Search For the Oldest Living Filipino

I blogged a while back about this supposed 117-year old GSIS pensioner who, if his age were validated, would be the oldest person alive in the world. I remain very skeptical about this claim, which no news outlet followed up on (although strangely enough, the story was picked up by the Mexican media) but it did complement my own fascination with longevity, and my own curiosity as to who the oldest Filipino alive may be. As far as I know, the oldest Filipino alive is Mary Ejercito, the 103-year old mother of President Estrada, but certainly there is someone out there older than that.

If you know of relatives, relatives of friends, or relatives of strangers who are really old Filipinos (105 and above, living or deceased), feel free to post in the comments, and maybe it could soon lead to the discovery of the oldest Filipino alive, or even the oldest person ever. The Guiness-recognized oldest person ever is Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years, 164 days. But already, I know anecdotally of two Filipinos who might have surpassed that age.

Story A: Sometime in 1987-1988, some of my grade school classmates went on a field trip to a retirement shelter within Metro Manila (I don't remember which, but it wasn't Hospicio de San Jose). One of the people they saw there was a bedridden lady who was claimed to be at least 124 years of age. Guinness-freak that I was even then, I remember chortling in disbelief, surely she can't be older than Shigechiyo Izumi (then recognized as the oldest person ever at 120 years). But I was told that this lady had her original birth or baptismal certificate posted on her bedpost, confirming that she was indeed 124 years of age. As far as I know, nobody in the media ever picked up on this story.

Story B: About 300 meters from the main entrance (along Bonifacio Avenue) of Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina, there is a headstone for a Mr. Reyes, first name I've forgotten, which identifies his year of birth as 1868, and his year of death as 1991. I have seen this grave several times, as it lay a stone's throw away from my grandfather's former gravesite, and I've peered closely each time I sighted it, wanting to make sure I did not misread the dates. It could very well be that the year on the tomb was misprinted by its engraver. The gravesite though is well maintained and likely still visited by family, who would probably insist on changing the stone if it were indeed inaccurate. Interestingly, the grave is right beside that of legendary Supreme Court Justice J.B.L. Reyes, so it is possible that Mr. Reyes is related to the late Justice, who himself lived into his nineties.

Less record-setting, but still impressive, I remember one of my high school teachers telling us her grandfather (of Indian descent), had lived to around 119 years old. I doubt my well-respected teacher was fibbing, though it is possible that her family might have believed wrongly about his age (My own grandmother, for years, insisted she was born in 1916, until her birth certificate revealed she was actually born one year later). Certainly, there are many similar stories out there of people who know people who had achieved, at least, supercentenarian status.

For now, the oldest Filipino ever for whom there is reasonable certainty of her age was Tandang Sora, who lived to be 107 years, 55 days old (though it is possible even that her date of birth could be challenged is closely scrutinized). As indicated by the stories above, there likely is an older Filipino, maybe even one still alive to this day. If you know of one, feel free to post here.

New Mandatory Requirement for All Legal Pleadings (MCLE)

I'll quote the relevant portion from the Supreme Court Resolution in Bar Matter No. 1922, dated 3 June 2008:

The Court further Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Committee on Legal Education and Bar Matters, to REQUIRE practicing members of the bar to INDICATE in all pleadings filed before the courts or quasi-judicial bodies, the number and date of issue of their MCLE Certificate of Compliance or Certificate of Exemption, as may be applicable, for the immediately preceding compliance period. Failure to disclose the required information would cause the dismissal of the case and the expunction of the pleadings from the records. (emphasis not mine).

The new Rule takes effect sixty (60) days after its publication, and it was published today, 26 June 2008, in page 2 of the Manila Bulletin. I'll post a link to the Resolution itself when it becomes available online. In the meantime, here are some useful MCLE-related links:

• MCLE Committee contact information
• What is MCLE - ChanRobles LawNet

US Media Shocked By Bush Remarks to GMA About Filipinos

The Huffington Post currently banners incredibly crude remarks made by Mr. Bush about "Philippine Americans" during his meeting with President Arroyo at the White House. President Arroyo, as one may know, is presently on a state visit to Washington, a trip which has already been deemed controversial and insensitive in the Philippines, especially as it was pursued despite the devastation left by Typhoon Fengshen. (Imagine how Americans would have felt if Bush had gone to Japan even while New Orleans was drowning under Katrina)

The controversial Bush remarks, as recounted in the official White House transcript:

PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Thank you.

Immediately after her meeting with Mr. Bush, President Arroyo was ushered into the White House kitchens to cook a state dinner for President Bush.

This tale will probably resonate in the Philippines as further proof of the historically servile relationship between Filipinos and "Mother America". In the United States, the joke is squarely on Mr. Bush. Some choice comments posted on The Huffington Post:

dear lord..the man is a BAFFOON...so he tells the Phillipine President in so many words...he has phillipino wrkers in the White House kitchen --cooking for him, so he can STUFF his Fat mouth....nice....hey Bush STFU already you ass!

That was the most inappropriate, condescending, racist remark I can imagine a sitting American president making. Can you imagine going to meet the Mexican President and remarking about how wonderful a job his Mexican gardeners do?

He is an idiot. This is who he truly is. He's so f-ing clueless and dumb. People of color are nothing more to him than cooks and hired help. Clown.

There are Philippine-Americans who are doctors, lawyers, financial professionals and business owners. The fact that the only ones he could think of were the cooks at the White House - and the fact that he said this to the president of the country is beyond stupidity. A child would know better.

