News on Annulment and Child Custody

A local celebrity here in the Philippines is into a bitter battle on pushing an annulment case and has a group of custody lawyers that deal with their child custody. I hope all these issues will be resolved soon because sadly, their marital woes were almost exposed on the media more than other issues of national concern.

Full English Transcript of President Benigno Aquino III’s First State of the Nation Address (SONA)

A lot of Filipinos tuned in to TV, others listened to the radio and the rest were glued to the streaming sessions that were shared online. All because President PNoy or President Benigno Simeon Aquino III delivered his first State of the Nation Address. Here's the full English Transcript of his speech delivered just a week ago.

Teen Driving Issues

Whenever I watch our local newscast here in the Philippines, I always see one or two segments about road accidents. Before, I was surprised to hear such news on TV but now I guess I just take it as a normal happening, which is bad.

But that's the truth, a lot of road accidents involve bikes, cars and the people who happen to drive them or be the driver's companion.

Just like what happened to the Union City Teen who died days ago. This guy apparently lost control as he went all the way with an incredible speed in his car.

He died from serious injuries brought about by the accident while his companion was taken to the hospital for some immediate attention.

Take note that this wasn't the first incident documented ever in the US (and same here in our country). But my question is: Why are these mishaps look like a common thing nowadays?

Who is responsible for all these road accidents involving teens? Is it the parent who's supposed to guide these teens, the teens who's supposed to know (as early as now) what are the things they should be responsible for or the law enforcers who should always be visible to apprehend road offenders? Call it chicken and egg question, but I wanted to hear from you.

Pacman Mom's Five Gowns on her 60th Birthday

Yes, you heard it right, Pacman's Nanay Dionesia Pacquiao wore five expensive and elegant gowns as she celebrated her 60th birthday last Friday night.

Who could've imagined that she will have bigwigs from business, politics and showbizness when before she was a simple mother to her seven kids? Now, she is enjoying all the blessings and the attention brought about by the recent triumph of her son Manny Pacquiao.

I don't have anything against how she planned her birthday, Manny has the budget to call for such big celebration. The family had the legwork of people willing to help them carry on such grand party.

That was her way to thank God and herself for working so hard as a mom. And if there are other things that she wanted to experience for herself, let her be. She would probably call it over as soon as she became happier and more grateful of her blessings to share it to others in need. :)

Slumdog's Child Actor is Homeless

Slumdog's child actor is struggling in the movie and in real life?

I just read this news article over Yahoo this morning and it really kept me puzzled for minutes. According to the article, Azharuddin Ismail, the child actor was sleeping when the demolition happened.

"When they came I was sleeping, they shook me awake and one policeman even threatened me," Ismail, surrounded by half-broken suitcases filled with clothes and utensils, told Reuters.

"What can I do if they have demolished my house? I will sleep out in the open."

I pity the child for experiencing such trauma. I mean, he worked for something so big, he helped India be recognized for the movie that was worth his time and talent, and now this is all happening to him?

What happened to the money he earned from it? Who is responsible for keeping his earnings?

In February, the housing authority of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said they would give Ismail and fellow child star Rubina Ali new houses. But Ismail's mother, Shameem, said the family is now at the mercy of the rains.

"We also heard that the government had promised us houses, but what happened? We are still homeless," she said. "My son has brought glory to the country, shouldn't he get some credit?"

I hope that Azharuddin Ismail will get some help from the government if there was really a promise of extending assistance to him and his family. Otherwise, this was just part of a large scale publicity and lip service to Azharuddin Ismail's family.

Jang Ja-yeon of Boys over Flowers Committed Suicide?

Jang Ja-yeon is one of the mean girls cast of Boys over Flowers, one of the recent Koreanovelas shown on ABS CBN.

I just stumbled this news online when I searched for some information regarding the show because the TV station is heavily promoting it. I must say that I am more for the Taiwanese version but let' see if I will get to like this one too.



Going back to Jang Ja-yeon suicide incident, according to some online blogs and sources like Wikipedia, she had episodes of depression and has undergone medication and treatment prior to the suicide incident that happened last March 7, 2009.

According to this blog, the family did not want Jang to be subjected to autopsy as the angle of suicide was evident that time.

To support that claim, Wikipedia has this additional information about her suicide incident:

An alleged suicide note left by Jang describes how she was beaten and forced to entertain and have sex with several program directors, CEOs and media executives, causing considerable debate about relations in the entertainment industry, as well as a police probe into her management agency

If this is true then we can just imagine how she went through some tough, traumatic times. I am not saying that this is really happenning in the showbusiness but who are we to say that these allegations did not happened in the first place? May her soul rest in peace.

Photo credit: googleimages

Random Drug Testing: Are You Up for it?

Another issue that has been hitting the Philippine government nowadays is the drug buy bust scandal that happened last week. PDEA or Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested a college student out of the buy bust operation that they conducted that day.

A lot of sectors were alarmed, since the President declared herself as the Anti Illegal Drugs czar afterwards, ordering some government sectors to act up on this pressing issue.

Part of the action plan is to conduct random drug testing to universities and colleges. According to the President, they don't have to worry about the expenses involving this procedure since the government will be the one paying for this.

Of course they ( government ) should be the one to take care of all those expenses. I understand how parents are making ends meet nowadays just to put their children to school and the last thing that they want will be an additional detail coming to their long list of expenses.

In my opinion, this should've been done years ago. A lot of crimes are being committed in relation to illegal drug use. It is unfair that these people live the life they want while making others' lives miserable.

If cost was out of the issue, would you subject yourself if invited to a random drug testing?

Macy's Move to Close 11 Stores

I'm in the Philippines. But I still am affected by the thought of Macy's closing down some of their stores in the United States.

I feel for people who will be affected by this (somewhat) unforseen event. If the reason is to trim down the number of underperforming stores, this means that people are now starting to tighten their 'economic' belts and save money as much as they can.

Of course those affected employees can apply in other branches, but the emotional part of it will always echo in their minds. As much as we don't want to welcome recession, this is happening. All we have to do is to prepare for it as much as we can. Spend wisely and save your hard earned money.

Toyota Losing Money

I am watching the news this morning when I heard that Toyota announced that they're losing some money, blame it on the value of Yen (that's according to the news) and global financial crisis.

I'm not sure about it but if you're here in the Philippines, you will notice a lot of Toyota cars on the road. I know that here, Toyota still rules in terms of car sales. Be it from private vehicles to taxi fleet sales, they're the preferred brand of Filipinos.

I just hope that this won't affect their workers. I feel for them knowing that I've worked for a Toyota dealership before. I really pray that this won't result to layoffs and job loss that will increase the number of unemployed people here in the country.

Brenden Foster Dies

I dunno why but I always am touched by stories of people who made a positive difference in their simplest ways. That is why when I read this story and watched his video in You Tube I really felt sad about what happened to Brenden Foster.

I cried for what happened to the boy. Until now that I am writing this post, I am still touched by the thought that he made his short stay worthwhile.

If you're reading this post, the least we can do is to help spread the word. We can help make a difference by writing a post like this. Are you up to this simple task?