Category: Malaya

What to do when you lose a cellphone

Ellen Leave a comment

Pickpocket at work. Thanks to On the Road website.

I lost my cellphone to a pickpocket at Southmall, Las Pinas the other day.

I was queuing at the Supermarket cashier with a few items for crema de frutta that I was going to make for friends. While waiting for my turn, I brought out my cellphone to check on some messages.

From the grocery, I went to the National Book Store to buy some books for my grandnieces and nephew. To make sure that they have not yet read the books that I was going to buy, I thought of calling their Mom. That’s when I found out that my cellphone was gone.

I’m really puzzled how the thief could have found an opportunity to pick my bag because I was wearing a body bag. But looking back, there was a brief moment when I had difficulty closing my bag because of zipper problems and I dropped my bag of groceries. Someone helped me with them and I even thanked him.

The loss unsettled me for awhile but I decided to go on with my shopping. I thought, the theft made me poorer by at least P20,000 because I will be buying a new phone but I won’t allow him to ruin the Christmas spirit by not accomplishing my shopping list.

I’d like to thank Ace Esmeralda of Security Matters magazine and blogger Tonyo Cruz for their advice on what to do when you lose your cellphone.

Per their advice, I called up Globe Customer hotline 730-1000 and informed them about the theft. They de-activated my SIM card and they said they will give me a new SIM card with the same number.

That’s good. I would be saved the trouble of informing everybody of a change of number. The only hassle is reconstructing my directory. Some of the numbers in my cellphone have been stored in the computer but the list has not been updated.

My friend Charmaine Deogracias of NHK said I should inform the National Telecommunications Office of my cellphone details (Blackberry) so they can do something about preventing whoever is in possession of my cellphone from accessing the messages in that phone.

Right now, although I have an old Nokia phone for important messages to make, I’m in a pre-cellphone period state of mind. I get no messages, I send no messages. No cellphone calls.

Just email and landline calls. I’m pleasantly surprised that I don’t feel incomplete. It’s actually liberating.
***

Christmas is a season of love and all things good. But sad to say there are elements that ruin that atmosphere.

A few weeks ago, I got a text informing me that I won a huse amount of cash and a house and lot in a Christmas raffle for the Overseas Filipino Workers by the Villar Foundation.

Amused about the notice because I’m not an OFW, I forwarded the text to Jan Mata, information officer of Sen. Manny Villar.

Jan said if there was such a bonanza by the Villar Foundation, he would have partook of it.
Recently, the Villar Foundation issued this warning:

“The Villar Foundation warns the public about text scams that continue to circulate that use its name. The Foundation does not have any ongoing raffle draws/contests nor does it have a cash assistance program. Please ignore any text messages claiming you have won in such, because those are certainly scams.”

Be careful. Have a Merry Christmas.

Will Aquino use his political clout for the FOI bill?

Ellen Leave a comment

Thanks to Interaksyun for this photo.

With a commanding popularity, hardly dented by controversies and bungling, President Aquino’s push makes a lot of difference in passing the most difficult legislations.

We have seen it in the last few weeks.

His certification of the Reproductive Health bill as urgent last week facilitated the passage of the measure which was vigorously opposed by the intimidating Catholic Church.

A few weeks ago, Congress also passed the Sin Tax Reform bill which cigarette and alcoholic drinks companies, with huge lobby money, were blocking.

Those two bills which had always suffered the fate of Mona Lisa dreamers (“They just lie there and they die there” ) now just need the signature of the President to become laws.

With the Sin Tax reform measure, the government expects to collect P40 billion in additional revenues which will be used in the improvement hospitals and health facilities nationwide, providing more health services especially in the rural areas which are also expected to result in healthier Filipinos.

Health experts say that increase in prices of cigarettes and alcoholic drinks, which is the logical effect of higher taxes, would decrease number of smokers by 27 percent.

That would also translate to healthier Filipinos. “This is bigger than the revenue we will be earning from the tax. This is our biggest win,” said Dr. Antonio Dans of the UP College of Medicine, one of the active proponents of the Sin Tax Reform measure together with Dr. Tony Leachon, consultant of the Department of Health on Noncommunicable Diseases.

