Saturday, May 31, 2008

Cagayan de Oro.. part two

Economy

Cagayan de Oro is the base to both local and multi-national companies such as Del Monte Philippines, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and others. The city's economy is largely based on industry, trade, service and tourism. Link2Support and Arriba are among the few call centers that have recently opened their doors to the city. Cagayan de Oro is a young city compared to other highly urbanized cities in the Philippines. The city's annual income has reached a local record of 1.345 Billion Pesos as of the fiscal year, 2006. With the ongoing construction of the Laguindingan International Airport, business analysts predict the entry of more foreign and local investments and an increase in tourism activity in the region will make Cagayan de Oro as one of the chief cities in the southern part of the Philippines.

Infrastructure Education

Cagayan de Oro has 3 major universities namely: Capitol University, Liceo de Cagayan University, and Xavier University, and one state college Mindanao Polytechnic State College. These institutions specialize in various disciplines such as medicine, nursing, commerce, engineering, law, masteral and doctorate degrees. While AMA Computer University and Philippine Women's University are campus branches offering fewer courses.

See also: List of colleges and universities in the Philippines

Health Care

The city has a hospital bed to population ratio of 1:474 as of 2003. There are 12 major well-equipped private and government-run hospitals including 50 Barangay Health Centers and 20 Family Planning Centers. There are also modern diagnostic centers and laboratories operating in the city.

Northern Mindanao Medical Center (Provincial Hospital) and JR Borja Memorial Medical Hospital (City Hospital) are the two main government run hospitals in the city. The new Capitol University Medical City Hospital is one of the newer developments of the health services in city. In the recent years, private hospitals in the city have embarked on an aggressive expansion program. There has been a strong demand for medical facilities not only within the city but from nearby Mindanao provinces.

Transportation

Lumbia Airport caters to domestic flights to and from Manila and Cebu. From Manila, it is an hour and fifteen minutes away by plane and from Cebu it is forty-five minutes away. There is ongoing construction on the Laguindingan International Airport. When finished, the international airport will serve Northern Mindanao including its major cities; Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

Cagayan de Oro Seaport in 2005 with two quay cranes

Cagayan de Oro Seaport in 2005 with two quay cranes

The Macabalan seaport serves regular trips to Manila, Cebu, Tagbilaran, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Iligan, Jagna and Nasipit/Butuan. It is the busiest seaport in the region.

Cagayan de Oro Seaport is a modern international seaport situated near the estuary of Cagayan de Oro River, it has an anchorage depth of 18 meters and is around 400 meters from the shoreline. Cagayan de Oro Seaport has two authorized cargo handling operators.With the recent completion of the 250 Million Peso Rehabilitation Project, the Cagayan de Oro seaport is now the largest international and domestic seaport in Mindanao.General Milling and Del Monte Philippines also operates their own port facilities within Cagayan de Oro. The US $85 Million Mindanao Container Terminal located in Tagoloan, 17 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro serves the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate.

There are three bus and jeepney terminals in the city which offer regular land trips. The Agora Bus Terminal caters trips to and from Balingoan (port going to Camiguin), Gingoog, Davao, Butuan and Surigao in the Caraga Region, Valencia and Malaybalay in Bukidnon. While the Bulua-Westbound Bus Terminal caters trips to and from Iligan, Ozamiz, and western parts of Mindanao.

Utilities

  • There are four major land based phone companies (Philcom, Misortel, Cruztelco and Italtel) serving the city.
  • Mobile phone services are provided by Globe-Touch Mobile, Smart-Talk'n'Text-Addict Mobile, Sun Cellular and Extelcom.
  • There are several internet companies operating in the city offering dial up, broadband, Wi-Fi and cable services. The Pueblo de Oro IT Park located in Upper Carmen is the first PEZA-registered IT park in Mindanao. The IT Park currently houses one of Cagayan de Oro's call centers.
  • Water services is provided by the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), it was the first water district established in the entire country.
  • Electricity is provided by the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO), it covers 64 barangays and caters to more than 80,000 consumers. They are also operating a 1-megawatt photovoltaic-solar power plant in Indahag; it is the biggest solar power plant that is connected to the power grid in South East Asia

Friday, May 30, 2008

Harana..courtship Philippines style

In the Philippines there is something called “HARANA” a little old fahioned now, but you go sit under your sweethearts bedroom window and you seranade her with a good voice and guitar(very romantic), just be sure its your sweethearts room and not that of her brother or even worse her mother (you may just get a bucket of water)
Here is a Visayan song for you too try- he,he,he

“Ushay”
Usahay magadamgo ako
nga ikaw ug ako nagkahigugmaay
nganong damguhon ko ikaw
damguhon sa kununay
sa akong kamingnaw

Usahay magamahay ako
nganong nabuhi paning, kalibutan…
nganong gitiaw-tiawan
ang gugma ko kanimo
kanimo da…

Ng ikaw ug ako nagkahigugmaay
damguhon sa kanunay
sa akong kamingnaw

Ushay magamahay ako
nganong nabuhi pa ning, kalibutan……
nganong gitiaw-tiawan
ang gugma ko kanimo
kanimo da…….

Nganong gitiaw-tiawan
ang gugma ko kanimo
kanimo da………………..

Let me know how your doing!!...

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Electric Jeepney finally gets DOTC approval

Manila, PHILIPPINES — The Electric Jeepney or E-Jeepney, a cleaner, safer, renewable alternative to fossil-fuel based public transport, has finally been given the green light to ply the country's public roads. GRIPP (Green Renewable Independent Power Producer) and Greenpeace today welcomed the go-signal from the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communication) finally classifying the said vehicle and allowing it to operate in major thoroughfares.

