Tips on Passing the Philippine Civil Service Examination

I took the PPT Professional exam last April 6, 2014 at Capitol University. I was alone at first but soon met my friends who were also assigned in the same school. The exam lasted the whole morning so by the time we were dismissed, I am already very hungry and absolutely stopped caring whether I passed or not. Now, less then two months from the exam, I am surprised to found out that the results are out early* and that I passed! For a first-time taker, it's fabulous and certainly made mah mother proud!

*APRIL 6, 2014 EXAM RESULTS COULD BE FOUND HERE

I'm so darn happy! Some people say that it's just an exam so one could work in a government office. That's right, but it's not just an exam. This babe has an 80% passing rate and this makes Civil Service Examination kinda prestigious. Thus, a huge congratulations to all passers!

Now I'd like to share a few tips on how to ace this! There would be a second exam schedule this October and I hope some of my observations might help. Now for the exam coverage:

"The Career Service Professional examination will cover the following subject areas: in English and Filipino: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, analogy, logic, numerical reasoning, and general information.  

The Career Service Subprofessional examination will cover the following subject areas: In English and Filipino: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, spelling, clerical operations and numerical reasoning.  

Both examinations will cover the subject area on general information and shall have the following subject matters: Philippine Constitution, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R.A. 6713), Peace and Human Rights Issues and Concepts, and Environment Management and Protection".

Never depend on the reviewer. They have a few similar questions with the actual exam, but it still is not enough. So what else should you study? Let me count the ways:

Basic Mathematics. You won't be using calculator so be ready to welcome cramming and hasty manual computations during the exam. It will be useful during the Logic part since numbers are also present in that shit. To make things easier, start studying like an elementary student!

How to add fractions

Converting decimals to percent

Understanding indirect fractions

Remembering the multiplication table

I'm not joking with the last one. In this modern age where scientific calculators are the norm, most people tend to forget their Multiplications! (Like me, I have t manually add a string of 6s since I comepletely forgot the sequence haha)

Memorize important elements from the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. As mentioned, it will be part of the exam's coverage, but unlike grammar and logic, there is no need to 'solve' general information questions like the Code of Conduct, but instead, it depends on your stored knowledge about the topic. Thus it is important to freshen and actually memorize your notes this time. It helped me immensely in the exam.

Visualize the Logic problems. Logic is a bitch. But I was saved by drawing the problems and figuring them out through it. For example, a logic problem says that there are five guys sitting in a row, A hates C but D want to sit at the end but B would like to sit next to E, etc. What I did was create a table of the persons and the seats then I proceeded to mark all there preferences. If I finally have a neater understanding of the situation, I will then arrange them according to their wishes and hope my answer's one of the choices.

Don't give up on numerical reasoning. I never studied for this part of the exam since I have no idea how to study it in the first place. But my main tip for surviving Numerical Reasoning questions is to stay calm. In a number sequence for example, there are a lot of ways those digits could be related. Try them all out:

The sum between the numbers. Then look for a pattern.

The difference between the numbers. Then look for a pattern.

How far they are from each other. Then look for a pattern.

Do they follow the number before them? Then look for a pattern.

Always have a plan in mind as you go through these. The challenge is to do them fast enough and not panicking along the way.

Now, for the exam proper!

Arrive early. Seriously. Like 5:00am. Every year, there are a lot of exam-takers and it is such a chore to come in 20 minutes before the exam. You're not late it's true, but you will be pressured to double check your requirements, your room assignments and how the hell are you supposed to get there.

Follow instructions carefully and don't be afraid to ask. By the time you get inside the room, there are still a few formalities to go through. Like the seating arrangements, signing your signatures, etc. It is an utmost importance to be careful and not make a mistake in doing these. If you don't understand or if you have a question about something, feel free to ask your proctors, these guys were trained to ensure that the Civil Service exams go smoothly so there's no need to be shy.

