Sunday, October 31, 2021
List: Former Bench endorsers and models, where are they now?
The global clothing line Bench is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2012 with a denim and underwear fashion show entitled Bench: Universe at the Mall of Asia Arena last September 13 and 14, 2012, many celebrities left the clothing line due to the non-renewal of contracts.
Among the notable ones were:
- Jon Avila (Quit show business)
- Hermes Bautista (Quit show business)
- David Chua (Now under ALV Talent Circuit)
- JC de Vera
- AJ Dee (Now a freelancer)
- Robi Domingo
- Ryan Eigenmann
- John Estrada
- Ejay Falcon
- Frencheska Farr
- Sarah Geronimo
- Rachelle Anne Go
- Katrina Halili
- Jon Hall
- Kristine Hermosa-Sotto
- Brent Javier
- Luke Jickain
- Tibo Jumalon (Quit show business)
- Mikee Lee (Quit show business)
- Xian Lim (Now under Viva Artist Agency and GMA Artist Center)
- Robbie Mananquil (Quit show business)
- Zanjoe Marudo
- Rafael Rosell (Now under Luminary Talent Management)
- Iya Villania (Now under ALV Talent Circuit & in-contract with GMA Network)
- Jomari Yllana (Now under Virtual Playground)
Saturday, October 30, 2021
No name change for Facebook website and mobile app, ONLY brand name changed to 'Meta'
The social network itself will continue to be called Facebook as only the brand name is changing. The same is true for Instagram and WhatsApp users.
Facebook Inc is changing its company name and logo to Meta Platforms Inc or Meta but the website and the mobile app will still be called 'Facebook'. CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said that rebranding is a reflection of its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the 'metaverse'.
The metaverse is sort of the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. Zuckerberg has described it as a 'virtual environment' you can go inside of, instead of just looking at it on a screen. People can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.
However, there is nothing to worry about for Facebook users because the social network itself will continue to be called by the same name as only the brand name is changing. The same is true for Instagram and WhatsApp users. The websites and apps they use will continue to retain their old names.
"Our apps and their brands aren't changing either. We're still the company that designs technology around people," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. Facebook now wants to be known as a technology company with a lot of products and apps in its kitty.
But there will be no changes in how the app is used. No new features and layouts have been announced and the guidelines to use would remain the same. Similarly, the name change would not affect the other Facebook-owned apps including WhatsApp and Instagram.
Robredo: Anti-drug program must focus on prevention, rehab
Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday bared some of her plans and priorities if elected president, including an anti-illegal drug program that focuses on prevention and rehabilitation.
“We saw in the past five years that the drug war was conducted in a way that was too heavy on enforcement – I do not believe that,” she said in Filipino during a press conference in Albay.
“We need to learn from the lessons of other countries… those that resorted to killings, those that resorted to violence as a means of eradicating the drug problem, did not succeed. But the countries that have a more holistic approach to the problem, they were the ones who were successful,” she said.
A vocal critic of the Duterte administration’s deadly war against illegal drugs, Robredo recalled some of her recommendations during a short stint as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) in 2019.
“My first recommendation after I stepped down as ICAD co-chair was to change the entire system… (that) contributes to the focus on enforcement,” she said, noting that it is chaired by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“The mandate of PDEA is more on the enforcement side. So for me, my first recommendation is to make the DDB – the Dangerous Drugs Board – as ICAD chair,” she added.
With the DDB at the helm, the Vice President said the roadmap to address the drug problem will have a more holistic approach that goes beyond enforcement.
“My belief is that if the DDB will sit as the chair, the plan is not just ‘kill, kill, kill.’ The plan will be comprehensive – heavy on prevention, heavy on rehabilitation,” she added.
In 2019, Robredo accepted Duterte’s dare for her to lead the ICAD following her continued criticisms of the killings related to the drug war.
She was fired 18 days later for supposed “missteps,” including meeting with various stakeholders and foreign agencies.
Robredo submitted a comprehensive report and recommendations to Malacañang.
Build, Build, Build
During the press briefing, Robredo also expressed her willingness to continue with the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program, but stressed that infrastructure projects must have a direct impact on the poorest Filipinos.
“My priority programs will be those that will help alleviate poverty. No amount of success will be enough if many remain on the fringes of society,” she said. “Our infrastructure should spur rural development because it is too concentrated in Metro Manila.”
She cited projects that will directly benefit farmers and fisherfolk, including farm-to-market roads, cold storage facilities, solar dryers, and fish pens.
The Vice President also stressed the importance of improving the mass transport system.
“It is all right to add more roads, but if we fail to improve our mass transport system, those who rely on it – the people who commute – will continue to suffer,” she said.
No. 1 priority
Robredo said controlling the pandemic and mitigating its effects will be her number one priority if elected president.
“If I get the opportunity, that will be the first thing that I will do: make sure that we can reopen and return to normal, make sure that our new normal will be better than the previous normal,” she said.
“Maybe we will not be able to bring the transmission down to zero because we need to live with (the virus). But for me, we did such a terrible job in the last one and a half years,” she said, noting the latest COVID Resiliency Ranking released by Bloomberg, which saw the Philippines at the tail end in terms of pandemic response among 53 economies.
The country will not be able to reopen and build back better, she said, as everyone will be on a “rollercoaster” as the pandemic situation alternately improves and deteriorates.
Robredo said vaccinating the greater part of the population is a necessary first step toward reopening the economy. She also stressed the need to reopen schools, strengthen the health care system and make regions like calamity-prone Bicol more resilient against climate change.
If elected president, Vice President Leni Robredo said her vice president – regardless of political party – will have a big role in her administration.
“If I get the chance, I will not do to the vice president what I experienced as Vice President now,” she said in Filipino during a press conference in Sorsogon. “My belief is that the country will benefit if the president and vice president work well together.”
Iloilo for Robredo
In Iloilo City, provincial Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has thrown support for the 2022 presidential bid of Robredo.
Defensor’s statement on Thursday came more than a week after Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas also publicly announced that he’s supporting Robredo.
In supporting the Vice President, Defensor recalled his good working relationship with Robredo during the 16th Congress – she as representative of Camarines Sur while he was a congressman for Iloilo’s third district.
But Defensor quickly pointed out that his statement of support could not be construed as an endorsement, explaining the term is used more for campaign purposes.
He stressed, though, that he doesn’t want to pre-empt an official endorsement coming from his party, the National Unity Party.
In supporting Robredo, Defensor claimed he saw her sincerity in helping the Ilonggos and propelling the “MoRe Progress Iloilo” or the Movement for Resurgent, Progressive, Globally Competitive and Resilient Iloilo.
Defensor’s local party, Uswag Ilonggo, formulated MoRe Progress Iloilo as their battle cry. It aims to increase investment and employment services in Iloilo.
Its goal was also to ensure food security; accessible health and social services; protection and sustainable management of resources and assets of the province and effective, efficient, and transparent government administrative service.
Defensor believes that Robredo is with him in his vision to propel the province.
The governor also said he would support the candidacy of Sen. Francis Pangilinan for vice president.
Meanwhile, Mayor Raul Banias of Concepcion town yesterday became the latest elected official here to express support for Robredo.
On Facebook, Banias posted a photo of him and Robredo during the Vice President’s visit to Concepcion in March 2021.
He captioned it, “Good Friday Morning halin sa kay Mayor Doc kag kay VP Leni (Good Friday morning from Mayor Doc and from VP Leni).”
Banias, former Iloilo provincial administrator and presidential adviser for Western Visayas, is a physician.
