

2. RAPIDSHARE.COM

This is basically a free file-sharing site. It doesn’t go much beyond there but this site is definitely worth the time. You can upload as many files as you can, provided that each file doesn’t exceed 200MB. You can manage your files at the collector’s free zone. You can only add files that have been uploaded to Rapidshare over the free zone.

CYBERSPACE: "Ondoy" evolves into a high-risk trojan!

2009-10-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Be very careful of the "Ondoy Update" links search engines like Google are providing you. Evil computer geniuses are wreaking havoc over cyberspace by fooling users with "useful information". Ehem.

Image above is from this link. Credits: Ronald Redito

We can't deny how clever these black hats are. They always find the best "hotspots" for malware propagation. In this case, they're taking advantage of the Ondoy calamity which has affected thousands of families here in Metro Manila and in Vietnam.

How did they do this? Well, they used search engine optimization, i.e., using keywords that easily get on the front list of search results. Clever, eh?

HOW TO AVOID:

1. Nitpick the links search engines provide you.
2. Read before you click. Search engines normally notify you if the link is malicious.
3. Better search for information over trusted sites.
4. Have an armament of anti-virus applications

For more information, visit:
^ GMANews.tv -- 'Ondoy' now threatens cyberspace
^ Ronald Redito's Blog: Ondoy Update Virus, Ondoy Typhoon Virus: WARNING

CYBERSPACE: Is Jacque Bermejo the culprit or the victim? And is she alone?

2009-09-29T06:37:00.001-07:00

This is the alleged wall post of Jacque Bermejo, an OFW in Dubai, which has summoned hundreds of negative reactions over the weekend in Facebook alone. But how genuine is this post? Is Jacque Bermejo the culprit? Or is she the victim?

In an interview with ABS-CBN in Dubai, Jacque Bermejo firmly said she did not post such message over Facebook. According to her, someone has already hacked her Facebook account two years ago and that another dummy account has been using her name, photos, and info. She has no idea who the culprit is and for what purpose is he/she doing this. In her official statement regarding this issue, the following were stated:

“Because of these incidents, I reported such abuses and sent my credentials to the administrators of such sites, particularly Facebook. I have been abused and am still being abused online in social networking websites such as Facebook, Friendster, Multiply, etc...”

“These malicious statement(s) which are posted under account names Jacque or Jackie are not of my doing. It is unfortunate that such statements were maliciously attributed to me and I do sympathize and understand the adverse and somehow verbally violent reaction that has been elicited by such insensitive statements or posts. Rest assured, I have taken every legal step that can be done in this regard.”

“I am devastated and shocked at the extent my character, my personal information and private space have been violated,” she stated.

She is reportedly staying in her sister's house, fearing of threats she has been receiving over the weekend.

The account, however, seemed very active. A screenshot below shows the user replied to the negative reactions on her wall post:

Images above are from this link (click here to see more of the replies).

This "dummy account" of Jacque Bermejo is no longer searchable over Facebook. Some people believe the user of this account may have felt some guilt or is now in fear of threats. Others think Bermejo is guilty and her statements over the interview are pretentious, pointing out that it is very easy to deny wrongdoings.

Meanwhile, several hate groups have been created over Facebook against her, ridiculing even her photos. Click here to find out more about these groups.

But who thought only "Jacque Bermejo" could do such a thing? Some more people hunger for attention(which is what Jacque is "embracing" now). The easiest way, of course, is to invoke emotions through provoking posts like these:

First image is from this link while the following twitter post image was found circulating over Facebook.

It's just sad that while Filipinos are desperately crying for help and struggling to survive, these creatures are laughing out like hell and enjoying every minute these hapless beings slowly die in hunger. Still, there's nothing we can blame against them. They also deserve some pity. Although we don't know the authenticity of these posts and whether or not the names of these people are merely victims of the selfishness of others, we cannot deny that the damages have already been done.

