Holland helps Philippines' rural areas

HOLLAND - For more than two decades now, a small community of elderly Dutch has been collecting donations from all over Holland and sending them to the rural areas in the Philippines.

Everyday, big heavy boxes of donations for the Philippines are dropped in a warehouse in Heeten, a tiny community here in Holland of mostly elderly Dutch citizens.

The warehouse will be filled up with boxes of mainly medical supplies and hospital equipment until the day the boxes are loaded for shipment. Every loading day, many elderly Dutch go out of their respective homes in order to assist preparing the crates and filling a 16-wheeler truck.

The huge truck will bring the crates to a shipping company in Rotterdam which will deliver the goods to the Philippines.

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau was invited to witness the loading process. Also present were Vice Mayor Roger de Groot and several staff from the Philippine Embassy led by Charge d’Affaires Frank Cimafranca.

After the last crate was successfully squeezed into the truck, the door was closed and locked.

But the last step is always symbolic. De Groot and Cimafranca jointly put the lock on the door of the truck, signifying the solid ties that remain between the Dutch and Filipinos.

Continue reading Loui Galicia's article at abscbnnews.com

State of the Nation Address of President Benigno S Aquino III

State of the Nation Address

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

To the Congress of the Philippines

[Delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on July 25, 2011]

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Chief Justice Renato Corona at ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga kagalang-galang na kasapi ng diplomatic corps; mga butihing miyembro ng Kamara de Representante at ng Senado; mga Local Government officials; mga miyembro ng ating Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisan; mga kapwa ko nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan;

Conyo Drivers

Couldn't stop laughing. I definitely had to share this!

Ifugao sculptor wins at Sculpture Symposium in Switzerland

Gilbert Bergano Alberto from Hungduan, Ifugao won Silver at the 10th International Scuplture Symposium in Geneva, Switzerland.  His work "Echo of an Old Ma" won him the award.  He also won the Audience Choice Award.


Gilbert came from a family of wood carvers; he started carving at 13 years old.  You can view his works at The Igorot Gallery.

Marvel Classics' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Who hasn't heard of the L Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?  I've known this story since I was in grade school.  The details get murky over time, but I am luckily able to borrow a copy from the library to travel over the yellow brick road once more.

It's been many years since my last read (can't seem to get tired reading the classics!) of this story, and I was quite happy to find this animated version at the Wellington Library.

The first thing I noticed when reading this book was how appropriately drawn the characters were.

Sumayaw, sumunod ka sa indak ng panahon!

Filipinos are known for their creativity (not the creative outburst kind, if you know what I mean!) and “passion” in the arts. This can be attested to by the popularity of videoke machines that Filipinos both abroad and in our country loves to have especially in celebrations.

Dancing is also popular; it is a mainstay in our variety shows and as contests on TV and in fiestas. And we have taken dancing to new heights, as attested by the examples below. You’ll find dancing in the most unexpected of places! Love it or hate it, it certainly lends a unique flavour to our culture.

The Philippines: Love it or Hate it

Some of my colleagues here at the office would ask me how Philippines is like and if it's safe to travel there.  I would go to marketing mode and declare that we have the most wonderful beaches, an awesome variety of fruits and fish, the food is amazing and so is the beer and company.

However when pressed on, I would advise them to head straight to Makati's central district and not wander much in Manila, or get straight to Boracay or their destination of choice.  It's just that Manila is so congested, it gives urban decay a whole new meaning.  

Couldn't help but agree with a number of things the Riding Dutchman mentioned in his blog post: The Philippines, Love it or Hate it.  Have a read at his blog post.  I know there are nice places to visit in Manila, such as the old churches and Intramuros and clean Marikina which the rest of Manila ought to be... but until then, when we get the rest of the Metropolis spruced up (tall order I know!), I will settle for our lovely beaches.

Starry starry... ceiling

We have a small corridor that serves as the junction between the toilet, bathroom and the bedrooms. There's nothing extraordinary about this corridor, which I realized was the problem. It was underutilized. It was just one of those spaces where you pass through. It can be so much more, I thought. The idea of a space where you can gaze at glowing stars came about when my son and I passed through this corridor and, with all the doors closed, we closed the door we entered from. Voila, complete darkness on a bright, sunny afternoon.