Comparison: 2011 and 2012 Top 10 Richest Congressmen in the Philippines

Based on the Summary Report of the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for the House of Representatives submitted, the 10 wealthiest Congressmen of the Philippines for 2011 were the following:

1. Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao (Sarangani) – P 1.134 billion 

2. Alfredo B. Benitez (Negros Occidental) – P 624.827 million 

3. Imelda R. Marcos (Ilocos Norte) – P 623.6 million 

4. Julio A. Ledesma IV (Negros Occidental) – P 555.07 million 

5. Martin G. Romualdez (Leyte) – P 475.61 million

6. Augusto L. Syjuco Jr. (Iloilo) – P 294.6 million

7. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (Quezon City, House Speaker) – P 283.29 million

8. Enrique M. Cojuangco (Tarlac) – P 199.59 million 

9. Rodolfo C. Farinas (Ilocos Norte) – P 195.78 million 

10. Ferjenel Biron (Iloilo) – P 165.99 million

The list changes for 2012 with some gaining huge increases in net worth. The richest ten in the House of Representatives are shown below:

1. Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao (Sarangani) – P 1.353 billion 

2. Imelda R. Marcos (Ilocos Norte) – P 932.8 million 

3. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (Quezon City, House Speaker) – P 726.2 million 

4. Alfredo B. Benitez (Negros Occidental) – P 686.2 million 

5. Julio A. Ledesma IV (Negros Occidental) – P 555.1 million 

6. Martin G. Romualdez (Leyte) – P 474.1 million 

7. Augusto L. Syjuco Jr. (Iloilo) – P 302.1 million

8. Enrique M. Cojuangco (Tarlac) – P 200.6 million 

9. Rodolfo C. Farinas (Ilocos Norte) – P 195.8 million

10. Joel Roy R. Duavit (Rizal) – P 194.1 million

It is very evident that Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos's net worth jumped by almost 50% in just one year,  acquiring more than 300 million PHP in wealth. It may be recalled that two years ago, Inquirer reported that then PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede claimed Imelda confessed to hiding $1 trillion in an account in New York; the article can be read here.

House Speaker Belmonte's net worth more than doubled in just one year, receiving 442.91 million PHP at just a short span of time. Moreover, there are only less than 10 House of Representative members who earn less than one (1) million PHP. This goes to show that we have filthy rich politicos in the country who represent the interests of the common people (masa). Would you believe that?

What type of owned-businesses could have earned more than 200 million in just one year? In my opinion, there could only be three reasons for such a luxurious raise in wealth, either something was kept off the records and then eventually released the other year, someone was very fortunate enough to raise his/her net worth, or some irregularity has been committed. Choose your pick.

The SALNs of our PUBLIC officials need to be monitored to check who's got clear intentions of helping their own countrymen without resorting to uncommon, immoral means of power abuse. Any mischievous wrongdoing has to be corrected for the nation to continuously prosper.

Sources:

InternetPhilippines

GreenSili Poppers
Manila Bulletin
Inquirer 

Twitter accounts, passwords posted online

It appears that there has been an online security breach in Twitter as information bared online in Pastebin.com seemed to come from approximately 35,000 Twitter accounts, not including 20,000 redundancies, according to a message released by Twitter. 

The San Francisco firm on Tuesday said that it was trying to solve the mystery of how user names (including passwords) from tens of thousands of user accounts ended up being pasted at an online file sharing website. 

 “We’re looking into the situation and have pushed out password resets to potentially affected accounts,” Twitter said. 

According to Twitter, the online list of Pastebin Twitter accounts included spam accounts and incorrect log-in data.

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Some of the email addresses I checked really come from real users, while some looked like spam bot accounts. Guys, I would highly suggest that you do visit the list now and see if your Twitter accounts are in danger. Access Twitter and change your passwords asap!

B-MEG Llamados wins PBA Commissioner's Cup title

The B-MEG Llamados, under Coach Tim Cone, takes down the previous holders of the PBA Commissioner's Cup title, the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, with the score 90-84, today (Sunday) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Best Import of the Conference Denzel Bowles opened the doors for an opportunity to dominate the game by forcing an overtime.

With 13.3 seconds left and TNT point guard Jimmy Alapag holding things together, the Llamados sent Ali Peek to the field yielding 76-74.

With just two seconds left, MVP James Yap did a good pass to Bowles who failed to do a point-blank shot, yet managed to receive a crucial foul from Kelly Williams, granting him the chance to redeem himself at the line. Bowles sent the game into an extra five minutes, where he brought the Llamados' rocking 10 points, changing an 80-81 status to an 86-81 lead..

A superbly eager Tropang Texters brood tried to catch up during the timeou,  but team mate Alapag passed the ball to no one, depriving the team of a possible speedy run.

B-MEG's Jonas Villanueva and Bowles ended the game; meanwhile, loud cheers come out from the Llamados side of the court. Bowles gloriously rounded up with 39 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks.

Imelda Marcos now second richest politician in the Philippines

A report from AFP News reveals that Imelda Marcos has declared her net worth at $22 million, with parliament records backing up. As of the moment, the lavish wife of late President Ferdinand Marcos is struggling against the government with the control over her assets more than 20 years after the end of her dictator husband's reign.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

According to records released late Thursday, the widow of the overthrown dictator declared her wealth at 932.8 million pesos in 2011. This puts her second behind boxing champ and congressman Manny Pacquiao in the list of the Philippines' richest politicians in 2012.

