Super Sawsaw

Why MLM is a SCAM

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 09:11:00 +0000

You just got to love John Oliver. On his Last Week Tonight episode last November 7, 2016, John hilariously dissected "why MLMs are fucking awful" and generally a scam. He showed statistics that proves that your chance to success is actually remote with multi-level marketing. In many cases, many distributors become more of a consumer than a salesman. The reason for this is because in most cases than not, people resort to being "Garage Qualified" just to be in the program. These are the people who had to buy the products they can't consume or sell just to continue to be in the system and qualify for rewards/commission.

What's more, these companies are claiming health benefits among other things. Example is HerbaLife, one of the biggest, if not the biggest with a net sales of USD4.5B in 2015. It was accused of overstating their products' health benefits including curing infertility! Does that sound familiar with you? Of course it does! From Usana to Aim Global, everybody is claiming that their product has some ingredients that will cure your infertility.

But aside from the products, let's not forget that their main claim is that their system will allow you to reach your financial dreams. Just grow your network and recruit people, use their product and you'll reap enormous financial rewards. Sounds great, right? But is it mathematically sound? According to Robert Lawrence FitzPatrick, it is a total bullshit because suppose everybody is just recruiting 5 people under them, you will run out of people to sign after just 13 cycles. I mean, wow, I didn't really think it was that low. How many times you've been told that it's actually infinite? Okay, let's go directly into that part of the video.

But let's not take his word on it and in the interest of being fair, let's test his theory. This example is starting with you and recruiting 5 and each of them recruiting 5 in return and so on.

You	1
1st	25
2nd	125
3rd	625
5th	3,125
6th	15,625
7th	78,125
8th	390,625
9th	1,953,125
10th	9,765,625
11th	48,828,125
12th	244,140,625
13th	1,220,703,125

Oh wait a minute, is that actually 1.2Billion at only the third round? So what's next, 6,103,515,625? Okay, maybe Mr FitzPatrick may not be right after all because that's 'only' 6.2 billion. According to UN, there are 7.6 billion people already. But that's already beside the point. My own very unreliable and unscientific estimate tells me that you'll be lucky to even reach the 5th round in your network if you get lucky.

Here in Singapore, Market Singapore(shops.com), is also making a name for itself. I'd like to look into that as well. But the concept is the same overall. I'll go into details later in a separate post. For now, take time to watch the video.

p.s.
Up to now, I still can't accept that Madeline Albright, the first woman secretary of state, actually endorsed HerbaLife. Sure, Roilo Golez is at the top of Forever Living Philippines but geez, we are talking about THE Madeline Albright!

Why You Should Stay Away from SWA

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 15:35:00 +0000

I'm not sure about you but I'm already sick and tired of the Supreme Wealth Alliance (SWA) posts showing on my Facebook page. Likewise, I'm already tired of manually reporting SWA posts to Facebook. At least, Facebook now has that feature but it became too time consuming. Make no mistake about it, I have relatives that are members of this. I don't hate the people, just hate what they are posting.

And what's the reason why I hate SWA if I can supposedly make money with it? Well, the short answer is because it is a SCAM. That's capital S-C-A-M. Add to that is the fact that it is flooding my newsfeed like a SPAM selling viagra.

It's a pyramiding/multi-level marketing scheme whose only purpose is to recruit people so that the uplines will get their commissions. Sure, they'll say that they are selling hundreds of ebooks and supposedly, you'll have your own website. But those are just smokescreen just to make it look like it is a legitimate business.

What are these eBooks?
Well, actually they are essentially books but in digital format. It's not physical books made of dead trees. They are the things you buy from the likes of Amazon or download from torrents. Unfortunately however, the ebooks they are talking about in Supreme Wealth Alliance are the PLR articles. PLR means Private Label Rights. Books made by independent, usually unknown, persons who wrote some books/reports and sell it to people together with the right to resell or redistribute freely the article (usually as a freebie when you buy another product). The quality of this type of ebook is very low mainly because this is a product of mostly independent authors(not all, but most) without the help of editors and proofreaders.

Supreme Wealth Alliance SCAM is claiming that their hoard of about 300 ebooks and counting is worth at least $1500. I don't know about you but that really sounds fishy to me.

I have literally gigabytes of ebooks in my harddrive which I used to re-sell on its heydays. I also used it to create contents in websites I flipped when I was still doing it. But since Google introduced Panda and Penguin updates on its algorithms, that era of barely readable content created by spinner programs is now ineffective.

And that website? You are better off creating your own using WordPress.com or Blogspot.com than having it with SWA. Again, these people are trying to resell you ebooks that they can no longer use for their SEO practice.

I call out Manny Viloria here. He's actually a good online marketer, even respected. He's well-known to the SEO/SEM world. And being an online-marketer, he knows how to harness the social networks. So it is not surprising that he's one of the more popular SWA marketers. Maybe it is the smell of money that makes a person throw his conscience in the gutter.

And what's even sadder is that a popular evangelist seems to be recommending SWA to his flock.

So, if you want further information about this.

http://howard.uberdigests.info/2013/11/19/swa-is-a-scam/

Has Mar Roxas Lost His Mojo?

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 06:35:00 +0000

I cringe whenever I see Mar Roxas on TV in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. They are definitely working hard but whether they do it effectively or not is a question. The operation looks too disorganized they admitted there's no ground commander for the operation. I wonder why but I can only speculate on pride, grandstanding and simply politics!

I agree with DeQuiros when he said that Mar is causing friction and division on the ground. He seems to be very abrasive and a control freak. As a result, he makes more enemies by the day. And with that is his chance to the highest position of the land.
On times like these that you'll miss Jessie Robredo. With his organizational skills and rapport with local officials, you can be sure things get done. And done well, organized and efficiently(save for that hostage crisis which was handled by his subordinate). Part of the reason of course is that Jessie all work and no politics. He don't have plans to run tor higher office, anyway. So he's less a threat to incumbents. But he is dead now. So no reason to cry on spilled milk.
To be fair, I think the government response to both Zamboanga and Bohol are commendable. In Zamboanga, they helped the local government do its job. In Bohol and Cebu, help arrived quite fast. But when Yolanda came, everything went berserk.
So everyday, the idea of having Jojo Binay as the next President is becoming very real. Except for a few missteps(epal moves here and there), Binay has tried remain low key. The failures committed by the admin are blamed squarely with PNoy and his men. And he must be more than happy with that.
Behold, the dark lord is coming. The night is dark and full of terror. Time to find a new candidate for President.

