Magnitude 7.6 Earthquake Rocks Sulangan, Philippines (Eastern Samar)

A strong earthquake with a magnitide of 7.6 (corrected from 7.9) shakes Eastern Visayas area of the Philippines at around 8:47 PM, august 31, 2012. The tremor was felt as far as Davao City. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the quake was located at 135 km East of Sulangan.

Because the epicenter is located at the sea, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a warning for Indonesia, Philippines, Belau, Yap, Taiwan, Japan, Guam, N. Marianas, Papua New Guinea A Tsunami Watch is in Effect For Chuuk, Marcus Is., Kosrae, Pohnpei, Marshall Is., Wake Is., Solomon Is., Russia, Nauru.
View M7.9 - 135km E of Sulangan, Philippines - 2012-08-31 12:47:35 UTC in a larger map
 In Cebu City, the tremor sent thousands on the street. Occupants of high-rise buildings were forced to evacuate as soon as the shaking stopped. According unconfirmed reports, Jones avenue was filled with people in response to the quake.

Tsunami Warning for Legazpi, Davao, and Palanan

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued specific warnings to the following areas in the Philippines: Legazpi, Davao and Palanan. According to the report, it is not certain whether a tsunami was generated but an earthquake of this intensity is capable of creating destructive tsunamis that can hit nearby coasts in minutes. The report further said that the tsunami, if ever created will arrive at around 9:40PM today.

UPDATE: all tsunami warnings has been cancelled.

Viral Video: Oppa Gangnam Style

Have you heard of the "Oppa Gangnam Style" music video? Well, if you did, it would be no surprise because it's the latest YouTube sensation in the US and its popularity is spreading to other countries as well. To testify to its immense popularity, the music video which was upload in YouTube last July 15 have already garnered 70 Million views. And as expected, a number of parodies has already surfaced.

Korean Rapper PSY performing Oppa Gangnam Style (screenshot from YouTube)

What Does Gangnam Style Mean?
Gangnam Style is a Korean term associated with lavish lifestyle. That can readily be seen in the video as PSY performs dance moves with fashionable clothing and at most times surrounded by pretty, well-dressed girls.
The term rose from Gangnam District, which is one of the wealthiest areas in Seoul, South Korea. The word "Oppa", on the other hand literally means "brother".

Monday, August 27, 2012 is National Heroes Day, A National Holiday

Malacañang Palace, the residence of the Philippine president, (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is another long weekend for employees and students. As scheduled late last year via Proclamation No. 295, August 27, 2012 (Monday) will be a regular national holiday in celebration of the annual National Heroes Day. With that, all classes and by default, all work shall be suspended for that day to give everyone time to celebrate the patriotic event.

In cases where the employee needs to go to work, as agreed upon between him and the employer, the employee shall be entitled to an additional pay as dictated by the existing labor law. The official gazette of the government at www.gov.ph has published the pay rules made by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) during this holiday.

MVP on Twitter - PLDT's Manuel V Pangilinan Official Twitter Account Launched

Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) chairman Manuel V Pangilinan commonly referred to as MVP is now on twitter. His account which officially goes online today is @iamMVP. Tweeted by Smart Communications, MVP is now inviting everyone to follow his tweets.

PLDT is the largest communication company in the country and is a leading provider of wired and wireless communication services such as telephone, internet, satellite TVs and many more.

June 2012 Nursing Board Exam Result is Now Out!

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has just released the results of the  Board Exam for Nurses. According to their official website, www.prc.gov.ph, 27,823 out of 60,895 passed the exam that was given in key cities of the country (Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, Laoag, Legazpi, Lucena, Nueva Ecija, Pagadian, Pampanga, Tacloban, Tuguegarao  and Zamboanga) last June 2012.

Roxanne Trinity Dotingco  Lim of the University of Sto. Thomas lead this phase of examinees garnering a score of 86.2. She was closely followed by Kristen Erika Hife  Pino of Cebu Normal University and Carmela Celebrado  Shimizu of the University of Saint Anthony with a weighted score of 85.4.