Elected officials in the Philippines are compelled to declare their wealth (SALNS) each year. The amount declared by Marcos was almost 50 percent higher than that of 2010, some which were attributed to new assets surrendered to the government by the dictator's cronies, but counted as "overlooked".

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How on Earth did Imelda amass and keep such large fortune?

I thought that she's now living a simple, penniless life, but it seems to me that she's hiding something somewhere. It's possible that she might have been successful in hiding large dollar accounts offshore and opened it soon as her cases have been absolved. Not that I'm being rude to her, nor pointing fingers, but I suggest that these be placed under investigation.

In fact it won't damage her reputation. If all she says is true, it would even save and vindicate her of all criticisms and unfair judgment thrown at her my her bitter political rivals and of course, a big portion of the Filipino populace.

Source: Yahoo! Philippines News

What to Do in the Philippines: Sites, Attractions and Activities

There are really a lot of attractions and fun sites in the Philippines; one just has to do a little bit of research. So voila! While certainly there are numerous things that one can do upon staying in the country, here are top 35 aims that I will have done before I reach 60 or to be blunt, before getting old. Haha.

1. Relax all day long with the soothing breeze and the refreshing tides of Anawangin and Capones in Zambales. 
2. Take a crazy road trip with my friends from Manila to Vigan, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Aparri and Isabela! I would want to take a look at Ilocos’s windmills and know how these operate! 
3. Surf and ride the waves of Camarines Sur, La Union, Real (Quezon), Zambales, and Siargao Island! 
4. Visit Batanes and its wonderful seascapes. 
5. Conduct a shoot of the rice terraces in Ifugao and meet the people there! I don’t know where, but there are some places in the Philippines where beads are still being used as currency for trading, instead of money. I would really want to try that! 
6. Taste Davao’s delicacies (durian candy, suha, etc.).
7. Scuba dive under the vast marine-rich sea of Anilao, Batangas. 
8. Hike Mt. Mayon; I’ve seen it up from an airplane’s window and the cone’s view really captivated me. 
9. Snorkel and interact with the whale sharks of Donsol, Sorsogon. Enjoy Cagayan de Oro’s whitewater rafting adventure. 
10. Go island-hopping in the Visayas region! And roam my car around Mindanao’s vast landmass! 
11. Visit Laguna’s Enchanted Kingdom and Siquijor’s magical island! 
12. Munch on personally picked strawberries at the strawberry fields in La Trinidad, Benguet. 
13. Join the Rizalista’s walk and patronage along the mystical caves of Mt. Banahaw. 
14. Reach the clouds at Mt. Pulag. I want to fly a kite there! 
15. Check out the dark caves and hanging coffins that Sagada in Mountain Province boasts. Seriously, I want to see these!
16. Explore and delight at the beauty of Palawan’s underground river. I really want to snorkel at the Tubbataha Reef! 
17. Enjoy Cebu’s food specialties especially lechon! Gosh, this makes me crave! 
18. Eat melons in Oton’s farms in Iloilo! And see the amazing marnine museum of Fish World in SEAFDEC-ADQ. Aside from that, I will also look out for the famous food there like La Paz batchoy and pancit molo! Yum! 
19. Cross the vibrating Marcos-era San Juanico Bridge that links Leyte and Samar. 
20. Get away from the summer heat by stopping at Tagaytay and Baguio, the cities of the highlands! 
21. Drool and feed on Pampanga’s best sisig! 
22. Know the deep secrets of Malate, Old Manila. The night life in that area is bustling! 
23. Do some cool stuff: wakeboarding in Pili, Camarines Sur, kitesurfing in Lake Caliraya or in Taal Lake, and kayaking and canoeing at the St. Paul Subterranean Cave in Palawan. 
24. Be amazed of Mt. Pinatubo (Tuguegarao, Cagayan province) and Mt. Canlaon’s (Oriental Negros) breath-taking craters. 
25. Shop at the world’s biggest malls, Mall of Asia (MOA) and SM North Edsa, and get some good bargains at “tiangges” or flea markets in Divisoria, Manila. 
26. Ride to the Cultural Center of the Philippines to watch performances by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Bayanihan Dance Troupe, and the Ballet Philippines! Oh, to know these means to enrich Filipino pride! 
27. Enjoy a soft “hilot” or massage spa at The Farm in San Benito, Batangas. 
28. Splash with the cool waters and white sands of Boracay, and party all night long. 
29. Travel to Malapascua (Cebu) and be mesmerized with its pristine beaches. 
30. Know a bit of Philippine history; jump off to Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Intramuros in the capital Manila. 
31. Be wowed with Bohol’s Chocolate Hills, the tarsier, and the Loboc River floating restaurant. 
32. I swear this one’s really great! I’ve been to the Chocolate Hills and what intrigues me is how these came out in huge numbers. And the tarsiers are really small; the area where they were kept overlooks the Loboc River but I wasn’t able to ride the floating restaurant. Dive and feel the marine world in Apo Reef National Park (Occidental Mindoro). 
33. Document different festivities of the Philippines such as Ati-atihan, Pintados, Dinagyang, Masskara, Sinulog, Higantes, Panagbenga and more. I would want to post my pictures and videos here in my blog. 
34. Buy some stocks in the extremely vibrant Philippine Stock Exchange. Put up some food businesses in the country's populous cities and create a branded chain to compete with Jollibee (famous for its crispy fried chickenjoy) and Mang Inasal (barbecue masters and unlimited rice servers).
35. Sponsor the education of poor yet highly determined students in the Philippines, and propel the country forward to a brighter future.