The E-Jeepneys were launched last July 4, 2007 in Makati City, as part of a larger initiative called the Climate Friendly Cities Project. The project demonstrates how cities can help mitigate the problem of climate change through implementing measures that would avoid the use of climate change-inducing fossil fuels. Through the project, a fleet of electric-powered jeepneys will derive energy from biodegradable wastes from the city’s wet markets, food establishments and households, thereby helping mitigate climate change even as it addresses urban problems such as air pollution and solid waste, while providing enhanced incomes to the jeepney drivers. The project is sponsored in part by the Dutch Doen Foundation and is currently supported by Makati, Baguio and Puerto Princesa Cities.

The go-signal comes after ten months of waiting and several delays at the DOTC Planning and Transport Division. The guidelines for the E-Jeepneys were signed and issued last April 30, 2008. The guidelines classify the E-Jeepney as "a utility vehicle for private or public use, for non-commercial or commercial purposes or be hired to transport goods and passengers, subject to all applicable rules and regulations governing public transport vehicles."

"GRIPP welcomes this much anticipated set of guidelines for electric vehicles as a major milestone in our implementation of the Climate Friendly Cities Project, especially at a time when skyrocketing diesel and fossil fuel prices have considerably decreased the income of jeepney drivers. The DOTC’s go-signal also means that we can now proceed with scaling up E-Jeepney fleets in various host cities, giving the Philippines the opportunity to leapfrog into climate-friendly sustainable transport," said GRIPP Chairperson Athena Ballesteros.

According to GRIPP, the next steps after the release of the guidelines are: 1) publication of the guidelines in major newspapers; 2) drafting and approval of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR); 3) Land Transportation Office (LTO) registration; and 4) LTFRB for granting of franchises. Project proponents are hopeful that the registration and issuance of plates for the E-Jeepneys will be fast-tracked. LTO Chief Alberto Suansing has committed his full support to GRIPP and will work with the GRIPP and its partners for the speedy registration of the units of the pilot fleet launched last year in Makati City and those about to be ordered by other cities now involved in the project.

Support on a national level, however, is crucial to ensure the successful replication of the project, as well as other renewable energy (RE) initiatives. GRIPP and Greenpeace called on the national government to help reduce tariffs for pioneering RE technologies including those for sustainable public transport, and to provide technical, financial and institutional support for renewable
energy-based power plants such as those that will power the E-Jeepneys.
Both organizations emphasized that the urgent need for concerted
global action to stop climate change means that there should be no delay
for the right policies to be in place.

"While Greenpeace welcomes this new set of guidelines, we lament the fact that it took the DOTC ten months to take action. This reflects the Philippine government's current response to climate change--slow and totally inadequate. Our vulnerability to the impacts of this disaster means we need to implement solutions now. Aside from supporting initiatives such as the Climate Friendly Cities Project, the national government should institute large-scale climate change solutions such as phasing out coal-fired power plants, and the immediate passage of a strong renewable energy legislation," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Climate and Energy Campaigner Jasper Inventor.

Contact information

  • Jasper Inventor
  • Lea Guerrero, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Media Campaigner, +63 920 950 6877
    Athena Ballesteros, GRIPP Chairperson, +63 917 813 1562, or +63 34 434 9269


Monday, May 26, 2008

GREENPEACE SOUTH EAST ASIA


Ban terminator seeds, say no to anymore coal fired stations, ban all GMO,s,junk JPEPA, STOP CUTTING DOWN OUR FORESTS,

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Gagayan de Oro.. City of Golden Friendship

City seal
History

The area was first inhabited around 377 AD (the late Neolithic Period), island natives lived in a settlement then known as Himologan (now known as Huluga), eight kilometers from present day Cagayan de Oro. The natives were polytheistic animist and paid tributes to Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, the Sultan of Maguindanao. In 1622, two Spanish Augustinian Recollect missionaries came in contact with the natives of Himologan and in 1626, Fray Agustin de San Pedro persuaded the chief of Himologan, Datu Salangsang, to transfer his settlement down river, to the present day Gaston Park. Fray Agustin later fortified the new settlement against warriors who were sent by Sultan Kudarat.

On February 27, 1872, the Spanish Governor General Carlos Maria de la Torre issued a decree declaring Cagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis. During this era, the name of the town was known as Cagayan de Misamis. On January 10, 1899, Cagayan de Misamis joined the Philippine government of Emilio Aguinaldo and celebrated its independence from Spain. It was the second time the Aguinaldo government was declared and the new Philippine flag raised on the Mindanao island. By virtue of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States; this caused friction and resulted in the Philippine-American War. In March 31, 1900, the Americans occupied Cagayan de Misamis and on April 7, 1900, battle erupted in the town center led by General Nicolas Capistrano and Filipino resistance fighters. The Americans won the war, and about forty years later, gave the Philippines its independence July 4, 1946.

Through the efforts of Congressman Emmanuel Pelaez, the town of Cagayan de Misamis became a city on June 15, 1950 and its name changed to Cagayan de Oro. Congressman Pelaez appended "de Oro" to "Cagayan" in recognition of the gold mining activities in the area known to Spanish explorers.

Geography

Cagayan de Oro is located along the central coast of Northern Mindanao. To the south, the city is bordered by the Bukidnon Province and Iligan City. The Municipality of Opol, Misamis Oriental borders the city on the west and Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental to the east. To the north lies Macajalar Bay facing the Bohol Sea. Its total land area is 488.86 km² representing 13.9% of the entire Misamis Oriental Province. It includes 25 kilometers of coastline and a fine deep water harbor, Macajalar Bay. 44.7% of the surface of Cagayan de Oro is classified as agricultural land, and 38.4% is classified as open spaces.

