Wednesday, December 31, 2008

14 rural banks in the Philippines shutdown just before X'mas

Here is something worth thinking about: Is the money you've stowed away in your bank still safe?

If you're banking with a large bank (like Metro Bank, BPI, or BDO) you can assume that it will be safe for the most part. However, there are those of us who choose to use smaller banks for a number of reasons.

Read on:

With 14 banks closed, PDIC swarmed

By Doris Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:54:00 12/28/2008

MANILA, Philippines - A long queue of depositors has swamped the state-owned Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. with the shutdown of 14 ailing rural banks before the Christmas break, the insurer's top official said.

But according to PDIC president Jose Nograles, the deposit insurer has enough money to cover all valid claims, adding that they already have started servicing the claims of Rural Bank of ParaƱaque Inc. (RBPI).

RBPI bank was one of the first banks to be padlocked by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (the Philippine central bank) and was among those believed to be affiliated with the bankrupt Legacy investment group. It also has the biggest deposit base worth about P5.43 billion kept in over 37,000 accounts.

(read the rest of the story here)

Pangandaman Jr.-Dela Paz golf feud wouldn't have happened with jolens

Only in the Philippines does carnage over golf rules turn into a national issue.

When the story of Delfin and Bino Dela Paz broke, my heart went out to the father and son who were allegedly beaten up by the son of Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr.

Had a fight broken out in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc over the rules of jolen, it would have been quickly resolved at Presinto Kwatro (half of which has been demolished to make way for the rehabilitation of PNRC line).

All the brawlers would probably spend some time in jail and the incident would have probably merited a paragraph or two in some tabloid. Then, the incident would be forgotten and people would probably go back to playing jolens.

The social dynamics surrounding the Pangandaman-Dela Paz feud in Valley Golf are, of course, imbued with a higher level of significance.

Some bloggers have portrayed it as a case of an official abusing their power and authority. Others have made it into a commentary about the character of Pangandaman Senior and Junior, questioning their fitness for the public offices they hold. Still more people have used it question the rule of law.

But, I for one, want to take it for what it is: It was a brawl.

So file the charges and let justice be done.

SYMANTEC warns Spammer will cash in on economic crisis

As The Angry Manileno rants about karma and car accidents, I'm going to bark at another tree and take issue with spam.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer's Lawrence Casiraya reports that spam messages will be on the rise as opportunists and scam artists try to dupe people. Here's part of the report:
Spam levels will increase next year as perpetrators will try to take advantage of the global economic crisis and the popularity of social networking sites, Symantec said in a recent report.

Among its security trends to watch out for in 2009, Symantec noted the global economic crisis will be the basis of many new attacks.

This would include phishing attacks. Email messages whose premise would involve the closing of a given bank meant to spread false alarm are just a few examples, Symantec said.

Similarly, attacks would also exploit other types of fraudulent activities, such as e-mail messages promising easy mortgage or refinancing.

"Expect to see an increase in scams that prey on people who have had homes foreclosed, an increase in work from home scams targeting the unemployed, and an increase in spam that mimics job sites," Symantec said in its forecast.

Good advice from Symantec.

But lately, instead of receiving spam on various ways of preventing further shrinkage in the value of my stock holdings (I have none) or the money in my bank (which are in Philippine Pesos), I have been receiving more than the usual e-mails for male appendage enlargers and 'male performance' enhancers.

What the hell?!

In any case, I recently discovered that Loperamide Immodium has a more potent stiffening effect than Viagra and Cialis combined!

As for male organ enlargers, the cheapest and most effective device can be bought at National Bookstore -- a magnifying glass.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Mayor Nasser Pangandaman says it was self defense

I just heard Masiu City Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. give his side regarding the violent incident at the Valley Golf Club on December 26, 2008.

I am uploading an audio recording of an interview he gave through DZMM's Dos por Dos with Gerry Baja and Anthony Taberna this morning (December 29, 2008).

For the past several days, the Pangandamans have been pilloried in the press and their silence had been taken for guilt. In the interest of fairness, I am posting this excerpt of the interview of Nasser Jr.

