Marikina : Two Libreng Tawag Stations to Serve the People During Typhoon Maring

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom set up today two Libreng Tawag stations in Marikina City to assist residents who are staying in evacuation centers due to heavy rains brought by Typhoon Maring since Sunday afternoon.

The Libreng Tawag centers are located at Bulelak Gym in Brgy. Malanday and H. Bautista Elementary School in Brgy. Concepcion Uno, two of the biggest evacuation sites in Marikina City.

Through the free call and text service of Globe, evacuees could remain in contact with their families and friends to assure them of their safety or to request for aid if necessary.

“We are in constant evaluation of the situation. Once, the residents return to their homes, we will transfer our Libreng Tawag stations to other places which may also need our assistance,” said Fernando Esguerra, OIC for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Bringing Light to Residents of Taal Volcano Island

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Forty-eight year old boatman Redentor Bahadia has been living without electricity all his life. Not because he cannot afford to pay for it. It so happened that the entire Taal Volcano island where about 5,000 people reside remains unconnected to the national electric transmission grid.

To make matters worse, Reden has to shell out over P100 a day or more than P3,000 a month for the two liters of gasoline needed to keep his generator going for 12 hours. The amount is much higher than the electric consumption of an average household in Metro Manila.

At night, when he takes the 30-minute journey from the island to the mainland, Reden has to rely on his battery-operated flashlight to provide illumination along the lake, thus, spending a couple of pesos more for disposable batteries.

Reden is not alone in this predicament. Other residents of the volcano island who use kerosene for their lamps like 28-year old Lenie de Villa also have to spend P30 a day per bottle or P900 a month, making a huge dent in the meager income that they get. On top of it, they also pay P5 just to charge their cellular phones.

Zoocobia : Fun Time Adventure at Clark, Pampanga

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"When you need some energy and inspiration, step outside. Touch the Earth with your feet, lift your face to the sun, breathe the air, listen to the birds and the wind through the trees. Glory in the creation that surrounds you."

Zoocobia, located at a place called Sacobia that's somewhere in Clark, Pampanga, offers attractions that will surely become every family members favorite!

From the up close and personal interaction with feathery, hairy, shelled, and whatever skin or body covering of interesting yet many of them domesticated and friendly animals - to the thrilling rides on their Zipline, Zooc Rides, lengthy slides, and 4X4 jeeps - everyone is assured of an adventure that you would hardly find in the Metro.

It's your opportunity to be one with nature and to mingle with animals that have become very rare to see in the busy streets of Manila.

IRRI Pays Tribute to Women in Rice Farming

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The International Rice Research Institute honored the women who made breakthroughs in the rice farming industry as it welcomed lady farmers around the country and overseas in a special day at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna recently.

IRRI Board Chairwoman Emerlinda Roman welcomed the delegates. Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Puyat and PCW Administrative Chief Ana Liza Ragos also graced the event and gave opening remarks.

IRRI Deputy Director General Bruce Tolentino gave a simple talk about IRRI’s research agenda to cap the first part of the event.

Informal Settlers or Squatters : High Time to Bulldoze Them Out of the Esteros?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Not to sound like an elitist conyo, but every time it starts flooding like this, I'm tempted to think we should just bulldoze all those shanties blocking our esteros, and not give a flying f*ck over the ILLEGAL settlers."

Why is it always easiest to hit the most evil flavor of the season without really looking at how complex the problem is?

I doubt that the shanties along the esteros are the bulk of the problem. The squatters are a major cause of clogging but we're not exempt from blame either. It's not just the shanties anymore but also the neglected water ways and esteros, and those land grabbers titling themselves to floodways and building structures. 

We also have poor urban planning in general. Besides esteros being blocked by shanties, flooding in Manila is also sever due to bad urban planning. If you look meticulously at the Manila skyline, it looks like a badly-built lego set. Looking at the skyline makes you feel like you stepped on a lego though a hundred times over, and it does not get better when viewed from above. (I'd take a badly built lego set over Manila's sky line. At least colors of lego bricks are appealing to the eyes.) Seriously, condos are just popping up out of nowhere; especially in Taft. A mall in Quezon City for one has overwhelmed the sewerage infrastructure for a good chunk of Quezon City.