Jinggoy and Bong And Their Lame Excuses

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 16:52:00 +0000

I can't believe that Jinggoy just said that as a senator, it is not their responsibility to check if the NGOs they are supposedly endorsing for their PDAF are bogus or not. Let's quote his exact words.

“It is not up to the senators to determine whether an NGO is bogus or not…Alangan naman na kami pa ang magsasabi na, ‘Uy, bogus ‘yan.’ How will we know?”

For krissake! It is public money that they are pledging to the NGOs. At the very least, they should make a background check on the entity they are dealing with before endorsing it to the implementing agencies.

As of now, there's no Senate or Lower House investigation. Why would they do that if it will hit a lot of them? Let's see what will the COA and the DOJ will come up with their investigations. Miriam already expressed her opinion on it. Love her or hate her but she has very good points on this issue.

And by the way, it appears like Revilla, Enrile and Estrada are the Suki of Napoles NGOs. Read the rappler story about it.
http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/36665-reville-enrile-estrada-suki-napoles-ngos

Again, I'm dumbfounded with the lame excuses of both Jinggoy and Bong. It's just totally wrong. I was wishing they'll be struck with lightning but I changed my mind. I hope they rot in the surot laden cell of the New Bilibid prison.

Whom Shall I Vote for Senator on May 2013

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:51:00 +0000

The Overseas Voting is already open at the Philippine Embassy here in Singapore. I'll go there this coming weekend to exercise my right. Well, it's not just my right but it's also our responsibility to our homeland as responsible citizens. But I have one problem.... I don't think I'll be able to fill up the whole 12. Another problem? I don't want Nancy Binay to win so it's all the more I need to fill that 12 slots with winnable senatoriables. But more on that later.

Here are my initial list.

Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel (Akbayan) - I may not agree with what all she says but there's no denying that this former broadcaster is intelligent and one of the few people running who has an open mind.
Juan Miguel Zubiri (UNA) - he benefited on the cheating during GMA's time but I think he proved himself in the three years he was in the senate.
Alan Peter Cayetano (Nacionalista) - This is the better of the two Cayetano siblings. He deserves another term. For Pia? Not so much.
Aquilino Pimentel III (PDP-Laban) - He did not vote for RH Bill but that's okay with me. At least, he's doing fine with other important things. I just hope that he stop bitching about what happened six years ago.
Marwil Llasos (Ang Kapatiran) - because Juan Dela Cruz needs some help to fight the "aswangs". Seriously, I think this guy has a good future in politics. I've seen his speeches and interviews and I was impressed. I booted out JC Delos Reyes for Malwin Llasos.
Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. (Liberal) - one of the old men in the Senate. The returning senatoriable has proven his effectiveness in the senate save for the useless senate hearings.
Bam Aquino (Liberal) - I wouldn't have picked him but looking at the candidate list, there's not much a choice. He's a fresh face, if Ninoy-look-a-like is a fresh face for you. haha. Seriously, I think the guy deserves a seat.
Francis Escudero (Independent) - I terribly hate this guy. If I had better choices, I'll gonna drop him from my list. There's something with the way he speaks.... he's like a true-blue trapo.

I might consider the following
Grace Poe-Llamanzares (Independent) - I still need a lot of convincing to vote for her but I can choose her as filler.
Edward Hagedorn (Independent) - He may be a good executive but I'm not sure if he will be an effective legislator. I'm afraid that he will help scuttle the mining law.
Richard Gordon (UNA) - This showman is almost a sure win. But the keyword is "show" so we really don't know if he's good or not. And let's not forget his Ateneo meltdown during one of the UAAP games.
Gregorio Honasan (UNA) - this former fugitive and coup plotter already gave a lot of headache to the Filipino people. I don't like him but I think I can have him as a filler, too.
Eddie Villanueva - I try to stay away with religious people. They tend to mix state and church affairs together. And for the most part, church and state don't mix well. But then again, I believe he's an honest man so I might choose him as a filler.
Loren Legarda (NPC) - I still can't convince myself to vote for this political whore. If we remember correctly, she voted against Erap and then helped raise his hands on the ousted president's campaign rallies. She ran as VP for FPJ, Erap's kumpare and then rumor has it that she stabbed Manny Villar, who she ran as VP, to oust him from the Senate Presidency.

Whom I will NOT Vote For
I'll made special mention for Nancy Binay. She's up there in top-three of SWS survey which I still can't understand why. Her claim to fame is being the daughter of his father Jejomar. She was the assistant of her mother when the latter was mayor of Makati. She is now the personal assistant of the vice president of the country and concurrent head of PAG-IBIG. I don't know about you but if you vote for her, it's like you voted for the personal assistant of your company's CEO.

Another senatoriable who deserves special mention is Jamby Madrigal. She's one of the reasons why Team PNoy leaves a bad taste. We already wasted six years with Jamby, no thanks to Judy Ann Santos for propelling her to the senate and then sit there watching the butt of Migs Zubiri and then later quarrelling with her relatives for the supposed inheritance from her aunt who she claims had her as the old woman's favorite niece.

And last but not the least is Mitos Magsaysay. An attack dog of GMA, I can't get coherence on what comes out of her mouth. So long as she can attack the current administration, she'll do it regardless if she already contradicts herself. And to appease CBCP, she publicly supported Anti-RH bill with some lousy explanations.

Sotto et. al.

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Whenever I see Sen. Sotto on TV, I can't help to think of Christopher Lao and Paula Salvosa. Actually, if I see any of them, the other two suddenly come to mind. To be specific, it's their stupidities that come to my mind. It's not about what they initially done but more on how they try to twist the situation and make them look right that makes me cringe.

See, Christopher Lao would not have been ridiculed by the netizens if he did not react the way he did. For those who forgot, Chris Lao is the guy who drove his car into an obviously flooded street. When interviewed by a reporter, he blamed everybody around for not informing him. Yes, everybody else other than himself. He became the laughing stock of Filipino netizens for quite some time. If he accepted that he made a wrong gamble, then the reaction would have been better. I would have even sympathize with him.

