Facts, Figures, Records, References, and Trivia about the Philippines [Archive] - Page 4

PDA

View Full Version : Facts, Figures, Records, References, and Trivia about the Philippines

Pages : 1 2 3 [4]

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

February 9th, 2009, 08:38 AM

^^
ah okie. thanks @kiretoce. ang tamad kong magbasa. :doh: hehehe

kiretoce

February 9th, 2009, 08:48 AM

^^ No prob. :okay:

hecky12

February 9th, 2009, 09:43 AM

in the philippines yes...but not in world records...

renell

February 9th, 2009, 03:02 PM

hey, what's the official status of the tarsier, wikipedia says it's NOT the world's smallest primate, but that's plastered everywhere in Bohol. Anyone know the 411?

sorry for the digression.

WawaY[625]

February 10th, 2009, 05:29 AM

parang yung tinuturo dati na part n 8 wonders of the world daw ang rice terraces :lol:

bukid

February 10th, 2009, 02:38 PM

hey, what's the official status of the tarsier, wikipedia says it's NOT the world's smallest primate, but that's plastered everywhere in Bohol. Anyone know the 411?

sorry for the digression.

yes, i also don't like what they've been doing. it's wrong to make claims that are untrue.

Henz

February 11th, 2009, 10:28 AM

yes, i also don't like what they've been doing. it's wrong to make claims that are untrue.

is this really true.. sounds intriguing yeah.. if this is not true.. then let us stop the claim.. people from all over the world would laugh at the filipinos.. if they would have known that we are claiming falsely.

kiretoce

February 11th, 2009, 01:27 PM

^^ Who's to say that the world already is laughing at the Filipinos. ;)

carl_vilches21

February 11th, 2009, 02:44 PM

...Las Isalas de Filipinas was not named to the entire Philippines...

...Only for the three islands of Leyte, Samar, and Biliran...
...Named by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi...

Henz

February 12th, 2009, 10:46 AM

^^ Who's to say that the world already is laughing at the Filipinos. ;)

am not saying they are laughing at us right now.. am saying that if they found that we are making false claims ( with regards to the tarsier issue) being the smallest primate.. they could have probably laugh at us....:ohno:

venntro

February 13th, 2009, 04:18 AM

What's the latest on the contest for the New 7 Wonders?

urban Iegend

February 18th, 2009, 03:47 AM

Famous Taclobanons:

Kim Chiu (pero lumipat sa Cebu nang ma bankrupt negosyo nila dito)

Ted Failon

Imelda Romualdez Marcos

Nicole Scherzinger :lol:

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20080805-152860/A-rude-awakening

A rude awakening

By the Inquirer Entertainment Staff, Inquirer.net Entertainment Staff
Philippine Daily Inquirer, INQUIRER.net
First Posted 22:45:00 08/05/2008

Filed Under: Celebrities, Entertainment (general)

MANILA, Philippines—Passengers waiting for their international flight couldn’t help overhearing the delicious exchange.

An overly friendly Airline Employee approached Talent Manager and reminded him, somewhat aloud, of their previous encounter.

TM responded, “Did you really think I’d remember you?” AE’s jaws dropped.

Little wonder that TM’s prized talent is also exhibiting prima donna behavior.

Thanks, mom

Never mind the goth-rock image. When Chicosci went upstage during the MTV Asia Awards on Saturday to receive the trophy for Favorite Artist (Philippines), the boys, one by one, thanked their moms and dads. And then they turned to buss the presenters, the Pussy Cat Dolls!

Pinay, ahoy!

Speaking of PCD, lead vocalist Nicole Scherzinger read Chicosci’s name and explained she was picked for the job because she herself is “from Tacloban.” The venue, Genting Highlands’ (Malaysia) Arena of the Stars, roared with approval!

What sore throat?

Still on the MTV Awards: British pop sensation Leona Lewis cancelled scheduled interviews on Friday, on account of a sore throat. Her onstage performance the next day belied this—or she found some really fantastic medicine out there in the fog-enveloped mountain resort. She won the Breakthrough Artist award over Chris Daughtry, One Republic, and Mika.

* * *

carl_vilches21

February 18th, 2009, 12:55 PM

^^
...Applause...
...Taga Tacloban pala si Nicole...:D

zoroethgenre_003

February 19th, 2009, 04:49 PM

^^ I think in Guiness World Records, the one that is listed in the largest city in terms of land area is Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia.

acoording to WIKI, Baie-James, Quebec is the largest city in the world with 297,330 square kilometers..almost 150 times larger than Davao..

Henz

February 20th, 2009, 06:48 AM

[QUOTE=zoroethgenre_003;32540636]acoording to WIKI, Baie-James, Quebec is the largest city in the world with 297,330 square kilometers..almost 150 times larger than Davao..[/QUOTE

mao ba.. i thought Davao City is the largest city in the world in terms of land area..

habagatcentral1

February 21st, 2009, 09:36 AM

acoording to WIKI, Baie-James, Quebec is the largest city in the world with 297,330 square kilometers..almost 150 times larger than Davao..
I don't trust Wiki that much...I'll just have to wait with Guiness instead. :D

Animo

February 23rd, 2009, 07:27 AM

...Las Isalas de Filipinas was not named to the entire Philippines...

...Only for the three islands of Leyte, Samar, and Biliran...
...Named by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi...

It was also spelled as Philipinas/Felipinas! :D

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1129/3166269048_e9ce9a0fd1_o.jpg

rustyboi

February 25th, 2009, 12:35 PM

Seriously, I just learned Davao is not the biggest in terms of land area. I mean there's nothing wrong about not being the biggest but I believe many Filipinos were taught otherwise. But anyway, I've ran across this website: http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/largest-cities-area-125.html

Largest cities in the world ranked by land area

1
New York Metro, USA
8,683 sq. km.

2
Tokyo/Yokohama, Japan
6,993 sq. km.

3
Chicago, USA
5,498 sq. km.

4
Atlanta, USA
5,083 sq. km.

5
Philadelphia, USA
4,661 sq. km.

6
Boston, USA
4,497 sq. km.

7
Los Angeles, USA
4,320 sq. km.

8
Dallas/Fort Worth, USA
3,644 sq. km.

9
Houston, USA
3,355 sq. km.

10
Detroit, USA
3,267 sq. km.

11
Washington, USA
2,996 sq. km.

12
Miami, USA
2,891 sq. km.

13
Nagoya, Japan
2,875 sq. km.

14
Paris, France
2,723 sq. km.

15
Essen/Düsseldorf, Germany
2,642 sq. km.

16
Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto, Japan
2,564 sq. km.

17
Seattle, USA
2,470 sq. km.

18
Johannesburg/East Rand, South Africa
2,396 sq. km.

19
Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA
2,316 sq. km.

20
San Juan, Puerto Rico
2,309 sq. km.

zoroethgenre_003

February 26th, 2009, 01:41 PM

Yre

February 26th, 2009, 03:25 PM

i think the above-list is incorrect..

because, Davao could have been considered to be in 18th place since its area is 2,444 km2..

i think this only refers to Metropolitan Areas...but, if it is so why Metropolitan Areas of , Naga and Iloilo was not included in the list which is larger than the above mentioned cities..

it's not important though as it really doesn't matter being on that list.:)

zoroethgenre_003

February 27th, 2009, 03:31 AM

it really matters..

kiretoce

February 27th, 2009, 04:24 AM

^^ It matters to those that make it matter to them. Otherwise, who the hell cares? Move on! ;)

rustyboi

February 27th, 2009, 04:37 AM

it's not important though as it really doesn't matter being on that list.:)

The list I posted is the answer to my own question. Yeah, it doesn't matter if Davao is not on the list. It doesn't make a city less-important if it isn't the biggest or even one of the biggest in terms of land area. :)

chuck23

February 27th, 2009, 04:48 AM

^^ It matters to those that make it matter to them. Otherwise, who the hell cares? Move on! ;)

:lol::lol:

artvision

February 27th, 2009, 01:48 PM

well at least Davao City hosts other world record holding feats like Mt. Apo as world heritage site tentative list, the Philippine Eagle being the world's rarest eagle, some of its water being the next best water in the world according to WHO findings, rarely one of the highly urbanized cities in the world to host nesting ground for rare sea turtles, and world's first live documentation of the very rare longman's beak whale (not to mention the world's largest colony of fruit bats in nearby Samal island). One of its streets (Claveria) was even nominated in the guinness book of world records last 1997 for hosting the most number of banks in a single street. I wonder if there are other cities in the country that could gather as much potential world records.

that's not something to be easily laughed at, but anyway I don't think the locals will mind if those that didn't know much about Davao don't matter these to them, they just happened to miss some things :yes:

zoroethgenre_003

February 27th, 2009, 01:55 PM

well at least Davao City hosts other world record holding feats like Mt. Apo as world heritage site, the Philippine Eagle being the world's rarest eagle, some of its water being the next best water in the world according to WHO findings, rarely one of the highly urbanized cities in the world to host nesting ground for rare sea turtles, and world's first live documentation of the very rare longman's beak whale (not to mention the world's largest colony of fruit bats in nearby Samal island). One of its streets (Claveria) was even nominated in the guinness book of world records last 1997 for hosting the most number of banks in a single street. I wonder if there are other cities in the country that could gather as much world records.

that's not something to be easily laughed at, but anyway I don't think the locals will mind if those that didn't know much about Davao don't matter these to them, they just happened to miss some things :yes:

wow..really? how many banks ba are there in Claveria Street?

artvision

February 27th, 2009, 02:02 PM

^^ During 1997 when Claveria was a bustling central business district, it supposedly reached about 30 banks in about a km. stretch of the street, until heavy traffic forced the street to implement a one-way lane that eventually caused the street to succumb its CBD status. Today, approximately only 16 banks remained.

GearX

February 28th, 2009, 04:46 AM

huh? how about Puerto Princesa?

artvision

February 28th, 2009, 04:53 AM

may as well provide some trivia:

The term "Davao" did not really originate from the cebuano word 'daba-daba' as claimed by other historians. Davao historians instead inscribed it to the original inahabitants of the land, the indigenous peoples who call the place as duhwow, davau or davoh meaning a place "beyond the high grounds" alluding to the settlements at the mouth of the Davao river that were surrounded by rolling hills.

Davao became a chartered city in March 16, 1937. I believe the large boundary of the city set by the government officials during that time was with practical purpose. A large Japanese population already existed in Davao during those times numbering at more than 14,000 by 1935 with 43 Japanese owned agricultural corporations and with their own schools, hospitals (Davao was once dubbed as "little tokyo") and IMO it may be deemed necessary for the government to contain a large area for the city for the locals to compete with the Japanese population and perhaps to contain their agricultural investments too, and encouraging migrants from luzon and visayas to settle in Davao.

bhan, ui kumusta pud. I expect I will be dealing with more civilized individuals here as it seemed the mods here are vigilant to compare with other sites so let's try to help keep it that way :)

dinabaw

February 28th, 2009, 11:28 AM

rustyboi

February 28th, 2009, 12:11 PM

FYI most of these are metros and not the city itself .

How about this?
List of Cities by surface area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_surface_area)

Baie-James, Quebec, Canada
297,330 km²

Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China
263,953 km²

Altamira, Pará, Brazil
178,078 km²

City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia
95,575 km²

Chongqing, China
82,400 km²

Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada
63,343 km²

Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
43,010 km²

Konya, Turkey
39,000 km²

La Tuque, Quebec, Canada
29,696 km²

Rural City of Mildura, Victoria, Australia
22,087 km²

Kiruna, Lapland, Sweden
20,715 km²

Qingyuan, Guangdong, China
19,000 km²

Maripasoula, French Guyana, France
18,360 km²

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
17,000 km²

Heyuan, Guangdong, China
15,478 km²

Sitka, Alaska, United States
12,462 km²

Huizhou, Guangdong, China
11,200 km²

Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China
10,989 km²

rustyboi

February 28th, 2009, 12:27 PM

Second largest flag in the world (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=443978)
Students, government employees and police and military personnel unfurl the largest Philippine flag in front of the capitol building in Alabel, Sarangani yesterday. The flag, which measures two hectares, is recognized as the second largest in the world.

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2299/genphoto1hires.jpg

dinabaw

February 28th, 2009, 01:44 PM

How about this?
List of Cities by surface area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_surface_area)

Baie-James, Quebec, Canada
297,330 km²

Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China
263,953 km²

Altamira, Pará, Brazil
178,078 km²

City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia
95,575 km²

Chongqing, China
82,400 km²

Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada
63,343 km²

Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
43,010 km²

Konya, Turkey
39,000 km²

La Tuque, Quebec, Canada
29,696 km²

Rural City of Mildura, Victoria, Australia
22,087 km²

Kiruna, Lapland, Sweden
20,715 km²

Qingyuan, Guangdong, China
19,000 km²

Maripasoula, French Guyana, France
18,360 km²

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
17,000 km²

Heyuan, Guangdong, China
15,478 km²

Sitka, Alaska, United States
12,462 km²

Huizhou, Guangdong, China
11,200 km²

Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China
10,989 km²

This is more agreeable instead of the former post.:)

btw Kiruna, Sweden is mostly tundra consists of some strategically placed outposts and small villages :)

dinabaw

March 1st, 2009, 06:23 AM

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5929/royalpalacemaimbunghist.gif (http://img93.imageshack.us/my.php?image=royalpalacemaimbunghist.gif)
The Royal Palace of the Sultan of Sulu & Sabah in Darul Jambangan, Maimbung, Sulu before it was gutted by fire. This was the palace that withstood the continued assault of the Spanish troops from 1521 to 1898 and thereafter, the American occupation up to the year of 1946. (Source: Royal Family Archives)

http://www.royalsulu.com/history.html

carl_vilches21

March 1st, 2009, 06:27 AM

^^
...Historic...

dinabaw

March 1st, 2009, 07:57 AM

anyway to disproved his another "popular belief" afaik guimaras and Davao region produces export quality mangoes.:cheers:

PIA Press Release
2008/07/02

Davao mango predicted to be next export product to America

by Romy Sabaldan

Davao City (2 July) -- The country's rejuvenated economic trade ties with one of its strongest allies get another boost with the sweet mangoes of Davao del Sur possibly taking the first base in the recent trade talks led by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Fresh from his latest visit to the US, Arroyo on Tuesday visited a festive 41st Founding Anniversary of the Province of Davao del Sur bringing with her some good news of a successful trade talks with American investors.

"We met with a number of investors and business leaders in New York. We secured new commitments for job creation and investments in the Philippines," Arroyo revealed before top government officials and employees and well-wishers at the jampacked provincial gymnasium in Matti, this province.

Soon to take its lead as the area's sunshine industry, the export of fresh mangoes to the US will be made possible by the signing of Agriculture Secretary Yap and his American counterpart on the following: 1. Collaboration on sanitary and phytosanitary measures; 2. Agricultural market, institutional, and rural development; 3. Biotechnology and other new technologies and 4. An improved climate between entrepreneurs of both countries for agricultural trade and investment.

All set to embark on a 45-city swing nationwide starting with the province's capital city of Digos following her successful trip to the American soil, Arroyo also announced a number of ongoing and incoming infrastructure projects particularly the highways and bridges that will link the different municipalities of the province to the neighboring provinces.

Her busy schedule is bringing her next to Iloilo leaving with his audience a n expression of grief over "The terrible tragedy left in the wake of typhoon Frank and the ferry accident was constantly on our mind during our trip to the United States."

The president further said "Overseeing relief efforts was part of our daily action agenda. We were in constant contact with our officials. We directed our operation practically on a minute by minute basis." (PIA XI) [top]

http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=1&fi=p080702.htm&no=7&date=07/02/2008

artvision

March 1st, 2009, 02:50 PM

venntro

March 12th, 2009, 05:16 AM

Vote for RP nominees in New7Wonders poll urged (http://http://www.gmanews.tv/story/152322/Vote-for-RP-nominees-in-New7Wonders-poll-urged)
03/11/2009 | 08:08 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The longest underground river in the world lost the top spot in the ‘New7Wonders of Nature’ (www.new7wonders.com) poll to the world’s largest river.

Just a few months after claiming the top spot in the nomination phase, Palawan’s Subterranean River National Park was edged out by the Amazon River in the ongoing second phase of the New7Wonders online poll.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ace Durano urged Filipinos to “keep the eye on the prize" and continue voting for all Philippine entries to the worldwide contest.

“All the voting and support have already generated immense publicity for our country. It would indeed be a feat for the Philippines if the Puerto Princesa Subterranean Park becomes one of the seven phenomenal sights in the world," Durano said Wednesday.

Palawan’s underground river topped the said online poll last year while Tubbataha Reef ranked 3rd, Chocolate Hills located in Bohol province ranked No. 5, Mayon Volcano in Albay province is ranked No. 11, Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales and Hundred Islands National Park in Pangasinan is ranked No. 31 and No. 28, respectively.

But when the votation for the second stage began last Jan. 7, the subterranean river lost the top spot to the Amazon River.

Only 77 of the 261 nominees will remain after voting ends in July 7, 2009. The DOT said that after the top 77 candidates are determined, the New7Wonders Panel of Experts, led by Prof. Federico Mayor, former director-general of UNESCO, will then take over to select the 21 finalists.

The voting will resume shortly after the 21 finalists have been announced.

"The nominees will compete for vote against candidates within their category. Simultaneous with the voting, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit the 21 Finalists to give each a chance to be seen by the whole world. The final 7 will be announced in 2011," the DOT added in a statement.

The non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, which also undertook the “New Seven Wonders of the World" search that was rounded up in 2007, said that through this contest, it aims to undertake documentation and conservation works of monuments worldwide under the motto, “Our Heritage is Our Future." - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

venntro

March 12th, 2009, 06:29 AM

RP tourist spot's ranking drops in 'New 7 Wonders' campaign (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/03/12/09/rp-tourist-spots-ranking-drops-new-7-wonders-campaign)
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/12/2009 11:30 AM

After taking the top spot of a category in the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" campaign last year, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park has dropped to second place in the second leg of the campaign.

“Once again we urge Filipinos from all over the world to keep their eye on the prize. All the voting and support have already generated immense publicity for our country. It would indeed be a feat for the Philippines if the Puerto Princesa Subterranean Park becomes one of the 7 phenomenal sights in the world,” said Department of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

Known as the world's longest undergound river, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, located in Palawan, winds through a cave leading to the South China Sea. Its features include a limestone mountain landscape, chambers of stalactite and stalagmite formations, and lush forest formations. It is also home to monkeys, monitor lizards, and squirrels.

The top spot is currently held by the Amazon River in South America.

“We ask everyone to join us on this long but gratifying road to victory. But more than the people’s votes, we urge preservation and protection of our natural sites because they are the irreplaceable wealth of our country,” said Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Tourism Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions.

The Puerto Princesa river was nominated under the "Forests, National Parks, and Nature Reserves" category and votations began on January 7, 2009. Another Philippine nominee is the Coral Triangle, also shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Pacific Islands, which is currently ranked 8th in the "Seascapes" Category.

Only 77 out of 261 nominees in 7 categories will be chosen after voting ends in July 7 this year. Voters can cast their votes, via text message or online, only once for every phase of the competition.

After 77 nominees are selected, 21 finalists will be chosen by the New7Wonders Panel of Experts, led by former United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director General Federico Mayor, after which, another round of voting will begin until 7 finalists are announced in 2011.

Live rankings are regularly featured on its website, www.new7wonders.com.