I think it is best to just ignore these posts. Leave their laughs echo into silence. Let their spirits realize the essence of living as they drown in greed; they also need our rescue.

Photo Essay: Typhoon Ondoy transforms Metro Manila into a waterworld

2009-09-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

An overlooked typhoon (Typhoon Ondoy a.k.a Ketsana) came wrecking Metro Manila’s urban areas and submerging cities around 25 feet under. NDCC reportedly said 80% of Metro Manila was covered by flood after “Ondoy” stormed the barely aware metropolis last Saturday (September 26), leaving thousands of trapped people struggling to survive and find rescue.
(photo provided by Philippine Air Force, image shows "suburban Cainta east of Manila submerged in floodwater on Sunday, Sept 27, 2009", image is from this link)

Image above is from this link. Shown here is the parking lot outside SM Sta. Mesa (MEZZA)submerged in floodwater, Sept. 26, 2009. Reports said water reached the 2nd level of the mall. The entire SM foodcourt and grocery store were submersed. Nearby residents reported seeing floating appliances and broken glasses around the area.

Image above is from this link. This is a before-after image of Magsaysay Boulevard in a period of 6 hours. This is a testament of how devastating Typhoon Ondoy was. Although winds weren't destructive, rainfall was nonstop and heavy. The entire path was covered with water. LRT and MRT continued its operations amidst the "epic" flood. The good thing is it was high enough that it didn't get submerged. LRT and MRT also announced a 24/7 operation on the same day.

Image above is from this link. Shown here is V. Mapa Station's Entrance, across SM Sta.Mesa, blocked by floodwater while 2 men examine the area. Hundreds of stranded passengers stayed inside the station, waiting for the flood to set down. Flood level peaked at around 6pm. Electricity went off and the station was totally dark. Passengers relied on their cellphones' built-in flashlights.

Photo(above) credits: Gen Laurel, Eloisa Hife, and KC Cruz . The 2 pictures shown above show PUP Mabini Campus partially covered by flood water. Hundreds of students and employees spent the entire night inside their classrooms and offices while waiting for the flood to set down.

Click here to see photo credits. Rescuers try to help a woman cross a flooded street in Quezon City using a rope while floodwaters course against their direction.

Photo above is from this link. Image was taken in suburban Quezon City. Here, a man balances on top of a submerged wall as floodwaters brought by Typhoon Ondoy ravage the area.

Image above is from this link. Residents of Marikina City struggle to get through the flood hand in hand as rescuers guide their path.

Improvised rafts transport commuters through the floodwaters for 50pesos/ride. Images above are from this link.

Floating cars were transported by floodwaters from one area to another like toys here in UERM, Manila. One woman struggles to get on top of her car as waters begin to consume the vehicles. This is a frame of the video caught by Camille Magno. To see the entire video, click here.

Image above is from this link. A woman battles against the raging waters while rescuers accompany her on her "plight". Also seen in this image are houses devoured by flood (only the roofs are visible).

Image is from this link. Two women scrape the floor after muddy waters consumed their houses.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED TO SEND RELIEF GOODS, CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIST OF WHERE YOU CAN DONATE

Bing introduces Visual Search

2009-09-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

We know that politician by face, but we don’t know him by name. So what are we going to type in a search engine text box to find information about that person? We sure can’t type his face.

That’s why Bing launches its newest search feature: Visual Search.

Sounds clever, doesn’t it? This feature appears to be innovative and interesting to try. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, accessing Bing’s Visual Search page will lead to a dead link report. Click here to try.

Still, this feature gives promise to the future of online searching. With this feature and some more coming in Bing’s way, it is clear that Microsoft is really determined to dethrone Google as the leading search engine, not to mention their subtle attacks against Google’s weaknesses in most of their commercial ads.

So how does it work?

Say, for instance, we’re looking for that politician. We know how he looks like but we don’t know his name.