Bring an extra pen AND pencil. It pays to be a boy scout in this situation.

Empty your bladder before the test starts. My main problem with the exam was the time shortage. I am certain that I would have answered some of the questions confidently if given more time. But life is unfair, so you will just have to make the most of what is given to you. Thus going to the Bathroom is a big NO while you are busy with answering already. Do it while everybody's still preparing.

That's all the tips I could give as of now, Ganbatte everybody!

Whatever happens to you belongs to you. 

Make it yours. Let it nurture you, because it will. 

- Cheryl Strayed

x

On Air: PBB Scripted Edition

Inspired from the classic novel 1984, the Big Brother franchise had made its rounds around the globe, garnering millions of viewers and ratings. There are different "editions" over the years but the main strategy is the same: Gather different personalities in one house and observe their behavior 24/7. The audiences love it.

I was still in fifth grade when the Pinoy Big Brother first came to Philippine shores. It was an instant success and is followed by nine more editions of the franchise. Just yesterday, the Big Brother house opened its doors once again for another season. It's been hyped for a few months now so whenever the show would either satisfy or infuriate the viewers, the results are immediately posted online:

#PBBScripted

Funny Pinoys

Armed with an internet connection, a camera and a "shabu pa" philosophy, an average Filipino will go a long long way. You see, apart from the usual memes, political opinions and trending topics brought by the Filipino online community, random photos showcasing a Pinoy's optimistic and stupidly hilarious side are another source of laughter that never fails:

Now Watching: Got to Believe Season 2

Just this Tuesday, the primetime series "Got to Believe" a.k.a G2B became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter worldwide as the characters of Chichay (Kathryn Bernardo) and Joaquin (Daniel Padilla) broke up for the sake of his health and future. It's the a usual theme found in love stories, but it still made a lot of fans broken hearted (haha including me). That was why the second season of series was welcomed heartily as Chichay met Joaquin once again after 2 years. His health this time is no longer in harm's way but he had amnesia due to his operation and failed to identify Chichay.

This time the event is kinda similar to the one Meteor Garden, the taiwanese live version of the popular manga Hana Yori Dango, popularized and set the standards for later asian remakes of the same manga. It is understandable that people would assume Got to Believe copied the idea. Chill dudes, try to count the number of times our beloved amnesia was used. Yep you need plenty of fingers to do that.

Anyway that isn't the reason why I decided to blog about this series today. Just a while ago, I came upon a text being passed around the social media that is allegedly huge spoilers for the show. I still don't know its origin. Still I just have to share it here too:

Ang twist po kase nung story, Si Juliana talaga ang nakabaril sa anak nyang si Joaquin kaya simula pagkabata ganun na lang ang pag aalala ni Juliana sa anak nya, Gusto palitan ni Juliana ng pagmamahal at pag-aalaga dahil once na malaman ni Joaquin ang katotohanan na hindi si Papa Bear ang may kasalanan mas lalong lalayo si Joaquin sa kanya at tuluyan nyang kalimutan ang Mama niya. 

Hindi nagka-amnesia si Joaquin kaya niya lamang nagawang makilala si Liza dahil sa Mommy nya pero nagmamatiyag padin si Joaquin kay Chichay kaya nandun padin sila magkasama. 

Ginagawa lang to ni Joaquin para maligtas ang pamilyang Tampipi from San Juan kaya nagkunyari siyang may amnesia pero si joaquin pa rin ang nagproprovide ng mga paintings ni Chichay kaya po habang sumisikat si Chichay bilang painter, si Joaquin naman nagbibigay ng mga brushes at paints ni Chichay, Sinakyan lamang ni Joaquin ang mama nya para sa kapakanan ni Chichay kaya nga po "SACRIFICE" ang ginawa niya but still mamimiss nila ang isa't isa.