For the case of #AMALAYER, she took a wrong turn and was confronted(rudely as she claims) by the lady guard. She could have just followed the instruction but then she felt she's a higher kind of being than the lady guard and decided to make a scene. Some guy videoed it and uploaded to YouTube. Then she became a 'celebrity' . To top it off, she maintains that what she did is just right because the guard was rude. She was trending for at least three days in twitter - WORLDWIDE. If not for the twitter war between Hamas and IDF, AMALAYER would still be trending now.

And then there's Senator Sotto. Caught red handed using a number of copyrighted materials on his speech without attribution, he responded by retaliating to those who pointed out his mistake. Instead of sincerely apologizing to those agrieved, he is trying vainly to convince the people that he did nothing wrong. That made him so pathetic. Had he accepted that he did not properly attributed the works of those he copied from, then the issue must have been done and over with.

But instead, this issue is very much alive up to now. He recently caught the attention of the family of Sen. R. Kennedy. Kerry Kennedy even sent a letter about it. Signed, with letterhead and all the bells and whistles from a respected organization.

He made a pseudo-apology on the senate floor. Little did we know that he's preparing a retaliation. A few days later, Sotto is now attacking the late Senator because supposedly, the American statesman also plagiarize works of others. I don't know his motives there but that's plain stupidity for me.

I'm hoping that the electorate will give what's due to him this May 2013. He better pack his belongings in the Senate because people will not vote for him. Actually, he does not deserve to be there in the first place.

RH Bill Conundrum

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Nonoy Oplas, a columnist at interaksyon.com, argues that the country does not need a population control laws particularly the RH Bill. Instead, he says that what we need is a fat-free economics. Though what he says about the fat-free economics is largely true, it doesn't necessarily mean that we don't need population control laws.

This kind of views and opinions tend to drive the readers to the real purpose of the issue at hand. In the case of the Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood Bill (House Bill No. 4244), we're talking about giving access to contraceptives to people who need them. That is clearly stated in the bill that he actually quoted.

SEC. 7. Access to Family Planning. All accredited health facilities shall provide a full range of modern family planning methods, except in specialty hospitals which may render such services on an optional basis. SEC. 20. Ideal Family Size. The State shall assist couples, parents and individuals to achieve their desired family size within the context of responsible parenthood for sustainable development and encourage them to have two children as the ideal family size. Attaining the ideal family size is neither mandatory nor compulsory. No punitive action shall be imposed on parents having more than two children.

Though the bill suggests the ideal number of children to two, it also emphasizes that it is not compulsary like the One-Child Policy of China.

People Are Assets

His point is valid - "people are assets" - and even most of the pro-RH Bill will agree. Productive people are asset to the country. Even those who are struggling to be productive can be considered as assets. We can talk for days about this but that's not what the bill is about. And by the way, our country is bursting at its seams. That's especially true in major cities like Metro Manila and Cebu.

At the end of the day, we cannot afford a status quo. There are people who can't control themselves from copulating but don't want to have kids. These people must have the choice. Whether it is immoral or not is not relevant here. Besides, you are not supposed to force your morality on others.

If you want to read his column, just open the URL below.

http://www.interaksyon.com/business/39513/fat-free-economics-population-decontrol-not-rh-bill
P. S.

On a related note, it's funny that he cited China as a progressive country even if it has huge population. However, he did not mention that China has the most aggresive population control laws. Of course, we all heard about forced abortions.

He also did not mention about Singapore which enforced population control in the 70s. Though they admit that they did not stopped the control earlier than necessary (which caused human resource hiring difficulties), the controls they instituted helped them become a developed country. And by the way, counting all Singaporeans plus all the foreign residents, the total number of population is only about 5 million. In comparison, Metro Manila has almost triple the population at 14.5million people.

And by the way, Nonoy Oplas is apparently working in U.P. in some kind of capacity. I bet he is intellectual enough to be in the roster of the faculties or researchers in the premier university of the country. But alas, people are sometimes unwilling to face the truth.

Who is the Davao Court Clerk Convicted on Misdeclaration of SALN?

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Tue, 29 May 2012 09:44:00 +0000

In the voting for the conviction of Chief Justice Corona today, quite a number of the senator judges mentioned the case of a court clerk who was dismissed from service because she failed to declare on her SALN that she rent out a stall in the public market of Davao. Apparently, this case went all the way up to the Supreme Court which in the end decided that the court clerk erred on her SALN and thus confirmed the decision of the lower courts.

It is that case whereby the decision of some of the senators is partially based on. In the words of Senator Osmena, "the law applicable to Juan is also applicable to Renato". Regardless of the amount, the Chief Justice willingly and intentionally omitted his foreign currency deposits, "co-mingled" accounts and some other properties in his SALN. That alone is a culpable violation of the constitution.

The final vote is 20-3. Before the actual voting, I couldn't care less on whatever will come out of the voting. I can't even decide on whether he's guilty or not on the charges brought against the Chief Justice. It is only during the deliberation on the final day and the explanation of the votes that it became clearer.

But what actually swayed me is the explanation of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. It's detailed and without emotions. The explanation of Senator Bongbong Marcos is also good but weak. It can't hold any water. As always, Senator Judge Miriam Defensor-Santiago was emotional on her explanation of her vote. She as a point but just like Senator Judge Bongbong, her point is also weak.

In the end, Chief Justice Corona is found guilty of culpable violation of the constitutions. Thanks in part on the case involving that court clerk in Davao.

Update:
It is Delsa Flores. See links below. It turns out that she's getting salary for the same position from the municipal trial court as well as from the regional trial court. The SALN is just a part of the case.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2012/05/30/ex-court-worker-happy-corona-s-conviction-224136

Interview in the URL below
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/05/29/12/axed-court-interpreter-welcomes-impeachment-result

HDB Rental Rate is Sky Rocketing!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 01:50:00 +0000

So, it's that time again when we need to negotiate for renewal of contract or find another roof over our heads. I've been here in Singapore for four years and every other year (we get 2 year contracts), we create a new contract for the flat we are renting. And the past two years have seen the stratospheric rise of rental rates. It just show how crazy the rental rates here in Singapore can get. It all started at the end of 2007 and went on with its meteoric rise.
I still consider myself lucky because other people experience this every year. We do this every other year as we go for two-year contract although that means you also have to frontload payments. For those who do not know, getting a two-year contract means you will have to shell out 2 months of security deposit, 1 month of advance and 1 month of agent fee. For a rental rate of 2000 (our rate from 2010), that means me and my friends have to shell out $8000. That's not a chump change. But still, I was able to hold off the yearly increase. And I guess now, there's no escaping from it.

