Podcast Episode 13 (The Araw ng Kagitingan Edition)

Subong nga Semana amo ni amon gin istoryahan:

May Nagbukas nga balaligya-an kag kapehan
Aliwan Festival
Pamati sa amon tisting eksplekar sang Araw ng Kagitingan
LPG Powered Motorcycle

Salamat gid!

Pic from Wiki Commons

Palihog Comment kag Share

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Podcast Episode 10 (Liberation of Panay Edition)

A Special Episode on the Liberation of Panay plus a special announcement :)

Links:

http://www.iloiloviews.com/liberation-of-panay-and-romblon.html

http://capiznon.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/64th-anniversary-of-the-liberation-of-panay-and-romblon/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigbauan,_Iloilo

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Podcast Episode 8 (Swimming Pool Edition)

Topics:

• Kuryente!
• Fire Power! (Bata sa Antique)
• Swimming Pool sa Iloilo
• Gagmay nga Negosyo sa Iloilo
• Quote Unquote halin sa PMA

Please share and comment :) Salamat.

Again, amazing photo from Wiki commons

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Podcast Episode 6 (The BBQ Podcast)

Hi Guys :)

Here's our latest episode and we talked about:

• Paraw Regatta
• Iloilo Radio Stations Online
• Secret Barbeque Ground
• Earl Nite
• Nursing! Results
• Where to Buy made in China Stuff
• Bike for a Cause

The amazing pic came from Wiki Commons
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Please leave comments :) and donate.

Episode 6 Podcast

Iloilo Podcast (Episode 3)

Hi Everyone :) Here's another edition for our podcast.

Topics this week

* Ibahay incident
* Manila bombing and Makati accident
* Dinagyang aftermath news
* Plazuela de Iloilo Spotlight
* Taxi - mahal na! Sus!
* Appeal for the School :)

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The 3rd Episode

Iloilo Podcast (Episode 2)

Ikaduha namon nga podcast :)

Ginistoryahan namon ang (we talked about)....

* Dinagyang (of course)
* Noynoy's Porsche
* Iloilo City Motorcylce
* Job Fair
* Ms. Dinagyang

Please comment :) Thank you. Hala Bira Iloilo! Viva Señor Santo Niño!

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The Second Episode

My Learning Experience in Philhealth

As I’ve said in my previous blog post, I’ll be providing some thoughts on what I learned while my better half is in the hospital. In this blog, I’ll be tackling Philhealth which is our insurance system.

I always thought that when it comes to national healthcare, we’re a bit better compared to Americans until their national healthcare system was pushed through their congress a few months ago. Through Philhealth, we’ll be able to have some discounts in medicine, hospitalization and even in doctors. Almost every hospital in the country is accredited by Philhealth which means I can easily walk to every hospital and ask for some assistance thinking that the Philhealth will help me with the bills.

While staying in the hospital, I often find myself going back and forth to the Philhealth liaison to check if my drug I’m about to purchase is covered by Philhealth. Imagine my grin when they stamp “Ok” on some prescriptions. It has saved me more than 2 thousand pesos just on medicine. When I checked out, I also asked for a couple of deductions in the room which was gladly provided by Philhealth. There are also prescriptions that I personally bought during the stay in the hospital that I gave to Philhealth. They told me to wait for 3 months for a reimbursement. Sounds great right?

But along the way, I have realized why many are complaining about Philhealth. I was a bit frustrated running around just trying to confirm my wife’s Philhealth membership. Luckily, I was able to get what I need and saved some money in the process. Yes, I’m still broke but not too broke.

Here are the things I learned about Philhealth:

• Better go on individual paying member rather than employed member – when you are employed, the documentations required by Philhealth is very difficult to access especially when you’re dealing with a big company. An added difficulty comes in when the person in the hospital is the person employed and you have to be there as a representative. But an individual paying member only needs to show the receipts of their payment to Philhealth.

• Look for a doctor accredited by Philhealth – I know there’s a doctor that is a proud member of Philhealth but I didn’t seem to find one in the hospital. I could have saved more in the process.