Fanfic or not, this is interesting. For one, I myself had already suspected Juliana since a friend reminded me (yes, we are serious when it comes to G2B) that she did her share of pulling out a gun in a self pity session during the night the young Joaquin was shot. Unraveling her little secret is an expected future event. As for the fake amnesia, well it had been done before but I'm not so confident with this prediction. If this turns out to be the real plot of the series it sure is an evil thing to do to all the parties involved.

Now Trending: Anne Curtis' Outburst

In an article published on entertainment site Pep.ph, JR Isaac, editor and publisher of Circuit Magazine, narrated to Pep editor-in-chief Jo-Ann Maglipon how the incident unfolded last November 23.

Describing it as a typical Friday night, Isaac said he was then hanging out with his friends Leah de Guzman, Charina Zarte, Nix Alano, Phoemela Barranda, Jake Cuenca, and Cruz at the Privé Luxury Club along with the bar's co-owner JM Rodriguez.

Isaac said Curtis was also at the place hosting a bachelorette party for a friend.

Then Anne got up to go to the ladies' toilet. Unknown to her, John Lloyd and Jake Cuenca followed her. The two boys, knowing that Anne was super "kikay" tried to pull a prank on her. They started banging the door of the toilet non-stop, getting louder and louder making Anne so agitated.

The two continued banging the door until they heard that Anne was about to get out.
While waiting for his drink along with de Guzman near the bar, they heard someone shouting from behind. Anne Curtis came out of the restroom of Prive, shouting “who’s banging my door?”
She saw JR Isaac and Leah de Guzman nearby. It was at this instance when the drunk Anne concluded that it was they who were banging the door earlier, and without a word she slapped them both.

Shocked by the scene, John Lloyd then suddenly emerged and approached Anne to tell her that it was he and Jake who did the banging. Anne, who was mad as hell, slapped John Lloyd and shouted at him with all her might, "You are an addict! "

For unknown reason, she screamed “You, what are you doing here?” when she saw Phoemela and pointed at her saying "I can buy you, your friends, and this club!"

Saying things happened so fast, Isaac recalled being ushered by the bouncers away from the drunk Showtime host.

"The management and [club] PR all came to our table and apologized to us. They saw the whole thing. They know we were the ones slapped. In the end, we stayed. We didn't allow it to ruin our night,” he said.

According to Isaac, he harbors no ill feelings toward Curtis because he has known the actress since way back.

Meanwhile, Curtis took to micro-blogging site Twitter to address the controversy.

“Hey everyone. I will be making my official statement now & after this, I will not be giving any interviews about this issue anymore. I choose to do this right away because I’ve always been an open book & I don’t like to hide anything…
For those who have read about the issue, yes, most of it is true. I admit to that & I have apologized to all parties included immediately… When I was told of my behavior AND the person who started all of this, due to this persons inappropriate behavior, apologized to me too… Just as I did. Which I accepted too. I choose not to go into detail because I’m not the type to ruin someone else’s name…
Now.. I had been on the super popular juice cleanse for 3 days & attended my best friends bachelorette that night, had one too many drinks which led to some of these unfortunate events. That’s why they say ‘Drink in moderation’. I will charge it to experience & a lesson learned. I’m sorry if I let any of my fans down…. As you all see, I’m just like any other person that makes mistakes in life… 

Thank you to everyone that has messaged me about their support. With where I am today I owe all of you my honesty. Good night.”

The "Apology" is kinda off. Does she seriously think that her Juice Cleansing=Bitch Slapping alibi will actually sell? My mother had tried this diet a while ago and I never tasted a slap on my face, despite having provoked her for multiple times already. Yesterday, a smiling Anne Curtis appeared and proclaimed "Isang masaya at moving on na tanghali sa inyo my super sexy madlang people," during the opening of the noontime show. Hilarity ensues:

LOL

SOURCEs: 1 2 3

Bisaya Edition!