(UPDATED) Under the presidency of Robredo: the approval of plebiscite for the creation of the provinces of Nueva Camarines from the province of Camarines Sur and Zamboanga Hermosa from the province of Zamboanga del Norte, the division of the provinces of Maguindanao into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur and Palawan into Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur and Palawan Oriental and renaming of Leyte to Leyte del Norte, Southern Leyte to Leyte del Sur and creation of Leyte Occidental from the 5th district of Leyte and conversion of Antipolo, Bacoor, Batangas, Binan, Cabanatuan, Calamba, Cotabato City, Dasmarinas, General Trias, Imus, Lipa, San Fernando, San Jose del Monte, San Pablo, San Pedro, Tagum and Tarlac City to highly urbanized cities and Cainta, Los Banos, Marilao, Montalban, Pateros, San Mateo, Silang, Tanza and Taytay into cities.
Proposed laws was ratified through a plebiscite conducted in Leyte and Southern Leyte (for Leyte del Norte, Leyte del Sur and Leyte Occidental) and Palawan (for Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur and Palawan Oriental); while the existing law will be ratified through a plebiscite conducted in Maguindanao (for Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur).
Friday, October 29, 2021
Robredo itutuloy ang ilang Duterte programs 'pag nanalo sa 2022
Walang balak si presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo na ipatigil ang ilang programa ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sakaling mahalal siya sa 2022, pero sarili niya raw na istilo ang ipatutupad.
Halimbawa, ang war on drugs ay tuloy pa rin pero hindi dapat nakatutok ang programa sa patayan. Mangunguna raw ang Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) dito.
"Ang paniniwala ko, 'pag DDB iyong umupo na chair, ang plano niya hindi lang patay, patay, patay. Ang plano niya talagang very comprehensive, heavy on prevention, heavy on rehabilitation," ani Robredo.
Plano rin niyang ituloy ang "Build Build Build" program pero sa paraang mas marami ang makakaramdam ng epekto nito.
Nakikipag-usap na rin daw si Robredo sa mga electric cooperatives sa Kongreso para sa pagpapababa ng halaga ng kuryente, pagpapaunlad sa mass transportation, at pagsuporta sa mga jeepney driver sa modernization program ng pamahalaan.
May ilang supporters din ang nagpakita ng kanilang suporta kay Robredo sa pagbisita nito sa Sorsogon, na probinsiya ng kanyang ama.
—Ulat ni Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News
Duterte resets BARMM elections to 2025
By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law postponing the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 2023 to May 2025.
Republic Act (RA) 11593, which was inked by Duterte on Thursday, moves the date of the BARMM parliamentary and regional elections to May 2025, synchronized with the next mid-term elections.
"The Commission on Elections, through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, shall promulgate rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections, enforce and administer them pursuant to national laws, this Organic Law and the Bangsamoro Election Code," the law read.
During the extension of the transition period, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will continue to serve as the BARMM interim government.
The President, however, may appoint the 80 new interim members of the BTA who will serve until June 30, 2025, or until the election of their successors, according to RA 11593.
RA 11593, which was made public on Friday, takes effect 15 days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or at least one newspaper of general circulation.
"If any of the provisions of this Act is held unconstitutional, provisions not affected shall remain valid and binding," the law said. "All laws, decrees, and all other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly."
Several groups have called for the extension of the BTA's term to give it more time to finish its task in restructuring the Bangsamoro government.
The BTA, a provisional law-making body of the BARMM created through Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), is currently under a transition phase.
Under the BOL, the transition period is only three years from 2019 with an election of new BARM officials also scheduled on May 9, 2022, coinciding with the local and national polls.
BARMM officials have wanted to skip the scheduled 2022 elections for the region and move it to 2025 to complete transitional programs and projects for the constituents hampered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Duterte signs law postponing BARMM elections to 2025
The law extends the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, but gives the new Philippine president the chance to name new members for the additional three years it will be in power
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved legislation that moves the election of officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from 2022 to 2025.
This means the region will be led by appointed, not elected, officials for another three years. It extends the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) but gives the new Philippine president the chance to name new members for the additional three years it will be in power.
Duterte signed into law the bill postponing the BARMM elections on Thursday, October 28, Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal confirmed to Rappler on Friday, October 29.
The law is an amendment to the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which mandated that the first election for BARMM officials would be synchronized with the national elections in May 2022.
With this new law, the Bangsamoro elections would now be synchronized with the 2025 national elections.
The law also gives the Philippine president the power to appoint 80 members of the BTA once the term of the current BTA members expires on June 30, 2022. Since the new law amends only the part of the BOL related to elections, the provision that the BTA should be "led" by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stays.
Duterte implemented this provision by naming MILF nominees to more than half of the BTA seats.
The BTA, led by MILF chief Murad Ebrahim, has aggressively pushed for the postponement of elections. They said the transition authority needed more time to implement the BOL, given delays in government programs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BARMM, with a population of over 4 million people, was established in early 2019 after the BOL was ratified in a plebiscite.
The landmark measure was enacted in 2018, four years after a historic peace deal was signed between the Philippine government and the MILF.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/duterte-signs-law-postponing-barmm-elections-to-2025
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Monday, October 25, 2021
Isko’s question
By Jose Bayani Baylon
RECENTLY, in an exchange that was intended to explain (or explain away) his less-than-critical attitude towards the Marcoses, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso pointedly stated that the Philippines has been wracked by the Marcos-Aquino tiff for the last 30 or so years, but of what effect has it had on the rest of the country?
Mayor Isko seems to be saying that this “family feud” has not resulted in the improvement of the lot of majority of the people – so why should we remain consumed by it?
The point of view, I am sorry to say, while initially seemingly valid, actually reveals a shallowness in the understanding and analysis of the so-called “family feud.” Contrary to the understanding of the Manila mayor, the feud is not simply all about personalities – not simply about FM or Ninoy or Cory or PNoy or Imelda or BBM; it is in fact a reflection of a deeper issue (even issues!) that continues to haunt the country and, in many respects, benefits the Manila mayor himself.
The Marcos vs. Aquino feud that has consumed the Philippines since 1969 is actually one that at a deeper level is about how we as citizens understand democracy, public service and government, and to what standards we as citizen-electors hold up our public servants.
They’ve not been very high standards, I should say. I was about to say, “just look at the quality of senators we elect,” but I won’t.
Marcos and Aquino were two ambitious men who had designs on the country. They were both brilliant, eloquent, and flawed. Marcos, of course, had an excellent legal mind and that is why up to today many of the issues being hurled at him (and his family) remain unresolved. But both he and his fraternity brod Ninoy knew how to play on the Filipino’s psyche, in a way that Duterte also did in 2015-2016 – and others, including the mayor of Manila, are trying to do today.
That Filipinos are so prone to be captivated, enamored, captured even by exciting and charismatic people like Marcos and Aquino and, yes like Duterte and even Isko, is the real problem. That our people do not have the interest, or the energy, or the time to dig deeper into the character of those they choose to elect to office and entrust with the responsibility of running the affairs of state is why, more than 30 years after the Marcos-Aquino “feud” reached a bloody end at Manila airport, the rest of the country remains “unimproved.”
And stay that way the rest of our people will. Because this is not about Marcos and Aquino.
It is about you and me and what we understand of democracy and what we expect of our public officials — and of ourselves.
Personal: Happy birthday Rev. Fr. Ronald Arcillas; Angelica Christia Castro of Christian Influencers United Philippines/ Victorious Sacred Angel; Rev. Fr. Renato Alegre; Lucyville Puli Gervacio niece of Marizza Puli; MSWD Head Erica Baccay of Rodriguez, Rizal; Knox Internationale Technological Institute Principal Florencia Cervantes; belated happy birthday Jemay Bonifacio, Supremo Ian, Bb. Joji Obias Hodges
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Kris Aquino declares: 'Looking forward na kong maging Sarmiento'
Is Kris Aquino engaged anew?
