By: Fehm Malaluan

Photo Credits: Fehm Malaluan/LP FB

“Habang ako’y nag-aayos ng kanta sa laptop ng aking mama ay may isang di inaasahang pangyayari sa aking buhay at kahit ako’y magkaapo ay aking ibabahagi ang kwentong ito sa kanila. Marahil di ko naisip sa buong buhay ko na mararanasan ko ang ganitong pangyayari di ko inisip na maari pero hangang panaginip na lang siguro…
Ito nga habang nag-aayos ako ng kanta sa laptop ay ka-text ko rin ang aking kaibigan dito sa fb na si William, at habang magkatext kami ay napatawag …

From Engr. Jojo:
I am speaking as an Agrarian Reform Program Officer, SDO is a LEGAL provision of the law (RA 6657) or COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM LAW OF 1988 at saka hindi ito ipinipilit, in fact dalawang beses nag conduct ng Plebiscite sa HLI separately conducted by DAR and PARC, the latter is chaired by then President FVR. The first plebiscite was conducted by DAR to feel the pulse of HLI Workers after series of Orientations and consultation conducted on them, the second was confirmatory, the results: 92% and 94% respectively.
Alam …

By TOTO CAUSING
Auditor & Legal Consultant,
National Press Club

Complete power vacuum?
The premature lifting of the unlawful martial law in Maguindanao province was further prompted by a call from the Obama administration. But this is not an assurance that the Filipinos have nothing more to fear about a no-election scenario. To the contrary, the desire of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to stay in power at any cost is still a clear-and-present danger.
So what do you think will happen if there would be massive failure of elections in almost all parts of the …

Out of nowhere, I suddenly remembered my fourth year adviser back in high school. I would say she was intelligent. She was very knowledgeable of uncommon things such as theories which are not commonly discussed, as well as palm reading.
One afternoon during our break, we talked about marriage, crushes, early pregnancy, relationships and other related topics. Of course, the most “kilig moments” of talking were about those of our during teenage years. She said, you know what, back in college, I read my classmate’s palm then I discovered that she’s …

Ladies & gentlemen and everyone else in between, this is La Kapitana.
One Ella reader sent me an email (Bebe from Toronto, Canada) to pick up Ella’s entry dahil sasakalin na daw nya lahat nang deers na makita nya sa North America sa sobrang galet. She was so agitated that I left a comment on Ella’s blog and requested permission to repost her entry toditz sa Barrio. Dahil parehas kaming maganda, I was given one green banana. Now, remember this entry was written by Ella and not Reyna Elena. Here we …

War is not like a hollywood blockbuster. A soldier is not an action hero. Outside the statistics and the news-worthy portrayals, there are deeply personal issues that most of us don’t see.

Pikit kayo! Magbibihis Si Perla!
Call center agent ako. Minsan, wala akong magawa sa office. One time, nag-surf ako nang nag-surf sa internet kahit pa ang laging sabi ng manager namin was read and review. (abuh! nakakasawa kayang magbasa ng magbasa ng processes noh! Wag kayong maingay baka materminate ako hekhek)
My boyfriend is a graduate of aviation kaya I tend to research things related to aviation because of him. I was curious and wanted to learn things about his field. One article I ran into, focused on plane crashes and bomb …

This was the funnest and most adventure-filled summer my family and I have ever had.  It was also the most documented and most expensive.  We visited and enjoyed some of the best places that both Iowa and Western Washington have to offer.  From Adventureland, to the Amanas.  From Mt.Rainier, to Lake Quinault.  From Ichiro, to Lea Salonga.  And to finish it off, we went to our annual religous obligation—the Puyallup Fair.
The state fair is a 20-day summer affair in Washington and one of the biggest in the U.S.  It features  the biggest, the fattest, the …