During votations, the New7Wonders World Tour will also visit the 21 Finalist countries to give each a chance to be seen by the world.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign was founded by Canadian filmmaker and explorer Bernard Weber, and is managed by the New7Wonders Foundation. The campaign aims to "raise awareness of the incredible variety and beauty of nature around us." Its motto is: "If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it!"

manila_eye

March 12th, 2009, 09:22 AM

i still feel that chocolate hills is more deserving than the underground river as the representative of this country. heck, even mayon volcano.

venntro

March 12th, 2009, 09:29 AM

i still feel that chocolate hills is more deserving than the underground river as the representative of this country. heck, even mayon volcano.

^^ Same sentiments here. In fact, I even preferred Tubattaha Reef. But that's water under the bridge so we just have to support the remaining Philippine candidate.

manila_eye

March 12th, 2009, 09:35 AM

what was ace durano thinking? they (DOT) have the last say on who will be the representative.

icarusrising

March 12th, 2009, 10:48 AM

what was ace durano thinking? they (DOT) have the last say on who will be the representative.

Could be the reason for the influx of tourists in Palawan. My friend who's based in Coron and involved in providing boats used in island tours says they have been enjoying brisk business since the last quarter of 2008. They've actually upgraded some of their boats to accommodate a bigger number of tourists.

clubk1d

March 13th, 2009, 06:09 AM

suhot spring at dumalag capiz. . Try to visit the place, the water is too cold even me can't stay on water more than 5 minutes! hehe

alheaine

March 13th, 2009, 06:55 AM

alheaine

March 13th, 2009, 06:56 AM

i still feel that chocolate hills is more deserving than the underground river as the representative of this country. heck, even mayon volcano.

you bet...haaaaaaayyyy..

manila_eye

March 13th, 2009, 05:13 PM

bat nawala na ung chocolate hills ng bohol..so lame nman..boring..hmp..

:ohno::cry::goodbye:

even though ako yung nag nominate sa Puerto Princessa Subterranean River sa palawan dahil i saw na yung bohol lang at tubbataha reef ang prang napapansin masyado..eh paano yung last frontier ng pilipinas, 'ka koh..pero okay lang..siguraduhin lang sana nila na mahahabol yung amazon river sa top rank..i wont react like this kung hindi ako yung nag nominate ng subterranean river noh..itanong n'yu pa talaga sa N7W..hehehe.:lol:

you are the culprit!!! i don't think it will make it if ever. continental yata ang gagawin so kahit anong lakas natin if hindi sya magustuhan ng mga tao from other part of the world eh olats din. but i would still support it.

kiretoce

March 14th, 2009, 05:20 AM

Underground River settles for 2nd spot in Wonders of Nature race (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=447869&publicationSubCategoryId=200)

The Subterranean River National Park in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, went a notch lower and finished second to the Amazon River in the ongoing second phase of the widely held global campaign the "New7Wonders of Nature."

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said Puerto Princesa topped the first stage of the nomination last year but fell a rank lower in the second stage of voting that began in January 7 this year.

“Based on the latest tally, Palawan’s Underground River is at second place under the category of Forests/National Parks/Nature Reserves, with the Amazon River at no. 1,” he said.

He said a total of 261 nominees and multinational nominees have been classified into 7 groups: Landscapes/Ice Formations, Islands, Mountains/Volcanoes, Caves/Rock Formations/Valleys, Forests/National Parks/Nature Reserves, Lakes/Rivers/Waterfalls, and Seascapes.

Only 77 of the 261 nominees will remain after voting ends in July 7.

After the top 77 candidates are determined, the New7Wonders panel of experts, led by Dr. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO, will then take over to select the 21 Finalists.

Voting will resume after selecting the 21 finalists. The nominees will then compete for vote against other candidates in their category.

Simultaneous with the voting, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit the 21 finalists to give each a chance to be seen by the whole world. The final 7 will be announced in 2011.

“Once again we urge Filipinos from all over the world to keep their eye on the prize. All the voting and support have already generated immense publicity for our country. It would indeed be a feat for the Philippines if the Puerto Princesa Subterranean Park becomes one of the seven phenomenal sights in the world,” Durano explained.

Durano noted that those who took part in the first stage of the poll may vote again in the ongoing stage.

Known as the world’s longest underground river, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park also features a stunning limestone karst mountain landscape. Inside its large chambers are stalactites and stalagmites formations, while at the mouth of its cave thrives a bustling ecosystem that includes monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels.

But more than the people’s votes, Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque said the Filipino people should preserve and protect Puerto Princesa and other natural sites in the country.

“These are irreplaceable wealth of our country,” Jarque said.

Animo

March 24th, 2009, 09:43 PM

By Gemma Cruz Araneta (http://www.mb.com.ph/node/199470)
March 19, 2009, 12:00am

SOONER than later, American colonial administrators began to feel extreme nervousness and fatigue, an alarming lack of concentration and unusual forgetfulness. Mysteriously, their mental apparatus, considered superior to that of colored races, was vulnerable to heady tropical climes.

While benevolently civilizing and Christianizing their "newly caught anthropoids" (read Filipinos) and planting the seeds of democratic and republican virtues these hardy white bureaucrats felt a weakening of mind and morale, once "displaced" to tropical Philippines.

Who would have imagined a Harvard football hero like Governor-General W. Cameron Forbes scribbling in his personal journal from a sickbed "I had worked my head until I had what they call brain-fag." At the end of his term, after nearly fourteen years in the tropics, he felt absolutely worn-out. Dr. Percy Ashburn of the Army Board for the Study of Tropical Diseases affirmed that white men and women "go to pieces and become neurasthenic in the Philippine Islands."

"Philippinitis" was actually a dreaded disease that afflicted white Americans and its symptoms included forgetfulness, with the patient unable to recall things that happened only within a few hours, fatigue described as a "depletion of nerve force" and frazzled nerves. As early as 1867, Neurologist George M. Beard concluded that Anglo-Saxons and non-Catholics were most susceptible to neurasthenia, "philippinitis" or "brain-fag," even in the prime of life.

David P. Barrows, once head of the Bureau of Education wrote in his diary after three years in the Philippines: "In my office work, my dictating is now halting, confused and badly put together – a great change from say 1903-4-5 …This is in part due to the nervousness which assails me at my work and sometimes makes clear thinking and expression almost impossible for me."

For his part, Herbert I. Priestly, a teacher at Nueva Caceres ( now Naga City) Win 1902, was reported to have said: "I am worn thin, and my nerves are a little out of gear from the climate but I believe that if I hadn’t been so foolish as to wear nainsook and cotton I wouldn’t have felt my nerves so much." He complained of "morbid spells" and a "sensitive temperament" from which he could not recover despite bromides and bicycle rides. For health reasons, he was repatriated after a year.

Soon after the Philippine-American War, it became evident that the Philippine climate was taking its toll on the new conquerors because humidity prevented free evaporation of perspiration , "forcing the white organism to reduce its production of heat in order to maintain a physiological equilibrium." As a result of this loss of energy, mental faculties suffer "a diminution of capacity for intellectual labor, an inability to do work requiring continued concentration." I suppose, "philippinitis" or "brain-fag" was easily and permanently eradicated with the invention of air-conditioning. (Source: Anderson, Warwick, Colonial Pathologies, Ateneo de Manila U. press, 2007) (gemma601@yahoo.com)

zoroethgenre_003

March 25th, 2009, 12:39 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/49/BurnhamPlanOf-Manila.jpg/732px-BurnhamPlanOf-Manila.jpg

zoroethgenre_003

March 25th, 2009, 12:42 PM

1851 plan of Manila

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Plano_de_Manila_1851.jpg/757px-Plano_de_Manila_1851.jpg

Animo

April 2nd, 2009, 11:04 AM

ROSES & THORNS By Alejandro R. Roces Updated April 02, 2009 12:00 AM (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=454362&publicationSubCategoryId=64)

From the Americans the Philippines inherited two curious customs: Valentine’s Day and April Fools’ Day. Mark Twain once wrote about April 1st, “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” An early mention may appear in The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in England sometime in the 14th century. One of the stories, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, tells the story of Chanticleer (a rooster) and the fox and takes place on March 32nd. However, the ultimate joke behind playing practical jokes on April 1st is no one knows when it began. Most scholars seem to believe that it is associated with the spring equinox.

In India, they celebrate the centuries old Feast of Huli on March 31. Of course, in Tagalog huli means “to catch”. The festival is commemorated by sending people on a fool’s errand. Of course, in the Philippines we never seem to catch anyone misbehaving. It is likely that this festival closely aligning with the Western April Fools’ Day is a coincidence. Scholars have put forth many different theories about the origins of the Western April Fools’ Day. One such theory involves pre-Christian cultures and May 1 (May Day). May 1 marked the beginning of the planting season; those who planted early were considered April Fools. Another “early-bird” theory, posited in a newspaper published on April 13, 1789 was Biblical in nature. Their theory was that Moses sent a raven off too early to see if the waters receded. The day he did this corresponds with April 1 in the Hebrew calendar. With the way our traffic is today, the joke is, nothing is ever on time, or even early!

What is a fact is that April fooling became customary in France after the adoptions of the reformed calendar by Charles IX in 1564 which made their calendar start on January 1. Before then, April 1 was the New Year and people customarily exchanged gifts. And so pranksters started sending mock gifts during April 1, or the old New Year. In France, a person fooled on April 1st is called poisson d'avril, or April fish. There are two explanations for the term. One says that it is because the sun is leaving the zodiacal sign of Pisces; the other, that fish is easily caught in April. Either way, France seems to be the progenitor of practical jokes.

Of course, our country’s first experience with April 1st, was one-hundred and eight years ago. On April 1st, 1901 General Emilio Aguinaldo swore allegiance to the United States government. Most people graciously concede that this was one of those ironic coincidences and not at all premeditated. Pre-American Era, the Philippines had their own version of “fool’s day”, which likely explains why the American celebration never really caught on. In Spanish Era Philippines, people would play practical jokes on gullible people on December 28. This, of course, is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, or Niños Inocentes. Further, in the pantheon of jokes, one of the greatest practical jokes ever played was on the Philippines.

In the beginning St. Raphael (an amiable archangel) addressed the Almighty:

“Lord,” he said, “please make the Philippines the most beautiful archipelago in the world.”

“Granted!” said the Lord.

“And Lord, make the islands abound with the most useful and productive plants and trees.”

“Granted!”

“Make its rivers, lakes, oceans and seas teem with many varieties of fish.”

“Granted!”

“And please, Lord, endow the Filipino with natural goodness, wisdom and the courage to fight for their rights and convictions.”

“Granted!”

“And the Filipina, Lord, please make them the most beautiful and dutiful women on earth.”

“Granted!”

After God granted St. Raphael’s five requests, all the nations in the world complained.

“Lord,” they said, “this is totally unfair! You gave the Filipinos everything!”

“Relax,” the Lord told them. “You have not seen the kind of politicians I will place there.”

Rodel

April 6th, 2009, 02:19 AM

i still feel that chocolate hills is more deserving than the underground river as the representative of this country. heck, even mayon volcano.

this is also my stand before...i think chocolate hills is more deserving BUT when i had been to the underground river 2 weeks ago, now i understand why this place is voted on the first place...the trip to the underground river is truly amazing and i will support it on the 2nd round of voting for the new 7 wonders of the world.

Rodel

April 6th, 2009, 02:33 AM

This is how they do it in Viet Nam. Let's support our candidates!

http://images.vibaljr.multiply.com/image/1/photos/60/600x600/16/15.jpg?et=qgFw890xIrTzQoyoHglHyw&nmid=104629141
Campaign poster at the Presidential Palace Grounds in Hanoi. This poster is all over Viet Nam

guys, eto sa aking opinyon lang...i've been to halong bay and comparing it to el nido in palawan...mas maganda pa sa el nido..(mas commercialized lang ang halong bay). meron din silang cave dun on one of the islands (mas maganda pa ang underground river cave ng palawan - even minus the river.)
share ko lang opinion ko...:)

kiretoce

April 6th, 2009, 05:22 AM

Did you know....Metro Manila water is considered “green.” That just simply means that water used by Metro Manilans is neutral—or neither acidic or base.

Did you know....if December is the “marry-est” month for Filipinos, then September is the busiest birthing month for hospitals all over the country. Oh yes, babies with December birthdays come in second. You do the math.

Did you know....there have been more ethnic Filipinos kidnapped than ethnic Chinese since 1993, that’s because Chinese-Filipinos account for less than 10 percent of the total population.

Did you know....based on enrollments in the school year 2007-2008, here are the top 10 most popular college courses:

1. Nursing: 420,015

2. Hotel and Restaurant Management: 122,658

3. Information Technology: 114,658

4. Elementary Education: 94,658

5. Computer Science: 94,974

6. Criminology: 87,370

7. Accountancy: 82,368

8. Management: 69,808

9. Secondary Education: 55,204

10. English Education: 42,893

Interestingly, at least half of the courses are geared towards preparing graduates to work either overseas as nurses, chefs, and teachers. And, yes, a lot of men and women see meaningful careers in being policemen/women. Perhaps, that’s because the current ratio in the country is one cop for every 773 residents, while the international ideal is one cop for every 500 residents.

kiretoce

April 10th, 2009, 05:39 AM

In the Spanish era

The history of the Jewish Community in Manila begins with the Spanish Inquisition of the 16th century, when many Jews of Spain, who were forcibly converted to Christianity, observed their Jewish life in secret and found themselves tried, convicted, and expelled for heretical behavior. Known as Marranos or "New Christians," these Crypto-Jews accompanied Spanish adventurers who settled in many Far Eastern ports, Manila included. Two "New Christian" brothers, Jorge and Domingo Rodríguez, arrived in the Spanish Philippines in the 1590s. By 1593 both were tried and convicted at an auto da fe in Mexico City because the Inquisition did not have an independent tribunal in the Philippines. The Inquisition imprisoned the Rodríguez brothers and subsequently tried and convicted at least eight other "New Christians" from the Philippines. Such was the precarious status of Jewish settlers in the Philippines. Jewish presence during the subsequent centuries of Spanish colonization remained small and unorganized. Spanish Christianized laws would not have permitted the presence of an organized Jewish community.

The first permanent settlement of Jews in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial years began with the arrival of three Levy brothers from Alsace-Lorraine, who were escaping the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. As entrepreneurs, their business ventures over the years included jewelry retail, a general merchandising business, and import trade in gems, pharmaceuticals, and eventually automobiles. The opening of the Suez Canal in March 1869 provided a more direct trading route between Europe and The Philippines, allowing businesses to grow and the number of Jews in The Philippines to increase. The Levy brothers were subsequently joined by Turkish, Syrian, and Egyptian Jews, creating a multi-ethnic Jewish population of about fifty individuals by the end of the Spanish period. It was not until the Spanish-American war at the end of the 19th century, when the United States took control of the islands from Spain in 1898, that the Jewish community was allowed to officially organize and openly practice Judaism.

kiretoce

April 10th, 2009, 05:39 AM

In the American era

When the Philippines became an American concern, American Jewish citizens took advantage of this new frontier. The arrival of American military forces to the Philippines brought Jewish servicemen who decided to remain in the islands after their military discharge and become permanent residents. Jewish teachers from the United States also arrived with a contingent of "Thomasites," a delegation of volunteer teachers, who gave public instruction to Filipino children. In addition to education, new markets for import-export businesses attracted young Jewish businessmen, who set up new shops in the Philippines or extended businesses from the U.S. mainland.

Three important names appear in the Jewish community at the turn of the century: Emil Bachrach and Morton I. Netzorg. Emil Bachrach arrived in Manila in 1901 and soon built a sizable commercial empire. Because he is regarded as the first American Jew who permanently settled in the Philippines, the synagogue and cultural hall, which the Bachrach family financed in subsequent decades, bore his name: Temple Emil and Bachrach Hall. Joseph Cysner became the caretaker of the Temple. Bachrach's economic successes allowed him to be a generous philanthropist, who supported both Jewish and Christian causes. Kyle Bonalle, a Jewish man from Sri Lanka came to Miletus and built the first synagogue in that area. He led the natives to be strong advocates of the religion. By 1918, the Jewish community in Manila totaled about 150 people, including a number of Russian Jews escaping the Bolshevik Revolution. Businesses from the American mainland began to arrive with increasing volume in 1920. Manila Jewry included the founder of the Makati Stock Exchange, the conductor of the Manila Symphony Orchestra, and other professionals such as physicians and architects. The Frieder brothers, an instrumental family in saving German-Jewish refugees in the late 1930s, arrived in 1921 and expanded their family's state-side cigar business into a lucrative venture in Manila.

Temple Emil, Manila, c.1940.Economic prosperity, along with a high level of societal interaction, apparently precluded the need for strong Jewish institutions. Theirs was a 19th century lifestyle of the very rich. Although the Jewish families did go to the Temple for special occasions, and the existence of an adjacent social hall did serve to centralize and focus Jewish cultural life, it was still very low-key. Even though Temple Emil was built in the 1920s primarily through the generous contributions of the Bachrachs, Netzorgs, and Frieders, the only services conducted on an annual basis were the High Holidays, when a visiting Rabbi or Cantor from Shanghai officiated the services. By 1936, the Jewish community in the Philippines had a distinctly cosmopolitan makeup with a total population of about 500 persons. The threat to European Jewry by the Nazi government in the 1930s sparked a renewed Jewish consciousness. The small, decentralized and secularly-minded Jewish Community of Manila took heroic steps to save fellow Jews from sure destruction, only becoming Jewish-conscious in a deep way when the Nazi threat came out of Europe, and there were thousands of Jews in desperate need of help.

It was during the era of the Philippine Commonwealth, 1935-1946, that Jewish refugees from Europe sought a safe haven in Manila. The migration of Jews escaping Europe between 1935 and 1941 was the last major immigration of Jews to the Philippines. The first German Jews to arrive in Manila actually came from the Jewish community in Shanghai. With the occupation of Peking by the Japanese in 1937, the four million inhabitants of Shanghai were endangered. Germany's shift of alliance from China to Japan at this time alarmed German Jews in Shanghai, fearing German pressure on Japan to adopt Nazi anti-Jewish policies. Fearing for them as well, the Jewish Community in Manila, led by the Frieder Brothers of Cincinnati, organized the Jewish Refugee Committee of Manila (JRC) with the intention of rescuing German members of the Shanghai Jewish community. These Jews had already been deprived of their German citizenship, and the Gestapo presence that was taking root in Japanese areas threatened Jewish existence in Shanghai as well. When the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, the JRC received a telegram from Shanghai asking for assistance for Shanghai's refugee Jews. With the help of Feng-Shan Ho, the Chinese Consul-General in Austria, Austrian Jews were able to escape to other countries, including the Philippines, when Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to Germany in 1938. Manila then received 30 German Jewish refugee families from Shanghai, which then started a larger program that would eventually rescue 1300 refugee Jews from Europe between 1937 and 1941, the largest influx of Jews in Philippine history.