• Bush to Filipino President: "I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House." -- The Huffington Post
• Bush Thanks Philippine President for Producing Humans That Feed Him -- Wonkette

¿Baron marcar un gohllllllll????!!!!

Any Steve-Nash-loves-to-bang-his-head-with-a-futbol news is old hat, so ho-hum to this report that he is organizing a charity soccer match with Claudio Reyna, Thierry Henry, over-the-hillers Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman, and fellow NBA soccer-loving traitors geeks Bell and Barbosa. This however made my eye and jaw drop in simultaneous fashion:

Baron Davis, Jason Kidd and international soccer star Thierry Henry have committed to join Nash and longtime U.S. national team captain Claudio Reyna for a charity soccer match Wednesday night at Nike Field in Chinatown. The match is open to the public.

Now Baron Davis is a real cool cat -- among the best point guards in the NBA, an entertaining film critic, and BFF of Jessica Alba. I never pegged him though as into the football, much less imagine him on the pitch. For that alone, this may be a game to see.

• Nash, soccer star Henry among players in charity soccer match -- ESPN

George Carlin (1937-2008; warning - language in the name of free speech)

I enjoy comedians who are skilled at cutting through bullshit, and George Carlin may well have been the godfather of the bunch. Much will be written and aired about Carlin in the next few days, and I heartily suggest revisiting his books and routines on video-sharing sites.

I did have my very tangential encounter with Carlin, which I am proud of. During my stint with the board of the Philippine Law Journal, I wrote a paper about the state regulation of the broadcast media. Comedy aficionados will know that one of Carlin's best-remembered routines was "Seven Dirty Words", satirizing the on-air censorship in the United States of seven particular Anglo-Saxon words, while law aficionados will know that the censorship of the radio broadcast of this routine was challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court, in the landmark (but wrong) case of FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, 438 U.S. 726 (1978). I devoted a few pages of my paper on the Pacifica case, and felt that the discussion should spell out in full what those seven dirty words were; there could be no honest assessment on the value of those words if we were coy about publishing them, and besides, I was arguing in the paper that the censorship of those words ultimately violated the constitutional right to free speech. I remember our EIC, the marvelous Mme. Mona, had a few concerns since it did not appear that the august 75 year-old Philippine Law Journal, the pre-eminent law review in the Philippines, had ever printed those words before, but she agreed that they should be published. And they were published in a footnote (an editorial choice made for the sake of clarity), and nobody raised a fuss about it. A point for emphasis for free speech.

Thusly, Mr. Carlin, shit piss fuck cunt cocksucker motherfucker and tits.

• Comic Pioneer George Carlin Dies at 71 -- New York Daily News

Quickie: Got Smart?

Get Smart is a pleasant surprise, heavily carried by the prodigious comic talents of Steve Carrell and, to a lesser extent, Alan Arkin. Carrell has that rare gift in comics of conveying wholly-fleshed out characters with backstories you can almost divine who also happen to be funny, as opposed to cutouts that serve as joke dispensaries. Get Smart does not offer a whole lot of opportunities to get serious, but Carrell's bumbling Agent 86 still draws upon a human core that the one-dimensional Don Adams never did. Arkin, whose harried straight role in The In-Laws is one of the underappreciated comedic gems of the 20th century (yes, go rent it now), plays here a variation of that type, and does it very well. Anne Hathaway, who has unexpectedly emerged as a quite talented actress, holds her own, while Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson seems to have arrived at the Steven-Seagal-starring-in-Executive-Decision phase of his career. 

The plot is pedestrian and could have easily been lifted from the story templates from any 1960s spy series, but the pacing of the comedy is very good; director Peter Segal did apprentice with farce masters Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker. Apart from the expected comedic set pieces (mostly well-executed), there are enough out-of-left-field ideas that keep the enterprise engaging -- Agent 13, a nice riff on the tango scene from True Lies, and Ken Davitian as he approaches his expiration date. And the seeming malleability of Frank Gehry's controversial Walt Disney Concert Hall emerges as a minor plot point, and I wonder if that was an intentional or accidental architectural critique. 

Typhoon Frank/Fengshen Updates from Metro Manila

The typhoon struck Metro Manila as predicted around 5AM, almost immediately knocking off electrical power. At the onset, the winds were strong, but not terribly so, and many jeepneys and cabs continued to ply their routes. When I awoke around 10AM, the rains had intensified, but no visible damage within the Greenhills-Ortigas area. Electric power was restored at around noon in these neck of the woods.

The news elsewhere is distressing. MV Princess of the Stars, the Sulpicio Lines ferry which I earlier blogged about, has now capsized off Sibuyan Island, and the fate of the more than 800 souls onboard is unknown. This has been reported in the local media, but not yet in the international press. There are likewise radio reports about rising floodwaters in several parts of the metropolis.

Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas was earlier interviewed over DZMM. He said that yesterday, the entire province of Iloilo was like an ocean, with all the barangays and Iloilo City being flooded. A hospital administrator somewhere in Iloilo had called in DZMM in the dawn to report that his hospital was completely inundated by 10-feet high floods.

I've been searching the blogosphere for updates on the situation in Iloilo City, which is my mother's home city, and where my grandmother lived until 5 years ago. Oodles of Goodles reports that the roof of a hospital in Janiuay, Iloilo had been blown away, resulting in the deaths of several patients, and that floodwaters have reached neck-deep. Donald Trumpet over at Book of Josua has posted some pictures of the flooding from Iloilo and reports that his family has retreated to the attic which "came out like Noah's Ark, standing deserted but resistant."