Janet Lim Napoles : Surrender Now or Else?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"With so many angry Filipinos out to get her, my unsolicited advice for Janet Napoles is it might be safer for her to just surrender and be under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Worse that could happen is that she ends up getting herself killed by powerful people who want to protect their interests and all her "secrets" would go down with her to the grave. If she really is innocent as she claims to be then she shouldn't be afraid at all to face the music and prove to us that she is not guilty of all the accusations being thrown at her and her family." - Harvey Keh

That is one of the status message posted on my timeline from Harvey Keh of the Kaya Natin movement.

I have to agree with his plea or request to Janet Lim Napoles, but that may also work against Napoles because it may also become easy for those "people who want to protect their interests" to silence her as she has already become a loose end if she decides to spill the beans against those that benefited from the scam.

When Children Suffer for the Sins of Adults

Wazzup Pilipinas!

-The first image referenced in the Vatican pedophilia.
-The second image the child sexual abuse in tourism in Thailand.
-The third refers to the war in Syria.
-The fourth image refers to trafficking in organs on the black market, where most of the victims are children of poor countries.
-The fifth refers to free U.S. weapons.
-The sixth image refers to obesity, blaming the big fast food companies

This is great art, raising awareness - for me too serious to "like" it. Extremely powerful, no lengthy diatribe is necessary. Though it's quite painful to see!!! This is the dark face of the world.

Do you hate the premise of these images? .. Dramatising human issues through religious imagery?

I think that people are equating crucifixion with Christ only, forgetting that crucifixion was one of the main ways that people were tortured to death under the Roman empire. Jesus was not the only person to be crucified - he is just one of the only people we remember. I am not sure that the artist is "blaming" Christianity for anything in any way at all. (Perhaps the crucifixion imagery is being used to emphasize the innocence of the children/their "martyrdom," if it is being used as a Christ reference at all?)

Megan Young is Miss World Philippines 2013

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Actress and TV Host Megan Lynn Young , 23, from Olongapo City was crowned winner of Miss World Philippines 2013 held on Sunday, August 18 at the Grand Ballroom of the Solaire Resort and Casino-Manila in Pasay City.

Megan Young bested 25 other contestants and will represent the Philippine to the prestigious Miss World 2013 pageant to be held on September 28, 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The pageant was hosted by Carla Abellana, KC Montero and Victor Basa, with Gwendoline Ruais and Divine Lee as co-anchors.

In the Question & Answer portion, Megan was asked “Why do you want to be Miss World Philippines?”

She said “Miss World PH is selfless and to be selfless, you need to have a heart. If I win Miss World Philippines, I would give myself wholeheartedly to be of service. Beauty with a heart.”

DOT Implements New National Accommodation Standards

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Tourism (DOT) will be implementing its new National Accommodation Standards for Hotels, Resorts, and Apartment Hotels using the Star Rating System. The new standards employ a points-based rating system focused on inventory, availability, condition, and quality of a specific facility or service.

“The new standards seek to boost industry competitiveness, especially in preparation for important events such as the World Competitiveness Forum next year, APEC in 2015, and the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2016. On the initial implementation of the new standards and star rating system for classifying hotels, resorts, and apartment hotels, the DOT shall be engaging the services of a private quality assurance firm that will consequently tap external auditors to conduct the assessment. The use of a third party auditing firm is aimed at ensuring impartiality of the audit team and credibility of results. Most developed countries employ this scheme as independent audits are deemed more credible,” DOT Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. said.

Launched last year through the DOT Memorandum Circular 2012-02, the new standards is part of the DOT’s policy reforms pursuant to the provisions of the Tourism Act of 2009, which mandates the DOT to formulate and enforce standards for the operation and maintenance of tourism enterprises, prescribing minimum and progressive levels of operating quality and efficiency consistent with local and international standards. The Tourism Act also provides for the development and enforcement of a comprehensive system for mandatory accreditation for primary tourism enterprises, and voluntary accreditation for secondary tourism enterprises, in accordance with prescribed guidelines and standards.

Anime: Postive or Negative?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Japanese Animation, or mostly known as Anime spreads rapidly across the globe carrying the culture of Japan with every series and seasons. The appeal of Anime has become a worldwide phenomenon.

It starts in 1960 and gained popularity in the following years. With so many people interested in it, had the thought of its effects crossed your mind? Yes? Well, good for you. No? Well, don’t worry about it, that’s why this article exists. Now, shall we start?