Moon moving away, but still near Venus on May 16

earthsky.org
As seen from parts of southeast Asia, the moon passes in front of Venus at about 10 hours Universal Time today. Unfortunately this is not visible to North American or European observers, but we haven’t lost out entirely. Tonight, just as it gets dark, look to the western sky and, weather permitting, you should see a beautiful sight — bright Venus with the waxing crescent moon nearby. You should have no trouble finding either object as long as your skies are clear and you are facing west. Venus is a brilliant beacon to the lower right of the moon. Look early, as the two set less than three hours after the sun. By the way, the moon is currently said to be “waxing” in the sense that it is becoming a bit more full each evening.

If you are a regular reader of EarthSky Tonight, you may have noticed over the years that we have reported passages of the crescent moon near Venus several times. In fact it isn’t that unusual. The moon passes somewhere near Venus about once a month, although we don’t always mention it simply because the conditions for observing aren’t always favorable. However, what you haven’t ever seen is a mention of the quarter moon, or gibbous moon, or full moon passing near Venus. Yet we sometimes report when these phases of the moon pass near Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. So why is it that only the crescent moon ever passes Venus?

That’s because Venus is “inferior.” No, I don’t mean that it is less valuable in any way. Used in this context, “inferior” means “lower than.” Venus is “lower than” the Earth relative to the sun. In other words, Venus is closer to the sun. Because of this, Venus never appears very far away from the sun in Earth’s sky. It oscillates back and forth from one side of the sun to the other, much like a race car moving from the left side to the right side of a circular track as we watch it from the stands. Thus, Venus sometimes appears in the evening twilight, and sometimes in the dawn twilight. The point is that it is never far from the sun. The farthest it can get from the sun (called an “elongation”) is slightly more than 47 degrees. So when the moon appears to pass Venus, it does so at about the same elongation from the sun. Since 47 and fewer degrees correspond to a crescent phase, only the crescent moon can appear to pass near Venus in the sky. The quarter moon is 90 degrees from the sun, and the full moon is 180 degrees, so you will never see those phases near Venus.

Mercury is an inferior planet as well, but its maximum elongation is only 28 degrees, so only a very thin crescent moon can ever appear near Mercury. On the other hand, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are farther from the sun than Earth, making them “superior.” From time to time they can appear at any angle from the sun, and the quarter or full moon phases can pass near them (sometimes even occulting them).

Party list perverts

Commission on Elections Chair Jose Melo says that the Comelec is having a hard time accrediting party list groups that truly represent marginalized sectors, and in recognizing nominees qualified to represent them because Philippine laws don’t define “marginalized.” But he himself seems to know — if we’re to go by his statement that limiting representation via the party list system to marginalized sectors “isn’t wise.”

“For example, here is a group of tricycle drivers. What if their nominee is a tricycle driver and he was not able to finish school. How can he represent the interest of tricycle drivers? They should have somebody who is educated to speak for them,” Melo was quoted as saying during a recent Comelec press conference.

In addition to practically declaring that he doesn’t agree with the party list system’s reason for being — to enable marginalized groups and sectors to participate in the making of the laws that after all would affect them and everyone else — there’s at least two things wrong with that statement.

The first is that the Party List Law (Republic Act 7941) does not impose any education qualification. It merely declares that anyone may be a party list representative if he or she is a natural born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, a resident of the Philippines for not less than one year prior to the election, able to read and write, has been a bona fide member of the party he or she will represent 90 days before the election, and is at least 25 years old on the day of the election.

The Constitution of 1987 from which the Act derives its mandate emphasizes that no educational or property qualifications may be imposed on voters, in tacit recognition that doing so would disenfranchise millions for no other reason than their poverty and their not having had the means and/or opportunity to get an education. Imposing such qualifications would make Philippine claims to democracy even more hollow than they currently are.

The same consequences would ensue if education were to be a qualification for running for office. It is true that the absence of education as a qualification has often been lamented by people who assume, because of the country’s bad experience with officials who were school drop outs or sub-literate celebrities, that having a degree after your name makes you better qualified to run this country.

But the second thing wrong with Melo’s statement is its assumption that only the educated –presumably those with at least a college degree — would know what the problems of a particular sector are and would be capable of providing solutions. As Filipino experience with what passes for democracy in these parts has shown, college degrees are no cure for the stupidity that characterizes most of the people who claim to be running this country, or, for that matter, for their dishonesty, deceit and outright malevolence.

If we went along with Melo, party list representatives would need qualifications the law doesn’t impose even on candidates for President, Vice President, Senators and non-party list Representatives. The party list system would then be even more restrictive than the rest of the political and legislative system — it would become the exact opposite of what it was intended to be.

And yet the intent of the party list system is to make the House of Representatives more representative of Philippine society. The system is described by both RA 7941 as well as the Comelec’s own primer as “a mechanism of proportional representation in the election of representatives to the House of Representatives from marginalized or underrepresented national, regional and sectoral parties, or organizations or coalitions thereof registered with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).”

That description as well as the Constitution and RA 7941 assume without an outright declaration the truth of the thesis, long ago advanced by such groups as workers and farmers, that representation in the Philippine Congress is NOT proportional and is in fact skewed in favor of the economic and political elite.

That the House of Representatives is landlord-dominated seems hardly contestable. Its sorry record in land reform legislation is only one among the many indicators of that fact. The major source of the wealth of much of its membership is land, whether in the burning plains of Central Luzon or in the sugar haciendas of the Visayas. It would seem evident then that among the intents of the party list system is to add to the already loud and overly-represented interests of the landed, those of farmers.

Who are certainly among the marginalized, whether the law defines “marginalized” or not, the meaning of marginalized in the Philippine context being absence of participation in Philippine governance, although the party list system limits “marginalization” to the law-making process.

As earlier noted, Melo and everyone else knows what it means. The Constitution also identifies “labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth,” as marginalized sectors, but doesn’t limit the definition to them by stating that “such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector” may also be represented in the party list system.

If marginalized means “absence of participation in Philippine governance,” then those who have been in government, are closely associated with those who are, and/or who by affinity or some other connection exercise some power in law and decision-making, would NOT qualify as representatives of even admittedly marginalized sectors like, say, security guards or indigenous people.

Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s children therefore don’t qualify, and neither do former military people, or former Cabinet secretaries, or the wives and husbands and children of incumbent or former politicos, since, having been or being still in power, it’s not likely that they can adequately represent the marginalized sectors that for some reason have chosen them as nominees.

It’s not brain surgery or rocket science except to the Comelec, which, in addition to its fabled innumeracy, has acquired another vice: that of wimping out in stopping the ongoing perversion of the party list system.

(BusinessWorld)

Who is the Most Qualified Presidentiable?

If we are to base our vote in qualification and work experience, we can trim down the 9 choices for Presidentiables into 4. But who among these four is the most qualified?

Starmometer received a fact sheet about Noynoy Aquino, Manny Villar, Gibo Teodoro and Dick Gordon via email and i must say, the data are highly accurate and helpful that i felt the need to post it here one day before the actual election tomorrow.

In discerning the most qualified presidentible, it is vital that we check their Government Work Experience – both legislative and executive, Platform of Government, Work Experience as a Public Individual, Educational Background, Civil Status and Other Fields of Public Service.

“GOVERNMENT WORK EXPERIENCE”

LEGISLATIVE PERFORMANCE:

AQUINO, NONOY: 3 years in House of Senate; Chairs the Local Government Committee;Co-chairs the Committee on Justice & Human Rights; 0 (as in Zero)Bills filed as Senator (Senate bills he claims are bills that he co-sponsor and/or co-authored); 0 (as in Zero) Laws passed as Senator; 9 years in House of Congress; Become a Deputy Speaker of the 13th Congress, for quite sometime; 8 Bills file as Congressman (or less than 1 Bill per year as congressman); The most well known bill he filed is the “TARLAC CITY DAY; 0 (as in Zero) Laws passed as Congressman, and; No corruption issues while in Senate and in Congress.

