Manny Pacquiao - Philippine's Boxing Legend

Filipino athletes have been known to be very determined even against all odds. We have Manny Pacquiao, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, Jerry Penalosa, Luisito Espinosa, Onyok Velasco, Efren "Bata" Reyes, Django Bustamante, Paeng Nepomuceno, Caloy Loyzaga, Robert Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Benjie Paras, Eric Buhain, Akiko Thomson, Tony Leviste, Lydia de Vega, Elma Muros and so many others. Even with limited resources and minimal support from the national government, these athletes have contributed pride and glory to our nation. The Philippines, though has not won a single gold medal at the Olympics, have continued to defy odds and challenge other athletes from different parts of the world.

Manny Pacquiao may be considered the country's greatest boxer. No other boxer, even abroad has won 7 different weight divisions. Even the Golden Boy Oscar dela Hoya or Floyd Mayweather has not earned this feat. Both have won only 6 weight division belts. Don't underestimate that, winning 6 different weight divisions is amazing, winning 7 is crazy. No matter how you put it, Pacquiao's achievement has never been done before, and not only that, his past 4 fights, Diaz, Dela Hoya, Hatton and Cotto are all very convincing wins, 3 were knockouts and 1 by submission. These 4 boxers were all heavier, taller and are said to be more powerful than him in terms of punches. His only clear advantage was his speed. But in the end, his speed was only one of his skills. He has matured into an intelligent boxer, thanks to his coach and trainer, Freddie Roach.

Filipinos should be very proud of Manny Pacquiao. We may not have another boxer of his stature in probably 10-20 years. All the news about his extra marital affairs are all being blown out of proportion by the media. People who judge him are being unfair. If all the gossips about him are true, who are we to judge the guy? Are we no different? Haven't we done anything wrong in our lives that we were ashamed to admit? People say that it is unfair to his wife and children, which is true, but we should not exploit the issue by showing their emotions on national television and talking about their lives at showbiz talk shows. Manny Pacquiao is a public figure who should be responsible since he is idolized by many, but he is still a normal human being who commits mistakes. Nobody is perfect, it is just very poor judgment that the media is exploiting his weaknesses, all just for earning more and more millions for their media corporation.

Manny Pacquiao is a gift to us Filipinos and we should thank God and him for bringing pride and glory to Filipinos all over the world. Let us try to be decent human beings and give what is due to Manny. Not only did he brought pride to us but he has helped thousands of Filipinos by donating funds to typhoon victims and provided jobs to his people in General Santos through his businesses. He will try for the second time to run for public office because he believes he can help more if he is elected. All of these are from his fists which once were hitting coconut trees when he was just a young boy dreaming to be a good boxer one day.

Applying for US Visa

Ask any Filipino you know and most probably they have a relative or a friend living in the States. We are a nation of people who treats the US as our second nation ever since they set foot on our nation during the Spanish regime. Our parents, uncles, aunts and just about anybody in their generation tried to go to the states either by looking for work or just want to have a vacation. It was generally known that if one goes to the states, life is better there, easier and you earn more. If you pass by the US Embassy, chances are you will see a lot of people applying for a visa or are scheduled for an interview. Is the grass really greener there?

I have known a few people who tried to apply for a visa. An adult who had a scholarship to the states was denied. Another who has no plans of working there, who owns a small business here was granted a visa, a couple who planned to have their honeymoon there - the husband was granted but the wife denied and another person who plans to accompany her father to see their relatives there was denied twice. People say that consuls at the embassy do not have a clear criteria on granting a visa or denying one. They say that one must have a fat bank account, travel experiences abroad and good credit standing will help. Basing on a friend's story, it does not work that way. They say that consuls just rely on their gut feelings. Do you think that is fair?
As for me, i hope that i will not be required to get a US Visa in the future. I have no plans in going there. I heard that life there is more difficult than here. It makes twice as difficult because you will miss your family here. The only logical reason for applying for a US Visa is work there pays better compared here, far much better. Vacation? There are other places better to visit. How about Europe? Other Asian countries are also worthwhile to have a vacation.

