12 Refugee Facts in the Philippines

1. A refugee is a person escaping his or her country because of the forced effects of persecution, war, or natural disaster. 
2. The year 2000 was the year that the United Nations declared 20 June at the celebration for World Refugee Day.
3. The first wave of refugees that came to the Philippines was the so-called "White Russians" of which 800 was a part of a fleet of almost 8,000 refugees that fled the persecution from the "Red Russians" or those who supported the 1917 Socialist Revolution. 250 worked in abaca plantations which were then a booming industry in Mindanao.
4. The second wave of refugees were the 1,200 European Jews that escaped the World War II Nazi persecution. These refugees were accepted by former President Manuel L. Quezon by issuing the Proclamation No. 173 on 21 August 1937 which later became the basis of Commonwealth Act 613 now known as Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. By this act, a Filipino can see Quezon monument in Tel Aviv, Israel, inscribed with his words of welcome for refugees, that: “the people of the Philippines will have in the future every reason to be glad that when the time of need came, their country was willing to extend a hand of welcome.”
5. The third wave of refugees to the Philippines was the Spanish Republicans who fled the Falange Española of General Francisco Franco from 1936 to 1939. It was due to the absolute neutrality being implemented by President Quezon during those time of the Spanish Civil War that these refugees were accepted in the Philippines.
6. The fourth wave of refugees was the Chinese immigrants that came because of the Chinese Civil War. It was in 1940 that the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 was enacted and 30,000 Kuomintang Chinese group were welcomed. It was also the time the Philippines became a sovereign country and the foreigners were allowed to become naturalized Filipinos as stated in the Philippine Constitution.
7. The fifth wave of refugees was the second wave of White Russians, 6,000 of which were welcomed by former President Elpidio Quirino in 1948. These Russians left their community in Shanghai, China due to the impending communist forces and only the Philippines replied to their request for refugee status. This was also the time that the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 was amended.
8. The sixth wave of refugees to the Philippines came during the years of 1975 to 1992 wherein 2,700 Vietnamese "boat people" escaped the fallen South Vietnam Government and was allowed to stay in the country.
9. The seventh wave of refugees that arrived in the Philippines were Iranian refugees in the latter part of the 1970s during the Iranian Revolution.
10. The eighth wave of refugees came in 1980 to the Philippines which were made up of Indo-Chinese refugees including citizens from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It was during this time that the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in Morong, Bataan was opened to accommodate and facilitate around 400,000 refugees from 1980 to 1994. 
11. The ninth wave of refugees was East Timorese during the time that the Timor was struggling for independence from Indonesia in 2000. Former President Joseph Estrada supported this action and was able to raise local funds to support these refugees.
12. In November 2016, due to the crisis in Syria, President Duterte announced that he is welcoming Syrian refugees to the Philippines.

References:

https://youtu.be/6BApCeQUBCg
https://borgenproject.org/refugees-in-the-philippines/
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/11/04/1755813/unhcr-praises-philippines-support-refugees
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/duterte-offers-refugees-home-philippines-161117073606596.html
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/96929-timeline-philippine-law-policies-refugees

AsiaPop Comicon Again in Manila

Here are some features you may want to check out in the AsiaPop Comicon event today, 28 August 2016 happening at the SMX Convention Center at SM Mall of Asia

1. Victoria Court selling food and merchandise
2. Comic artists especially Fil-Am Whilce Portacio who is known for his art in The Punisher, X-Factor, Uncanny X-Men, Iron Man, Wetworks and Spawn.
3. Joe Dempsie who is best known as Robert Baratheon's bastard - and rightful heir in the Game of Thrones (GOT) TV series
4. Claire Holt who is best known for her role as Rebekah Mikaelson on The CW series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off series The Originals
5. Millie Bobby Brown who got her breakout role in Stranger Things, in which she plays Eleven
6. Maria Ozawa autograph signing
7. Cosplay Authority Global Challenge (CAGE) which is the biggest cosplay competition in the globe
8. Video games for the eSports tournament such as Street Fighter V, NBA 2K16, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Overwatch. 
9. Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise exclusive from AsiaPop
10. Philippine Wrestling Revolution and Fightsaber Philippines 
11. Artist's gallery and stuff
12. Heneral Luna movie cast

Sources:

https://www.asiapopcomicon.com/manila/

http://www.fhm.com.ph/be-a-better-man/mens-stuff/apcc-2016-is-lit-af-a107-20160827-lfrm?ref=article_feed_1

PAMANA shot dead after two months

1. Eagle “Pamana” bears the bloodline of eagles in the Lanao Del Norte region which is 245 km northwest of Hamiguitan. 
2. If Pamana survives and breeds with a resident bird, bloodlines would mix which is generally good for the eagle population, as wildlife genetics would predict.
3. Philippine eagle “Pamana” was “soft-released” through “hacking” method which is a procedure that involves caging the bird at the release site for at least two week prior to setting it free so that she would be adjusted or acclimatized to local conditions.
4. The lowland forests of Mt. Hamiguitan in San Isidro, Davao Oriental would have been Pamana’s new home. Famous for its dwarf or “bonsai” forests, Hamiguitan is a Global Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) that sits on a peninsula separating Davao Gulf and the Pacific Ocean. Because of its outstanding universal value as habitat for unique biodiversity, it is both a UNESCO World and an ASEAN Heritage Site.
5. The Philippine Eagle is classified as "critically-endangered" or close to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.Only found in the Philippines, only around 400 pairs are left in the wild.
6. PEF released Pamana into the wild only in June 12,  to commemorate the 117th celebration of Philippine Independence Day. 
7. This is not the first time Pamana has suffered from human-inflicted injuries. Pamana was rescued three years ago as an eaglet surviving two gunshot wounds. She was found in a mountain range of Gabunan in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte in 2012.
8. The eagle, named "Pamana (Legacy)" by conservationists, was found with a bullet hole in her right breast that shattered her left shoulder, said Dennis Salvador, Executive Director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
9. Scientists from PEF found her body on August 16 after the tracker they had outfitted her with went into mortality mode – a signal that she was dead.
10. She was around 3 years old at the time of her death and the site where she was found, Mount Hamiguitan Range, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Davao Oriental, was only one kilometer from where they had released her.
11. Her body was already decomposing when they found it near a creek below thick forests just one kilometer away from her new forest home at Sitio Tomalite in San Isidro, Davao Oriental just this Sunday, August 16.
12. The death of a Philippine eagle (scientific name Pithecophaga jefferyi) in Mount Hamiguitan comes as a shock because it is one of the country’s protected areas. 