Here's the complete list of passers:



Link to the document: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7VcevvLAoMQVFJzTlF3VWljR1E/edit

Public Outrage Pours in Social Media Against a Man that Assaults a MMDA Enforcer

Interaksyon.com first broke the news about the video where a man was seen assaulting a seemingly helpless MMDA traffic enforcer. According to the report, TV 5 producers was incidentally in a car next to the scene. The camera was inside the car but the voices from outside can still be heard. Immediately after posting the video on YouTube, the words MMDA and the man's name quickly trends on twitter. The tweets shows sympathy to the humiliated enforcer and anger to the man.In YouTube, similar comments can also be found, most of which are seeking for justice.

The man is identified as Mr. Blair Carabuena working as a human resources officer in a tobacco company: According to interaksyon.com, Blair refused to give statements regarding the event. Meanwhile, the enforcer was identified as T/C Mr. Saturnino Fabros. Based on the their latest tweet, MMDA Legal is filing a case against the Mr. Blair tomorrow.

Avoiding further exposure of his information, Mr. Blair Carabuena has shut down his Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account.

A Warning to Everyone
Social media has become so powerful nowadays. Sadly though, it can be used for both good and bad purposes. For instance, during the floods last week, Marian Tan trends on twitter. Rage poured out against her for her alleged statements against the Philippines and her fellow Filipinos. But eventually, it was discovered that a fake account pretending to be her was used to destroy her name. Too late, her name has been cursed in every possible way before the truth surfaced. A sad case of cyber bullying.

Well, in this case, it can be different. As I see the helpless MMDA enforcer verbally and physically humiliated by a proud (seems) man, my blood boils as my sense of justice clamor for punishment against the man who did that. I can't blame the twitter citizens for voicing out their own rage against the man. But we always have to be careful when doing so. We have to assess if we know enough information before we say anything in the public cyberspace. If we're not careful, we will be part of online bullies, of which the number is growing.

This is also a warning to everyone who wants to do anything bad to someone. The days when you can freely assault somebody weaker than you is over. With cheap cameras already in the hands of ordinary people, it is too easy to capture a photo or a video of you doing your bad acts. And with the right timing, you can be an instant online celebrity of hatred.

Mixed Reaction on Bourne Legacy: I'm Not Satisfied, Almost Disappointed

Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross in Bourne Legacy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A couple of days ago, I watched one of the most awaited movie in the country, the Bourne Legacy, the fourth installment of the Bourne movie series, all of which are based on Robert Ludlum;'s novel series bearing the same title. The film stars Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) playing the role of Aaron Cross, a state assassin, Rachel Weisz (Constant Gardener) as Dr. Martha Shearing, a medical scientist and Edward Norton as Eric Byer, the primary antagonist.

Here's some of the things I want to say to those who haven't watched it yet and especially to those who are planning to watch it.

Warning: Before Watching Bourne Legacy, Watch Bourne 1, 2 & 3

Well, as mentioned, this is the fourth movie in the series. And although it tells the story of a new character Aaron Cross (Jason Bourne is the lead character in the previous three Bourne movies), the story is strongly connected to the previous three. The link is so strong that if you failed to watch the previous three Bourne movies, you'll end up scratching your head from the start until the end of because you likely will not understand the story.

For the benefit of those who are not familiar with the first three movies, here are the titles:
Bourne Identity (2002)
Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- note: all three stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne

If there's no chance of watching the first three, well at least read the plot in Wikipedia.

The Movie is Not Bad But Far from Great and I was Almost Disappointed

Let's face it. Most Filipinos who would watch this movie are very much eager to see Manila in a Hollywood movie. And I think, many will watch only for that sole reason. Well, in my case, I have two major reasons. One is that I want to see Manila and Philippine actors in a mainstream foreign movie. Second is that I am a fan of the Bourne Series. The first three movies is among my favorite action films of all time.

I have one common experience when I watched the first three. Each time the movie ends, it held me hanging for a few minutes trying to reminisce the scenes and the dialogs of the character and the message that the movie has just relayed. In short, the first three Bourne movies is thought-provoking.