I'm one proud Bisaya! It's a Philippine vernacular but has more speakers compared to the Tagalogs, reaching the Mindanao and Visayas islands. Another note-worthy thing is the never-ending debate as to which is the real national language (but it’s never a good idea to poke either group with a stick haha). But I'm not going to blog about Bisaya pride today though. In fact, I'll try to teach the correct use of certain words and expressions we use. The idea started with this article which does not truly define the right way to use some of the words. I want to try my hand at writing a similar post.

First, let me introduce our bad bad words. I have to because we're talking about expressions right? Swear words would always be present when it comes to that topic regardless of language. Here are the Top Four:

1. Yawa- The Devil. Literally. So using this as an expression when you feel frustrated or you fell down the stairs is automatically regarded as bad word, after all, you are calling the Devil's name. But apart from swearing it could also be used in normal sentences.
2. Yati- Honestly, I have no idea what this means, but it is also regarded as a swear word, only a tier below Yawa.
3. Atay- There's this theory that this word derived from a chicken disease that weakens the liver. So if you say "Gi-atay ka!" well, it's more of a curse than anything.
4. Peste- Self explanatory.

Now let us continue with other Bisaya words:

    1.  Tsada/Nindot- Both words mean the same thing, which is "nice" but their differences comes in the geographic region they're being used. "Nindot" is a word from Cebu and it is widely accepted that Cebuanos are the ones who use this term more than any other Bisaya. "Tsada" on the other hand is generally accepted as a Cagayan de Oro term, hence our tourism motto.

    2.  Gilanlan- This is the Bisayan for the Tagalog word "pinapapak". I highly doubt that there's an English equivalent for this one. This is the act of directly eating salt, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, powdered milk, peanut butter, nutella, etc. It could also mean munching on a meal minus the rice.

    3.  Gayud- This adverb which means"very" is another common source of confusion. These days the word "gayud" is commonly shortened to "jud" so best remember that both are the same.

    4.  Langgam- In Tagalog/Filipino,"langgam" means "ant" while in Bisaya it means "bird".

    5.  Maglibang- In Filipino, libang means having entertainment or fun, or just being not bored. However in our side of the archipelago, libang means taking shit. So if you happen to hear someone say "Malibang sa ko" It means that he'll be going to the bathroom to dump some shit.

    6.  Gugma- Here's the "love" translation at last! It's actually a BisDak, or Bisayang Dako. Gugma is part of those deep, ancient words that only the old guys seems to know about, thus those who actually use this word are either in complete utter seriousness or just poking fun at the word itself.

    7.  Lugar Lang- This is what you call out to signal the taxi or jeepney driver to stop if you're in a Bisaya region. If Tagalog people say "Para", "Lugar lang" is more of a longer statement like "I-lugar lang" which is simply "Please place the vehicle somewhere at the side of the road since I'll be getting off now"

♦♦♦

One last note for the Manila people, YES I'm talking to you, most especially the people from the national TV channels and media personalities

Can you please, please, refrain from pronouncing Butuan as "Butu-An"? 
First, because it's wrong. The correct way to say it is "But-Wan" and second, it sounds perverted and ultimately hilarious to the rest of the Philippines. Do you even know what "butu" means? It's a fucking penis in Bisaya. 

Yes darlings, you've been calling an innocent Mindanao city a Penis for more than a decade. Considering how this had been going on for years, any kind of justification for this kind of faggotry has long been pulverized.
OH WAIT, other regions have a different translation, but it gets better actually, their version of "butu" is the vagina. 

Help Typhoon Haiyan Victims

Hey folks, been quite busy lately. Between school and other priorities, it's been a full week for me. Things got worse when the Typhoon Haiyan came to Philippines days ago.

Believe me when I say our country is somewhere beneath that cottony thing

Just to clear things up, I'm not a victim of the calamity, thank you to those who emailed me asking for our situation, but we're OK. We live in the northern part of Mindanao and fortunately we only got a cloudy day with scattered rain showers, no floods and no causes for alarm. However our fellow Filipinos living in the Visayas region were greatly affected by the storm, right after an earthquake from weeks ago, and it is enough to bring down our morale. After all, our city had our share with such disaster when Tropical Storm Washi in 2011. We saw how hard it is with no water or electricity, cleaning the roads and the debris, and the bodies. Dead bodies floating everywhere, shortage of caskets, it was chaotic while it lasted.