Sources:

http://www.philippineeaglefoundation.org/article/80/flight-to-freedom-releasing-philippine-eagle-pamana-to-her-new-forest-home

http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/environment/103080-philippine-eagle-pamana-shot-mount-hamiguitan

http://www.wheninmanila.com/philippine-eagle-pamana-shot-dead-on-chest/

http://cnnphilippines.com/regional/2015/08/19/Pamana-Philippine-eagle-body-denr.html

Ramon Magsaysay

7th President of the Philippines, 3rd President of the Third Republic

1. Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales on August 31, 1907 to Exequiel Magsaysay y de los Santos (April 18, 1874 in San Marcelino, Zambales - January 24, 1968 in Manila), a blacksmith, and Perfecta del Fierro y Quimson (April 18, 1887 in Castillejos, Zambales - May 5, 1980 in Manila), a schoolteacher.
2. He spent his elementary life somewhere in Castillejos and his high school life at Zambales Academy at San Narciso, Zambales. After high school, Magsaysay entered the University of the Philippines in 1927, where he enrolled in a pre-medical course. He worked as a chauffeur to support himself as he studied engineering; and later, he transferred to the Institute of Commerce at José Rizal College (1928–1932), where he received a baccalaureate in commerce. He then worked as an automobile mechanic in a bus company (Florida) and shop superintendent.
3. He was married to Luz Magsaysay (née Banzon) in June 16, 1933 and they had three children: Teresita Banzon-Magsaysay (1934–1979), Milagros "Mila" Banzon-Magsaysay (b. 1936) and Ramon "Jun" Banzon-Magsaysay, Jr. (b. 1938).
4. On 22 April 1946, Magsaysay, encouraged by his ex-guerrillas, was elected under the Liberal Party to the Philippine House of Representatives. In 1948, President Manuel Roxas chose Magsaysay to go to Washington as Chairman of the Committee on Guerrilla Affairs, to help to secure passage of the Rogers Veterans Bill, giving benefits to Philippine veterans. In the so-called "dirty election" of 1949, he was re-elected to a second term in the House of Representatives. During both terms he was Chairman of the House National Defense Committee.
5. When news reached Magsaysay that his political ally Moises Padilla was being tortured by the forces of provincial governor Lacson, he rushed to Negros Occidental, but was too late. He was then informed that Padilla's body was swimming in blood, pierced by fourteen bullets, and was positioned on a police bench in the town plaza. Magsaysay himself carried Padilla's corpse with his bare hands and delivered it to the morgue, and the next day, news clips showed pictures of him doing so. Magsaysay even used this event during his presidential campaign in 1953.
   
   The trial against Lacson started in January 1952; Magsaysay and his men presented enough evidence to convict Lacson and his 26 men for murder. In August 1954, Judge Eduardo Enriquez ruled the men were guilty and Lacson, his 22 men and three other mayors of Negros Occidental municipalities were condemned to the electric chair.
6. Presidential election of 1953 - This was the first time that an elected Philippine president did not come from the Senate.
7. Magsaysay started the practice in the Philippines of "campaign jingles" during elections, for one of his inclinations and hobbies was dancing.
8. In the Election of 1953, Magsaysay was decisively elected president over the incumbent Elpidio Quirino. He was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a Philippine president. He was then called "Mambo Magsaysay".
9. As president, he was a close friend and supporter of the United States and a vocal spokesman against communism during the Cold War. He led the foundation of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization also known as the Manila Pact of 1954, that aimed to defeat communist-Marxist movements in South East Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern Pacific. 
10. During his term, he made Malacañang literally a "house of the people", opening its gates to the public. One example of his integrity followed a demonstration flight aboard a new plane belonging to the Philippine Air Force (PAF): President Magsaysay asked what the operating costs per hour were for that type of aircraft, then wrote a personal check to the PAF, covering the cost of his flight. He brought back the people's trust in the military and in the government.
11. His administration was considered one of the cleanest and most corruption-free; his presidency was cited as the Philippines' Golden Years. Trade and industry flourished, the Philippine military was at its prime, and the Filipino people were given international recognition in sports, culture and foreign affairs. The Philippines ranked second in Asia's clean and well-governed countries.
12. Magsaysay's term, which was to end on 30 December 1957, was cut short by a plane crash. On 16 March 1957, Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three educational institutions. That same night, at about 1 am, he boarded the presidential plane "Mt. Pinatubo", a C-47, heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of 17 March, the plane was reported missing. By late afternoon, newspapers had reported the airplane had crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu, and that 36 of the 56 aboard were killed (the actual number on board was 25, including Magsaysay). Only newspaperman Néstor Mata survived. Vice-President Carlos García, who was on an official visit to Australia at the time, assumed the presidency to serve out the last eight months of Magsaysay's term.
    
    An estimated 2 million people attended Magsaysay's burial on 31 March 1957. He was posthumously referred to by people as the "Idol of the Masses".

http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t238316-150.html

References:

Ramon Magsaysay
About Ramon Magsaysay
Today in Philippine History, August 31, 1907, Ramon Magsaysay, seventh President of the Philippines was born in Iba, Zambales
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7792
History of the Quezon Service Cross
can anyone tell me what the stereotypical filipino
Official Website of Zambales
Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga Del Sur
7th Secretary of National Defense 

6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Festival

PANDAYANG LINO BROCKA Film Festival is a gathering of students and student groups and independent filmmakers and film/video/media collectives in the Philippines, national in scope. In its launch in August 2009, in cooperation with the NCCA, it is designed to be held at the National Capital Region, where cultural tools such as films finds prominence in the Filipino people’s mode of confrontation with today’s social ills.

The film festival is a tribute to internationally acclaimed Philippine cinema legend Lino Brocka, who has produced countless films depicting Philippine social reality among which include timeless films Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, Insiang, Bayan Ko, Kapit sa Patalim, Orapronobis, among many others.

The 6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival, an annual festival of critical and cultural audio-visual works is set to be launched on August 29, 2014 at the University of the Philippines Film Institute, Cine Adarna.

The schedule for the 12 movies ...

[UPDATED from https://www.facebook.com/pandayanglinobrockafestival ] The 6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Poster. Join us on the Festival Launch on the 29th of August, Cine Adarna UP Diliman.