The actress shared on Instagram that while she is proud to be an Aquino, she is looking forward to becoming a Sarmiento.
For the first time on Sunday, Aquino finally mentioned former Interior Secretary Mel Sarmiento in her caption while also sharing a clip with him.
“We discussed this post and I thought about it carefully… marami kasi sa followers ko ang nagtatanong kung kamusta na ko because matagal na kong nawala,” she wrote in the caption.
“Aamin ako i’m only 95 pounds now. this pandemic and many stressful events that happened since mid August really caused my weight to drop & my health to suffer,” she added.
Noting that it’s been exactly four months since their family unexpectedly lost their brother, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Aquino said: “Sure ako, ayaw nya talagang iwanan si “bunso” na walang magbabantay at magaalaga na siguradong pinagkakatiwalaan nya.”
Calling her brother a “matchmaker in heaven,” Aquino believes her brother must be currently smiling in heaven.
“I can almost hear his voice telling me, ‘Kristina, tama na, respect the fact na gusto ni Mel ng tahimik na buhay.’ And finally, ‘bunso’ has learned to obey,” she said.
“To my best friend and the man i said yes to spending the rest of my life with, thank you for as bimb said loving me for me, with no agenda, and for being just an overall good and patient man. It’s unreal how much more calm & peaceful i feel now that you’re here,” she added.
Aquino said she and Sarmiento would never have met nor reconnected had it not been for her brother.
“Thank you to my kuya, kahit wala na sya ramdam na ramdam ko na kahit ilang beses kaming nagkatampuhan, kahit kailan gagawa talaga sya ng paraan na ma-assure kami nila kuya josh at bimb kung gaano nya kami kamahal at hindi talaga sya papayag na ma feel namin na kami ay mapapabayaan. We love you and we miss you,” she said.
“But THANK YOU, you must have known how broken i’d be to lose you, so you made sure there was someone who not only helped wipe away my tears, he’s made it possible for me to smile and laugh again. Dumating nung hindi ko hinahanap o inaasahan - kaya nga tama silang lahat na nagsabi in God’s perfect time,” she added.
Sarmiento was the third and final DILG secretary under former President Aquino’s term, replacing Mar Roxas, who had tendered his resignation to focus on his presidential campaign.
Prior to his stint with the Aquino administration, Sarmiento was secretary general of the Liberal Party, the late president’s political party.
From 2010 to 2015, Sarmiento was congressman of Western Samar. Before joining the House of Representatives, he was the vice mayor and later mayor of Calbayog City, until he ran for a congressional seat.
To end her post, Aquino said they have agreed that “what’s personal shall remain private” so she could not share anything more, with one exception.
“Except I guess to say as much as i am proud to be an Aquino, looking forward na kong maging Sarmiento,” she said.
Aquino was formerly married to basketball star James Yap. They had a civil wedding in 2005. They welcomed Bimby two years later in 2007. They separated in 2010, and their marriage was nullified two years later in 2012.
Saturday, October 23, 2021
An excerpt from "Showbiz Pa More": memorable ‘Private Conversations with Boy Abunda’
DJ Jhai Ho: Eto narequest ko na magusto na may nakachicka ka na mainterview ng mga pulitiko, mga pinakakontrobersyal na pangalan, dito sa interview ni Tito Boy, meron ka bang kinakatakutan ang nakakaharap mo, tito Boy?
Boy Abunda: Hindi takot, I'm very familiar with fear, hindi takot. As a matter of fact, I pray for jitters, nagsasabi, Panginoong Diyos, bigyan mo ako ng konti kaba kasi nagmemeasure hanggang saan ako? Kinatatakutan, meron akong dalawa na instances, isa, I remember being invited then Vice President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, nagkaroon ng EDSA, that was EDSA 2, live kasi ang Private Conversations, ang Private Conversations ang galing mula sa ANC, naging ABS-CBN, nagpunta sa ANC.
EDSA People Power 2, as it came to be known, was a series of protests held from January 16 to 20, 2001, against former president Joseph Estrada who was then facing plunder charges. The protests eventually triggered Estrada's downfall – and paved the way for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his vice president, to enter the spotlight in the political scene.
This dramatic scene was the final trigger that sent Filipinos to EDSA on January 16, 2001. Throughout the first night of the rally, people began to swarm around the historical EDSA Shrine to express their sentiments. More Filipinos, including students, activists, and personalities in the movie, music, print, radio, and television industry, joined in the next few days, while the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines withdrew their support from the president.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took her oath of office as 14th President of the Republic of the Philippines at 12:20 p.m., Saturday, January 20, 2001, following the effective resignation of former president Joseph Estrada.
"I, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines," she declared before a cheering crowd of thousands at the EDSA Shrine. The oath was administered to her by Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr.
Mrs. Arroyo, who was dressed in a business-style grey skirt and blazer, was accompanied at the stage by her husband Mike Arroyo and their children, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, and other leaders of the anti-Estrada opposition groups.
The former president and his family packed up and left Malacañang at around 2:15 p.m. on a barge that crossed Pasig River. The Estradas are currently at the family residence at 1 Polk Street in Greenhills, San Juan.
The Pope visited the Philippines again in January 1995 in time for the 10th World Youth Day. Some 3 million people lined the streets to welcome John Paul II, who arrived on January 12, 1995.
On January 15, 1995, a Sunday, the Pope arrived at Malacañang Park aboard the Popemobile from the Apostolic Nunciature on Taft Avenue but was forced to ride the presidential helicopter along with Cardinal Sin and Papal Nuncio Gian Vincenzo Moreni to get to Quirino Grandstand amid the huge crowd on the streets.
Biggest gathering
At past 10 in the morning, the Pope began the three-and-a-half-hour Mass that marked the closing of the 10th World Youth Day. Attended by ten million people, it was the biggest gathering so far in the Pontiff’s 16-year reign.
The Mass’ concelebrants included Sin, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano, and Eduardo Cardinal Pironio, head of the Pontifical Council of the Laity.
Friday, October 22, 2021
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Meta? Horizon? FB? Facebook Renaming Report Sparks Industry Guesses
Facebook Renaming: Suggestions on Twitter included simple ones like "FB" and a return to "The Facebook."
The report that Facebook Inc. plans to change its corporate name prompted a flurry of online speculation as industry followers rushed to register their guesses.
Suggestions on Twitter included simple ones like "FB" and a return to "The Facebook." The Verge, which reported the plan on Tuesday, said the new name could have something to do with "Horizon" after a virtual reality platform the company has been developing. That would be a nod to Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's ambition for Facebook to eventually be known better for its metaverse -- referring to the trendy proposition that the next evolution in online connectivity will be people living, working and interacting in an immersive virtual world -- than its social network.
"Meta" is another contender put forward by, among others, Samidh Chakrabarti, the company's former civic integrity chief. The web address meta.com currently redirects to meta.org, the home of a biomedical research discovery tool developed under the stewardship of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is co-founded by the Facebook CEO. That suggests Zuckerberg has a head start on any other contender looking to secure the ultimate name for a metaverse firm.
The aim of the rebranding would be to reposition Facebook as a metaverse company, The Verge said, with the marquee apps and services like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp likely maintaining their branding under a new parent structure not unlike that practiced by Google and its parent Alphabet Inc. Facebook declined to comment on the report.
My best guess for the new name: "Meta"
Supporting the Meta idea are several factors: Silicon Valley firms favor brief domain names as a mark of prestige, with Alphabet calling abc.xyz home. Any company named Meta would also be able to lay claim to the term "metaverse" as its own rather than the generic descriptor it currently is.
In 2017, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative acquired a company called Meta that developed artificial intelligence technology for searching scientific papers. It now resides at meta.org. A separate augmented-reality startup with the same name was sold in 2019 to a buyer called Meta View, which planned to develop an AR headset. Its website is metavision.com.