Seeing a similar event (and unfortunately worse) happening to Leyte and other areas of concern, is really depressing to tell you the truth. There were reports of looting in malls, hijacking trucks containing relief goods, food shortage and even the communication lines are so dead. If you happened to see footages of field reporters going around the place, try to observe the surroundings. If there's one thing you need to know about Philippine roads, most especially in the provinces, is that we are tropical through and through, literally forests everywhere, even among the smaller barangays or smaller cities. But when you look back at the videos, you could only see pathetic tree branches and the wide cloudy sky instead of green leafy umbrellas. That is the extent of this disaster, changing their homes to something unidentifiable.

But since our own city managed to survive and got back on its feet, I believe it could also be possible for them too. Any kind of help will be very much appreciated as we couldn't do this alone.

How to Take Action and help he victims attain safe water, food, shelter, hygiene supplies, medications and other basic needs.

• Philippine Red Cross- These guys had been a huge help, rest assured your donations are wisely used for the victims. Choose a campaign (Haiyan and Central Visayan Earthquake are equally important) and choose your method of payment.
• ABS-CBN Tulong Na
• Kapuso Foundation Operation Bayanihan
• Gawad Kalinga Operation Walang Iwanan
• World Food Programme
• UNICEF Philippines
• Philippine Government

For Filipinos hoping to donate through mobile text, subscribers can follow these steps:
SMS-Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)
G-Cash- Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882
You can donate the following denominations:
Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

So What's the Real Deal w/ Kim Chiu ?

Before you fangirls scream bloody murder at me, I just want to make myself clear to everyone: I actually like Kim. I'm not a huge fan but I don't dislike her.

Judging from all the hate Kim is receiving from the Pinoy netizens (most especially in the past few years) it's quite obvious that her reputation of being an alleged retokada is gaining ground inside the minds of Filipinos everywhere. When she tries to defend herself by confronting her bashers, she is almost always called Patola Queen seconds later. I don't pretend I'm intellectually superior to anyone, but from my perspective, these types of behavior's perfectly childish. If these haters were in her shoes, they could have done worse.

Things went a bit scary a few months ago when a few throwaway accounts started bashing her in a more severe way and this was the worse:

Philippine Legend of the Snake Beneath the Mall

The basic story is this:
When a businessman's wife became pregnant with twins, everyone in the family became excited. However when the wife finally gave birth, only one of the twins was human, the other was a snake. Despite having a snake for a child, the parents still accepted him, but due to the situation, the businessman decided to hide the snake in a secret basement of their family business, a shopping mall. To keep up with the monster's large appetite, they installed a trap in the fitting rooms inside the mall, to imprison a victim for the snake to eat. As years went by, the businessman noticed his shopping mall becoming successful, and credited his snake son for the good luck, thus the snatching of victims continued.

The Robinson's Snake is still the most popular version though. During the 1980's, Gokongwei allegedly had twin girls, but one of them was a snake who lays golden eggs. There had been similar stories of the snake child way before the Robinson's one became known though. A strong one was from Davao city, in which the said snake was being transferred between branches once in a while to avoid suspicion. The same rumor has also been attributed to Cagayan de Oro's Gaisano Superstore. The odds of getting a snake child is getting better it seems haha.

When I asked my mother about this snake legend, she replied that the establishment was Jerry's Shopping Center. In the version she knew, the businessman suddenly died. Without the head of the family to take care of the snake, it soon starved and died alone. Its death brought down the good luck it had fostered when it was still alive. Now, only a few branches remained in Mindanao. She only heard it from somewhere, so again it's a rumor, but I enjoy the way this version ended the tale.

