That's not a house. It's a tomb!

Cemeteries in the Philippines are undergoing a change. From simple stone crosses and markers, we are now looking at house like structures that even have airconditioning.

Are the dead in the Philippines living like the umm.. living?

Even the colors are not somber, they're festive. From yellow to sky blue hues, white is out, vibrant is in.

Tourists from all over, specially Koreans, visit Pila Memorial Park to see the structures and learn about the Philippine culture of honoring the dead.

Bernardo Relova Jr., 61, owner of the 1.5-hectare cemetery, said families began to combine colors for the tombs when modern-type houses of vibrant hues became popular in recent years.
“It has become a fad to design tombs like houses,” Relova said.
The Pila Memorial Park that Relova opened in 1986 lies between two other cemeteries—the Old Pila Public Cemetery built in 1957 and St. Anthony Memorial Park, a private cemetery that opened about a decade ago.
Source: Inquirer

No matter how its done, the Philippines respects its dead. Even our freedom is built on the bodies of fallen heroes. This new fad is just another way of expressing how we, as a culture, honor our departed loved ones.

Headlines and Opinions 111028

Arroyo writes letter asking to leave, vows to come back

In a personal letter, former (Philippine) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appealed that she be allowed to seek medical treatment abroad on the promise that she would return...
Source: Inquirer

Remember when she promised that she wouldn't run for President in the Philippine presidential election in 2004 but she did anyway? So, how much is her promise worth?

Top bandit eludes troops

The enemies were gone by the time troops entered the Moro stronghold in Zamboanga Sibugay province... As the troops swept the enemy camp and cleared it of land mines and abandoned weapons, military officials declared victory in the operation which President Benigno Aquino III ordered on Monday against “lawless elements” after the October 18 massacre of 19 soldiers in Al-Barka, Basilan province.
“Yes (this is a victory) for us. It’s major because this is a big loss to them. Even if we are to say they are not completely decimated, they have broken up,” said Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., head of the AFP’s public affairs office.
Source: Inquirer

So, they elude the troops. They found an abandoned camp. And it's a victory? We got owned by the rebels a week ago and with nothing really concrete happening, we suddenly declare victory? Dude, PNoy must be delirious as he is confused. Grow some balls, will you? We should be ashamed on how we disgrace the Philippine Armed Forces

Tesda to offer free training for 1,000 BPO near-hires

About 1,000 nearly hired applicants or near-hires in Cebu will get free training to prepare them for jobs in call centers and other outsourcing companies.
The program is an offshoot of a P5 million grant to the Cebu Education Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT), said its executive director Jun Sa-a on Tuesday.
The program is expected to start before the end of the year.
Source: Inquirer

This is great news! Hope they did the due diligence for this and really propagated the info. Now if we can expand this to the rest of the Philippines

Pyramids in the Philippines

Egypt may boast of its pyramids. But the Philippines may have one leg up its North African brother; The Chocolate Hills of Bohol. The Chocolate Hills of Bohol are a famous Philippine tourist attractions. 1,268 pyramid shaped hills, averaging 98 to 160 ft high (30 to 50 meters), dot the landscape covering around 20 square miles (50 kilometers). The tallest of the hills is 390 ft high or 120 meters.

The Philippines have 1268 pyramids in a cluster. All made by Mother Nature herself.

At the end of the dry season, the hills turns chocolate brown, hence the name.

Until now, experts have not agreed on how the hills were actually formed. Some say from volcanic rock. Others say that marine formations from ages ago helped shaped these natural beauties. Even UFO conspiracy theorists like David Icke has claimed that this are of extra terrestrial origin.

One thing that really baffles me is that up to now, people do not know the exact number of hills there are. The latest claim is 1268 hills. But others say that there are more, around 1776. It is pitiful that even the basic process of counting the hills has not been done properly. Hopefully, the latest count is accurate.

At one time, a faction of the communist rebel group, The New People's Army had a Chocolate Hills Command. They formed the group to fight for the land rights of the farmers in the area.

Also, there were reports that some of the hills have been levelled off due to mining and quarrying done by individuals and small scale miners.