Well, sadly, Bourne Legacy failed to do just that. Actually, what I felt is that, it ended abruptly, without any closure and without completing the message of the movie. For that and my huge expectation of this movie, I was almost disappointed.

Nevertheless, I was satisfied to see Manila and Filipino actors in a Hollywood movie. Except that one lady who found Rachel with his daughter and just shouted hysterically. For me, that was so corny and overacted.

Should You Watch Bourne Legacy?

For me, you may watch it. But not in IMAX or other expensive type of theaters. Just watch it in an ordinary cinema and it would suffice. Watch it for Manila scenes...watch it for the crowded streets and traffic jams of Manila...watch it because, it is possible that your viewpoint will be different from mine.

Malacanang Declares August 20 and 21, 2012 (Monday and Tuesday) as Holidays

English: Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III (2010-present) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

President Benigno Aquino III declares August 20, 2012 as a regular national non-working holiday in Celebration of the Muslim festival Eid’l Fitr.  The president made the declaration via Proclamation No. 455 series of 2012.

This would be a good news for employees because on the next day, August 21, 2012 (Tuesday) the country will celebrate Ninoy Aquino Day as previously declared via Proclamation 295.

This weekend will be a long weekend with the two holidays being Monday and Tuesday. And on the week after next week (Monday, August 27), the country will again be on a national holiday in celebration of the National Heroes Day.

Not Good News For Flood Stricken Areas?
The National Capital Region and neighboring provinces recently suffered from torrential monsoon rains that left the region soaked under floodwater. Classes on all levels has been suspended for almost the entire week of August 6-10 with some areas still under class suspension until now. The Department of Education (DepEd) has been in discussion on how to make up for the lost days of classes. It appears that Saturday classes would be one of them.

This movement of the holiday will add another lost day. Anyway, if the Saturday classes will pursue, it would be just a small thing to add one Saturday for this holiday.

Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Suspends Classes in NCR, and other Luzon Provinces Tomorrow, Thursday, August 9, 2012

A new announcement regarding suspended classes emerges early this evening that will prevent confusion as to which places have suspended their classes for tomorrow, August 9, 2012. Based on the recommendation of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Executove Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr issued Memorandum Circular No. 34 effectively suspending all classes in the following regions and provinces:

National Capital Region (NCR)

Zambales

Bataan

Pampanga

Pangasinan

Tarlac

Bulacan

Laguna

Cavite 

Rizal

Habagat Rains to Continue Tomorrow

The torrential rains that flooded Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon in the past several days brought about by Soutwest Monsoon (Hanging Habagat) is expected to continue until tomorrow, Thursday. The major dams (Ipo, Lamesa) around Metro Manila has been in overflow levels since Monday. Marikina river is also in a dangerous level forcing evacuation of affected communities. Early this afternoon, Pasay City was put under the state of calamity.

Exercise Care and Vigilance

To be able to keep safe from the dangers brought by severe raining such as landslides and flash floods, everybody is urged to exercise care and vigilance. Be observant on the things that are happening inside and outside your houses. any unusual noise and commotion should be taken seriously.

Also, diseases usually follows the floods due to lack of safe drinking water. Also, cases of  leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can be acquired through contaminated floodwater, usually increase after floods strikes Metro Manila. These diseases can be avoided though by taking extra care.

Keep Your Survival Kit Ready
Always make sure that your survival kit is ready during these times. It may consist of emergency lights, food and drinking water, first aid kit, matches or lighter, extra batteries and multi tooled knife (swiss knife). Research the net for typical survival kits. Make sure that your cellular phones are charged all the time as you don't know when the electricity will be gone.

