HAGUPIT NI ONDOY

http://news.asiaone.com

 

http://www.gmanews.tv

 

http://www.pep.ph

http://www.timesonline.co.uk

http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images

DIOSDADO BANATAO - COMPUTER GURU

Diosdado Banatao, a native of Iguig, Cagayan and an electrical engineering graduate from Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila is credited for eight major contributions to the Information Technology. Banatao is most known for introducing the first single-chip graphical user interface accelerator that made computers work a lot faster and for helping develop the Ethernet controller chip that made Internet possible. In 1989, he pioneered the local bus concept for personal computers and in the following year developed the First Windows accelerator chip. Intel is now using the chips and technologies developed by Banatao. He now runs his own semiconductor company, Mostron and Chips & Technology, which is based in California's Silicon Valley. (Source: Filipinas Magazine)

FILIPINO INVENTORS SOCIETY - LAMP FIXING INVENTION

A Filipino inventor has developed a technology, which could revive a busted lamp (pundido) and give it more years of functional life than those of new ones. Acclaimed by the Filipino Inventors Society as timely and revolutionary, the Nutec system can prolong the life of fluorescent lamps up to seven years. Nutec was developed by New World Technology, headed by president Eric Ngo and chosen as the "Product of the Year" at the Worldbex 2000 Building and Construction Exposition held at the Manila Hotel. Engineer Benjamin S. Santos, national president of the Inventors Society, called Nutec a timely invention.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY - NATURAL GAS VEHICLE

The Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a vehicle that runs on natural gas, whose rich deposits remain untapped under the Philippine seabed. The project's main objective is to look into the potential of natural gas as an alternative fuel to conventional petrol and diesel for the transport sector. The natural gas vehicle (NVG) has been road-tested in Isabela where an existing natural gas supply from the PNOC Gas Plant is located. Test runs have also been made in Cagayan, Ifugao and Mountain Province. The test vehicle used was the Isuzu Hi-Lander 4JA-1, direct injected diesel engine. The use of natural gas as a fuel is cheaper. On a gallon-equivalent basis, natural gas costs an average of 15 to 40 percent less than gasoline and diesel. There are over one million NVGs in the world today, according to the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles.

RUDY LANTANO - INVENTOR OF FUEL PRODUCTS

In 1996, Rudy Lantano Sr., a scientist from the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST), won the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) gold medal for developing Super Bunker Formula-L, a revolutionary fuel half-composed of water. The mix burns faster and emits pollutants, 95 percent less than those released to the air by traditional fuel products. The inventor said his invention is a result of blending new ingredients and additives with ordinary oil products through agitation and mixing, which is a very safe process. The initial plan was to commercially produce two million liters of Alco-Diesel, two million liters of Lan-Gas and an unlimited quantity of Super Bunker Formula-L each day for customers in Luzon.

EDGARDO VASQUEZ - MODULAR HOUSING INVENTOR

Edgardo Vazquez won a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) gold medal in 1995 for developing a modular housing system. Such a system called Vazbuilt is reportedly capable of building within weeks a house with prefabricated materials that can withstand typhoons and earthquakes. Ironically, Vasquez is not getting enough support from the Philippine government to propagate his technology, which could help provide shelter to some five million Filipino families without their own homes. Vazquez is the national president of the Filipino Inventors Society.

ABELARDO AGUILAR - INVENTOR OF ERYTHROMYCIN

A Filipino scientist reportedly discovered erythromycin in 1949. He was Dr. Abelardo Aguilar who died in 1993 without being recognized and rewarded for his discovery. Reports said Aguilar discovered the antibiotic from the Aspergillus species of fungi in 1949 and sent samples to Indiana-based pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly Co. The drug firm allegedly registered the propriety name Iloson for the antibiotic in honor of Iloilo province where Aguilar discovered it. In 1952, Eli Lilly Co. began the commercial distribution of Iloson, which was sold as an alternative to penicillin. Erythromycin, the generic name of Iloson, was reportedly the first successful macrolide antibiotic introduced in the US.

GREGORIO ZARA - VIDEOPHONE INVENTOR

Gregorio Zara of Lipa City and a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invented the videophone and developed the Zara Effect or Electrical Kinetic Resistance.

AGAPITO FLORES - FLOURESCENT LAMP INVENTOR

Many Filipinos acknowledge Agapito Flores as the inventor of the fluorescent lamp, which is the most widely used source of lighting in the world today. The fluorescent lamp reportedly got its name from Flores. Written articles about Flores said he was born in Bantayan Island in Cebu. The fluorescent lamp, however, was not invented in a particular year. It was the product of 79 years of the development of the lighting method that began with the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison.