• If employed, double check with Philhealth every six months – I don’t know how you can do this but you have to double check with Philhealth to make sure the contribution is actually forwarded to Philhealth.

• Be paranoid on names – Philhealth is very, very strict in names. Double check the name, last name and middle name of the person so that you’ll get confirmed immediately.

• Look for the Philhealth office immediately and get the required documents. Complete the documents early so that you don’t need to run after documents when you’re getting out of the hospital.

Stay tuned for more articles regarding my hospital experience.

Why Am I Voting for Mel Carreon

This article is mainly intended for those voting in Iloilo City. But this doesn’t mean you should close the browser and look for other blogs to read tonight. This is practically a blog that represents my realization why researching for the right person who will lead our city to better heights. Let me tell you…it’s frustrating. This is going to be a long blog but I hope you stay with me.

First off, you may already have heard about this person. Mr. Carreon is the first person who filed for the top position in the land when the COMELEC opened their doors last year. But he backed out after a few weeks and sought to run for Vice-Mayor in Iloilo City. He may just be a part of the amusing story of the country but he will perpetually be part of the local elections here in Iloilo city.

Politics is in the blood of Mr. Carreon but it seems that his blood is trying to get out of him because he’s always at the wrong side of everything. He ran for city councilor, mayor and congressman too many times. They say he’s trying to get his name in world records because he will always run for a government position. Last election, he was stopped from running. Rumor has it, he was threatened to be charged with vandalism because someone (supposedly his followers) spray painted his name in public properties particularly on waiting sheds and walls.

Say his name here in Iloilo City and you’ll hear countless tales on what he tries to do to gain public attention. Even if he’s not campaigning, he always wears that eccentric jacket that bear his name and the position he will try on the next election. You’ll constantly see him in a coffee shop in SM City or in front of old Mary Mart Mall (in Delgado St.) talking to some people. When election time comes, people will bet if he will reach 1,000 votes just for fun. His popularity is soaring and the proof is that he is constantly invited in a radio station during weekends to say his “eccentric” political comments. He blurts out things that you haven’t heard before on the radio which is very, very, very amusing.

Most call him crazy, some just refer to him as some dude who just wants to have fun. But he always has something in his mind.

So why will I vote for the guy? Here are my reasons:

· Money is a problem for this guy – I know that some rich people are so rich that they will not care about the money they made in the government. I wish that statement is true but I have a feeling that the rich people who holds position the government are trying to suck more money from the government. If they steal, we won’t notice it because they are already rich. How can we know if they just took one hundred thousand pesos when they already have one billion?

But in Mel Carreon’s case, the moment he tries to steal money, we will be there. This guy is not much when it comes to property. He lives in a home that could be destroyed by signal #1 typhoon, his home doesn’t have any electricity and his property is basically trees with a small, dilapidated house. At least he has trees. He could get a decent salary and improve his property a bit and buy a motorcycle. But once he builds a mansion, we will be there with pitch forks.

· He could be a great wild card in the council – think about him leading the city council…it’s eerie but at the same time he’ll give the councilors a very big problem when it comes to dealing with his eccentricities. If he doesn’t sell out and continuous what he does. The council would be one beautiful mess.

But why will I vote for someone that might make the city council a butt of jokes for the country? This should be a wake-up call for the current local candidates. Everything they do is already the butt of jokes in the country. His presence will just highlight that what they do are not really doing anything in the city.

· At least he will solve one problem (His) – I’m sure Mr. Carreon has too many problems to deal with in his life. But winning in the local elections will mean so much for him because finally, he will have a good source of money that will deal with his problem. I know money is not the answer of everything but it will really help. While writing this, I’m thinking: what have they done to help me or the community that’s really, really visible. Oh yeah: the overpass that’s causing nightmarish traffic everyday and the city zoning ordinance that’s alienating our friends from the province who gives us our daily food. If he wins, he will just take care of his problem. We should just be happy that we are voting for a guy who could solve his problem while highlighting the problem in our city.