Kapamilya Caravan for Kagay-an Festival 2013!

Stars from ABS-CBN's Primetime shows visited Cagayan de Oro last night for the Kapamilya Caravan, the regional offering for this week's fiesta. With a good friend of mine, we arrived at SM City as early as 2pm! There were no chairs so we were just standing while waiting for the program to begin, and we waited for three hours. Three. Hours. Standing.

Despite the cold and the aching legs, we still have the advantage of being near the stage, so everything is in full view. When the local artists started the event, it was already late in the afternoon, right before sunset. A bunch of games sponsored by known brands dominated the first few hours. They paid for marketing, so they're going to get it. Even if I had fun watching the games, most people in the audience were already impatient. Even the grey heavens above looks like it would weep anytime.

List of Name Now Being Considered to Replace PDAF [Mwahahaha]

So this joke is all over Facebook right now, mostly compiled from the responses of a Twitter challenge from ANC anchor Lynda Jumilla. In accordance to President Aquino's deletion of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the internets created a list of hilarious alternative:

1. Budgetary Allocation for Collaborative Outreach Nationwide (BACON)
2. Lawmakers Initiative for Emergency, Miscellaneous and Personal Outlay (LIEMPO)
3. Livelihood Empowerment for Countrywide Humanitarian Outlaw Network (LECHON)
4. Pinagandang Iligal na Gastusin (PIG)
5. Countrywide Universal Priority Initiatives Treasury (CUPIT) Fund
6. Totally New Government PDAF Audited to Satisfaction (TONGPATS)
7. National Assistance Program of Lawmakers Engaged in Swindling (NAPOLES)
8. Holistic Lawmaking for Development of All Filipinos (HOLDAF)
9. Selective Enforcement of Budgetary Outlays (SEBO)
10. Government Outlay Line-itemized and Appropriated Yearly (GOLAY)
11. Fund Integration for Social Housing (FISH)
12. Bridges, Excavations & Elevated Roads Fund (BEEF)
13. Countrywide Allocations With Accountability and Transparency (CAWAT)
14. National Allotment for Countryside Amelioration and Welfare (NACAW)
15. PNoy's Initiative for Good Governance CountrYwide (PIGGY))
16. Countrywide Assistance for Special and Important Matters (CASIM)
17. Budget for Allies for Continuation of Party Dominance (BACON-PD)
18. Hearty Allocation of Money (HAM).
19. Benigno Aquino Development Assistance Fund (BADAF)
20. Countrywide Outreach and Rehabilitation Assistance Fund (CORAF)
21. BSA's Awesome Budget for Outstanding Allies of the Year (BABOY)
22. Horrifyingly Unlimited Money for Belmonte, Aquino and Allies (HUMBA)
23. Pnoy's Allowance and Treasury Allocation (PATA)
24. President Aquino’s Nationwide Outlay for Transparency (PANOT I)
25. President-Approved National Outlay from Treasury (PANOT II)
26. President Aquino's Political Action and Initiative for Total Allocation of National Budget (PAPAITAN)
27. Social Initiative for Service in Governance (SISIG)
28. President’s Overt Revenue Kickback (PORK)
29. President’s Outlay for Countrywide Handling of Emergency Rehabilitation for Opulence (POCHERO)
30. Outlay for the Interest of Noynoy and Kinsfolks (OINK)
31. Countrywide Re-distribution of the Inherent Source of Patronage for the Yellow President’s Allies, Toads and Associates (CRISPY PATA)
32. Legislative Allocation for Reform and Development (LARD)
33. Barangay Initiatives for New Allocations Granting Oversight On Non-Government Associations Nationwide (BINAGOONGAN)
34. Presidential Oversight for Relatives and Kin with Budgetary Entitlement from Legislative Largesse Yearly (PORK BELLY)
35. National Allotment for Countrywide Amelioration and Welfare Initiative Fund (NACAWIN FUND)

The Pork Barrel Makeover

So yesterday Aquino made the move to finally kill off Pork Barrel:

Amid public outrage over misused public funds, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has called for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or the "pork barrel." [Yahoo News]

This is good news. The budgets funds are not entirely abolished. That's impossible, but the administration had promised to create a better system that hopefully would lessen corruption.