It is for this reason that I'm revisiting our long-term plan here in Singapore. The more the landlords become greedy, the higher the rental costs will be. And since this is a purely private matter, the government is not expected to lift a finger. Though the government's JTC has the Scheme for Housing for Foreign Talents (ShiFT) program where they rent our flats to foreigners and singapore PRs, there are always no available units. As far as I know, that's what most the Singapore government can do to alleviate the plight of its millions of foreign talents/workers. But the waitllist for JTC units is long and it is understandable because the number of units is too limited.

Some of my friends already downgraded to HDB from condo and yet they are still paying $3400 for a 4+1 flat. Not only that, they're expecting another increase this coming May. Ridiculous! I just felt lucky when I heard that until my landlord catch up with the greediness. He's now asking for 30% increase. The top-up is just too much that it is no longer sustainable. The flat rental is the one big factor why I have to revisit our priorities. It's already eating up too much of our income and there's no sight of it easing in the near future.

Buying a flat is just out of the question. It's too damn expensive and I simply don't have the means to to shell out at least $100k. So for the meak like us, there's no other choice for now but to bite the bullet. It will have big impact especially for those with families here (and only one working). But it's a price to pay. As I have said, in the we need to revisit plans for the long term.

And with the continous flock of Filipinos trying to find work in Singapore, as well as those coming from the neighboring countries, we can just expect the rents to go higher. There's a joke here going around that the Filipinos are too eager to come to Singapore that some of them are even willing to live in Singpore prison.

Maybe I'll just go back to the Philippines. I heard Camella Homes are offering good discounts to OFWs, I might consider. Added bonus will be an easy and quick getaway to Bohol Hotels and Cebu. It's really a big consideration now.

In the end, the Singaporeans will get what they want when foreign talents start to leave. Actually, I have a few friends leaving in the second half of the year going to Australia and Canada.

Disecting '20 Reasons Why I Dislike The Philippines' Video

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 04:27:00 +0000

We, Filipinos, have big chips on our shoulders. We can easily criticize someone but we don't want ourselves to be criticized. We are "pusong mamon". We get easily hurt by harsh comments and reacts in a negative way instead of taking things lightly and take them in a constructive ways. We fire back at the person who "insulted" us instead of taking actions. And the makers of "20 Reasons I Dislike The Philippines" know that fully well and their video became viral.
But does he really complain about? Here's the list of the things he dislike about our beloved country.

Manholes - they're everywhere in Manila. And it's even worse in Cebu. It shows how ineffective our local officials are. It can't be blamed to the national government, it
's purely a local issue. That's why we fucking have the Local Government Code.

Hawkers selling Cialis - they are now like takatak boys, only peddling sex performance enhancement pills... or something like that. Over all, the issue is not about the cialis themselves but the issue is the plethora of people trying to peddle you anything and everything everywhere you go.

Street foods - for the uninitiated, it's gross and it really is. But we, Filipinos, love it. Any talk about sanitation would shoot the price over the roof. We can do better, though. We just don't want to do it.

Terrorists - MILF, NPA, Abu Sayyaf. Who doesn't want to get rid of these people? Oh, some of us do. That's the reason why these people are still around. There are still some people in the university who thinks that they are God's gift to the Filipinos that they want to take the matters on their own hands not thinking that they themselves are just used by the same kind of power they are trying to topple.

Unfinished Construction - In Jimmy's own words, 'It's so fucking annoying". Of course, construction means more jobs and more opportunity and whatnots! But in the Philippines, safety of the lives of the workers and people living in the vicinity of construction sites is the least of the priorities.

Skin Whiteners - For a foreigner, it's really annoying. White people are moving heaven and earth to get the perfect tan that are natural to us, brown people. And yet we are obsessed with looking as white as possible. No issue here.

Pollution - Again, it's a product of multidude of failures in all levels of government.

Plastic Packaging - Something is really wrong with it. There's a lot of trash.

Shitty Drivers - In a land where everybody can drive without even knowing the basic of traffic rules, it is bound to happen.

Toilet - The only decent place to find a comfortable toilet is in a mall. And not all malls have clean toilets, at that. We certainly can do better in this regard. And yeah, they are uncomfortable and therefore not suited to be called "Comfort Room"

Security Guards everywhere - only in the Philippines. It's a necessary thing for us but I guess a stricter rules and training must be implemented to make the guards more professional.

Pissing Everywhere - one of the old habits. It has no place in the city.

Frisking -

Beeping - For Filipinos, there are several types of beeping. The type of beep we hear in the video can mean d... The long beeps on some parts of the video is different, though. There's one segment there that a driver is definitely pushing someone to move.
But what he said is true. Here in Singapore, you hardly hear beeps to the point that you can get hit already and no one beeps.

Small Tissue Papers - A small thing and non-issue. What he didn't know is that those people cutting the papers are just killing time while waiting for customers.

Beggars/Street Urchin - we all hate them. They are victims of criminals and some of them are part of the crime.

Rooster - again, habits from the provinces are brought to the city.

Loud Music - Something must be done with it. Near our house in Makati, there's a street where there's a videoke for each and every occasion.

Cockroach Everywhere - Again, we need to think about sanitation more.

Parking Boys - we don't need them. Really.

Obnoxious Koreans - there's plenty of them and they come in droves. And since beers are so cheap in the Philippines, they drink like a fish. When drunk, they try to kill each other.

Motorcycles - They are loud and will wake the hell out of you for some of the models

And the Warm Beer? There must be a joke there, somewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05aA27VkLrA

What the video showed are the things normal people see. And all these are true. The most sane thing to do is to accept this criticisms. This guy lives in Cebu, Philippines for the past 3.5 years. He certainly know what shit he is talking about.

And from their own words, his group actually loves the Philippines despite its shortcomings. Actually, they created another video details what they love about the Philippines. You can view the video here. But I think everyone will agree that the "hate" video has a lot more swag.

And one more thing, they are promoting channelfix. I commend the guys for doing a great job in generating awareness of their brand and tons of traffic to their site. They even pulled the video from YouTube so that you'll be forced to visit their site and see the video. A clever tactic.