Among the other inventors who claimed credit for developing the fluorescent lamp were French physicist A. E. Becquerel (1867), Nikola Tesla, Albert Hall (1927), Mark Winsor and Edmund Germer. French inventor Andre Claude was recognized for developing the fluorescent tubular lighting systems. Yet, he was not officially recognized as the inventor of fluorescent lamp. It was reported that the General Electric and Westinghouse obtained Claude's patent rights and developed the fluorescent lamp that we know today.

According to Filipino scientists, fluorescent lamp was not named after Flores. The term fluorescence first cropped up as early as 1852 when English mathematician-physicist George Gabriel Stokes discovered a luminous material called "fluorspar", which he coined with "escence". The National Academy of Science and Technology also dismissed Flores being the inventor of fluorescent lamp as a myth. "No scientific report, no valid statement, no rigorous documents can be used to credit Flores for the discovery of the fluorescent lamp. We have tried to correct this misconception, but the media (for one) and our textbooks (for another) keep using the Flores example," a Filipino scientist wrote in her column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The fluorescent lamps were introduced into the U.S. market in 1938. Still, Filipinos recognize Agapito Flores as the inventor of the product that illuminated the world.

ANGEL ALCALA - A FILIPINO BIOLOGIST

Angel Alcal has more than thirty years of experience in tropical marine resource conservationa. Angel Alcala is considered a world class authority in ecology and biogeography of amphibians and reptiles, and is behind the invention of artifical coral reefs to be used for fisheries in Southeast Asia. Angel Alcala is the Director of the Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management.


Angel Alcala - Degrees:

Undergraduate degree Silliman University

Ph.D. Stanford University

Angel Alcala - Awards:

1994 - The Field Museum Founders' Council Award of Merit for contributions to environmental biology

Magsaysay Award for Public Service

Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation

Work with Philippine Amphibians & Reptiles:

Angel Alcala has done the most comprehensive studies on Philippine amphibians and reptiles, and minor studies on birds and mammals. His research done between 1954 to 1999 lead to the addition of fifty new species of amphibians and reptiles.

Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Angel_Alcala.htm

ARTURO ALCARAZ - VOLCANOLOGIST

Doctor Arturo Alcaraz is a volcanologist specializing in geothermal energy development. In 1967, Arturo Alcaraz and team powered an electric light bulb using steam-powered electricity. Power coming from a Volcano near the town of Tiwi. This was the first geothermal power generated in the Philippines.


Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Arturo_Alcaraz.htm

ESCUDERO TOPPED AMONG THE PRESIDENTIABLES IN A MOCK ELECTION

Senator Francis Escudero topped among the presidentiables on a survey conducted from September 8-15 in UP Diliman by UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity. There were 3,156 UP Diliman students who participated the mock elections, and according to Marc Aguimatang, logistics chief of the Boto ng Iskolar ng Bayan project, it relected the sentiment of about 19% of some 16,000 UP Diliman students. 8.5 percent or 267 students abstain in their ballots.


Here's the percentage of votes got by the presidential aspirants listed in the mock ballots.


Sen. Francis Escudero = 21% ---------- Elementary, High School, BA Political Science, Bachelor of Laws
Sen. Manny Villar = 11.6%------------- BS Business Administration and Accountancy, MBA
Sen. Noynoy Aquino = 8.6%----------- Non-UP graduate
Sen. Jamby Madrigal = 8.2%----------- Non-UP graduate
Sen. Mar Roxas = 8.0%---------------- Non-UP graduate
Sen. Loren Legarda = 7.9%------------ BA Broadcast Communications
Sec. Bayani Fernando = 7.2%---------- Non-UP graduate
Mayor Jejomar Binay = 5.1%---------- AB Political Science, Bachelor of Laws
Sen. Richard Gordon = 4.8%---------- Bachelor of Laws
Vice-President Noli de Castro = 3.4%- Non-UP graduate
Gov. Ed Panlilio = 1.7%--------------- Non-UP graduate
Sec. Gilberto Teodoro = 1.6%--------- Bachelor of Laws
Former President Joseph Estrada = 1.1%-Non-UP graduate
Bro. Eddie Villanueva  = 0.7%--------- Non-UP graduate
Sen. Panfilo Lacson =  0.09%---------- Non-UP graduate
Sen. Antonio Trillanes III =  0.03%---- Master in Public Administration


Escudero won in all the colleges surveyed except in the College of Business Administration, where Villar is an alumnus and won overwhelmingly.