TEODORO, GIBO: 9 years in House of Congress; Become the Asst. Majority Floor Leader in 11th Congress; In Congress, he chairs a lot of committee (too many to count, please do your own counting at congress.gov.ph); Too many bills filed as Congressman (visit congress.gov.ph); 12 Laws passed while in congress, and;No corruption issues while in Congress.

VILLAR, MANNY: 9 years in House of Senate; As a neophyte Senator, he held the 2nd highest post in the Senate (Senate President Pro Tempore); He became a Senate President; In Senate, he chairs 3 committee; 737 Bills filed as Senator (second to Sen. Defensor); 10 Laws passed as Senator (Tops all the senator); 9 years in House of Congress; Become the Majority Floor Leader and eventually become a Speaker of the House; While in Congress, he chairs a lot of committee (too many to count, please do your own counting at congress.gov.ph); There are a lot of corruption issues thrown to him while in Congress but none was filed for investigation, and; a “C-5″ corruption issue was filed at the Senate but the resolution was not passed because lack of quorum.

GORDON, DICK: 5 years in House of Senate; Become a Senate President for more than 5 years; In Senate, he chairs 3 committee; 228 Bills filed as Senator (second to Sen. Defensor); 8 Laws passed as Senator, and; No corruption issues while in Senate.

EXECUTIVE PERFORMANCE:

AQUINO, NONOY: None

TEODORO, GIBO: Youngest Secretary of National Defense at 43 years old (August 2007- November 16, 2009) and; Chairman, National Disaster Coordinating Council (August 2007 – November 16, 2009);.

VILLAR, MANNY: None

GORDON, DICK: City Mayor of Olongapo, and; Tourism Secretary.

“OTHER FIELDS OF PUBLIC SERVICE”

AQUINO, NONOY: Former Chairman of Cooperatives; Former National President of Philippine JAYCEES; Chairman of Aug 21 Movement, and; Vice Chairman of LIBERAL PARTY.

TEODORO, GIBO: Coronel in Philippine AIRFORCE (Reserve), and; Former Chairman of LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD PARTY.

VILLAR, MANNY: Create the OFW Helpline and MANPOWER ON WHEELS (Mobile livelihood training), and; Organizer of Entrepreneurship Caravan (Sipag at Tiyaga Caravan Kaalaman).

GORDON, DICK: Founding Chairman and Administrator of SBMA; Youngest delegate on 1986 Constitutional Convention of the Philippines; Chief of RED CROSS Philippines; Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary Officer, and; Chairman of BAGONG BAYAN PARTY.

“PLATFORM OF GOVERNMENT”

AQUINO, NONOY: Nangangako sa Pilipino na hindi magnakaw. Eliminate Corruption in the Philippines; A National Leadership in Need of Transformational Change:Its legitimacy is under question; It persecutes those who expose the truth about its illegitimacy and corruption; It stays in power by corrupting individuals and institutions; It confuses the people with half-truths and outright lies; It rewards, rather than punishes, wrongdoing; It offers no lasting solutions for the many problems of the country; It weakens the democratic institutions that hold our leaders accountable; It hinders our local governments from delivering basic services; It has no vision of governance beyond political survival and self-enrichment. (For more details refer to http://www.eleksyon.co.cc/noynoy-aquinos-platform/trackback/)

TEODORO, GIBO: Galing at Talino ang kailangan mamuno sa mga Pilipino; NATIONAL LEADERSHIP: The strong will to resist temptation: A good leader must be of strong character and integrity. More than anything else, he or she must embrace the true essence of public service as a calling. He should also have a clear grasp of the concept that he was elected to the Office which is an institution, and he, the one elected to that office. The ideals and obligations of the Office go beyond his personal self. As the one elected by the people, he must always be guided by what’s best for his country or constituents even if this entails great personal sacrifices on his part. A true leader must accept the philosophy that he should serve without expecting anything in return. In the end, his strength of character and integrity would give him the will to resist temptation. This strength of character and integrity does not come with the office – these traits are nurtured through years of public service. (For more details refer to http://www.eleksyon.co.cc/gilbert-teodoros-platform/trackback/).

VILLAR, MANNY: Tapusin ang Kahirapan sa Sipag at Tiyaga; Ang Bayan higit sa lahat! The Philippines is basically an underdeveloped agricultural country. Majority of its people still live in the rural areas and support themselves through agriculture and fisheries. The nation’s main problem is widespread poverty and social injustice. The main thrust of our platform is emancipating the people from poverty and injustice. Self reliant and sustainable economic development program shall be pursued by implementing agrarian reform, increasing agricultural productivity and developing domestic industries. The problems of environmental destruction, climate change and recurring calamities shall be comprehensively addressed. High priority shall be given to education, health, housing and other basic social services. Economic development should be coupled with reforms ensuring social equity and respect for human rights. People empowerment and good governance are vital to implementing meaningful reforms in the economy, politics, culture and foreign relations. A foreign policy based on respect for national sovereignty and ensuring mutual benefit shall be charted. The policy of economic liberalization and blind adherence to “globalization” must be reviewed. Unequal economic, military and other foreign treaties and agreements must be corrected. (For more details refer to http://www.eleksyon.co.cc/manny-villars-platform/trackback/).

GORDON, DICK: A Country of Character – our ultimate vision where everyone is Enabled to be Enobled and Free; Vision for a New Philippines: Leadership requires a clear and coherent VISION. The vision sets the philosophy and framework for good governance. It provides guidance to the people so that they can pursue our common goal in their own creative way. Dick Gordon’s vision for a truly Filipino society must be one that is: Caring. People must be concerned with the welfare of others/community/country and exercise a degree of selflessness for our greater good. We must not injure others in the exercise of our rights; Compassionate. Everyone must have due regard for the individual struggles of others and act with consideration. We must act with empathy and devise programs that uplift every individual’s conditions. (For more details refer to http://www.eleksyon.co.cc/richard-dick-gordons-platform/trackback/)

“EDUCATIONAL BACKROUND”

AQUINO, NONOY: Graduate of AB Economics in ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY.

TEODORO, GIBO: West Negros University, Honoris Causa, Doctor of Laws, 2009; Harvard Law School, Master of Laws; University of the Philippines, Bachelor of Laws (Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence, 1989); Air Command and Staff College, Air Education and Training Command, Philippine Air Force, Command and Staff Course (Leadership Awardee, Seminar Academic Excellence Awardee, 2001); Joint and Combined Staff Officers Course, Class Nr 1, JCSC, Camp Aguinaldo Quezon City (Leadership Awardee, 2003); De La Salle University, BSC Major in Financial Instituitions, 1984, and; Xavier School (Highschool & Elemtary).

VILLAR, MANNY: Graduate of BS Accountancy in UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, Diliman; Graduate of Master in Business Administration in UP; Awarded in 1990 as the Most Outstanding CPA by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Awarded in 1991 the Most Outstanding UP Alumnus for his achievements, and; Awarded in 2004 the Most Distinguish UP Alumnus, the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines to their Alumni, for his exemplary public service and achievements.

GORDON, DICK: Graduate of AB History and Government in ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY; a UP Bachelor of Laws; Awarded in 1997 the Most Distinguish UP Alumnus, the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines to their Alumni, for his exemplary public service and achievements; Awarded in 1997 the Most Outstanding Alumnus in Public Service by LETRAN College.

“WORK EXPERIENCES AS PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL”

AQUINO, NONOY: Retail Sales Supervisor of NIKE SHOES; Asst. on Advertising & Promotion of MONDRAGON (owned by Cory’s Friend); Vice President of BEST Security Agency (Family owned corporation); Vice President of INTRA STRATA ASSURANCE Co. (Family owned corporation), and; Field Service Manager of Central AZUCARERA de Tarlac (Family owned)

TEODORO, GIBO: Lawyer and Associates of Estelito Mendoza Law Office; Founder & Board of Trustees of Everest Golf and Country Club; Chairman & CEO of SURICON RESOURCES CORP. (Owned by GOTESCO LAND CORP.), and; License Commercial Pilot.