Despite these, Bohol and the Philippines may have some good news:

On May 16, 2006, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) submitted the Chocolate Hills to the UNESCO World Heritage for inclusion in the list of Natural Monuments because of its outstanding universal value, falling under criteria vii – superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
Source: Wikipedia

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The Calatagan Pot

In 1958 during an archeological dig in Calatagan, Batangas, Alfredo Evangelista discovered a clay pot with strange markings on them.

Since the discovery, this relic, its origin, translation, and even its purpose has been fiercely debated by experts. Philippine National Artist Guillermo Tolentino has even resorted to channeling ancient spirits thru a seance to discover the meanings behind the inscriptions. Tolentino is best known for his Oblation sculpture at the University of the Philippines.

There are some claims that the inscription is of Pangasinan origin. In a 2008 book by Dr. Eusebio Z. Dizon, Deciphered Secrets of Calatagan Pot Ancient Inscriptions, he notes that "..the Autronesian language by which the Calatagan pot scripts was written, was in a homogeneous and pure Pangasinan language same as what is spoken today, yet it was written in a 10th century Pangasinan.". The purpose of this Ancient Philippine relic is for a shaman or witch doctor to perform his/her rituals.

In the same year, Dr. Ramon Guillermo of UP, states that the pot's inscription is of tagalog origin and is used as a remembrance for a departed loved one.

Guillermo translates the inscription as:
Ina bisa kata -Sinikap sabihin ni ina
Guna kita payaba - Para sa iyo mahal kong anak
Dulang saya kau kain - Kumain ka sa aking dulang
Dada yang ‘ni manogi -Dibdib ko ‘tong mabango
Kita sana mabasah - Doon ika’y mabasa
Bagai ke bunga - Tulad ng bulaklak

In 2010, yet another expert has come up with a different theory. Myfel Paluga, head of the Social Sciences Department in UP Mindanao along with Dr. Guillermo (in a surprising turnaround from his 2008 theory) thinks that the pot is of Visayan origin. How and why it was discovered in Batangas cannot be explained thouroughly. According to them, the new translation may be a spell or a charm used by early babaylan or spiritual priestesses during a communal ritual.

Their translation:
Gana bisa kata - Makapangyarihan ang salita ni Gana
Duna kitay halabas -Mayroon tayong halabas
Yawa sala kakaga -Kasamaan, kahinaan, kasinungalingan
Yamyam la ni manugait - Bigkasin mo lamang ito (mga) babaylan
Kita sana magbasa - Basahin natin [itong mga senyas]
Barang kining banga -Kapangyarihan nitong banga!

Even dating the Philippine artifact is also as confusing. Carbon dating puts it at 2000 to 2500 BC (!). Despite this, experts do not accept this as fact and place the time at 10th Century for Dr. Dizon and 13th to 14th century for Dr. Guillermo. Why the carbon dating is not accepted is because the experts cannot explain how to align this with present knowledge hence they feel that the process was way off mark.

What we can be sure of, we have lots of ancient relics that point to a deeper origin of our culture than we can imagine. Why not enough research or interest is placed on these is the greatest mystery of all.

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription

The Laguna Copperplate inscription (also shortened to LCI) is the earliest known written document found in the Philippines. The plate was found in 1989 by Alfredo E. Evangelista. in Laguna de Bay, in the metroplex of Manila, Philippines, the LCI has inscribed on it a date of Saka era 822, corresponding to April 21, 900 AD. It was written in the Kawi Script in a variety of Old Malay containing numerous loanwords from Sanskrit and a few non-Malay vocabulary elements whose origin is ambiguous between Old Javanese and Old Tagalog. The document releases its bearer, Namwaran, from a debt in gold amounting to 1 kati and 8 suwarnas (865 grams). The document mentions the places of Tondo, Pila and Pulilan in the area around Manila Bay and Mdan (or rather, the Javanese Kingdom of Medang), Indonesia. The discovery of the Inscription has highlighted the evidence found of cultural links present between the Tagalog-speaking people of this time and the various contemporary civilizations in Asia, most notably the Javanese Medang Kingdom, the Srivijaya empire, and the Middle kingdoms of India, a topic in Philippine history of which not much is presently known.
Source: Wikipedia