Festival Launch Opening Program

9:00AM – 12:00 NN FORUM: The Relevance of the National Artist Award in Filipino Arts and Culture

1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Screening: 6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Film selection

1:00 PM Pangarap ko sa Pilipinas by Pinoy Media Center
1:05 PM 100 Days of Injustice by Tudla Productions
1:20 PM Ingay by Romano Alvorez
1:35 PM Barikada by Kilab Multimedia
1:45 PM American Home by Justine Dizon
2:00 PM Tindoga by Nef Luczon
2:50 PM Dapat Nang Itakwil by Tanghalang Bayan ng Kulturang Kalye (TaBaKK)
3:00 PM Pieta by Herwin Cabasal
3:15 PM Holiday Bust by Pinoy Media Center
3:30 PM Amot by Jo Maline Mamangun & Divine Miranda
3:40 PM Padayon by Kathy Molina
3:55 PM The Guerilla is a Poet by Sari and Kiri Dalena
6:05 PM Open Forum with Jose Maria Sison on ‘The Guerilla is a Poet’

6:35 PM – 7:05 PM Awarding of certificates to filmmakers and workshop facilitators and trophies to exemplary works
7:05 PM – 8:30 PM Screening: Signed: Lino Brocka by Christian Blackwood

Source: http://herwincabasal.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/pandayan-poster2.jpg

References:

Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival
CALL FOR ENTRIES: 6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival
6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Festival kicks off August 29
Arts and Culture 6th Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival
pandayanglinobrockafestival
PIETA’s Screening at the 6th Pandayang Lino Brocka

Hello Kitty Is Not A Cat

Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist at the University of Hawaii, is currently curating a Hello Kitty exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

Yano was corrected by Sanrio after the company proofread her texts for the exhibit, in which she described the famous character, naturally, as a cat.

“I was corrected — very firmly,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “That’s one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.”

Regardless of whether or not she's a girl or a cat, she remains as a strong figure that represents the Japanese, an identity marker, especially for those who grew up in 1970s.

Here are other facts about Hello Kitty, according to Sanrio, which all Hello Kitty fans should know:

1.     She is a bright, bright girl with a golden heart.
2.     She was born in the suburbs of London, England.
3.     Her real name is Kitty White.
4.     She is as tall as five apples, and as heavy as three.
5.     Her birthday is November 1st.
6.     She is a Scorpio.
7.     She loves to bake cookies.
8.     She loves to play piano.
9.     She dreams of being a pianist or poet someday.
10.     She loves mama’s apple pie.
11.     She has a twin sister named Mimmy, a third-grader.
12.     She has a pet hamster named Sugar and a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty.

In light of this issue, however, Snoopy, who is by our calculations the world's oldest living beagle, is indeed a dog, Peanuts Worldwide confirmed today via Twitter

We can confirm, Snoopy IS a dog.

References:

Don't Be Silly, Hello Kitty Is a Cat
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out!
Hello Kitty
Sanrio Reveals That Hello Kitty Is NOT ACTUALLY A CAT
Childhood ruined: Hello Kitty is NOT a cat
In Response To Hello Kitty Not Being A Cat, Peanuts Confirms Snoopy Is A Dog

Double Moon Hoax On August 27

If you received the message below, it is not true. This is a hoax e-mail message:

SEE MARS AS LARGE AS THE FULL MOON ON 27TH AUGUST 2014. Should be spectacular! Truly a once in a lifetime experience!

---

Subject: FW: Mars
Enjoy!!!
Amazing
This is a ‘truly once in a lifetime event’ that will occur in August. View the attachment and mark it on your calendars. None of us will live long enough to ever have the chance to view this again. Enjoy!!
The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!
This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter’s gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.
The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide at a modest 75-power magnification.
Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.
Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.
By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That’s pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month. Share this with your children and grandchildren.
NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

1. A long living internet hoax claims that Mars will be as large as the full moon on August 27th, 2014 (or other date), causing a double moon. The hoax is usually promoted in email messages and social media content, including Facebook posts and messages. 
2. This hoax has been circulating ever since an event on August 27th, 2003 where Mars was the closest to Earth it has been in 60,000 years.
3. The Mars hoax originated from an e-mail message in 2003, sometimes titled "Mars Spectacular", with images of Mars and the full moon side by side.
4. The hoax, which has since resurfaced every year from 2005 through 2014, often showing an altered image of twin moons over the Nilov Monastery, and may continue to do so, always announcing an imminent close Earth–Mars approach, began from a misinterpretation and exaggeration of a sentence in an e-mail message that reported the close encounter between Mars and the Earth in August 2003.
5. It’s not true. Mars will not be as large as the moon, causing a double moon in the sky on August 2014 or any other date. The content of the original email, although almost entirely correct for August 27, 2003, has falsely been redated to announce a new close Earth–Mars approach — the real close approach was in 2003 only — also misinterpreting the original e-mail by saying that Mars will look as large as the Moon. The later e-mails are incorrect, as Mars will not come as close to Earth as it did in 2003 until August 28, 2287.
6. The moon will not be full on August 27, 2014 (you might spot it briefly as a thin crescent in the west after sunset, though). And Mars will not be at its brightest or closest in August of 2014, or at any time in 2014. 
7. In 2014, Mars is closest to Earth on April 8, but it won’t be as close this year as in some years.
8. 2005: Earth and Mars converged for a close encounter on 30 October 2005 at 0319 Universal Time with a distance of 69 million kilometers and to the unaided eye, Mars looked like a bright red star, a pinprick of light, certainly not as wide as the full Moon.
9. 2003: Eleven years ago, on August 27, 2003, the oscillating orbits of Mars and Earth did, in fact, bring the two planets closer together than at any other time during the past 50,000 years. And though Mars never actually appeared "as large as the full moon to the naked eye" — not even close (and not even possible) — it was indeed, for a rare few days in 2003, among the brightest objects in the night sky. At that time, the distance between the two planets was about 55,758,000 kilometers, which was the closest distance between them since September 24, 57,617 BC, when the distance has been calculated to have been about 55,718,000 kilometers.
10. However, even though the event in 2003 was an incredible spectacle, nothing is to be made out of it.Mars can never appear as large as a full moon as seen from Earth. 
11. It is quite obviously scientifically incorrect that Mars, normally never more than a dot in the night sky, could suddenly become visibly large due to normal variations in orbit. If Mars did appear as large as the moon it would be so close that it would cause tidal and gravitational effects — Mars has about twice the diameter of the Moon, and hence would be about twice as far away for the same apparent size. It has nine times the mass of the Moon, and would have about twice the tidal effect (nine times the larger mass divided by relative distance squared). 
12. Mars is already conspicuous in the early morning. Before the sun comes up, it's the brightest object in the eastern sky, really eye-catching. If you have a telescope, even a small one, point it at Mars. You can see the bright icy South Polar Cap and strange dark markings on the planet's surface.

References:

Mars-Moon Hoax: ‘Twin Moons’ and ‘As Big as Full Moon’ August 27 Post is a Decade Old, Fake
Mars hoax
Hoax: See Mars as large as the full moon on August 27th, 2014
Beware the Mars Hoax
Twin Moon Hoax Goes Viral: Mars Not As Big As Moon
Double moon on August 27?
Two Moons on August 27?

