When the City of Olongapo is mentioned, the first things that would come to mind are two: the entertainment bars lining its streets and the name Gordon.
While the roots of existence of the former are well-traced, the existence and the reason why the latter became a household name is not much talked about. Who really are the Gordons? How did they come into power? And how for several decades, did a single family dominate the entire political landscape of the city?
The Early Gordon
Though nobody from the local opposition could prove …

Gawd! I remember Manny’s fight with Oscar de la Hoya! Nag-no-nobena ako na wag masira ang cute na muka nya (Oscar)!
I’m not really into boxing, but if it’s Manny Pacquiao, my face is plastered on the TV screen. But last night with Clottey? Unbelievably – one of the most annoying moments in TV boxing history.
Of course before the boxing event, the media bombarded us with screaming headlines like Joshua Clottey? Bigger, taller and has the edge!!
Wrong!
The media was just playing on all of us to make it appear that …

If Noynoy has Kris, I’ve got Pacquiao, Villar says

Nauna nang sinabi ni Kris na once Noynoy wins, mag-a-abroad na lang daw sya at pipiliin nyang maging Overseas Filipino Worker. Bongga ang political campaign ni Noynoy Aquino sa Zamboanga. Pinili daw nila to start in Zamboanga given na merong spiritual konek ang city na to sa family nila and this was where Noynoy Aquino decided to run as President. Dinumog si Kris Aquino sa Zamboanga Airport pa lang while husband James was already in the city bago sa sila dumating kaya …

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“Ganito pala sa Olongapo, parang war zone,”. This was the surprised remark from one of the media personnel from GMA-7 who witnessed what happened that fateful day in November 1996.
All the action were going on inside the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) where the APEC forum was being held, so it only makes sense for all the media, local and international, to be there.
Fortunately for us, some GMA-7 staff, particularly Luchi Cruz Valdez (from The Probe Team fame) and a cameraman decided …

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In just a matter of minutes, after that quick anesthesia-less operation and humiliation inside the operating room, I was in a wheelchair being pushed by that UP volunteer all the way to the x-ray room and unto my assigned room, which was the orthopedic ward.
Weird. I don’t think I had any broken bone or whatever that needed me to be confined to that section. Unless some doctor thought a broken skull would be enough to be categorized as orthopedic. I saw some empty rooms and wards …

Thinking of being a blogger? Touch political topics? Show your political color?
Be warned in the jungle. It’s Jurassic Park in Pinoy blogosphere, with dark characters roaming the grounds run by dark societies. I am by no means discouraging you to be a blogger, but consider my short movie presentation…
Reyna Elena has another stalker fan who follows me around. First, he blogged about my delicious affair with an emperor.

Angry with my presidential choice, he turned me into a pig. A freak one. How did I know? He was very nice to …

It was November 2006 1996. The APEC Summit was being held in Subic Bay, Philippines.
It was a time for the country to show off its newly established Subic Bay after the former bases were left by the Americans under piles of ashes brought by the Pinatubo eruption. It was also the time for then President Fidel Ramos to showcase his Medium Term Philippine Development Plan. It was Ramos’ Philippines 2000. It was globalization. It was Olongapo.
Like most people in the progressive left, I was against it. I believe that if …

In my Barrio, hindi lang saklaan meron kami, movie house too. Betamaks nga lang sya. And back during my days in da Barrio, when I was still small, very very small, most of what I see in the movies, after selling one lata of kamote, are that the rich are mostly evil. Mga impakta sila. And typically, the rich are the politicians. In fact, I now remember, in every movie, if there is a Gobernador o kaya Meyor, almost always, he’s a murderer, a manipulative power-hungry animal out to do …

Photo Credits: Manila Standard
I was a fan of Dick Gordon, the man who they called The Flash. He was full of idealism and a natural leader. I would love to be seated next to him. I would love to catch the same breath of air that passes through his sense of national pride.
I first saw him on TV after the tragic 1990 major Luzon earthquake. He was there saving lives in the cities of Baguio and Cabanatuan. Those cities were the hardest hit with several collapsed buildings and hotels. He …

Hello mga friendship! Break muna tayo sa pulitika at medyo nag-iinit na ang discussion. Let’s talk about love. I know, medyo huli na nga itong pag-usapan dahil tapos na ang Valentine’s Day but as the saying goes, “Everyday should be Valentine’s Day”. Or was it Christmas? Charing!
Anyway, my friend Dave received a forwarded email from someone and he posted it on his blog. Medyo natuwa naman ako sa naturang blog entry kaya hinarbat ko na ito at nang maipakita ko naman sa inyo mga ka-baro, este, ka-barrio. During this time …

Here’s an interesting piece of story that I read on the Inquirer.
It’s a question as to who is the political butterfly between Mar Roxas and Loren Legarda. How did this verbal butterfly fight came about?
Well, according to the story, Liberal Party director general Chito Gascon called Senator Loren Legarda a “political butterfly” because he said, she jumps from one party to another for political gains.
“Look who’s talking!” according to NPC spokesman Rex Gatchalian who said that it is Mar Roxas who is the “political butterfly”. Is he not a …

Photo Credits: Market Manila
Don’t you just love the political carnival at the moment? This must only be happening in the Philippines. I mean, the entire nation is totally into this election, most banats you read or hear are pretty nasty and ugly personal. They’re not just confined to electoral candidates but bloggers too. Yours truly is one of the favorites.
I had this email conversation with another Overseas Filipino from somewhere down under and this is what she has to say:
“People in the Philippines always know which side of their …

Photo Credits: Manila Bulletin
I was reading this article written by Jose Maria Montelibano of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and I thought I found it very interesting.
According to the article, the TNS survey clearly showed how Noynoy reversed his downward trend and Villar going downward after steadily going up.
When TNS came out with its results, Aquino had arrested his slide and, in fact, gained a few points from 37% to 41%. In contrast, Villar lost 5 points, from 35% to 30%, allowing Noynoy Aquino to lead by 11 points.