Basically, his defense is that 56 year old Delfin Dela Paz attacked him first and what followed was self-defense. According to Pangandaman Jr., the two got into a heated arguement at the Teehouse on Hole Number 5. He claims that the physical altercation ensued after Delfin poked him with an umbrella.

I hope other witnesses do come out.

Click here to access it on Youtube.



Sunday, December 28, 2008

Mayor Nasser Pangandaman beats up father and son

When I opened by Facebook account this morning, I saw that Political Jaywalker aka Pedestrian Observer had tagged me in a photo of Kingkong. I smiled a bit and didn't follow the link, passing it off as one of those jokes.

The next thing that caught my attention was Political Jaywalker's status update regarding the Pangandamans and read up on it.

Phew! That really got my blood boiling.

Just a few minutes ago, I spotted a note posted by Susan Ople on Facebook which contained copy from Bambi Dela Paz' blog. The note recounted the incident where Masiu City Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Junior beat up her father and younger brother at the Valley Golf Club. (You can read her blog entry in Vicissitude here.)

Here is part of her entry:

My brother and I were playing golf at the South Course of Valley.

We were on the 3rd hole, and we see two golf carts going past us, overtaking our flight, and setting up to tee off on the next hole.

My dad goes up to them and asks them why they would do that, why they would overtake us without even asking for our permission. Golf etiquette 101.

One of the guys says that they're with the flight in front of us. (So what? That doesn't give them the right to just pass us WITHOUT asking.)

So, we go to the 5th hole.

The flight behind us catches up with us, and asks us what caused the hold up. We said that this flight just slipped in front of our flight. So we complained to the marshall.

We play the 5th hole and walk towards the next hole, where there is a teehouse, and both the flights in front of us were there, talking with the marshall.

The mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur (Nasser Pangandaman Jr.) talks with my dad. Things get heated up. Voices were raised. But never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine that someone would pull out a punch. Apparently not.

Nasser Jr. attacks my father. His flightmates, maybe 2 or 3 of them, rush to his aid and beat up my father. My 56-year-old father.

My younger brother and I could not just watch. We rushed to break the fight.

My younger brother pleads to the mayor to please stop it. To not hurt my dad. To just stop. His words still ring through my head..."Sorry na po, sorry na po...tama na...tama na po..."

With his hands in front of his chest in a praying position. PLEADING. The mayor socks him in the face. My brother defended himself.

My dad is still on the ground getting clobbered. My brother is the same way. I try to stop the fight, but all I can do is stop one person. There were 4 or 5 of them attacking now.

Someone breaks up the fight. I thought it was all over.

The mayor shouts to his caddy: "Hindi nila kami kilala! Sabihin mo nga sa kanila kung sino ako!" And believe me, I had no idea who this person was.

But now I know. He's the person who, with 4 other men, beat up my 56-year-old father and my 14-year-old brother. He's the person who sacks a pleading 14-year-old kid in the face. He's a person who, I am sure, is gonna rot in hell.

I lash out, but my dad held me back. I was screaming my lungs out, shouting to this mayor, telling him about what he had done. I said: "Nakakahiya kayo. Singkwenta'y sais anyos ang tatay ko. And kapatid ko kakatorse anyos. Anong ilalaban nila sayo?"

The mayor looks at my brother, point to his face, and says, "Tatandaan kita!" And he tells me that my brother has a bad attitude and that I need to watch him. WHAT THE HELL?! So, my brother's bad for defending his father?!
Some 250 comments were posted on this entry and many were from friends, a few from journalists.

I've never met Nasser Pangandaman Jr. and so far I haven't heard his side. If he has something to say in his defense before the court of public opinion, he ought to speak up now.

Nevertheless, even on the face of it, there seems to be no reason for the Mayor of Masiu to beat up a 56 year old man and his 14 year old son.

Being physically stronger than the old man and the boy as well as having the advantage of numbers, Nasser Pangandaman Junior ought to have avoided a physical altercation. Could he plead self defense against an old man and a child?

Moreover, Nasser Jr. should have put it in his mind that he is a Mayor and his father is a Cabinet Official. Such people are supposed to adhere to higher standards of morality and decency.