ALS - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

1. Amyotrophic comes from the Greek word amyotrophia: a- means "no", myo refers to "muscle", and trophia means "nourishment"; amyotrophia therefore means "no muscle nourishment," which describes the characteristic atrophy of the sufferer's disused muscle tissue. Lateral identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that are affected are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region.
2. Also referred to as motor neurone disease (MND), Charcot disease and
   in the United States, Lou Gehrig's disease.
3. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by muscle spasticity, rapidly progressive weakness due to muscle atrophy, and difficulty in speaking (dysarthria), swallowing (dysphagia), and breathing (dyspnea) or in simple terms --- The disease affects the brain and the spinal cord causing motor neurones to degenerate and die, leading to gradual paralysis and eventually death.
4. ALS is the most common of the five motor neuron diseases and is a debilitating disease that basically triggers a slow paralysis on those who are stricken by causing the nerve cells to stop working. It's literally an ongoing death sentence. With the exception of some cases like that of Stephen Hawking, most people who are diagnosed with the ailment willonly live only two to five years.
5. There's no cure for the disease as of the moment. The goal of the several groups affiliated with ALS Association is to raise money for research and patient services while at the same time raising awareness.
6. Median survival time from onset to death is 39 months, and only 4% survive longer than 10 years, although rare cases survive 50 years or more. Most die from respiratory failure, usually within three to five years from onset of symptoms.
7. The cause of ALS is not yet completely known. But scientific researches have found that ALS may have some genetic links.
8. The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge which went viral throughout social media during July-August 2014, is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research.
9. The rules of the ALS Challenge are simple: those who have been mentioned or tagged by participants have two options to complete the said challenge. The first is to record a video of themselves pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over their head. Those who are challenged but choose not to accept it will have to donate $100 to an ALS association of his or her choice. However, most of those who accepted the challenge, particularly big personalities, still pledged to donate.
10. The idea of dousing cold water on one's head to raise money has early origins, and they are not exclusive to ALS awareness. The exact date of its origin is unclear. A Slate report says that a search of the hashtag #icebucketchallenge on Instagram indicates that video challenges began as early as 2013, with most of them being done just for fun. But the ALS reference in ice bucket challenge videos reportedly began in a video posted on July 15, 2014 by golfer Chris Kennedy. He tagged and challenged his cousin in New York, whose husband has had ALS for 11 years.
11. Its virality on social media did result to the massive increase of support poured in to ALS charities. New York Times reported that the association had received $41.8 million in donations from July 29 until Aug. 21.
12. The feeling of ice-cold water over the body is said to be similar to the numbing effect of ALS.

References:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
FAST FACTS: ALS and the ice bucket challenge
Ice Bucket Challenge Rules Explained: How It Help ALS Charities?
The 'Ice Bucket Challenge' Has Raised $88.5 Million (And Counting) For ALS. Now What?
Ice Bucket Challenge

National Heroes Day 2014

Today, 25 August 2014, Monday is a regular holiday to commemorate the National Heroes Day.

1. It is a national public holiday in the Philippines to honor the country’s heroes (unspecified), both known and unknown heroes.
2. It was celebrated previously on 30th of November as it was the birthday of Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan.
3. It marks the anniversary of the Cry of Pugad Lawin, the beginning of the Philippine Revolution by the Katipunan and its Supremo Andrés Bonifacio in 1896.
4. A National Heroes Committee established in 1995 (prior Revolution's centennial) proposed a list of "National Heroes".
5. Before our independence from the United States, it was already celebrated as a holiday when the Philippine Legislature enacted Legislature Act 3827 in 1931.
6. After 76 years, the observance of National Heroes Day was moved from Sunday to Monday due the issuance in 2007 Republic Act 9492 of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which mandated that if a holiday falls on a Sunday, then the holiday shall be observed on the Monday of the following week.
7. Part of the reason for having a National Heroes Day is to commemorate Filipino heroes who didn't have their own national holidays. So far, only 2 Filipino heroes have special holidays that are officially commemorated: Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio.
8. 1996 was the centennial year of the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain and remembrance of the revolution, and to project all Filipinos – whether folk, local, or regional – as national heroes, former president Fidel Ramos issued Proclamation 510 in 1994, declaring 1996 as the Year of Filipino Heroes. It was dedicated to all Filipinos who directly or indirectly gave meaning and contributed to freedom, justice, and nationhood in the Philippines.
9. As it was the general consensus that the Cry took place in the latter days of August, and with the commemoration of the Cry slowly evolving over the years into the commemoration of all Filipino heroes, the National Heroes Day was set in the last week of August. The events that involved the Cry of Pugad Lawin/Balintawak ranged from as early as August 17 to as late as August 26 but the date and location of the Cry, however, has been a longstanding dispute among historians which was initially celebrated on 26 August from 1911 to 1962, calling the event “The Cry of Balintawak.” Come 1963, following the recommendations of historian Teodoro Agoncillo, the date was changed to August 23 and the location to Pugad Lawin.
10. There are no official policies or laws for nominating individuals to the status of national hero and today's policies on proclaiming national heroes are largely abandoned and according to the National Historical Commission, individuals become heroes via an organic process in which the individual has enough acclamation and acknowledgement from the masses that their life and works were indeed heroic, thus enshrining them in the cultural consciousness of a people as a hero.
11. 25 August 2014 was declared under Proclamation 655 Series of 2013 signed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III as one of the country’s national Regular Holiday and it is also the second non-working holiday for the month of August this year following Ninoy Aquino Day which was declared by the National government as a Special Non-Working Holiday throughout the country which was already celebrated last 21 August 2014.
12. In 1995, after adopting criteria for the nomination of national heroes, the NHC recommended 9 Filipino figures to be proclaimed as national heroes:
    
    •     Jose Rizal
    •     Andres Bonifacio
    •     Emilio Aguinaldo
    •     Apolinario Mabini
    •     Marcelo H. Del Pilar
    •     Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat
    •     Juan Luna
    •     Melchora Aquino
    •     Gabriela Silang.

References:

Quick Facts : National Heroes Day
National Heroes Holiday 2014 Pay Rules Released by DOLE (August 25)
National Heroes Day in Philippines
Heroes' Day
Fast Facts: National Heroes Day

Ninoy 31st Death Anniversary

Today, 21 August 2014, is the 31st death anniversary of Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.