* Picture taken from http://www.presidentofthephilippines.com/

BENJAMIN ALMEDA - FOOD-PROCESSING MACHINE DESIGNER

Benjamin Almeda - Significance:


Benjamin Almeda designed several food-processing machines.

Almeda Cottage Industry:

In 1954, Benjamin Almeda founded the Almeda Cottage Industry (now the Almedah Food Machineries Corporation) which manufactured his basic food processing inventions including his rice grinder, meat grinder and coconut grater.

REference: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/benjamin_almeda.htm

JULIAN BANZON - FILIPINO CHEMIST

Filipino chemist, Julian Banzon researched methods of producing alternative fuels. Julian Banzon experimented with the production of ethyl esters fuels from sugarcane and coconut, and invented a means of extracting residual coconut oil by a chemical process rather than a physical process.


Julian Banzon - Degrees:

BS in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines - 1930

Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Iowa State University - 1940

Julian Banzon - Awards:

1980: Distinguished Service Award - Integrated Chemist of the Philippines, Inc.

1978: Chemist of the Year Award - Professional Regulation Commission

1976: Philsugin Award - Crop Society of the Philippines
 
Reference: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Julian_Banzon.htm

THE OTHER SIDE OF GMA

 

I remember one time when my professor in Vernacular Language way back in college shared to us his thoughts about what the name Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stands for. I could not exactly remember everything, and for the purpose of clarity, I did a little research.


GLORIA = a Latin term which means glorious or glory (www.wiki.answers.com, www.dictionary.net)


MACAPAGAL =  from Tagalog prefix maka (maca) which means pro or for, and pagal which means tired, hardships, or suffering (This is according to my professor in UP. Owss...)


ARROYO = The dry bed of a small stream [or river] (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913)


If we are to define the name of GMA, according to my professor, it shows that the name Gloria Macapagal Arroyo simply means A SMALL, DRY RIVER OF GLORIOUS SUFFERING. 

In fairness to Madame President, she has done a lot of things for the improvement of our country, and I think she deserves what is due to her.

The Booming Population of the Philippines

Photo Source

Photo Source

1591---------0.7M

1799---------1.5M

1887---------6.0M

1898---------5.3M

1903---------7.6M

1939-------16.0M

1941-------17.0M

1960-------27.1M

1970-------36.7M

1975-------42.1M

1980-------48.1M

1990-------60.7M

1995-------68.6M

2000-------76.5M (latest official cencus)

2005-------85.3M (est.)

2007-------88.6M (est.)

2009-------92.2M (est.)
2040-----141.7M (NSO projection)

*All figures (except 2005 figure and the 2040 projection) are taken from http://www.wikipedia.org/.
** All figures are rounded to millionth for better understanding in the analysis.

From 666,712 people living in the Philippines in 1591 to 92,226,600 this year, the population increased by about 72% in 418 years. The population would continue to grow (unless the Philippine government would declare war against China or Japan, or many would die because of A(H1N1) virus, or our government would prohibit sex among Filipinos), and according to the projection made by the National Statistics Office, it would increase from 76.5 million in 2000 to 141.7 million in 2040. About 65.2 million people would be added to ever booming Philippine population between 2000 and 2040. There are 192 countries in the world (countries recognized by the United Nations), and our country ranks 12th among the most populous countries. All I can say is a BIG WOW! Our country has 300,000 square kilometers land area, so if we measure the population density, in 2040 there would be 472 people who will share each square kilometer! This is really a pain in the ass not only to our government but primarily to the ordinary Juan. How I wish our land area would also increase in size by 2040!

With big population comes with huge and unimaginable problems. A prime example here is the scarcity of food supply which leads to hunger. What percentage of Filipinos say they are poor? According to the self-rated survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on the 1st quarter of 2009, about 47% of Filipino families consider themselves poor. Let's say the average size of the Filipino family is 4, then this equates to 43.32 million Juans who consider themselves poor. Follow the computation below for your reference on how I got this figure.
92.2 million population (2009)/4 persons per family = 23.05 million Filipino families in 2009
23.05 million families x 47% families who consider themselves poor = 10.83 million Filipino families who are poor = 10.83 milllion poor Filipino families x 4 persons per family = 43.32 million Filipinos out of 92.2 million population in 2009 who rated themselves as poor.


What are we doing then, especially the government to address this issue? This is quite alarming, isn't it? I just hope that the government would prioritize development especially in the far-flung areas. Basic services such as education and health should be delivered in all communities. Tama na po ang corruption. Pagod na si Juan sa kaliwa't kanan na iskandalo sa gobyerno.