Somebody had once said that being a mayor or a leader is about giving life, in tagalog, 'Ang pagiging Mayor or lider ay pagbibigay-buhay, hindi hanapbuhay.' More to the point, it is not about beating people up.

Did they think that their power and influence will allow them to act like common buffoons with impunity? Is this how they conduct themselves in their home province of Lanao Del Sur?

Both father and son are Muslims, as far as I know. Filipino Muslims have been treated badly in the press and there have been attempts to counter this, showing that not all of them are gun toting and kris wielding juramentados out to kill every Christian in sight. However, what the Pangandamans did might put their people in bad light, especially here in Metro Manila.

Is it true that the Pangandamans are warlords in their hometown?

By golly! Then they ought to meet the warlords here in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc.


DAR Secretary Pangandaman stood by while his son beat up fellow golfers

Nasser Pangandaman, mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, should have a pretty good explanation of why he beat up a fourteen year old at the Valley Golf Club.

In the Inquirer's report, the Pangandamans have chosen to remain mum about the incident:
(Excerpt from the Inquirer)

Efforts to reach Secretary Pangandaman for comment yesterday proved fruitless. His cell phone was off. The public information officer of the Department of Agrarian Reform promised to call the Inquirer as soon as he got in touch with the secretary but he had not done so at press time Saturday.
The thing is, I think I know someone who knows Mayor Nasser and will wait to hear their side of the story before spewing bile on this horrid incident.

If the account of the victims are true, the least we should expect the government to do is to investigate Mayor Nasser immediately and suspend him. The DILG and the Office of the Ombudsman should act MOTU PROPRIO on reports of such incidents.

(Excerpt from the Inquirer)

De la Paz said the incident started when the Pangandamans broke golf etiquette by playing out of turn and over-taking the De la Paz family at the South Course of the Valley Golf and Country Club.

In an interview, De la Paz, 56, said he and his two children—daughter Bambee, 18, and son Bino, 14—were playing golf and were on Hole No. 3 when two golf carts bearing the Pangandamans and their friends overtook them.

Aside from the Pangandamans, the group also included Paysal Abdulaa, Mohammed Hussein, Abdan Pacasuna, Rene Maglaque and Arnel Astacio.

Dela Paz said he complained to the marshal and when the two groups caught up with each other at the tee house on hole No. 5, an altercation ensued.

De la Paz said that at the height of the altercation, Nasser Jr. suddenly attacked him and his son, punching and kicking them and shouting: “Hindi mo ba ako nakikilala? (Don’t you know me?)”

Bambee de la Paz, who witnessed everything, said the younger Pangandaman continued to attack even when his brother was already on his knees pleading for him to stop.

Dela Paz’s 14 year-old boy suffered various facial, head and back injuries due to the blows he received.

This raises the question, does Mayor Nasser display the same kind of behavior in Masiu? Is this the kind of leader that the town of Masiu deserves? What does this say of Muslims?

Does Mayor Nasser feel that he has a right to beat up people because of his high political station and because of his father's influence within the Arroyo Administration?

Even if the fourteen year old had done something which had provoked Mayor Nasser, beating a kid up is certainly no way to teach a lesson. Was the young Pangandaman beaten up by his father as a kid?

I just hope that Mr. Delfin de la Paz, his children Bambee and Bino (the one who got beaten up) continue with filing their case against the Pangandamans.

Certainly, the Secretary and Mayor will exert all their influence to resolve the case amicably . But, for the sake of all those who have been victimized by abusive government officials, the Dela Paz family should not be swayed and file the case.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Akyat-Bahay-Martilyo-Bonnet Gang terrorizes cyber space

Angry Manileno loves to rant about Journalese (a peculiar type of English that afflicts journalists/reporters, symptoms include the use of cliched phrases as a short cut for actual thought). In this particular gem of a post, he scores the often erroneous practice of media entities in naming gangs after their modus operandi.
If the group breaks into a house they call them ‘akyat-bahay gang.’ If the group uses a hammer to break store display cases they’re called ‘martilyo gang.’ If they wear bonnets - you guessed it - they’re called ‘bonnet gang.” and, should these criminals decide to break into a house while wearing bonnets and armed with hammers, perhaps they shall be called ‘akyat-bahay-martilyo-bonnet gang.’
When we were still working together in the same newsroom somewhere in Broadcast City, I explained that the practice of labeling criminals after their modus operandi is perhaps just a more colorful way of referring to them.