1. Ninoy Aquino Day is a national non-working holiday in the Philippines observed annually on August 21, commemorating the assassination of former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. Unlike other dates reserved for national heroes of the Philippines (like Bonifacio Day, Rizal Day, Araw ng Kagitingan, and National Heroes Day), the date is not a "regular holiday" but only a "non-working holiday".
2. Ninoy Aquino Day was formally instituted upon the passage of Republic Act No. 9256 and was to be observed every August 21 (the anniversary of Aquino's death). However, upon the prerogative of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the observance of this holiday became day-dependent (like non-official celebrations such as Mother's Day and Father's Day)—to be celebrated on the "Monday nearest August 21" every year—as part of her controversial 'holiday economics' philosophy as reflected in Republic Act No. 9492. The celebration has since been reverted to August 21 by orders of incumbent President Benigno Aquino III.
3. He was the husband of Corazon Aquino, who was later to become Philippine President; they are treated as two of the heroes of democracy in the country. His assassination led to the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos on February 25, 1986, through the People Power Revolution. 
4. While no Filipino president has ever been assassinated, Benigno Aquino is one of three presidential spouses who have been murdered. Aurora Quezon was killed along with her daughter and son-in-law in a Hukbalahap ambush in 1949, while Alicia Syquia-Quirino was murdered by the Japanese along with three of her children during the Battle of Manila in 1945.
5. In 1987, Manila International Airport, where the assassination occurred, was renamed "Ninoy Aquino International Airport" in Aquino's honor.
6. "For one Aquino, who passed away, who got assassinated, they produced two presidents." (Jose Ampeso who played a role in that epochal juncture of Philippine history but kept it a secret for 20 years. Ampeso, then the Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate in New Orleans, would disclose his closely-guarded secret two decades after, when it could no longer threaten his life: He was the US-based Filipino diplomat who issued two passports to Ninoy and enabled the then anti-Marcos opposition leader to return to the country.) Ninoy actually had two passports—one was fake and it contained his real name, and other one was a real passport containing the pseudonym “Marcial Bonifacio.”  “Marcial” was for martial law and “Bonifacio” is the name of the place where he was imprisoned.
7. Ninoy Aquino was aboard China Airlines Flight 811 (CAL flight 811) when it touched down at what was then the Manila International Airport hours before he was assassinated.
8. Aquino’s security group was composed of five men: Technical Sgt. Claro Lat, Corporal Rogelio Moreno, Sgt. Arnulfo de Mesa, Corporal Lazaga, and Lieutenant Castro. They were the officers who were supposed to escort Ninoy from the plane to Fort Bonifacio, where he would be detained. Eleven seconds had elapsed from the moment Ninoy stepped out of the airplane door to the sound of the first gunshot (at 01:15 p.m.). As Ninoy and the 5 men walked out of the door, numerous voices were heard as saying, “Ako na! Ako na! Ako na!” and “Pusila!” (Pusila, in a southern Filipino dialect is an order to shoot). The voices reportedly came from Ninoy’s security team, which they later denied. Cpl. Moreno, who walked a few feet behind Aquino as he descended the stairs, was later convicted as the person who shot Ninoy. This group would later be called the “The 5 Wise Monkeys” because in the investigation, they “Saw nothing, heard nothing, said nothing.”
9. A .357 Magnum was allegedly used to murder Ninoy Aquino. He was shot at a distance of about  18 inches.  The bullet entered Ninoy’s nape and exited his chin. Investigations later showed that the shooter was directly a few feet above Ninoy and not level as was earlier suggested. Reportedly, there were two .357 with the same serial numbers. Interestingly, one was owned by  Col. Octavio Alvarez, the former chief of the Metrocom Intelligence Group—it was reportedly stolen from him.
10. The man who supposedly shot Ninoy had the word “Rolly” embroidered on the waistband of his underpants and an “R” engraved inside his gold wedding ring. Nine days after the assassination, “Rolly” was finally revealed to be Rolando Galman. He was officially described as a “notorious killer and gun for hire.” It was later reported that Galman had been supposedly taken from his home four days before Aquino’s murder. Two days after Aquino’s murder, Galman’s common-law wife Lina was taken by several armed men. She was never heard of again.
11. Roberto Olaguer, a chaplain who visited the inmates at the New Bilibid Prison would later reveal details about what he learned from Sgt. Pablo Martinez, one of the men convicted of Ninoy’s murder. Martinez reportedly was recruited by Col. Romeo Ochoco, then deputy head of AVSECOM (Aviation Security Command). Martinez was introduced to Rolando Galman and was told to make sure Galman kills Ninoy, otherwise, kill Ninoy and shoot Galman as well. Since Martinez had access to the airport, it was easy for him to smuggle Galman into the tarmac. Sgt. Martinez would later implicate Ninoy’s cousin-in-law Danding Cojuangco, but it was never proven. Martinez was later killed in a hit-and-run incident this year, 2014. He was hit by an SUV.
12. Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday received the Ninoy Aquino Memorial Medal of Valor award from the Ninoy Aquino Movement (NAM). On the 31st death anniversary of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., Binay urged “comrades in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship” to fight moves to amend the 1987 Constitution.

References:

Ninoy Aquino: Fight for Freedom

Ninoy Aquino remains ‘shining example’

Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center

Binay receives Ninoy Aquino medal of valor

A look back at Ninoy Aquino’s murder

Ninoy Aquino

Ninoy Aquino’s consul ‘bittersweet’ about ‘little’ place in history

Palace posts Ninoy Aquino's undelivered arrival speech

The undelivered speech of Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. upon his return from the U.S., August 21, 1983

31ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF NINOY AQUINO

Ninoy Aquino Day

Benigno Aquino, Jr.

Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Imelda Marcos comments on NINOY AQUINO's Assassination

FPJ 75th Birth Anniversary

Today, 20 August 2014, is the 75th birth anniversary of National Artist for Film Ronald Allan Poe better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da King.