Climate

Cagayan de Oro has a tropical climate. The average temperature whole year round is 28 °C (82 °F). The highest recorded temperature in the city was 36 °C (97 °F) on May 1998. Cagayan de Oro receives an even amount of rain through out the year. The driest month is April, while July is the wettest. Wet season in the city starts in June and ends in November. Drier season starts in December and ends in May. Cagayan de Oro is rarely visited by a typhoon since it is outside the Pacific typhoon belt.
More information tomorrow

Dengue fever.. Part three.. safer alternatives

There are recent effective and affordable alternatives to RIDL in controlling mosquitoes that spread dengue fever and other diseases. Extracts from the paradise tree Melia azedarach showed promising larvicide and oviposition deterrent effects on the mosquito. Essential oil from mullila and zedoary plants also proved effective in treating mosquito larvae. Euphoriaceae extracts, particularly Euphorbia tirucalli can be applied as an ideal larvicide against Aedes aegypti.

A study in Thailand surveyed water-filled containers where Aedes mosquitoe pupae were found. Large water containers held 90 percent of pupae in rural areas and 60 percent in urban areas. Covering and treating such large containers should greatly reduce the mosquito population. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis VectoBac proved effective in treating water jars to combat dengue mosquitoes in Cambodia. In Cuba, studies on the social and environmental determinants of Aedes aegypti confirmed that the greatest risks were associated with failure to treat stored water, and water in flower vases for religious practices. Efforts to reduce infestation should therefore focus on preventive practices.

These low tech practices may prove much more effective than the expensive high technology solutions, which are also far from safe.

It is said prevention is better than cure,it should therfore be first in our minds to cover all sources of water, and also to treat the containers, and do ourselves a small favour by covering up in the evening,the mosquitos meal time,if we do not want to be on the menu, long sleeved shirts and long trousers will help

The bars of P.Burgos Street..MAKATI

The quintessential Philippines girlie bar is a shopworn simulacrum of 1970 kitsch, with faux velvet seats, strings of fairy lights, spinning disco balls and a stage at one end where bored and listless dancers in bikinis go through their uninspiring routines to some of the most dreadful pop music ever inflicted on mankind.
The waitresses become more and more persistent as the evening wears on, asking time and time again, if you want another drink, whilst you still have half the remaining one not finished, be careful between your drunken mood and raging hormones its possible to spend a few hundred dollars.
The young woman employed here are called G.R.O.s- guest relation officers,they get no salary and depend on "ladies drinks", for their pay. These drinks, watery mango juice and iced tea are served in the smallest glass you will ever see, and cost around 300 peso (about £3.50).The girl gets 80 peso the bar takes the rest. In most bars, 10 "ladies drinks", give you the right to take the girl home...no-one uses the word prostitution, but it amounts to the same thing.
Most of the woman are uneducated and arrive from the far off provinces, with dreams of making it big in the big city, they come to pay for their education or that of their siblings, or to help their parents. In the darker parts of the bar other services get offered- for a charge of course!!
Most of these girls have a hard luck story to tell, and if you give them the chance, for obvious reasons they will tell you all about their problems, something the management frowns upon, as they want to create an atmosphere of carefree bacchanalia.
Most of the girls stay doing this work as they can earn more money than working in an office or as a secretary
Other places in P.Bugos street are the many money changers, if you visit here...try to stay a little sober.. its very easy to spend a lot of money, and always bring condoms.

MAKATI has a reputation as a yuppie ghetto frequented by office workers from nearby banks and corporate skyscrapers. Much of the nightlife is inside the malls which makes hanging out here a rather antiseptic experience. The best places, along Jupiter and Nicanor Garcia Streets, for instance, are enormously popular with the locals and expats. The Greenbelt mall has some very fashionable bars and restaurants on the upper floors.Try the:-
ICE VODKA BAR
Level 3,Greenbelt3,Makati Ave
Manila has a pathological obsession with glamour and beauty, come here on Wednesday nights, if you can prove your a famous nonentity, when models get unlimited vodkatinis and canapes for around 400 peso... you just have to prove your a model, how?.. in Manila as long as your tall have fair skin and can speak some of the gay patois..everyone will think you cant be anything else.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Only time understands "LOVE"


LOVE

Once upon a time, there was an island where all feelings lived Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others including Love.

One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all repaired their boats and left. Love was the only one who stayed.

Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment. When the island was almost sinking, Love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you." Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel.

"Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so Love asked for help, "Sadness, let me Go with you." "Oh...Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!" Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her!

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he even forgot to ask the elder her name. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way.

Love realizing how much he owed the elder asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped me?" "It was Time," Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"

Knowledge smiled with deep Wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Trangenic Mosquitos and Dengue fever.. part two

Genetic modification to produce RIDL

The RIDL trait was created using a transposon. Transposons are mobile genetic elements (‘jumping genes'). They are similar to viruses, but lack the ability to form viral coats. RIDL was created by the piggyBac transposon originally isolated from a culture of cells of the cabbage looper, and has been used extensively in insect genetic-engineering. The piggyBac vector is prevented from replicating independently of the chromosome bearing it (non-autonomous) by removing its transposase enzyme that enables it to multiply and move among the chromosomes of the cells that it infects (though this is by no means a safeguard, see below) .

The transgenic male mosquito to be released has incorporated a gene for a red fluorescent marker protein for easy identification, but the key gene that confers dominant lethal trait is tTAV , encoding a tetracycline repressible transcription activator protein, driven by the promoter tetO of a Drosophila heat shock protein gene. In the presence of tetracycline, tTAV binds tetracycline and the complex does not bind to tetO , so no further expression of tTAV takes place. In the absence of tetracycline, there is a positive feedback loop in which tTAV binds to tetO , driving more expression of tTAV. The over production of tTAV is toxic, and kills the insect. But it is uncertain why excessive tTAV is lethal. In summary, RIDL is a tetracycline-repressible lethal system. It has been suggested that the lethality of excessive transcription activator is due to transcriptional ‘squelching' or interference with ubiquitin-dependent breakdown of proteins. Mice modified with a gene for the tetracycline repressible transcription activator were not killed when the gene was activated by removing tetracycline.

Is this terminator insect safe?


The most glaring aspect of the proposed release is that the lethally acting transcription activator tTAV has a rather ill-defined action. The information presently available does not tell us what is killing the target animals. Even though a homologous tetracycline-repressed gene was not toxic to mice upon its activation, the killing toxin in the mosquito should certainly be identified before released to the environment is contemplated.