VILLAR, MANNY: Auditor of SGV (Philippine largest CPA Firm); Member of E&Y Group (One of the worlds Big 4); Financial Analyst, and; Successful entrepreneur (Build one of the biggest real estate empire in the Philippines)

GORDON, DICK: Lawyer and Associates of ACCRA Law Office; Board of Director of KONG Commercial Philippines; Brand Manager of PROCTER & GAMBLE, and;Founder of SBMA Volunteer.

“CIVIL STATUS”

AQUINO, NONOY: Single

TEODORO, GIBO: Married of one (1) Kid;

VILLAR, MANNY: Married of three (3) Kids;

GORDON, DICK: Married of three (3) Kids;

The Three Faces of Rizal

The Three Faces of Rizal

By A.Z. JOLICCO CUADRA

January 3, 2010, 12:40pm

God writes straight in crooked lines.
-Old Portuguese saying.

In order to know the destiny of a nation, one must first open the book of its past. This from JR’s The Philippines A Century Hence.

What we have here is the resonance of truth. Yet it sounds like fiction, it has the colorings of make-believe.

Jose Rizal (JR to me) in his book points to our pre-Spanish past: our Filipino nation that ran a history of conglomeration of tribal nations with their own forms of worship, arts and culture. The Ina Poong Bato of Zambales that was symbolic of the Mother and harks back to pre-Spanish times tells of the Divine Mother- worship the Filipinos then, long before the Spaniards conquered us. It is farthest from the truth for anyone to say that the Filipinos were pagans or heathen before colonialist stepmother Spain came to subjugate us. The culture of our babaylan or priestess that has found popularity today speaks of the oldest faith and worship in the world. It is still found in Kinabuhayan, Mt. Banahaw among the Tatlong Persona Solo Diyos people of Amang Illustrisimo.

As I write this, we’re already in the next decade of the Third Millennium; yet most of us, as one wit put it, are walking backwards into the (new) future. This world is bogged down with so much intellectual and technological baggages imaginable, but man’s consciousness has remained the same in the last thousand years.

It’s the same with our nation’s past which begins far back and deeply beyond our colonized past, beyond the 400 years of our Spanish colonization, downrooting into trillions of years ago in the creation of the First Man in our original lost continent of Lemuria. “In the evolutionary cycle that never stops, Lemuria sank into the bowels of the sea and became the legend of the lost continent of Mu,” says our spiritual historian, poet Auggusta de Almeidda. In the history books of the Singaporean students, I’ve been told, the Philippines is referred to as the modern Lemuria. We are the resurrected Lemuria that the writer de Almeidda contends “is the First and Only spiritual civilization this world has ever witnessed,” and that it is the “true Filipino identity.” (See her The Philippine Human Map Unlimited inwww.perlasngsilangan.com)

What man postulates becomes truer than what exists. He can’t understand that realities are less convincing than imagined make-believe. Our history schoolbooks postulate that there has been no significant pre-Spanish history for us. It has calcified our heads into believing the big lie that despite our indubitably endemic rich culture, rich myths and legends, that we were never a great nation before. This academic thinking persists, nailed down on us by our modern colonial masters to complete our modern-day subjugation that keep us ignorant on who we truly are: a great spiritual nation elect and chosen by God. That is why we are addressed Lupang Hinirang. We’ve hypnotized ourselves into believing that we have no history before 1521. Almost into believing we are a nation of little consequence.

We must cry out here what has been lost to us, break out of the cocoon of ignorance of racial non-identity.

There’s no accident or coincidence of event in this world. The advent of JR was of supreme importance for us and our nation. He just didn’t happen; he bulked large in our history as Emancipator; his NOLI and FILI ignited our revolution and freed us from colonialist Spain. He gave us the blueprint and guidepost of our preeminent destiny in the world.

There are three faces of JR: the Historical, the Radical, and the Mystical. The Historical Rizal is the most widely acknowledged: JR the universal genius, the hero, the patriot acknowledged and hailed everywhere. Then the Radical JR: the nationalist-reformist-propagandist who pre-empted and precipitated the Katipunan revolution led by Andres Bonifacio and deeply inspired the writings of Apolinario Mabini. They are the Tres Personas Triumvirate of their time with JR on the apex point of the Triune symbol symbolizing the Father.

We now address and announce here the Mystical JR. The spiritual Rizal, the Divine spirit that he is. Austin Coates, in his biography of Rizal, points at the mystical and spiritual Rizal. Miguel de Unamuno, the controversial Spanish philosopher, called him “The Brown Christ,” our very own Kristong Kayumanggi. How many of our people know this, or acknowledge it. The best book on our revolution is Ileto’s Pasyon and Revolution. He speaks of the spiritual guidance given our heroes, who were Masons like JR. The high mystical guidance given them was staggering.

I’m aware that I’m doing a high spiritual act; to the believers I can be a heretic and enemy. We live in a fear-based consciousness with its negative mental and psychological effects in our modern culture. The threatening specter of a colonialist religion without spiritual authority. We deny the existence of God within us. We’ve been conditioned to believe God exists only in heaven, reachable only through prayer; the fear of hell and damnation is ever present in us. Through all this we are forever separated from one another, when at all times we must aim at God-Oneness which in our beliefs we have failed to do. God is not there in the blue empyrean; He’s down here on earth because in every generation the Godman appears, God in embodiment. There is never a time when the world is without the Godman. Or the Godwoman.

It’s only in our nation that spiritual cults exist where JR is Diyos Ama, Bathalang Ama, acknowledged, revered and worshipped. In the hundred years of JR’s martyrdom, against all odds, our spiritual cults grew bigger in their existence, despite fractionalism amongst them. JR has never left the nation; he’s always been around and has given us the legacy of our preeminent destiny as a people and nation, our having been once Queen of the world, our ancient Lemuria where the First man was created in the southern region of the Sulu archipelago.

When the true Deity appears, you can tell him by this sign: only the few true believers hail him. The rest are against Him.

The Old and The New Testaments have done their time: they are the equivalents of JR’s NOLI and FILI that have both done their time. The Third Millennium is the time of the Apocalypse; it is the time of JR’s still hidden Third Novel. We the Filipino people are the actors in it. As in the Old and New Testament which belong in its entirety to the Filipino nation, our stolen birthright, we are writing the Third Testament of mankind. We have gone beyond the NOLI and FILI already. The prophecies there for our times have come into fruition. I have written about it in previous articles. Our highly spiritual legacy JR gave to us in all his extant writings.

We now undergo “the tightening shackles, imprisoning shackles of dogma and concept, humanity squeezed to the hilt and suffering as never before from a fear-based consciousness, wars dominating our lives, fear of the end of the world, corruption in high places, etc.” are nothing but birth pangs signaling the coming of the Golden Age of our Third Millennium. It will be the birth of a new Filipino nation, us becoming the “shining light in the Far East” where the Chosen Land of the New Jerusalem will rise; where death will no longer be death, from separateness will come oneness, peace and contentment will reign, and above all Love; and hate will be a thing of the past; there will no longer be greed and envy because prosperity will be for us all.

“The wealth of the world will be centered in the New Jerusalem” – Heru sa Lem rooted in the acronymic Heru sa Lemuria: our beautiful, splendid Lemuria that was “the First and Only civilization this earthworld has ever witnessed.” All racial symbols and archetypes point to a singular pre-eminent destiny for the Filipino nation.