1. Full name is Ronald Allan Kelley Poe.
2. He was the son of Filipino actor Allan Fernando R. Poe (Fernando Poe, Sr.) and Elizabeth Kelley, an American who were not yet legally married when he was born on 20 August 1939, although his parents were later married in 1940.
3. He was born in San Carlos City, Pangasinan.
4. He was the second among six siblings and it was his brother Andy who was really named Fernando Poe, Jr. which FPJ later adopted, to bank on the popularity of his father who was a top actor in his time. Conrad Poe, a Filipino actor is FPJ's half-brother, the illegitimate son of the late Fernando Poe Sr. and actress Patricia Mijares.
5. Pou is the original spelling of the family's surname from his grandfather, playwright Lorenzo Pou, a Catalan migrant from Majorca, Spain, who ventured into mining and business in the Philippines.
6. In 1953 Poe finished his primary education at San Beda College. For high school, he went to San Sebastian College. He continued his education at Mapua Institute of Technology and University of the East. His father died from rabies at age 35, leaving the young Poe as the family's breadwinner. In order to support his family, he was forced to drop out of school. He did not complete high school, but went on to win numerous awards and prizes as an actor and film director.
7. Poe married actress Susan Roces (real name: Jesusa Sonora) in a civil wedding in December 1968. They later married in a religious service and among their primary sponsors were then-President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda. Poe and Roces adopted a daughter, former MTRCB Chairman and May 2013 senatorial candidate, Grace Poe. Poe was also partnered with Anna Marin and had one son as Ronian and former actress Rowena Moran has one daughter Lourdes Virginia.
8. Fernando Poe Jr., was the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)'s candidate for the 2004 presidential election when he accepted the nomination in December 2003 and was to be the opposition standard-bearer for the Philippines' 2004 presidential election.
9. Poe was admitted to Saint Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City on the evening of 11 December 2004 after complaining of dizziness at a gathering in his production studio during a Christmas party. He suffered from a stroke and slipped into a coma while being treated for a brain clot. Doctors described his condition as a cerebral thrombosis with multiple organ failure.
10. He died at the age of 65 on 14 December 2004 at 12:01 am, without regaining consciousness and was buried in his family plot along with his father and mother in North Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
11. On 20 July 2012, President Aquino signed Proclamation No. 435 confirming his posthumous declaration as a National Artist as conferred in Proclamation No. 1069 dated 23 May 2006. 
12. On 14 December 2012, eight (8) years after his death, FPJ was feted with a monument along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. The monument was unveiled at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Arquiza Street, with widow Susan Roces and daughter Grace Poe attending the affair.

References:

Fernando Poe, Jr.
Did you know: Fernando Poe Jr.
D E C I S I O N
Best Fernando Poe, Jr. Movies
Fernando Poe, Jr.AKA Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, Jr.

12 Natural Bee Sting Remedies

12 Natural Bee Sting Remedies

The pain and swelling remedy that works for one person may not do much for another, so I’ve compiled a short list of the ones that people claim as the best. The majority of these items can be found around the average household, but you may want to purchase a couple of them to have handy for the growing season.

1. Garlic cloves: This one is quite popular and is touted as one of the best for the pain of a sting. Crush a garlic clove to release the garlic juices and press it against the sting.
2. Lavender essential oils: Just a drop on the sting site is all you need. The essential oils in the lavender are supposed to neutralize the venom immediately.
3. Baking soda and water: This one seems to have been around forever, but it’s a favorite. Mix the baking soda and water to form a thick paste then slather it onto the skin. Don’t wash it off.
4. Peanut butter: This was a new one for me. Again, people everywhere seem to find it effective. I’m anxious to try it, I mean, I am; but I’m not, you know?
5. Plantain (Plantago spp.): Plantain is a common weed that apparently had medicinal properties when it comes to bee stings. It makes itself at home almost everywhere, but whether you can find it around your home or not will depend on how obsessed you are with your yard or garden. In fact, if you’d like to plant plantain on purpose, there are some cultivars grown as ornamentals. They called P. major 'Rubrifolia' which has lovely purple foliage and P. major 'Rosularis' that has green bracts (in truth, they're leaves) that look like green roses. To use plantain as a bee sting treatment, chew up some of the leave to release its juices or firmly roll it between your thumb and fingers. Then press the juicy leaves against the sting.
6. Calendula (Calendula officinalis) flowers: Prepare flowers by crushing enough of them to get a good juice content and apply to sting.
7. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) leaves: Prepare the leaves the same way as plantain.
8. Basil: Using crushed basil leaves is said to be extremely affective for pain caused by stings.
9. Onion: Cut an onion in half and press the inside of it (the juicy part) on the sting.
10. Honey: So, how ironic is this? I mean, it seems only fitting that if the bees have the sting; they also have the cure. Pour some honey on the affected site.
11. Parsley: I would crush quite a bit of parsley so you could really get some juice to try this one.
12. Apis Mellifica: Are you ready for more irony? Apis Mellifica is a homeopathic remedy that's made from whole bees that's suppose to work wonders on stings from all kinds of critters including fire ants. There are different potentcies and dosages so if you purchase some, follow the directions on the label.

Most of these natural remedies call for crushing or mixing ingredients, so it might not be a bad idea to invest in a mortar and pestle. A mortar and pestle is a small marble, stone, or wooden bowl with a little marble club-like thing used for crushing that looks like it belongs to cave people.

References:

12 Natural Bee Sting Remedies

UPCAT 2014

UPCAT at UP Diliman on 16-17 August 2014.

The UPCAT (UP College Admission Test) is a three and a half hour examination consisting of subtests on language proficiency, reading comprehension, mathematics and science. The language used in the UPCAT is English and Filipino.

1. GMA News anchor Jessica Soho - "Review very well. Read the questions carefully. Sharpen your pencils (and your mind ). Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you."
2. GMA Network's "News To Go" anchor and "i-Witness" host Kara David - "Huwag na silang mag-aral one day before the UPCAT para clear lang 'yung mind nila. Don't be careless in answering the questions. 'Pag hindi alam, wag manghula. Just skip and move on the next question. Magdala ng maraming pencil. Mahaba ang oras. Huwag magmamadali."
3. Joseph Morong, a reporter and anchor for GMA News - "Tell yourself 'if it's for you, it is for you.' Less pressure." 
4. Visual artist Ferdie Cacnio, who graduated from the Diliman campus with degrees in B.S. Psychology and B.S. Civil Engineering - "Relax nalang. Don't skip breakfast. Don't drink too much water, sayang time for bathroom breaks. Save partying for after UPCAT. Drink multivitamins or an energy drink or coffee para di antukin. Don't hesitate, trust your gut feel. And pray pala muna to involve Him from above."
5. Save Philippine Seas co-founder Anna Oposa, the first Filipino and youngest recipient of the Future for Nature Award in the Netherlands in 2012 - "Go early because you might get lost finding your test venue! Don't drink too much water before and during the test because you won't be allowed to keep going to the restroom. Bring an umbrella. It could rain and you don't want to get stranded in your test venue. The UPCAT is not the only measure of your intelligence, so don't think that your future depends on this test"
6. Up-and-coming musician Migi de Belen, who also goes by the name Nights of Rizal - "Statistically, it's better to make an educated guess than to leave an item blank. Research shows that test-makers like to put correct answers in letters B or C. Answer all easy items first. Lahat naman sila tig-1 point eh, so if you're stuck on a question, move on and get back to it later."
7. Ayvi Alcain finished BA Mass Communication (Journalism) in UP Baguio in 2003. She worked as an Information Officer at the Philippine National Volunteer Service Agency after college. She migrated to Edmonton, Alberta Canada in 2008 and currently works as a Registered Nurse at University of Alberta Hospital. - "It all started with taking the UPCAT, and passing it. To everyone taking the test this year, I wish you luck. If you have to give up weekends to study for it, do so. The sacrifices will be all worth it."
8. Angel Britanico was once a chubby-cheeked high school senior who covered her eyes with both hands when she saw the Oblation for the first time. She graduated from University of the Philippines Diliman in 2013 and passed the entrance examination for the UP College of Law and the Ateneo Law School that same year. Six years after her UP College Admission Test (UPCAT), Angel is now a chubby-cheeked, 21-year-old marketer by profession and wordsmith by passion. - “Whatever the outcome of the exam may be, all that you are and all that you know is so much more than an exam score.”
9. Amer R. Amor is an UPCAT Regional Examiner and a faculty member of the University of the Philippines in Baguio. - "Memorize your UPCAT Identification Number. You will be asked to write these numbers more than once during the exam. In most cases, your Identification Number becomes your Student Number when you pass the UPCAT, and your student number becomes your life at the university. You carry it with you until you take graduate and postgraduate studies in the university. You actually carry it for life. So if you believe in the Law of Attraction and while it is a long time till UPCAT results are released February next year, own these numbers now."
10. Mark Canlas who has almost ten years of experience as an economist and has worked with the National Economic Development Authority, the Senate of the Philippines, and the British Embassy of the Philippines. He currently works in one of the top three biggest banks in the country. He also owns Excel Reviews, a chain of  UPCAT and college review centers, and is a popular lecturer. - "Guessing your answers in the UPCAT makes for a small but still positive contribution on your UPCAT score. Your test score is computed based on the following formula:  number of your right answers minus 25% of your number of wrong answers. There’s a computation here (which I won’t get into) but basically, assuming you do nothing but guess your answers, you’ll statistically get one point for every sixteen random guesses you make. So leave no blanks then!"
11. Arlyn Palisoc Romualdo said in an article posted on the UP System website. - "(D)o not even attempt to cheat. In fact, do not even think about trying to cheat, unless you want to say goodbye to the UPCAT and your chance to study in UP."
12. jen of the12list.com - "Be prepared the night before the exam. Get enough rest. Don't forget your permit and all requirements for the examination. Bring extra pens and pencils."