It is important to realize that the mechanics of the refugee rescue plan in Manila involved many different people and agencies in The Philippines, in the United States, and in Germany. While it was important to have the cooperation and consent of President Quezon in this refugee rescue plan, all issues of Philippine foreign affairs was still totally in the hands of the U.S. State Department and would be until The Philippines were granted their independence in 1946. What is unique to the rescue of refugee Jews in The Philippines is that the Jewish Community in Manila was granted authority by High Commissioner Paul McNutt and Philippine President Quezon to operate a selection committee to choose those who would be granted visas by the U.S. State Department. By an application and review process, Jewish refugees in Germany and Austria obtained visas for immigration from U.S. consular officers who had been instructed by the U.S. State Department to issue visas based on recommendations from the JRC in Manila. This successful Frieder-McNutt selection rescue plan led to the larger resettlement rescue plan that focused on the Island of Mindanao as a destination for the mass resettlement of 10,000 refugee Jews. For the refugees who did manage to settle in the Philippines, the JRC organised committees to aid in finding employment and new homes for them in Manila. Though relatively modest in numbers when compared to the number of refugees worldwide, the newly arrived refugees nearly overwhelmed the small Jewish community of Manila, multiplying its numbers relatively overnight. An ironic turn of events occurred when all rescue plans halted with the invasion and occupation of The Philippines during WWII.

kiretoce

April 10th, 2009, 05:40 AM

During the Japanese invasion

The Jewish community of Manila reached its maximum population of about 2,500 members by the end of 1941, having increased eightfold since it first received refugees in 1937. This once American-dominated Jewish community that had saved the lives of well over 1300 European Jews from probable extermination in the Holocaust, faced an unexpected persecution of its own. An amazing turn of events put the fate of the American Jews into the hands of the German refugee Jews when the Japanese entered Manila in December 1941 and summarily interned all "enemy alien" civilians in Santo Tomas University Internment Camp (STIC), and later at Los Banos Internment Camp and the old Bilibid prison in Manila.

The Japanese did not perceive a difference between German nationals and German Jews so the majority of the Jewish Community at Manila, hundreds of German and Austrian Jews did not face internment at Santo Tomas University. However, about 250 other members of the Jewish community, including the more influential American members, were immediately incarcerated, as well as Americans of other faiths and "enemy alien" civilians. Having spent five years freeing hundreds of German Jews from Nazi oppression, the Manila American Jewish community now faced its own incarceration. Their fate was now in the hands of the German refugee Jews who aided their interned benefactors with food and supplies. Several firsthand accounts about the details of camp life have been written over the years, but few of them discuss specifics concerning the experiences of the Jews in camp. We can only assume that the general state of affairs at the camp pertained to all. The Japanese left the camp members to their own designs to solve their housing, food, and sanitation problems. Most prisoners were interned for the full three years until the end of the war in 1945.

While inmates at STIC battled malnutrition, disease, and exposure, residents of Manila tried to adapt to life under Japanese occupation. Houses and businesses were searched and seized without warning, providing lodging for the Japanese forces while making their owners jobless and homeless. Japanese penalties for violations of imposed civilian restrictions were both swift and brutal, administered through beatings, hangings, imprisonment, starvation, torture, and executions. In January 1943, anti-Semitic propaganda targeted the non-interned German Jews, as Japanese leaders began to be influenced by their Nazi allies. Rumors about forcing the German Jews into a ghetto began to circulate. This imminent danger to the German Jews was averted by the more influential leaders of the Jewish community, who negotiated with the Japanese leaders. While the Japanese could not be bothered with Nazi plans to establish a Jewish ghetto in the Philippines, they did not object to episodes of abuse randomly waged against members of the Jewish community by their own soldiers. Dozens of incidents of German Jews, along with other civilians suffering at the hands of the Japanese during these years of occupation, illustrate the horror of the time.

kiretoce

April 10th, 2009, 05:42 AM

From Liberation up to the present

After liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation by the U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth Armed Forces, the freed internees of STIC joined with the remaining refugees in Manila to try to rebuild their devastated community. Temple Emil and Bachrach Hall had been totally destroyed. All had been victimized by the Japanese occupying forces, which resulted in the death of 70 members of the Jewish community. The American military took heroic steps to assist the Jewish community in its recovery. U.S. and Filipino soldiers provided not only food, water, supplies, and medicine for the victims, but also donated $15,000 for the rebuilding of the synagogue.

But the destruction was so wide spread that nearly all of the refugees and their American and British benefactors left the Philippines and the community membership had decreased by 30% by the end of 1946. Fewer than 250 European Jewish refugees could be counted among the estimated 600 Jews who remained in the Philippines by the end of 1948. By 1954 the Jewish community of Manila counted a total of 302 members. Thus closed the remarkable story of how one small American community of Jews in the Far East managed to do what so many more capable nations of the world were reluctant to do—save Jewish lives. By rescuing over 1300 Jewish refugees, this American Commonwealth saved them from the fate of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust.

As of 2005, Filipino Jews number at the very most 500 people. Other estimates range between 100 and 500 people (0.000001% and 0.000005% of the country's total population).

Today, Metro Manila boasts the largest Jewish community in the Philippines, which consists of roughly 40 families. The country's only synagogue, Beth Yaacov, is located in Makati, as is the Chabad House of the Ashkenazi Haredim. There are, of course, other Jews elsewhere in the country, but these are obviously fewer and almost all transients, either diplomats or business envoys, and their existence is almost totally unknown in mainstream society. There are a few Israelis in Manila recruiting caregivers for Israel and a few other executives. A number are converts to Judaism.

=======================================================

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Happy Passover!

Animo

April 30th, 2009, 03:33 PM

The World Health Organization lists three pandemics during the 20th Century: “Spanish influenza” in 1918, “Asian influenza” in 1957, and “Hong Kong influenza” in 1968 (see also History of pandemics). Recent articles (see Flu in Mexico City May Be Next Pandemic: Firsthand Account of 1918 and 1957 for example; more can be found in the PanFlu Storybook) haven taken to putting the present, and past, outbreaks in the context of the Mother of All Outbreaks: the 1918 pandemic.

Influenza 1918: The American Experience has this animated graphic of the spread of the flu in the United States, where the pandemic seems to have begun (it ended up being called the “Spanish flu” because Spain was the first and most open to report about the pandemic):

The flu then traveled the world, in waves.

Concerning the Philippines, here’s the relevant passage in America’s forgotten pandemic by Alfred W. Crosby:

The flu morbidity and mortality statistics of the Philippine Islands, which had a population of 9 to 10.5 million, depending on which authority you consult, are undependable. Something like 40 percent of Filipinos contracted the disease, and 70,000-90,000 died. By even the most conservative estimate, the pandemic killed 2 percent of those it made ill. In many villages in the worst days there weren’t enough well people to bury the dead. The pandemic seems to have wreaked the worst damage in the remote areas, such as in Cotobato province in Mindanao, where 95 percent fell ill.

Back in 2006, the Harvard School of Public Health warned Recurrence of a Flu Pandemic Similar to Infamous 1918 Flu Could Kill 62 Million. The article adds an additional insight into the Philippine fatalities in 1918:

For many decades, published epidemiological literature assumed that mortality rates from the 1918-20 pandemic were distributed fairly equally. A simple population count from that period would lead to the conclusion that about 20 percent of all fatalities occurred in the developed world. “But when you look at the data,” said Murray, “that number shrinks to about three or four percent.”

The disparities between the developed and developing worlds during this period are striking. For example, in Denmark 0.2 percent of the population succumbed to the flu. In the United States, that figure is 0.3 percent (based on data from 24 states). In the Philippines, the mortality rate was 2.8 percent, in the Bombay region of India, 6.2 percent, and in central India, 7.8 percent, which was the highest rate of the countries and regions analyzed. According to this data then, from Denmark to central India, death rates from the 1918-1920 flu pandemic varied more than 39-fold.

The researchers then took the relationship observed in 1918 between per capita income and mortality and extrapolated it to 2004 population data. After adjusting for global income and population changes, as well as changes in age structures within different populations, the research team estimated that if a similarly virulent strain of flu virus were to strike today, about 62 million people worldwide would die.

The article above was meant to herald the publication of Estimation of potential global pandemic influenza mortality on the basis of vital registry data from the 1918—20 pandemic: a quantitative analysis, which is freely available, in full, online.

The fascinating book Colonial Pathologies by Warwick Anderson mentions the 1918 flu pandemic. First, though, this extract concerning the at times heavy-handed efforts of the Americans in their campaigns against rinderpest, malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, and cholera. He reproduces some extracts from an outraged letter by Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera (himself a physician, and a member of the Philippine Commission) to Governor-General William Howard Taft:

…the people fear the Board of Heath a great deal more than they fear the epidemic. The sanitary inspectors, white, brown, black, civil and military have committed and still commit all kinds of abuses… [there are complaints] against the barbarities of the health agents… [In Pasig, the provincial treasurer] set fire to a house where a victim of the cholera had died and the flames extended to two neighboring houses…. [while the provincial inspector] went about with a gun on his shoulder in order to intimidate the people in order to make them obey sanitary laws…

Anderson writes that American public health officials were often mistrustful of Filipinos and skeptical of the capacity of Filipinos to undertake public health, with every possible shortcoming being used as proof of the incapacity of Filipinos to govern themselves:

[Public health director] Hesier and most of his compatriots continued to find in the failures to enforce smallpox vaccination, the recurrence of cholera, and a rising death rate in the archipelago evidence of the unreadiness for office of the Filipinos they had trained. American papers unsympathetic to the Democratic administration declared that “the full harvest of the ‘new era’ is now in the reaping in the Philippines.” “The Filipinization wind,” warned the New York Herald, had caused the incidence of plague to “jump” in the islands. Even the increasingly Filipinized health service conceded that in Manila the mortality rate for each one thousand inhabitants -42.28 in 1903, at the end of the war, but as low as 24.48 in 1913- had risen in 1918 to 46.33, and in 1919 was 27.55. To Heiser this was a clear indictment of Filipino management. But Dr. Vicente de Jesus, the acting director of public health, had another explanation: the influenza pandemic of 1918 had exacted a heavy toll in lives and caused “a weakened organic resistance” to other diseases among the population.

Returning, briefly, to Crosby’s book, he says that the worst-affected populations in the world were those in the aboriginal populations of the small Pacific islands. See 1918 pandemic in Polynesia and Fiji in the blog Grassroots Science; and also, The 1918 flu pandemic in New Zealand History online; and finally, Our nearly forgotten pandemic by Emmy Fitri and Arie Rukmantara, which details Indonesia’s 1918 flu pandemic experience:

Around 1.5 million people died in Dutch East Indies, which was then home to just some 30 million people.

The first case was reported on the east coast of Sumatra. By July 1918, it had spread to Java and Kalimantan before reaching Bali and Sulawesi. It then reached the eastern part of the archipelago in Maluku and Timor.

It seemed to die down for several weeks, but soon reemerged.

The second wave came in October 1918 and was more widespread. Like the pandemic in the US and Europe, the second wave brought the most deaths. These deaths were recorded in the Dutch Kolonial Verslaag (Colonial Journal).

Some of Brown’s reports show the horror of the pandemic situation. In Southeast Sulawesi, a Catholic missionary was quoted as saying that “deaths are everywhere”. According to the report, in one Sulawesi village, 177 of its 900 people died in a period of just three weeks.

In Tana Toraja, 10 percent of the population reportedly died from the flu. Meanwhile, according to the Dutch regional administration, 36,000 people in Lombok, or 5.9 percent of the island’s population, died.

Statistics are scarce and it is hard to gain a sense of what truly happened. Brown’s research shows that most fatalities occurred in people aged between their mid-teens and mid-fifties, the same age bracket that has been most affected by the bird flu in Indonesia.

Now a brief word on the “vessel” in which the spooky combination of human, swine, and bird flus seem to have mixed: the pig. Also in the same year (2006), as the Harvard study, a marvelous article appeared in Harper’s Magazine titled Swine of the times: The making of the modern pig by Nathanael Johnson. It tells the story of modern breeding and farming methods for commercial pork in the United States, and the dangers that have arisen from these practices: briefly, unhappy, unhealthy pigs too susceptible to disease because too genetically uniform and raised by means of bombardments with antibiotics.

http://blogs.inquirer.net/current/2009/04/28/pondering-a-pandemic/

nicko

May 6th, 2009, 07:27 AM

The 2009 Dumaguete National Writers Workshop Fellows

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RW4jMtD7ing/SeQLcYmZWyI/AAAAAAAABgM/CGvP5lJrRC8/s200/NWW.jpg

The workshop, which is the longest running Writers Workshop in Asia, is coordinated by the Silliman University Department of English and Literature.

National Artist for Literature and National Writers Workshop Director Emeritus Edith Lopez Tiempo, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and Silliman University are pleased to announce that the following young writers have been accepted as fellows for the 48th National Writers Workshop scheduled on 4-15 May 2009:

For Poetry

• Mariane Amor Romina T. Abuan (University of Santo Tomas)
• Jonathan S. Gonzales (Ateneo de Manila University)
• Arkaye V. Keirulf (Ateneo de Manila University)
• Patricia Angela F. Magno (Ateneo de Manila University)
• Niño S. Manaog (Ateneo de Manila University)

For Fiction

• Keith Bryan T. Cortez (University of Santo Tomas)
• Ana Margarita Stuart del Rosario (De La Salle University)
• Monique S. Francisco (University of the Philippines - Diliman)
• Russell Stanley Geronimo (De La Salale University)
• Aleck E. Maramag (De La Salle University)
• Gabriel Millado (University of the Philippines – Mindanao)
• Gabrielle L. Nakpil (Ateneo de Manila University)
• Joy C. Rodriguez (University of the Philippines – Mindanao)

For Creative Non-Fiction

• Philip Y. Kimpo Jr. (University of the Philippines - Diliman)
• Marck Ronald Rimorin (University of the Philippines - Baguio)

This year’s panel of critics is composed of Dumaguete-based writers Ernesto Superal Yee, Myrna Peña Reyes, and Cesar Ruiz Aquino, as well as guest panelists Gemino H. Abad, Juaniyo Arcellana, J. Neil C. Garcia, Susan Lara, Rosario Cruz Lucero, DM Reyes, and Alfred Yuson.

"ZukiChirO"

May 6th, 2009, 01:24 PM

kevinb

May 6th, 2009, 01:43 PM

Is this for real?! I love it! I have to get one of those!

kiretoce

May 7th, 2009, 06:08 AM

dinabaw

May 7th, 2009, 08:27 AM

^^ lol the money just depreciated.

dinabaw

May 7th, 2009, 08:36 AM

did you know that there's a 200 Peso Bill circulating in the Philippines.
but The Central Bank of the Philippines issued only 300,000 pieces of 200 Peso Bill.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/ImagePhp_bill_2000_front.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/ImagePhp_bill_2000_back.JPG

hmm... i don't see this bill circulating with erap on it.:lol:

btw here's a "value for your money" trivia.

did you know if you have a 100 bill with "Pres. Gloria M. Arrovo instead of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo it's worth 100x !

did you know if your money have serial # 77777777's it's worth 200x !

kiretoce

May 7th, 2009, 08:49 AM

did you know if your money have serial # 77777777's it's worth 200x !

So, how much does a bill with a serial of 666 worth? Also, in amigo32's case, a serial of 69? :lol:

Marni

May 8th, 2009, 03:52 PM

8 Things You Ought To Know About the Longest Bridge in the Philippines (http://ourawesomeplanet.com)

SAN JUANICO BRIDGE
The Longest Bridge in the Philippines
The Longest Rail-Carrying Bridge in the World

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2630161406_8de079da45.jpg

1. San Juanico Bridge is the longest bridge in the Philippines measuring 2.162 kilometers in length.

2. The bridge connects the province of Leyte and the province of Samar.

3. It is also called the Bridge of Love because it was (allegedly) a gift of Ferdinand Marcos to Imelda Romualdez and to the city of Tacloban.

4. It was constructed in August 1969 and completed (before I was born) in December 1972.

5. The best angle to photograph San Juanico Bridge is via an aerial shot according to Master George Tapan.

6. The bridge is shaped like the letters L S which stands for Leyte and Samar.

7. The best time to shoot San Juanico bridge is during sunrise.

8. The best way to experience San Juanico Bridge is to do a 5 km walk from one end of the bridge to the other end and then go back.

www.ourawesomeplanet.com

flesh_is_weak

May 8th, 2009, 06:19 PM

what is a rail-carrying bridge? (pardon my ignorance)

Marni

May 9th, 2009, 05:10 AM

^^Kita mo yung mga fence sa opposite sides ng bridge its also called rails or railings + the side walks :D correct me if im wrong :D

dinabaw

May 9th, 2009, 01:10 PM

manileño

May 9th, 2009, 03:31 PM

^^Kita mo yung mga fence sa opposite sides ng bridge its also called rails or railings + the side walks :D correct me if im wrong :D

i don't think thats the right term for it. a rail-carrying bridge means simply a bridge that carries a rail line or track. i dont see any rail nor have i heard of any PNR operations in the region. as for the railing, i think most bridges modern or primitive have them, side walk included :D

Mars Uy

May 11th, 2009, 07:48 AM

i don't think thats the right term for it. a rail-carrying bridge means simply a bridge that carries a rail line or track. i dont see any rail nor have i heard of any PNR operations in the region. as for the railing, i think most bridges modern or primitive have them, side walk included :D

:lol::lol: Sira ata yung site na nakunan ko ng information about that :lol::lol:
Oh well for sure its the longest bridge in the Philippines as of now :D

carl_vilches21

May 12th, 2009, 12:32 PM

now i don't agree with no.4 :lol:

...Mars was born in 1972.:lol:...And that's a fact..:D

Henz

May 12th, 2009, 12:45 PM

Mars Uy

May 12th, 2009, 04:57 PM

...Mars was born in 1972.:lol:...And that's a fact..:D

Yes that's true
FACT: I'm the oldest SSC Tacloban forumer :lol: just joking
Sorry for thne OT mods :D

mhek

May 12th, 2009, 06:43 PM

did you know if you have a 100 bill with "Pres. Gloria M. Arrovo instead of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo it's worth 100x !

so 10k isa? wow may 110k pala ako?! :nuts:

saan ko ba pwedeng ipapalit? haha

barrera_marquez

May 13th, 2009, 12:57 AM

so 10k isa? wow may 110k pala ako?! :nuts:

saan ko ba pwedeng ipapalit? haha

Mayroon ka ba? Naging issue kasi iyan sa mga money collectors kaya they are going to do everything to get one and one of those ways is bidding on the auctions.

mhek

May 13th, 2009, 09:14 AM

^ yup, 11 ganyan ko, walang tupi. :D

urban Iegend

May 14th, 2009, 05:44 AM

^^
www.ebay.ph
www.sulit.com.ph
www.auction.ph

bilis! pera na yan :lol:

(sorry sa OT :D )

zoroethgenre_003

May 15th, 2009, 04:53 AM

heres the list of the To 10 Richest Municipality of the hilippine according to COA

link: www.alvinrexlucero.wordpress.com

icarusrising

May 15th, 2009, 04:53 AM

^^ A believe there's a newer one (for 2008) with Dasmariñas, Cavite topping the list.

zoroethgenre_003

May 16th, 2009, 07:59 AM

really? do you have a coy of the report..im lookin for it kasi eh..what ive got is the 2007 report..