All this takes place here, in our nation. This is the separation of the sheep from the goats. This is now the Time of Truth. And The Third Millennium is under the Dispensation of The Mother. We witness the rise of the Supreme Babaylan or Kataastaasang Babaylan, the highest priestess of ancient Lemuria in the embodiment of Reyna Yolanda L. Manalo. She of Paraiso, Nattapian, Cagayan. She’s here to close the gaps that were left gaping during the time of JR and the one hundred years of the NOLI and the FILI. The Third Millennium is the Time of the Mother. It is now a Godwoman who wields the scepter of spiritual authority over the once-Lemuria that is now the Philippines.

The final unification and truth of JR’s prophecies are finally taking place. In one of his books he declares, “magbabalik na isang mahinang binibini.”

Historic million dollar jewels headline NY auction

By Michelle Nichols


NEW YORK - An emerald brooch owned by Catherine the Great of Russia and a diamond ring that once belonged to former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos are headlining a jewelry sale Thursday that Christie's expects will attract strong Asian buyer interest.

Both pieces have not been seen in public for decades and are estimated to sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million at the auction of 300 pieces of jewelry. The total sale could reap more than $25 million, Christie's said.

"Art and jewelry were more resilient than any other sector in the financial world and people still came and put great confidence in what they wish to buy," Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie's New York, said of the financial crisis.

"The Chinese market is the biggest market in the world right now, because that's a market that's still building their collections," he said. "We had a lot of requests from clients in China for visas to come and attend the sale so we do know they will be here."

The 39.5 carat Emperor Maximilian Diamond ring was bought by Marcos, wife of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, in 1983 -- three years before her husband was ousted from power through a popular revolt.

Known for her extravagant lifestyle and love of shoes and jewelry, Marcos owned the Brazilian diamond until the mid-1990s when she sold it to a U.S. jeweler. Jeweler Cartier set the stone into a ring in 1934 and then Marcos changed the setting.

The stone was originally bought by Archduke Maximilian in 1860 shortly before he was named the Emperor of Mexico. But when he was captured and court-martialed by opposition forces, "legend holds that Maximilian was wearing the in a small satchel tied around his neck when he was executed," Christie's said.

The diamond ring is now being sold by a private collector.

The Catherine the Great brooch dates back to the mid-18th century when it was owned by Catherine II of Russia, who ascended to the Russian thrown in 1762, according to Christie's. It was passed down through several generations of her family.

In 1972 the brooch was bought by a private U.S. collector, whose estate is now selling the jewel.

"It's quite a regal jewel," said Kadakia. "The current owner's mother wore it to the White House for a state dinner in 1973. So it's been through a lot this brooch and it's seen a lot of history and has passed through some great times."

In 2009 Christie's sold more than $270 million worth of jewelry and diamond globally with several new records set.

The Vivid Pink, a 5-carat pink diamond, set a new record price for any gemstone when it sold for $10.8 million, while the Annenberg Diamond, a 32-carat diamond, set a new per-carat record when it went under the hammer for a total $7.7 million.

"Jewelry prices have held very strong," Kadakia said. "If you have something that's rare, that's irreplaceable, people pay what they have to pay to own it."

Giant lizard species discovered in the Philippines

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News


A close look at the giant Varanus bitatawa

A new species of giant lizard has been discovered in the Philippines.

The 2m-long reptile is a monitor lizard, the group to which the world's longest and largest lizards belong.

The monitor, described as spectacular by the scientists who found it, lives in forests covering the Sierra Madre mountains in the north of the country.

The striking reptile has bright yellow, blue and green skin, and survives on a diet of just fruit, yet until now it has escaped the eyes of biologists.

"It is an incredible animal," says Dr Rafe Brown, one of the scientists who describe the new lizard in the journal Biology Letters.

In the journal, the researchers describe how rare it is to find such a large terrestrial animal new to science.

The discovery of the lizard, they say, is of a similar importance to two other large species of so-called "mega-fauna" discovered in recent years: the kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji), a new genus of monkey found in Africa, and the saola, a Vietnamese forest bovid (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis).

The giant lizard is actually well known to resident Agta and Ilongot tribespeople living in the forests of northern Luzon Island.

The tribespeople regularly hunt the lizard for its meat, a vital source of protein.

Yet scientists were unaware of its existence.

That was until Dr Brown and an international team of colleagues from the US, Philippines and The Netherlands surveyed a series of lizard specimens preserved in museums both within the US and Philippines.

Within these specimens they identified the new species on the basis of its body size, scales, colouration and DNA.

With a main body length approaching 1m, with an additional 1m-long tail, the lizard has dark skin covered by golden yellow spots and flecks.

Its legs are mainly yellow, and its tail striped black and yellow.

In some pictures, the animal also looks to have green or blue scales.

The new species, which is called Varanus bitatawa, is thought to survive on a diet of fruit, making it one of just three species of fruit-eating monitor lizards in the world.

Monitor lizards include the world's most massive lizard, the Komodo dragon (V. komodoensis), which can reach up to 3m-long and weigh up to 90kg.

While not as massive, other species of monitor, such as the Crocodile monitor or Salvadori's monitor (Varanus salvadorii) of New Guinea, can also reach similar lengths.

Secretive creature

Why the new massive lizard has remained undiscovered by scientists until now is a mystery, especially as many biologists work in the northern Philippines.

The researchers say it may be because the lizard is naturally reclusive, being a highly secretive animal that never leaves the forest or crosses open country.

It could also be because few scientific expeditions have characterised the reptiles living in the Sierra Madre forests.

The new species of monitor lives at least 150km away from its nearest relative, another lizard called V. olivaceus, which also lives in trees and eats fruit.

WILD GIANTS

Last year, a giant new species of meat-eating plant was discovered

A previously unknown giant rat species was also uncovered by a BBC expedition filming in the Philippines

This year, extraordinary footage of a rarely seen giant 17m-long deep sea fish was captured by scientists off Mexico's coast

Watch videos of giant monitor lizards, including the Komodo dragon, here

New species of giant lizard found in Philippines

Source: http://www.physorg.com

(A Varanus bitatawa, pictured in 2009 in the Philippines. Scientists reported on the "spectacular" discovery a previously unknown species of fruit-eating lizard as big as a full-grown man. Astonished researchers found the secretive but brightly-coloured beast, a close cousin of the fearsome Komodo Dragons of Indonesia, in a hard-to-reach river valley of northern Luzon Island in the Philippines.)

A Varanus bitatawa, pictured in 2009 in the Philippines. Scientists reported on the "spectacular" discovery a previously unknown species of fruit-eating lizard as big as a full-grown man. Astonished researchers found the secretive but brightly-coloured beast, a close cousin of the fearsome Komodo Dragons of Indonesia, in a hard-to-reach river valley of northern Luzon Island in the Philippines.

Biologists on Wednesday reported the spectacular discovery of a species of giant lizard, a reptile as long as a full-grown man is tall, and endowed with a double penis.

Colorful, human-sized lizard with double penis discovered in RP

Source:

(A Varanus bitatawa, pictured in 2009 in the Philippines. Scientists reported on the "spectacular" discovery a previously unknown species of fruit-eating lizard as big as a full-grown man. Astonished researchers found the secretive but brightly-coloured beast, a close cousin of the fearsome Komodo Dragons of Indonesia, in a hard-to-reach river valley of northern Luzon Island in the Philippines.)


A colorful lizard that is longer than the height of a tall Filipino man and has two penises has been discovered in the northern Philippine island of Luzon. An article posted on MSNBC.com said the reptile, which is a relative of the Komodo dragon—the world's largest lizard—measures about 1.8 meters or more than six feet long.

It is also "one of only three fruit-eating monitor species in the world," the MSNBC article reported. Tagged with the scientific name Varanus bitatawa, the newly discovered lizard is decorated with golden stripes and yellow spots and has huge claws for climbing trees.

A male bitatawa is endowed with a hidden double-penis structure that pops out as needed, which commonly occurs among other reptiles like snakes.

"Lizards keep their male reproductive organs inverted inside their bodies like a sock turned inside out, and when it's time to use them, they evert them, flipping them out of their body and filling them with fluid so they can rigidly protrude for reproduction," Brown said.