When the RH measure becomes a law, more and more Filipinos would be empowered to plan their families because there would be easier access to information, materials, and opportunities.

It goes without saying that a healthy and empowered people would be great asset in the economic development of the country.

With a 78 percent approval and 80 percent trust ratings (Pulse Asia nationwide survey Nov. 23 – 29, 2012), would be expected to be a major influence in the May 2013 elections. Members of Congress, many of whom are running in the May 2013 elections, would be courting trouble antagonizing Aquino.

Now that Aquino had shown his political clout in the Sin Tax reform and RH bills, would he do the same for the Freedom of Information Bill, the first versions of which were filed six congresses ago?

Thanks to Inquirer for this photo.

In his sponsorship speech yesterday, Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” R. Tañada III, appealed to the House leadership to facilitate the enactment of the FOI bill into law.

“Before us is a measure that will institutionalize the substantive and procedural details necessary for the effective operationalization of the people’s right to information, enshrined side by side with the great fundamental guarantees to a free and democratic people in our Bill of Rights.

“Iisa po ang buod ng panukalang batas na ito. Karapatan ng ating mamamayan na malaman kung paano ginagampanan ng pamahalaan at ng mga pinuno at kawani nito ang kapangyarihang ipinagkatiwala sa kanya ng taong-bayan, at kung paano nito pinangangalagaan ang kaban ng bayan na nagmula sa pawis at pagod ng mamamayan.

“Totoo po, sinasabi sa mga desisyon ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman na ang karapatan sa impormasyon na ginagaratiyahan sa ika-pitong seksyon ng Article 3 ng ating Saligang Batas ay maaaring hingin ng mamayan kahit walang kalakip na batas ng Kongreso na magpapatupad nito. Subalit sa pang-araw araw na karanasan ng mamamayan, hindi ito sapat upang masiguro ang pagtupad nito. Hanggang saan ang saklaw ng mga impormasyong kailangang ibigay? Ano ang alituntunin sa paghingi at pagbibigay ng impormasyon? Kung ang karapatan sa impormasyon ay nilabag, ano ang kaukulang regulasyon at remedyo ng mamayan?”

Tanada said the FOI bill addresses these concerns.

He traced the history of the FOI bill: “This measure is twenty years in the making. The first FOI bills were filed as far back as the 9th Congress in 1992. While it took the FOI bill practically a generation to reach legislative maturation, those years have been a fruitful process of balancing competing norms in FOI.”

He said it is the passage of the bill would not only be “in recognition of the already very long legislative history of painstaking balancing of interests to reach the present broad consensus on its provisions, but also in keeping with our own commitment to contribute to the lasting reform of our governance institutions.”

How serious is this latest jueteng noise?

Ellen Leave a comment

The P10 million a month Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, Jr.

Jueteng investigations come and go but the illegal numbers game is flourishing as ever.

News reports about Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino, Jr. as a jueteng lord is nothing new. On Sept. 20, 2010, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz gave the Senate committee investigating the illegal numbers game a list containing 12 names of jueteng lords, operators and recipients of payola which he said his group, Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng, had cross-checked with several sources including those with the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Espino’s name was there together with that of two people close to President Aquino: former Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico E. Puno and former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa, touted to be the next DILG secretary but had to retire early due his negligence in the Aug 23, 2010 Rizal park hostage-taking fiasco.

Other names in the list were Pampanga Gov. Lilia “Baby” Pineda, Paul Dy in Isabela, Ret. Police Supt. Eugene Martin, Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan; Danny Soriano in Cagayan; Ret. Gen. Padilla in Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and San Pedro; Boy Jalandoni in Bacolod; Eddie Fontanilla; and Rey Cachuela.

After a few days in the headlines, the news died down and Malacañang didn’t take any action. Puno was forced only to resign when he got embroiled in the controversial search of the residence of the later DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo while the search for his (Robredo’s) body was still going on after a plane crash.

In a TV interview, Press Secretary Edwin Lacierda said the problem with the list of Archbishop Cruz was that it was not supported by evidence.

Bugallon Mayor Rodrigo Orduna with by DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and Archbishop Oscar Cruz

Archbishop Cruz replied:” I’m giving the list but please make this government do its job.”

