Why did Winston Garcia and his cohorts, este co-directors suddenly changed their minds and sold their share to SMC? Does this verify the rumor that the GSIS is really bankrupt? Nagtatanong lang po!

PS: What happened to our complaint two years ago? Cover up! Cover up!

Was excited to see the events of the Opening Ceremonies as they unfold “live” at C/S (Solar Entertainment channel), but got dismayed with the number of commercials during gaps. Luckily, I found another channel covering the ceremonies, just minutes behind the one aired at C/S. But, seems to be that the lucky day is not favoring me: the CCTV channel just went off the air. Got pissed, turned the television off and headed on to the net. Justin.tv is still not covering the ceremonies, but the pictures are already online at the official Olympics website and at Yahoo!News.

Now, I remember 16 years ago, I was just 11 years old then when Barcelona in Spain played host to the 1992 games. Because of the timezone difference, my dad woke my brother and I up at around 2AM just for us to catch the opening ceremonies. It was the first time that I had actually watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony. And who can forget the dramatic lighting of the cauldron by archer Antonio Rebollo? For those who were still very young to comprehend or remember the 1992 Olympics, here’s what happened during the final torch relay and ceremonial lighting of the cauldron:

Commissioner Marcelino Libanan approved the purchase and installation of 12 cellphone dampers and jammers at the immigration arrival and departure areas.

Libanan said the move was also part of their campaign against human trafficking, noting that cellphone use allegedly enables some BI personnel to communicate with persons engaged in human trafficking and the irregular facilitation and escort of passengers.

“The strict implementation of cellphone ban will strengthen the bureau’s drive against human trafficking and, most importantly, it effectively prevents corruption,” he said.

Libanan added that the installation of the device will likewise discourage passengers from using their phones, which may also disrupt the immigration clearing process.

NAIA-BI operations chief Ferdinand Sampol, who proposed for the installation of cellphone blockers, said that the use of mobile phone by an immigration officer at work consumes his time and inconveniences passengers lining up at his counter.

The bureau is also looking to mount the same devices at the immigration area of NAIA 3 terminal when international flight services at the new airport become operational. - GMANews.TV

I was stunned.

They made me feel like an NBA star.

Any NBA players out there: If you’re having a bad day, or you’re having a bad career, go to Manila. They’ll bring your spirits up, trust me.

I felt like I just won the NBA championship, to be for real.

After we left the mall we were looking at pictures from the event a couple days later and we were telling ourselves, “Man, that was unreal!”

Plus, with the security I had, I felt like I was the President. I felt like I was Obama. I really felt like I was running in the presidential election, especially when I got to meet the U.S. ambassador out in the Philippines. We had a great time talking to each other.

Reading those words makes me prouder to say that I am a Filipino!

In a report over radio dzBB, GMA News’ Tina Panganiban-Perez said the court – in a decision dated June 23 – ruled in favor of the Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs of San Pedro, Laguna which said the Philippine National Construction Corporation and Toll Regulatory Board were illegally collecting toll fees at the Slex since May 1, 2007.

The report said according to lawyer Melvin Matibag, his group filed the case on April 2007 on the grounds that PNCC’s franchise has already expired and so it should stop collecting toll fees at the SLEX and turn-over its assets and facilities to the government.

Matibag said the TRB, instead of stopping PNCC, issued a toll operation certificate extending the franchise of PNCC.

The report said the court decision, aside from stopping the toll fee collection, ordered PNCC to turn over its assets and facilities to the government. However, the court decision was silent on what will happen to the fees collected by PNCC throughout the period in question.

Matibag said his group did not include in their complaint the collected fees so they will leave it up to the government whether it will refund the fees or not.

The report said the group is ready if the PNCC will appeal the court decision, even as it hoped the government will see that PNCC is not worthy of the franchise given to it due to many violations it has committed. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV

On a personal note, I really hate that girl (Ces Drilon). I do not see true, unbiased, and fearless reporting in her. I just hope that the ASG release Ces and her crew unharmed.

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SEAOIL Philippines Inc., the largest independent retailer of petroleum products in the country, has introduced an industry-first prepaid card that pegs a customer’s gasoline purchase at PHP59.00 per liter.

Company officials explained that the Price Lock Prepaid Fuel Card can be used to buy 20 liters of gasoline (G5 X-treme and Unleaded) from any SEAOIL participating stations. The selling period is from July 05-20, 2008. Each card costs P1,180 and is valid for 10 weeks (July 05 up to September 20, 2008).

Since the price has been fixed, cardholders will have an easier time budgeting their fuel expenses as they will be insulated from further spikes in gasoline costs during the promo period.

In the less likely event of a price rollback also during the period, i.e. the price goes down to less than PHP59.00 a liter, SEAOIL will refund unused (unscratched) fuel prepaid cards.

The Price Lock Prepaid Fuel Card will be made available at the following participating SEAOIL stations:

1. A. Bonifacio
2. Binangonan
3. Buendia
4. Cainta
5. Commonwealth
6. Dagat-dagatan
7. Dimasalang
8. EDSA
9. E. Rodriguez
10. Gulod
11. Imalda Avenue
12. Karuhatan
13. Malabon
14. Marikina
15. Maybunga
16. Merville
17. Mindanao Ave.
18. Montalban
19. North Bay
20. P. Tuazon
21. Paco
22. Palatiw
23. Panaderos
24. Paraluman
25. Pasig
26. Payatas
27. Pritil
28. Retiro
29. San Juan
30. San Mateo
31. St. Dominic
32. Sucat
33. Tandang Sora
34. Taguig
Stations to open in July:
35. Arkong Bato
36. Sta. Cruz
37. Legarda
38. Del Monte

SEAOIL will also be selling the prepaid card in the following offsite points: Greenhills Theatre Mall (in front of Starbucks), Greenhills V-Mall (in front of SM Appliance Center), Shopwise (2nd level parking) and Metrowalk (Activity Center near Starbucks). Here’s the schedule: Theatre Mall, V-Mall, Shopwise – July 4-6 and July 11-13 (Fridays-Sundays), 11am-6pm; Metrowalk – July 4-5 and July 11-12 (Fridays and Saturdays), 5pm-12mn

The card is valid for a single transaction only, which means customers should use up its entire 20-liter value since any unconsumed amount, such as a 19-liter purchase, will forfeit the remaining card value.

Only SEAOIL station attendants are authorized to scratch the silver coating of the prepaid card upon purchase and claim the same card after the customer fills up.

About Sea Oil

Formed in 1997, SEAOIL is the first independent fuel company to put up a gasoline retail station, following the deregulation of the country’s downstream oil industry. It has since aggressively expanded, becoming the largest petroleum firm outside the Big 3 of Petron, Shell and Chevron (Caltex) with over 130 outlets nationwide and about 3 percent share of the retail market.

Consistent with its thrust of innovation, the company pioneered the promotion of biofuels and other alternative fuels in the country, being the first to introduce the use of ethanol as a gasoline blend. In 2005, two years before the implementation of the Biofuels Act, SEAOIL already offered the first 10-percent ethanol blended gasoline or E10, now available in its nationwide retail station network along with the similarly mandated 1 percent biodiesel blend.