· No poster – because he has no money, he can’t put up a poster except for the ones he is posting in front of his house. I’m sick of local candidates reminding the people who they are. One candidate even claims he’s “Mr. Clean Iloilo” but his poster is littering the city. Another candidate always asks questions. I don’t know why but he should just email me and I’ll tell him the answer. There’s also another candidate who seems to introduce each district of Iloilo by making up slogans. Please, stop making our city dirty!!! Mr. Clean, what are you doing about it? Mel Carreon fortunately doesn’t have anything to spend for the election.

If Mel Carreon wins, the city will be in a great position to bring itself up…because it will go terribly down…but aren’t we already in this position?

5 Ways to Know if Your Politician has Election Fever

Election is just months away and even though our automated poll machine has failed miserably on its latest test (only 30 out of 600), the show must go on. Although we're scared **itless about the possibility of massive cheating, the show must go on. Even politicians believe that the show must go on.

And what a show they are putting up. Every three years, our politicians go on a battle far more complicated, brutal and funny than the Battle of Mactan (except the funny part). The politicians are on election fever and there is no cure. In fact, the more we watch the greater the fever.

Here are the indications that your politician is about to be hot on his heels this election season.

1. Increased block time on radio and television - give your politician credit for giving jobs to retired and sometimes, annoying broadcasters. Months before the election semi-journalists (like me) go on a rampage against the opponent. Additional kudos if the politician gains enough money to spend on television shows dedicated to praise what he has done and thrash the opponents.

2. Legal battle has started - one of the many tricks a politician will use to destroy the enemy is to dig up past problems of go to the court. The weird part is that almost everyone knows about the past problems of the politician and only now that the election is coming they have opted to go to the court. Most of these are just threats so that the people will realize what the politician did but these are just ploys.

3. Posters, calendars, t-shirts, caps, jackets, wall clocks, bags, notebooks, pencils with the politicians name - if you receive any two of these before the end of the month from the same politician, then that politician has the fever. Be prepared because they will spend millions on these things. When that time comes, the fever has landed.

4. Challenge to a debate - this is a bit unique in the election much like the legal battles. To show their true supremacy over their opponents, they will usually challenge their enemy to a debate. Of course, the opponent will just walk away, do not reply or say "no". But after the elections, you can't seem to see them shouting at each other to prove their point.

5. Increasing friends - "paid for by friends of". 'nuff said

Zombie Streamers are Coming!!!

The election period will start in January 10 and the current politicians are aware of this restrictions. In fact, they are all aware that they can't tell people to vote for them until the fateful 10th day of January. So what do they do? The circumvent the law and have "political ads" wherein everything is paid for by "friends of...".

The gloves are officially off in January 10, 2010 - Sunday. But it doesn't matter because politicians are already busy convincing people to vote for them one way or the other. You can already see banners of politicians reminding the people what they have done and what they dream for the city. Please take note, they dream of something big but many are still experiencing nightmares.

Before I completely go off topic...I'll just go to my main point. Streamers of politicians are already popping out here in our city and it's only a matter of weeks before the country is engulfed or covered with political banners. These are not just your average banners - they are tarpaulins which costs hundreds of pesos each. The politicians are not just printing 20 banners in an election, tell me if I'm wrong but I think a politician might print no less than 4,000 tarpaulins just to remind people who they are. If a tarpaulin costs 100 (very unlikely) per piece then he or she could be spending 400,000 on tarpaulins alone!

We should also remember the possible implications on paper - we'll ravage forests and cut down trees just to print calendars, leaflets and sample ballots so that everyone will be "guided" on who to vote for in the coming elections. Millions of paper will be wasted just to remind people who to vote for...mother nature is going to go through something difficult this coming election.

All these wasted paper could have been used for books. All these tarpaulins could have been used to shelter someone during a storm. Or at least the money could have been used for something else.

Note to politicians: please tell us who your "friends" who pays for your advertisements and election funds. We also would like to be friendly to them so that we can also have something.

Photo taken from uncyclopedia.com

5 Things from 2009 and 5 Things from 2010

2010 is here and we're back. It's been a while since the last post but I want to start strong so here you go...

We look back in 2009 and look forward in 2010. These are the things that haunted, entertained and inspired us in the past. Hopefully, everything will be entertainment and inspiration in the future.