• Ferry sinks off Romblon; fate of 823 passengers unknown -- GMANews.TV

PAGASA: Metro Manila Expected to be Hit by Typhoon Frank at 5AM

According to the 10:30 p.m. bulletin from PAGASA, Typhoon Fengshen (i.e., Frank) had altered course and is now projected to pass over Metro Manila at around 5:00 a.m., or 5 hours from the time I write this. Its not good that this bulletin came out after many Metro Manila residents have gone to bed, especially since the storm is expected to hit while most of Metro Manila is sleeping. Our windows and vehicles have now been secured, and I hope that it blows over quick and with little incident that I could sleep through it.

Typhoon Frank; Being Prepared and Worrisome News from Iloilo City

As we Manila residents gear up for Typhoon Frank (i.e. Fengshen) in the next few hours, disturbing reports are starting to come in of the havoc wrought in Iloilo City, especially, where the 53-year old Moroboro Irrigation Dam at Dingle appears to have burst, leaving at least 30,000 city residents stranded in the rooftops, according to Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog. Based on the DZMM reports, Panay Island appears to have been quite badly hit (no word yet about Boracay). The coming of this storm was not very widely publicized, and I hope that Iloilo City and other stricken areas had an evacuation plan in place, lest we suffer another Ormoc tragedy (brought about by Typhoon Uring in 1991).

DZMM is also reporting that a Sulpicio Lines ferry, The Princess of Stars, had ran aground Sibuyan Island, with over 700 persons onboard. The ferry had left Metro Manila last night and was bound for Cebu when it was confronted by the storm. No reports yet on rescue operations, but it appears the vessel did not sink, buti na lang. Sulpicio Lines, as one may recall, was the owner of the MV Dona Paz, whose 1987 sinking was the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history.

Manila endured fitful bouts of rain all day, but it is relatively quiet right now. Reports were that the storm was bound to hit the metropolis by tomorrow morning, so we are expecting the rain and winds to intensify as night turns into dawn into day. Once the storm nears, power is expected to conk out, so we are charging our cellphones, iPods and rechargeable gadgets. Hope that it does not turn out too bad, for Manila and the rest of the country.

• 14 killed, tens of thousands flooded as typhoon strikes RP -- ABS-CBN News
• Ship with 700 people runs aground off Sibuyan Island -- GMANews.TV

UPDATE: Oresama, blogging from Negros (I think) over at View From the Sugar Island, reports on Iloilo City:

Both the city and province are inundiated. People are desperately seeking help and are stuck in the rooftops, INEPT GOVERNMENT NO.1 will send help INSTANTLY RIGHT? NO, HELP WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW OUR OFFICIALS NEED THEIR BEAUTY SLEEP. Supplies and rescue boats (THAT ARE REALLY NEEDED RIGHT NOW BY RESCUE TEAMS) will arrive tomorrow in Iloilo at 6:00 am via C-130. Congratulations, your ineptitude is world-class.

The rescue efforts are being made difficult by the darkness and lack of EQUIPMENT. As I type, flood victims stuck in the rooftops are asking for help through SMS to be rescued. The places where people are stuck are Pavia, Mandurriao, Jaro, and Sta. Barbara etc.

I hope this reaches the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

A Message for the Lady Announcer of MAXXX TV

COL-BEAR!!! COL-BEAR! COL-BEAR! COL-BEAR!!!

Evidence About Rizal Being the Father of Hitler

This happened around 13-14 years ago, at my old tambayan beside the U.P. Faculty Center, I believe during registration period. One of my orgmates (I've forgotten who) dropped by with a friend of hers, whom I'd never met and whom I don't recall seeing ever since. She introduced herself as a European Languages student, majoring in German. We settled into conversation, and soon, that ridiculous rumor that Jose Rizal was Adolf Hitler's father was brought up. The European Languages student piped in, telling us that in one of her recent German classes, the class had viewed an old German-language documentary about Nazism and World War II. At one point in that film, so she told us, archival footage of Hitler's bunker was featured (not sure if it was Hitler's final bunker), and lo and behold, hanging on one of the walls, was a portrait of Rizal. She said the students in the class had noticed Rizal's picture, so there was a commotion, but the documentary never identified Rizal or explained why his portrait hung inside Hitler's bunker. She discounted of course that this proved that Hitler was Rizal's son, but still, she agreed, it was all very strange.

I remember thinking then (and now) that the story seemed too mundane to have been invented on-the-spot, and less-than-definitive if offered for the purpose of convincing that Rizal was Hitler's father. So I'll admit that I tend to believe there was such a documentary with the alin-ang-naiba Rizal portrait that was screened for a German language class in U.P. But that hardly proves Hitler's Filipino paternity. Rizal did travel extensively in Germany and even has a street and a statue in his memory in Wilhelmsfeld. So its not entirely beyond the pale that there were pictures of him hanging around places in Germany during World War II, including at a site which might have been used as Hitler's bunker. And it is possible that the entire Rizal-was-Hitler's-father tale sprung from the creatively naughty mind of one who may have seen the mysterious documentary, such as a German language major from U.P.

In any event, Manolo Quezon appears to have convincingly debunked the claim that our National Hero ever intercoursed with Austrian housewife Klara Pölz Hitler. But the tale of Rizal's portrait inside Hitler's bunker is quite a bizarre story.

Some Westerners do think it cool that we venerate somebody like Rizal with statues and such. Today is the 147th birth anniversary of Gat. Rizal, so celebrate and such.