Class Suspension for August 8, 2012 (Wednesday)

Due to continuous raining and flooding in many parts of Metro Manila and Luzon, some local governments have declared work and classes suspension. Here are the list of LGUs that declared class suspension for Wednesday, August 8, 2012:

- Makati City - all levels, private and public
- Manila  City - all levels, private and public
- San Juan City - all levels, private and public
- Caloocan- all levels, private and public
- Laguna- all levels, private and public
- Las Piñas- all levels, private and public
- Mandaluyong- all levels, private and public
- Marikina- all levels, private and public
- Muntinlupa- all levels, private and public
- Navotas- all levels, private and public
- Pampanga- all levels, private and public
- Parañaque- all levels, private and public
- Rodriguez, Rizal- all levels, private and public
- Taguig- all levels, private and public
- Valenzuela- all levels, private and public
- Cavite Province- all levels, private and public
- Taytay, Cainta, Rizal- all levels, private and public
- Binangonan, Rizal - up to High Schoool
- Pasig City -  all levels, private and public
- Malabon City -  all levels, private and public
- Pateros City -  all levels, private and public
- San Jose del Monte  -  all levels, private and public
- Olongapo City -  all levels, private and public
- Quezon City -  all levels, private and public
- Baliuag, Paombong, Bulacan -  all levels, private and public
- Bataan - all levels, private and public
- Tarlac - up to High School



School Suspensions: (from gov.ph)

Adamson University

Ateneo de Manila University

Ateneo Law School, Far Eastern University (all campuses)

Centro Escolar University (all campuses)

University of the Philipines (Manila and Los Baños)

De La Salle University

Don Bosco (Mandaluyong)

Fatima University

Jose Rizal University, Letran

Manila Tytana University

Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Sta. Mesa, Manila; San Juan; and Taguig campuses)

St. Paul (Pasig)

Malayan Colleges (Laguna)

to be updated...

Online Rage Against Marian Tan Amid Floods in Metro Manila

Amid the continuous rain and flooding in Manila that caused several nearby dams to overflow and Marikina river reaching dangerous state, online rage out-poured against the person named "Marian Tan". As of the time of writing Marian Tan is trending in twitter. And as you read over the tweets, you can easily notice the anger of the twitter citizens.

Who is Marian Tan?
Well, based on her Facebook profile, she was a Freelance model. And based on several information I obtained from the tweets, there was apparently a fake Marian Tan twitter profile that posted several tweets that made fun of the floods occurring in the country. Below is the posts of the allegedly fake Marian Tan Twitter profile.

This is apparently the true Marian Tan account:

Cyber bullying

If proven that the post indeed came from someone pretending to be Marian Tan, this is a good example of cyber bullying, where a person's reputation can be destroyed by fake and baseless allegations intensified by the power of social media. This is the bad side of the internet.

Update: This is the appeal of the real Marian Tan account:

GUYS THIS IS THE REAL MARIAN TAN ! Pls Dont Listen to my POSER ! This is my OFFICIAL TWITTER Account and there's no OTHER ! PLS SPREAD -  iamprettyshobs

Class Suspensions for August 7, 2012 (Tuesday)

Due to continous raining and the rise of floodwater in some areas of Metro Manila, some of the Local Government Units have suspended their classes for tomorrow, August 7, 2012 (Tuesday). Here are the latest list as of the time of writing.

- Manila - all levels suspended, public and private
- Muntinlupa - all levels suspended, public and private
- Marikina - all levels suspended, public and private
- Navotas - all levels suspended, public and private
- Paranaque- all levels suspended, public and private
- Pateros - all levels suspended, public and private
- Makati - all levels suspended, public and private
- Taguig - all levels suspended, public and private
- Malabon - up to High School suspended, public and private
- Cavite Province - all levels suspended, public and private (updated)

- Taytay, Binagonan, Rodriguez, Angono, San Mateo, Rizal  - all levels suspended, public and private

- Cainta, Rizal- up High School suspended, public and private

- Las Pinas - all levels suspended, public and private

- Quezon City -  up to High School suspended, public and private
- San Juan City - all levels suspended, public and private
- Laguna - all levels suspended, public and private
- Caloocan City  - all levels suspended, public and private
- Pasay City- all levels suspended, public and private
- Hermosa and Balanga City, Bataan -  all levels suspended, public and private