5 Things from 2009

* Manny Pacquiao - the guy is practically everywhere: Beating up Hatton and Cotto, joining politics, movies and a little brush up with controversy. I don't think the news will have a vacation on this guy anytime soon.

* The Ampatuans - thinking about them simply makes us think twice about the value of human life. Is it worth to kill a person so that you can stay in the office for only three years? Their utter disregarded for life is just sickening.

* MV Baleno-9 and Catalyn-B - twin sea tragedies...I don't think I'll be in the waters for now.

* Efren Peñaflorida - Hero of the Year. I don't know what this guy did until I heard in the new but it's just astounding.

* Online Connectivity - this is not necessarily news outside the Philippines but personally, I'm just too happy about this because almost everyone can connect to the internet.

5 Things in 2010

* The 2010 Election - this event scares and gives us hope at the same. The hopeful part is that we might be able to change the country one vote at a time. The worst part is that the people we hope to change are the same people who are slowly destroying the country.

* World Cup - Yes, Philippines is not in the world cup but a small portion of Filipinos is crazy about this game.

* Call Center in the Provinces - I live in Iloilo and call centers are growing like mushrooms here and I've seen some aggressive expansions in other cities so I'm pretty psyched about this possibility.

* Worsening Weather - I personally don't care if you believe in global warming or not. But the storms are getting a lot fiercer in the 2nd half of the year.

* Improved Blog! - hey, I get to have one wish :) Please stay tuned to this blog and learn everyday.

People Who Need to Shut Up Now

Below is the list of people that should not be saying anything at all. Every time they speak, it always spells trouble for the country or just plain annoying. If you don’t agree, add more people through your comments.

• Prospero Nograles – I don’t want to sound like a suspecting jerk but I know when I see conspiracy when I see one. This guy will definitely suck the country’s sap dry of its resources. Not only will he sell the country to the current president but to foreigners as well. His “fourth way” of changing the constitution should get everyone scared. I hope his soul will be touched by an angel…or at least clogged by too much fat.
• Ralph Recto – the current NEDA chief is also another scary politician. The wife of Vilma Santos is the one responsible for eVAT. Because of the guy, we have to pay 12% for everything we have to purchase and earn. Now, he is saying that we are paying too much for gas but it’s just a pretext so that he will be a hero. Remember folks, he is the reason why we have to spend more and earn less.
• Nonito Doniare – poor guy, he’s currently one of my favorite boxer. A smart IBF champion who can conveniently adjust from orthodox to being right handed in a snap. But my respect to him went down when he went on national television crying because his parents separated. Boo-hoo Sir. These problems should be handled at home with your dad. His soon to be opponents should feel tougher by now.
• Korina Sanchez and Mar Roxas – Wow. I can’t believe the timing of these love birds. They announced their engagement a year before Roxas’ run for presidency. We know they are good to be married soon but they don’t have to use the national television for attention.

So please guys…shut up!!!

My Proposal to Save the Filipino Movie Industry

The latest fiasco in X-Men Origins: Wolverine has only proven that leakage and piracy go hand in hand. The leaked movie is already being sold in streets. You'll be able to get one fast.

This reminds me of the pressing problem in piracy and the dying Philippine movie industry. I've been thinking about this for a very long time and here are my proposals:

1. Instead of one movie - place two or three movies. The commentary, special features and trailers are not really appreciated here in the Philippines. We love movies but we don't want to be fanatics for a single movie.

2. The price - I've seen original DVD's for 150 now in Iloilo city (Hellboy and 40-Year Old Virgin). That's already a great start. If you keep that price and have two movies instead of one, you'll be able to save the industry.

3. Produce or Remaster the Classics - more movies from the great Filipino actors of the past. If they agressively sell the old movies of Dolphy, FPJ, Ramon Revilla, Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos and even Lito Lapid, it can attract more buyers and spike the movie industry.

4. Try to minimize the soap operas - the main reason people are tired of the Filipino movies is that they have seen too much of it. Everyday my mom watches three hours a day of this **it. If that sopa operas are limited to an hour, I'm sure Filipinos will be wanting for more and the movies is the great avenue.