On the Impending Boston Celtics Championship Team

I have no personal animosity towards the Celtics and am especially happy to see Kevin Garnett, long underappreciated and as classy a player as there is, finally win a championship ring. But, this development sucks for one reason. The Celtics have dominated the NBA this season with a smothering defense, bolstering the hoary truism that defense wins NBA championships. There is an ideological war within the NBA between offense (Suns, Warriors, etc.) and defense (Spurs, Celtics), and defense once again wins. Which is good for the teams that have adopted that style, but bad for us fans who will have to endure 75-73 final scores for years to come.

Classic Dance Routine Now Even More Heavenly

• Cyd Charisse, Last Great Hollywood Dancer, Dead at 87 -- Agence France Presse

Before Jeff Buckley...

Jeff Buckley's cover of Hallelujah is justly praised, but Leonard Cohen's original is arguably just as intense, even if slightly Dada. God knows where this clip came from, but it's long been one of my favorites on YouTube. 

The Angel Weatherbee

At a time when it seems more convenient to marinate in apathy, the sterling example of Ye Zhiping, the Sichuan school principal who saved 2,323 lives, deserves attention. Ye is the principal of Sangzao Middle School in Sichuan, China, which unlike so many other schools in the region, did not collapse during last month's devastating earthquake. The New York Times details how Ye's efforts lasting several years saved the life of his students:

Nervous about the shoddiness of the main school building, Mr. Ye scraped together $58,000 to renovate it in the 1990s. He had workers widen concrete pillars and insert iron rods into them. He demanded stronger balcony railings. He demolished a bathroom whose pipes had been weakened by water.

His school in Peace County probably withstood the 8.0-magnitude earthquake because he pushed the county government to upgrade it. Just 20 miles north, the collapse of Beichuan Middle School buried 1,000 students and teachers.

Mr. Ye not only shored up the building’s structure, but also had students and teachers prepare for a disaster. They rehearsed an emergency evacuation plan twice a year. Because of that, students and teachers say, everyone managed to flee in less than two minutes on May 12.

From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Ye oversaw a complete overhaul. He said he pestered county officials for money. Eventually the education department gave $58,000. It was a troublesome process because the county was poor and thus tight with money, Mr. Ye said, but officials saw the need to ensure the safety of children.

It is difficult to assess how our own school buildings (or buildings, for that matter), will withstand the strong earthquake that will, with certainty, strike our urban centers. Everytime a massive quake strikes somewhere in the world, there will be a gasp or two over how ill-prepared we are for a big quake before life goes on as usual towards the grim inevitability. The sort of preparedness necessary to save a significant number of lives requires years of planning, the influx of money, and the concern of government authorities. The good thing about Mr. Ye's example is how it shows that even just one person caring when the government or few others do could be enough to change many many lives.

• How Angel of Sichuan Saved School in Quake -- New York Times

Karaoke at the LRT

Members of a Metro Manila-improv group boarded the LRT-2 line (Santolan-Recto) last May 31. Mid-journey, they suddenly break into song, 'Maling Akala' by Eraserheads.

Unfortunately, the camerawork does not sufficiently capture the reactions of the other commuters. Commendable effort though.

1950-2008

Just last May 11, top Clinton aide Terry McAuliffe appeared on NBC's Meet the Press and committed a really awkward faux pas when he implied that "Big Russ", the father of the venerable Meet the Press host Tim Russert, had already died. Russert somewhat obliquely corrected McAuliffe by noting that Big Russ was watching the show at that moment. 

It is cruelly ironic that within a month from this exchange, Tim Russert himself would die after an apparent heart attack, only aged 58. Big Russ is among the survivors.

• NBC's Tim Russert Dead at 58 -- NBC News

Bush is Stupid, Part 23,749

Since nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, now is as good a time to revive it.

Even so, an eyebrow or two arched today at the way Mr. Bush addressed Pope Benedict XVI on meeting him in Rome:

“Your eminence, you’re looking good,” Mr. Bush said, the A.P. reported.

We’re not talking about the Fernando-esque second clause, which was unobjectionably friendly if perhaps a tad over-familiar in tone. It was the “your eminence” part. That’s supposed to be how you address Catholic cardinals. Popes are “your holiness.”

(It isn’t the first time Mr. Bush has put a foot wrong in pontifical etiquette. At a meeting last June, Mr. Bush appalled the Vatican heirarchy and created a small stir in the media by addressing the pope several times as “sir,” which was taken by some as a failure to show appropriate respect, though a blunder rather than an intentional slight.)

• Wait, What Did He Just Call the Pope? -- New York Times

Something to Make You Gag in the Morning

Best. Opening. Ever.

Bob's family was horrified at the idea that his relationship with Dorothy might have become sexual. At his age, they wouldn't have thought it possible. But when Bob's son walked in and saw his dad's 82-year-old girlfriend performing oral sex on his 95-year-old father last December, incredulity turned into full-blown panic. "I didn't know where this was going to end," said the manager of the assisted-living facility where Bob and Dorothy lived. "It was pretty volatile."

The rest of the article (from Slate), is pretty good, dealing with a non-fictional account of a love in the time of dementia. 

• An Affair to Remember -- Slate

No Sense of Timing

Former President Estrada today criticized President Arroyo for moving the Independence Day holiday from June 12 to June 9, according to an ABS-CBN news report posted this afternoon (the 11th). The criticisms, based on a lack of sense of history and lack of respect for what our foreparents had fought for, are those which I mostly share. (For reasons that should be obvious, Independence Day is is the most important holiday in the secular state that is the Philippines, and should thus be the one day that should be beyond holiday economics.)