- Antipolo City - all levels suspended, public and private

- Brgys. Banaba, Sta. Ana, Maly in SAN MATEO, Rizal - all levels suspended, public and private
- Obando Bulacan

- Valenzuela:
1. A. Deato Elementary School
2. Coloong Elementary School
3. Isla Elementary School
4. Pasolo Elementary School
5. Pio Valenzuela Elementary School
6. PR San Diego Elementary School
7. Tagalag Elementary School
8. Wawang Pulo Elementary School
9. Rincon Elementary School
10. Polo National High School
11. Arkong Bato National High School
12. Wawang Pulo National High School
13. Nuestra Senora De Guia Academy
14. San Diego Parochial School

to be updated....

Schools

Trinity University of Asia - classes and office work
Phil. Christian University, Taft Ave- all levels, incl. grad.school
Philippine College of Criminology - Manila Law College- classes and office operations
Ateneo de Manila -classes in all levels (grade school to graduate school)
University of Santo Tomas - all classes and office work
University of Caloocan City
Adamson University - all classes and office work
Colegio de San Juan de Letran - all levels
De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, DLSU-Taft, Makati and Ortigas Ext., DLSU STC - all classes, office work
Polytechnic University Philippines - all levels
Miriam College - Work & classes at all levels
St Scholastica's College- Manila no classes tom
Don Honorio Ventura Technologocal State University- Bacolor at Mexico
San Agustin Elementary School- Candaba
UE Manila & UE Caloocan
Arellano University-Malabon
UP-Manila
CEU- Makati
FEU - Manila, FEU-EAC, FEU Diliman, & FEU Makati
XAVIER SCHOOL
EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE - Manila
PHILIPPINE WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY
SoFA Design Institute
SACRED HEART SCHOOL in Malabon, Makati, Binondo, Sun Valley-Parañaque, Valenzuela & Caloocan
DON HONORIO VENTURA TECHNOLOGICAL STATE UNIVERSITY (Bacolor and Mexico)
SAN AGUSTIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Candaba)
Pasig Catholic College
St. Paul College Makati
Valenzuela City Polytechnic College

Sources:
DepEd Twitter (@DepEd_PH
PTV4 FB Page

UPDATED: Class Suspension for August 2, 2012 - Afternoon Classes Suspended in Selected Areas

The heavy rain might already stop tomorrow but some areas are still under flood waters. As such, the local government units of those areas have declared class suspensions until tomorrow. Here's the list:

- Obando, Bulacan - suspended all levels
- Navotas - suspended in all levels
- Valenzuela City - selected schools

1. Rincon Elementary School
2. Pasolo Elementary School
3. Isla Elementary School
4. Tagalag Elementary School
5. Coloong Elementary School
6. Pio Valenzuela Elementary School
7. Wawangpulo Elementary School
8. A. Deato Elementary School
9. P.R. San Diego Elementary School
10. Caruhatan West Elementary School
11. A. Fernando Elementary School
12. Polo National High School
13. Karuhatan National High School
14. Arkong Bato National High School
15. Dalandanan National High School
16. Nuestra Senora De Guia Academy
17. San Diego Parochial School                                 

- Malabon - Longos, Taniong, San Agustin, Tonsuyo, Dampalit and Panghulo villages, classes up to High school were suspended
- Bulacan -  No classes in   Paombong (Masukol, Sta Cruz and Binakod only), San Ildefonso (all schools, all levels); Hagonoy West (up to Elementary Level), Hagonoy East (Hagonoy East CS, San Sebastian and Teodora Cruz only)
- Cavite - Bacoor and Imus, no classes up to Elementary level
- Olongapo City: Afternoon classes in elem & secondary, both public and private are suspended
- Baguio - Malabon Baguio City afternoon classes up to High School are suspended

- Cavite: Afternoon classes suspended for all levels in Ternate, Cavite City and Bacoor. In Imus, only for Kindergarten to Elementary.
-Quezon City - Afternoon classes suspended in Bagong Silangan ES & HS.

To be updated...