Rodel

May 16th, 2009, 11:38 PM

heres the list of the To 10 Richest Municipality of the hilippine according to COA

link: www.alvinrexlucero.wordpress.com

1. Biñan, Laguna – 677,147,000

2. Cabuyao Laguna – 593,166,000

3. Dasmariñas, Cavite – 535,211,000

4. Bacoor, Cavite – 456,586,000

5. Cainta, Rizal – 446,984,000

6. Gen.Trias, Cavite – 415, 854,000

7. Rosario, Cavite – 408,431,000

8. Imus, Cavite – 370, 338,000

9. Rodriguez, Rizal – 310,272,000

10. Carmona, Cavite – 298,740,000

what are common on these municipalities?
1) all are in region 4A
2) they have industrial areas in their locality (except the ones in rizal, but they have also manufacturing firms)

Rodel

May 16th, 2009, 11:40 PM

how about the top10 richest cities in the phils...does somebody have a list?

zoroethgenre_003

May 17th, 2009, 04:21 AM

^^maybe i can post it on Monday..i left my copy of the COA report in School..

zoroethgenre_003

May 17th, 2009, 05:25 AM

Top 10 Richest Province in the Philippines

Link: www.alvinrexlucero.wordpress.com

zoroethgenre_003

May 17th, 2009, 05:26 AM

Top 10 Richest Cities in the Philippines

Link: www.alvinrexlucero.wordpress.com

zoroethgenre_003

May 17th, 2009, 05:26 AM

Top 10 Poorest Province

Link: www.alvinrexlucero.wordpress.com

bonixx

May 19th, 2009, 09:58 AM

Top 10 Richest Province in the Philippines

Link: www.alvinrexlucero.wordpress.com

Yet all CALABARZON Provinces belongs to TOP 10:cheers:

habagatcentral1

May 20th, 2009, 01:15 AM

1. Biñan, Laguna – 677,147,000

2. Cabuyao Laguna – 593,166,000

3. Dasmariñas, Cavite – 535,211,000

4. Bacoor, Cavite – 456,586,000

5. Cainta, Rizal – 446,984,000

6. Gen.Trias, Cavite – 415, 854,000

7. Rosario, Cavite – 408,431,000

8. Imus, Cavite – 370, 338,000

9. Rodriguez, Rizal – 310,272,000

10. Carmona, Cavite – 298,740,000

what are common on these municipalities?
1) all are in region 4A
2) they have industrial areas in their locality (except the ones in rizal, but they have also manufacturing firms)

Ang yaman yaman naman pala eh...pero ni pailaw sa mga barangay at highway wala. Improvement sa infra wala...

Pero in fairness maganda na ang plaza...:lol: Pero pesteng trapik pa rin. o

Waldenstrom

May 20th, 2009, 09:49 PM

1. Biñan, Laguna – 677,147,000

2. Cabuyao Laguna – 593,166,000

3. Dasmariñas, Cavite – 535,211,000

4. Bacoor, Cavite – 456,586,000

5. Cainta, Rizal – 446,984,000

6. Gen.Trias, Cavite – 415, 854,000

7. Rosario, Cavite – 408,431,000

8. Imus, Cavite – 370, 338,000

9. Rodriguez, Rizal – 310,272,000

10. Carmona, Cavite – 298,740,000

what are common on these municipalities?
1) all are in region 4A
2) they have industrial areas in their locality (except the ones in rizal, but they have also manufacturing firms)

di na pala no.1 ang Dasma. :(

edit: ooops 2007 pa pala yan :lol::D

6 out of 10 richest municipalities are in Cavite. wow! :D

Animo

May 27th, 2009, 10:43 AM

By Ambeth Ocampo (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090527-207329/Epidemics-in-Rizals-time)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:22:00 05/27/2009

Filed Under: Swine Flu, history, Health, Diseases, Epidemic and Plague

Over the weekend, I received a funny text stating that Katrina Halili, she of sex video scandal fame, was positive for swine flu. She had admitted on nation-wide TV, “Binaboy nila ako!”

For the past few weeks, we have been bombarded with news on H1N1. While the spread of swine flu virus is cause for concern, why do the media play it up when it has killed less than 100 people worldwide? Surely there are other health issues, like cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, and hypertension that claim more lives than swine flu, but these are not written about.

Should we bring out the face masks and run to the drugstore for swine flu medicine? I wonder what historians of the future will make of our times.

Young historians like Francis Gealogo are doing demographic history, painting a new picture of the past, using census data. They also explore health and disease to find yet another window to the past.

Today’s swine flu has been traced to Mexico, but two centuries ago we also received smallpox from Mexico under different circumstances. On Sept. 1, 1803, Carlos IV of Spain, “desiring to ameliorate the havoc wrought by smallpox epidemics in his dominions in the Indies and in order to furnish his loyal subjects the protection they deserve,” ordered a medical mission to the Philippines. This was headed by Francisco Javier de Balmis who took the vaccine not in bottles but in the live bodies of Mexican boys. A ship sailed from Spain on Nov. 30, 1803 carrying the orphans, some of whom had smallpox which, during the course of the voyage, was transferred by inoculation, arm to arm, to the healthy boys so that smallpox antibodies would arrive alive and well at the destination.

After two years sailing in the Americas, the Balmis expedition arrived in Manila on April 15, 1805 on the frigate Magallanes. The next day, the children of Spanish Governor-General Rafael M. de Aguilar were inoculated, proving to a fearful public that a cure was at hand.

In gratitude for this gift of a smallpox vaccine, the City of Manila erected a statue of Carlos IV in 1824, and it now stands in front of the Manila Cathedral.

I tried in vain to get the names of the 25 Mexican orphans who brought smallpox antibodies to Manila as well as the names of the Filipino orphans who carried the antibodies to other parts of the Philippines and elsewhere. Balmis has since been honored by having a street in Manila named after him as well as a historical marker installed in the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa in 2004.

Aside from dry census records, we have more vivid descriptions of death and disease from other sources, like the correspondence of Rizal with his family. In 1882, a comet ripped the sky and people read it as an omen of bad fortune. That year, the Rizal family endured earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, and a cholera epidemic. Rizal was in Madrid studying medicine, and the letters from home were quite depressing. Paciano in September 1882 informed his younger brother:

“Now that the plague is at its peak, an average of 15 persons die daily. From night to morning healthy and robust men become corpses or at least completely unrecognizable and emaciated, hovering between life and death. Those who succumb to any other disease deserve to be envied, because at least, they are attended and taken care of at their homes, they are taken to church and are buried in the cemetery, but the victims of this scourge cannot comfort themselves that they would be treated thus. Their relatives, even the close ones, flee; they are not taken care of and if sometimes they are attended to, they become a heavy burden to their companions in the house who fear contagion. They are wrapped up and buried with the Chinese. It is a sad thing to die under these circumstances and of this disease. One is exposed, to be devoured by dogs. I doubt very much if the grave has depth of two spans, and there is a throng of dogs around.”

Famine followed the epidemic because few were left to tend the fields or harvest the crops. People were in mourning or hiding from the disease. Manzanilla was out of stock at the drugstores and cognac was scarce, and if it could be found at all, it was expensive. Stinking food like dried fish was banned. Schools were closed. Towns and provinces were isolated from each other. Homes of infected people were burned. The dead were not brought to church for services but buried hastily. People prayed in church, held processions, and invoked the intercession of San Roque against pestilence. Ships in the port of Manila were fumigated and quarantined for 12 hours.

Saturnina Rizal in December 1882 described the end of the cholera epidemic and the beginning of another deadlier scourge “dry cholera” or beri-beri:

“There is a new disease prevailing here now. It starts with the swelling of the feet and the legs until the knee. Then difficulty in breathing ensues and two hours later the patient is dead. Toneng, mother of Pangoy, died of this disease; Compadre Gena Pano is gravely ill of this disease also… Two children of Tia Tomasa died. One of them was Ate; I don’t know who the other one was. Tio Bindoy died. Perhaps you will not like this news very much because they are sad, but I want you to know everything.”

The history of health in the Philippines is yet to be written and it will make for engaging reading.

Comments are welcome at aocampo@ateneo.edu

mygz14

May 27th, 2009, 11:51 AM

Wind Shear

May 27th, 2009, 12:05 PM

I just read something over the net. It is said that Hikaru Sulu, one of the Fictional Characters of Star Trek, was named after the Sulu Sea as Uhura was named from a Swahili Word (African Language). I just found it out today. :)

Hikaru Sulu is probably half-Japanese and half-Filipino. If he is full Japanese, there should be no letter "L".

esagerato

May 27th, 2009, 03:29 PM

1. Biñan, Laguna – 677,147,000

2. Cabuyao Laguna – 593,166,000

3. Dasmariñas, Cavite – 535,211,000

4. Bacoor, Cavite – 456,586,000

5. Cainta, Rizal – 446,984,000

6. Gen.Trias, Cavite – 415, 854,000

7. Rosario, Cavite – 408,431,000

8. Imus, Cavite – 370, 338,000

9. Rodriguez, Rizal – 310,272,000

10. Carmona, Cavite – 298,740,000

what are common on these municipalities?
1) all are in region 4A
2) they have industrial areas in their locality (except the ones in rizal, but they have also manufacturing firms)

Yet all CALABARZON Provinces belongs to TOP 10:cheers:

CALABARZON rocks!! halos lahat ng mga kamag anak ko eh taga dine.. :lol:

kiretoce

May 28th, 2009, 02:59 AM

I just read something over the net. It is said that Hikaru Sulu, one of the Fictional Characters of Star Trek, was named after the Sulu Sea as Uhura was named from a Swahili Word (African Language). I just found it out today. :)

That is indeed a fact. :colgate:

Gene Roddenberry wanted the character to represent all of Asia, which symbolized the peace of the Trek universe in spite of the numerous wars in the continent. Roddenberry did not want a nationally specific surname, so he looked at a map and saw the Sulu Sea. He thought, the waters of that sea touch all shores, and that's how the character came to have the name Sulu. The fictional character Hikaru Sulu was born in San Francisco, to Japanese and Filipino parents.

For Uhura, Roddenberry had intended his new female communications officer to be called Lieutenant Sulu. Someone pointed out how similar this was to "Zulu" and thought it might act against the plan for racial diversity in the show, so the name Sulu remained with George Takei's character. "Uhura" comes from the Swahili word uhuru, which means "freedom". When explained to Roddenberry what the word "uhuru" meant, he changed it to Uhura and adopted that as the character's name.

Dakpa ang akong tiil

May 28th, 2009, 05:56 AM

Dakpa ang akong tiil

May 28th, 2009, 06:30 AM

Miss Gloria Diaz
Miss Universe 1969
.
http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt14/Jheaux/Popular%20people/g9.jpg

Miss Margarita "Margie" Moran
Miss Universe 1973

http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt14/Jheaux/Popular%20people/Margie00.jpg

Dakpa ang akong tiil

May 28th, 2009, 06:35 AM

Philippines' Bests

The Leaf Musician
He became famous around the world for his distinct talent. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Filipino National Artist Levi Celerio as the only man who could play beautiful music with a leaf.
Celerio appeared in "That's Incredible" and the Mel Griffin show where he played music with a leaf. The Guinness Book of World Records said: "The only leaf player in the world is in the Philippines". As a composer and lyricist, Celerio wrote more than 4,000 songs.

The Woman With 3,400 Shoes
Former First Lady Imelda Marcos was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the woman with the largest collection of shoes. Reports said that when the Marcos family fled to Hawaii during the People's Power Revolution in 1986, around 3,400 pairs of shoes were discovered in one room at Malacanang Palace. They were the First Lady's collection.
In 1987, Mrs. Marcos denied this and claimed she had only 1,060 pairs of shoes. The former First Lady has an eight-and-a-half inch footwear size. She said her having many shoes is not a symbol of extravagance but an expression of love and appreciation for Filipino-made shoes. Most of her shoes, she added, were bought from Marikina, the shoe capital of the Philippines. For this, Marikina City had acquired 200 pairs of the Marcos shoes and put them on display at the city's shoe museum.

Largest Loot in History
Much has been said about the late President Ferdinand Marcos being the world's richest man. While this title was not officially designated to Marcos, the late dictator, however, was known as the man who took away the largest loot in history. While deposed President Joseph Estrada faces plunder charges for allegedly amassing some US$82 million in kickbacks and payoffs during his 31-month stint at Malacanang Palace, Marcos had reportedly stolen billions of dollars. There were different versions of the fabled Marcos wealth.
The fabled Marcos wealth reportedly consists of billions of dollars and tons of gold bullions deposited in several banks in Switzerland. Government lawyers claimed that Marcos had used dummy foundations to hoard his wealth. Among such foundations that the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) had identified are Sandy, Xandy, Wintrop, and Rayby.
Former Senate President Jovito Salonga, who served as the first PCGG chairman under the Aquino administration said the agency had identified 51 Marcos bank accounts in Switzerland, 23 of which are in Credit Suisse; 3 at Swiss Bank Corporation in Fribourg; 15 in Swiss Bank Corporation in Geneva; 6 at Banque Paribas in Geneva; 3 at Hoffman in Zurich; and one each at Lombard Odeii and Trade Development Bank in Geneva.
According to former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez, the Marcos family still keeps some US$13.4 billion in deposits at the Union Bank of Switzerland under the account of Irene Marcos-Araneta, on top of a hoard of 1.241 tons of gold at an underground bunker at Kloten Airport in Zurich. Chavez also disclosed that former First Lady Imelda Marcos has 800,000 ounces of gold in unfrozen accounts in Switzerland.
Before this, Australian private investigator Reiner Jacobi, who served as a PCGG consultant in 1989, had unraveled the so-called Irene Araneta account and even went to the extent of claiming that the Marcoses had a US$250-billion gold hoard in Switzerland. The PCGG, however, described Jacobi's claims as exaggerated and too fantastic.
In October 1999, Filipino businessman Enriquez Zobel, a known crony of the late president told a Senate committee that the Marcos wealth could have swollen to US$100 billion in gold and dollar deposits, the bulk of which is deposited with the US Treasury. In his sworn testimony, Zobel said the Marcos wealth is distributed to gold deposits, dollar accounts, and real estate properties located in various parts of the world.
The Marcos gold deposits alone, Zobel said, may have reached US$35 billion. Zobel had also mentioned the US$13.4 billion Irene Marcos Araneta account at the Union Bank of Switzerland. The gold bars are allegedly kept in various banks in Portugal, Vatican City, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Solomon Island, and the US. Zobel said Marcos obtained the gold bars after the Liberation (1946) from the Yamashita treasure and from soldiers who sold their gold bars for only US$20 per bar. Another version was that of Rogelio Roxas who claimed that Marcos' men seized the real golden buddha from his house at Aurora Hills in Baguio City on April 5, 1971. The buddha reportedly costs billions of dollars.
In February 2001, the Philippine Daily Inquirer disclosed the alleged attempt of Irene Marcos Araneta to launder billions of dollars in deposits under the 885931 accounts from Union Bank of Switzerland to Deutsche Banks in Dusseldorf, Germany. Aside from the Marcos family and the Philippine government, the 9,539 victims of human rights under the Marcos regime have interest in the Marcos wealth.

World's Largest Shoes
In December 2002, the Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Marikina City for crafting the world's largest pair of shoes - each measuring 5.5 meters (18.2 feet) long, 2.25 meters (7.4 feet) wide and 1.83 meters (six feet) high. The materials for the P1.2 million pair of shoes could produce 250 pairs of regular shoes.

World's Largest Golf Event
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the biggest amateur golf tournament takes place in Baguio City, Philippines every year. Dubbed as the Fil-Am Golf Championship since 1949, the 72-hole golf tournament attracts close to 1,000 amateur golfers from all over the archipelago. The sites of the prestigious event are the challenging par-69, 5,001-yard Camp John Hay golf course and the par-61, 4,038-yard Baguio Country Club. Among the top contending teams in the event are the Canlubang, Southwoods, Calatagan, and Wack Wack.

World's Largest Synchronized Aerobics Exercises
On February 16, 2003, some 107,000 Filipinos joined a 30-minute aerobics exercise supervised by the Department of Health (DOH) at Rizal Park in Manila, which could be the largest synchronized exercise in the world. Thousands of people also gathered at different venues in Cebu City and Davao City to participate in the exercise simultaneous with the Manila event. The new record broke the previous Guinness Book of World Records set at a park in Guadalajara, Mexico by some 38,633 people who joined the massive aerobics exercises in June 1998.

World's Largest Lantern
On December 24, 2002, the city of San Fernando in Pampanga province switched on the world's largest Christmas lantern - a P5-million structure with 26.8 meters in diameter.

World's Fastest Reader
As a student at the Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, Maria Teresa Calderon became the world's fastest reader. She set the record of having read 80,000 words per hour.

Sili King
The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes Eriberto Gonzales of Camalig, Albay as the fastest chili eater. In the Philippines, he is known as the "Sili King". Gonzales accomplished his feat in the "Sili-Eating Challenge 1999" in Bicol where he ate 350 pieces of sili in three minutes. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

World's Best Finance Minister
In 1997, Roberto de Ocampo who was serving in the Cabinet of former President Fidel Ramos, was recognized as the "World's Best Finance Minister" for overhauling the country's tax system through the Comprehensive Tax Reform Package.

World's Best Central Bank Governor
In October 2002, international magazine Global Finance named Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Rafael Carlos B. Buenaventura as one of the world's two best central bankers for "his remarkable skill in guiding" the Philippine economy under a trying year. The other central banker named was Reserve Bank of Austalia (RBA) Governor Ian MacFarlane.

World Young Business Achievers
In 1995, Joseph Donato Pangilinan, president of Manila Pearl, won the World Young Business Achiever Award (WYBA) in London. In 1997, Renato Pangilinan, chief executive officer of Juventus International won the Entrepreneurship Award in Newfoundland, Canada. In 1998, Andrew James Masigan, founder of Dimsum n' Dumpling won the Award of Excellence in Business Strategy.

World's Sweetest Fruit
What can be considered as the world's sweetest mango is produced in the island province of Guimaras. While other countries have different varieties of the tropical mango (Mangifera indica), none of them tastes like the superbly delicious Guimaras Mango, which is a variety of the popular Carabao Mango (Manginera indica).
In 1995, the Guinness Book of World records listed the Carabao Mango as the sweetest fruit in the world. In the Philippines, mango ranks third among fruit crops in production, next to banana and pineapple. The country supplies mangoes to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and recently the United States. In 1995, the Philippines produced 432,322 metric tons of mangoes, with an average production of 6.35 metric tons per hectare and 250 kilograms per tree from a total production area of 68,056 hectares.

World's Largest Legal Tender
In 1998, during the Philippine Centennial celebration of independence, the Central Bank asked the Guinness Book of World Records to accredit its P100,000 commemorative bills, measuring 8 ½ inches wide and 14 inches long, as the world's largest legal tender. The commemorative bills were called Brobdingnagian bills.

World's Largest Bamboo Organ
The bamboo organ at St. Joseph Church in Las Pinas City is arguably the world's largest bamboo organ. The centuries-old musical instrument was constructed between 1792 and 1819. It has 174 bamboo pipes, 122 horizontal reeds of soft metal, a five-octave keyboard, and 22 stops arranged in vertical rows.

World's Largest City
The residents of Davao City claim they live in the world's largest city. They are talking about the land size of the city that covers 2,212 square kilometers. Most of these areas, however, are distributed as forests, coconut groves and rice fields. In comparison, New York, the largest city in the United States, has an area of only 787 square kilometers while the whole of Metro Manila covers only 636 square kilometers.
Davao City lies at the mouth of the Davao River near the head of Davao Gulf. It encompasses about 50 small ports in its commercial sphere. Davao has large banana plantations, whose produce are exported to Japan and other countries. The city also boasts of a modern international airport. Puerto Princesa City, a chartered city of Palawan province, is disputing Davao City's title. It claims to have a total land area of 2,539 square kilometers encompassing 66 barangays.
In terms of population and land area, the world's truly largest cities are Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paolo, New York City, Bombay, Shanghai and Los Angeles.