But Estrada's own timing for his remarks is most curious. According to ABS-CBN:

Estrada's statements were issued as he graced Independence Day wreath-laying ceremonies around 9 a.m. at the Trece Martirez shrine in Trece Martirez town in Cavite province.

If you are going to criticize celebrating Independence Day on a date other than the 12th of June, it would be best not to do so during an Independence Day celebration staged on a date other than the 12th of June.

• Erap hits Arroyo for moving June 12 holiday -- ABS-CBN News

More Heinous Crime News

In the heels of the Cabuyao massacre comes another appalling crime that needlessly ended in multiple fatalities. GMA News reports:

Five people, including a three-year old girl, were reported killed in a fire incident in Talayan village, Quezon City, radio dzBB reported Tuesday noon...

The report said the victims were found inside a house in Talayan village.

The report said based on the initial investigation, the fatalities could be victims of Akyat Bahay gang as the victims were hogtied.

It could also very well have been the act of a disgruntled and disturbed family or household member, and not a robbery as initially presumed. Whatever the cause, the incident adds to the string of bad news that has battered the Philippines of late.

Some Thoughts on the Apparent Abduction of Ces Drilon

#1. Out of understandable concern over the safety of the abductees, ABS-CBN had attempted to embargo reports on the kidnapping, which had occurred on Sunday (and indeed, their official statement is silent on whether the team had indeed been kidnapped). However, as At Midfield reports:

This running story first broke on the news wires of the Associated Press and is being carried both by the International Herald Tribune, with at least two local broadsheets bannering the report despite a news blackout clamped by police authorities and, in journalistic parlance, a story embargo requested by ABS-CBN, a practice normally honored by all journalists.

It would appear that the mainstream local media, led by ABS-CBN, will be cautious in further reporting on this story, and even Malacanan is appealing to the media for "caution and restraint". The correctness of this approach is a matter for debate. But it would be interesting to see if the local blogging community observes the requested prudence as well.

#2. Assuming that the deed was indeed carried out by the Abu Sayyaf Group, and that the ASG is indeed part of the Al-Qaeda family of terrorists, the kidnapping of Ms. Drilon would appear to be among the most high-profile abductions carried out in a while, perhaps since the time al-Zarqawi carried out his rampage in Iraq, and the highest-profile woman kidnapped since Margaret Hassan.

Ces Drilon Missing in Sulu, Her Camera Crew Vanishes as Well

Distressing news that veteran journalist and ABS-CBN presenter Ces Drilon and two camera men have gone missing in Sulu. According to the statement released by ABS-CBN:

“Three ABS-CBN journalists Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion, and Angelo Valderama are missing in Sulu," said ABS-CBN in a statement. "All efforts are underway to find them and bring them home. Until we learn more details, ABS-CBN News requests other media to report on this matter with utmost consideration for the safety of our news team," it added.

The Sun Star reports that Drilon and her crew were abducted by a group of Abu Sayaff members on Sunday morning.

UPDATE: It appears that a Mindanao State University professor and Chairman of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, Octavio Dinampo, was abducted as well along with the ABS-CBN team.

25%

1 in 4 adult New Yorkers has genital herpes, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The affliction is not fatal. But:

[Herpes Simplex Virus-2] is a lifelong sexually-transmitted infection that can cause painful genital sores in a minority of cases, but most people have no recognizable symptoms. The prevalence of the condition is also concerning because it facilitates the spread of HIV – doubling the risk that a person will contract HIV when exposed to it. HSV-2 can also be serious when transmitted to newborns, although these cases are rare...

“Genital herpes alone will not cause serious problems for most people,” said Dr. Julia Schillinger, Director of Surveillance for the Health Department’s Bureau of STD Prevention and Control and lead author of the study. “But some people will have painful genital sores and the infection fosters the spread of HIV. We advise New Yorkers to protect themselves and others. Using condoms consistently will help you avoid getting or spreading genital herpes.”

The findings are due to be published later this month in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

• 'Survey find genital herpes is common among New Yorkers -- NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Citizens Take Arms Against Inappropriate Glee on TV

During yesterday's live coverage in Japanese television of the tragic massacre at Akihabara, some presumed otakus started making inappropriate faces, poses and gestures as they stood in the background while a correspondent delivered her live report. Japanese viewers were outraged, and some of them have taken action, posting this video on YouTube.

• 'Wanted' Video Targets Akihabara Idiots -- Japan Probe

Philippines is Most Wonderful Country in Whole Universe (as of June 2008)

Surprising news from ABS-CBN that 4 Philippine sites currently sit in the Top 10 Wonders of Nature in the ongoing online poll sponsored by the New7Wonders organization (only 7 will be ultimately chosen) . The sites are Tubbataha Reef (#2), Chocolate Hills (#4), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (#6) and Mayon Volcano (#10). To give perspective on how major is this ass-kicking -- Mount Everest ranks #7, the Amazon River/Rain Forest ranks #8, and the Grand Canyon trails behind at #17. More bluntly, Dale Abenojar would have been better served scaling the summits of the Chocolate Hills instead.

Now, I'm no fan of nationalism-spurred boosterism in voting over superlatives (Kemal Ataturk as TIME's Man of the Century?). And this 7 Wonders business has been somewhat shady from the very beginning. The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World so lovingly depicted in the first few pages of Childcraft (Volume 10) were based on the opinion of Greek Amazing Racers who had never set foot in some of the great pre-C.E. civilizations such as China or Ethiopia. In 2007, when a "more democratic process" was adopted to select the "New Seven Wonders of the World", the contest drew criticism from no less than the UNESCO, the international organization primarily interested in the preservation of historic sites. As reported then:

''We believe there is a risk that these sites will become tourist attractions like Disneyland,'' said Sue Williams, a Unesco spokeswoman, adding, ''The campaign seemed quite commercially driven and another way to lure in more tourist dollars.''

