People : Senator Teofisto Guingona III- The Virtual Hero of Filipino Netizens

Senator TG Guingona-Virtual Hero of Filipino Netizens
http://tgguingona.ph/tg/profile/

The public backlash against  the unconstitutionality  of some of the provisions of the recently passed Cybercrime Law is growing. Spearheading this public outcry on the flaws of the Cybercrime Law are the Filipino internet users or Netizens, which is the the group or sector directly affected by the law. Let me give you some data about this group.

According to Wikipedia [1], the Philippines is ranked 18th ( out of 193 ) in the list of countries by number of Internet users in 2011, roughly 29% of its current population ( 29,531,842 ).  And a recent survey[2] ranks the Philippines as the top user of the social media : Facebook. What do these data mean? They mean that there are 29 million internet users or Netizens in the country that would be affected by this new law.

Yesterday, Senator Teofisto Guingona III filed a petition in the Supreme Court to amend the unconstitutional provisions of the Cybercrime Law. His petition is the fourth petition that was filed in the Supreme Court. But he is the first to do so from the Senate to support the public outcry for amendments to this new law governing internet use in the  country. Wittingly or unwittingly, his move gave a "face" to this public outcry to the Cybercrime Law. He virtually became the icon of this movement and the "Virtual Hero" of the Filipino Netizens.

Whether his petition succeeds or not, his action has surely endeared him to the Filipino Netizens. And surely, these Filipino Netizens will be always be grateful to him and for his unselfish support in their cause.

Two thumbs up for Senator TG Guingona!

[3]Note : Senator TG Guingona voted against the passage of the Cybercrime Law in the Senate.

Source :
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users
[2] http://247wallst.com/2011/05/09/the-ten-nations-where-facebook-rules-the-internet/
[3] http://www.interaksyon.com/article/44266/editorial--oh-please-take-time-to-explain-sen--escudero
http://tgguingona.ph/tg/profile/

Related Link :
http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2012/09/trivia-philippines-social-networking.html
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/44173/fb-likes-shares-could-be-grounds-for-libel-says-sen--guingona
http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2012/10/issues-tg-guingona-iii-talks-about.html

Trivia : The Oldest High-rise Buildings in the World

Ancient skyscrapers of Shibam

Throughout history, there had been recorded construction of high-rise structures e.g. the biblical Tower of Babel, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Pyramids of Giza and the more recent Tower of Pisa (the last two mentioned are still in existence). But these structures were either a tower or a monument, an observatory or a lighthouse. How about high-rise residential buildings?

Are high rise buildings and skyscrapers development or innovation that started only during the twentieth century? Definitely not. Here's the proof :

Below are pictures of the still existing high-rise (skyscrapers?) building of Shibam in Yemen. These high-rise buildings are made of mud and rise as high as 100 feet (30 meters). The city of  Shibam is said  to be in existence for 1,700 years  and its high-rise buildings were built in the 16th century.

The Walled of City of  Shibam  is a UN World heritage site.

The Walled City of Shibam

Over 500 years old high-rise mud buildings of Shibam

Mud buildings of Shibam

Source :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibam

http://www.yemag.com/discover-yemen/the-world’s-first-skyscrapers.html

History : 40 years ago...the First Day of Martial Law

This post is dedicated to all the victims of Martial Law,

                                               who never lived to tell their stories.

Many Filipinos had lived their growing-up years during the 20-year period of Martial Law. But some were not old enough to remember  any experience during the first day or week of Martial Law. I vividly remember one experience. 

I'm not sure if it was on the day Martial Law was declared or the days that followed, when this incident happened. But I vividly remember it was way past midnight when soldiers came knocking to our house and woke up our  household. They  went to every room in the house rousing people up. They roused me up and didn't care that I was just a kid. I wasn't spared from their routine check. I didn't know why they were there or what they were looking for then, I was too young to care or know. They didn't take anybody or anything from us. But those soldiers left something in our house and  the neighborhood. . . Fear.

Most of us lived through Martial Law with the curfews, checkpoints and all, but our experiences don't compare to the experiences of the "victims" of Martial Law. We know what happened to them. Some lived to tell their stories, some died and some just disappeared never to be found. 

Today is the anniversary of Martial Law, it is a day that is better forgotten, but we can not. We will always remember, and should always remember, because those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. We hope and pray it will not be repeated again. Never again!

Note : Martial Law (Proclamation 1081) was signed by then  President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972  but the actual announcement and declaration of the imposition of Martial Law was done on September 23. The "ambush" of then Secretary of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile on September 22, was said to have precipitated the declaration the following day.

Picture Source :
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/172811/news/specialreports/martial-law-activists-now-ready-to-tell-own-stories
Related Link :
http://opinion.inquirer.net/37144/92272
http://opinion.inquirer.net/37148/martial-law-through-the-eyes-of-ferdinand-marcos

People : Cris "Kesz" Valdez,13 - 2012 International Children's Peace Prize Winner

Cris "Kesz" Valdez,13 

2012 International Children's Peace Prize Winner

This year's winner of the International Children's Peace Prize is a 13 year-old Filipino from Cavite : Cris "Kesz" Valdez. He was chosen from among three final nominees from Ghana, India and the Philippines, who were selected from 97 entries from around the world. Nobel Peace Prize Awardee Bishop Desmond Tutu gave him the award in The Hague, Netherlands last September 19. He also received $130,000 as part of the prize. 

Another Pinoy to be proud of, and a kid at that.

About International Children's Peace Prize 

The International Children’s Peace Prize is presented annually to an exceptional child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable acts and thoughts have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world. The prize is an initiative of the Dutch organisation KidsRights and was launched during 2005 Nobel Peace Laureates’ Summit by Mikhail Gorbachev. 

Each year the International Children’s Peace Prize Laureate is selected from nominations from all over the world. An Expert Committee assesses the candidates and then selects the winner. The prize money of €100,000 that is attached to the Children´s Peace Prize, is spent by KidsRights on projects that are closely connected to the winners’ area of work.

Source : http://childrenspeaceprize.org/background/

About Kesz - Nominee Profile

Kesz is a boy from the Philippines who was abused by his family and forced to beg and scavenge at the dumpsite  as a two-year-old. Three years later, he even sustained burns on his arm and back, which prompted him to run away. Kesz was cared for by a social worker. On his seventh birthday Kesz didn’t wish any presents for himself; he wanted to help other street kids instead. That year, Kesz set up the organisation “Championing Community Children”. His aim is to give children hope and show them that they can take their future into their own hands. Kesz gives them “HOPE GIFTS”: packages with slippers, clothing, soap, toothbrushes and toys. He also regularly holds speeches at events, thus inspiring other street children and acting as their representative. Since the launch of the organisation “Championing Community Children” in 2005 Kesz and his team have already distributed 5,000 “HOPE GIFTS” and helped over 10,000 children through the programmes set up by Kesz.

Source : http://childrenspeaceprize.org/nominees-2012/

Kesz with Nobel Peace Prize Awardee Bishop Desmond Tutu

Related Link and Source :

http://childrenspeaceprize.org/
Picture Source :
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/
http://www.tribunahoje.com/