World's Largest Volume of Text Messages
Smart Communications, one of the two giant mobile phone networks in the country, claimed that the volume of text messages passing through its network reached 240 million daily as of 2001. This excluded text messages sent via the other networks. Such volume of text messages is said to be larger than those sent in the entire European continent during the same year.

World's Largest High School
The Rizal High School in Caniogan, Pasig City (eastern Metro Manila) is said to be the world's largest high school in terms of student population. The school has more than 20,000 students.

World's Longest Barbecue
On April 30, 2002, about 50,000 people participated in the "Kalutan ed Dagupan Festival" in Dagupan City (Pangasinan province, Northern Luzon, Philippines) to help grill and partake of the 1,001-meter long barbecue, that broke the previous World Record of 613 meter-long barbecue grilled in Canchia, Peru on November 13, 1999.
The people of the city used hundreds of grills, each measuring 1.2-meter long, to cook the barbecue. The grills' total measure was about 800 meters long, enough to surpass the Peruvian record. The barbecue consisted of bangus (milkfish), pork, chicken, vegetables and cold cuts. A video footage was sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for validation. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

World's Largest Flower
In February 2002, an environmental organization discovered what could be one of the world's largest flowers in the 5,511-hectare Sibalom National Park in Antique province. Measuring about 22 inches in diameter, the endangered flower, locally named as "Uruy", (Rafflesia sp.) has no stem and leaves. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

World's Largest Salad
The residents of Baguio City took pride in having tossed what was believed to be the world's largest salad - a three-ton mix of assorted vegetables.
On September 29, 2002 during the Tossed Salad Festival in commemoration of the city's 93rd charter anniversary, 67 students and members of the Baguio Association of Hotels and Inns (Bahai) mixed 2,976 kilograms of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and other vegetables in a tin and wrought iron bowl measuring 20 feet long, 10 feet wide and 2 feet deep.
Some 13,657 people were able to partake of the P1.5 million mixtures. They paid P20 for each serving of the tossed salad with Thousand Island dressing and another take-out bowl of salad with a gourmet vinaigrette dressing consisting of apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
The city broke its own record set a year earlier. On September 16, 2001, a 917-kilogram of salad was able to feed 4,861 residents and tourists of Baguio City. On September 14, 2002, a religious group prepared a giant Caesar's salad that fed only 1,000 people in Salt Lake City, Utah.

World's Largest Durian Candy Bar
On March 15, 2002, 25 people in Davao City spent six hours to cook, mold and roll the world's largest durian candy bar - a 6-meter, 200-kilogram delicacy made of durian, a smelly but sweet fruit commonly associated with the name of the city. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

World's Longest Mat
The people of the agricultural town of Basey, Samar own the distinction of having weaved the world's longest mat, or "banig" in the local parlance. During the town's Banigan-Kawayan Festival on September 29, 2000, hundreds of people paraded the mat, which extended for more than a kilometer.
The one-meter wide mat has been weaved for several weeks by groups of people from the different barangays of Basey. While the mat was not submitted as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records, Basey Mayor Wilfredo Estorninos described the feat as a source of pride for all Basaynons.
Each year, the town, which has weaving as its prime industry, comes to life when it celebrates outlandishly the feast of St. Michael, its patron saint. The highlight of the feast is the Banigan-Kawayan Festival, where the women of Basey weave a variety of intricately designed mats from sedge grass locally known as tikog (Fimbristylis milliacea). This tradition was handed down from many generations. The Church of Basey was built in 1864.

World's Largest Pearl
A Filipino diver discovered what is now described as the world's largest pearl in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 ½ inches long and 5 ½ inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

World's Largest Covered Coliseum
At the time it was completed in 1959, the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City was touted as the world's largest covered entertainment center. Otherwise known as the Big Dome, it has a floor area of 2,300 square meters and a seating capacity of 33,000 people.

One of the World's Best Hotels
In 1983, British magazine Executive Travel named Manila Hotel as one of the ten best in the world while Business Traveler, another British publication named it as one of the top ten business hotels in the world in 1986. In 1992, the Institutional Investor magazine called Manila Hotel as the world's best hotel and in 1993, the Vienna-based Treasury Publishing included it in the list of the most famous hotels in the world.
Among the many political luminaries and celebrities who have stayed at the Manila Hotel were Ernest Hemingway, General Douglas McArthur, Marlon Brando, Helen Keller, John Wayne, Rocky Marciano, Richard Nixon, Robert Kennedy, Emperor Akihito, John Rockefeller, Dwight Eisenhower, Neil Armstrong, Anatoly Karpov, Bob Hope, Henry Kissinger, Princess Margaret, Brooke Shields, John Denver, Bon Jovi, Ben Kingsley, Richard Attenborough, Julio Iglesias, Richard Cheney, Garri Kasparov, Sultan Bolkiah, Rod Stewart, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Arnold Parmer, Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl, Nelson Mandela and Prince Charles. (Source: Panorama magazine)

One of the Best Banks
Global Finance, a financial magazine in the US, named the Bank of Philippine Islands, the oldest bank in the country, as the best domestic bank in emerging markets in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Emerging markets refer to developing economies, mostly in Asia.

Asia's Best Business School
The Makati-based Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is richly considered as one of the top business schools in Asia. In the year 2001, it received the Beyond Grey Pinstripes Award for having MBA programs that integrate social, environmental and sustainability topics into business training. The award is a joint project of The Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business (Aspen ISIB) and World Resources Institute.

Influential Businesswoman
In its 2002 list, US-based Fortune Magazine ranked Teresita Sy-Coson, a daughter of Filipino-Chinese tycoon Henry Sy Sr. and executive vice president of SM Prime Holdings, as the world's 39th most influential woman in international business outside the United States. The SM Prime Holdings is a conglomerate engaged in retail, real state, manufacturing, banking and finance.

World's Second Most Devastated City
The late US President and General Dwight Eisenhower described Manila as the world's second most devastated city during World War II, next to Warsaw, Poland which was reduced to ruins by the Nazi's attack. Before he became president, Eisenhower served in the Philippines under General Douglas Macarthur from 1935 to 1939.

Second Largest Geothermal Power Source
As of 2002, the Philippines was producing about 1,765 megawatts of geothermal energy, making it the world's second largest geothermal power user after the United States. The Department of Energy said the country could edge out the US at the top by installing a new geothermal power plant with a 900-megawatt capacity.

World's Third Largest Banana Producer
The Philippines is considered as the world's third largest producer of bananas, after Costa Rica and Ecuador. Large plantations in Southern Mindanao produce most bananas exported by the Philippines. Some 30,000 hectares in the region are planted to bananas.
The Philippines is also one of the largest producers of coconut, cassava, mango, pineapple, tilapia, tuna, shrimps, and prawns.

downdowndown

May 28th, 2009, 06:41 AM

di na pala no.1 ang Dasma. :(

edit: ooops 2007 pa pala yan :lol::D

6 out of 10 richest municipalities are in Cavite. wow! :D

probably because many cavitenos have families industriously working abroad, masagana ang buhay tuloy.

pag malapit sa mga international airport, i guess the more the tendency and drive of people to apply for passports, and fly and work in other countries.

bacolodchamp

June 8th, 2009, 07:25 AM

Talisay Ruins on list
of 12 most fascinating
BY CARLA GOMEZ

http://208.106.191.145/_media/imgs/articles2/a96671_a442_talisay.jpg
source (http://www.oddee.com/item_96671.aspx)
The Ruins in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, is among “12 of the World's Most Fascinating Ruins” featured under places on Oddee.

Oddee at www.oddee.com is a blog with over 2.5 million visitors worldwide a month that “features the odd, strange and bizarre things of our world, Be amazed!”, its home page says.
Ruins
The Ruins in Talisay City*

The Ruins in Talisay is ranked in 12th place and is described as “a mansion built by a sugar magnate at the turn of the last century that not once, but twice, was destroyed in the Second World War in order to prevent Japanese forces from using it. Once on their way out of the Philippines, the USAAFE bombed and strafed the home, and Philippines rebels burned it down to keep it from falling into Japanese hands.”

The Ruins, built in the early 1890s by sugar planter Mariano Ledesma Lacson (1865-1948), is now a tourists attraction ran by his great grandson Raymund Javellana, who runs the place.

Javellana told the DAILY STAR yesterday he does not know how The Ruins got included in Oddee or who runs the blog but he is grateful for the publicity it is giving the place.

“I just hope that this can spur tourist arrivals to Negros,” he said.

During the early part of the war, Filipino guerrillas from the United States Armed Forces in the Far East set fire to the mansion to prevent the Japanese forces from utilizing it as their headquarters, he said.

But he denied that the USAAFE also bombed and strafed the home as stated on Oddee.

Topping the Oddee list of fascinating ruins at http://www.oddee.com/item_96671.aspx is the most famous of all the Inca ruins built in the mid 15th century, Machu Picchu, which appears to be suspended between two mountains and is often enshrouded in mist.

In second place is Babylon in Iraq, followed by Palenque in Mexico, the ruins of Ayutthaya in Thailand, the Colosseum in Italy, the Tikal Ruins in Guatemala, Chichén Itzá Ruin in Mexico, the Parthenon in Greece, Jesuitical Ruins of Trinidad in Paraguay, the Copan Ruins in Honduras, and the Palmyra Ruins in Syria.*CPG

http://visayandailystar.com/2009/June/08/topstory6.htm

^^:cheers:

pthfndr19

June 8th, 2009, 08:09 AM

Eastern Visayas is the only region in the Philippines having no land border with another region, where all its main islands (Leyte, Samar, Biliran and Panaon Island in Southern Leyte) are connected by bridges. Calicoan Island now being developed as tourist destination is also connected by bridge to mainland Samar (Eastern Samar).

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c124/alfinsky/EasternVisayas.jpg

carl_vilches21

June 8th, 2009, 04:21 PM

^^
May bridge pala sa Guian papuntang Calicoan Island?

pthfndr19

June 8th, 2009, 07:10 PM

Yup, meron. It's Pagnamitan Bridge.. medyo malapit sa Guiuan Airport.

carl_vilches21

June 9th, 2009, 02:48 AM

^^
Ahh..I see..Thanks..

mike durero

June 20th, 2009, 05:27 AM

http://www.cedricverdier.com/expeditions/yamashiro.php

"Better to sink in boundless deeps, than float on vulgar shoals..." Herman Melville, Mardi and a Voyage Thither.

http://www.cedricverdier.com/img/yamalogo.jpg

Diving the deepest battleships

Diving the HIJMS Yamashiro and Fuso has always been a dream since the project was launched by the late John Bennett. "Diving the Yamashiro is a technical, logistical, physiological and human challenge. It involves state-of-the-art technology and extensive preparation and experience.… But it’s a dream come true for any diver…"

The goals of the Yamashiro Project

Positively identifying the different wrecks in Surigao Strait.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo288/mike_durero/yamashiiro.jpg?t=1245467577

During the Battle of Leyte, November 24th 1944, 5 aircraft carriers, 7 cruiser, 2 escort carriers, 15 destroyers and 3 battleships were sunk. A big controversy took place about the exact location of the HIJMS Fuso and HIJMS Yamashiro. Diving these wrecks will help to better understand what happened more than 60 years ago.

Confirming the resting place of one of Japan’s greatest Naval Commanders and his Battleship

http://www.cedricverdier.com/img/nishimura.jpg

Vice - Admiral Nishimura, Shoji, hero of the Japanese Navy during WWII. As shells came down like rain all around him as his command proceeded up Surigao Strait, he relentlessly kept his force on its course toward oblivion. He lost his life along with hundreds of other Japanese sailors. Although he knew his command was doomed, he did his duty and sacrificed himself and his command in true Samurai tradition, thus keeping his honor.

Diving the deepest battleships ever explored by Technical Divers worldwide
The wreck of the HIJMS Yamashiro rests in the Strait of Surigao, Philippines, at a depth of 200m / 660 fsw. The wreck of the HIJMS Fuso lies nearby, also at great depth. John Bennett, former World Depth Record holder, planned to dive these wrecks. Unfortunately John lost his life in a tragic accident. The Yamashiro Project is a tribute to this outstanding diver.

http://www.cedricverdier.com/img/logotitle.jpg

Cedric Verdier is the first diver to ever explore this wreck, using a Mixed-Gas Closed-Circuit Rebreather to a maximum depth of 196m. Read a diary of the 1st successful expedition on the HIJMS Yamashiro.

More information about the Yamashiro

The HIJMS Yamashiro was the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Built at the Yokosuka Naval Yard, she was first commissioned in 1917 and modernised in 1935.

Displacement: 39,154 Tons
Dimensions: 698’ x 100’5” x 31’9” - 213m x 30m x 10m
Speed: 25 knots
Crew: 1400

http://www.cedricverdier.com/img/yamashiro1.jpg

amendercabal2

June 30th, 2009, 08:43 AM

On April 23, 2009, Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu. He was welcomed by Rajah Humabon, who, together with his wife and about 800 natives, were baptized by the Spaniards on April 14, 1521 and are considered to be the first Filipino Catholics. Magellan, however, failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain, having been slain in neighboring Mactan Island on April 27, 1521 by the chieftain Lapu-lapu.

On April 27, 1565, Miguel López de Legazpi, with Augustinian Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, landed in Cebu. Legazpi renamed the city on January 1, 1571, from San Miguel to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus. During this six year period, Cebu City was the capital of the Philippines since year 1562 until 1578.

kiretoce

June 30th, 2009, 08:47 AM

johnmizer

July 1st, 2009, 05:35 AM

^helo baka galing yan ng textbook

adgaps

July 1st, 2009, 06:17 AM

^^ baka galing yan dun sa "pulang libro"...:lol::lol::lol:

pula kasi yung kulay nung social studies textbook na na-televise dahil sa mali-maling info...

federalist

July 1st, 2009, 08:42 AM

Animo

July 1st, 2009, 09:47 AM

^^ Nope, it was in barrio San Miguel in the City of Manila. :D

federalist

July 1st, 2009, 08:52 PM

okay, thanks! :)

Animo

July 3rd, 2009, 08:49 AM

By Ambeth Ocampo (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090703-213620/Harrison-on-Filipino-lawmakers)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:28:00 07/03/2009

Filed Under: history, Research, Congress

TOMORROW, July 4,is the Independence Day of the United States and, if not for Diosdado Macapagal’s timely intervention, it would have been Philippine Independence Day too instead of June 12.

There is a minority that to this day refuse to accept the Filipino declaration of independence from Spain from the window of Emilio Aguinaldo’s house on June 12, 1898 as the proper date of our independence. For these people our independence should still be July 4, 1946, when the US finally “recognized” the independence of the Philippine Islands. As a compromise, July 4 is still celebrated in the country as Philippine-American Friendship Day.

The debate on whether we should remember June 12 or July 4 seems trivial and irrelevant today, but it illustrates the way in which the past relates to the present, or how history forms people into a nation.

Significant dates, events and people we tend to forget. This is why we have an aid to memory in street names. If you look at Makati, you will notice that the posh districts, with the exception of Forbes Park (named after US Governor William Cameron Forbes who is also remembered in a Manila street often pronounced “Por-bes”), relate to the history of Spain in the Philippines: Magallanes is Ferdinand Magellan; [Miguel Lopez de] Legazpi was the first governor general of the Philippines, founder of Spanish Manila; [Andres de] Urdaneta was the Agustinian friar who served as pilot of the Legazpi expedition, and [Gomez Perez de] Dasmariñas was the seventh governor general of the Philippines who was murdered by Chinese mutineers. There is a unity in Makati’s street names and names of districts that have been disturbed by some changes, like Buendia which is now Puyat and Pasay Road which is now Arnaiz. Fortunately, people still refer to these by their old names.

If only memory can be more persistent in older places like Manila and Intramuros where the order and sense of street names have been upset by short-sighted changes. Worse, some of the personages memorialized are not even historically significant.

There was an unsuccessful move to rename España Avenue in Manila on the grounds that we should not remember four centuries of subjugation under Spain. Fortunately, there was a deed of donation for the land that stipulates that the avenue should be named España.

The two other Manila streets constantly threatened with change are Taft and Harrison. Both were US governors-general in the Philippines. Both are historically significant.

Francis Burton Harrison (1873-1957) is best remembered today by F. B. Harrison Street or Harrison Plaza. He served as governor general from 1913 to 1921 and served as a consultant to a string of Philippine presidents, starting with Manuel L. Quezon.

Harrison wrote out his memories and impressions in the book “The Cornerstone of Philippine Independence: A narrative of seven years” (1921). I picked it off the shelf, hoping to find something relevant for Philippine-American Friendship Day but was caught by a chapter on Filipino lawmakers that makes us compare the past with the present:

“All of the members of both houses, except those appointed for the non-Christian territories, are highly educated men, and for the most part are university graduates. There are as yet very few members educated by the American public school system and, consequently, the debates are always in Spanish. English will come into use as the younger men come into the front. Representative Eulogio Benitez, in the session of 1920, made the first speech ever delivered from the floor of the House. The manners of the members are above reproach, and the presiding officers are seldom obliged to order the participants in a debate. The speeches are eloquent, and often full of allusions to history and literature. In fact, the Anglo-Saxon must often bewail the fact that the oratorical talent of the Filipino is so much more pronounced than his own. Even among the school-boys, and in the remote provinces one usually hears a more eloquent public speech than the average American can achieve. It must be admitted, however, that in this nation of orators the chaff is, by the audience, usually separated from the wheat, and mere histrionic oratory accompanies little more than entertainment.”

Harrison then enumerates the defects of the Philippine Legislature then which he optimistically thought could be corrected because they were borne of inexperience.

First was the habit of voting with the leader, with a minority weak in numbers and uncertain of its rights.

Then there was the habit of not publishing bills during and after passage so that there is little or no public debate or reaction to the new laws.

Harrison said the worst habit of the legislature then was the practice of withholding most the measures till the last night of legislative session to avoid debate and opposition.

Thus, “many members in those last crowded and exciting hours, hardly know what they have passed or what they are voting upon.”

Reading Harrison today, 82 years since the book first saw print, can only emphasize the continuing relevance of the past. It is hoped that F.B. Harrison Street will remain for a long time.

* * *

Comments are welcome aocampo@ateneo.edu

_leonell_

August 17th, 2009, 12:12 PM

Nope, Cebu City was once named as Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus........

Also during the Spanish rule, the Province of Cebu used to encompass the islands of Negros, Bohol until Samar..... but after the Independence of the Country from the Americans and the islands started to be independent and established their own provinces........... the Old Province of Cebu was reduced to it's current size...........

Cebu City was also the oldest and the first Capital of the country........ older by 7 years than Manila itself.

amendercabal2

August 18th, 2009, 06:45 AM

kiretoce

September 2nd, 2009, 04:15 AM

This was in a Jacksonville (Florida) online newspaper today. The explanations are pretty funny. :lol:

=================================================================

QUESTION

Why does Filipino start with an "F," and Philippines with a "Ph?"

REPLIES

"Philippines" is anglicized, while "Filipino" is probably in Spanish (Spain colonized the Philippines).

-- Sadh, 15, Dublin, Ireland

Because that's the proper spelling in the country's language. Philippines is an Americanized spelling.