Archbishop Cruz is right. The government has the resources and the machinery to validate the allegations in the list. If Malacanang is interested it can mobilize the National Bureau of Investigation and all its intelligence agencies including that of the PNP and the military, if it is really interested to eradicate the illegal numbers game which victimizes the poor and distorts democracy through the use of jueteng money in politics.

The archbishop said he and his witnesses took great risks in giving the government information on jueteng. “I have faced the Senate before, brought all my witnesses without benefit of lawyer or security. We named names, we identified amounts, we said all circumstances and nothing. Even one of our whistleblowers was killed. Even to this day, we don’t know who did it.”

Cruz must have been referring to Wilfredo”Boy” Mayor, one of the jueteng whistleblowers who was gunned down in Pasay City in Feb. 2010.

Last Friday, Archbishop Cruz was again with Pangasinan Mayor Rodrigo Orduña who revealed that he was doing a “Chavit” for Espino since 2001, turning over to him at least P3 million a month collection from jueteng operators.

When Espino became governor in 2007, he took control of the jueteng operations in Pangasinan and was collecting P10 million a month, Orduna said.

Orduña’s revelation was corroborated by confessed jueteng operator Fernando “Boy Bata”Alimagno.
The two filed plunder charges against Espino with the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that he accepted P900 million jueteng money.

It is worth noting that Orduña said he started collecting jueteng money for Espino who was then a member of the House of Representative (2nd district) in 2001, which was the year an elected president, Joseph Estrada by the so called “civil society” calling for reforms in the government.

Civil society installed then Vice President Gloria Arroyo, who is widely known as “anak ng jueteng” because one of her top elections contributors was Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, a known jueteng lord.

Espino denied Orduña’s allegations saying “it’s politically motivated.”

Maybe. Although Espino, a retired PNP officer, has abandoned Arroyo and claims to support the Aquino administration, he belongs to the Nationalist People’s Coalition of Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco. He is not with the Liberal Party, the political party of the President Aquino and DILG Secretary Mar Roxas.

Maybe because he does not belong to the political party that is in power, there’s a good chance of the plunder case against Espino prospering. Maybe, there would be more validation of the role of other personalities in Cruz’s list. Maybe there’s a good chance that jueteng in Central Luzon would be stopped as Roxas vowed.

If that happens, then that’s good politics.

How serious is this latest jueteng noise?

Ellen Leave a comment

The P10 million a month Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, Jr.

Jueteng investigations come and go but the illegal numbers game is flourishing as ever.

News reports about Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino, Jr. as a jueteng lord is nothing new. On Sept. 20, 2010, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz gave the Senate committee investigating the illegal numbers game a list containing 12 names of jueteng lords, operators and recipients of payola which he said his group, Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng, had cross-checked with several sources including those with the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Espino’s name was there together with that of two people close to President Aquino: former Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico E. Puno and former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa, touted to be the next DILG secretary but had to retire early due his negligence in the Aug 23, 2010 Rizal park hostage-taking fiasco.

Other names in the list were Pampanga Gov. Lilia “Baby” Pineda, Paul Dy in Isabela, Ret. Police Supt. Eugene Martin, Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan; Danny Soriano in Cagayan; Ret. Gen. Padilla in Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and San Pedro; Boy Jalandoni in Bacolod; Eddie Fontanilla; and Rey Cachuela.

After a few days in the headlines, the news died down and Malacañang didn’t take any action. Puno was forced only to resign when he got embroiled in the controversial search of the residence of the later DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo while the search for his (Robredo’s) body was still going on after a plane crash.

In a TV interview, Press Secretary Edwin Lacierda said the problem with the list of Archbishop Cruz was that it was not supported by evidence.

Bugallon Mayor Rodrigo Orduna with by DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and Archbishop Oscar Cruz

Archbishop Cruz replied:” I’m giving the list but please make this government do its job.”

Archbishop Cruz is right. The government has the resources and the machinery to validate the allegations in the list. If Malacanang is interested it can mobilize the National Bureau of Investigation and all its intelligence agencies including that of the PNP and the military, if it is really interested to eradicate the illegal numbers game which victimizes the poor and distorts democracy through the use of jueteng money in politics.