At the end of the day, this group just like to have some traffic to their website. Look, nobody bothered to view their "What I Love about Philippines" video. Creating some kind of controversy guarantees a video to become viral. There's clearly nothing new about it. For all we know, majority of the tourists are aware of these problems. As I have said, let's work to fix these problems.

Alliance Global is not Affliated with Alliance in Motion

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

On my last visit to the Philippines, some people asked me if I know Alliance Global. I know that it is one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines with businesses in different industries like real estate, gaming and tourism, food and beverages and fast food. Some of their companies include MegaWorld, Traders Hotel, Golden Arches (McDonalds Philippines), NewPort City, among others. So I wasn't really surprised when I was told that they are now selling some kind of supplement. I just said that I didn't know that they are also into pharmaceutical industry.

And then came the revelation as it turns out that the introduction is actually about the multi-level marketing under the supposed 'Alliance Global'. Though I stopped my friend in trying to pull me in that nonsense, I ask him what's the product they carry. Remember, I have a mentality that if a company relies on MLM to sell their wares, the company is a sham. Reluctantly because he feels that he's just wasting his time to persuade me to join, he showed me the product. And here's what I found.

The company name is "Alliance in motion Global", a totally different company from AGI.

The words "in motion" is written in smaller fonts in their logo that from afar, you'll just read "Alliance Global". Just look at the photo one the left.

They are selling supplements that have no clinically proven benefits. Admittedlly, they are not the only one doing this.

c247 is claimed to be a product of Nature's Way. However, I cannot find such product in Nature Way's website. C247 is supposed to be an anti-oxidant but in the link below, it is not listed.
http://www.naturesway.com/Products/Antioxidants.aspx?page=1

Try to google C247 or Alliance in motion Global and you'll find the results 90% coming from the Philippine-based websites selling C247. All of them promising huge earning from networking.

It's so sad that until now, multi-level marketing is still thriving in the Philippines. And what's more sad about this? Alliance in motion Global is being run by the same people who ran MLM for ForeverLiving, AmWay, FirstQuadrant, Leonardo's, among others.These same people made a lot of money during the hay days of MLM. And despite almost all the networking already went under and its members sucked of their hard-earned money, they simpy start a new MLM company from scratch again.

Let's wake up. It's a scam, nothing more.

Edwadson Base Sex video Scandal

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Here's a man dumped by his girlfriend for a supposedly better man. He had a good time. Captured the sexy time in video. Introducing.....***drum rolls*****.....Edwadson Base. And then the inevitable happened. He got dumped!

To get back at his ex, he posted their sexy time video in the girl's wall page. What happenned next? Someone, presumably his ex, filed a complaint and Mr. Base is now caressing the tattooed back of his inmates. For the uninitiated like me, the law he broke is Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 otherwise known as Hayden Kho 'Hayden Kho Act' (the law, not the action).

Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of their sex video in the interwebs. But looking at the photo of Edwadson, it's not really hard to understand why he was dumped. It's really just a matter of time before his girlfriend will find the guts and wisdom to realize that he's not really worth it. And since the girl is only 20 years old now and they've been a couple for 4 years, there's a good chance Edwadson shagged the girl when she was still underaged. I don't know what it's called but I smell another criminal case waiting for him. If I remember correctly, that's called 'seduction of a minor' and 'sex with a minor' or something like that.

If any of you find his video in the interwebs, just let me know in the comments. Likewise, I'll update the post once I find it. I still can't find them in the usual sites I go to. Honestly, I'm not finding hard because with the looks of Edwadson, I think I have to lower my expectation on the how the girl looks. Just saying.

Pacquiao-Marquez III Live Streaming

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 04:51:00 +0000

It's that time again. Manny will fight another boxer and people are scrambling to find a Live Streaming of the fight. For those living in Singapore like me, we have a choice. Its main Cable TV operator, StarHub, will be showing the fight live on SuperSports Channel 202. Yes, only StarHub cable subscribers are lucky enough to watch it for free and LIVE!

We'll watch it on my friend's 55in LED TV together with our lunch buddies. I don't want to subscribe again on SuperSports 202 because the last time I did that, I got a very boring fight. And then I forgot to cancel the Sports Group subscription that I was charged for it for two months. Not a big deal but that's a equivalent to a week's lunch money. Again, that's peanuts compared to what our friends in the U.S. pay for it.

I'm expecting a good fight. Hopefully Manny wins again.

Barangay Japan at TFC Just Sucks Big Time

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:03:00 +0000

I can't understand why TFC decided to schedule Barangay Japan at primetime Sunday. I haave few gripes on this as follows:

It's obviously for Japan only. Why the hell people in Singapore, Australia and other Asian countries have to watch this?
Though the hosts are Filipinos, there are portions where there are Japanese being interviewed. We don't understand a thing.
Speaking of hosts, the show looked like a high school presentation.
A complete waste of airtime and since most TFC subscribers only watch TFC, our time is wasted too.

What's next? Barangay Singapore?

Korean Celebrities and Models Scandal Videos

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:38:00 +0000

Here I was last week, at home and in no mood to go out when I got a message from a friend to check out a link. When I checked it out, I found a folder full of high quality videos of Korean models and celebrities being bonked by some middle-aged men, one of which is uncircumcised. I thought the best thing to do is to "review and investigate" them so I downloaded the videos.

One thing to note that is that this high-profile prostitution in Korea seems to be normal. Models and movie/tv celebrities are being peddled to politicians, CEOs, entertainment executives by their managers. As a matter of fact, several actors and actresses committed suicide. Jang Ja-yeon, part of the wildly popular KBS television drama series Boys Over Flowers, killed herself and left a seven-page suicide note claiming that she was coerced into having sex with directors and media executives.

Actually, it reminds me of Ynes Veneracion when she was videoed peddling herself to an abs-cbn correspondent. Yeah, that's more than a decade ago.:) Alas, I don't know anyone from the videos. Okay, the women there are beautiful, sexy and flawless but that's normal in Korea. I'm trying to find out who these people are. There's a good chance that they are just normal prostitutes. I don't know.

Maybe somebody from the readers know? Just hit the comments if you know someone from the videos. I'll try to confirm. *wink* *wink*

By the way, a lot of Koreans are visiting the country especially up north. One of their favorites is the Pagudpud, the Boracay of the North.