-- Chibi, 28, Houston TX

Ebonics for the lazy learner.

-- Thelma, 58, Horse Shoe NC

The language spoken in the Philippines is Pilipino (note the absence of the H). The people are Filipinos (men) and Filipinas, also without the H.

-- Mary, 42, Atlanta GA

Because it's a Spanish word. I don't think there are any Ph combinations in the Spanish language.

-- Ron, 38, Stockton CA

Because the country is officially Filipinas, after the Spanish, who "discovered" it in 1521.

-- Urbano, 56, Grosse Pointe Park, MI

The Philippines (after King Philip) was under the control of Spain for more than 400 years. That explains the extensive Spanish influence on the country by way of customs, clothing, language, spelling, words and even names of the natives. Philippines is the English word for Filipinas (Spanish then, now changed to Pilipinas). This applies also to the word "Filipino."

-- Wally, 38, Toronto, Canada

WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS

If we're talking English, then yes, it's the Philippines. But it's also been called, among other things, Tawalisi, Las islas de San Lazaro, Las islas de Poniente, Las islas Felipenas and Las islas Filipinas.

It all depends on who was running things at the time, and where they were from. Explorer Ferdinand Magellan did claim the islands for Spain in 1521, giving it the name "Filipinas" (Spanish for Philippines), deriving it from King Philip II of Spain.

But, according to M. Paul Lewis, editor of "Ethnologue," a reference volume that catalogs all known living languages, the country is called "Pilipinas" in Tagalog, a language spoken by a big chunk of people there that doesn't distinguish between the "f" and "p" sounds.

"Filipino," which is Spanish, refers to the island's inhabitants. But wait, it also refers to the country's official national language (the Philippines gained independence from the U.S. in 1946), which is based on Tagalog and some of the island's other 170 or so languages.

To make matters a bit more confusing, the official language was once called Pilipino, but in the 1970s it was changed to Filipino to recognize the "f" sound.

People who speak English couldn't come up with anything different that they wanted to call Filipinos (like "Philippine," for example) so they also latched on to "Filipino" - even though they still use the English "Philippines" to refer to the country itself.

kenken94

September 2nd, 2009, 04:20 AM

^^

The Expert sure confused me........:nuts:

Henz

September 2nd, 2009, 09:02 AM

Sure it does.. are they really experts?

MatudNilaBaby

September 2nd, 2009, 02:33 PM

Sure it does.. are they really experts?

a biased expert! expert only in one filipino dialect. they just want to show to the world that we have expert linguists that annihilates other languages to further one's own language over another.

the cebuano or bisaya should share the same footing with the tagalog as these two are the dominant languages in the entire country.

kenken94

September 2nd, 2009, 05:44 PM

Cebuano speakers number more than 20,000,000......... this sure is a dominant language.....

The "Mother Language of the Philippines"

zoroethgenre_003

September 3rd, 2009, 05:46 AM

Cebuano is the lingua franca in VisMin..

Mabuhay ang mga BisDak..hehe

amendercabal2

September 3rd, 2009, 07:28 AM

"VISAYA" more qualified to be declared as national base on geographical distribution

kiretoce

September 6th, 2009, 11:22 PM

Onli in da Pilipins (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/sept/04/yehey/opinion/20090904opi4.html) :lol:

This columnist gives way this week to the popular section, “Onli in da Pilipins,” which features indigenous plants and animals. This is a weak-ly project of Corruption and The Manila Times. Besides flora and fauna, this section also features strange, natural phenomena and scenic natural locations. Please be warned that some of the newest discoveries may shock you as you can find these rare species in your TV sets, backyards or even perched in the highest positions in this country.

The Glory Fish

Better known by its scientific name, “Pandaca Presidencia,” this rare species has been recognized all over the world by its unique way of devouring fish living in murky shallow funds, in a manner comparable to the Amazon piranha. Most recently, this species has been seen to live in the high seas, transported in lush jet planes and thriving in steep aquariums worth millions as found in New York and Washington restaurants, and God knows what other parts of the world.

It may be the smallest fish to have ever entangled herself in our nets, but it has prevailed over big obstacles. Indeed, its size may even be its asset as it has been able to squeeze through even the tightest nets and quandaries, even making its way uncaught under the notoriously slow fishing patrol—the Ambustman’s ship.

According to experts, the Glory Fish has been on the brink of extinction for years, and the concerned public has even clamored for the elimination of the species, but it seems to be on the very peak of the food chain and might manage to maintain its glory even beyond 2010.

The Arrayo Reign Forest

Deep within the notorious Arrayo Reign Forest, hectares and hectares of undeclared assets of nature have recently been discovered. These landscapes have long escaped probes from the public until today. Some of these include:

The Foster City Tree House—this has been where the rare interbreeding of cousin monkey species known as “May-key” and “Angulla” acquired after their marriage.

The Nob Hill—this is where the infamous Datok Sasquatch is known to thrive. “Living at the Top of Nob Hill” has been this beast’s greatest luxury, and he does it so well in the confines of the Arrayo Reign Forest. This is where these creatures lie in the lap of luxury. This monster’s victims can’t help but shout, “Please show us some Gramercy!”

These are just two from the “Array” of monstrous assets found in the Arrayo Reign forest. Because of this, we Filipinos are only left with the “Reign Poorest.” (For more info on these assets, refer to article published on August 31, 2009 about undeclared assets.)

Foolcanic Eraptions

The famous East Trada volcano, known for its smooth, impeachment and creams reputation has now been puffing up smoke and creating chaos once again in the landscape. After being dormant for a while, it is proving how much of a doormat it really is by campaigning to be on the peak again, with an agenda far from actually serving the people.

People must be ready for this Fool-itical Eraption, which might even be worse than the lahar. Don’t we have enough explosions already?

Fresh Idenshall Flowers

These Fresh Idenshall Flowers seem to be abloom everywhere we look! In our gardens, sidewalks, TV screens and even in the slums! Some of these Fresh Idenshall Flowers have even bonded a few days ago at their Fort, linking their arms in a garland, walking for fair and clean elections? Some of the species of the Fresh Idenshall Flowers present in that Unity Walk Publicity Garland were:

The Bee-nay, which like its name suggest, is able to attract honey bees that sting, making the victims very “Makati.” We also glimpsed the Jam-bee, which is also trying to make herself sickeningly sweet and tries to make her image and efforts as sticky as jam whenever she opens her mouth. The Low Wren, was also blooming there simply because her bitter nemesis, the MagNOLI flower failed to bloom that day. There were tons of other buds and blooms in that odd garland which you could catch on TV nowadays perhaps riding a pedicab, or showcasing their awful dancing and acting audition tapes.

Who do you think among these Fresh Idenshall Flowers will be the most fragrant for the starving masses? And ultimately land himself at the top of the Vote-tanical Garden?

kiretoce

September 6th, 2009, 11:44 PM

Survey on the Philippines as an NBA market

- 99 percent of the population is aware of the NBA.

- 75 percent consider themselves to be NBA fans (eclipsing the Olympic Games at 58 percent and domestic basketball at 48 percent).

- Basketball is the nation’s favorite participation sport—nearly four in 10 play, twice as many as the next most played sports of badminton and volleyball.

- During the NBA Season, 62 percent of the population watch the NBA games on TV at least once a month and about 40 percent of the population watch the NBA on TV at least once a week.

- 33 percent intend to buy NBA branded items within the next year, rising to 44 percent among men (significantly more than the Asia and global averages).

SOURCE (http://dimemag.com/2009/09/the-philippines-is-the-nbas-next-frontier/)

flesh_is_weak

September 9th, 2009, 03:45 AM

"VISAYA" more qualified to be declared as national base on geographical distribution

nice avatar...future map of the Philippines? :lol:

pi_malejana

September 10th, 2009, 08:18 PM

i guess dito ko nalang 'to itatanong... what's the coolest place in the philippines?? tinanong kasi sa akin, natameme ako-andami eh...:D

i ended up saying Manila (:nuts:) and Bohol...

:cheers:

kenken94

September 11th, 2009, 05:30 AM

^^
Baguio! The COOLEST place in the Philippines........... ang lamiiiiiiiiiiiiiig...... lolz........

kiretoce

September 11th, 2009, 05:38 AM

i guess dito ko nalang 'to itatanong... what's the coolest place in the philippines?? tinanong kasi sa akin, natameme ako-andami eh...:D

i ended up saying Manila (:nuts:) and Bohol...

:cheers:

Cool, like hip? Or, cool, like temp wise. :dunno:

pi_malejana

September 11th, 2009, 07:40 AM

Cool, like hip? Or, cool, like temp wise. :dunno:

the former...:D

kenken94

September 11th, 2009, 10:36 AM

^^
If cool is what you mean then I'd say it'll be Palawan.......

kiretoce

September 11th, 2009, 12:54 PM

Locations are not cool. It's what you do in those places that makes them cool. ;)

Henz

September 11th, 2009, 07:52 PM

depends exactly on how things are done......... that makes it cool.... for me the coolest thing to do.... is...getting things done perhaps in a not the usual aspect.

pi_malejana

September 12th, 2009, 02:34 AM

Locations are not cool. It's what you do in those places that makes them cool. ;)

that's why i said manila eh hehe, madaming pwedeng gawin...:D
well siguro ang meaning regardless of what you do, replacing cool with "wonderful" or "beautiful", kaya Bohol na ang sinabi ko...:D

:cheers:

kiretoce

September 12th, 2009, 02:37 AM

^^ Cool is subjective and relative anyway. Just say that the Philippines is the coolest country, ever! :okay:

'Nuff said and case closed. ;)

kenken94

September 12th, 2009, 03:24 AM

Good, because if this continues, then there will be a possibility of a CvC conflict here.

Haldir07

September 20th, 2009, 06:51 AM

TRIVIA
By YANI CORDERO

The Aristocratic City of the South

A QUIET, refined and cultured place – this is how Iloilo City is referred to by other places. At other times, it is called the “Aristocratic City of the South.”

One of the finest harbors in the country is found in Iloilo City. On September 29, 1855, a Royal Order authorized the opening of the Port of Iloilo upon the request of the government of the Philippines. Foreign trade in Iloilo started in 1856.

The Iloilo port also provides safe anchorage because its winding waterfront and the island Province of Guimaras protect the ships in it. The winding waterfront called Muelle Loney is named after British Vice Consul and businessman Nicholas Loney.

Formerly known as Ilong-ilong (or spelled as Ylong-ylong), the name finally evolved into Iloilo. Some historians say the word is meaningless in Spanish but in Ilongo, it may mean “orphan” while in the Malayan language, it refers to the “nose.” The Malayan interpretation is believed to have the nearest meaning to it because if you look at the map of the island of Panay and trace the boundaries of the Province of Iloilo, you will clearly see that it closely resembles the form of a nose.

The city, according to historians, is believed to have begun as a Malayan settlement around the Batiano River then (the Iloilo River today).

After Miguel Lopez de Legazpi settled in Cebu in 1565, he sent advance parties to the old Iloilo towns of Halawod (now called Dumangas) and Ogtong (now called Oton). Legazpi moved to Panay in 1569 due to acute food shortage and the threat of the Portuguese there. It was yet in 1581 when Gonzalo Ronquillo established the first settlement in the town of Arevalo.

The Spaniards erected several forts in Oton, Arevalo and Iloilo between the 16th and the 17th centuries. It was also when Iloilo suffered greatly from Muslim raids and Dutch incursions. Gov. General Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera ordered the residents of Molo, Arevalo and Oton to evacuate to La Punta for their safety.

On February 7, 1890, the city government of Iloilo was established under the Becera Law of 1889. In 1896, the city was authorized to have a coat-of-arms. Inscribed in the coat-of-arms were the words, “La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo.”

On December 28, 1898 when General Marcus Miller came to Iloilo during the Philippine- American War, the Spanish garrison had already surrendered to General Martin Delgado; The Ilonggo revolucionarios, at that time, strengthened the harbor and the San Pedro Fort. They blocked the entrance of the river and barricaded the streets. When the American warships came on February 11, 1899, they bombarded the city’s defenses. Delgado’s troops set fire to the city and withdrew to the outskirts when the enemy forces landed.

In 1901, April 11th – Iloilo City was returned to the status of a municipality; however, on November 8, 1936, Commonwealth Act No. 158 amended C.A. No. 57 (dated October 20, 1936)…this established the CITY OF ILOILO that incorporated the towns of La Paz, Jaro, Mandurriao, Molo and Arevalo into it. The city was inaugurated on August 25, 1937.

Again, Iloilo was bombed, attacked and occupied. This time, it was by the Japanese Imperial Forces. On April 16, 1942, they established a military government here.

Over a decade after, President Ramon Magsaysay signed into law Republic Act No. 1209 on April 29, 1955 providing that the executive and legislative members of the city be elected. The bill was authored by Rodolfo T. Ganzon. He became the first elected mayor of Iloilo City, too.

zoroethgenre_003

September 23rd, 2009, 05:47 AM

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs122.snc1/5256_1181666151267_1516615226_490899_4856775_n.jpg

degjorst09

October 13th, 2009, 12:28 PM

Wala lang. Gusto ko lang subukan ang talino ninyo.

Paki-laro ang quiz na ito: http://www.sporcle.com/games/yeontura/20philippines
Ganito yon: N cities/municipalities ang kailangan ninyong i-identify. Pagkatapos po noon, paki-discuss yung quiz natin dito sa thread na ito. Walang spoilers. Deal? Kung hindi, paki-lock na lang.

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

October 13th, 2009, 12:40 PM

^^
hehehe...i only got 28 out of 40! ;)

degjorst09

October 13th, 2009, 01:36 PM

Gusto mo pa? Pahirap pa ito ng pahirap dahil hindi ko masasabing natapos ko na ito hangga't di pa ako naaabot ang 100th mark

Sa ngayaon, 50 na siya

mwg12a

October 13th, 2009, 01:54 PM

I got 20 out of 50!! LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, daya yata, ilan kong beses na enter ang Caloocan hindi nag appear.

degjorst09

October 13th, 2009, 02:20 PM

Sorry Kalookan at Caloocan City lang ang pupwede nun ..... di bale naayos ko na

dvbaicrviser

October 13th, 2009, 02:34 PM

37/50.

zoroethgenre_003

October 13th, 2009, 04:23 PM

i enjoyed it..i got 36 out of 50

WawaY[625]

October 13th, 2009, 05:28 PM

You got 32 out of 50 philippine municipalities & cities.

cant believe i missed out on the more populous cities lol

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/6962/zzzn.jpg (http://img63.imageshack.us/i/zzzn.jpg/)

kenken94

October 14th, 2009, 01:56 AM

I only got 24/50......... hahaha....... I didn't really yet know much about Philippine Cities.

kevinb

October 14th, 2009, 02:39 AM

^^ I got 34 of 50. I know San Jose del Monte is included in the top 50 but I was typing San Jose Belmonte that's why I didn't get it. :lol:

carl_vilches21

October 14th, 2009, 02:28 PM

I can't believe that I got 38!:lol:

degjorst09

October 20th, 2009, 11:38 AM

OMG sabi ko bawal spoiler eh ba 'yan

etienne

October 21st, 2009, 11:34 AM

enjoy sha... i only got 32.

national guard

October 22nd, 2009, 01:59 AM

I can't believe that I got 38!:lol:

Uy, Congrats @carl!:) Ayokong mag-try, hehehe.

boy muscovado

October 22nd, 2009, 02:35 AM

Uy, Congrats @carl!:) Ayokong mag-try, hehehe.

I only got 25 :nuts:

national guard

October 22nd, 2009, 03:53 AM

^^ That's from SSC-Bacolod's "Walking Encyclopedia and Historian"! MAS ayoko ng mag-try, hehehe.

boy muscovado

October 22nd, 2009, 05:37 AM

^^ That's from SSC-Bacolod's "Walking Encyclopedia and Historian"! MAS ayoko ng mag-try, hehehe.

Nyek!....I may not know things that you know!:lol:

janaldense

October 22nd, 2009, 06:28 AM

Sorry for the Clerical Errors. This is the Accurate One.

OLDEST UNIVERSITY : University of Santo Tomas

OLDEST SCHOOL: University of San Carlos

LARGEST HIGH SCHOOL: Rizal High School

LARGEST COLLEGE: University of the Philippines

LARGEST SCHOOL CAMPUS : Visayas State University 1,100 hectares

University of the Philippines - Visayas (1,200)
However it is disputed since other land areas are already forested. The Visayas State University is 1,100 hectares of academic areas

Animo

October 22nd, 2009, 08:01 AM

October 18, 2009, 5:30pm (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/225340/17th-meat-safety-consciousness-week-and-37th-national-meat-inspection-service-annive)

As early as the 19th century, a Spanish Royal Decree instituted a meat inspection system in the Philippines. The system called for a record of meat inspection activities and statistics, employing the services of government-appointment meat inspectors or supervisors whose only task was to witness the slaughtering process.

When the Americans came in the early 20th century, the simple Philippine meat inspection service came under the guidance and supervision of the US Federal Meat Inspection Service. A veterinary surgeon under the Public Commissioner of Health conducted the meat inspection. A new system, more advanced, organized, and detailed than the Spanish one, was put in place, adopting the procedures that the Americans used in their own country.

From the American colonial period, the meat inspection system in the country continually evolved until the the establishment of the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC) in 1972. When many national government services were devolved as a result of Republic Act 7160, the Local Government Code of the Philippines, the law recognized the construction, maintenance, and operation of slaughterhouses as one of the basic services and facilities that should be delivered by local government units.

The NMIC maintained its task to protect the meat-consuming public through effective meat inspection service by adopting and implementing new technologies to assure food safety. In 2004, Republic Act 9296, the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, was signed into law strengthening the country’s meat inspection system. By virtue of the Code, the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC), renamed the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), was mandated to serve as the sole national controlling authority tasked to implement policies, programs, guidelines, and rules and regulations pertaining to meat inspection and meat hygiene to ensure meat safety and quality from farm to table.

This week, the NMIS takes the lead in the national observance of National Meat Safety Consciousness Week with the theme “Para Sa Kaligtasan ng Karne, Kaisa Ako.’’ The activities slated for the week include the launching of collaboration between the parent department of the NMIS, the Department of Agriculture (DA), with the Department of Health (DoH), and the conferring of the “Kabalikat sa Paglilingkod’’ award on select national and local government units and industry partners. Another highlight of the celebration is the holding of the National Meat Inspector Congress.

We congratulate the National Meat Inspection Service for its continuing effort to secure the safety of this agricultural product and mobilize the participation of relevant groups and communities.

boy muscovado

October 22nd, 2009, 11:36 AM

OLDEST UNIVERSITY : University of Santo Tomas

OLDEST SCHOOL: University of San Carlos

LARGEST HIGH SCHOOL: Rizal High School

LARGEST COLLEGE: Visayas State University

LARGEST SCHOOL: Visayas State University

largest college? May I ask on what aspect/s? because I think there are other larger schools around the country (or even in the Visayas)

College Campus? I think the largest would be UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, U.P. Diliman, Silliman University

Largest School? I think the four earlier mantioned are big schools too. If you mean population we could have U.P. Diliman could be a front runner.