Another major hazard is horizontal gene transfer of the piggyBac insert. This issue has been thoroughly addressed in ISIS' submissions to the USDA with regard to the release of the pink bollworm in 2001. We provided evidence that the disabled vector carrying the transgene, even when stripped down to the bare minimum of the border repeats, was nevertheless able to replicate and spread, basically because the transposase function enabling the piggyBac inserts to move can be supplied by ‘helper' transposons. Such helper transposons are potentially present in all genomes, including that of the mosquito. The main reason for using transposons as vectors in insect control is precisely because they can spread the transgenes rapidly by ‘non-Mendelian' mean within a population, i.e., by replicating copies and jumping into genomes, including those of the mammalian hosts. Although each transposon has its own specific transposase enzyme that recognizes its terminal repeats, the enzyme can also interact with the terminal repeats of other transposons, and evidence suggest “extensive cross-talk among related but distinct transposon families” within a single eukaryotic genome.

It is disingenuous to claim that because only male mosquitoes are released that don't bite people or other mammals, the technique is “environmentally benign”. First of all, the transgenic mosquitoes, both males and females, have to be mass-produced in the laboratory. In order for transgenic females, also carrying the dominant lethal in double dose, to propagate the line, they have to take blood meals from laboratory animals such as mice or rabbits, not to mention the odd lab worker, which gives plenty of opportunity for horizontal gene transfer. Second, the transgenic males have to be sorted from the females, and this takes place at the pupae stage, when males are generally smaller than females, but this may not be 100 percent accurate. Third, the tetracycline-dependence of the transgenic lines is not absolute. In the absence of tetracycline, 3 to 4 percent of transgenic progeny actually survive to adulthood.

It is obvious that transgene escape can readily occur. As Ho commented: “ These artificial transposons are already aggressive genome invaders, and putting them into insects is to give them wings, as well as sharp mouthparts for efficient delivery to all plants and animals and their viruses.”

One cannot stress enough that horizontal gene transfer and recombination is the main highway to exotic disease agents.

The piggyBac inserts may also be mobilised by the transposase of piggyBac transposons already carried by Baculovirus (a common soil-borne insect virus) that infect insect cells, and this possibility has not been evaluated in the laboratory. Baculovirus not only carries piggyBac transposons, it has also been used in human gene therapy as it is capable of infecting human cells. It is indeed strange that the mobility and horizontal gene transfer of the piggyBac vector has not been thoroughly studied even though the activity of the vector is widely recognized.

The piggyBac transposon was discovered in cell cultures of the moth Trichopulsia , the cabbage looper, where it causes high mutation rates in the Baculovirus infecting the cells by jumping into its genes. The piggyBac itself is 2.5 kb long with 13 bp inverted terminal repeats. It has specificity for the base sequence TTAA (at which it inserts); the probability of this sequence occurring is (0.25) 4 or 0.4 percent in any stretch of DNA, where it can cause insertion mutations: disrupting and inactivating genes, or inappropriately activating genes. This transposon was later found to be active in a wide range of species, including the fruit fly Drosophila , the mosquito transmitting yellow fever A aegypti , the medfly Ceratitis capitata , and the original host, the cabbage looper. The piggyBac vector gave high frequencies of transpositions, much higher than other transposon vectors in use, such as the mariner and Hirmar. The piggyBac transposon is also active in human and mouse cells, and in the mouse germline; and a version with minimal terminal repeats exhibited greater transposition activity in human cells than another, well-characterised hyperactive Sleeping Beauty transposon system widely used for preclinical gene therapy studies.
Tomorrow ..A safer solution perhaps

Tropical storm lashes Northern Philippines

TROPICAL storm Halong battered the northern Philippines today with powerful winds triggering floods and landslides and displacing about 6000 people, relief officials said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the civil defence office in Manila said huge waves known as storm surges destroyed 23 houses and 12 fishing boats while displacing 845 people in the towns of Iba and nearby Botolan, about 145km northwest of the capital.

The northwestern coast of the main Philippine island of Luzon as well as the northern mountain resort of Baguio were without electricity while the coastguard barred small ferries from taking to sea, it said in a report.

More than 5000 other people were displaced by flooding and landslides in the central island of Panay when the storm brushed past the region last week, the relief agency said.

The storm struck the country's north-west coast yesterday at wind speeds of 95km/h before weakening slightly to 85km/h as it raked northeast across the Cordillera mountain range, the weather bureau said.

Floods cut off key roads in Panay, the neighbouring island of Mindoro and northern Luzon, while landslides damaged a house and shut down roads to Baguio and nearby areas in the Cordillera, it said in an update.

The storm uprooted trees and even a school building in Iba, where a Philippine Army battalion of about 500 soldiers mounted a search and rescue operation for families displaced by the storm surges, it said.

In the town of San Jose, in the central Luzon plain east of Iba, residents laid sandbags to protect their village from rising floodwaters, the agency said.

The eye of the storm was tracked 30km east of the northern city of Tuguegarao at 10am (12pm AEST), the weather bureau said.

It was expected to cross the Sierra Madre mountain range and blow out into the sea off Luzon's northeast coast early tomorrow, it added.

The bureau warned residents of low-lying areas and near mountain slopes across Luzon to “take all the necessary precautions against possible flashfloods and landslides,” saying the storm was enhancing the rain-laden seasonal winds of the southwest monsoons.

Luzon's west coast and the islands on the western half of the central Philippines could be hit by big waves, it added.

One person is reported as being killed in the floods, also flooding has occured in Ilio Ilio, in the central Visayas.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Transgenic mosquitoes.. good or bad

What is dengue?

