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.