1. Once we’ve accessed Bing’s Visual Search page (which we can’t predict when since the page keeps reporting a dead link), we can type in “politicians”. *unless you want it the hard way, you can narrow the search results by being more specific, e.g., politicians in the Philippines*

2. Bing will display an array of images showing different politicians. You can scroll through the images to find something identical to the politician we’re looking.

3. Bing also displays a list of subcategories for your search in the left panel. You can use these to narrow your search results. Entries may include US politicians, Philippine politicians, or, hopefully in the near future, “corrupt politicians”.

Hope we can fully use this feature soon. And maybe Bing can also try making “voice search” or “image trace search” or “galaxy search”. That would be pretty cool.

Woof Woof! Macroblogging is here!

2009-09-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

We’ve had birds tweeting. Now, we’ve got dogs woofing! Welcome to macroblogging! *special thanks to whoever coined this seemingly redundant term*

A Twitter clone has just emerged and it’s called Woofer! Take note: it is indeed a clone. With a blue-themed layout almost similar to Twitter, you could hardly tell which is which, unless of course if you look at the site logo name. And oh, needless to mention, Woofer’s logo style is so twitter-ish.

But wait, there’s more! Woofer has more in store for us. If you love adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, or this whole idea of redundancy, you’re also gonna love Woofer! If Twitter gave you a maximum of 140 characters per update, Woofer is providing you 1,260 characters more. Do the math and that’s 1,400 characters per update! That's not the maximum, that's the minimum number of characters per post. Clever!

Tips (as suggested by Woofer):
• Be eloquent
• Use adverbs
• Don’t ever abbreviate (DEA)

This is, by far, one of the most creative websites over the internet. By the way, let’s add one more tip: find an alternative “macro-blogging” site.

Woofer was made by Join the Company, LLC, a company that “builds entertaining websites that changes the way people use the Internet.”

Plurk this up. Tweet this. Blog this.

FHM: Dora the Explorer gets explored!

2009-09-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

Delicioso! Dora the Explorer is now taking it a few more steps higher. Watch out for this upcoming issue of FHM as we get to explore more of the UNEXPLORED. So grab your backpacks!

Too bad she gets exploited at an early age.

*credits to Krystian Asis for sharing this photo*

Casual Games ROUNDUP: Lex, Mevo, and a horde of zombies!

2009-08-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

Spell words into roleplaying action in the second installment of the RPG-inspired Bookworm Adventures, groove along with but two keys in the funky-retro style game Mevo and the Grooveriders, or defend your house against zombies using plants in the comical Plants vs. Zombies!

Bookworm Adventures Volume 2

Who would have thought a worm and some words as weapons can be a hit RPG-style wordgame? Bookworm Adventures proved this possible! On its second installment, Lex returns with three additional chapters, a bunch of new treasures, and a league of new fighting allies. Spell words and battle over 130 different monsters. Power up with over 20 new treasures and take a break with 6 built-in minigames! With 3 chapters, 10 stages each, the action just keeps more and more intense each game.

Review: Although gameplay is very similar to the first version, Popcap still gets us trapped in the addiction brought by this unlikey RPG game. Graphics are well-polished, gameplay is great, and music is good enough. If you’d like to experience a fresh take on wordgames then this game is for you.

Mevo and the Grooveriders

Thought O2jam with only left keys and right keys takes away the challenge? Think again. Mevo and the Grooveriders provides a never-before-seen platform style of key-tapping. Tap keys along with the music’s rythym and earn badges, powerups, and dance packs. Marvel through 5 different worlds and find helpful loots along the way.

Review: The element that stood best in this game is its music so this is good if you just want to unwind from a very busy day. But beware: this game can get very hard in the middle to the last levels. If you enjoyed O2jam or Audition, this game is definitely good for you.

Plants vs. Zombies

Want to prove yourself more clever than the zombies? Your house is being invaded by a horde of zombies and your only defense is an armament of 49 plants that kill zombies. Plan strategies like slow down, freeze, confuse, weaken, or wipeout and choose from an array of plants to do both the offense and the defense. Earn money and buy weapon upgrades

How good is Windows 7 compared to XP and Vista?