Dengue fever is an illness caused by an RNA flavivirus spread by the bites of mosquitoes. The symptoms include fever, headache, rash, severe pains in the muscles and joints, and pain behind the eyes. Dengue fever is rarely fatal, while the related dengue haemorrhagic fever is a severe disease that leads to death in approximately 5 percent of cases. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is seen most often in children younger than 15 years old. It is also seen most often in individuals who were previously infected with simple dengue fever.

The dengue flavivirus occurs in four different serotypes, DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. Contracting one form of dengue fever provides lifelong immunity from that serotype, but not from the other serotypes. Cases of dengue fever occur primarily in urban areas in the tropics. Humans contract dengue fever from bites of infected female mosquitoes of the genus Aedes . Aedes aegypti is the primary vector in most regions. When a female Aedes mosquito bites a person infected with dengue, the virus incubates in the insect body for 8-11 days, after which the mosquito can spread the disease to other humans for the remainder of its life span (15-65 days). Once the virus enters a human, it circulates in the bloodstream for two to seven days, during which time the virus can spread. Aedes albopictusis was originally the primary vector of dengue fever, and remains a major vector in Asia. The species has recently spread to Central America and the US, where it is a secondary vector of the disease . Aedes aegypti is primarily urban, and Aedes albopictusis rural, thereby increasing the ecological range of habitats in which people can become infected. Humans are the primary reservoir for the virus.

In recent years, dengue has spread extensively in North and South America. In Mexico the number of dengue cases increased 600 percent between 2001 and 2007. In 2007 alone, there was a 40 percent increase in dengue cases. The disease has also spread to Hawaii and along the border in Texas. Even though the impact of climate change on the increased incidence and spread of dengue is less obvious than is the increase of malaria, it is reasonable to assume that global warming will greatly extend the range of the virus disease, though this assumption has been contested.

The blueprint for exterminating mosquitoes

Exterminating the mosquito vector is the preferred approach to controlling dengue according to those promoting genetic modification of mosquitoes. The Stanford Business School proposed that releasing genetically modified (transgenic) male mosquitoes could eliminate dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases within a year in communities of up to a million people. Stanford Business School is promoting the work of researchers at Stanford's Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, and Oxford University and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK. The technique employed is called “Released Insects with a Dominant Lethal” (RIDL), a variant of SIT. The dominant lethal male mosquitoes developed for RIDL are more sexually attractive to female mosquitoes than the dominant lethal males produced by X-irradiation , and they cause death of the progeny during the late larval stages, thereby allowing the transgenic larvae to compete with the normal insect larvae for food. The mathematical model analysing the control of mosquito-borne diseases by a RIDL predicts eradication of dengue disease in one year.

The mathematical model cannot be trusted to make reliable predictions, however, simply because the genetics and even more so, the ecology and host-parasite relationship of dengue disease are complex and poorly understood; in particular, there are silent as well as overt infections. More seriously, the optimistic mathematical model says nothing about the genetic modification involved in RIDL, and there lies the devil in the detail.


Millions of transgenic mosquitoes are to be released into the fishing village of Pulau Ketam off Selangor, Malaysia, as part of an international series of field trials to fight dengue fever. The Malaysian field trials will be undertaken by the Health Ministry's Institute of Medical Research (IMR) in collaboration with Oxitec Ltd., a spin-off biotech company from the University of Oxford in the UK. This follows the reported success of confined laboratory trials conducted under the supervision of the IMR over the past year.


The technique, which has won Oxitec the Technology Pioneers 2008 award at the World Economic Forum, involves releasing transgenic male Aedes mosquitoes carrying a ‘killer' gene to mate with wild female mosquitoes, which causes (nearly) all their progeny to die. This is a variant of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) that has been successfully used in wiping out other insect vectors in the past, though the sterile males were created by X-irradiation, and not by transgenesis.

The release of sterile males is considered “environmentally benign”, as only female mosquitoes bite and suck blood and transmit the disease-causing virus; not the male mosquitoes.

If the Pulau Ketam trials are successful, the transgenic killer mosquitoes will be released in bigger towns which have a high incidence of dengue. Dengue is reported to be the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the world, affecting 55 percent of the global population with an estimated 100 million cases in over 100 countries. Chikungunya, a disease similar to dengue fever and also spread by the Aedes mosquito, has become a major problem, at least in India, where there were 140 000 cases in 2007.

Oxitec has received regulatory and import permits for confined evaluation in the US, France and Malaysia, while still holding discussions with regulators of other endemic countries such as India.

Environmental groups fear that releasing the transgenic mosquitoes may affect the ecosystem and cause further damage. But there has been remarkably little informed reporting on the nature of the potential hazards involved.
Part two tomorrow

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

When i was small

My Fellow Filipinos,

When I was small, the Philippine peso was P2 to the $dollar. The president was Diosdado Macapagal. Life was simple. Life was easy. My father was a farmer. My mother kept a small sari-sari store where our neighbors bought sang-perang asin, sang-perang bagoong, sang-perang suka, sang-perang toyo at pahingingi isang butil na bawang.. Our backyard had kamatis, kalabasa, talong, ampalaya, upo, batao, and okra. Our silong had chicken. We had a pig, dog & cat. And of course, we lived on the farm.

During rainy season, my father caught frogs at night which my mother made into batute (stuffed frog), or just plain fried. During the day, he caught hito and dalag from his rice paddies, which he would usually inihaw. During dry season, we relied on the chickens, vegetables, bangus, tuyo, and tinapa. Every now and then, there was pork and beef from the town market. Life was so peaceful, so quiet, no electricity, no TV. Just the radio for Tia Dely, Roman Rapido, Tawag ng Tanghalan and Tang-tarang- tang. And who can forget Leila Benitez on Darigold Jamboree? On weekends, I played with my neighbours (who were all my cousins).. Tumbang-preso, taguan, piko, luksong lubid, patintero, at iba pa. I don't know about you, but I miss those days.