References:

University of the Philippines College Admission Test
Admissions
The best (and funniest) #UPCATTips
First batch of more than 80,000 UPCAT hopefuls sit in exams
12 tips from an UPCAT examiner
How to survive the UPCAT: Words of wisdom from some of UP's notable alumni
How To Ace The UPCAT: Top 10 Tips From UP Students
To UPCAT takers: Go for it
Examiner advises UPCAT takers: Be early, bring a snack, keep phones on silent mode
10 THINGS UPCAT TAKERS SHOULD KNOW
Ten Things You Did Not Know About The UPCAT And Getting Into UP
10 things UPCAT takers should know
Kwentong UPCAT
Is There Really A Secret to Passing UPCAT?
37 TIPS TO PASS THE UPCAT
My 12 PowerfulStrategiesTo Triumph Over The UPCAT (Essay Entry #12)
10 things UPCAT takers should know
Tips on Taking the UPCAT
Best UPCAT Memes – Cheering Those Who Are Pulling an All-Nighter
UPCAT TIPS COMPILATION, TIPS FOR UPCAT TAKERS | TIPS FOR TAKING UPCAT
DRESS UP: UPCAT TIPS
SO YOU WANNA PASS THE UPCAT: TIPS FOR UPCAT-TAKERS
Useful tips to pass UPCAT

How to pass the UPCAT, as told by Twitter Philippines

My UPCAT Experience

Tried and tested: Entrance exam strategies
My UPCAT Journey

My UPCAT Experience

Ilang netizens, ibinahagi sa YouScoop ang kanilang #UPCATmemories

Alfredo Santos - Filipino National Scientist

Dr. Alfredo C. Santos - 114th Birth Anniversary today, 15 August 2014

1. Recognized for having pioneered phytochemistry in the Philippine or his researches in the chemistry of natural products.
2. Has done a lot of work in the isolation and elucidation of the phaeantharine and other alkaloids from Philippine medical plants.
3. Served in various capacities at the UP for 45 years until retirement in 1965 as Dean of the College of Pharmacy.
4. After UP stint, continued to do research at the UST Research Center and the National Institute of Science and Technology.
5. Received Pres. Magsaysay's Distinguished Service Star in 1954 in recognition of his original experimental researches in numerous alkaloids isolated from Philippine medicinal plants.
6. Recipient of the 1953 Outstanding Pharmacist Researcher of the Philippine Pharmaceutical Association
7. Recipient of the 1973 PhilAAS Outstanding Scientist Award.
8. BS in Pharmacy, University of the Philippines
9. Doctorate in Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas
10. Doctorate in Philosophy, Westfalische Wilhelms Universitat Munster - 1929
11. National Scientist Awardee in 1978
12. Born on 15 August 1900 in Sto. Tomas, Pampanga and died on 11 April 1990.

Alfredo Santos - Filipino Chemist

References:

Dr. Alfredo C. Santos' profile
Order of National Scientists
What Did Dr. Alfredo C. Santos Invented?
Dr. Alfredo C. Santos, PhD: Pharmacist, Chemist, Educator, Thomasian
Alfredo C. Santos (Chemist and Pharmacist)
Alfredo Santos - Filipino Chemist
National Scientist Alfredo C. Santos "Father of Natural Products Research"
My Top 10 Famous Filipino Scientists and Inventors

12 Artists Shortlisted For 2014 Ateneo Art Awards

Out of 84 nominations, 12 artists and their exhibitions were chosen for this year’s shortlist for the Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art. They are as follows:

1. Pio Abad for Every Tool is a Weapon if You Hold it Right (Silverlens Manila)
2. Charles Buenconsejo for Destination Unknown (West Gallery)
3. Luis Santos for Nocturne (West Gallery)
4. Zean Cabangis for Condestruct  (Art Informal)
5. Buen Calubayan for Spoliarium (NOW Gallery)
6. Vermont Coronel Jr. for Dreamworld (The Drawing Room Singapore)
7. Olivia d’Aboville for Sacred Geometry (Altro Mondo Arte Contemporanea)
8. Cian Dayrit for The Bla-Bla Archaeological Complex (UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center)
9. Lui Medina for Metamorphic Histories (UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center)
10. Leslie de Chavez for Complicated (Lopez Memorial Museum and Library)
11. Jay Yao for Homecoming (Celestina)
12. Jeona Zoleta for The Unicorn Club (1335 Mabini).

Update:

The winners were Charles Buenconsejo, Leslie de Chavez and Maria Jeona Zoleta for the Fernando Zobel Prizes for Visual Art.