5. Don't Hire Actors in Optical Media Board - I hate to say this but I don't think actors can handle this position. Yes they are familiar with piracy but they are too busy on thier careers that they can't do anything. Let this be handled by people who hates the movies. Let this be their personal vendetta against those who are stuck in front of their television.

Piracy may not be completely eradicated but it could be controlled.

Letter to Mr. Percy Lapid

Here's my Letter to Mr. Percy Lapid. A great radio personality in DWIZ. I'm always listening to him from my place here from 12mn to 1am.

But he crossed the line. I'm still listening to him but I sent him a letter...read on...

Hi Mr. Lapid,

My Name is Ryan Dawn Umaday. I am not listening from outside the
country but here in the Philippines. I am listening from San Rafael,
Iloilo - a very small town in Northern Iloilo.

I would like to react on your statement today. You said "Pabrika ng mga alila".

This is very discouraging to us Filipinos. Instead of being bitter
about the politicians and blaming them for the statement of the
Chinese journalist. Blame the Chinese national for being so baised and
racist. What you just said is called "reverse racism". Instead of
being patronizing Filipinos, you are going against every Filipino,
especially the OFWs are fighting for - providing us here Filipinos a
better life.

I'm sure you know a lot of people working outside the country. On my
end, I know a lot of people working outside the country. My first
cousin is an Engineer of one of the biggest oil refinery in the world
and my uncle is also a civil engineer in Dubai. I don't think they are
"alila" as you said. And don't think that I am defending them because
I need their financial support - I am more than capable of supporting
myself financially.

We are a proud nation. Don't bring us down through your degrading
comments. I love your show but you crossed the line there.

I dare you to write to the publishers of the Chinese magazine to
defend the writer on calling us "nation of servants."

I'm also posting this email on my blog.

Sincerely,
Ryan Dawn Umadhay
San Rafael, Iloilo
http://sting6ph.blogspot.com

Update: Mr. Lapid replied to my email that he will post my letter on his two columns on Police Files Tonight and Hataw...you can read the online copy here.

Why Iloilo City is Doomed

Before I start my rant, let me tell you that I am an Ilonggo. I've been staying in the city longer than I stayed in the town where I was born. So it is with a broken heart that I write this. If I say City I mean the districts found in the city. Provincial towns in Iloilo are not included.

Iloilo City used to be a bustling town....everything was just a ride away and everything was affordable.

But those memories are long gone. Iloilo City is in the hole with very littel chance of going up. Except for the Dinagyang (which is highly commercialized) not one thing is good in Iloilo.

While I'm writing this, I just heard the news of a teen was gang raped, killed and thrown in Calajunan dumpsite. The kid was said to be a garbage collector and just went to a Saturday night dance in the nearby Barrio in So-oc with her boyfriend. Apparently, her boyfriend and her friends have other idea.

This is a very sad and disturbing news. If people in the city could do this how can the city be called safe? If you find yourself outside your house in Iloilo City after 9 p.m., watch out. If you go to Smallville, you could be a victim of drive by shooting which coudl happen anytime.

What makes me even more furious this is the city government's reaction. I know thier smart but I think they don't have a soul.

Why?

A girl was just gang raped and brutally murdered and all you could talk is your beef with LTO? Why is there no outrage? Why is there no drastic laws? Why is there no assistance to the family? I bet that the 30-minutes worth of work of ANY city councilors is already a day's worth of work of the ENTIRE family of the victim.

With regards to LTO. My take is that the LTO should have the final say on this. The arguement posted by Mr. Plagata is not just enough. There is already an agreement with the DILG and the LTO on who handles the TOP. Why can't the city follow the agreement of thier superiors?

Mr. Plagata's defence could be divided into two parts:

1) They already have the city ordinance since 1992. Yep, the first to create the law is correct. Maybe if someone created a law stating that anyone wears red on a Friday in June 1898 will be hanged to death will still be observed here in Iloilo City.

2) Mandaluyong already have an MOA that allows them to sieze the driver's license. Wow. One point: YOU DON'T HAVE AN MOA!!! ALL YOU HAVE IS AN ORDINANCE!!! Besides, no one follows most of city ordinances. Remember the ban on public smoking? Remember the ordinance against jaywalking? Remember the ban against public helmet? Yes, the latest ordinance did have some effect but I still see people going around the city AT NIGHT without any helmets.