No doubt the same criticism will be leveled against this Natural 7 Wonders contest. However, the benefit of the Philippines having multiple entries in the final 7 Wonders list cannot be discounted. Whatever you may think of the list's ultimate credibility, each of the sites therein will receive a boost in international tourism, and the Philippines stands to receive significant economic gain from increased tourism if one or more local sites make the final list. We get dedicated programs in Discovery Travel and Living, Anthony Bourdain drops in for a visit, etcetera. The greater influx of euros and yuans expended in the Philippines will ultimately redound to the benefit of our local economy.

At the same time, the fears expressed by UNESCO may materialize, especially since the Philippines does not have a sterling track record in environmental conservation. The Disneylandification of Tubbataha Reef may prove fatal to that fragile site.

If you want to vote on the 7 Wonders poll, click here. One thing striking about the poll -- considering the certain monetary gratification that would result with each Philippine entry making the final list, voting on the 7 Wonders poll possesses less risk and more assured benefit in economic terms than voting in the 2010 presidential elections.

• Four RP Spots in Top 10 of 'New Seven Wonders' --ABS-CBN News Online
• In Transit; Newest Wonders of the World Prompt More than Wonder -- New York Times

What Are the Photography-Friendly Sites of Metro Manila?

This is an open thread where anyone can feel free to post their answers to the title question. Photography-friendly should not only mean that the site is picturesque, but also one where you can bring out your camera without a reasonable fear of getting mugged, or getting hassled by security guards, policemen, or other uninformed sorts

Starting off with the obvious, Intramuros, and the less obvious, Libingan ng mga Bayani, which is underdeveloped as a tourist attraction. 

In His Image: The Steve Kerr Suns

The demise of the S.S.O.L. Phoenix Suns, my all-time favorite NBA team, is still too grievous a wound for me to write extensively about. (Bill Simmons has an exceptional elegy to them) It has been with apprehension that I've been following the news out of Phoenix as to who would GM Steve Kerr name as the new head coach to replace the great innovator Mike "Pornstache" D'Antoni. Kerr and D'Antoni of course famously feuded on the existential question whether a brilliant offensive team can win it all with only a modicum of defense, so some of the coaching names that had bandied about, such as Celtics defense-oriented assistant Tom Thibodeau, held the promise of transforming the offensive juggernaut-Suns into San Antonio Lite.

The wait is over, with the Suns having named as their new head coach Terry Porter, the highly competent point guard of the two-time Finals losing Drexler-era Blazers who later spent two years as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. The choice hardly spells G-E-N-I-U-S, or W-I-N-N-E-R for that matter, but Coach Porter deserves his chance. However, ESPN's Marc Stein's report on the hire raises several alarm bells:

Porter got the job 23 days later because of two additional advantages he had over pretty much everyone who followed him in the Phoenix Suns' coaching search.

No. 1: Porter was the only candidate who made it to the Suns' list of finalists with head coaching experience.

No. 2: Porter had more Steve Kerr experience than anyone Phoenix talked to.

The latter was indeed the clincher...

Kerr is sure that he and Porter, good friends and former San Antonio teammates, will be on the same page from here, along with Suns owner Robert Sarver.

Hmmn... it seems that the reason Porter was selected was that he will surely get along with the boss, and not because of any individual vision on how to lead the Suns to success. We should expect the next generation Suns to be the embodiment of the Steve Kerr vision so contrary to the hegemony-challenging organized chaos that made it feel so good to root for the Suns. If the Suns win the championship in the next few years, it will singularly be due to the monster talents of Amare Stoudemire surrounded by his complements, and not because of any game-changing style that revitalizes the NBA. Putative rings aside, a fucking waste.

Of course, it may well be that the Suns will turn into the late-90s Utah Jazz (one of my least favorite teams ever), competent but uninspiring and just unable to pass the final hurdle. Amare and Nash can Malone-Stockton themselves into eternity, and aged Shaq can service as Ostertag 2.0.

• Porter named new Suns coach -- Arizona Republic
• Previous coaching experience pays off for Porter -- Marc Stein, ESPN

Rudy Fernandez (1953-2008)

Rudy Fernandez died this morning, following a rather public battle with cancer. Condolences to his family and friends. I couldn't say I really was a fan, but Victor Corpuz was, somehow, a seminal film of my childhood. I distinctly remember when that film came out that Quad cinema was literally jampacked. Many viewers were relegated to the space near the exit doors with no direct sight of the screen, having to content themselves with just the dialogue airing from the speakers. The film itself was not bad. Everything I learned about Marxist-Leninism I learned from Victor Corpuz, the movie. I also remember the scene with Corpuz (Fernandez) and the ill-fated Dang Cecilio exchanging flirtatious glances as they shared a lovely repast of rotisserie field rat.

What if Fernandez actually beat Sonny Belmonte for Quezon City mayor in 2001? Would Dingdong Avanzado be mayor by now?

• Actor Rudy Fernandez Dies -- Philippine Daily Inquirer
• IMDB: Rudy Fernandez

(edited to add) Interestingly, the other famous Rudy Fernandez in the world also made the news in a big way today. He finally is jumping to the NBA with the Blazers.

Intel Not So Smart After All (yeah, horrid title, so sue me...)