Then again, just recently, I read a news report in a tabloid claiming that a man had been caught and beaten up after he had broken into a house. All by his lonesome, the man was tagged as an Akyat Bahay gang.

In the words of Senator Richard Gordon, I was changrined -- which I believe is an affliction like gangrene.

Joma now on Facebook and...?

An exiled leader of the Communist movement in the Philippines is using Facebook to keep in touch with fans and followers. Great!

Tarra Quismundo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports:

You can “poke” Joma, send him a message or gift him with a red flag and virtual copy of “The Communist Manifesto.”

Jose Maria Sison, founding chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), apparently digs the hugely popular social networking site Facebook that Barack Obama himself used in his successful campaign for the US presidency.

Here, Sison, on self-exile in the Dutch city of Utrecht, keeps in touch with more than 1,200 friends from around the world, among them fellow revolutionaries, militants, journalists and, yes, even sexy star Asia Agcaoili.

And while he became tech-savvy only recently, the 69-year-old leader of the party tagged by the United States as a terrorist organization adapts to cyber-cool and simply uses his nickname for his online persona.

Sison’s latest status update, a Facebook feature where users talk about their current state of mind, recent activity or any message, reads in apparent reference to yesterday’s 40th CPP anniversary: “Joma Sison is conveying the season’s greetings to everyone and celebrating a historic event.”


Season's greetings? I thought that Communists were also Atheists and generally denounce Christmas as capitalist propaganda? Oh wait! He was trying to be funny...

Funnier still, I found this other bit of news that should serve as a warning for all those who choose to hook up with dates via YM or any other internet chatting device. Read on:

Chinese teen kills self when blind date turns ugly

BEIJING -- A 17-year-old boy in northeastern China was so disappointed with the looks of a woman he met over the Internet that he hanged himself after seeing her face-to-face, state media reported Friday.

The unnamed teenager first contacted the woman -- known by her chat moniker "Qunjiaofeiyang", or "Flying Skirt" -- using the popular Chinese online messaging software QQ, Xinhua news agency said.

The girl described herself as a beautiful 19-year-old and the pair chatted on the Web for weeks before arranging a December 26 rendezvous in the nearby city of Mudanjiang, in far northeastern Heilongjiang province.

The boy arrived to discover the woman far less attractive than advertised and 10 years older than him, Xinhua said.

The boy immediately returned home, lost his appetite, and four days later hanged himself from a tree.

Whoah! I've dated a couple of dogs myself, but how ugly does a girl have to be to get a man to commit suicide after the first date? Maybe the boy's date turned out to be Joma in a skirt.

Har har har!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

The Angry Manileno from Quezon City discovers a goldmine on the internet

At the end of my Christmas morning blogging post, I mentioned about Laurence Dacanay's blog and I just love blogs with this kind of sense of humor. Other blogs which share a similar sense of humor is Boojie Basilio's Nothing in Particular, which he rarely updates but when he does, it is more often than not a gem.

It's funny how Laurence has taken an interest in blogging. I kinda saw it coming because a few weeks ago, he had mentioned a news article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer which told a story about a Filipino who is making millions off Fireball Planet. The report didn't quote official records (like tax receipts, for example) to substantiate the guy's claim of earning so much money from supposedly selling digital media content (such as mp3 files, e-books, etcetera).

I found Filipino Fireball millionaire a bit dubious and fault the editors of the Philippine Daily Inquirer for not checking up on the guy's claims.

Anyway, today, the blogs in Inquirer turned up a funny posting on stupid business ideas such as professional gift unwrapping and christmas dinner eating.

This might do better than Fireball Planet!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!

Whoah! Just two days before Christmas!

By the way, I haven't been updating this blog because I have been quite busy with Facebook.

Go visit my profile and add me up!
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