Between November 2009 and January 2010, the candidates are said to have spent around PHP991 million in advertisements.

Aquino P127m
Estrada P41m
Gordon P119m
Teodoro P184m
Villanueva P44m
Villar P475m

Imagine this.


A 49sqm classroom, according to CGMA, can cost around $4000 or PHP375k each.


A Gawad Kalinga home according to www.ancop.ca costs $2,500 which covers the basic materials for a 200-250 sq. ft. home. Labor cost comes free from beneficiary and volunteers. Site development costs for deep wells, pavements, sewer systems) and peripheral costs (multi-purpose halls, playgrounds) come on top of the $2,500).


The amount can provide elementary to high school education for around 3 million poor children (based on my reading of World Vision's site that an annual sponsorship of PHP7,200 can send one child to school).


If the candidates will distribute their spendings to all, more than 6,500 poor families can have their own business.

That could mean 826 families will have a Rice in a Box franchise, 330 families will have Zagu Pearl's, 5,300 families can have food cart business (i.e. small noodle station, a lapaz batchoy stand, hot pares special eatery, etc).

Too sosyal? Then, let's calculate it this way: Lend each family PHP100k to put up a business, that's more than 9,000 families.

Too bad our politicians view of 'serving the Filipino people' is so twisted that all of them live by this trite and contempti-bull only-if-I-am-elected-will-I-be-able-to-help-the-many notion. They have in fact doubled that amount during the period of February and April 2010.

Aquino P269m
Estrada P127m
Gordon P69m
Teodoro P49m
Villanueva P8m
Villar P412m

Them six could have helped a lot of Pinoys sooner.  But they opted to run as our President instead.  Scary.

It's not easy as it looks.

We're supposed to know the answers to what appear to be too-easy questions, but try playing Pinoy Hangaroo, and you'll realize that it's not really that easy. It's fun, yes; but not easy.

This morning, I conquered Pinoy Hangaroo! Yehey!  (You'll only understand why ecstatic I am with this one win if you will try playing the game!).



Here are some sample categories that I had difficulty answering.













Thanks to Marhgil Macuha for this game!

Yesterday, my officemates and I cast our vote for the 2010 May Elections at the Overseas Absentee Voting Center in IPSA, Alkhobar.

Meet Dionisio Jabon, an OFW and a marshall at the voting precint.


Look, me-thumb is blued. I have voted!

I was waiting for a colleague to finish his meeting so we can return to the office when I noticed a circular dust 'dancing' in front of me.

My friend said it's what you call a dust devil (although after reading its meaning on the web, I don't think it qualifies really as a dust devil). Plus I don't think such a beauty -- unchoreographed and short-lived -- could come from an evil source. I hence call it a 'dust dance'.

During the past two elections, I voted for Raul Roco although I knew then that he had no chance of winning against the likes of Gloria Arroyo (in 2004) and Joseph Estrada (in 1998). I voted for him anyway because I believed that he'd do better for us. Too bad Roco wasn't given a chance at the presidency.

I previously said I'm going for Noynoy (sans Mar Roxas) but I had a change of heart after reading about their kind of campaign: showbizy and full of emotions. Experience taught me that emotions always mislead people from reasons. Too, Noynoy's supporters tend to be holier-than-thou, putting blame on every one else except themselves. They, who self-proclaim as clean and decent, always get more smeared later.

No-no too for Villar because, once seated, I'm sure he'd find ways -- illegally, most likely -- to recoup his expenses in this election.

Hence for this 2010 Elections, I am once again voting for another Presidentiable who is 'unlikely to win'.

Masasayang nga ba ang boto ko if I go for Gordon and Bayani?, as what most of my friends tell me. I never felt I wasted my vote on Roco; I still hold this belief that he would have done better as Philippine President than those who won the previous two elections: Estrada and Arroyo. In fact, I'm still proud to have voted for Roco even if he's not winnable and even if the surveys were right after all. But you see, surveys have their ways of screwing us, and the sad fact is most Filipinos believe and are swayed by them.

History, I know, will prove me right that my Gordon/Bayani vote will definitely not go to waste.


The oldest of them is 86; the youngest 31. They are as important as our choice for President and his VP. The fact is I don't know most of the 61 senatoriables, and those I'm familiar with, am really not keen in voting. I hence narrowed down my personal choices as follows:
1. Definitely Susan Ople and Sonia Roco;
2. Except for Serge Osmeña III and maybe Pia Cayetano, I will not vote for any of the re-electionists;
3. I will not vote anyone older than 65. They may have the necessary experience, but this time, I guess I'll try the fresher minds;
4. I may love watching them on tv, but I'm definitely not going to vote for them celebs;
5. I am not keen in voting for left-wingers;
6. I will base my selection on profession (enough of lawyers; more on educators).