MACHINE CELLPHONE CHARGER SA MINISTOP

Ministop store

Heto na naman ako. Nakaupo sa isang sulok sa loob ng Ministop. Nag-iisip kung ano ang maisusulat habang nag-aantay na matapos ang 10 minutong pagcha-charge ng cellphone ko sa cellphone charger sa loob ng Ministop. Ang galing nga eh. Malobat man ang baterya ng cellphone mo, may Ministop na palaging nandyan at handang tulungan ka sa oras ng iyong pangangailangan. Parang narinig ko na ata ang linyang to sa isang commercial. I just can't remember it kung ano. Cebuana Lhullhier ata. 5 pesos per 10 minutes. Nakalimutan kong magcharge sa bahay bago ako pumasok sa trabaho. Matutulog na naman ako sa sleeping quarters.May pre-shift OT kasi ako mamyang gabi. Alas 8:30 ng gabi hanggang alas 10:30 ng umaga kinabukasan ang shift ko ngayon. 14 na oras sa trabaho. Astig di ba? Hindi pa kasi bayad yong hinuhulugan kong kabaong. Hindi, joke lang. (Kalaw, pahirayo, hehe). Naging topic na kasi ang kabaong na to every time na may nag-o-OT sa amin.

Tapos na ang sampung minuto. Wala pa ring direksyon ang pinagsusulat ko dito. Nagdagdag ulit ako ng 5 piso. Tumaginting ang barya sa machine charger. 10 minuto ulit akong mag-aantay. Nakakabagot naman kung wala akong gagawin habang nag-aantay na ma-full charged ang baterya ng cellphone ko. Iniisip ko magsulat tungkol sa pulitika o relihiyon. Pero mukhang seryoso ang magiging tema nito kaya hindi ko na lang itinuloy. Ano kaya kung buhay na lang ng ibang tao o di kaya sarili kong buhay? Blangko. Ayaw rumehistro sa utak ko ang mga salita.

Ang dami pa ding tao dito sa pinagtatrabahuanko. Ganito pala pag call center. 24 hours. 1st time ko kasing maging callboy, este, customer service representative. Masaya naman ako. Enjoy, 'ika nga. Lalo na pag araw ng sweldo. Palagi nga lang puyat. Medyo malaki naman ang sweldo kaya I grabbed the opportunity. Hindi pa kasi tapos ang master's ko at pinag-aaral ko ang nakababata kong kapatid na lalaki. Graduating na siya next year sa college. Ang hirap ng buhay lalo na pag pinahihirapan mo sarili mo. Sige lang. Sasayaw lang ako sa tugtog, at sasabay sa agos ng buhay. Ang Diyos ang aking sandigan sa lahat ng oras. Alam kong hindi Niya ako pababayaan.

Tapos na ang 20 minutong pagcha-charge. 10 piso rin ang nagastos ko. Paalam, Ministop. Salamat sa iyo. Sa uulitin.

BENJAMIN CABRERA - A FILIPINO SCIENTIST

Benjamin Cabrera - Filipino Scientist:


Doctor Benjamin Cabrera has written more than a hundred scientific publications on medical parasitology and public health - in particle research on filariasis. He has developed innovations in drug treatments against diseases caused by mosquitoes and agricultural soil.

Benjamin Cabrera - Degrees:
1945 - M.D. at the University of the Philippines


1950 -M.P.H.in Medical Parasitology and Public Health at Tulane University

Benjamin Cabrera - Awards:

1996 - Philippine Legion of Honor Presedential Award



Reference: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/BenjaminCabrera.htm

PAULO CAMPOS - SPECIALIST IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE

Filipino scientist, Doctor Paulo Campos is a specialist in nuclear medicine and the award winning writer of over seventy-five scientific papers including:


Observation of Some Parameter of Insulin Action

Cr-51 Tagged Red Cell Studies

The Genetic Factor in Endemic Goiter

Paulo Campos built the first radioisotope laboratory in the Philippines.

Reference: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Paulo_Campos.htm

MAGDALENA CANTORIA - A FILIPINO BOTANIST

Magdalena Cantoria is a noted Filipino botanist who is known for her research in the morphology, physiology, and biochemistry of drug plants, in particular agar, rauwolfia, datura, mint and Piper.


Magdalena Cantoria - Awards:

1954 - Edwin Leigh Newcomb Award in pharmacognosy given by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education

1962 - Edwin Leigh Newcomb Award (for research on the growth and development of Daturia strasmodium L.)

1977 - Most Outstanding Phi Sigman

Reference: http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Cantoria.htm