There's a dead girl and they are fighting about their rights. Sheesh.

How GMA and ABS-CBN Can Destroy the Philippines

You may have already seen the effects of Television to Kids...hours and hours of being in front of Television could get your kid out of their better life. They could have studied, ran around in play and making friends. They are instead stuck in the tube because there are too many things to watch.

Let me specify two stations: ABS-CBN and GMA. These two television giants are campaigning hard to be the best in the country. I don't have qualms in what they do to boost their ratings but in doing so, they are destroying our country and most especially the young ones.

I found this out throught the most disturbing answer I recieved. I was complaining that the stories in the telenovelas (the nightly shows that starts at 7.30 and ends in God knows when) are too cheesy. The answer I had was "they are geared specifically for kids." That's where I realize that these networks are out to destroy our future.

Aside from being cheesy (and maybe I'm wrong but they are a bit recycled), the shows run only for 30 minutes. The kids only have the ability to focus on a show for this much. Don't believe me? Try getting your kids to watch a full length film and see if they don't buldge. 30 minutes is enough to get the kids glued from one show to the other.

Because these shows run from Monday to Friday, the kids will not have time to interact with the family, eat together and even do their homework. If they do their homework, they do it in front of the tube which will take up their concentration.

If these networks do care about the future of our country, move the shows a LATER. Start from 9pm or even 10pm. Kids will be asleep by then. Instead of these crazy (and probably recycled) stories, get more news and analysis of the events instead.

And for the rest of the networks, don't you dare make telenovelas of your own. We have more than enough distraction our kids could handle.

Dinagyang Review from the Radio

I'm not a big fan of television. I only watch for three major reasons:

1. If I see someone get beaten up;
2. If something or someone is funny on TV; or
3. Something scary is on TV.

That is why for my Dinagyang experience, I opted to listen to the radio instead of watching them live on television. I opted to let my imaginations fly on what the radio has to say.

I listened to three radio stations - Bombo Radyo Iloilo, Akson Radyo Iloilo and RMN Illoilo.

I liked what I heard on these radio stations except the one from Bombo. Sorry guys, but if you wanted to get people excited about the competition, don't get some critics who all they do is ask what is the meaning of the movements, the costume and the colors of their costumer. Instead of showing to the world how creative we are, we just shown to the world that we are logical thinkers. Although the lady commentator is very enthusiastic, their guest commentators are a major letdown.

Aksyon Radyo and RMN on the other hand described the Dinagyang events that made me think I was there. Sure I'm a little bit color confused (not blind) but the excitement on the commentators voices are there.

I'm not really about the radio station wars in Iloilo. I listen to these stations everyday since each of them has interesting programs that should be listened into. But please, when we are celebrating something, let the whole world know that we are excited with what we see.

Tips to Survive Dinagyang

Dinagyang is Coming!!!

Although Dinagyang is a fun activity for the weekend, it is also very dangerous not only for foreigners but also for locals.

So if you're coming to Dinagyang, here are some crazy safety tips:

1. Buy a cheap mobile phone. Yep, the first tip is to buy a phone. If you do have some extra cash, get the cheapest phone you can get. The cheapest I saw is only PHP650. Use this for texting, calling and others.

2. Buy a landline prepaid. PLDT has a prepaid SIM card for landline which only costs PHP50 but already bundled with 25 pesos worth of calls - around 12 minutes of landline use. This should be more than enough to call for help or just call someone at home to ensure you're safe.

3. Bring lots of coins. If you're not at ease (or any money) to bring to Dinagyang. At least bring coins. There are phone booths around the city you can use in case of emergency.

4. Remember this number: 166

5. When drinking in the streets (which you will), look around before sitting down. This will give you an awareness on whose already drunk and dangerous.

6. If you're itching to bring your digital camera, make sure it stays in front of you and strapped in your neck. Your camera will only be snatched if you're strangled to death which will never happen in the middle of the street.

That's it. Have fun in Dinagyang. I know I will.