The U.S. Feds are going to investigate Intel for anti-trust violations, following suit after Korean and European regulators. The charges have apparently been initiated by Advanced Micro Devices, whose processors, my sukis at Gilmore often tell me, are unworthy. (Hey, if Intel put them up to it, that just may be an anti-trust violation there) According to the New York Times:

Intel, which was founded by engineers who both developed the chip and made repeated innovations that made it smaller and more powerful, controls 80 to 90 percent of the microprocessor market. American antitrust law permits a company to hold a monopoly, but it forbids a company from leveraging its dominance to restrict competition.

A.M.D. has asserted that Intel offers rebates and discounts that, in effect, result in its chips being sold at prices below the cost of production, a practice that some courts in cases involving other companies have said can be a violation of antitrust law.

Intel denies that its discounts and rebates drive its prices below cost, or at predatory levels. Intel has said that it offered legitimate discounts based on the volume of chips that have been purchased by companies, and that consumers benefit when personal computer manufacturers — using the discounts — are able to lower the cost of making their products.

This process, of course, will take many many years before completion. (The Microsoft investigation began in 1991, and the litigation was terminated only in 2004) In the meantime, I wonder if the case will retard Intel's utter dominance of the processor market, which users such as myself had assumed was the triumph of quality, and not due to venal business practices.

The Times also reports on an interesting Frenchified characterization by Intel of the legal woes before it:

Intel executives have also said that, to the extent the foreign antitrust regulators have come down harder on the company than American officials, it is a reflection of the different approach towards antitrust law. The American approach towards antitrust has been historically aimed at protecting competition, while the others use antitrust often to protect rival companies.

I know too little about the antitrust laws of non-American jurisdictions to detect whether than depiction by Intel is correct. What does come to mind is how inadequate our own antitrust laws are, and how virtually inexistent antitrust litigation is in this country. 

• Intel Said to Face Antitrust Investigation -- New York Times

Some Signature Reflections

I'm on a break, having just signed over 100 documents, which over 200 still awaiting my signature. As I coursed through the pile, immensely aided by the latest podcasts of NPR: Fresh Air, I recalled how different my demeanor would have been had I listened to my mother years ago.

My handwriting has always been plainly bad -- Palmer gone wrong -- and my lowest marks were always in Penmanship. So, when the time came to develop my signature, this utter lack of skill in calligraphy combined with my desire for convenience and originality, and my apathy towards legibility, to produce a scrawl that bore some token resemblance to my name. My mother, whose own signature clearly identifies her name for anybody familiar with the Roman alphabet, advised me to change my signature to one which clearly spelled out my name -- a convenience, she said, for the purpose of efficacy when it came to legal documents. I did not do so, as for one, a legible signature on my part would have taken more than 30 seconds to accomplish. A good choice, given the dozens of signatures I have to affix in a week, not to mention the occasional special work such as that I'm finishing at the moment.

We usually settle on our permanent signatures by high school or college, with little idea on the impact of that choice in our later lives. Few of us develop our signatures taking into account how these may be forgery-proof, or how efficient would these be when having to sign dozens or hundreds of documents in succession. I myself regret not having affixed an even easier version of my signature when I signed the official Bar roll.

Barack and Michelle Obama Dap Onstage -- America Watches and Learns

In what his lovers will take as further proof of his inner hiptitude, and his haters will take as further proof that he is a Black Panther Muslim Who Will Kill You At 3 AM In the Morning, here's Barack Obama, receiving a dap or "fist-pound" from his wife Michelle, shortly before he claimed victory in the Democratic primaries yesterday:

 

Slate points out that this move has thrown the American media into an amusing tizzy:

What’s hilarious is watching the formal, AP Stylebook-loving media trying to figure out what to call it. In an article about Obama’s body man Reggie Love, the New York Times called Love’s preferred greeting a “closed-fisted high-five.” Last night produced other assorted references:

“Taking a fist-pound from wife Michelle, Obama stepped to the podium Tuesday”—MTV.com 

“Michelle Obama (L) gives her husband, Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Barack Obama, a knuckle-bump as a sign of support before he speaks to supporters.”—Monsters and Critics

"At 09:09:27 Central Time, Michelle Obama gave Barack Obama a pound in St. Paul, Minnesota.”—Lola New York

Quickie: 21

21 (2008). Directed by Robert Luketic. Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne. 21 starts with a complex aerial/tracking shot that leads off following a streaming body of water, then pans off to show a bridge with commuter traffic, sneaks overhead behind a biker, then turns 180 degrees to reveal the biker's face. The shot is clearly a physical impossibility, and certainly accomplished through the magic of seamless digital editing. Even worse, this elaborate but fraudulent camera choreography has no discernible aesthetic purpose but to show off, which could have been impressive had it been showing off something other than the virtues of the Avid system. There was a similarly pointless shot in Carlito's Way (1993), but this was the pre-digital era, and it did elicit a 'wow, de Palma's got some mad camera skillz.' 

(It's probably criminal that YouTube has got these clips, but go check out the clever 7:30 long tracking shot that opens Altman's The Player (1992), and more importantly, the absolutely dazzling 4 minute tracking shot that begins Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1958), long acclaimed as one of the greatest opening sequences in all of film. Both films are extremely good also, and I'd daresay I prefer Touch of Evil to Citizen Kane.)

21 is an irritating bore -- no mean feat considering that it delves into MIT, Harvard, blackjack and Las Vegas. It's as if Scorsese's Casino were restaged by a Portuguese Catholic high school for an audience of delicate sensibilities. The story is marginally interesting, but the filmmakers do not appear to have watched any good films, or seen any television commercials made after 1989. If they ever proposed a law to ban slow motion in film, 21 should be the first exhibit.