These days, we face the TV, Internet, e-mail, newspaper, magazine, grocery catalog, or drive around. The peso is a staggering and incredible P40 to the $dollar. Most people can't have fun anymore. Life has become a battle. We live to work. Work to live. Life is not easy. I was in Saudi Arabia in 1983. It was lonely, difficult, & scary. It didn't matter if you were a man or a woman. You were a target for rape. The salary was cheap & the vacation far between. If the boss didn't want you to go on holiday, you didn't. They had your passport. Oh, and the agency charged you almost 4 months of your salary (which, if you had to borrow on a "20% per month arrangement" meant your first year's pay was all gone before you even earned it).

The Philippines used to be one of the most important countries in Asia . Before & during my college days, many students from neighboring Asian countries like Malaysia , Indonesia , Japan and China went to the Philippines to get their diplomas. Like Thailand , they went to study agricultures in UP Los Banos and earned their bachelors in the Philippines and now we import rice from them.

It's opposite now. Philippines used to be the exporter of any agriculture products but now it's different. We import because not much land (farms) they can cultivate due to private sectors that focused on developing houses, buildings, supermarkets, mall and others. What happened now? What's the government doing? Checking their own pocket, their own personal interest and pork barrels. Wow!

Until 1972, like President Macapagal, President Marcos was one of the most admired presidents of the world. The Peso had kept its value of P7 to the $dollar until I finished college. Today, the Philippines is famous as the "housemaid" capital of the world... It ranks very high as the "cheapest labor" capital of the world, too.. We have maids in Hong Kong, laborers in Saudi Arabia , dancers in Japan , migrants and TNTs in Australia and the US , and all sorts of other "tricky" jobs in other parts of the globe.

Quo Vadis, Pinoy? Is that a wonder or a worry? Are you proud to be a Filipino, or does it even matter anymore? When you see the Filipino flag and hear the Pambansang Awit, do you feel a sense of pride or a sense of defeat & uncertainty? If only things could change for the better...... Hang on for this is a job for Superman. Or whom do you call? Ghostbusters . Joke. Right?

This is one of our problems.

We say "I love the Philippines ... I am proud to be a Filipino."

When I send you a joke, you send it to everyone in your address book even if it kills the Internet. But when I send you a note on how to save our country & ask you to forward it, what do you do?

You chuck it in the bin.

I want to help the maids in Hong Kong ... I want to help the laborers in Saudi Arabia ... I want to help the dancers in Japan ... I want to help the TNTs in America and Australia ...

I want to save the people of the Philippines ... But I cannot do it alone. I need your help and everyone else's.

So please forward this e-mail to your friends. If you say you love the Philippines , prove it. And if you don't agree with me, say something anyway. Indifference is a crime on its own.

"Juan de la Cruz"

Friday, May 9, 2008


Dove please stop using people that destroy our fragile earth, stop cutting down the rainforests for palm oil
Jakarta, Indonesia — Greenpeace today welcomed Unilever’s call for a moratorium on rainforest destruction in Indonesia, stressing that the company’s new position on the issue should push Indonesian authorities to take more aggressive action to reverse deforestation in the country starting with the institution of a moratorium on logging and forest conversion. In a speech delivered in London yesterday, Unilever CEO Patrick Cescau supported Greenpeace’s demand for a complete halt to the destruction of Indonesia’s rainforest and peatlands for palm oil. He also promised that all of Unilever’s palm oil would be sustainable by 2015. However, the environmental group warned that without a halt to deforestation, Unilever’s efforts to source sustainable palm oil would be doomed to fail.
This decision follows a new Greenpeace campaign exposing how Unilever’s suppliers are actively clearing Indonesia’s peatlands and rainforests, anddestroying orang-utan and wildlife habitats in the process. Destruction of Indonesia’s peatland rainforests contributes 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“Unilever's suppliers such as Sinar Mas, ADM-Kuok-Wilmar and IOI must heed this strong signal from probably the world's largest corporate consumer of palm oil and stop destroying rainforests, peatlands and the climate for palm oil expansion. The writing is on the wall - the pressure from the market will only increase as companies join this call for a moratorium on deforestation," said Arief Wicaksono, Political Advisor for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

Based on permits for conversion to plantations and other agricultural uses, Indonesia has destroyed over 28 million hectares of forest since 1990, plantations of either palm oil or pulp wood have been established on 9 million hectares.

Wicaksono continued: “Further destruction of forests for palm oil is clearly not needed based on these statistics. Greenpeace is not calling for an end to the palm oil sector but that it the stops destroying forests, peatlands and the climate for palm oil development. We call on the palm oil industry and the Government of Indonesia to immediately implement a moratorium on deforestation.”

Greenpeace also called upon other big corporate palm oil users and members of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (including Procter & Gamble, Kraft, and Nestle) to join forces with Unilever and insist that palm oil suppliers immediately agree to stop ongoing forest destruction.
TARSIER:- Dove soap is actually the only soap i use, i find once i used it nothing else was as good, personally i am really happy with Unilever to make these first moves as i can continue to use it and will as long as there is positive action to save our rainforests, we need the trees and they need us.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

JUNK..JPEPA...FOR THE SAKE OF OUR CHILDRENS, CHILDRENS .. CHILDREN

Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues:

The coming two weeks will be the last big push to Junk JPEPA--that unpatriotic agreement sealed in secrecy by our president with Japan. It is now with the Senate for ratification as a treaty. Open the attachment for details.

The JPEPA is one big sellout of our sovereignty and our land! It is even worse than the ZTE-NBN deals. As Filipinos we must stop its passage! We must urge our senators to JUNK JPEPA.

Every little effort helps.The large JUNK JPEPA Coalition of NGOs representing various sectors of our society has done and is still doing all it can to convince the Senate NOT to ratify it as a treaty. But the total senate's stand so far is still unknown, hence worrisome.

Now I call on your individual efforts to defeat this evil agreement. I ask you to write our senators. Just one or two lines will do. Say you cannot approve selling our land and endangering the very life of our present and future generation of Filipinos, so JUNK JPEPA!