I really hope that the time will come that Filipinos will not be so restricted in going abroad, not just to the US but other first world countries as well. Filipinos are known to be very hardworking and family-oriented. Since the government here can not provide enough and decent jobs that can pay well, Filipinos should be given a fair chance to work abroad. As we all know, the government very much rely on remittances sent by OFWs to their families here, so it is logical that we need more opportunities.

Million Hectare Walk Year 3

Haribon Foundation for the third straight year will have its annual Million Hectare Walk on November 22, 2009, Sunday from 6am to 11am at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center in Quezon City. The Million Hectare Walk is one of the most successful events of Haribon and for the past 2 years and the event has attracted a lot of walkers and a lot of pledges which made the past 2 events very successful.


Our family participated for the past 2 years and this year will be our third year. During the first year, it was I who did the walking. I gathered pledges from relatives and friends but Leon, our son, had more pledges last year. It was also last year that Leon was awarded the youngest walker and my wife and I were very proud of him because it was the first time he went up a stage and receive an award which was also applauded by participants who gathered inside the amphitheater.


This year will be Leon's 3rd year and again we will gather friends and relatives to pledge for him. Hopefully we raise more funds this year and influence his cousins to walk with him too. Hopefully this event will be memorable for him so that when he grows up he can look back and say that he has contributed a lot for environment conservation.

If you would like to participate or just contribute by making a pledge to walkers, you can visit Haribon Foundation's site at: http://www.haribon.org.ph/

or you can contribute by adopting a seedling for just P 75.00 per seedling. Visit http://www.haribon.org.ph/Road/Adopt-a-Seedling-Campaign

See you there!

Planning to buy a Laptop

I have started to save because my wife and I are planning to buy a laptop this Christmas. I have been looking for an affordable one with relatively good specifications and availability of parts in case we need them in the future. Among the laptop brands we are considering are the following:

1. Acer
2. Asus
3. Compaq
4. MSI
5. E Machines

We considered the mini laptops before but the processor speed is a bit low and we need to buy an external dvd rom to use in case we want to install programs by using CDs. Plus we love taking pictures and we really need a dependable cd writer.

I am also considering to buy a desktop since the specs are far better than laptops, but being handy and portable is a laptop's advantage so we are still considering to buy a laptop than a desktop. How about a Mac Mini? Is it a good investment?

Laptops and PC are really a necessity nowadays but having one limits my time to my family when I am at home. How about you? How do you balance your time while working, spending time on line and having quality time for your family?

Metro Manila Land Value After Typhoon Ondoy

Last year, my wife and I seriously considered getting a loan from Pag-Ibig Fund to get a small house for our family. Among the sites we considered were Antipolo, Marikina, Pasig, Cavite and Fairview in QC. Most of the houses we liked placed on ads were a bit expensive and we were not able to start because we need to save for the 10-20% downpayment. I guess it was a blessing in disguise, if we had the money then, we could have bought a house in Marikina or Pasig area. Although they were a bit more expensive than houses in Antipolo, the locations were near to our place of work. After Typhoon Ondoy, Marikina and Pasig were the hardest hit within Metro Manila and after the casualties and death, many are still in the hospital fighting for their lives from diseases they got from the floods.

I could just imagine people who were selling the houses in new subdivisions in Pasig and Marikina which were priced between 2-4 million. A similar townhouse we liked in Antipolo priced at 1.6 million was priced around 2.5-3 million in Pasig. The townhouses were almost sold out and I pity people who just bought their house in Pasig. Pasig area was priced high because of its proximity to Makati, Mandaluyong and Quezon City area but after the floods, what will be the land value per sq. meter in Pasig. Even in Marikina, houses in Provident Village were upscale since it is one of the prime properties in the city. Definitely, people who are looking to buy a house would definitely avoid Pasig and Marikina areas now.