In my …

Hello mga friendship! Juice ko ‘day kamusta naman kayo?
Well, if you ask me, heto pula pa rin ang aking hasang at nananatili pa rin ang ganda despite the fact na andaming pambabato ang aming natanggap dito sa Barrio Siete for the past few days. Ikaw ba naman ang salakayin ng mga fans ni ‘you know who’ at batu-batuhin ang aming barrio hall ng sangkaterbang panlalait at kung anik-anik pa, juice ko, maloloka ka talaga. Buti na lang at gawa sa marmol galing Italya ang barrio hall at matibay, dahil kung …

Photo credits here.
I always have this thought: I dont believe that our country is literally poor, we are just one heck of a mismanaged country. I notice that this particular ‘poverty mindset’ is more dominant during elections. The political advertisements that we have on TV, print and internet are always emphasizing in the poor plight of our countrymen and hailing their candidates as the so-called messiahs that could literally uplift the poor from their ramshackles.
What most people forget to think is this: if your country runs in an economy based …

Raise your right mouse… how many of you followed the so many presidential debates and forums – because I can’t follow them no more. I begin to wonder, just how many presidential forums and presidential debates do we all need from the presidentiables for it to be meaningful to all of us? And for us to decide what color to paint the town?
Like Randy David in his column: How useful are presidential debates, I do find some of these presidential forums and presidential debates not only unsatisfying and misleading, sometimes …

Ok. Ever since I outed myself supporting Noynoy Aquino for Philippine Presidency, I’ve earned the ire and hatred of a lot of Filipinos. Well, this time around, I have to prepare, because Canadians will hate me this time. Why?

Did you watched the Vancouver Olympic Opening Ceremonies?
One word. Boring. I mean, really. Achingly boring.
At first, I thought I was watching cartoons. Then there was this guy who was like a preacher. Oh! And KD Lang with her/his Allelujah! I was confused if I was watching the Olympics or a Prayer …

Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe was photographed recently looking like this.

Is that supposed to be the ‘IN’ look or is she suffering from an eating disorder?
To prove to you that it’s not just a photograph with bad angle, see her in these photos.

For your information, Rachel Zoe is one of the most influential personalities in the world of fashion. Her clientele include A-list celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz, Debra Messing, Kate Beckinsale, Joy Bryant and more. She also has a reality show called “The Rachel Zoe Project”.
In Hollywood, being thin …

Popular singer/composer/musician Rico Blanco tweeted a surprising message to Gibo Teodoro last Tuesday (January 5) at 3:57 am:
I’d like to understand how can a presidentiable can overlook a simple matter such as intellectual property, commands responsibility.
At 4:08am, the former vocalist of Rivermaya also tweeted that:
I mean High School students know better! they approach the songwriter and not whoever else. common sense.
Then at 4:09am, Rico again tweeted:
When we did the tribute album i made it a pt 2 get composers nod even when publishers assured us they had rights. iba yun …

There is a saying that goes, “Money can’t buy happiness”.
I so totally disagree with that saying because I believe otherwise. Happiness for me is so oftentimes defined and satisfied by material things (oo material girl kasi ako, hahaha).
Casey Johnson, American socialite and actress, heiress to the Johnson & Johnson empire, was found dead in her West Hollywood home’s bedroom last January 4. The cause of death is yet to be determined pending coroner’s and toxicology report, however authorities reported “no evidence of foul play”. (Wikipedia)
Despite being an heiress, hindi …

Inquirer reported that:
Nearly half a billion pesos had been spent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the construction of roads, drainage canals and municipal buildings in her home district in Pampanga just 12 months before she runs as its representative in the House in May.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, who said the P459 million lavished in Pampanga’s second district was nine times the allocation granted to each of the members of the House for their annual infrastructure projects.
Then,
In 2009 alone, Ms Arroyo made around 50 visits …

Ever since the fragmented left disintegrated into the oblivion and some into the mainstream, remnants of such had filled our more than enough field of experts, talking heads, intellectual analysts, political operators and kingmakers.
They fill the offices of government officials, national to local, and they are with politicians in all levels. Some are even in the media, from the mainstream down to mere blogs.
They fill the chatter of white noise rummaging through several channels and frequencies that unfortunately cannot be filtered. Not that anyone, for the sake of free press, …

Sabi nga nila, hindi naman mahirap ang mangarap kasi libre ito. Kaya ngayong bagong taong darating, walang masama if we all share our dreams and wishes for a better world. Dapat na rin yatang magbagong-buhay tayo kasi malapit na ang 2012, he he. Here’s my simple wishlist for 2010. Happy New Year folks at sa lahat ng mga nagbabasa ng Barrio Siete.
Sana tumigil na si Manny Pacquiao sa paglabas sa pelikula at mag concentrate na lang sa boxing. Idol talaga namin ang mga suntok mo Manny pero ang hindi talaga …