Even better: Make up your own message. Pick up your pen, or email your letter. Simply cut the email address list of senators (see below) , and paste it to your Add Bcc box.

Ask all those in your email directory to write that crucial one or two lines, and forward the message to the senators (you may send letters to senators by batch)

With thanks, and cheers,
Esther M Pacheco



Joker P. Arroyo<office_sen_jokerarroyo@yahoo.com>,Senator Rodolfo G.Biazon<pongbiazon@yahoo.com>,Senator Alan Peter "CompaƱero" S.Cayetano<alancayetano@yahoo.com>,Senator Pia S. Cayetano<pia@senatorpiacayetano.com>,Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago<miriam@miriam.com.ph>,<senmds@yahoo.com>,
Senator Juan Ponce Enrile<senator_enrile@senate.gov.ph>,
Senator Francis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero<sen.escudero@gmail.com>,<reachus@chizescudero.com>, <mediagroup@chizescudero.com>,Senator Richard "Dick Gordon"<rjgordon@senate.gov.ph>,Senator Gregorio Ballesteros Honasan II<gringo_chq@yahoo.com>,
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson<ospml@yahoo.com>,
Senator Loren B. Legarda<loren_b_legarda@yahoo.com>,
Senator M.A. Madrigal<mam@senate.gov.ph>,
Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla,Jr<senbongrevilla@senate.gov.ph>,
Senator Mar A. Roxas<mar@marroxas.com>,
Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV<senatortrillanes@gmail.com>,
Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri<senzubiri@yahoo.com.ph>





--
For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, "Peace, peace,"
when there is no peace.

- Jeremiah 6:13-14

A QUESTION FROM HARVEY S. KEH

I am Change, Are You?
By: Harvey S. Keh
Last March, I was very fortunate enough to be invited to be the Commencement Speaker of Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) in Zamboanga City, one of the biggest state universities in the Philippines. During my brief stay at WMSU, I was able to have a session with 30 of their student leaders who are leading their student council and other student organizations in their school. During this session, I started with a question, I asked them, Who among you here still believes and supports President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo? Around 10 of them raised their hands. Then, I asked again, Who among you here wants the President to resign and step down? Around 14 of them raised their hands. I pressed on and asked again, Who among you here is still undecided? 6 of them raised their hands. Finally, I asked again, Who among you here wants Change and Reforms in our Country and Government?
All of them raised their hands.
When I got back to Manila, I did the same activity with about 25 student leaders from Miriam College in Quezon City, one of the top schools here in Metro Manila. I got the same response from them, 7 were supporting President Arroyo, 12 wanted her to resign/step-down while 6 were undecided. When I asked them who wants change and reform in our Country and Government, all of them raised their hands as well.
What am I trying to say through these two stories and experiences with these Filipino Youth Leaders in our country?
a.) Yes, our country is divided right now in how we view President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. You have on one side, a group supporting President Arroyo despite all the anomalies, allegations of corruption and scandals that has rocked her administration. On the other side, you have groups and highly-influential leaders which have called for her immediate resignation and ouster from power. This then leaves us with a political stalemate since President Arroyo is not weak enough to fall while the Groups calling for her ouster and resignation are not strong enough to push her out.
b.) However, it seems that judging from my experiences in dealing with these student leaders, the people I talk to and the emails I get from Filipinos from here and abroad everyone wants to see Change and Reform in our Government. We are all united in wanting to see positive and lasting change and reforms in our Government.
That is why I think that if we want to be able to help in bringing our nation together towards a common vision which helps move our country forward then this unity should not be based on certain personalities like President Arroyo or our other Government Leaders. Rather, we need to join and work together towards working for concrete and lasting reforms in our Government Institutions that would eventually make it more responsive to the needs of the poor and powerless in our communities.We need to work together towards building, strengthening and transforming our democratic institutions. For example, Isn't it sad that we now have to face a growing Food Crisis when we were once one of the world's top Agricultural countries? This is an indirect effect of the 1 Billion Fertilizer Scam that was allegedly used to fund the election expenses of President Arroyo and her allies. If this 1 Billion Peso Fertilizer Fund together with other government funds was used properly and for the right purpose then we might not have to face this crisis now or if we do, the effect wouldn't be as big as we are facing now.
As such, I'd like to invite every Filipino based here and abroad to join us at Team RP as we try to develop a proactive and dynamic movement that is built and organized primarily by ordinary Filipinos like you and me whose only vested interests is to be able to contribute his time, skills, talents and resources towards pushing for Truth, Accountability and Reform in our Government. How? Allow me to share with you some of our concrete action plans:
For Truth: We hope to push for the passing of a Philippine Access to Information Law (PAIL) that would give every Filipino an opportunity to access government documents especially documents that would show how our hard-earned money is being spent by our government officials. Through this law, greater transparency can be achieved thus and more importantly, we are able to make our government leaders live by the saying that Public Office is a Public Trust.
For Accountability: We plan to file proper charges on Government Officials and Private Citizens who have taken part in Graft and Corruption practices and activities that have bankrupted our government coffers. If we do not do anything to hold these people accountable for their actions and curb corruption, then the cycle will just continue with new faces and sadly, with new techniques. Corruption has to stop because the 30 Billion Pesos that is lost to it every year can amount to provision of basic services that will ultimately uplift the lives of more than 20 Million Filipinos who continue to wallow in poverty.
For Reform: We plan to work and lobby for the extension and improvement of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law which expires this year. We believe that every Filipino should be provided with equal opportunities to be able to own his or her own land. In addition to this, we plan to pursue electoral reforms as early as now by developing projects and activities that will encourage and motivate First-time voters to register so they can exercise their right to choose our next President in 2010.
These are just among our concrete plans towards institutionalizing and working for genuine Change and Reform in our country. Since we are not a personality-based movement, Team RP will continue to push for these ideals and programs regardless of who becomes President, Vice-President, Senators, Congressmen, etc. We are doing this because we believe that many of our Government Leaders have Failed us and that its time for all of us to take control of our own future and work together for that genuine and lasting Change that we all want to see in our country. Let us all stop the all our excuses, iinaction, hopelessness, despair, indifference and complaining, these will all amount to nothing if we ourselves don't move ourselves to do anything for our country.
Change is now. Change starts with each one of us. Hope lies not in our country's leaders and those in power but it rests in every Filipino.
I am Change, are you? If Yes, then join us at Team RP by emailing us your complete name and contact information to team.rp.official@gmail.com . Help us as well by forwarding this email to your friends and posting it in your blogs so that many more Filipinos can join in our cause to take control of our own future.
We would also like to invite all of you to our upcoming Team RP General Assembly on April 26,2008 (Saturday), 1pm to 430pm at the Foyer of Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. Please send us an email with your contact information at team.rp.official@gmail.com if you are joining us for this event.
Harvey S. Keh, 29, is the Chairperson of Team RP, a youth-led organization that is pushing for Truth, Accountability and Reform in our Government. He is also the Project Director of the Asia Society's Philippines 21 Young Leaders Program which annually selects 10 outstanding Filipino Young Leaders which will represent the Philippines to the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit which gathers more than 200 Young Leaders from different countries in the Asia-Pacific Region. Aside from these, Harvey continues to help make our country a better place for every Filipino through his involvements with the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government and AHON Foundation. You can read his writings at his blog: http://www.filipinochangemaker.blogspot.com