By the way, here's an Excel sheet of all the candidates running in the 2010 National Elections. The candidates' details were taken from their individual COCs filed with the Commission on Elections. Feel free to download the list for your use.



In Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia, OAV commenced on 10 April 2010. The polling place at IPSA (International Philippine School in Alkhobar) opened at 8am up to 4pm on the 10th, and from 8am to 7pm on the succeeding weekdays. During weekends, they will open from 10am to 6pm.

Last day of voting, on 10 May 2010, will be from 8am to 1pm.

The Philippine Embassy Office in Alkhobar encourages all Alkhobar OAV's to check the Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters (CLOAV) via website: www.comelec. gov.ph. prior to going to IPSA. (Exercise your patience because the site is too slow due to traffic).

"OAV in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be done manually (personal voting) and each overseas absentee voter shall be selecting candidates for national positions" says Alkhobar Labor Attache David T Dicang. That's for the President and Vice President, 12 senators and one party-list.

It's entitled Silent Beauty, a Zain tv commercial running in most MBC programs.

The boy's sweet voice, even if I can't understand the language, is simply angelic. The simple melody is lulling.  And of course, the artistically-painted hands depicting various objects are simply amazing.

The music's English translation is as below. Hmmm...profound! I hardly understood what it meant, but I really liked the full concept.

Did you see the sun lighting up the sky?

That's a tad late for a Christmas greeting, ain't it? But hey, shouldn't we be merrier because we are celebrating the Risen Christ today? So I guess that's, as what my friend usually tells me: apropo!


Here's a picture I've taken some days ago using my never-dependable cellphone. It's a photo of sprouting leaves from a grown tree.



When I took the photo, I thought that it so depicts my religious life -- I, a person with so feeble a faith, relying mainly and very dependent on 'my tree'. I'm not even a part of the proverbial branch yet (but I so wish I could be soon). I know 'my tree' would really want me to grow and be a branch myself, and from my branch will grow some other branches. I guess I'd have to be patient. I am a work in progress -- still a sprout and prayerfully will one day be a branch, and be a branch for others. Amen.


I'm proud to announce the launching of the maiden issue of The Kablogs Journal created by and dedicated to OFW bloggers around the world.



The journal is a collaborative efforts of various bloggers who contributed their time and brains to the project. (My hat's off to Janelle Vales of The Pink Tarha! She's tireless, who barraged us with sound ideas, and whose -- in her own term -- not-so-OC-ness kept me on my toes! Thank you, Janelle!).

The e-zine is an ongoing exercise. For now, it will publish new materials on a monthly basis (but, with enough materials and sources, we dream of publishing it twice a month). And so we invite you to take part in the future issues of the journal by contributing materials related to the monthly theme.

In the meantime, please feel free to visit our/your Journal and share us your thoughts (and ideas) on how we can further improve it.

Ama, patawarin mo sila sapagkat hindi nila alam ang kanilang ginagawa.
Amay, patawara sila kay wala sila makahibalo sang ila ginahimo.
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Padre, perdónalos, porque no saben lo que hacen.




Diyos ko, Diyos ko, bakit mo ako pinabayaan?
Dios ko, Dios ko, ngaa ginpabay-an mo ako?
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Dios mío, Dios mío, por qué me has desamparado?




Ginang, narito ang iyong anak"...sinabi niya sa alagad: "Narito ang iyong ina.
Yari ang imo anak."...dayon sa iya sumulunod, "Yari ang imo iloy.
Woman, behold your son!"...to the disciple, "Behold your mother!
Mujer, he ahí tu hijo...He ahí tu madre.




Ako ay nauuhaw.
Ginauhaw ako.
I thirst!
Tengo sed.




Katotohanang sinasabi ko sa iyo, sa araw na ito, ikaw ay makakasama ko sa Paraiso.
Matuod ining ginasiling ko sa imo nga karon nga adlaw mangin kaupod ko ikaw sa Paraiso.
Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.
De cierto te digo que hoy estarás conmigo en el paraíso.




Naganap na.
Tapos na!
It is finished!
Consumado es.




Ama, sa iyong mga kamay ay ipinagkakatiwala ko ang aking espiritu.
Amay, ginatugyan ko sa imo ang akon espiritu!
Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu.

The above four translations (in Tagalog, Hiligaynon, English and Spanish) of Jesus' Seven Last Words were sourced from biblegateway.com/.