The archbishop said he and his witnesses took great risks in giving the government information on jueteng. “I have faced the Senate before, brought all my witnesses without benefit of lawyer or security. We named names, we identified amounts, we said all circumstances and nothing. Even one of our whistleblowers was killed. Even to this day, we don’t know who did it.”

Cruz must have been referring to Wilfredo”Boy” Mayor, one of the jueteng whistleblowers who was gunned down in Pasay City in Feb. 2010.

Last Friday, Archbishop Cruz was again with Pangasinan Mayor Rodrigo Orduña who revealed that he was doing a “Chavit” for Espino since 2001, turning over to him at least P3 million a month collection from jueteng operators.

When Espino became governor in 2007, he took control of the jueteng operations in Pangasinan and was collecting P10 million a month, Orduna said.

Orduña’s revelation was corroborated by confessed jueteng operator Fernando “Boy Bata”Alimagno.
The two filed plunder charges against Espino with the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that he accepted P900 million jueteng money.

It is worth noting that Orduña said he started collecting jueteng money for Espino who was then a member of the House of Representative (2nd district) in 2001, which was the year an elected president, Joseph Estrada by the so called “civil society” calling for reforms in the government.

Civil society installed then Vice President Gloria Arroyo, who is widely known as “anak ng jueteng” because one of her top elections contributors was Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, a known jueteng lord.

Espino denied Orduña’s allegations saying “it’s politically motivated.”

Maybe. Although Espino, a retired PNP officer, has abandoned Arroyo and claims to support the Aquino administration, he belongs to the Nationalist People’s Coalition of Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco. He is not with the Liberal Party, the political party of the President Aquino and DILG Secretary Mar Roxas.

Maybe because he does not belong to the political party that is in power, there’s a good chance of the plunder case against Espino prospering. Maybe, there would be more validation of the role of other personalities in Cruz’s list. Maybe there’s a good chance that jueteng in Central Luzon would be stopped as Roxas vowed.

If that happens, then that’s good politics.

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

Ellen Leave a comment

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.

It’s understandable that it was very painful for them to see their god, Pacquiao, the source of everything that they have, in such a humiliating position. But that’s the game they went into.

As Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, noted, “neither of these gentlemen, nor anyone else on Team Pacquiao, had any problems when the photographers were doing their jobs and shooting pictures of Ricky Hatton after Manny knocked Hatton out.”

Bello, who said he was a fan of Pacquiao, said the incident was precipitated by the request of Pacquiao coach Freddie Roach for him not to shoot a picture of Pacquiapo unconscious on the floor, face down.

Bello is a professional photographer. His job is to capture every moment in any event he is covering. That was a most dramatic moment. And you request him to abandon his job?

Bello said,”Nobody likes doing that, but I was where I was credentialed to be and I was trying to do my job, which is to document the event.”

It’s a photographer’s duty to the public.”It’s no different than the war photographers who have to shoot what is happening on a battlefield. Nobody wants to do that, but you have to document the history,” Bello explained.

Bello said Koncz and Fernandez heard Roach’s request and were angry that he didn’t heed it. But in fairness to Roach, he coach never touched him and later apologized for asking him not to shoot photos.” Bello said.

Koncz and Fernandez actions are manifestations of people who are used to being in an environment of fame, money and power. They think they can do anything.

It’s good that National Union of Journalists of the Philippine issued a statement deploring Koncz and Fernandez’s actions.

Nestor Burgos, NUJP chairperson, said “Koncz and Fernandez had absolutely no reason to attack him and their doing so was actually in the nature of a criminal act, just as Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach had no right to order Bello to stop taking photos, although Roach later apologized for doing so, according to the photographer.”

“Such boorish action by the members of Team Pacquiao, no matter how distraught they were by his loss, is inexcusable,” NUJP said.

NUJP said they appreciate that the Nevada Athletic Commission has promised to review the incident and we hope it takes appropriate action to discipline Koncz and Fernandez.

NUJP said, “But it should not stop there. Manny Pacquiao himself should take action against these two, whose boorish and unsportsmanlike reaction to the loss can only tarnish the reputation for sportsmanship that has endeared him to millions of fans.

“He can and should do no less.”