By: Carlos “Charlie” Contreras
Mississauga , Ontario , Canada
I am just a newcomer in Canada and I noticed it is common to be asked by someone…”how are you?” And many would say…”OH I AM GOOD!” In other countries such as the Philippines , if someone ask the same question, the common answer would be ”I am fine,” or, “I am okay!”
Perhaps we feel good…
when we are spared by tragedies and calamities,
when we have money to secure us and get what we want,
when we have possessions to comfort and …

In New Orleans, I was on a hunt. Hunting for a Filipino store. That hunt would bring me to Slidell, Louisiana. Across the bridge, across the lake, on a very rainy day. I’m sorry, I lost my camera so I don’t have a picture of this Filipino store in Slidell. She told me that there was another Filipino store, right near the New Orleans Convention Center in the City.
So, one Saberdey, my goal was to find this Filipino Store in the heart of the city. I took out my hard-headed …

…nor do I use chopsticks!
Filipinos are faith, family, music, and FOOD loving people. And regardless of our economic status, we all enjoy gatherings and karaoke in the company of our family and friends. And thank God for the strong Filipino community here in Washington, my family and I are able to preserve some of our culture and traditions.
Last week, my wife, my kids, and I were among the role players in the Mass for San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint. The 9-day novena, processions, and feasts complete this annual …

By Charlie
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
We have read or heard about “global warming” but how much do we really know about it and how many really take it seriously? The abnormal weather that is happening around the world are often dismissed as “climate change” and not due to effects of “global warning”. This year 2009, the world had seen the enormous and unprecedented loss of lives of the rich and famous and perhaps, our own household, our relative, our friend, our office mate, our neighbor, among others. We …

By: iRonnie
Filipino Efren Peñaflorida of the Dynamic Teen Company earns a coveted spot in this year’s CNN Top Ten Heroes list. They will be honored at the Kodak theater on November 26th (Thanksgiving Night) when the winner will be announced.
The winner will be chosen by the public via online voting starting Oct. 1, 2009 at 11PM ET (8PM PT, 11AM Friday, Manila time). At this same time, a special edition of “AC360,” profiling this year’s honorees and their causes — “Change the World, You Vote, CNN Heroes” — airs on …

As I was growing tired and weary with the many pressures, obstacles, and difficulties in life, I learned the passing away of many rich and famous persons in just a few weeks. Perhaps, we know that Michael Jackson, Farrah Faucet, Sen. Edward Kennedy, actor Patrick Swayze, former Philippine President Cory Aquino, Iglesia ni Kristo founder Erano Manalo, famous american TV host, and many others around the world had already passed away.
I have a nephew in his early 30s from my wife side who met a sudden tragic …

Yan po ang katanungan ni Dionisio. Opo. Ang blog entry na to eh, hinarbat ko sa blog nya, habang ang Dionisio eh nag-swimming sa ewan ko kung saan. Kaya, wag nyong iiwanan ang mga blog nyo. Dahil di ko mapigilang dumekwat nang ari-arian nang iba, gaya nga nitong pag-aari ni Dionisio. Hehehe! Pakinggan naten ang pananaliksik ni Dioniz.

Photo: Nadekwat dito
Sino’t ano nga ba si TRAPO?
Aba tanong din iyan ng Dioniscio nyo!
Sa aking pagsasaliksik ay nakita ko si Ginoong Sonny Melencio (Chairperson ng Partido Lakas ng Masa) sa kanyang …

By Amor Lahoz
Photo Credits: GMA News TV
Receding hairline…….. bad hair always………….. not so eloquent speaker…… good looks lacking…… uninteresting personality…….. I am not describing the good senator. The similarity may be uncanny….. right on the dot, perhaps…… But really, my reason goes beyond his looks and his personality.
Noynoy Aquino is the only son of the late Ninoy and Cory Aquino. Currently a senator but with a little push, he might just seek higher office. During his mom’s wake, he …