"We call this a hemipenis, and lizards have two of them. They have elaborate structures that we assume are unique to each species — we think they have to fit like a lock and key, preventing hybridization between species," he added.

A separate online article from Discover magazine said the discovery "cements the Philippines’ reputation as one of the planet’s most important hotspots of biodiversity."

Although officially discovered by a team of biologists from the University of Kansas led by Wilston Luke, the lizard has long been known by the name bitatawa among indigenous peoples living in the area.

Head herpetologist Rafe Brown expressed his surprise that the creature was only recently found. "I am most impressed that such a large, conspicuous, brightly colored species of monitor lizard escaped the notice of biologists for the past 150 years," the article quoted Brown as saying. "At the same time, we are humbled because the species is not really new — it is only new to us as Western scientists," Brown said. "In fact, resident indigenous communities — the Agta and Ilongot tribes — have known about it for many generations. If only scientists had listened to them earlier!" Last year, international botanists Stewart McPherson and Alastai Robinson published their findings of an unusual plant that eats rodents, which they discovered in Palawan province. (See: Palawan discovery: A living rat trap) Brown said given the "rapid deforestaton in the Philippines, he expects the discovery of the Bitatawa lizard to become a "major conservation priority" in the country.—JV, GMANews.TV

Giant lizard discovered in the Philippines

By JIM GOMEZ,Associated Press Writer


(A Varanus bitatawa, pictured in 2009 in the Philippines. Scientists reported on the "spectacular" discovery a previously unknown species of fruit-eating lizard as big as a full-grown man. Astonished researchers found the secretive but brightly-coloured beast, a close cousin of the fearsome Komodo Dragons of Indonesia, in a hard-to-reach river valley of northern Luzon Island in the Philippines.)



MANILA, Philippines – Researchers have concluded that a giant, golden-spotted monitor lizard discovered in the forested mountains of the Philippines six years ago is a new species, according to a study released Wednesday.

The 6.5-foot (2-meter) -long lizard was first spotted in 2004 in the Sierra Madre mountains on the main island of Luzon when local researchers saw local Agta tribesmen carrying one of the dead reptiles.

With the help of DNA testing, researchers determined it was a new species that was closely related to another monitor lizard on the same island about 90 miles (150 kilometers) away.

The lizard feasts on fruits rather than carcasses, unlike many monitors _ including its larger relative, the Komodo dragon, according to American and Filipino researchers who wrote about the discovery in Wednesday's peer-reviewed Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

"I knew as soon as I saw the animal that it was something special," Luke Welton, a graduate student at the University of Kansas and one of the co-authors of the study, said in a statement.

It is not all that unusual to find a new species of tiny fish, frog or insect these days. But Welton and his colleagues said it was "rare occurrence" to discover such a large vertebrate, particularly on an island hit by deforestation and nearby development. They compared their find to the 1993 discovery of the forest-dwelling Saola ox in Vietnam and a new monkey species discovered in the highlands of Tanzania in 2006.

"Our unexpected finding of a highly conspicuous new species of a large vertebrate that has escaped discovery in the forests of northern Luzon emphasized the unexplored nature of the Philippines," the researchers wrote.

Eric R. Pianka, a lizard expert at the University of Texas at Austin, said in an e-mail interview that it was an "incredible find."

"This is truly a spectacular discovery," Pianka said. "Worldwide, there are about 60-plus species of monitor lizards. In all probability, some as yet undescribed species will be found on various islands in Indonesia," he said.

Reyna ng Aliwan 2010 initial candidates announced

Source: Philippine Star

Candidates represent various festivals in the country.

MANILA, Philippines - Aliwan Fiesta’s search for festival queen presents beautiful young ladies representing various festivals nationwide vying for Reyna ng Aliwan 2010 title on pageant night on April 23 at Aliw Theatre Complex in Pasay City.

Manila Broadcasting Company, which produces the annual cultural extravaganza in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Yes!Tourism Committee of SM Mall of Asia, and the cities of Pasay and Manila, released an initial list of candidates for this year’s pageant.

Jhanine Barredo represents Navotas, while Shihan Go is Caloocan’s bet. Bulacan will field Christine Jamila Marasigan and Venice Acuna. Rizzini Gomez will represent Cebu’s Sinulog. Stephanie Juanitas is representing Iloilo City, while Angelie Joy Galingay is the pride of Lemery. Negros Oriental will send Melba Ann Macasaet. Maryrose Modesto will carry the colors for Tanauan, Leyte. Eva Cynthia Flores represents South Cotabato. Crista Juanico, official entry of Parang, Maguindanao, is this year’s bet from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Also expected to field candidates are Pasig, Baguio, Pampanga, Quezon and Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Candidates, with last year’s winner Sian Elizabeth Maynard of Cebu, will ride floats in the grand culminating parade on April 24, which will kick off behind SM Mall of Asia, and move toward an outdoor stage in front of Aliw Theater at CCP Complex, where the awards rites are set.

The event is supported by Smart Communications, Unilab, My Juiz, Alaska, Coca-Cola, 555, Wings Detergent, Sting Energy Drink, Aquabest, PPSSC Water, Paramount Insurance, McDonald’s, M. Lhuillier, Bayview Plaza, and the Atrium Hotel.

For details, call 832-6125, e-mail at siarcega@mbcradio.net, or log on to www.aliwanfiesta.com.ph.

Villar thanks Baby James

Source: www.yahoo.com.ph
By Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia



Nacionalista Party bet Senator Manny Villar has thanked Baby James Aquino-Yap, nephew of his closest rival for the presidency, Senator Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino for an unanticipated support.

“We welcome all forms of support, even those that come in small packages,” Villar said in a statement, following Baby James’ unexpected ‘endorsement’.

The two-year-old Baby James, son of actress Kris Aquino and basketball star James Yap, suddenly chanted ‘Villar’ instead of ‘Noynoy’ during a campaign rally in Bacolod. Kris was apparently asking Baby James to greet the crowd but the boy suddenly said the name of his uncle’s rival.

"It's surprisingly amusing to hear it straight from the babe's mouth…natutuwa ako dyan kasi ang mga bata ay busilak ang kalooban at 'di nagsisinungaling," Villar said.

Kris, meanwhile, said in her Twitter account she already said sorry to her brother about Baby James’ ‘naughtiness’.

“Nag-sorry ako to Noy & my sisters right away & they told me siempre he's 2 yrs old- terrible 2s. Moral of the story- we let him be 2 while guiding him to be a good boy,” Aquino tweeted on Monday.

Kris also explained why Baby James, whom she fondly calls as ‘Bimby,’ suddenly chanted Villar.

“Hay naku, ang ka naughty-han ni Bimby! Talagang heaven's way of making me feel all I did before to stress Mom. True, he said "Veeyar" in Bacolod rally. Nag naughty siya kasi 10th event namin that day- pagod na. Bimby is sikat so nasa news,” Kris added.

Gretchen Fullido gives you The Wrap

Source: Philippine Star

Host Gretchen shares what’s new and what’s happening in sports and entertainment

MANILA, Philippines - Get your quick fix of the latest sports and showbiz news here and around the world on Studio 23’s newest primetime offering The Wrap.

Join anchor Gretchen Fullido as she gives you a 15-minute rundown of what’s new and what’s happening in the local and international sports and entertainment fronts plus all the stuff you want to know about your favorite stars and athletes.

The Wrap also features the latest on music realm, the juiciest blind items, and even the freshest and most talked about tweets of famous personalities and celebrities. Catch it nightly at 7:45.

Studio 23 also offers you must-see marathons of your favorite foreign programs in time for the Holy Week.

Catch the fourth season marathon of action suspense series Lost today at 10 a.m., third season marathon of mystery thriller Ghost Whisperer, tomorrow (April 2), and the third season marathon of family drama Brothers and Sisters on April 3.