Saturday, May 3, 2008

The Calamian Islands



The Calamian Islands

the Calamian Islands
Situated off the northern edge of mainland Palawan are the Calamian Islands, numbering a few hundred, this is a great area for island hopping, kayaking, diving and trekking the largest Island being Busuanga. The mysterious island of Coron lies just to the southeast with its magnificent limestone cliffs, Coron is undeveloped. It is when you get close to them in a banca that they reveal dozens of perfect little coves, hidden in the folds of the mountains. Tribes still live in the interior, and if you decide to take the steep but short climb to the islands volcanic Cayangan lake you will not only be meet with a beautiful place to swim, but also a great dive spot. You really could spend your whole life here and still not see every hot spring,hidden lake or special little cove.
South of Busuanga is a facinating large island called Culion this was the home of a former leper colony, the facinating part is the wonderful museum that is open to visitors
In August 1976 former President Ferdinand Marcos sat under a tree (you can sit under that self same tree, as it is still there) to sign Executive Order 1578, creating the wild life sanctuary that brought hundreds of African animals and dozens of rare Philippine species to the island of Calauit, this is situated north of Busuanga.

...Japanese shipwrecks in the Coron area are what most divers come for. There are over 20 wrecks but only 11 are divable or have been found, all sunk by U.S. aircraft on September 24, 1944. The IRAKO, still almost intact and home to turtles, groupers, moray eels and lion fish, with spines that can deliver a hefty dose of poison. The AKITSUSHIMA, which lies on her side at 34mts deep, you require a wreck diving certificate before going inside due to the sharp edges and pipes, you will see huge sholes of barracuda and giant batfish. The KOGYO MARU, a freighter, carring a concrete mixer and small bulldozer, 34mts deep. The MORAZAN MARU, another freighter but not so deep 28mts, giant batfish, puffer fish the size of footballs, and banana fish are a few you can expect too see, an easier dive suitable for beginners, easy to get into the holds. These are just a few of the dives that make this area the best wreck diving area in the Philippines, and one of the best in the world

Most visitors arrive at the small airport on Busuanga, or by ferry at Caron Town, which is the main settlement on the island. There are a few budget accommodations scattered around the town, and the more expensive in the resorts on the islands The waters around the Calamians are a feeding ground for the Dugong and trips can be arranged to go to try to see this mermaid of the sea, this very gentle creature that is seriously endangered
CORON TOWN Busuangas main town is a little fishing community, situated on the south west coast, there is no beach, but the close proximity to the Japanese wrecks in the nearby bays has inspired many scuba divers to make the journey here. If you wish a beach there are so many, on all the islands, just hire a banca and head of to the island of your choice
Seaair and Asian Spirit both have regular flights to Busuanga. There is a little grass airstrip with a small terminal building and few sari-sari stores around half an hour north of Caron (about 100 peso )by jeepney called YKR Airport
WG&A and Sulpicio ferries arrive at the pier east of Caron. WG&A ticket office TEL:- 0919/540 1695
Carons town centre is around the Bayside Divers Lodge pier, where you can charter bancas. Opposite is Sea Canoe, an eco minded firm that offers kayaking and camping trips around the islands. If you have come here for the diving, ABC divers is on the ground floor of Bayside, there are around five other dive establishments, mostly to the west of the market, there is Swagman Travel next door to the Western Union office and adjacent to Pascuel Video, which has internet access.There is only one bank in town, be warned it does not change money or travellers cheques and has no ATM

This article will be continued soon, when we will give information on Calauit, the endangered mermaids(Dugong), Culion and the Cuyo Islands, which are in the middle of nowhere and have no resorts, this is a new frontier for tourists, and has no tourist infrastructure.. what a wonderful place to go then..see you there

New route for Air Philippines Cebu-Ozamis

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental -- Almost a year after starting flight between Ozamis and Manila, Air Philippines will start soon servicing the Ozamiz-Cebu route as well.

Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. said Air Philippines executives have targeted the Cebu flights to commence this June.

"As planned, an Air Philippines aircraft will leave Cebu for a 45-minute flight here around 5:30 a.m. with return flight at 6:30 a.m.," Parojinog said, adding the flights were expected to be daily.

Napoleon Bael, Air Transportation Office chief here, confirmed that the Air Philippines' Cebu flights "are in the offing."

Parojinog said the opening up of the new route was an indication of the increased economic activity here and would greatly help travelers and businessmen alike.

Currently, Cebu-bound passengers and cargoes are served by daily overnight boat trips only.