1. Consumable soft projects – such as medicines, fertilizers, and training materials, to name a few – will not be approved unless it will be proven that people will benefit.
2. Quick infrastructure projects, such as dredging and asphalt overlays, are out.
3. Non-governmental organizations and select government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) will no longer be allowed to be used as fund channels.
4. Lawmakers can only fund projects for their district or sector.
5. Government bidding processes and budgets will be publicized. [Rappler]

Incidentally, I sat in this forum at school regarding the Priority Development Assistance Fund yesterday. My mind was in and out the talk since the speaker had the smallest voice and I barely heard a thing. But this female speaker then came up and gave a more understandable discussion on what is truly happening with the budget allocation of the country

Apparently, after giving the budget of a certain project to the implementing agency (ex: Dep-Ed, national government units, etc.), the money would be transferred to the service provider/s (suppliers, NGOs, contractors, etc.) Then within in this transaction comes the magic shit, a.k.a. the kickbacks.

kick·back  [kik-bak] noun
1. a percentage of income given to a person in a position of power or influence as payment for having made the income possible: usually considered improper or unethical.
2. a rebate, usually given secretively by a seller to a buyer or to one who influenced the buyer. 

Personally, I feel that it was really badass how the government had overlooked this system for many years until now, goes to show the population of crocodiles we the citizens of the Philippines have voted for.

So anyway, here come the Napoles issue of fake NGOs and millions of Pesos. How these guys managed to sleep at night is one of the greatest mysteries of humanity, seriously they are one pile of batshit crazy bitches. I hope that whatever the president has in store for the future, it will yield good results.

Iponan's Patron Saint: San Guillermo

Iponan is just one of Cagayan de Oro's many barangays. I've lived in this part of the city for more or less seven years. Like most towns in the country we have our own patron saint, San Guillermo in which our annual fiesta is held in his honor. I'm not a huge fan of fiestas though, they weren't the same way they used to be. however my interest was revived when I read about the city's legends of San Guillermo.

I was in our school library that day when I chance upon an extremely old book. Within it were stories and legends from Cagayan de Oro, all pages type written. Of course I searched for ones that is related to where I was currently living then. I wasn't disappointed, the barangay of Iponan has its own share of tales:

Still Have NO Idea What the Napoles Pork Barrel Scam is all About?

The last few weeks had been a nasty time for both the social and political sectors of the Philippines. When the issue first came up about an unknown business woman and her supposed link to a huge pork barrel scam, everybody thought that it was just a phase, after all, there had been quite a number of issues in the past about the careless use of the politicians' budgets. However, as days passed, more and more evidences came up for air, and for once, the Filipinos realized that maybe this time, justice might prevail.

In a most surreal way, this controversy has now blown up to what Philippine Daily Inquirer's Amando Doronila call as "the object of the biggest manhunt in recent Philippine criminal history".

Bombing in the City

From Philippine Inquirer:

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Police said an improvised explosive device went off at around 11:30 p.m. at a restaurant in the popular Rosario Arcade just outside Lim Ket Kai Mall here. 

The powerful explosion shattered glass windows and upturned tables and chairs at nearby establishments and damaged motor vehicles parked up to 30 meters away from the arcade. 

Police said the explosion was so loud it was heard by people 4 kilometers away.
Killed outright were Misamis Oriental Provincial Board Member Lagbas, Dr. Erwin Malanay of Manila;  medical representatives Anthony Cañete of Iligan City; Ryan Estose of Megaheights Subdivision in Gusa district here; Emmanuel Palafox of Zamboanga City, and Antonio Paredes, whose address was still being verified. Forty-eight injured people were taken to area hospitals for treatment. 