Facebook is planning to announce a name change by Oct. 28, The Verge said.
Sakto | TeleRadyo (21 October 2021)
Column: Facebook, fooling no one, may be going for a new name
There are two things wrong with Facebook’s reported plan for a name change that better reflects its role in the high-tech “metaverse.”
First, the metaverse? Seriously?
Second, who do they think they’re fooling?
It’s still Facebook, for goodness sake, that monstrous, monopolistic company that wants to undermine your privacy at every turn, spread lies and, Big Tobacco-style, hook young people for life on its digital products.
“Consumers are not stupid,” said Jan-Benedict Steenkamp, a marketing professor who specializes in branding at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
By which he means Facebook’s nearly 3 billion users worldwide are well aware of the seemingly endless controversies — the privacy issues, the misinformation, the turning a blind eye to hate speech, racism and political dishonesty.
“The only way for Facebook to move beyond its controversies is to radically clean up its act,” Steenkamp told me. “And anyway, even if Facebook does change its corporate name, its main product would still be called Facebook.”
The Verge, a tech website, reported Wednesday that Facebook might announce a corporate name change as soon as next week, citing “a source with direct knowledge of the matter.”
The move “is meant to signal the tech giant’s ambition to be known for more than social media and all the ills that entail,” the Verge reported. Facebook declined to comment for the story.
While Facebook’s intentions remain unclear, the best guess among marketing experts is that the company will follow Google’s example and create an ambiguously named parent company to oversee its various operations.
These include the namesake social media platform, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus, Facebook’s virtual-reality system.
There’s speculation that Facebook will call the parent company Horizon to somehow capture a sense of, you know, broad technology horizons, a limitless future, whatever.
This is where the buzzy idea of the metaverse enters the picture. The phrase was coined by author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 sci-fi novel “Snow Crash.” Think of it as “cyberspace” — another phrase with sci-fi roots — on steroids.
If the parent company is called Horizon, the company’s various divisions, in turn, could be renamed “Horizon Facebook” or “Horizon Instagram” or variations thereof. Or they could remain unchanged.
And, of course, scandal-prone Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, would no longer be the CEO of Facebook when he’s testifying before disgruntled lawmakers, as seems to be often the case.
He’d be the Horizon CEO, which in theory would insulate the core Facebook brand from whatever missteps he’s been called to account for. Or he’d no longer be the poor sap who has to answer for Facebook. The head of the division would be in the hot seat.
That’s one possibility. Another is that the company actually may want to completely rechristen itself in hopes of leaving past problems behind and rebooting its corporate image.
“It’s critical for Facebook to get the next generation hooked on its technology,” said Barbara E. Kahn, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
“The big issue for young people is that Facebook is Granny’s platform, your parents’ platform,” she told me. “They need to get away from that.”
A new corporate identity, Kahn observed, would have the dual benefits of turning the page on past scandals and repositioning the company in the digital marketplace as a cooler, fresher product.
“They need to get people to think about the brand in a different way,” she said.
We’ve seen this many times before. Perhaps the most prominent example of a company trying to reinvent itself by changing its corporate clothes was when tobacco giant Philip Morris renamed itself Altria Group in 2003.
The company said the switch better reflected its portfolio of businesses. But it wasn’t kidding anyone. The Philip Morris brand had grown toxic after endless tobacco controversies.
The Altria brand, meanwhile, was pristine. So the company called itself that — and kept on selling cigarettes.
We’ve seen this over and over. Andersen Consulting (with ties to auditor Arthur Andersen of Enron fame) changed its name to Accenture. ValuJet Airlines, which was grounded in 1996 after a crash that killed all 110 people aboard, changed its name to AirTran Airways.
“Changing a brand name entirely is not a common occurrence,” said Richard J. Lutz, a marketing professor at the University of Florida.
“It is expensive,” he said. “When companies do that, it is usually due to the desire — or pressing need — to distance themselves from unwanted associations.”
He cited recent name changes for troubled, racially tinged brands such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s.
Facebook, if the name-change reports are correct, would merely be following in this grand tradition of announcing to the world that all’s well because, um, there’s a new name on the door.
“It would allow them to refresh themselves,” said Matthew Quint, a director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia University.
“It would allow them to show that they see a future of different technologies, all swarming together,” he said.
Yeah, OK. Swarming technologies. Got it.
But there’s probably a more practical motive at work here.
“Yes, they need to distance themselves a bit from the Facebook brand,” said Timothy Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
“But what this really would do is tell investors and employees that things are different,” he said. “Corporate branding really matters most at that level.”
It also perhaps would help with recruiting new talent. Up-and-coming coders who might not want to work for Facebook could be more amenable to the idea of working for Horizon.
But, at root, it’s still Facebook.
And Facebook is still a corporate behemoth that has demonstrated time and again that it cares far more about profit than it does about safeguarding its billions of users.
It can call itself Horizon if it wants. Heck, it can call itself World Peace, or Puppies and Kittens.
Until the company makes meaningful changes, it’s still not to be trusted.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-20/column-facebook-new-name
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Facebook plans to rebrand the company with a new name, Verge says
The original app and service may remain unchanged in their branding. The name change would come at a time when Facebook is under fire from regulators, lawmakers & activists.
San Francisco: Facebook Inc., facing intense scrutiny over its business practices, is planning to rebrand the company with a new name that focuses on the metaverse, according to The Verge.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is expected to discuss the name change at the company’s Connect conference on Oct. 28, the website reported on Tuesday. The original Facebook app and service may remain unchanged in their branding, positioned under a parent company that counts other billion-user brands like Instagram and WhatsApp in its portfolio. Google already operates a similar structure with its Alphabet Inc. parent.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company doesn’t “comment on rumor or speculation.”
Zuckerberg, who co-founded the social network in 2004, has said that the key to Facebook’s future lies with the metaverse concept — the idea that users will live, work and exercise inside a virtual universe. The company’s Oculus virtual reality headsets and service are an instrumental part of realizing that vision.
“In the coming years, I expect people will transition from seeing us primarily as a social media company to seeing us as a metaverse company,” Zuckerberg said in July. “In many ways, the metaverse is the ultimate expression of social technology.”
The rebranding would come at a time when Facebook is under fire from regulators, lawmakers, and activists. Whistle-blower Frances Haugen has shared thousands of company documents with regulators and the Wall Street Journal. The documents detailed Facebook’s struggle with moderating its content and alleged deleterious mental-health effects of its photo-sharing app Instagram.- Bloomberg
https://theprint.in/world/facebook-plans-to-rebrand-the-company-with-a-new-name-verge-says/753652/
After Facebook Plans to Change Its Name, Netizens Come Up With Hilarious Memes & Guesses | See Best Ones
New Delhi: FACEBOOK is changing its name and the internet can’t keep calm! Yes, it’s really happening. Amid an intense scrutiny over its business practices, social media giant Facebook is planning to rebrand the company with a new name that focuses on the metaverse. According to a report by The Verge, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is expected to announce the name at the company’s Connect conference on October 28.Also Read - Facebook is Planning To Change Its Name, To Focus On 'Metaverse': Verge Report
The website said the name of the social media application and service may remain unchanged, but the parent company could be rebranded. The rebrand would likely position Facebook’s social media app as one of many products under a parent company, which will also oversee groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and more, the report added.
The news has triggered a meme fest online and people are now busy guessing what the new name would be. Others took digs and poked fun at the announcement. Many speculated that Facebook might add ‘The’, and revert to its original name ‘TheFacebook’.
Facebook plans to change its name: Report
Social media giant Facebook Inc is planning to rebrand the company with a new name next week, as per a report by The Verge.