References:

2014 Ateneo Art Awards Shortlists Announced: Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art and Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prize for Art Criticism
Ateneo Art Gallery
Winners of the Ateneo Art Awards 2014 named

12 Notable Left-Handed Filipinos

Today, 13 August 2014, is the 22nd annual celebration of left-handers.

1. Joseph Estrada - (Joseph Ejercito Estrada, byname Erap) Former Philippine president and is now the current mayor in the City of Manila.
2. Manny Pacquiao (Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, byname Pac-Man) - professional boxer, media celebrity, and politician, who became world-famous for winning boxing titles in several weight classes.
3. Eugene “Geno” Macalalag Espineli - Filipino-American 25-year-old pitching reliever for the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
4. Popong Landero - a Davao-based artist who earned his moniker “Kaliweteng Gitarista” in 1978 after his first single swept the airwaves. Known for being a left-handed guitarist and for his reggae covers of Bob Marley.
5. Kristine Hermosa - Philippine actress Kristine Hermosa married Diether Ocampo co-star in "Sana'y Wala Ng Wakas" soap opera last September 2004, however, they got divorced sometime June 2005. Kristine's father is pure Filipino while her mother is half-Spanish.
6. Andrew Ganigan - “Hawaiian Punch” A Filipino boxer whose pro record of 34 victories, 30 by knockouts, against five losses bars the pollsters out.
7. Jennylyn Mercado - Filipina actress.
8. Ferdinand Marcos - Former Philippine president.
9. Nonoy Marcelo - Filipino cartoonist.
10. Paeng Nepomuceno - "Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time", "Athlete of the Century", and "International Bowling Athlete of the Millennium" who has won the World Cup in bowling four times in three decades.
11. RJ Bautista - Filipino bowler who is also an Asian Games gold medalist along with Paeng Nepomuceno.
12. Señor Don Santiago de los Santos - "Most Famous Filipino in 19th Century Britain", 35 Years of Age & 2 Feet 2 Inches high, so small that he barely reaches the knees of Miss Angela Melius, the 19-year-old “Giantess from the UNITED STATES”, the very tall woman who dominates the image below.

"Miss Angelina Melius the celebrated giantess from the United States. 19 years of age and nearly 7 feet high. Attended by her page Senor Don Santiago de los Santos from the island of Manila." British Museum

Lapid refiles bill for left-handed Filipinos
"Comprehensive Handedness Act of 2010"
Manny Pacquiao - Greatest Left-Handed Boxer of All Time?
Filipino Fireballer: FilAm Baseball Player Espineli
The Best To Use The ‘Other’ Hand: The 10 Greatest Lefties In Sports History
How a Little Person Became the Most Famous Filipino in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Left-handed Pinoy PEx members - our thread here :)
Filipino Artists
Manny Pacquiao
The greatest sporting ‘lefties’ of all time
Kristine Hermosa
International Lefthanders Day: 44 Famous People You (Probably) Didn't Realise Were Left-handed
59 Famous People Who Are Left-Handed
Famous left handers
Top 10 Lefties
Famous left-handers
Arguello knew: Pinoy Ganigan hit harder than Pacquiao
Did you know? - Fascinating Facts and Amazing Stories
Left Handers Guild
Left-handed persons are an unaccommodated minority - Roses And Thorns byAlejandro R. Roces
Translation of "Left-hand" in Italian?
Jennylyn Mercado: Filipino Actress/singer
THE MARCOS KARATE CHOP
Filipino cartoonist Nonoy Marcelo has been gone an entire decade but memory of this departed friend lives on
4 Big Bs of Sports
PINOY LEFTIES: AN ANALYSIS
Livin’ La Vida Lefty
Left Handers Day 2014: Facts About Left Handed People for International Left Handers Day
ARTISTS
The Dreaded Clipboard!
THE TIGER OF BALINTAWAK
Left Handers Day

Heritage Status For Burnham Park Including 12 Clusters

This is a repost of an open letter for the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) I have read in the Week's Mail section of Baguio Midland Courier dated Sunday, August 3, 2014.

The letter came from concerned citizens and various groups in Baguio City.

• RONALDO A. PARAAN, M.D., Chair, Baguio Heritage Foundation, Inc.
• MARIA ISABEL G. ONGPIN, Chair, Pine Cone Movement
• KARLO MARKO ALTOMONTE, Save 182 Trees Movement Open Space Projects
• MICHAEL BENGWAYAN, Director, Cordillera Ecological Center
• DIVINA A. BAUTISTA, President, National Delphic Council Philippines 
• LING-LING MARANAN CLAVER, Baguio Citizens No Waste Initiative 
• CHRISTOPHER DONAAL, Cordillera Global Network 
• OLIVE GREGORIO, Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary

NHCP asked to declare B’ham Park as heritage site

This is to formally inform that on June 2, concerned citizens and residents of Baguio City have filed a petition with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to declare Burnham Park and its 12 cluster areas (Melvin Jones Grandstand, Burnham Lagoon, Children’s Playground, Skating Rink, Rose Garden, Orchidarium, Igorot Garden, Athletic Bowl, Picnic Grove, Japanese Peace Tower, Pine Trees of the World, and Sunshine Park), as heritage/historical sites pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act 10066 or The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.
As you very well know, Burnham Park was part of Daniel Burnham’s original plan for Baguio as a hill station. Since its creation, it has become so identified with Baguio City that people always say “do not go to Baguio without visiting Burnham Park” or “you haven’t been to Baguio if you did not go to Burnham Park.”
It is without a doubt an important component of the cultural heritage of the people of Baguio.
With the recent developments, we are very much concerned about the planned underground and above-level parking structures at Melvin Jones.
Melvin Jones is the only open area available for sports and other gatherings and is important to Baguio City and its people to know that its destruction, in whole or in part, will bring about adverse consequences on their culture, health, social wellbeing, and commerce.
In this regard, we respectfully request that the city government refrain from destroying, degrading, defacing and/or introducing changes to Burnham Park and its 12 clusters and specifically Melvin Jones football fields, pending resolution of our petition by the NHCP.

The 12 Clusters of Burnham Park:

1. Melvin Jones Grandstand
2. Burnham Lagoon
3. Children’s Playground
4. Skating Rink
5. Rose Garden
6. Orchidarium
7. Igorot Garden
8. Athletic Bowl
9. Picnic Grove
10. Japanese Peace Tower
11. Pine Trees of the World
12. Sunshine Park

References:

NHCP asked to declare B’ham Park as heritage site
BURNHAM PARK
Baguio for All Seasons: Feel the Best of the Cordilleras!
Wright and Burnham Parks in Baguio, Philippines
The Undeniable Charm of Burnham Park in Baguio City
Burnham Park has 12 cluster areas
Burnham Park The very heart of Baguio City in the Philippines