This morning my sister texted me to read the Facebook status of a schoolmate who is now in Canada (because of work), which caused a little chaos within our circle of friends and schoolmates.
This was her Facebook status:
“hahahahaha natatawa ako sa mga ibang taong nasa pinas at napaka OA ng mga status dito sa facebook kami nga na nasa abroad wala lang.. pwede ba relax and be yourself. at sa mga ibang taong nandito sa abroad perte ang mga pictures oi unsa nakalitan mo na naka abot mo dri sa …

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MANILA, Philippines – Two Filipino teachers, who were hired to fill a shortage in Louisiana in 2007, have filed a federal lawsuit against the hiring firm that recruited them in the Philippines after being allegedly forced to pay exorbitant fees, the Lost Angeles Times reported today.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles, Ingrid Cruz and Rolando Pascual accused Universal Placement International Inc. and its president Lourdes Navarro of forcing them to pay immigration fees, which should have been paid by the districts that hired them under the federal law.
The lawsuit said the …

How are you doing President Noynoy?
Well, my name is Reyna Elena. I was your number one supporter during the election, attacked by an unbelievable online hatred during the campaign because of my support for your presidency. Aherrm!
Oh, by the way, I thought I’d share this with you.
Here is my Elementary School in Castilla, Sorsogon. This picture was taken last week by my friend from Amsterdam. It’s one Uragon building. One unbelievable technology. The best. Western standards will drool at how mini, major and super-typhoons blasted that building away …

Henry Sy Sr., whose wealth was primarily fueled by the success of SM shopping malls, is the richest man in the Philippines for the third year in a row, according to Forbes magazine’s survey on the 40 richest Filipinos for 2010.
The mall mogul’s net worth rose to $5 billion in the Forbes 2010 survey from $3.8 billion a year earlier. He was also the Philippines’ wealthiest man in the 2006 survey.
Sy ranks 201st in the 2010 list of 1,011 billionaires of the world, that according to Forbes dropped from 1,125 …

MANILA, Philippines – A woman is seeking justice after her live-in partner died allegedly after surgical equipment were left inside him post-operation.
Hannah, not her real name, still can’t believe what happened to her live-in partner Roger Panzo.
She recounted that on January 30, Roger was brought to the FEU-Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation (NRMF) Medical Center after he sustained gunshot wounds in a robbery incident in Caloocan.
He was operated on and was able to recover, but the surgical wound was not closed immediately. The hospital said it was done to be able …

Convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff has blamed others for being “complicit” in his scheme, which fleeced investors of billions of dollars.
Madoff is serving 150 years in jail in the US for a $65bn (£40bn) fraud which deprived thousands of investors of their savings.
Now he has told the New York Times a variety of banks and hedge funds “had to know” about his Ponzi scheme.
Such schemes pay out using new investor money rather than from any profits.
Madoff claimed banks and hedge funds who had dealings with his investment advisory firm showed a …

LOS ANGELES – Dozens of Filipino hospital workers in California sued their employer Tuesday alleging they were the sole ethnic group targeted by a rule requiring them to speak only English.
The group of 52 nurses and medical staff filed a complaint accusing Delano Regional Medical Center of banning them from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while letting other workers speak Spanish and Hindi.
The plaintiffs are seeking to join an August complaint filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Kern County federal court over the hospital’s enforcement of …

Visitors to the Philippines may get smiles from airport immigration officials, but they shouldn’t expect to hear “Merry Christmas.”
Immigration Bureau chief Ronaldo Ledesma says officers at passport counters are banned from offering Christmas greetings because they may be misconstrued as soliciting gifts or cash.
It is a tradition in the Philippines for children to offer Christmas wishes to solicit gifts from godparents and relatives. The practice has been hijacked by corrupt officials who sometimes use it as code for extortion requests.
Ledesma said Tuesday that a Christmas greeting, even if sincere, may …

Contributed by Ellen Taleon
Buried under tons of rocks and rubbles
Two thousand feet down in the bowels of the earth
Brave men of the number 33
Valiantly tried to seek light in the darkness.
The blackness closing in
The dust and sweltering heat suffocating.
Seventeen days had passed
And nobody knew which hole
They had dropped to and vanished.
Until that one fateful day
Their cries echoing, reached the ears of people
Who were seeking them, trying to know
If they were dead, ripe for salvaging
Or alive and worth saving.
In a race against time
Men once again proved that
Deep within each one …

I now pronounce you…

You may kiss the bride!

You can watch the pre-recorded ceremony here: Chapel of Flowers. View this video until: 8/13/2010 05:00 AM PST
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Looks like being ‘quiet’ is hard for Miss Kris Aquino! After declaring her decision to be inactive on social networking sites, Queen of All Media Kris Aquino surprised her followers by tweeting anew on Aug. 8.
“I’m back! Y? Because we live in a democracy & I’m allowed to use my voice. I promise to be prudent & not be motivated by anger or hate. Will try to be kind & mature. I’m SO BACK. Love love love!!!” her first “comeback” tweet read that night.
As before, Kris updated her Twitter followers …

From the Manila Bulletin:
The Center for Research and Epidemiology Disasters (CRED) here disclosed the Philippines ranked first worldwide in the most number of disasters that hit a country with 25.
In an annual statistical review complied by the group, the country led the list of natural disaster events with 24 followed by China with 16 thereby making the country as the hardest hit in terms of calamities that pose a serious threat to life and limb.
Based on a 46-page report, natural disasters are defined as events where 10 or more people …