The LCI, however, leaves us with more questions than answers. The Saka-year given in the LCI correspond to the reign of King Balitung who ruled East and Central Java as well as Bali around 899-511 A.D. Is the LCI Javanese? Was it a souvenir picked up by a Filipino tourist in Java and brought back to Laguna? Are the words Tundun, Puliran, Pailah, Dewata or Mdang misspelled place names? Could these be Tondo, Pulilan or Pila? While the names on the LCI sound Javanese, the title pamgat used repeatedly is Philippine and could be the 16th century pamagat or title of an exalted person shortened to magat and later gat , hence the surname Gatbonton or honorifics like Gat Jose Rizal or Gat Andres Bonifacio.
Our first recorded writing is not a poem or a novel or a piece of literature. The first writing in the Philippines is a receipt!
Source: Inquirer

That we haven't really devoted time to this Philippine ancient relic is beyond me. I asked my kids about it and they don't know. Something like this definitely will rewrite Philippine history. Ok. So let's see:

1. The Ancient Philippine artifact is from 900AD. That's 600 odd years before Magellan arrived in the Philippines.
2. The calendar is based on the Sanskrit calendar. So it's pretty precise
3. The areas mentioned in this Philippine historical document can be attributed to present day places.
4. The historical artifact is determined to be authentic to be of Philippine origin by a consensus of experts.

This means:
1. We were already reading and writing long before the Spanish came
2. Names of places in Manila can be dated back hundreds of years ago hence the lack of etymology for some of the places
3. The Philippines in ancient times was in contact with civilizations in the main Asian continent.
4. That the Philippine historical artifact is a receipt, that we have a trade and economic system in place.


What does the inscription says? English translation as well as the native transliteration:

English translation

Long Live! Year of Syaka 822, month of Vaisakha, according to Jyotisha (Hindu astronomy). The fourth day of the waning moon, Monday. On this occasion, Lady Angkatan, and her brother whose name is Bukah, the children of the Honourable Namwaran, were awarded a document of complete pardon from the Commander in Chief of Tundun, represented by the Lord Minister of Pailah, Jayadewa.
By this order, through the scribe, the Honourable Namwaran has been forgiven of all and is released from his debts and arrears of 1 Katî and 8 Suwarna before the Honourable Lord Minister of Puliran Kasumuran by the authority of the Lord Minister of Pailah.
Because of his faithful service as a subject of the Chief, the Honourable and widely renowned Lord Minister of Binwangan recognized all the living relatives of Namwaran who were claimed by the Chief of Dewata, represented by the Chief of Medang.
Yes, therefore the living descendants of the Honourable Namwaran are forgiven, indeed, of any and all debts of the Honourable Namwaran to the Chief of Dewata.
This, in any case, shall declare to whomever henceforth that on some future day should there be a man who claims that no release from the debt of the Honourable...
Source: Wikipedia

The tansliteration of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription:

Swasti. Ṣaka warṣatita 822 Waisakha masa di(ng) Jyotiṣa. Caturthi Kriṣnapaksa Somawāra sana tatkala Dayang Angkatan lawan dengan nya sānak barngaran si Bukah anak da dang Hwan Namwaran di bari waradāna wi shuddhapattra ulih sang pamegat senāpati di Tundun barja(di) dang Hwan Nāyaka tuhan Pailah Jayadewa.
Di krama dang Hwan Namwaran dengan dang kayastha shuddha nu di parlappas hutang da walenda Kati 1 Suwarna 8 di hadapan dang Huwan Nayaka tuhan Puliran Kasumuran.
dang Hwan Nayaka tuhan Pailah barjadi ganashakti. Dang Hwan Nayaka tuhan Binwangan barjadi bishruta tathapi sadana sanak kapawaris ulih sang pamegat dewata [ba]rjadi sang pamegat Medang dari bhaktinda diparhulun sang pamegat. Ya makanya sadanya anak cucu dang Hwan Namwaran shuddha ya kapawaris dihutang da dang Hwan Namwaran di sang pamegat Dewata.
Ini gerang syat syapanta ha pashkat ding ari kamudyan ada gerang urang barujara welung lappas hutang da dang Hwa
Source: Wikipedia