I was struck by this film's apparent apathy of purpose other than getting from plot point A to plot point B, and in so relentlessly linear a fashion. The young cast, seemingly carried over from a failed remake of 21 Jump Street, is agonizingly dull (including Kate Bosworth, who has done interesting work in the past), while veterans Spacey and Fishburne are barely going through the motions until the next break, when they can finally hit the tables. 

If you the viewer successfully predicted every plot turn, it is a mark not of clairvoyance, but of the filmmakers' lack of imagination. I though was sucked into the fairly broad hinting that Kate Bosworth was Kevin Spacey's daughter, and remain convinced that such big revelation remains extant in some Hollywood cutting room floor. If that were not the case, then faint kudos for that piece of misdirection, albeit unintentional. 

Gina Gershon: 'Call Me Monica Lewinsky and I'll Sue You.'

Gina Gershon is pissed. Her lawyers, Lavely & Singer P.C., have served a demand letter (PDF) on Vanity Fair, asking the magazine to retract and correct its controversial story on Bill Clinton that essentially hinted that the actress and the former President are carrying on. 

Wikipedia notes that that Gershon is "is regarded as a gay icon due to her roles in movies such as Bound (in which she played a butch lesbian)  and Showgirls (which is regarded as a camp classic). At the same time, her sultry good looks and frequent nude appearances in other films have also gained her a substantial heterosexual male fan base. She was ranked #51 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2004." Gershon is also apparently proficient at playing an oddly-named instrument called "Jew's harp".

 

• Bubba Trouble: The Comeback Id -- Vanity Fair
• Gershon: I Did Not Have Sexual Relations... -- TMZ.com

 

Great Moments from The History of Presumption #1

Taken from 'The Encyclopedia of Useless Information' (p. 306):

The game of Scrabble was invented by Alfred Butts in 1921, and since then over a hundred million Scrabble sets have been sold in 121 countries. Alfred Butts also produced another game, marketed under the title "Alfred's Other Game". It was not a great success.

 

"This Has Been the Most Difficult Decision I've Had to Make in my Life...

Job Opening: Manila Tour Guide

Does your cubicle smell of misery and spilt cup noodles? Carlos Celdran, he of walking tours fame is hiring:

I'm just looking for a few good men and women to join me. If you are of legal age, educated, fluent in English, obsessed with Filipino culture, aren't afraid of challenges, and are a chronic attention seeker/frustrated actor, then perhaps you may have what it takes to become an ambassador to all that is wonderful in this city of our affections. Join this competition and you just will not only be given the chance to win a few prizes but also be given the opportunity of joining my signature team of Manila tour guides.

Sign me up, you say? See the link.

• Do You Have What it Takes to Be Manila's Next Top Tour Guide?

'My Little Pony' T-Shirts De Rigeur Haute Couture for Air Travel

Glad to see that the British authorities care about the subliminal comfort of airline passengers:

An airline passenger claimed that a security guard threatened to arrest him because he was wearing a T-shirt showing a cartoon robot with a gun.

Brad Jayakody, 30, from London, said he was stopped from passing through security at Heathrow's Terminal 5 after his Transformers T-shirt was deemed 'offensive.'...

'It's a 40ft tall cartoon robot with a gun as an arm. There is no way this shirt is offensive in any way, and what I'm going to use the shirt to pretend I have a gun? 

He was cooperative with the supervisor and took off the the 'offensive' T-shirt, replacing it with another shirt in his carry on luggage.

A spokesman for Heathrow operator BAA said: 'If a T-shirt had a rude word or a bomb on it, for example, a passenger may be asked to remove it.

• Man Threatened with Arrest at Heathrow for Wearing Transformers T-Shirt  -- Evening Standard

Bo Diddley (1928-2008)

Bo Diddley has passed on. Somewhat unthinkable, but we have reached the point where the pioneers of rock and roll are starting to die off from old age. (Chuck Berry is 81, Little Richard is 75) This bit though hasn't aged at all:

• Bo Diddley: American pioneer of rock'n'roll who influenced the Beatles and the Rolling Stones -- The Guardian

Boomdiada - The World is Just Awesome

I just caught for the first time the new and endearing Discovery Channel advert ("The World is Just Awesome"). It effectively reminds the Channel's patrons why the world is a somewhat better place because Discovery Channel exists.

Betrayed by the Gospel of Judas

The so-called Gospel of Judas was translated under the auspices of the National Geographic Society in 2006, then widely publicized as depicting a kinder, gentler Judas who "betrayed" Jesus upon the latter's wishes. The resulting television special was the second-highest rated program in the history of the National Geographic Channel, and is available on DVD. 

Two years later, critical questions have been raised on the interpretation of the Gospel of Judas, and on how National Geographic handled the find:

As soon as the show ended, she went to her computer and downloaded the English translation from the National Geographic Web site. Almost immediately she began to have concerns. From her reading, even in translation, it seemed obvious that Judas was not turning in Jesus as a friendly gesture, but rather sacrificing him to a demon god named Saklas. This alone would suggest, strongly, that Judas was not acting with Jesus' best interests in mind — which would undercut the thesis of the National Geographic team. She turned to her husband, Wade, and said: "Oh no. Something is really wrong."

The article is well-worth the long read.

• The Betrayal of Judas: Did a 'dream team' of biblical scholars mislead millions? -- The Chronicle of Higher Education