President Noynoy Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) may be the most awaited moment of the Filipino people last July 26. But for the fashion aficionados out there, PNoy’s revelations in his SONA only comes a close second as the fashion statement is the topmost priority around the Philippines. Heller, magtatanong pa kayo eh, Oscar Season heto ng mga politicians natin noh? Remember!? ~LOL~
Anyway, below are the celebrities and politicians who gained a lot of attention due to their flair of fashion at PNoy’s first ever SONA. Photos courtesy …

Touted the even as the most star-studded presidential inauguration ever, it featured performances from well-known Filipino artists. Showbiz denizens mingled with politicians and diplomats in the audience. Arguably, it was the most anticipated official function of recent memory. ~ Spot.ph
Pictured below are the list of celebrities who made some fashion statement during the inauguration day of Noynoy Aquino.  Have your say on who wore our traditional gown and Barong Tagalog better. Photo credits courtesy of JJ Soriano and Iliac Diaz:

Kris Aquino looks flamboyant in her Randy Ortiz terno adorned with yellow …

Move away Lady Gagita, here comes Gagang Lady with her pinoy version of Bad Romance, titled as “Bathroom Dance”!!
Tamang tama na may pyestahan dito sa Barrio Siete dahil kaarawan ng buong barrio kaya malamang kung ano ano na ang kinakain nyo dyan sa tabi-tabi, isama pa ang pagtagay ng gurdun’s gin namen ni Parekoy Lee (Litsi, parekoy, asan ka na? Di pa tapos ang kwatro kantos natin!)
So after ng pyestahan, eto na muna ang gawin nyo bago uminom ng Motilium: BATHROOM DANCE!
HAHAHHAHHAHA….

Happy 1st anniversary Barrio Siete!
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Natuyo ang utak ko sa eleksyon. Tuloy I am not prepared kung anong acceptance speech ko to all of you sa Happy 1st year anniversary nang Barrio Siete.

Big thanks sa readers of Barrio Siete who are mostly Overseas Filipinos and Overseas Filipino Workers. Kaya naman after 1,247 entries and 32,283 comments, an tatabil nyo pala! Salamat sa pagtangkilik.
Kita nyo naman, starting from a miserable Alexa rank of 20,320,656, a year later, we would register an Alexa rank that look like this: 193,582. Akala kasi nang mga Overseas Pinoys, Barrio Siete …

Sinamahan ko ang aking asawa sa presinto pasado ala una ng hapon para maka boto. Umaga pa lang eh nakaktanggap na kami ng mga text na napakahaba na ng pila at tila di gumagalaw. Pag dating namin sa presinto eh halos maligo na sa pawis ang mga naka pila dahil sa tindi ng init kaninang hapon. Nakuhang number ng aking may bahay at 542 at sa oras na iyon ay 367 pa lang ang huling nakapasok.
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Juice ko ‘day!
Nakakaloka ang haba ng mga pila sa mga voting precincts. I doubt kung matatapos bumoto ng 7pm ang lahat ng nakapila sa kasalukuyan. My friend who’s in Tagbilaran City, anim na oras nang nakapila and as of now hindi pa rin siya nakaboto.
I had the chance to roam around the city kanina and ito ang iilan sa mga litraks na nakuha ko sa iba’t ibang location within Davao City.
This was in Palma Gil Elementary School (1st District), notice the queue from the ground floor up to the third …

Hay naku mga Kabarrio.. this time Ceasar stabs Brutus hahaha

UPDATE: Here’s a picture sent:

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LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES – In Calamba Laguna, PCOS Machines are A-okay but like what happened in some areas, voting was very slow because most of the precincts allowed the senior citizens to cast their votes first. Lines were disorganized everywhere. Complaints are mounting since the clustered precincts are only using 1 PCOS machine in Calamba Central School. Many voters were on queue for hours and most of them already went home due to utter frustration and boredom. Verified reports reveal that the BEIs themselves attempted to devise ways to ease the …

Nakaboto ka na ba?
Ako tapos na. Pero hindi siya gaanong smooth as I thought it would be, to think that it’s the very first automated elections, the system is quite disorganised. Well at least in my case.
See this.

Chaos much?

Maaga pa kami ng nanay at manang ko na pumunta sa polling place at around 6:30am para makaiwas sa mahabang pila but unfortunately, tulad ng ibang tao ay maaga din nagpuntahan ang karamihan.

Kung hindi ka pa nakakaboto as of this writing, please remember your PRECINCT NUMBER, the CLUSTER where you belong, …

Barrio Siete writers and field correspondents are on the go today. We are covering the whole Luzon, Visayas and Mindano with our provincial writers and reporters.
Barrio siete writers from different points such as Tagatay, Davao, Bicol, Calabarzon, Manila and some key cities are already on the field as early as 5 am today. Our OFW writers from Europe, the US, Canada and SE Asia are also on monitor mode, delivering news on their respective areas.
With the power of communication, we will bring you the news that is not heard on …

I’m officially a resident of DC since birth and conception. I’ve seen it grow from just a city into this peaceful metropolitan that even though I currently work and live in a different region, I always consider Davao my home. Ang tahanan ng aking lahi. Charing.
Since I was a little gurl (walang kokontra), Davao City has been ruled by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (except for that 3 years when he served as congress representative and his Vice Mayor Ben de Guzman took his place). The media calls him “The Punisher” but …

By: Bear’s rumbling thoughts
(reader request that be posted in B7)
My sister was nagging me on whom to vote for on May 10 for the Malacañang post. I haven’t really convinced myself yet, even for VP and senators. There should be something I need to do in order to counter asymmetric information so that I’ll be properly informed given that I am not in the Philippines to actually observe the campaign. The only thing I heard of are the muds that are being thrown left and right against various candidates and …