2009-08-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

If Vista received more negative criticisms, Windows 7 is “stoned" more with overwhelming praises. Windows 7 is apparently what Microsoft intended Vista to be. But because it was heavily attacked by critics, 7 came into the scene to patch-up Vista’s many dark holes.

So what’s new?

1. Graphic User Interface

Of course the most evident change one can observe is its new graphic user interface. While it looks more a bit like Vista, it actually offers a more dynamic user-computer interaction.

Win7 now has an improved taskbar adopted from Vista’s Aero theme. It’s translucent and it looks more like Mac’s OS X dock, only better. You’ll see but large icons instead of the traditional window icon-and-title tabs (see image above). If you mouse over an icon, say for example Mozilla Firefox, all opened firefox applications will be previewed in thumbnails in one panel (similar ro XP’s Alt-tab feature but now includes a screenshot for each). You can even hover through the opened panel to preview the thumbnails in larger versions.

The Show Desktop icon is now a built-in feature in the taskbar at the rightmost edge. Hovering over it will reveal the desktop. Click on it and all your opened windows will be minimized.

Resizing windows is now as easy as dragging. If you want to work with 2 windows at the same time, dragging windows to one side will automatically resize the window to half of your monitor’s screen.

2. Security

The User Account Control in Vista was very intrusive among single-PC users. This time, UAC returns with more options for user customization. Security, however, is debatable if it has to be compared to Vista since the user can now have as much control as he wants in using programs. Still, users get notifications from malicious program activities and unsecure applications.

AutoRun is no longer functional in external hard drives like USBs, preventing immediate acquisition of risky malware infections. This solves the most annoying security problem in previous WinOS versions, including Vista.

3. Compatibility

Windows 7 resolves Vista’s compatibility issues with the incoporation of the XP Mode to help users run programs that have not yet been made for running in a Win7 environment. This mode, however, requires an additional 1GB of RAM, 15GB of HDD space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization.

3. Performance

Arguably, Windows 7 performs almost the same as Vista but relatively slower than XP if they are to be tested in the same hardware specs (source: cnet.net). The good thing is, Win7 has almost the same system requirements as that of Vista. The only difference is that it uses only about two-thirds of Vista’s hard-disk space requirement – which is good.

Basically, Win7 is made for the more advanced system if one wants to make it perform smoothly.

Is Windows 7 then better than XP and Vista?

This question is probably debatable. Notably, most critics have agreed that this is a much improved version of Vista. As to whether it is more recommendable than XP is where the question arises. At the moment, there is no definite answer, but it is certain that Windows 7 has more in store than XP or Vista. In some categories, Windows 7 is highly recommendable. Still, there are areas in XP that are, without a doubt, better than Windows 7, particularly in speed and performance.

Click image to remove blur:

It is important to note that the performance of these systems varies on the given system specifications. As computing technologies continue to develop, it is no longer a question why newer systems require bigger/higher system requirements. For this reason, Windows 7 provides a stable platform for the future standard of operating systems, along with potential competitors like Mac OS and Linux.

Below is CNET's Seth Rosenblatt's initial review of Windows 7.

Why is XP preferred by more users than Vista?

2009-08-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Prior to Windows 7, Microsoft had already developed Windows Vista to address the vulnerability of previous WinOS versions (including XP) to security threats. Compared to XP, Vista looked more promising with its upgraded graphical interface and improved multimedia features. The question is: does improved appearance mean improved performance? Unfortunately, the answer is no for the case of Vista. XP performed better in most categories. Although security was indeed improved, Vista suffered in performance and compatibility issues. That is why Vista was poorly patronized.

XP is still the most widely used operating system in the world until today, besting even the popular Mac OS X and Linux in sales. But as computing technologies become more and more sophisticated, the need for improved operating systems grows.