Facebook Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg is expected to discuss the name change at the company’s Connect conference on October 28, the website reported on Tuesday. Though the news of the rebranding could be unveiled sooner, the Verge report said.
The original Facebook app and service may remain unchanged in their branding, positioned under a parent company that counts other billion-user brands like Instagram and WhatsApp in its portfolio. Google already operates a similar structure with its Alphabet Inc. parent.
The rebrand would likely position Facebook’s social media app as one of many products under a parent company, which will also oversee groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and more, the report added.
The original Facebook app and service may remain unchanged in their branding, positioned under a parent company that counts other billion-user brands like Instagram and WhatsApp in its portfolio.
Google already operates a similar structure with its Alphabet Inc. parent. Zuckerberg, who co-founded the social network in 2004, has said that the key to Facebook’s future lies with the metaverse concept — the idea that users will live, work and exercise inside a virtual universe.
The company’s Oculus virtual reality headsets and service are an instrumental part of realizing that vision. “In the coming years, I expect people will transition from seeing us primarily as a social media company to seeing us as a metaverse company,” Zuckerberg said in July. “In many ways the metaverse is the ultimate expression of social technology.”
https://www.thekashmirmonitor.net/facebook-plans-to-change-its-name-report/
A new name for Facebook? Social media is in a tizzy
Netizens also used the opportunity to share hilarious memes and jokes and suggested prefixing Facebook with "The", to revert to its original name "TheFacebook".
The Verge has reported that Facebook may soon change its name to highlight its focus on “building the metaverse”. The website said the name of the social media application and service may remain unchanged, but the parent company could be rebranded. And, of course, the news has triggered a plethora of reactions online.
The rebranding comes at a time when the social media company is facing criticism for its business practices. While a company spokesperson has responded to the news offering no “comment on rumor or speculation”, users online are voicing their opinions on the plan to rebrand.
While many companies in the past have changed their names or rebranded to expand services, many felt Facebook’s move was a way to shift focus from the existing issues it is facing.
However, netizens also used the opportunity to share hilarious memes and jokes. Some suggested prefixing Facebook with “The”, to revert to its original name “TheFacebook” — the company had launched as “TheFacebook” on February 4, 2004, but “The” was later dropped.
(UPDATED) It assures Filipino Facebook users that the name of the social media application and service may remain unchanged, and it will cover the Undas of 2021 followed by Christmas 2021 and New Year of 2022, followed by the national elections on May 9, 2022, and change of leadership
UAAP targets February 2022 start for basketball
The UAAP is planning to open its basketball competition for Season 84 by February 2022, with volleyball to start after the Holy Week.
UAAP Season 84 president Nonong Calanog of De La Salle University said Wednesday that they are waiting for approval from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Health (DOH), and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for their student-athletes to resume training in a bubble set-up.
"Our projection is to return to competition by mid-February 2022," Calanog said during a press conference with the CHED, where UAAP student-athletes received COVID-19 vaccines.
The UAAP canceled its second-semester sports for Season 82 because of the pandemic and did not hold the 83rd season.
"As far as the UAAP Board is concerned, depending on the approval for the return to training, we're projecting a start for basketball hopefully by February," Calanog said. "But that will depend on when we can get our athletes back to training because we want to make sure they are ready for competition."
UAAP coaches have requested at least three months of training for the basketball players, according to Calanog.
"Our hope is that approval for return to training would be soon, so that we can get them into the bubble and start training by November 1," he added. "They have about three-and-a-half months to train and get back into competition shape."
Meanwhile, they are hoping to start the volleyball tournaments after Holy Week.
According to Calanog, all of the UAAP's basketball and volleyball athletes are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and most of the UAAP member-schools are already retro-fitted in preparation for the return to training of student-athletes.
"They're ready to come back," Calanog said of the UAAP student-athletes. "We're just waiting for permission to return to training."
UAAP student-athletes from other sports were vaccinated on Wednesday at the CHED auditorium, with stakeholders stressing the importance of vaccination in the resumption of sporting activities.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, amateur, and grassroots sports have been suspended with only professional leagues given the go-signal to hold games.
"Isa sa pinakamalaking casualty ng pandemic ay sports programs and the sector of sports in our country," noted Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. "Isa lang po ang solusyon para makabalik tayo sa ating sporting events -- vaccination lang po."
COVID-19 National Task Force chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, for his part, stressed that the vaccination program will pave the way for student-athletes to make a safe return to training.
As for making COVID-19 vaccines a requirement for student-athletes, Calanog said such a mandate will not be necessary in the UAAP.
"As far as we're concerned, we don't even have to ask that because, for volleyball and basketball, all our athletes are fully vaccinated," he assured.
CHED will hold a vaccination drive for NCAA student-athletes next week. The NCAA canceled Season 95 in March 2020 but held a limited number of events for Season 96, including online chess and taekwondo.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/20/21/uaap-targets-february-2022-start-for-basketball
Facebook Plans to Rebrand Company With New Name, Verge Says
Facebook Inc., facing intense scrutiny over its business practices, is planning to rebrand the company with a new name that focuses on the metaverse, according to The Verge.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is expected to discuss the name change at the company’s Connect conference on Oct. 28, the website reported on Tuesday. The original Facebook app and service may remain unchanged in their branding, positioned under a parent company that counts other billion-user brands like Instagram and WhatsApp in its portfolio. Google already operates a similar structure with its Alphabet Inc. parent.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company doesn’t “comment on rumor or speculation.”
Zuckerberg, who co-founded the social network in 2004, has said that the key to Facebook’s future lies with the metaverse concept -- the idea that users will live, work and exercise inside a virtual universe. The company’s Oculus virtual reality headsets and service are an instrumental part of realizing that vision.
“In the coming years, I expect people will transition from seeing us primarily as a social media company to seeing us as a metaverse company,” Zuckerberg said in July. “In many ways the metaverse is the ultimate expression of social technology.”
The rebranding would come at a time when Facebook is under fire from regulators, lawmakers and activists. Whistle-blower Frances Haugen has shared thousands of company documents with regulators and the Wall Street Journal. The documents detailed Facebook’s struggle with moderating its content and alleged deleterious mental-health effects of its photo-sharing app Instagram.
The future is nigh!
LAST Friday, the Center for Philippine Futuristics Studies and Management, Inc. elected a new set of Trustees and officers as a first step in reviving and revitalizing the organization.
I was one of those elected to be a trustee and an officer. But more on that later.
The Futuristics Center was originally the Philippines Futuristics Society, founded in 1981 on the initiative of Don Enrique Zobel (EZ) and the Filipinas Foundation (what is now the Ayala Foundation). In its heyday, it engaged in extensive research on various aspects of life in the Philippines, and as a result produced a number of scholarly publications and even short films.
I came to know of Futuristics when I started working for EZ in 1988 and in the process met a number of patriotic Filipinos drawn together by the desire to discuss and debate, plot and project future scenarios for our country.
In the aftermath of EDSA 1986, the Futuristics was the host of a traditional pre-election analysis and forecast by veteran political observers such as the late Antonio “TonyGat” Gatmaitan. These were well-attended events held usually at the AIM, and TonyGat never failed to deliver a sterling performance of an analysis of election scenarios.
In 1994, when I and a handful of UP, La Salle and Ateneo student leaders working together as PILIPINAS 2020 organized the Alvin Toffler lecture in Manila, the Futuristics Society was a supporter. A few years later, returning the favor, I was able to get Coca-Cola Philippines to become a principal supporter of the Society, for a five-year period.
A small group discussion started by Dennis Zamora (President and CEO of Nickel Asia Corporation) with two other friends a month ago made me realize that now is an excellent time to revive the Society, under its new name and structure. I broached the idea to veteran journalist Guillermo H.A. Santos, Futuristics vice chairman, who in turn alerted former Finance Secretary and Futuristics chairman Roberto de Ocampo.