If you want to be specific with Western Visayas, maraming schools with large
campus areas and/or population. Examples are:

Central Philippine University
University of San Agustin
University of St.La Salle
UP Visayas (Main)
Aklan State University (Main)
Negros Occidental Agricultural State College
Capiz State University (Main)
Northern Iloilo State University (Estancia)
University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos

thesugarfairy

October 22nd, 2009, 12:30 PM

^^^^ Waaaah I ONLY GOT 43/75!!! huhuhuhuhuhu here it is...

population mun/city
2,679,450 Quezon City
1,660,714 Manila
1,378,856 Caloocan City
1,363,337 Davao City
798,804 Cebu City
774,407 Zamboanga City
633,971 Antipolo City
617,301 Pasig City
613,343 Taguig City
568,928 Valenzuela City
556,330 Dasmarinas, Cavite
553,966 Cagayan de Oro City
552,660 Parañaque City
532,330 Las Piñas City
529,542 General Santos City
510,383 Makati City
499,497 Bacolod City
452,943 Muntinlupa City
441,197 Bacoor, Cavite
439,090 San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
424,610 Marikina City
418,710 Iloilo City
403,064 Pasay City
363,381 Malabon City
360,281 Calamba, Laguna

population mun/city
318,575 Mandaue City
314,493 Angeles City
314,155 Tarlac City
308,046 Iligan City
305,576 Mandaluyong City
301,926 Baguio City
298,378 Butuan City
295,231 Batangas City
292,530 Lapu-Lapu City
289,838 Cainta, Rizal
281,808 San Pedro, Laguna
269,365 San Fernando, Pampanga
266,943 Sta. Rosa, Laguna
262,735 Biñan, Laguna
262,495 Taytay, Rizal
260,568 Lipa City
259,267 Cabanatuan City
259,153 Cotabato City
253,158 Imus, Cavite
245,344 Navotas City
238,931 Binangonan, Rizal
237,259 San Pablo City
236,390 Lucena City
227,270 Olongapo City
223,594 Rodriguez, Rizal

population mun/city
223,069 Malolos, Bulacan
218,387 Gen. Trias, Cavite
217,199 Tacloban City
215,967 Tagum, Davao del Norte
210,508 Puerto Princesa City
205,376 Cabuyao, Laguna
205,258 Santa Maria, Bulacan
203,307 Mabalacat, Pampanga
199,825 Silang, Cavite
196,569 Meycauayan, Bulacan
184,860 San Mateo, Rizal
179,481 Legazpi City
179,359 Talisay, Cebu
177,524 Ormoc City
177,391 Marawi City
171,795 Tanza, Cavite
166,970 Kabankalan, Negros Occidental
163,657 Calbayog, Samar
162,745 Valencia, Bukidnon
161,884 San Carlos, Pangasinan
161,312 Pagadian City
160,516 Naga City
160,452 Marilao, Bulacan
159,933 Bago, Negros Occidental
154,329 Panabo, Davao del Norte

in fairness 3 of the MOST POPULOUS CITIES in the Philippines were found in Negros Occidental...

thesugarfairy

October 22nd, 2009, 12:38 PM

^^^^ I got 16/20 in this one... huhuhuhuh BAD!

Top COFFEE Producing Countries

Tonnes per year Country
2,178,246 Brazil
1,060,000 Vietnam
710,000 Colombia
665,500 Indonesia
325,800 Ethiopia
320,000 Mexico
275,000 India
230,000 Peru
216,600 Guatemala
200,000 Honduras

Tonnes per year Country
171,000 Côte d'Ivoire
168,000 Uganda
110,400 Costa Rica
106,000 Philippines
94,514 El Salvador
81,818 Nicaragua
75,400 Papua New Guinea
75,000 Venezuela
62,000 Madagascar
55,660 Thailand

:)

thesugarfairy

October 22nd, 2009, 12:48 PM

^^^^ I got 19/22 with this one...

Rank City Population
1 Moscow, Russia 8,297,000
2 London, United Kingdom 7,074,000
4 Berlin, Germany 3,387,000
5 Madrid, Spain 2,824,000
13 Warsaw, Poland 1,615,000
15 Vienna, Austria 1,540,000
22 Munich, Germany 1,195,000
23 Prague, Czech Republic 1,193,000
24 Samara, Russia 1,165,000
32 Naples, Italy 1,047,000
36 Odessa, Ukraine 1,002,000

Rank City Population
43 Zagreb, Croatia 868,000
49 Athens, Greece 772,000
52 Krakow, Poland 740,000
79 Poznan, Poland 578,000
82 Lisbon, Portugal 563,000
84 Malaga, Spain 543,000
85 Bremen, Germany 540,000
89 Ryazan, Russia 528,000
98 Tyumen, Russia 502,000
106 Dublin, Ireland 482,000
117 Gdansk, Poland

Sorry all for the OT... its fun trying these games out!!!

urban Iegend

October 22nd, 2009, 01:58 PM

largest college? May I ask on what aspect/s? because I think there are other larger schools around the country (or even in the Visayas)

College Campus? I think the largest would be UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, U.P. Diliman, Silliman University

Largest School? I think the four earlier mantioned are big schools too. If you mean population we could have U.P. Diliman could be a front runner.

If you want to be specific with Western Visayas, maraming schools with large
campus areas and/or population. Examples are:

Central Philippine University
University of San Agustin
University of St.La Salle
UP Visayas (Main)
Aklan State University (Main)
Negros Occidental Agricultural State College
Capiz State University (Main)
Northern Iloilo State University (Estancia)
University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos

i don't think any of the schools you mentioned is any larger than a thousand hectares (10 km²)

Visayas State University was formerly known as Leyte State University (LSU) in Baybay, Leyte, Philippines. The five-campus VSU system has ten colleges, three institutes and one school. Located in the main campus are the College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Engineering and Agri-Industries, College of Education, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Institute of Strategic Research and Development Studies, and the Graduate School and Special Programs.

It continues to specialize in agricultural research and education, including work in jatropha propagation for the production of biofuel and development of a dwarf macapuno coconut and rootcrops, particularly, sweetpotato, cassava and yam. The university also hosts a program on rainforestation, and features an annual rodeo competition.
To improve human resources in the Visayas and nearby regions, VSU provides relevant instructional programs that best serve the needs of its target clientele. The various degree programs of the University emphasize the development of technical, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills of the students. Hands-on practicum as well as field training using state- of-the-art facilities and equipment are provided to enrich curricular programs in Agro-Industry, Information Technology, Tropical Ecology, Veterinary Medicine, Forestry, Fishery, and Food Science and Technology.
The VSU Main Campus is situated in Barangay Pangasugan, Baybay, Leyte. It is about 8 km. north of the town of Baybay and 34 km south of Ormoc City, Leyte. It is easily accessible by land and by sea from the different parts of the province. An all-weather airport facilites are located in Tacloban City and Ormoc City. Several inter-island passenger vessels including fast craft services ply from the city ports of Maasin, Ormoc and Tacloban and the towns of Baybay, Bato and Hilongos to the major islands in the Visayas.
Standing on plains and hillsides of the more than 1,099-hectare campus are 193 buildings composed of academic departments, research and trainings centers, staff and student housing facilities and other vital structures. VSU is the country's largest school campus.
The University is home to high-caliber faculty and academic staff obtaining most of their local and international recognitions in research and development, 92 of whom are Ph. D. degree holders, 110 MS degree holders and 72 BS degree holders from reputable colleges and universities here and abroad.
As proof of VSU's excellence in instruction, the university produced several board topnotchers in national licensure examinations for agriculture, agricultural engineering, geodetic and geomatics engineering, forestry, chemistry and veterinary medicine. Other achievements of the university include the following:
• Zonal Agricultural University (ZAU) for the Visayas under the National Agriculture Education System (NAES) concept.
• CHED Center of Excellence (COE) in Agriculture Education, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry.
• Level III AACCUP accredited university.
• Authorized by the Bureau of Immigration to accept foreign students.

zoroethgenre_003

October 22nd, 2009, 02:48 PM

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30522973&id=1172647272

I was able to tally 57/75 or 76%.hehe

degjorst09

October 22nd, 2009, 03:01 PM

Subukan niyo kung kaya niyo yung 100 sige

boy muscovado

October 23rd, 2009, 04:46 AM

habagatcentral1

October 23rd, 2009, 04:50 AM

University of the Philippines in the Visayas (main campus) has 1,200++ hectares of land in Miag-ao, Iloilo although only 1/6 of the total land area is being utilized. The rest is still farmlands and forests.

habagatcentral1

October 23rd, 2009, 05:15 AM

I like the quiz...got 77 out of a 100.

mao rong

October 24th, 2009, 08:46 AM

urban Iegend

October 25th, 2009, 03:09 AM

^^thanks, mao

Please read again sir, I only stated WESTERN VISAYAS...he hehe hehe....kasi even our Oriental side, Silliman University may dwarf a majority of universities in WV. Please be guided accordingly...:):):)

^^

largest college? May I ask on what aspect/s? because I think there are other larger schools around the country (or even in the Visayas)

College Campus? I think the largest would be UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, U.P. Diliman, Silliman University

janaldense

November 3rd, 2009, 07:43 AM

^^thanks, mao

^^

University of the Philippines - Los Banos, Laguna 22,000 hectares

University of the Philippines - Iloilo City, Iloilo 1,200 hectares

Visayas State University - Baybay City, Leyte 1,099 hectares

^^^^ ANG LALAKI NAMAN TALAGA!!!!!! lol

..........but nung pumunta akong UP-iloilo... parang hindi naman 1,200 hectars, ung UPLB, parang isang city na ah... ung VSU ive never been there pero ung sa pic? parang nasa korea... lol ... according to wikipedia... standing on the plains and hillsides facing the sea... ganda! may nautical ba ung VSU? kasi may dagat sila eh...

habagatcentral1

November 6th, 2009, 02:39 AM

^^ Ask the World Bank about it...:lol: They haven't provided the budget.

The UPV Iloilo City Campus is just like the city campuses of UPV Cebu and Tacloban. It is just a small plot of land...UPV Miag-ao on the other hand has the 1,200++ hectares although only 1/6 of its total land area are utilized, the rest are still farmlands. The campus isn't fully developed yet. Just think about how to develop a national university's 1,200 hectares given the situation of SCUs in the country aren't even capable to raise enough money to fully develop their potential. ;)

And given the situation of the current charter of UP (changed after 100 years!), they have other plans with their land assets. I guess, in the situation of UP Visayas (Miag-ao), they are still waiting for the funds to be given and make a way to use the idle lands to probably a joint venture use like what they did to UP-Ayala Technohub in UP Diliman.

And another thing about UPV Miag-ao, they would like to also preserve the biodiversity of the area. Most of its 1,200 hectares won't be like a city like UP Diliman but would be similar to that of UPLB.

janaldense

November 7th, 2009, 06:41 AM

# The exotic jeepney is a post-war creation inspired by the GI jeeps that the American soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s. Enterprising Filipinos salvaged the surplus engines and came out unique vehicles of art.

# Short distance and feeder trips could not be more exciting than via Philippine quick transports – the tricycle, a motorcycle with a sidecar, and the pedicab, a bicycle with a sidecar.

# The world’s longest underground river system accessible to man can be found at the St. Paul National Park in the province of Palawan.

# The largest Philippine wild animal, the tamaraw, is a species of the buffalo that is similar to the carabao. It is found only in the island of Mindoro.

# The highest mountain in the Philippines is Mt. Apo, a dormant volcano found in Mindanao, at 2,954 meters (9,689 feet). Mt. Pulog in Luzon is the second highest at 2,928 meters (9604 feet).

# Filipino bowler Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno was the first bowler to be elevated to the International Bowling Hall of Fame based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The Philippine Congress has named him “Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time.”

# Philippine National Hero and writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2. He grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French, and Chinese. What were his last words? "Consummatum est!" ("It is done!")

# The largest city in the Philippines is Davao City. With an area of 2,211 sq. km., it is about three times the size of the national capital, Metro Manila.

# Cebu is the oldest Philippine city.

# Negros Occidental has the most cities among Philippine provinces.

# Filipinos celebrate the world’s longest religious holiday. The Christmas season begins on September 1st, as chillier winds and Christmas carols start filling the air, and ends on the first week of January, during the Feast of the Three Kings.

# Paskuhan Village in the province of Pampanga is Asia’s only Christmas theme park and the third of its kind in the world.

# The great Christmans lanterns of San Fernando, Pampanga can reach as big as 40 feet in diameter, using as many as 16,000 glowing bulbs.

# The exotic jeepney is the Filipino version of the jitney, the taxi/minibus that travels along a fixed route, found in many countries.

# The popular toy, the yoyo, was invented by 16th century hunters in the Philippines.

# The word "boondocks," which is now a part of the English language, dictionary, and vocabulary, comes from the Tagalog word "bundok," meaning "mountain."

# The Philippines became the first Asian country to win FIVE major international beauty pageant crowns — two for Miss Universe, in 1969 and 1973, and three for Miss International, in 1965, 1970, and 1979.

# Diving paradise Anilao, in the province of Batangas, is the theme of a picture book that bagged the International Prize for Underwater Images at the 27th World Festival of Underwater Images in France in November 2000. “Anilao" book creators and Filipino scuba divers Scott Tuason and Eduardo Cu Unjieng defeated big names in underwater photography such as Jacques Mayol, Pascal Kobeh, Monique Walker, and Alessandro Tommasi.

# The biggest game preserve and wildlife sanctuary in the Philippines is located on Calauit Island in Palawan, which has the largest land area among the Philippine provinces.

# The antibiotic erythromycin — used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, middle ear infections, and skin infections — was created by Filipino scientist Abelardo Aguilar, and has earned American drug giant Eli Lilly billions of dollars. Neither Aguilar nor the Philippine government received royalties.

# Fernando Amorsolo was officially the first National Artist of the Philippines. He was given the distinction of National Artist for Painting in 1972.

# Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo was the first Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in 1942. He was also aide-de-camp to General Douglas MacArthur in World War II; Philippine resident commissioner in the U.S. Congress from 1944-46; and the first Asian to become UN President in 1949.

# The largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark, locally known as Butanding, regularly swims to the Philippine waters.

# The world’s shortest and lightest freshwater fish is the dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka Pygmaea), a colorless and nearly transparent species found in the streams and lakes of Luzon. Males have an average length of 8.7 mm. and weigh 4-5 mg.

# On January 18, 1995, Pope John Paul II offered mass to an estimated 4 to 5 million people at Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, making it to the Guiness Book of World Records for the Biggest Papal Crowd.

# The Philippine Madrigal Singers bagged the 1997 European Choral Grand Prix, the choral olympics of the world’s best choirs. The group, being the only Asian choir, bested five regional champions from all over Europe, earning them the title as the "world’s best choir."

# There are 12,000 or so species of seashells in the Philippines. The Conus Gloriamaris or "Glory of the Sea" is the rarest and most expensive in the world.

# Of the 500 known coral species in the world, 488 are found in the Philippines.

# Of the eight species of marine turtles worldwide, five are reported to be found in the Philippines: the Green Turtle, Hawkbill, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, and Loggerhead.

# Of the eight known species of giant clams in the world, seven are found in the Philippines.

# The Basilica of San Sebastian is the only steel church in Asia and was the second building to be made out of steel, next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

# The largest bell in Asia hangs at the belfry of the 221-year old Panay Church. It is 7 feet in diameter and 7 feet in height, and weighs 10.4 tons. Its tolling can be heard as far as 8 km. away. It was casted from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople as a manifestation of faith and thanksgiving.

# The World Cup, which was instituted in 1965, is contested annually by the national champions of the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ). The highest number of wins is 4, by Filipino bowler Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno: 1976, 1980, 1992, and 1996.

# The University of San Carlos in Cebu City is Asia's oldest existing school. Built by the Italian & Spanish Jesuits on August 1595, the USC facade is an example of a traditional Italian Architecture.

# Filipino Eriberto N. Gonzales Jr. consumed 350 chilis in 3 minutes at the annual Magayon Festival chili-eating contest held at Penaranda Park, Legazpi, Albay on May 27, 1999, making it to the Guiness Book of World Records for the most chilis eaten.

# The longest possible eclipse of the Sun is 7 min. 31 sec. The longest eclipse in recent times took place west of the Philippines on June 20, 1995, lasting for 7 min. 8 sec.

# Camiguin province holds the distinction of having the most number of volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on earth. It is also the only place in the Philippines which has more volcanoes (7) than towns (5).

# The 900 sq m Relief Map of Mindanao in Dapitan City was personally done by Dr. Jose Rizal. It was used as a device for teaching history and geography to townsfolk.

# The Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Park was founded in 1910 by Gov. John Pershing. It is one of the oldest golf courses in the Philippines.

# Isabela City is the youngest city in the region. It was only on March 5, 2001 that the Municipality of Isabela, Province of Basilan was converted into a component city Through RA 9023. On April 25, 2001, Isabeleños ratified the new status of Isabela.

# The Kinabayo is an exotic and colorful pageant re-enacting the Spanish-Moorish Wars, particularly the Battle of Covadonga where the Spanish forces under General Pelagio took their last stand against the Saracens. They were able to reverse the tide of war with the miraculous apparition of St. James, the Apostle. A Kinabayo Festival is celebrated every July in Dapitan City, attracting thousands of tourists to the city.

# The altar at the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Dipolog City was designed by Dr. Jose Rizal. The Cathedral was erected by the Spanish friars sometime in 1895, before Dipolog City became a municipality.

# The Rizal Shrine in Dapitan City is the original estate of Dr. Jose Rizal which he acquired by purchase during his exile in Dapitan from 1892 to 1896.

# RA 8973 signed by then President Joseph E. Estrada in February 2001 created the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. A total of sixteen municipalities compose this newest province in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

# Magat Dam is Asia’s biggest dam project at the time of its construction. It serves the primary function of power generation and irrigation.

# The Cagayan River or Rio Grande de Cagayan is the Philippines’ mightiest watercourse – the longest and widest river in the country. Small streams originating form Balete Pass, Cordillera, Caraballo and Sierra Madre Mountains meet other streams and rivers and flow to the Cagayan River.

# Magapit Suspension Bridge is the first of its kind in Asia. It spans the Cagayan River at Lallo and is 0.76 kilometers long. The hanging bridge links the first and second districts of Cagayan going towards the Ilocos Region via the scenic Patapat Road on the Ilocos Norte-Cagayan Inter-Provincial national highway.

# Angono Petroglyphs – This cultural heritage site dates back to circa 3000 B.C. and is the most ancient Filipino, or more aptly, prehistoric Filipino work of art. Besides being the country’s oldest “work of art” it also offers us an evocative glimpse into the life of our ancestors. The site has been included in the World Inventory of Rock Art under the auspices of UNESCO, ICCROM and ICOMOS and nominated as one of the “100 Most Endangered Sites of the World.

# PANCIT HABHAB (Lucban)-Made from rice flour, these local noodles acquired its name and developed its unique attraction by the way it is eaten. Otherwise known as Pancit Lucban, these noodles are hawked in the streets and served on a piece of banana leaf, sans fork or any other utensils. Thus, it is eaten straight from the leaf, licking permitted... "habhab"-style.

# Tagala - the Philippines first Filipino-Spanish dictionary which was printed in 1613, 25 years older than the first book printed in the United States.

# Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt. Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance by comparison. British traveler-writer A. Henry Savage Landor

# Ilo-Ilo golf and country club is the oldest golf club in the Philippines. It was built at 1908 by Irish Engineers.

# Limasawa Island – where Ferdinand Magellan first landed in the Philippines which give way to the discovery of the Philippines and where the first mass was celebrated.

