Dear Fellow Filipino,

Good day to all of you! Before I begin my letter… just a disclaimer, for people who know me they know that I love the Philippines very much and I am not really one who rants and complaints to high heavens about what is happening to our country and does nothing about it, in fact, I feel that at my relatively young age of 27, I have done much service to the Philippines by setting up Pathways to Higher (more…)

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — After losing out five times, director Martin Scorsese was awarded his first Oscar on Sunday for “The Departed.”

“The Departed” also was named best picture.

Scorsese was up against Clint Eastwood, who beat him two years ago and went up against him again this year having directed two critical favorites (though he’s nominated for only one, “Letters From Iwo Jima”). (more…)

Part 2 after the jump.
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A US watchdog group has called on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to put a stop to what it says is worker abuse at a factory in the Philippines that makes apparel for the retailer.

The Worker Rights Consortium said the Chong Won factory, which primarily makes clothing for Wal-Mart supplier One Step Up, has engaged in labor rights violations including forced overtime and minimum wage violations. The WRC has 167 US college and university affiliates. (more…)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Reports by a U.N. human-rights expert and a fact-finding commission appointed by the Philippine president linking soldiers to the killings of left-wing activists were one-sided and unfair, government and military officials said. (more…)

By Jove Francisco – A rain of confetti is a staple in campaign rallies.

But the amount of confetti poured during the climax of the proclamation rally in San Fernando, Pampanga Tuesday afternoon was twenty times more than the usual.

There was almost zero visibility on stage.
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“…Maximum ng salary ng asawa ko, hawak ko po. Kinaklaro ko lang ‘yan kasi, with all the problems we had in the past month, hindi ko na-realized na nasangkot na pala ang asawa ko sa ganoong bagay. Kasi, shielded ako, eh. Kasi, hindi naman ako ang na-a-accuse, eh, di ba? Ang masakit lang, parang lumalabas na kailangan ko bumili ng pag-ibig. Pero masakit para sa isang lalaki na sabihin na wala siyang ginawa kundi umasa sa akin, lalo na at maganda naman ang kabuhayan ng asawa ko at pinaghirapan niya kung ano man mayroon siya ngayon. (more…)