This is what led to the election of a new Board of Trustees, with Secretary de Ocampo and Gil Santos re-elected chair and vice chair, respectively. Also elected as trustees were Antonio Kalaw Jr., Ma Constantine Yunchengco-Gonzales, Chester B. Cabalza, Dennis Zamora and me.
In turn, the trustees elected a new set of officers with me as president, Antonio Kalaw Jr. as vice president, Atty. Ryan Jornada as secretary and Ma. Constantine Gonzales as treasurer. (Lesson learned: Open your mouth and get ready to be “rewarded” with work!)
Among its immediate activities, the Center intends to revive the traditional “election scenario mapping” next month as its initial online offering to the general public, taking into consideration the health protocols as a result of the current pandemic.
It also will open associate membership to students and encourage them to think about what they want their future to look like.
Think about it: shouldn’t that be the starting point for any voter in deciding who to vote for in any elections?
The way to make the future bright is to try to map it out the best you can, and then plan as best you can for the various probabilities!
We have our work cut out for us, but I am not complaining!
Personal: Happy birthday Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr., OP, Br. Jerone Geronimo, OP, and Br. Glendale Ancheta, OP; Dr Victor Tantengco Jr; Atty Dennis Chua; classmate Barbara Dizon; Jacque Ruby; Anna Leah Estrada-Gonzales and Manuel Galang Zamora; Vice Mayor Temy Simundac of Muntinlupa; Pastora Imelda Austria of JIL Basey, Samar; Bro. MJ Bermejo; Councilor AJ Advincula of Imus, Cavite; ate Espie Roque Barayuga; Bro. Michael Velarde; Jack JB Ramos; Sheila Laysa Echin; Bro. Renceljohn Cusi from Jun Cezar; Joselito Banzuela IV; Engr. Tony Ong; Ma'am Gracie Mojica-Acierto; Bhhe Ma Rosalie Nicoyco belated happy birthday Allan Brando Gonzales from Emma Cañete Arrojo and Rocelyn Velasquez; Atom Araullo; Jopet Sison; Christian Bautista; Pastora Nely Salinas of JIL Supiden, La Union and Pastor Hernan Fortu of JIL Malanday, Marikina from Nestor Tugade Layderos; Tatay Pepe Lacernas get well soon; Punong Barangay Pedro Parnala of Barangay Malagasang 1-A, Imus, Cavite; Reyjohn Austria; Alco Guerrero; Alfred Sajulga; Garret Gregorio; Janine Tugonon; Tristan Melorin from Sunshine Gonzales; Moira Pineda niece of Bang Pineda; Nhica Alvarez Barretto Panaglima; Mary Rose Gianan Cruz; Lovelito Napila brother of Kaye Napila; Niña Taduran; Susan Buenafe from Mark Joseph Buenafe; Leo Arboleda brother of Anabelle Arboleda Bartolome; Phil Montebel; Jerylyn Paajarvi; Regine Yu; Jeff Lapete; Allygrace Redondo; belated happy wedding anniversary Geraldine Tamayo Cabantog and Angelito Cabantog
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Monday, October 18, 2021
The fiesta guests
LAST October 12, the town of Alaminos, in Laguna, celebrated its town fiesta. It was the feast of the Nuestra Sra. del Pilar, one of the many manifestations of the Virgin Mary. I still have to read up more on the history of my father’s hometown to know how it came to choose its patron saint.
Alaminos used to be a part of San Pablo (which in turn used to be part of Batangas, but that’s a different story altogether). In 1873, a group of local landowners led by Cirilo Baylon petitioned the Governor General to separate Trenchera (which was what the area used to be called) from San Pablo and make it a municipality. The new town was named after a high-ranking Spanish government official who helped make this happen. Cirilo, naturally, became the first mayor (gobermadorcillo was the term then), and one of his sons, Rafael, followed in his footsteps. (My younger brother RV traces his Rafael from this ancestor.)
Under the American colonial Administration, 1913 is traced as the date of the official establishment of Alaminos.
When I was in grade school and high school, we would go home to Alaminos to celebrate the Flores de Mayo, Christmas and, of course, the fiesta. On those occasions houses were open to relatives and friends and the guests of relatives and friends and if you had an appetite you could move from house to house enjoying the buffet plus the lansones and (for me) the kayumanggi macapuno candy freely available to anyone and everyone.
This year’s fiesta was a muted celebration, naturally; and my father’s house, which used to be open for guests, wasn’t. In fact, it has not been welcoming guests, not for the last six or seven years I think, as age caught up with father and around 2014 he stopped exerting efforts to prepare for the arrival of relatives from Paete, Laguna and from Mabalacat, Pampanga. When he died in 2016 the house remained empty until I had it restored and renovated last year, so this was the first fiesta that it had new occupants – me plus Hayden, Apollo, and Goya – but none of us took time to prepare the way my father did.
The idea of people moving from house to house during fiestas – and yes, even Christmas – made me think of the “guest candidates” for senator in some of the tickets for the 2022 elections. VP Leni, Mayor Isko, and PacMan have announced their still incomplete slates but what is noticeable is the appearance of the same names in at least two of the three lists. It’s just like you seeing the same faces in front of the buffet table of one house and then you see them again in another. (Some, my father used to tell me, even come with Tupperware, not content with eating their fill!).
Of course, these guests are welcome – it’s open house, remember? – and why shouldn’t one stop at just one house? But the guests have a grand time because all they need to do is eat then run; no commitment to help clean the dishes later.
I wonder if this is another practice that is “unique” to our warped democracy – not filling up a senate list and inviting guest candidates who are also on one or two more slates. What for? To bring in their votes? Unlikely, if they are not committed to you. To share in their resources? Unlikely too, because candidates rarely share resources with others. Maybe to demonstrate an openness to a wide variety of political opinion – the only logical reason I can think of for this practice. But we all know how superficial this is in the Philippine context where most everything is personal, not principles, and where “shameless pragmatism” (a phrase I caught somewhere!) is the norm.
When you declare an open house, then expect guests to come in sans preconditions. Once they’re full, expect them to leave sometimes without even giving you a goodbye burp. Such is the nature of fiestas in this country – and elections are just one giant fiesta where we make merry for a day and then ask God why he is punishing us for the rest of the year until the next fiesta – I mean, elections!