As the Lenten season comes to an end, welcome the sizzling summer fever with your Kabarkada network as it serves the newest seasons of 90210 and CSI fresh of the grill this month.

The teens of Beverly Hills toast to new beginnings in the second season premiere of 90210 on April 9, 7 p.m. Frenemies Naomi and Silver are reunited along with baby-free Adrianna, while Annie continues to dwell on her loser status after what happened in last year’s after prom festivities. Liam is determined to win Naomi back but a new guy in town seems to be getting his ex-girlfriends’ attention.

An end of a colleague’s life, on the other hand, welcomes the ninth season premiere of CSI on April 18 as Warrick Brown got shot and killed in Las Vegas. The whole CSI team was devastated but little did they know that the killer is one of them.

Philippines insists airlines are safe despite EU banc

Source: www.yahoo.com.ph

MANILA, March 31, 2010 (AFP) – The Philippines on Wednesday insisted its airlines were safe after the Southeast Asian nation's carriers were banned from flying into the European Union.

"Our aircraft meet the international standards in safety," Civil Aviation Authority head Alfonso Cusi said.

He was reacting to a notice from the European Commission made public Tuesday that said authorities in Manila had failed to address safety deficiencies raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

It placed all Philippine airlines, as well as those from Sudan, on a "watchlist" of countries banned from flying to the 27-nation bloc.

"In both countries, it's because of serious and persistent non-compliance of the civil aviation authorities in terms of overseeing and checks on aircraft," European Commission transport spokeswoman Helen Kearns said.

The ICAO raised significant safety concerns after it carried out an audit on Philippine carriers in November last year.

But Cusi said improvements had been taken since the November audit, including the hiring of 47 technical personnel to oversee inspections.

"I have invited the EU safety aviation commission ... to come to the Philippines for re-inspection this May to show that we have corrected the problem they have raised," he said.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines is the only local airline registered to fly to the EU, but its last commercial flight there was in 1999, according to Cusi.

How Safe Is Your Password?

A few visuals about the weakness of most peoples’ passwords have been doing the rounds. I like this one best as it adds an extra layer of sociological categorization. Due credit to Robin Richards.

McAfee lists the most dangerous Web domains

Source: http://www.mcafee.com/
McAfee is releasing a list today that shows which international Web domains are the most perilous.

The anti-virus software developer analyzed more than 27 million country and generic Web domains for browser exploits, phishing, excessive pop-ups and malicious downloading.

The study found that Cameroon (.cm) has the riskiest Web domain, with 36.7% of its sites posing security risks.

"Because the domain .cm is a common typo for .com, many cybercriminals set up fake typo-squatting sites that lead to malicious downloads, spyware, adware and other potentially unwanted programs," McAfee says in a press release.

The next four most dangerous country domains are China (.cn), Samoa (.ws), the Philippines (.ph) and the former Soviet Union (.su).

In 2008, Hong Kong's domain (.hk) topped the list, but this year it came in 34th after officials there took action.

McAfee senior research analyst Shane Keats said that bad guys look for low cost, ease of registration and lack of regulation when picking a domain to exploit. He added that Hong Kong probably increased costs, demanded information (such as proof of residency, a valid phone number and address) from users and increased the take-down speed for dangerous websites.

The safest country domain, with only 0.1% of its sites posing security threats, belongs to Japan (.jp). It was followed on McAfee's list by Ireland (.ie), Croatia (.hr), Luxembourg (.lu) and Vanuatu (,vu).

The safest non-country domain is .gov. The most heavily trafficked domain, .com, is the second-most dangerous domain.

Malicious websites range in their capacity to devastate, Keats said. Some just harass you with endless pop-ups, others can infect your computer with viruses and some can compromise your identity by emulating banking websites.

2009 Bar topnotcher says exam was 'long and difficult'

Source: Yahoo.com

MANILA, Philippines -- This year's bar topnotcher from the San Beda College of Law admitted having a hard time answering questions in the 2009 Bar Exam.

Reinier Paul Yebra, who is the first San Beda student to top the bar in over 40 years, passed the exam with a score of 84.80%. The last San Beda law student who topped the bar exam was Rodolfo D. Robles in 1967.

“Mahirap talaga ‘yong exam. Mahaba at mahirap. (The exam was difficult. It was long and difficult),” Yebra said. “The examinees had a difficult time answering the questions.”

Yebra said the Supreme Court’s decision to lower the passing grade from 75% to 71% was "just right" because the exam questions are becoming more and more complex.

“I think na tama lang na ibinaba nila. (It’s just right that they lowered the passing grade),” he said.

Yebra told ABS-CBN News in an interview that he is glad he passed the exam, becoming one of the few lucky passers.

Less than a quarter (24%) of 5,903 examinees passed this year, according to the Supreme Court (SC).

Yebra, the eldest of 4 siblings, now works for a law firm. His classmate at San Beda, Charlene May Tapic, placed 2nd overall.

More difficult than previous exams

Ateneo Law School graduate John Paul Lim, who came out as the Top 3 examinee, meanwhile, said he was caught off guard by some questions in the bar exam.

He said the exam was much more difficult than the past exam questions he encountered while reviewing for the Bar.

“Kasi syempre [ka]pag nagrereview ka, you try to look at past exams. It's different from what we encountered during the Bar,” said Lim.

Six other Ateneo law students were included in the top 10, including Eric David Tan, Yvi Randolf Gonzales, Joan Mae To, Timothy Joseph Lumauig, Naella Rose Bainto and Shiela Abigail Go.

The Supreme Court released the Bar results last Friday evening (March 26), 5 months after the actual examinations took place.

The law bar exam is considered the most difficult among professional licensure exams in the Philippines.

'Agony is over'

Meanwhile, 4th placer Caroline Lagos of the University of the Philippines College of Law said she is happy she survived the “ordeal."

Lagos, whose father topped the 1980 Bar Examinations, said she would have been satisfied if she simply passing the exam without landing in the top 10.

“Hindi ko na iniisip na number 4 [ako]. Basta ‘yon na nakapasa na ako, tapos na. Tapos na ang agony ko. Sobrang saya ko,” she said. (I wasn’t thinking of ranking Top 4, I just wanted to pass and finish my agony. I’m so happy with the results).

Only two UP Law students ranked in the top 10 this year.

Aside from Lagos at 4th place, UP law student Herminio Bagro III ranked 8th overall with a score of 84.04%.

The 2009 Bar Examinations were held on September 6, 13, and 20; and October 4, 2009 at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila.

The Bar exams are traditionally held in 4 consecutive Sundays of September, but the High Court had to reset to October 4, 2009 the last exam week due to the widespread flooding brought about by Typhoon Ondoy. With a report from Abner Mercado, ABS-CBN News.

RP breaks Earth Hour world record

Source: Manila Bulletin

For the second consecutive year, the Philippines broke the Earth Hour world record in terms of participation, with 1,076 towns and cities joining the 60-minute light off to save Mother Earth Saturday night.

The country was literally engulfed in darkness from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday to send a signal around the globe that the Philippines is in harmony to save Mother Earth from the effects of climate change. Last year, the Philippines also placed first in terms of town and city participation in the world, with over 10 million Filipinos participating in the activity in 647 towns and cities nationwide.

Event organizer Earth Hour Philippines, composed of the World Wide for Nature-Philippines, Department of Energy, Switch Movement, and Green Army Network, exceeded its goal of 1,000 towns and cities for the Earth Hour 2010.

The country also initiated the Earth Hour FlashMob Dance, with over a hundred individuals who danced under the heat and occasional light rains.

When the first dancer started waving an Earth Hour flag, people stopped to take notice, international conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) noted in its website.

WWF said the dances culminated in a gigantic number 60 formation to signal the 60 minutes of the Earth Hour.

A record 125 countries and territories, which is up from 88 countries in 2009, and over 4,000 cities, towns or 1,200 more than at the inaugural of Earth Hour 2009 joined the event last Saturday.