Binay is so Hungry of Media Mileage

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:23:00 +0000

I'm really irked with people who seems to jump on every opportunity be on the media regardless of circumstances. There's a lot of them especially in Philippine politics. And among them, there's no more opportunistic that our current vice president, Jejomar Binay.

Look at him, right now. He wants to re-write the history by recognizing General Miguel Malvar. Doesn't he have any more important things to think about? Is there anybody there other than his minios willing to give a fuck on whether Malvar became a president after Aguinaldo was captured? I don't think there is. And rightly so because there are more pressing issues that needs to be addressed. There are far more important things that require immediate attention.What he is doing is no different from the legislations banning Angry Birds and Planking.

He's also the kind of person who's going to take populist stance no matter how impractical and ridiculous it is. As long as the "masa" will love it, he'll love it. Just look at his comments on the Al-Barka incident. He's calling for the all-out war against the MILF. That's because a few outspoken people supports the war, you need to go for it. It's as if he is not really thinking. Or does he? Well, do not underestimate the sinister ways of this man. He is actually calling of an all-out-war because he know fully well that the president will not go for it. He does not necessarily want or believe that we need to start another Erap-style war. He just want to voice whatever the vocal small minority is clamoring for. It's a celver exploitation of the situation. And he's putting the president in a very awkward situation.

Now I know why P'noy is not giving him more responsibilities in the government. The president know fully well that the position will only be used for grandstanding. It may be even used as a platform from where Binay will attack Noynoy.

p.s.
By the way, did you receive a text message praising him for his effort to postpone the execution of the three drug mules in China? I did. But I did not receive any when the three were eventually executed. P.

When Did Steve Jobs Really Die?

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:15:00 +0000

It's sad that one of the icons of technology died at the peak of his career. I guess some of you are grieving in front of an iThing. At the same time, I also know that some of you just couldn't absorb any new tribute for him. It's been almost a week and the outpouring just keeps coming.

But when did he actually die? Was it really October 5? The morning after the unveiling of Apple's new creation? There were rumors that he actually died as early as the second week of September. I think that's totally untrue because there are people who actually saw him as lately as two weeks before his supposed death. That's about a week or so before end of September. But beyond that, there's really no more news. I guess he's too frail already by that time.

You see, some skeptics really have a point. No one really confirmed his death besides the announcement of Apple. Yes, the same company who had just announced a new iteration of iPhone the day before. Second is that there's no mention of what was the real reason. Was it Pancreatic Cancer or was it due to his liver problem or some complications due to either or both? You have to admire Jobs and Apple's grip on information. They managed to keep this secret and even TMZ can't provide any proof of his death. On the contrary, they got documents of Michael Jackson's death on every step.

Steve Jobs is one of my heroes despite not owning an iDevice. It would be hard to find a person who is good at inventing things time and again. His success is not based on luck or on being at the right place at the right time. Because one after the another, he kept on blowing our minds with his company's inventions. Some may argue that he's a control and perfectionist freak. I totally agree, but that's his receipe for success... even to the point of delaying the announcement of his own death.

My guess is between September 30 and October 5 is his actual date of passing.

Semper Fi!

UPDATE:
Okay, I take all this theory back. The death certificate of Steve Jobs is already released by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. He died at 3pm, 5 Oct 2011 due to "respiratory arrest" with "metastatic pancreas neuroendocrine tumor" as the underlying condition that caused the respiratory problem.

You can't really dispute public records, eh. I thought I waited long enough to jump the gun...apparently, I was still too early. :)

Greedy Recuitment Agencies In Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:15:00 +0000

It's an open secret that the majority of the Filipino 'tourists' at working age going to Singapore are actually job seekers. The number of 'tourists' trying their luck in the city state exploded at the end of 2007. I was actually one of them though I already have an employer waiting when I moved here. But then again I travelled as a tourist. That trend did not stop even with the measures put in place by Singapore and by the Philippine immigration. See Invitation Letters for more details.

What it means for recruitment agencies in Singapore is a steady stream of desperate jobseekers who are going to pay anything and everything to get a job. These jobseekers are very vulnerable especially those with expiring social visit pass. It opens a gate for opportunistic recruiters to charge exhorbitant fees in exchange for a chance to get a job. Until last week, I thought the rumors of recruiters charging $300 per interview is just a hoax. That's until a friend who stayed in our apartment experienced it. And apparently, this system is the normal procedure and the sad fact is that these recruitment agencies are owned by Filipinos, too.

So what's the going rate? In order to get a job, you have to pay the following:

Registration fee of $50
Interview fee of $300
Job placement fee of the equivalent of two month's salary

Take note that the interview fee is for each interview you will take. So you better pass the first interview if you don't want you hard earned $300 put to waste. If you get a job that pays $1200 a month, you'll have pay $2750 from your supposed deep pockets. If you are luckier to get a better paying job that gives at least $2,000 monthly, then you need to shell out $4350. Just to put that into perspective of those who are still in the Philippines, $4,350 is PHP144,855 at the current exchange rate of PHP33.30 = $1. Take note that it is only for the agency fee, you still have to pay for your airfare. If you don't have family or friends here to stay, you still have to pay for your accommodation and food. And what if you are from the provinces like in Bacolod City or Bohol? You'll need to fly to Manila or Cebu. All these can add up and you can end up with about $6000 in expenses for one whole month. That could easily equal a year's salary of average worker. It's really a big gamble.

So how do these recruiters able to sleep know fully well that they are exploiting our fellow Filipinos? I don't know. But maybe for them, it's a case of dogs-eat-dogs.

Smart UNLI 25 Text All Net + 25MB Surf

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:41:00 +0000

I was in Manila last week and got a chance to use Smart's text all net with free 25MB data and 10 minutes Smart to Smart calls. This is good for 24 hours. To register, just send ULT25 to 2266. I would say it offers very good value for money. Twenty five megabytes may not be enough for heavy users but for casual users, this is more than enough. The good thing about it is that you can be online for the whole day without paying an arm and a leg. You can also monitor your usage by sending ?LU to 2266. That's because if you go beyond the 25MB free allocation, you'll be charged the normal rate of PHP10.00 per 30 min. Signal Reception I tried to stay away from Smart because of poor reception ( always EDGE or GPRS) and slow connection that your 30 minutes us already up and your page isn't loaded yet. I know it depends on your location but I live in Makati City.I'm just about 1.2km away from Smart Tower in Ayala. That's how terrible their service was. However, it looks like Smart made good on its promise to improve its coverage and internet connection. Indeed, I can now connect on 3G and HSPA with usable speed. It's not blazing fast but at least, it's usable. I can't say the same for Sun Cellular but their service was quite reliable the last time I was around. Sun's signal is will not drop but you'll never get 3G or HSPA signal. So now, I'm back with Smart.