Personal: Happy birthday Dr Mitos Cating-Cabral; Bryan Yap; Migo Santos; Evelyn Marcos Caparanga; Melvin Mangada; Atty Tim Calumpong; Jess Padugar; Maita Provido Crowe and Bryant Cabreros; Andrew de Real; Kat Sinsuat De Castro; Avic Cruz; Gigi Santiago-Lara; Vangie Bautista Relato; Paolo Villaluna; Jhude Dominguez-Jarabo; Deo Angelo D Valeroso; Samantha Lopez; Mean Ignacio; bunso Arianne Pearl; Former Board Member Gerald Ortiz of Quezon; Josie Soriano from Reymond Soriano; Rev. Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, Jr., OP; Kuya Jojo Feliciano; Ate Lizel Bragais De Leon; Deo Echevarria; Maja Porullo; kuya Arwin Galit belated happy birthday Romero Jeffrey Serrano (Oct. 14)
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Saturday, October 16, 2021
JOHNNY’S GREETINGS FOR OCTOBER 2021 CELEBRATORS (SECOND HALF)
October 16 - Leila Alcasid, Vitaliano Aguirre II, Jovit Baldivino, Leonor Briones, Gilberto Duavit Jr., Reese Lansangan, Marc Pingris, Richard Reynoso and Rosa Rosal
October 17 - Adolf Alix Jr., Bea Alonzo, Sam Concepcion, Jake Llamas, Vina Morales, Karen Reyes, Mariz Ricketts, Paul Soriano and Cris Villonco
October 18 - Stanley Abuloc, Lucas Bersamin, Kat de Castro, Sarah Elago, Michelle Forro, Gloc-9, Gabriel Irabagon, Karla Paderna, Margot Torres and Railey Valeroso
October 19 - Atom Araullo, Christian Bautista, Maricel Callo, RR Enriquez, Romer Lumbang, Mo Twister, Rye Sarmiento, Jopet Sison and Janine Tugonon
October 20 - Alvin Anson, Nicole Dulalia, Keino Encelan, Isabel Oli, Gina Pareno, Manolo Pedrosa, Marco Perez, Rachel Peters and Gino Roque
October 21 - Rainier Castillo, Matt Dallas, Chito Jaime, Kim Kardashian, Sol F. Matugas, Daryl Mirhan, Jose Javier Reyes, Harry Roque, and Mitch Valdes
October 22 - Gus Abelgas, Lance Carr, Lindsay Custodio, Matt Evans, Shernan Gaite, Kristine Hammond, Jade Lopez, Lie Reposposa, and Kiara Takahashi
October 23 - Harlene Delgado, Mel Feliciano, Andre Garcia, Jay Gonzaga, Nancy Grace, Argee Guerrero, Klariz Magboo, Memphis Malapad and Jojo Panaligan
October 24 - Lougee Basabas, Pia Guanio, JC Gumacal, Arjan Jimenez, Allyson McBride, Isko Moreno, Willie Ong, Jonvic Remula, and Alfred Vargas
October 25 - Leandro Baldemor, Miggy Carandang, Gabe Castelo, Juan Miguel Elorde, Chris Newsome, Grace Padaca, Nikki Pamintuan, and Gilleth Sandico
October 26 - Ronnie Alonte, Eduardo Ano, Antonio Carpio, Vic del Rosario, Nina Dolino, Shoichi Oka, Seng Perez, Joey Salceda and Joel Saracho
October 27 - Kyle Almeda, Paulo Angeles, JJ Ararao, Tart Carlos, Kevin Duno, Nino Muhlach, Heart Ramos, Kiefer Ravena, Maika Rivera, Charo Santos-Concio
October 28 - Alvin Aragon, Carmelita Bautista, Alan Peter Cayetano, Quark Henares, Delfin Lorenzana, Joaquin Reyes, Mark Rivera and Aina Solano
October 29 - Boy Abunda, Regine Angeles, Manuel Chua, Luke Conde, Angelika dela Cruz, Eumir Marcial, Cherie Mercado, Trajan Moreno, Nikki Oliva, Cris Queg and Elisha Sorreno
October 30 - Rich Alvarez, Ryan Arabejo, Ben Bailey, Tintin Bersola, Faye de Castro, Eva Marcille, Aiza Marquez, Janel Parrish, Kevin Pollak and Ivanka Trump
October 31 - Connie Angeles, Christopher de Leon, Jackie Gonzaga, Nadine Lustre, Eduardo Manalo, Lassy Marquez, Bryan Santos, Tessie Tomas, Josh Villena
Friday, October 15, 2021
Historical revisionism
HISTORY,” Sir Winston Churchill is supposed to have said, “is written by the victors.” When Ferdinand Marcos and his immediate family (and some nurses and some diaper boxes and some suitcases that had more than just clothes in them) were packed off into US Air Force planes and taken to Hawaii, anyone could predict what was coming: the excesses of the Marcos years would be revealed, their family name would be besmirched forever, and the Philippines would never welcome again any politician or family that would look at political power as a means to enrich themselves.
The Aquino years would inspire a rewriting of the story of the Marcos years (1965-1986) and that chapter would be closed, forever.
Today, 56 years after the elder Marcos won his first four-year term as President, 49 years after he declared Martial Law, 40 years after he lifted it, 38 years after his political archenemy was gunned down in cold blood at the Manila International Airport tarmac, 35 years after he was flown into exile, and 28 years after he passed away in Hawaii, many Filipinos are taking a second look at Ferdinand Marcos, using lenses that the Aquino years never prescribed.
It seems that any of the rewriting of the history of the years of the “New Society” by the Aquino government never sunk in. Or perhaps it seems that the readers of that history – as written by the “victors,” – has not been as broadly accepted. Instead, today there is a sense of foreboding among the political heirs of the Aquino struggle against Marcos that what they had tried to painstakingly show to the Filipino as fact is now more often being seen as fiction.
The point is this. History may always be subject to being written by victors, but the writing must be based on facts. But then, as many people will interpret or value the same historical fact in as many different ways. Was Martial Law really declared to save Philippine society from falling into the hands of communists in an age of dominoes? Or was it declared mainly to perpetuate one man in office?
History also is not static, and many times the passing of time provides people a different perspective from that of those involved at the moment. Interpretations are influenced by distance, and the dominant interpretation today may not be the dominant one tomorrow.
Many of my father’s generation, for example, swore to never forgive the Japanese for their occupation of the Philippines. That generation is now almost gone; the new generation no longer feels that way. And the same could very well apply to the story of the Marcoses.
If history is indeed written by the victors, and if the EDSA Revolution of 1986 was indeed a victory of democracy over dictatorship, and if the political winds these days seem to indicate a perspective that no longer sees EDSA 1986 in the same light, then it only means that someone didn’t do a good job in the writing of that part of our history.
For sure, what some of us see as a rewriting of history is seen by some others as just a correction in the rewriting that was done by the victors after EDSA 1986.
The writing – and the rewriting – is definitely far from being over and done.
Personal: Happy birthday Aloha Solis; Adrian Perez; GP Bantug; Shirley Dagordan; Rev. Fr. Mark Kim Samones; Pastora Hossana Pabalan; Pastora Emelita Cortez Cano of JIL Bayugan, Agusan del Sur; Pastor Charlie Pahati of JIL Caniogan, Pasig; Hannah Leah Samorin of Christian Influencers United PH; Zoe Broadcasting Network Chairman, President, and CEO Atty. Sherwin Tugna; Tito Gilbert Desano Baliday; Gerry E. Sunga; Perry Lansingan; Aira Louisse Villanueva; Melanie Pascua Angquilo; happy wedding anniversary Lito and Maria Alvarez; belated happy birthday Rev. Fr. Manuel Cuevas (Oct. 12); Reylan Labitao; Thess Ventura of London, England, United Kingdom; Hannah Valdezco (Oct. 14); get well soon Marilyn Almario and Alfred Almario from Ailyn Arenas
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Sakto | TeleRadyo (14 October 2021)
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Democracy (and more) is corrupted
OVER the last few days, a new topic has entered the regular COVID-laced conversation between friends – politics. This, after one important milestone has passed, the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy for every elective office, from President down to the city or municipal councilor.
But because Philippine democracy is much more “complex” than many others, the passing of the deadline is not the end of it, really. There still is a period of “substitution” (which ends on November 15) during which parties can replace someone who has already filed a certificate of candidacy with someone else who, in effect, is able to file a certificate of candidacy beyond the deadline for filing certificates of candidacy.
So the deadline really is not the deadline because there is another deadline! How very much like the saying that in the Philippines many of the things in our statute books aren’t really laws, they’re just recommendations. And the better connected you are, the more empowered you are to “ignore” these “recommendations.”
As I’ve said previously, democracy has to contend with free enterprise in countries like the US, and the UK, less so perhaps in Germany, but definitely so in a country like ours. What do I mean by this?
Democracy is all about every qualified citizen having one vote, which he may decide to cast in favor of a candidate. (Or not to cast at all, for that matter). In its simplest and purest form, democracy evens the playing field because a pauper and a tycoon both have just one vote each.
But free enterprise – let’s just call it capitalism – comes in. And changes everything.