Senior Supt. Graciano Mijares, city police chief, said most of the victims were doctors and pharmaceutical sales representatives who had just attended a national convention of lung-disease specialists at a nearby hotel.

From Manila Bulletin:

The task force created to investigate the bombing on Sunday said at least 10 witnesses are already cooperating with the ongoing investigation. 

“Almost all the witnesses coincide to the first and second cartographic sketch,” said a member of the composite task force who requested anonymity as he is not allowed to issue any statement to the press. 

In a related development, City-Vice Mayor Caesar Ian E. Acenas is urging all government offices in Cagayan de Oro City to fly the Philippine Flag in their respective offices at half-mast beginning today (July 29). 

He said this will symbolize the deep grief and mourning of ‘Kagay-anons’ over the tragic deaths. A provincial board member of Misamis Oriental was among those killed while 44 others were injured. 

It was a truly tragic event, nobody saw it coming. The sadder part is that the death toll has now risen to eight according to other reports. We immediately heard the news last Friday and our first reaction was "Seriously? No way" It was just hard to imagine. Cagayan de Oro is a peaceful city, that a single disastrous vehicle accident could be the talk of the town for days.

Everything's back to normal right now, but still cautious of course. The case is gaining ground, they just released the following computerized sketches of the suspects today:

Well... The faces could be anyone's. but anyhow, I hope that this will be resolved soon and give justice to the victims.

5 Common Things in Philippine Soap Operas

Thanks to the tradition of sitting in front of television every night to watch Philippine-made soap operas, Filipino kids today probably know Coco Martin's real name before they find out who PNoy really is. Not that there had not been any improvements in the past few years because there had been a considerable increase in quality which I'm grateful for. For example the police in dramas are not as stupid or as corrupt as how they were shown in dramas or movies a decade ago. Another is that the shows are finally taking hold of the reins when it comes to using amnesia as a twist in the plot.

However there are still elements that persists to be present in the country's dramas. Let me count the ways:

Society at its Best?

There are countless ways to spend time online, my much preferred time-waster is reading old blogs. The treasures you'll uncover within these webpages, seriously, I once read a blog about this Arashi fan from Hong Kong, dated way back in 2001 and it was just heart warming. Anyway I'm not here to talk about Arashi though, I was doing my own jumping from one multiply blog to another when I found myself here.

Since it's about my country, I'm interested

He was able to copy an Anonymous comment from another blog that gave extra scoop in Philippine's social scene. This was during 2008, more than four years ago, but it's still a cool read, I never bothered myself with the rich and famous, but this is amusing.

Ina, Kapatid, Anak: Dubutantes

The series premiered on October 8, 2012 on ABS-CBN, but now is in its second season due to high ratings. One of the show's upcoming scene this month is the leading characters' 18 birthdays. Filipino fans online had been excited when photos of their dresses are being circulated. I was never a fan ( Hate the plot, hate the snail-paced episodes), but I could honestly say I like Kim Chui's pink gown by Pepsi Herera:

Maja Salvador on the other hand is wearing a VeeJay Floresca creation... I don't know, the gown is still very nice but not as amazing as Kim's, I'm not saying it's a bad design because it's not, I've seen a similar Floresca work, but it's a bridal gown and it's white and it was amazing. Plus here's another but it's pink so it's amazing.

It's the color...seriously

KFC Philippines had a Great Idea

First there the commercial for this was showed on TV:

Then Jimmy Kimmel gave his opinions:

And tomorrow, guys, Since I always pass KFC on my ways home...

I'm going to buy one for myself! 

Wish me luck

UPDATE : lololool stilll no burger for me 
UPDATE: finally had one!!!! Not surprisingly, it was quite small, so should we put KAWAII DESU across it or what?

Oh fun, just uploaded pics of a burger in my blog...