Authenticated Invitation Letter Now Required For Filipinos Visiting Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:43:00 +0000

There's a lot of chatter and frustrations going on about the new requirement on Filipino tourists flying out of the country. Actually, blogs and forums are awashed with discussions regarding the issue. It is because the immigration officers are now asking for Authenticated Invitation Letters coming from the sponsors in the destination country. That is required if you plan to stay on your friend/relative's house. For package tours, I think this is not required. Authenticated means you have to get a notarized letter from the Philippine embassy. For people bound for Singapore, the resident/OFW/expat would have to go to the embassy in Nassim road. But since the embassy is open only from Sunday to Thursday wuth office Hours at 9am-12pm and 1:30pm-5pm, the sponsor would have to take a leave just to get it. One leave to pass the requirement and another to get the sealed envelop with the the authenticated letter inside. In short, it's a big hassle and expensive. Before we proceed, here are the requirements when trying to get an authenticate invitation letter.

IC or EPASS or SPASS
Your Passport
Photocopy of Passport (the page with ID)
Copy of Passport of visitor
Pen
Filled out invitation letter form (available at the embassy)

But do we really need it? Here's what the Vice Consul in Singapore has to say.

Please be informed that the Affidavit of Invitation, or the invitation letter, may be required by the Immigration officer at the airport in the Philippines to verify the traveler's status as a bonafide tourist. This requirement was reinstituted as a preventive measure against illegal recruitment and human trafficking, which has recently risen in incidence. The sponsor or host in Singapore will need to execute the Affidavit of Invitation at the Embassy for the person in the Philippines being invited. This Affidavit, in the original, may be requested by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration upon the departure of the invitee from the Philippines. This Affidavit of Invitation is not a guarantee that the invitee will be allowed to travel and enter Singapore

Okay, we got the point -- trafficking and illegal recruitment. But you have to prove that you are a bonafide tourist? Would the letter prove that you are not recruited illegally? If people are hired direcyly by companies here in Singapore, is that illegal recruitment? What about our right to travel? All the while, I thought all we need is a valid passport with at least 6 months validity and visa issued by the destination country if required. But what happens here is that you need a visa to be able to travel outside the country and it's your own country that's requiring you to have one on top phe passport. And this stupidity is costing a lot of money to our poor breathrens. Case in point, a friend had to go here in Singapore in a short notice to inspect the medical chest of a ship that will pass by Singapore. The ship will only anchor for six hours to resupply so she had to fly immediately. But our good immigration officers thought that she's not telling the truth and she's just going here to find a job. She almost missed her flight when she was interrogated in a room in the immigration area. Luckily, she was allowed to leave. She's back there in the Philippines now but her employer is worried that she won't be able to inspect their client ships later. It's a big hassle for them and it will cost a lot of money. Potentially, they'll lose the client. A more unfortunate case is when the cousin of my officemate wasn't allowed to board the plane. She's only coming here for a short visit (4days) and to go to Universal Studios Singapore (they got tickets and all). She was supposed to board on the same flight as my officemate and also plans to stay in her flat. But she was also sent to the interrogation room (including my friend who is an employment pass holder here) and was treated harshly. They were saying that they felt like they are criminals and terrorists. In the end, her friend was not allowed to board. Goodbye 10,000 ticket, goodbye terminal fee and goodbye travel tax. There's a lot of similar cases (wasted tickets) that you can read in PinoySG. Now my officemate is worried that her sister will not be allowed to visit her this September. She bought the tickets months ago. So already submitted the invitation letter, she'll get it next Monday. But do you know how painful it is to get that stupid authenticated invitation letter? Below are some of the gripes.

The price of authentication is $42 and then you'll have to send it via LBC/DHL for another $15+. That's about $70. In comparison, you can buy a return ticket for $150. That's about $75 per one way.
You have to go the Philippine embassy twice, first to submit the invitation letter and the second to get it after three days.
The Philippine embassy opens at 9am, that means you have to be there before that. That also mean you have to take a leave at least once.
At 8am, even on a Tuesday, there is a line snaking in the Philippine embassy. Now, imagine if you go there on a Sunday. It's even worse, you have to line up just to get in the embassy premises and the queue again when you get in.
The 'grilling' process is particularly harsh for women
You're already paying the travel tax plus the terminal fee and then this one, another kind of travel tax

And then there's another twist. If you are a 'conio', you won't encounter this problem. It's a subtle discrimination if you will. If you look like a rich kid, then chances are you'll be able to pass immigration without trouble. But what about the people with money who just didn't look like a 'mayaman'? Ultimately, this rule is subject to abuse... and then there's one who shared an experience.

and then upon completing the application form Mr.T asked me if i have an invitation letter, so i gave him an invitation from my friend, attached in there is my friend's NRIC ID and passport copy. He asked me for my company ID so i show him my ID, He asked me where is my leave form, i show him my leave form... haayyysss... and after that i was still denied... i already think that this might happen to me because i have a friend working in the immigration told me to bring all those requirements because those are the possible requirements the IO may ask from me.. if i cannot present any of them i might be denied.. and they are doing this for a "LAGAY" and that is P1500.. this is the dirty business in the immigration... As much as possible i don't want to asked help to my friend inside the immigration

Read the whole comment from the link below. I cannot vouch for the comments in this blog, though. http://jel-sg-life.blogspot.com/2010/05/invitation-letter-for-singapore.html?showComment=1284314687061#c6814697751701919975 And this is not limited for people going to Singapore. The link below shows the frustrations that some of our kababayans went through. http://www.filipinouk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/27522-Very-angry-and-very-frustrated!! There's a lot of similar stories in Pinoysg.com forum. And hat tip to Jel of jel-sg- life.blogspot.com for answering the queries posted by his readers. More than the post, read the comments. Link below. http://jel-sg-life.blogspot.com/2010/05/invitation-letter-for-singapore.html

Alvarez Sacked by Pnoy, Magsaysay Grinning Ear-to-Ear

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:03:00 +0000

Poor Lito Alvarez. He has stepped on some very big fishes and his head is now on the chop board. But I think the guy is good. He is only getting warmed up and he's now getting the boot. I hope the person who will replace him will as good or even better.