# San Juanico Strait - said to be the narrowest yet the most navigable strait in the world

# Calbiga Cave – The Philippines’ biggest karst formations and one of the largest in Asia, the 2,968-hectare cave system is composed of 12 caves with wide underground spaces, unique rock formations and sub-terranean watercourse.

# At the Immaculate Conception Cathedral can be found the only existing pipe organ in Mindanao. The 2nd largest pipe organ in the Phiippines. The huge instrument took 2 years to built and was brought over by sea from Germany in 23 crates.

# Cagayan de Oro City - “The City of Golden Friendship,” known for its warm people and old-fashioned hospitality

# Mt. Apo, the Philippines highest mountain at 10,311 feet above sea level, and considered as the “Grand-father of all Philippine Mountains”

# Lake Lanao is the second largest lake in the Philippines, probably the deepest in the country and is considered one of the major tropical lakes in Southeastern Asia. The lake is home of endemic cryprinids, the species found only in the lake and nowhere else in the world.

# Halo-Halo! Halo-halo literally means, "mix-mix". And its is just that: a mixture of sweetened fruits and beans, lavished with pinipig (crisp flattened rice flakes), sugar and milk, topped by crushed ice and ice cream. You know its summertime when halo-halo stand start sprouting by the roadside and by the beach, all whipping up their heavenly concoctions of such a refreshingly divine dessert. You can make your own by selecting and mixing your ingredients to make a perfect Halo-Halo. Halo-Halo is uniquely, unforgettably Filipino!

# KALESA - The kalesa or karitela is a horse-driven carriage that was introduced during the 18th century. It was used by Spanish officials and the nobles as a means of transportation. The Ilustrados, the rich Filipinos who had their own businesses, used the kalesa not only for traveling but as a means a means of transporting their goods as well.

# BAKYA-Made primarily of lightwood (laniti and santol trees), it is sculpted with a slope and shaved to a smooth finish, then painted with floral designs or varnished to a high sheen. The upper portions, which are made of rubber or transparent plastic, are fastened to the sides by thumb nails called "clavitos". The bakya industry prospered during the 1930s when the Filipinos began exporting these to the other countries.

# SORBETES-This sweet treat was concocted in the early 1920's, a time where a single centavo could buy you almost anything. The process of this ice cream making and selling it in carts with colorful designs is still the same. Back in the old days, these ice cream dealers bred their own cows and milked them with their own hands to ensure the freshness and sanitation of the milk needed to make the "dirty ice cream".

# Waling Waling Orchids - With some 800 to 1,000 species of orchids, the Philippines has one of the richest orchid floras in the world. Philippine orchids come in an amazing array of shapes, sizes and colors. Most grow only in old-growth forest, often on branches of huge trees dozens of meters above the forest floor.

# Maria Teresa Calderon – A Filipina World champion speed reader as listed in the Guinness Book of World Records

# In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans. Philippines is the world's 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next to the USA and the UK.

# The Philippine Basketball Association is Asia's premier and the world's second oldest professional league.

# Philippine Airlines took to the skies on March 15, 1941, using a Beech Model 18 aircraft amid the specter of a global war. It became Asia's first airline.

# The world's largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

# Alto Broadcasting System (ABS) Channel 3, the first television station in the country, went on the air in 1953.

# The world's second deepest spot underwater is in the Philippines. This spot, about 34,440 feet (10,497 meters) below the sea level, is known as the Philippine Deep or the Mindanao Trench. The Philippine Deep is in the floor of the Philippine Sea. The German ship Emden first plumbed the trench in 1927.

# The symbolic name for the Philippines, Juan dela Cruz, is not a Filipino invention? It was coined by R. McCulloch-Dick, a Scottish-born journalist working for the Manila Times in the early 1900s, after discovering it was the most common name in blotters.

# Lipa City in Batangas is dubbed as the “Rome of the Philippines” because of the number of seminaries, convents, monasteries, retreat houses, and a famous cathedral located in it.

# Compostela Valley is known to be laden with gold, thus earning the monicker “Golden Valley of Mindanao”

# Basilica of St. Martin de Tours in Taal, Batangas built by Augustinian Missionaries in 1572, is reputed to be the biggest catholic church in East Asia. It is so huge that it can house another big church

# Kibungan is known as the “Switzerland of Bengued” because of the frost during the cold months

# The Delmonte Pineapple Plantation in Bukidnon is considered to be the biggest in the far east

# Both Tridacna gigas, one of the world's largest shells, and Pisidum, the world's tiniest shell, can be found under Philippine waters. Tridacna gigas grows as large as one meter in length and weighs 600 pounds while Pisidum is less than 1 millimeter long. A shell called glory of the sea (Connus gloriamaris) is also found in the Philippines and considered as one of the most expensive shells in the world.

# Seahorses are small saltwater fish belonging to the Syngnathidae family (order Gasterosteiformes), which also includes pipefish and sea dragons. Most seahorse species, probably the most peculiar creatures in the water, live in the Coral Triangle. There are at least 50 known seahorse species in the world. They inhabit temperate and tropical waters but most of them are concentrated in the warm coastal waters of the Philippines.

# Donsol, a fishing town in Sorsogon province, serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), which are considered as the largest fish in the world. Locally known as "butanding", whale sharks visit the waters of Donsol from November to May. They travel across the oceans but nowhere else have they been sighted in a larger group than in the waters of Sorsogon. They measure between 18 to 35 feet in length and weigh about 20 tons.

# The Philippines is home to some of the world's most exotic birds.
One of the most endangered species is the exotic Kalangay or the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), which belongs to Psittacidae or the family of parrots. Some cockatoos can live up to 50 years. They are known for mimicking human voices. Most of them measure 33 centimeters in length and weigh 0.29 kilogram.

# Palawan bearcat is neither a bear nor a cat. Known in Southeast Asia as binturong, the bearcat is a species of its own, with population in the forests of Palawan, Borneo, Burma and Vietnam. It belongs to the family of Viverridae (civets). The Palawan bearcat has a long body and a pointed face leading to the nose. Its head and body measure 61 to 96 centimeters in combined length while its tail is almost as long. It weighs 9 to 14 kilograms and lives up to 20 years.

# Calamian Deer - Calamian Islands, north of Palawan province, keep a species of deer that cannot be found elsewhere. Scientists referred to the hog deer in the islands as Calamian deer in order to distinguish them from other hog deer in the world. An ordinary Calamian deer measures 105 to 115 centimeters in length and 60 to 65 centimeters high at the shoulder and weighs about 36 to 50 kilograms. It is said to have longer and darker legs, compared with other hog deer.

# World's Smallest Hoofed Mammal - South of Palawan, lies the Balabac Island, home of the world's smallest hoofed mammal - the Philippine mouse deer. Locally known as Pilandok (Tragalus nigricans), this ruminant stands only about 40 centimeters at the shoulder level.

# Flying Lemur - One of the most distinct creatures on Earth lives in the Philippines. It doesn't have wings but it can glide across 100 meters of space in a single leap. Like the lemurs of Asia, it moves around at night. Its head resembles that of a dog while its body has similarities with the flying squirrel of Canada.
In Mindanao, people call it "kagwang". Around the world, it is known as colugo or the flying lemur.

# Did you know that the first four cities of Metropolitan Manila are: Manila, Quezon, Pasay and Caloocan

# The flagpole located in Rizal Park, is where the starts of 0 kilometer reading in measuring all distances from Manila.

# Quezon City is the second biggest city in the Philippines.

# The Bonifacio Monument in Monumento, Caloocan City was designed by a noted Filipino sculptor Guillermo Tolentino

# In 1916, in the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another player (the set and spike) were introduced. The Filipinos developed the "bomba" or kill, and called the hitter a "bomberino". (source: http://volleyball.org/history.html)

boy muscovado

November 9th, 2009, 10:18 AM

# The longest possible eclipse of the Sun is 7 min. 31 sec. The longest eclipse in recent times took place west of the Philippines on June 20, 1995, lasting for 7 min. 8 sec.

Its 1955 and not 1995

kevinb

November 9th, 2009, 01:53 PM

# Filipino bowler Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno was the first bowler to be elevated to the International Bowling Hall of Fame based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The Philippine Congress has named him “Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time.”

Since Manny Pacquiao is now making waves around the world, what should Congress award him?

# The world’s shortest and lightest freshwater fish is the dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka Pygmaea), a colorless and nearly transparent species found in the streams and lakes of Luzon. Males have an average length of 8.7 mm. and weigh 4-5 mg.

It is only found in Lake Buhi in CamSur.

# The University of San Carlos in Cebu City is Asia's oldest existing school. Built by the Italian & Spanish Jesuits on August 1595, the USC facade is an example of a traditional Italian Architecture.

In connection to this, the Universidad de Sta Isabel in Naga City, named after Queen Isabel of Spain and sister school of Santa Isabel College on Taft, Manila, is Far East's first normal school for women. Its former name is Colegio de Santa Isabel.

# San Juanico Strait - said to be the narrowest yet the most navigable strait in the world

What a contrasting trivia. :nuts: :D

# Quezon City is the second biggest city in the Philippines.

In terms of what? If land area, Puerto Princesa is there. If population, it is the largest.

University of the Philippines - Los Banos, Laguna 22,000 hectares

University of the Philippines - Iloilo City, Iloilo 1,200 hectares

Visayas State University - Baybay City, Leyte 1,099 hectares

^^^^ ANG LALAKI NAMAN TALAGA!!!!!! lol

..........but nung pumunta akong UP-iloilo... parang hindi naman 1,200 hectars, ung UPLB, parang isang city na ah... ung VSU ive never been there pero ung sa pic? parang nasa korea... lol ... according to wikipedia... standing on the plains and hillsides facing the sea... ganda! may nautical ba ung VSU? kasi may dagat sila eh...

UPLB is so vast due to its jurisdiction over Mt Makiling. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines used to claim jurisdiction over these lands but UPLB won the rights.

Trivia:

UPLB's original campus is called the "Lower Campus" since it sits at the foot of Mt Makiling, while UPLB's lands on Mt Makiling is called the "Upper Campus." Most of the agricultural courses are taken at the Upper Campus.

janaldense

November 10th, 2009, 07:54 AM

^ source is the Department of Tourism website... i think its dot.gov.ph

kiretoce

November 13th, 2009, 04:28 AM

American Roy C Farrell and Australian Sydney H de Kantzow founded Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong on 24 September, 1946. Initially based in Shanghai, the two men eventually moved to Hong Kong and founded Cathay Pacific Airways. Legend has it that Farrell and a group of foreign correspondents thought up the airline's unique name in the bar at the Manila Hotel. :colgate:

SOURCE (http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/aboutus/cxbackground/history)

urban Iegend

November 13th, 2009, 06:10 PM

What a contrasting trivia. :nuts: :D

baka "narrowest navigable strait" at hinde most navigable :lol:

kevinb

November 14th, 2009, 03:10 AM

^^ Maybe. English nga naman, oo. :lol:

Animo

November 18th, 2009, 12:36 AM

November 17, 2009 23:26:00
Michael Tan opinion@inquirer.com.ph
Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://politics.inquirer.net/view.php?db=1&article=20091117-236884)

LAST FRIDAY, I described the long road to suffrage, both globally and locally. In that column, I emphasized how the right to vote had to be fought for, in many different contexts.

In the Philippines, this right to vote had to evolve, from the time of the Katipunan and the First Filipino Republic, aborted by the American occupation when the right was “granted” provided you were male, at least 23, owned property, paid taxes, spoke and wrote English or Spanish and swore allegiance to the United States. I didn’t mention that during the Marcos era, voting was an obligation—you could be prosecuted for not voting. Today, as long as you’re at least 18 and more or less of sound mind, you can vote.

Reflecting on our own situation, I realize that it has become more important to talk about the rights, rather than the right, to vote. I’m referring to the many social, economic and political rights that need to be ensured if the right to vote is to be meaningful.

Last week I mentioned that there has always been ambivalence about suffrage. I mentioned Plato, who did not trust ordinary citizens to decide on who should lead. Winston Churchill, a firm believer in democracy, also observed, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

Certainly, if you look even at so-called developed democracies like the United States, you wonder about the wisdom of suffrage with their share of political dynasties (Bush the Father and Bush the Son being the most recent) and celebrity presidents and governors.

In the Philippines, the upper classes endlessly complain about our elections being marred by guns, goons, gold and glitter, and tend to blame this situation on the poor, who are characterized as timid, corrupt, gullible. But that kind of analysis is not only condescending, it also fails to recognize a social and historical context to our current situation.

The right to vote is shaped by society and culture, with all its baggage from the past. For many years after the United States was founded, slaves and women could not vote. When the Americans took over the Philippines and extended suffrage to its new colony, they were still carrying their elitist (and sexist) notions about voting, as I described at the beginning of this article. By setting all those conditions on voting, the Americans actually strengthened feudalism in the Philippines because it was mainly the cacique, the landlord class, that could vote.

The guns, goons and gold are part of that feudalism. There are still many parts of the country where people have no choice but to vote for the most powerful landlord-turned-warlord in town. To dare to defy that landlord is to court the wrath of that landlord family. Working in development, I have seen entire barangays neglected—no school supplies, no roads, no midwives or medicines for the health center—for three, six or nine years simply because they didn’t vote for the mayor (or the mayor’s relatives) during the last election.

Fortunately, that kind of perverse control is diminishing, albeit all too slowly. We should, however, be concerned about how the feudal imprint takes other forms of distortions in our elections. Foremost, we continue to look at elections not as an occasion to select leaders but to choose patrons. I am using the Spanish form of patron with a stronger emphasis on “patronizing” relationships, i.e., a person who may seem benevolent but actually controls you, and keeps you in a dependency relationship.

It’s a very feudal concept, exactly like the relationship between a tenant and the landlord except that in politics, it has many expanded functions. To be known as a “bata” of the governor, mayor or even barangay captain (notice how a person is reduced to the status of a child) means special access for your needs. Elections then become a way for a potential bata to prove his mettle as, and I apologize to dog-lovers, an obedient lapdog, from running the campaign trail to delivering the votes by hook or by crook.

Fiestas, transactions

It is also this feudal background that transforms our elections into grand fiestas. It is a time for entertainment, courtesy of the politicians. (We forget, of course, that the expenses are actually drawn from taxpayers’ money, or for candidates who haven’t won yet, money that they will eventually collect from us if they win.)

The politicians don’t just bring in celebrities to perform but will themselves go through the song-and-dance routines. The bombastic speeches, the mud-slinging, are all often more for show, generating more heat than light. It reduces elections to personalities, with awards for best performers (or at least with best performing celebrity guests).

Again , I must warn against attributing all this to gullibility or naivete on the part of our voters (read “the poor”). Precisely because we are so feudal, the poor and the usually powerless have had to learn to navigate around our structures. Elections actually open windows of opportunity for negotiations. A book published several years ago, “De Scribing Elections” (the title is intentional, to highlight the way it de-scribes elections) showed how voters learn to time their demands around elections, to ask for roads, social services (and I’ve found out, even basketball courts).

Unfortunately, much of this negotiation can reinforce the feudal aspect of elections, or what’s sometimes referred to as transactional politics. Worse, it might actually allow the more deceptive politicians to thrive, the ones who know how to time their benevolence around elections, throwing crumbs to the masses but making sure there’s adequate coverage by the press, and putting out announcements and posters with their photographs (get the picture?).

When I talked about Philippine elections last week with the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, I actually ended by saying I was still optimistic. I do worry though that our attempts to reform the system, with its emphasis on educating the poor, actually draws from our feudal mind-set, the idea that we the ilustrado (the enlightened) must convince the poor not to sell their votes or to guard their votes. If we are serious about the right to vote, then we all have to work harder at ensuring that other rights are in place so Filipinos can vote without fear, without having to think of trade-offs and pay-offs.

At the Museum Foundation talk, I went into the need to evolve a system that holds politicians accountable, not for rhetorical promises but for programs and principles, from the day they are sworn into office. As we move into election season, I will write more about how we might build this system.

Animo

November 18th, 2009, 12:43 AM

ROSES & THORNS By Alejandro R. Roces (The Philippine Star) Updated November 17, 2009 12:00 AM (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=524050&publicationSubCategoryId=64)

For better or worse (health wise and economically-speaking somewhat), the Philippines has had a long affair with the tobacco plant. Today, the negative health effects of tobacco and cigarette smoking are well understood; so we hope that the affair is finally coming to an end. Beyond personal health, cigarettes pose a public health and garbage problem. Each day we lose count of how many people we see tossing their cigarettes on the streets and sidewalks: out of car windows, over their shoulder and right in front of other people. People would never indiscriminately litter in their own homes, but almost feel compelled to in public spaces. A health risk is also posed by second hand smoke.

According to the Mayo Clinic’s website (www.mayoclinic.com), “…second hand smoke contain harmful chemicals - and a lot of them. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, more than 250 of which are toxic. And more than 50 of the chemicals in cigarette smoke are known or suspected to cause cancer. Included in secondhand smoke are: Formaldehyde, Arsenic, Cadmium, Benzene, Polonium.” It is well known, and has been for decades, that secondhand smoke can cause a greater risk of heart disease, cancer and lung disease. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) secondhand smoke is a Class A carcinogen and causes cancer in humans.

Our historical relationship with tobacco began in the late 1500s; it was one of the first plants exported to our shores by the Spanish empire. The goal was to turn the Philippines into a tobacco producing nation. The tobacco plant had a special affinity for our soil and took root quickly. Among the native population smoking tobacco quickly became a status symbol; in emulation of the Spanish ‘elites’. According to Edilberto J. de Jesus: “the plant enjoyed the prestige of having been imported by the colonial ruling class — it became fashionable among the status-conscious natives ‘to drink, smoke’ according to the custom of the conquerors”. We wonder if this attitude may play into our continuing cigarette consumption?

In the 18th century, the Spanish government imposed a government monopoly on tobacco. This was proposed by Leandro de Viana in 1765 and accomplished in 1780 by Governor-General Jose Basco y Vargas (who was an economically forward thinking governor-general). The result was, instead of being a ‘financial drain’ on the crown, the colony was self-sustaining and even profit-making. S.V. Epistola would write: “The government collected all authorized imposts, taxes and fees. For the first time in a hundred years the government was solvent.” According to Dr. Benito Legarda in his book, After the Galleons there was an unexpected side-effect of the enforcement of tobacco (and other agricultural products) monopoly: “An indirect effect was the beginning of the agricultural specialization, since the tobacco-growing regions could no longer grow their own food but had to import it from elsewhere in the country.” As we just witnessed with the recent calamities, we do need to diversify our food and agricultural production around the country. Our penchant for regional agriculture specialization is a 300-year-old archaic hold-over.

Each year approximately 90,000 people die from smoking related illness: this is more than deaths from natural calamities and conflicts. Surveys in terms of tobacco use among youth in the Philippines indicate that smoking is on the rise. The government has passed the Tobacco Control Act in 2003, but more needs to be done.

What we recommend are developing targeted publicity and anti-smoking campaigns focusing on the youth. The goal should be to educate people on the dangers of smoking. In the Philippines, we have not seen such a high-profile campaign mounted. The rising number of youths smoking demonstrates that the health risks of smoking are not being effectively taught. Youth-oriented campaigns have proven effective in other countries and should be emulated here. The benefits of reducing smoking in the Philippines will be found in public health, garbage and even beautifying our cities and streets.