Napakabilis ng mga pangyayari. Kung ating titignan, parang kailan lang nung umakyat sa pagiging Presidente si Tita Cory. Nung natapos ang kanyang termino, andyan pa rin sya kasama ang ating mga kababayang lumalaban para mapreserba ang ating kalayaan. Sa abot ng kanyang makakaya, pinagpatuloy nya ang laban.
Nung bata pa ako, nakatanggap ako ng ilang pribilehiyo upang makita ng personal si Tita Cory. Ako’y alagad ng simbahan nung mga panahon yun (ehem! Ehheeemmm!) at alam naman natin ang suporta at debosyon ni Tita Cory sa simbahang Katoliko ay walang bahid, walang …

Photo Credits: (La Kapitana’s own, very very own camera at a mall in New Orleans last Sunday.)
Noong nakilala ko si Inay Reyna, para ba akong mababaliw kakatawa sa bawat entry nya sa kanyang blog. Aliw na aliw talaga ako, kaya naman noong nabalitaan ko na may tambayan siyang pinamumunuan, nakibisita naman ako kaagad. Ito na nga ang siste, akalain mo ba naman na mapapatambay ako dito ng matagal. E bakit nga, kasarap ba katsimisan ng ating mga parlorista at mga tanod na walang sawa sa pagtoma.
Naiinggit talaga ako at nag …

Hindi po ako ang nagpatingin sa vet, yung kasama ko sa bahay.
Inuubo pa rin si rojey kaya napilitan akong dalhin sya sa vet. Matagal ko nang kakilala ang mga tao sa clinic, it’s also a pet shop sa ground floor.
Nakakatuwa sa pet shop, nakakaengganyo ang mga tropical fish, natuwa ako sa hedgehog, gusto ko syang bilhin, so tinanong ko kung kumakain ng insekto yung hedgehog, sabi nung tao dun, isang injano na nuong una eh mukhang patpatin (some 5 years ago) na ngayon eh lumobo, yung chameleon daw ang kumakain …

In other news… our current Alexa rankings is now at 819,197 as of 9:30am 7/13/09. Tabi tabi lang. Baka masagasaan kayo. Hehehe!
Now, there’s one Barrio Siete reader who wrote a very nice social climbing entry for da barrio that I would like to share to you all. He is Rob Angeles from Forth Worth, Texas; the author of Social Media Philippines whose journey to Social Media started 4 years ago when he became part of a company that markets word-of-mouth services to other companies. That started his curiousity with the …

Dear Ate Charing,
Putok sa buho kung kami’y tawagin. Madalas alispustahin. Mababa ang tingin samen. Masakit sa damdamin. Wala akong magagawa. Anak ako sa labas. Nilunok ko na lang lahat nang pangungutya. Bakit nga ba ganun ang mentalidad naten? Bakit ako ang kelangang mag-suffer??? Eto po ang story ko…

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Andito pong muli ako sa Barrio Siete. Ako po si Cora Dolorosa. OFW sa Indonesia. Minsan, nag-aabang nang tsunami at pag day-off, tumu-tugis nang mga terorista.
Ako ang kauna-unahang OFW sa pamilya. Kaya ang Mudra (opps… wag mag-isip ng masama kung bakit panay Mudra at di ko nababanggit ang akin AMA…….kalma lang– pumanaw si Ama nung ako ay tatlong taong gulang) PROUD at di ko alam kung mismo sya ay naniniwala na pag-umuuwi ako galing INDO ay dapat akong tawaging BALIKBAYAN (maitanong nga ito …

Bago ako nagsimula ng PhD, ako ay bahagi ng isang international research team na naglibot sa iba’t-ibang Barrio Siete ng Pilipinas para alamin ang kalagayan ng mga kababayan nating dala ng kahirapan ay nagdesisyong sumailalim sa operasyon at ibigay ang isa sa kanilang dalawang bato (kidney) kapalit ang PhP 80,000 – PhP 200,000 at pag-asang makaranas ng kaunting ginhawa sa buhay.

Sa buong mundo, may matinding pangangailangan para sa transplantable organs. Kulang ang supply mula sa cadaveric donors. Sa Pilipinas, hindi pa gaanong uso ang pagkakaroon ng organ donor card dahil …