Philippine Supreme Court Does a Double Step

In an unprecedented move denounced as a “travesty of justice,” the Supreme Court has recalled its “final” decision ordering the reinstatement of 1,400 Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight attendants purportedly because a wrong division issued the ruling.
In a two-page resolution dated October 4, the court en banc decided to handle the case after PAL lawyer Estelito Mendoza wrote the tribunal and questioned its Second Division ruling ordering the reinstatement of the members of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap).
“Pursuant to the … internal rules of the Supreme Court, the court en banc resolves to accept (the case) and to take cognizance thereof. The court en banc further resolves to recall the resolution dated Sept. 7, 2011, issued by the Second Division in this case,” the tribunal said.
Fasap president Bob Anduiza said it was “mind-boggling and deeply disturbing” how a mere letter from Mendoza had prompted the court to recall what it had declared as a decision reached “with finality” and that “no further plea shall be entertained.”
Source: Inquirer

I remember when we treat all Philippine Supreme Court rulings as final and decisive. What we seem to have is a mutated Supreme Court. One where they find a technicality AFTER issuing a ruling. This just throws the Supreme Court into amateur levels. Maybe its time to get rid of the staff there and replace them with more competent and eligible people.

Breakthrough in Stem Cell Research May Result in Personalized Treatment

Scientists at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory have reprogrammed an adult human egg cell to an embryonic state using cloning technology and created a self-reproducing line of embryonic stem cells from the developing embryo. In so doing, they have managed a feat that has at times been thought impossible, then inevitable, then completed, then incomplete and unfeasible. Their work is published today in Nature.

It is not the end-all experiment that scientists aiming to create embryonic stem cells have been hoping for — the embryos are not true clones, because the DNA of the stem-cell line does not match that of the patient who donated cells — but it is a step in that direction and addresses some of the problems that have flummoxed experiments.
Source: Nature

Although this doesn't mean that they can clone human beings. The goal of stem cell research is towards finding cures to present day diseases. It does share the same research path as cloning a human but again, that's not the end goal. If embryos can be cloned then we can see personalized stem cells. And we can manufacture personalized treatment of patients for diseases. We'll never know though, a clone might come out of the stem cell research by mistake. Or a killer virus might come out?

Sounds like a bad zombie movie.

US envoy Harry Thomas Jr. apologizes for sex remark

MANILA, Philippines – Malacanang now considers “a closed case” the controversy caused by US Ambassador Harry Thomas’ remarks that 4 out of 10 male tourists come to the Philippines to engage in sex tours.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda made the remarks after Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario disclosed that the ambassador has expressed his regret over the statement with an admission that it was without sufficient basis.
“We consider this a closed case but our fight against trafficking continues. We will continue to prosecute those who would take advantage of our people and our young ones,” Lacierda said on radio.
Source: Inquirer

Well, I do understand why the US Ambassador has to apologize for the remark.

But it is off putting that when we want an apology, we are adamant about it. We still haven't apologized for the Hong Kong hostage incident even if the HK gov't are demanding for it. Think about it, US Ambassador remarks that the Philippines is a destination for sex tourism we ask for an apology. Eight HK nationals killed by an enraged ex-police officer and we are tight lipped and nonchalant in issuing a public apology.

We really have to change our ways.

How Steve Jobs help create the World Wide Web

The NeXT Computer (also called the NeXT Computer System) was a high-end workstation computer developed, manufactured and sold by Steve Jobs' company NeXT from 1988 until 1990. It ran the Unix-based NeXTSTEP operating system. The NeXT Computer was packaged in a 1-foot (305 mm) die-cast magnesium cube-shaped case, which led to the machine being informally referred to as "The Cube". It cost US$6500.
A NeXT Computer was used by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN to develop the world's first web server software, CERN HTTPd, and also used to write the first web browser, WorldWideWeb. This workstation became the world's first web server on the Internet.
Source: Wikipedia

It's surreal to find out that even with the Internet, Steve Jobs had an influence on it. Such a humble person not to brag about it.

He developed the NeXT, when he briefly left Apple. Even then he didn't give up on his vision. Upon his return to Apple, he proceeded to produce the iMac. From there, the rest is Apple history.