“When Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007, never in our wildest dreams imagined it would catch on like this,” said Earth Hour founder and executive director Andy Riley said.

Australia led the Earth Hour in 2007, and in 2008, the event became a worldwide phenomenon.
At exactly 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., other countries also switched off their lights.

In China, 34 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Dalian took part in the global Earth Hour event. The main event took place in the Forbidden City.

In Japan, the Tokyo Towers and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial plunged into darkness at 8:30 p.m. while in Nepal, local committees and authorities organized a program there where students and locals came together for a candlelight vigil by the Bouddhanath Stupa.

In India, Earth Hour reached out to schools through at least 20 WWF state offices which are directly engaging with schools through which an estimated a 100 000 youth have been introduced to the global call for action.

El Niño Underscores Urgency of Earth Hour Message

Sectors and Communities Urged to Switch to More Responsible Lifestyles

With El Niño wreaking havoc on the nation’s water, food and power supply, this year’s Earth Hour has assumed special significance.

“El Niño is drying up our farms, aquifers and water reservoirs; this is a stark reminder of the perils of global warming,” explained Yeb Saño, newly-appointed Climate Change Commissioner and Earth Hour National Director. “The symbolic act of together switching off our lights for one hour signifies our potential to make a difference if we take united and sustained action in terms of best energy practices and more responsible lifestyles.”

Earth Hour, the world’s largest social mobilization event for two successive years, conveys a powerful symbolic call to action on climate change by urging individuals, corporations, institutions and communities to turn off their lights for 60 minutes. This year, from 8:30PM to 9:30PM on March 27, around one billion people across time zones all over the world are expected to take part in this massive display of solidarity for the planet.

In 2009, the Philippines ranked first among 88 nations in terms of local participation in Earth Hour. Over 10 million Filipinos in 647 cities and municipalities switched off their lights during Earth Hour, saving an estimated 611MWh of electricity – equivalent to a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power-plants. This year, the event organizers – WWF-Philippines, the Department of Energy, Green Army Network Foundation and SWITCH Movement – aim to mobilize 15 million Filipinos in 1000 towns, cities and municipalities to take a symbolic stand against climate change.

Roadshows Drum Up Support

Toward this end, Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes is leading an Earth Hour roadshow to tap key stakeholders and networks nationwide. In Davao, Iloilo, Cebu, Baguio, Bataan, and various various cities of Metro Manila, thousands of stakeholders, representing multi-sectoral groups, gathered to lend their collective support to Earth Hour.

“The response to our call for support has been heartwarming,” Reyes said. “Whenever the Earth Hour roadshow visits a town or city, people bring in new energy. Unique ideas are born. Support streams in. In the wake of recent natural calamities and the challenges wrought by El Niño, it is encouraging to see the Filipino spirit of Bayanihan shining through. We’d like to harness that spirit to effect massive adoption of efficient energy practices – such as switching to compact flourescent bulbs and biofuels and encouraging local investments in solar, wind, mini-hydro, biomass and other sources of renewable energy.”

Emphasizing the inter-relationshop between climate change and energy, Secretary Reyes added: “Understanding the impact of energy on climate change requires not just a review of our energy policy and programs, but also a review of how energy is used.”

The roadshow is slated to hit Ilocos Norte, Laguna, Bicol, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Tuguegarao and Clark in the next two weeks.

Mob Dance Surprises Onlookers

To further generate interest in Earth Hour among the youth, WWF mounted the first in a series of flash mob dances along the SM Mall of Asia Baywalk in Pasay City. In twos and threes, over 100 dancers emerged from the crowd to execute a lively dance routine – to the delight of hundreds of onlookers.

The dance culminated in a gigantic ‘60’ formation – signalling the 60 minutes of Earth Hour. The video of the mob dance is now spreading rapidly through Youtube.com, Facebook.com and various social networking sites. It may be seen on Youtube.com under ‘Earth Hour Mob Dance at Mall of Asia.’ A second mob dance took place on 13 March at the Serendra High Street in Fort Bonifacio.

Massive Support From Public and Private Sector

“Every day, our roster of allies grows,” notes Green Army Secretary General Dr. René Azurin. Official Earth Hour 2010 partners include Ipanema, Motolite, the Century Pacific Group, Sustagen, Philips, Meralco, Arthaland, Shell, First Gen, Energy Development Corporation, McDonald’s, Jollibee, SM Malls, Ayala Malls, Bonifacio Global City, Shangri-La Hotels, GMA-7, ABS-CBN, Net-25, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Infinit-1 Communications, FocusMedia Audiovisuals, Leo Burnett, ECC International, Dig It All, Friendster, Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel.

Catherine Maceda of the SWITCH Movement says, “While the Philippines accounts for only .29% of the world’s energy-related CO2 emissions, the massive outpouring of support from all sectors of Philippine society shows that Filipinos have embraced their role as advocates in finding a global solution to the climate crisis.”

Sectoral consultations have been yielding strong commitments for more sustained efforts on climate change. Amongst the groups that have pledged commitments are the Archdiocese of Manila, University of the Philippines, Technological University of the Philippines, Manila Doctors College, Silliman University, Asian College of Science and Technology, Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alexandria, Foundation University, St. Paul University Dumaguete, REACT, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Ortigas Foundation, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Manila Jaycees, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Philippine Science Centrum, World Youth Alliance, Habitat for Humanity and Gawad Kalinga.

Other companies that have pledged support include the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shangri-La Hotels, the Ascott Group, Dusit Thani Manila, Hilton Cebu, Robinsons Malls, Chevron, Abenson, Chowking, Unilever, Globe, PLDT, BME, PhilBIO, Piandré and Toyota.

Earth Hour Philippines (EHP) continues to call on corporations, national agencies, local government units, schools, villages and individuals to participate in the massive global event. All Filipinos are urged to register at www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour/vote and to make known how they intend to participate in Earth Hour by emailing the Earth Hour team at ehp2010secretariat@gmail.com and visiting http://www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour.

Earth Hour Photo Contest Slated

To broaden avenues for Earth Hour participation this year, organizers are launching an EHP visual documentation contest in three categories: (a) cell phone photos (b) digital camera photos, and (c) videos. The contest is open to all Filipinos aged 15 and above. All entries should capture the spirit of Earth Hour in any of the Earth Hour 2010 events nationwide.

To qualify, contestants must register via SMS through 5777. Their respective mobile numbers will serve to tag any number of entries.

Photo entries, taken with digital cameras, must be printed on an 8R template and sent with a copy in CD format. Cellphone photos must be printed on a 4R template and sent with a copy in CD format. The CD must contain the name, registered mobile number, address, email, category and signature of the contestant. Contestants may caption photos.

Video entries must be one to three minutes long and submitted as an mpeg or avi file, with live or recorded audio or music, burned into a DVD, and stored in a hard plastic DVD case. Name, registration number, address, email, mobile number, category and signature of the contestant must be written on both DVD and its case.

Photo and video entries must be submitted (or at least postmarked if sent through mail on the said date) by 31 March 2010. All entries should be addressed to the Earth Hour Secretariat, 6/F PNOC Building 6, Energy Center, Merritt Road, Ft. Bonifacio, Taguig City, Metro Manila. Winners will be notified by text and email.