There were also several areas in Quezon City that were flooded during Typhoon Ondoy. Manila, Malabon, Kalookan, some parts of Makati and Taguig were also flooded. I did not hear any serious flooding in Cavite and Laguna areas except Sta. Cruz which was too far. Does this mean it is safe to consider investing a property in Cavite and Laguna?

Land values started to increase whenever a mall, school or an upscale subdivision gets constructed. This is a factor to consider but realty companies should also consider elevation, good drainage and proper zoning. Ordinary people like me do not know these things and we get to be carried away whenever the land is developed by a well known real estate company. How about condominums? Is it now safe to say that it is better to invest in a condo so there is a less chance of being flooded? What if the area gets flooded too? Is it better to be stranded than to see your house gets flooded?

Will Pinoys elect Erap Again?

I got a glimpse from the tv yesterday, or i think 2 days ago that Erap has announced he will run again for the presidential elections next year. So, what else is new? People have been expecting his announcement months ago and he was just waiting for the perfect timing. Was the timing perfect? I don't think so. In fact, it was a bad timing after all the calamities that happened for the past weeks.

After he got the presidential pardon when he was convicted of the crimes he committed to the Filipino people, there were several conditions given to him. First, he must not run for any public office position ever again. Did he comply? No he did not. Next, it was clearly stated that he must return all ill gotten wealth he got when he was president. Did he comply? Again he did not. Next he told Filipinos that he will try his best to unite the opposition so they can fight corruption and make changes from the present administration. Did he fulfilled his promise? Again he did not. Instead of supporting a strong opposition candidate which was Noynoy Aquino and following sacrifices made by Mar Roxas and other opposition candidates, Erap was not moved. Nobody can stop him. He just want to be president again and fulfill his dreams.

If Erap wins, this shows how ignorant Filipinos are in choosing a leader that can help improve our lives. It is true that Erap made a lot of positive things when he was president but the negative things were just too much. And by declaring his intention of running again, it shows his true character.....which is a person who cannot even follow his own word and promises. A person whom nobody can trust to be a leader, much more a president of a nation.

Typhoon Ondoy

By this time, there could have been a lot of stories on what happened last Saturday to thousands of Metro Manila residents and nearby provinces that were directly hit by the typhoon. Up to this time, several areas and subdivisions are still submerged with flood waters caused by the typhoon. What can we do? We can help through donations or volunteer work. ABSCBN and GMA 7 are asking donations and volunteers and we can help by participating in their relief efforts.

What happened is definitely nature showing us that no matter how advanced our technology is, in the end nature will still prevail. What we can do is take care of our environment and pray that we can recover quickly from natural calamities. If we watched the news for the past 2 days, one can observe that flood waters are usually brown in color. These waters are from the mountains near Rizal, Bulacan, Tarlac and Pampanga. The Sierra Madre mountain range starts in Northern Luzon and ends in Rizal and Laguna. Brown waters came down from the mountains collecting silt and mud. The flood water we see around Pasig and Marikina are heavily silted which only means water came from the mountains going to the river and causing it to everflow. Silt turns into mud which makes rivers turn shallow and clog areas in addition to the garbage thrown by residents near river areas. What causes silt and mud to go to the rivers? Soil is loosened because of heavy logging, mining and irresponsible actions we do to our mountains. Can we say now that nature is responsible to the calmity we experienced for the past 2 days? Definitely not. Nature is there to remind us. It is just unfortunate that we still have to learn our lesson after so many deaths and properties damaged.

Maybe after we donate and do volunteer work, we should think long term and consider the situation very well. Please join efforts in reforestation and tree planting so we can make a difference to the generations ahead us. Please spread information that beyond the natural calamity and heavy rainfall we experienced, we still need to spread the information in preserving our environment. Join forest conservation efforts now and make a difference in the future.