Oh, and iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod... wanna know what that "i" means in front of the name of the Apple devices? Well, here's Steve telling you himself from his 1998 introduction of the iMac:



We will miss you Steve.

RIP Steve Jobs

Goodbye Steve. May you rest in peace. Your contribution to the world will never be forgotten.

Apple may have lost a leader but the world lost a true visionary.

So what did Hewlett Packard buy for 12 Billion Dollars?

Founded in 1996 and utilizing a unique combination of technologies borne out of research at Cambridge University, Autonomy has experienced a meteoric rise. The company currently has a market cap of $7 billion, is the second largest pure software company in Europe and has offices worldwide. Autonomy is a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise that helps organizations to derive meaning and value from their information, as well as mitigate the risks associated with those same assets. Autonomy's position as the market leader is widely recognized by leading industry analysts including Gartner, Forrester Research, IDC and Ovum.

So Hewlett Packard bought a company for $12 Billion. Oracle, HP's rival, claims it is overpriced. But what does Autonomy do anyway?

Well, Autonomy has a technology that can extract data from any source. When I say any source, I mean any source. A phone call, a tv show, CCTV camera footage, radio broadcasts, you name it. It extracts and processes the data in however you would want it. Want to track certain names or phrases that come up on all the phone calls in the world? Hell, if it's legal, Autonomy already has the technology to do it. It's the ultimate in Big Brother technology.

So is that worth US$ 12 Billion? What do you think?

Funny that the person responsible for the deal isn't in Hewlett Packard anymore. Leo Apotheker has been replaced by Meg Whitman as CEO of HP. Apotheker gained publicity by announcing HP is discontinuing it's PC production line.

Obama is eligible President: US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON – The US Supreme Court Monday slapped down a new bid seeking to show that Barack Obama was ineligible to be elected president of the United States in the 2008 White House race.

The nation’s highest court refused to take up a case brought by three people “who claim President Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States of America and, hence, is ineligible to be the president,” court documents said.
Source: Inquirer

Dude, it's been 3 years already. Get over it. I mean, given the number of cases the US Supreme Court has on backlog, this is all a waste of time and US taxpayer money. Seriosuly, someone should really get on board and whip everything in order. For some reason, since the dawn of this century, the US seems to be in a free for all.

I guess they should remember what the word "UNITED" in U.S.A. means.

100 Horror Movie Spoilers in 5 minutes

Yep. 100 horror movie endings spoiled in 5 minutes. All done in one take. Wanna know all the killers in all the Scream movies? Wanna know the endings of a lot of the Dracula movies? How about the endings in all the Friday the 13th movies?

Seriously, stay away from this. It's going to totally wreck some of your horror movie experience.

First Asian Female in Internet Org. And she's from the Philippines!

THE governing body for Internet addresses announced that it has picked Judith Duavit Vazquez, an Information technology (IT) executive and member of the family that controls broadcast giant GMA 7, to serve as a board director.

In a statement posted on its official site, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said that its 2011 Nominating Committee (NomCom) has completed its selections for eight leadership positions within the group, with Vazquez as the only new member of the board of directors.
Source: Manila Times

Judith Duavit Vazquez is the first Asian female to sit on the board of ICANN. And she's from the Philippines! ICANN is one of the most important Internet bodies around. They are responsible for the domain naming system of the internet. Simply put, when you type in a website address, it is because of ICANN that you get ported to that particular website.

They don't have control over internet access or ISPs, they cannot stop SPAM email or viruses. They don't even have control over the content of a website. But what they have control of is the website address. That's pretty important. I mean, if you don't know how to get there, how can you get there?

So now that we have a Filipina on the ICANN board, I wonder how, even in a small way, that can help the country?

As mentioned, Judith Duavit Vazquez is from GMA 7. She is a member of the following Special Committees of GMA 7: Audit Committee and Compensation & Remuneration Committee. She also sits on the boards of RGMA, Inc., GMA New Media, Inc., GMA Worldwide, Inc., and GMA Films, Inc. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.

Given these, how did ABS-CBN acknowledge her appointment in their news programs?