---

For more information:

Naderev ‘Yeb’ Saño
Earth Hour Philippines National Director
nmsano@wwf.org.ph

Gregg Yan
Earth Hour Philippines Communications Head
gyan@wwf.org.ph

Mika Palileo
Earth Hour Philippines Secretariat
840-2134 / 789-76622 loc. 5200
ehp2010secretariat@gmail.com

Philippine Bar Exams Trivia

Bar Exam Statistics
by Ralph A. Sarmiento

Philippine Bar Exams Trivia

1st Bar Exams:
• 1901 with 13 examinees.
Highest Grade of All Time:
• 96.7 in the 1954 Bar Exams by Florenz Regalado of San Beda College.
2nd Highest Grade of All Time:
• 95.95 in the 1954 Bar Exams by Renato L. de la Fuente of San Beda College.
3rd Highest Grade of All Time:
• 95.85 in the 1949 Bar Exams by Anacleto C. Mañgaser of the Philippine Law School (PLS).
4th Highest Grade of All Time:
• 95.5 held by Manuel G. Montecillo of Far Eastern University (FEU) in the 1948 Bar Exams & Antonio R. Quintos of Ateneo de Manila University in the 1954 Bar Exams.
5th Highest Grade of All Time:
• 95.3 in the 1944 Bar Exams held by Jovito R. Salonga of the University of the Philippines & Jose W. Diokno, who did not finish his law studies.
Bar Topnotchers (1st Placers) to become Presidents of the Philippines:
• Manuel A. Roxas (University of the Philippines), 1913 Bar Exams with a grade of 92.
• Diosdado P. Macapagal of the University of Sto. Tomas, 1936 with a grade of 89.85
• Ferdinand E. Marcos of the University of the Philippines, 1939 with a grade of 92.35
Other Bar Topnotchers to become Presidents of the Philippines:
• Sergio S. Osmeña (University of Santo Tomas), 2nd Place - 1903 Bar Exams
• Manuel L. Quezon, (University of Santo Tomas), 4th Place - 1903 Bar Exams
• Elpidio R. Quirino (University of the Philippines), 2nd Place - 1915 Bar
• Carlos P. Garcia (Philippine Law School), 6th Place - 1923 Bar
Facts about the Jose W. Diokno Legend:
• Diokno was born on February 26, 1922.
• Diokno earned his Bachelor's Degree in Commerce Summa Cum Laude in 1940 at De La Salle College (now De La Salle University).
• He took the CPA Board Exam in 1940 while he was on his second year in law school and placed No. 1.
• In 1944, he petitioned the Supreme Court to take the Bar Exams without a law degree.
• The Supreme Court granted his petition and he took the Bar Exams in 1944 and tied with the Class Valedictorian of U.P. for the 1st Place with a grade of 95.3.
• Diokno is perhaps the only one who placed 1st in both the CPA board exams & the Bar Exams.
Facts about the Claro M. Recto Legend:
• Recto was born on February 8, 1890 at Tiaong, Tayabas (now Quezon Province).
• He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ateneo de Manila where his grades were all perfect (1.0), except only for one 1.3. He was conferred by Ateneo with Maxima Cum Laude honors (highest honors conferred by Ateneo).
• He took the Bar Exams in 1913 while he was still in his senior year in law school at the University of Santo Tomas - and FLUNKED.
• He finished his law degree in 1913, Class Valedictorian, University of Santo Tomas.
• The 1913 Bar Exams marked the first time that the test questions in Civil Procedure were in English, a new language in which Recto could not express himself very well.
• Justice Fischer, the examiner in Civil Procedure, also noted that Recto's handwriting was very difficult to understand.
• Justice Fischer gave Recto a grade of 41 which automatically disqualified him.
• Recto took the Bar Exams again in 1914 and passed. However, I have not yet seen any official record in my research whether he placed in the Bar Exams of 1914. But it appears that Recto could not have been No. 1 in the 1914 Bar because the official records of the Supreme Court list Manuel Goyena as the no. 1 of that year.
• After passing, Recto wrote two books on Civil Procedure.
• When Recto studied in Ateneo and UST, the medium of instruction was Spanish. Manuel Roxas, on the other hand, UP's Class Valedictorian who topped the 1913 Bar Exams was a product of the US public school system and had spent a year in Hong Kong to better equip himself with American English before taking the Bar.
Facts about the Ferdinand E. Marcos Legend:
• Marcos was born on September 11, 1917.
• In college, Marcos' principal interest was the .22-caliber college pistol team.
• On September 20, 1935, Julio Nalundasan was at home celebrating that day's Congressional election victory over Mariano Marcos when he was shot and killed with a .22-caliber bullet fired by the 18-year-old Marcos.
• On December 13, 1938, Marcos was arrested for Nalundasan's murder but he successfully petitioned for release on bail, allowing him to complete his law degree from the University of the Philippines.
• In 1939, Marcos was found guilty and sentence to a minimum of 10 years in prison.
• Jailed, Marcos spent six months writing his own 830-page appeal while reviewing for the Bar Exams at the same time.
• Marcos posted bail to take the 1939 Bar Exams and passed with scores so high he was suspected of cheating.
• Legends say that his unofficial Grade was 98.5 and so he was summoned to appear before the Supreme Court en banc for an oral re-examination, after which his official grade was released as 92.35.
• Marcos is the only Bar candidate who was called by the Supreme Court for an oral re-examinations.
• In 1940, Marcos orally argued his own case in front of Supreme Court Justice Jose P. Laurel and on October 22, 1940, he was acquitted of the charge of murder and forthwith liberated from imprisonment.
• The next day, he returned to the Supreme Court where he was administered his oath as a lawyer.
1st woman to Top the Bar (1st Place):
• Tecla San Andres-Ziga of the University of the Philippines placed No. 1 in the Bar Exams of 1930 with a grade of 89.4. She served as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines from 1963 to 1969.
2nd woman to Top the Bar (1st Place):
• Cecilia Munoz-Palma (University of the Philippines) became the 2nd woman to place No. 1 in the Bar Exams in 1937 with a grade of 92.6. She later became the 1st woman Supreme Court Justice in 1973 and the 1st female President of a constitutional commission in 1986.
Bar Flunker who Placed 1st on his Second Take:
• Francisco Noel R. Fernandez (University of the Philippines) failed in the 1993 Bar Exams but placed No. 1 in the 1994 Bar Exams with a grade of 89.2.
1st Aeta Lawyer
• Wayda Cosme (Harvardian Colleges) passed the Bar Exam in 2001 to become the 1st Aeta Lawyer.

Bar results out today

Source: Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court is set to release the results of last year’s Bar examinations tonight.

A record 6,364 law graduates from 109 law schools took and completed the Bar examination given over four Sundays last September at the De La Salle University in Manila, according to the Office of the Bar Confidant.

SC deputy clerk of court and Bar confidant Ma. Cristina Layusa said 6,533 applicants were admitted to take the Bar but 158 examinees failed to complete the examinations.

SC spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said all SC justices would meet at 9 a.m. today to deliberate on the passing rate in the Bar examinations before the final results are issued early evening.

Deliberations on the Bar examination results would be led by Associate Justice Dante Tinga, chairman of the Bar examinations committee.

Marquez said the list of names of new lawyers would be displayed in LCD projectors at the front yard of the SC building in Padre Faura Street in Manila.

The results would immediately be posted at the SC’s official website, http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph, and also on websites of major national news organizations, including The STAR (http://philstar.com).

In a statement, the SC said under the Rules of Court, “a candidate may be deemed to have passed his examination successfully if he has obtained a general average of 75 percent in all subjects without failing below 50 percent in any subject.”

The average grade of a Bar examinee is computed based on respective percentages of subjects:

• 15 percent for political and international law,

• 10 percent for labor and social legislation,

• 15 percent for civil law,

• 10 percent for taxation,

• 15 percent for mercantile law,

• 10 percent for criminal law,

• 20 percent for remedial law, and

• 5 percent for legal ethics and practical exercises.

In the 2007 Bar examinations, results of which were announced last year, a total of 1,289 passed out of 5,626 examinees, or a passing rate of 22.91 percent.

Mercedita Ona of the Ateneo de Manila University topped last year’s Bar examinations with an average of 83.55 percent, followed closely by Jennifer Ong, of the University of the Philippines with 83.35 percent.

The SC adjusted the passing average in the 2007 exams from 75 percent to 70 percent because the passing rate would have been much lower, perhaps an all-time low of five percent. — Edu Punay