Because in capitalism, he who has the gold makes the rules. And so when we overlay capitalism on top of democracy, what happens? A tycoon then may officially have one vote, but because of his wealth he effectively has millions more. In his pocketbook. His capitalist power then trumps the democratic power of the pauper.
And that’s how democracy is corrupted here, or in America, or wherever the political system is not strong enough to create and then respect a dividing line between the two spheres of life – between democracy and capitalism. It is possible to do so, to limit the influence of money on politics, if society has the will.
Yes, a big IF.
Some two months ago I quizzed an old college friend about the political situation. “We are still working on VP Leni,” he told me, “but she seems really reluctant. If she doesn’t run, sss we will support Isko.”
Isko? I said. Why Isko? I personally think he is a promising politician, but I’ve said it here before – I look forward to a three-term Mayor Isko teaming up with a three-term Mayor Vico and you’d have one hell of a tandem. But three terms were necessary so they could both point to a track record. Because a track record should matter, yes?
My friend’s answer was pragmatic: “If VP Leni doesn’t run we need to support the strongest candidate who can beat the candidates of PRRD.”
I smiled to myself. My friend was clearly working on the assumption that Mayor Isko was going to run a campaign against PRRD. And in truth, it seemed that way. For a while at least.
Then something must have happened.
Lucky for my college friend, VP Leni has decided to run, because I think it is clear now that Mayor Isko is not the candidate he was looking for. And when Aksyon Demokratiko accepted the Manila Mayor, I wonder if they figured at that time that he was the best “antithesis to PRRD” candidate?
The party that the late Senator Raul Roco founded may have to think again or join the ranks of the PDP-Laban, which has strayed so far from its founding ideals it is now totally unrecognizable.
Think about it: Even the idea of holding a party convention to nominate candidates who, however, do not run for the positions for which they are nominated? What a way to turn your party processes into a joke.
Fact is, every political party is corrupted. Very clearly, even our party nomination system is corrupted.
And democracy is corrupted.
And Mayor Domagoso? I hope I am proven wrong, but it seems to me that the young Mayor Domagoso, like democracy itself, is corrupted.
I will be happy to be proven wrong.
Personal: Happy birthday Fr. Conrado Marra, OP; Ate Angel Salapante get well soon; Betchay Vidanes; Pastor Danilo Quiambao of JIL Concepcion, Tarlac; Pastora Florinda Quimada Flores of JIL Tatalon, Quezon City; Kagawad Roberto dela Vega of Barangay Bambang, Pasig City; Maria Dorcas Manacpo; Jessica Belo; Mary Sanchez; Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown; tol Raymond Saculles; Ateng Cristy Bondoc Orjalo; Rev. Fr. Reginald Mamaril; bunso Jon Jovic Andaya; Rose Garcia-Fabregas; ate apple enaya get well soon; Choy Bobles; Congresswoman Aleta Suarez of Quezon; Rev. Fr. Artemio Fabros; Bro. Jun Gonzales and Bro Gener Perez of El Shaddai Gospel Music Ministry; Happy wedding anniversary Pong Codilla and Beverly Isidro; belated happy birthday papa Jose Renel Nadres; Gemma Victorio Maramba; Rhona Refugia; Pastor Lyndon Negranza of JIL General T. De Leon, Valenzuela; MENRO Administrator Aide III Maria Veronica Salendrez of Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro; Joselito Villamor; Wilfredo Panopio; Remagie Dator; Norma Sariah Tiama; Yveth Lawas; Diana Merto; Krezia Lorraine Ogana; Ate Mary Ann Abarquez; Rev. Fr. Menardo Nabong, Jr.; mama Lanie Arcenas; SK Kagawad Zyrah Anne Clata of Barangay Anolid, Mangaldan, Pangasinan; Kagawad Nick Gatmaitan of Barangay Parulan, Plaridel, Bulacan; maam Cristine Dimaano; Joanna Rose Cebreros Rodriguez from Jack Cebreros Ada; Kapitan Noel Samaco of Barangay Tabon 1, Imus, Cavite; Punong Barangay Tetchie Mendoza of Barangay 485, Sampaloc, Manila; Barangay Councilor Gilbert Livelo of Barangay Prinza, General Trias, Cavite; Councilor Arturo Alcuran of Barangay Sampiruhan, Calamba, Laguna; Kapitan Welsing Arabis; Kuya Jon Estrada; Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator Cepriano Abergos; Kapitan Armando Inciong of Barangay Duhatan, Lipa, Batangas; Dada Gripon; raymond santiago; Ricci Chan; Saicy Aguila; Pilar mateo; Sky Comison; Councilor Diorella Sotto-Antonio of Quezon City; UPCI Evangelist Sir Trent Gilliam; Annika Shayne Portuguez; gha Efrain Gajo; Serafin Pua; Carl John Barrameda; Municipal Health Office Joey Albert Junio (Oct. 12); Get well soon Ma'am Prisilda Dela Cruz; Bejie Carl Gulfan
https://malayaph.com/news_opinion/democracy-and-more-is-corrupted/
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Sakto | TeleRadyo (12 October 2021)
Monday, October 11, 2021
Duterte spox believes Bangsamoro polls to be postponed until 2025
President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman on Monday said it is likely that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's (BARMM) first regular elections next year would be postponed after legislative measures pushing for it have hurdled both chambers of Congress.
The Senate last week ratified the reconciled version of the bills seeking to postpone the BARMM elections until 2025, leaving the measure up for Duterte's approval.
"All I know is that both houses have passed it, so there is no impediment for it to become law. It becomes law if the President does not sign it within a certain number of days," said the President's spokesman Harry Roque.
"Sa akin po, wala na pong gusot 'yan. I think the elections will really be postponed, and the members of the BARMM will be appointed by the President," he said in a press briefing.
(For me, there's no more problem.)
Under the reconciled bill, the landmark Bangsamoro Organic Law would be amended to indicate that the region's first regular elections would be in 2025, instead of 2022.
A provision of the bill says the President may appoint a new set of interim officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority or the region's parliament.
The current BTA, sitting as the region's parliament, has yet to enact its own electoral code, a crucial document needed to govern the supposed elections in May 2022.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim earlier vowed to finalize the region's electoral code in the first quarter of 2021, but the document has yet to materialize 8 months away from the May 2022 polls.
The BTA lobbied to postpone the elections, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but other groups in the region are opposing the move.
The establishment of the BARMM and its government fulfills major provisions of the 2014 peace accord of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the national government, fostering hopes for an end to the cycle of violence in the southern Philippines.
The BARMM is considered to adequately address the historical and socio-political roots of the nearly decades-long Muslim insurgency in the country.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/11/21/duterte-spox-believes-bangsamoro-polls-to-be-postponed
Southern Leyte voters to elect 2 reps in Congress for the 1st time
TACLOBAN CITY––For the first time in history, voters of Southern Leyte province will elect two representatives in the 2022 elections.
Republic Act 11198, which was approved on Feb. 19, 2019, reapportioned the lone congressional district of the province into two.
Rep. Roger Mercado, who is seeking a new term for the province’s first congressional district, sponsored the law.
The first district, which has a voting population of 132,114 as of the 2019 elections, covers Maasin City and the towns of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Opus, and Bontoc.
Mercado will be slugging it out for the post against two other candidates.
Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan, and Silago towns comprise the newly created second congressional district, which has more than 160,200 registered voters.
Vice Gov. Christopher Yap, a political ally of Mercado, will run for congressman in the district.
Four others have filed their certificates of candidacy for the same post.
Mercado earlier said that having two representatives would mean more funding from the national government and Congress.
His brother, Damian, is seeking another term as governor of the province, while his son, Naccional, is running for his third term as mayor of Maasin City.
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