Look, I never saw so much Custom people getting relieved and so many cases being filed before he took the job. He was the one who found out about those 2000 containers missing. He initiated investigations of transactions in the past. And this is what he gets? Ridiculous to say the least. Is P'noy giving in to the pressure?

I pity Alvarez because he had to handle pressure from all sides. One from the numerous people wanting his post especially from the allies of Pinoy, another from the corrupt employees from Bureau of Customs, third from the people like Mitos Magsaysay who would pounce on every opportunity to crush the person (her minions and businesses may have been affected) and last but not the least, the businessmen who are affected by the crackdown. On top of that, P'noy is also putting pressure on him.

But he is brave. He stood his ground and continue to do his job. But P'noy has other things in mind. Sad, sad day. He may have some faults but he doesn't deserve this treatment. And the way the sacking was handled is so unprofessional. How come it wasn't informed personally or at least someone phoned him to tell him that he will be replaced. He's the last to know!

At any rate, here's a link love for Avida Towers Sucat.

When in Foreign Country, STFU!

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:59:00 +0000

I pity our fellow Pinoy here in Singapore, Rachelle Ann Beguia. She is being scorned for her comments on MP Penny Low's (Minister of Parliament, like Congressman in PH) Facebook page. She was actually defending Penny Low on another issue (glancing at her smartphone during national anthem) but in doing so, she berated the commenter and left racist remarks. It's a monumental mistake on her part to actually leave racist comments on that page. She broke one of the most important rules as a foreign national in Singapore. If you're on a foreign country -- shut the fuck up. You're not in the Philippines where you can simply lambast online to your heart's content the corrupt Philippine government officials. Here in Singapore, let the Singaporeans criticize their own. Again, shut the fuck up.

Her actions are truly regrettable but is it really her who left those comments? In another development, her Singaporean husband, Mr Gay Chao Hui, is taking the blame. He's saying, on one of his postings on Penny Low's page that it was actually him who left the comments using his wife's account. Singapore netizens are wary and Temasek Review also think it may be a desperate attempt to save Rachelle from all the online rants. However they also think that it is plausible given that Mr Gay has left comments on pinoysg, a Filipino online forum. The way I see it, the comments were left by the couple and the husband is now trying to cover for his wife.

Regardless of who actually left the comments, the damage has been done. We're not even talking about whether what was said was true or not. Regardless, there are things that should be left unsaid. It may not sound right, but as they say, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you!"

Aside from the monumental mistake of leaving a scathing and racist comment on a public forum, the bigger problem is that they used their actual names and with all their details open to the public. Ok yeah, they might be brave enough to own up but it's just about that. Some of these netizens are tech savvy and some are good enough to dig everything about you. So, another lesson -- KEEP YOUR PROFILES PRIVATE! We don't really care where you work or how successful you are. Heck, with all the details they provided in facebook, someone might be able to access their bank accounts.

But you know what, the majority of the Singaporeans just don't give a damn. Most are too busy to care, actually. So who are these people ranting on the net? Go figure.

Here's the link of the Temasek Review article.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/08/13/gay-chao-hui-in-pinoy-forum-i-am-very-embarrassed-to-be-singaporean/

Gooch Bar Strip Tease Video

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:14:00 +0000

Sometimes, I love XXX - Eksklusibong Explosibong Expose. Just like the other day, they reported on the Gooch Bar in Malolos that features 'student' strip teases almost daily. Their informant, Emille, showed them a video of strip teasing girls. In that video, a supposedly drank girl removed her blouse with only the bra and skirt left.

However, I'll bet my neighbor's car that these girls are not students. Hell, at least one of the dancers can pass as mothers of the supposed students.

Pre-Nup at Libingan ng mga Bayani Ruckus

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:08:00 +0000

The pre-wedding pictorial of a couple in the Libingan ng mga Bayani is now in the spotlight because of the supposed desecration of the graves of our brave men and women. The cemetery is quite popular for pre-nuptial shoots. For the longest time, the American cemetery and our own Libingan ng mga Bayani have been listed as two of the most popular pre-nup areas because of its calmness, tranquility and expansive green areas with almost no one around. Couples pay to do a pre-nup there.

It got this kind of attention when some soldiers/former soldiers/soldiers wannabes coupled with some trolls in a Philippine defense forum made a fuss about it and even created a Facebook page denouncing the shoot. Honestly, I can't get the . It's a non-issue. If there's anything wrong here, it's the fact that the output of East Digital is boring at best, garbage at worst. It's definitely not their best photo shoot.

Actually, it's just a copycat of the Black Wedding Pre-nup of Kamikaze frontman Jay Contreras with wife Sarah Abad. It's a poor second-rate trying hard copycat, if I may add. So what are they going to say to Jay Contreras, then? Is it okay for Kamikaze to do that because they did it on the half-buried American cemetery in Clark?

I can't really say that the couple desecrated the niches of the buried soldiers there. It is never the intention and it isn't.

Can I say overreaction? I pity the couple. They became victims of an online lynch mob. They don't deserve to be crucified like this. I hope their wedding push through as planned. Hopefully they won't get affected by the cubicle wannabe soldiers who have nothing to do with their lives.

The Honorable Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (SuperSawsaw) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:57:00 +0000

In the Philippines, it is customary that elected officials are called "honorable". It doesn't matter if that elected official deserves to be called honorable or not, as a matter of courtesy they are called as such. You'll always see "Hon." prefix for their name. So your mayor should be called Hon. Juan Buwaya Dela Cruz.

But that is always true only on official functions and usually only when the elected official is in his constituency area. When it comes to facebook, it is a major fail if you still insist to have that prefix on your name. So if you have a name "Honorable Maria Palmer" plastered on your facebook, you must be narcissistic at the very least.

But I don't really expect people adding honorable on their name inside facebook. Alas, my expectation is different from reality.... presenting... Honorable...

Again, as a matter of courtesy, I blocked some parts of the screenshot. But the initial of this official is J.A. The surname is the surname of some very very influential family in the country.