Only in the PI II

Only in the Philippines II
Last Updated December 28, 2007



Miriam Proposes Menstruation Leave		Prison Raid Yields 29-Inch TVs, Luxuries		'Ready to vote, sir? Head to the urinal'

Pamatong Stops Traffic With Spikes	Candidate tries to bomb own rally for sympathy vote		Hell hath a fighting cock's fury		American Gay

Barriotic–uncouth manners of Filipinos	Dog Meat Trade Is a Door-To-Door Business		Suspicious Wife Cuts it Off		Manila control tower drama ends

Pee-In-Sky Costs Palace Aide His Job	NV Students 'Possessed' By Evil Spirits		Party Admission Just 50 Rat Tails		Cops Hold Boy, 13, for 'Rape' of Eight Chickens

Runaway Circus Elephant causes Massive Traffic Jam	Too Hot To Handle		1 Dead As Fighting Cock Chickens Out		To Prove Fidelity To Wife, Man Chops Off His Penis

Bras Off	Man killed for Laughing at his Buddy's Penis		Man mauled by Mistress and her Lesbian Lover		Dogs Rescued from Dinner Table

Unions Want Condoms	No Baklas Allowed		Boy found to have body parts of a Girl		Filipinos put more zip into their sex lives

Bikini Carwash	Man Arrested for Sex with a Dog		22-yr-old man drinks, brags, dies		Girls Trade Sex for Text

Filipinos Pick Strange Names	Nude Photographer Suffers Heart Attack		Scent Of a Woman		Rapist re-elected Twice

Goons prey on Swede in the heart of Manila	Menage-a-trois too expensive for tourist		Peace Corps Volunteers Nabbed for Live Show		U.S. Couple in Sidewalk Sex Bout

Farmer hacks off his Penis	BY THE WAY by Max V. Soliven		Taxi cab driver electrocuted while pissing		Court acquits Aussie on 87 counts of rape

QC Councilor Wants Toilets for Gays	Jeepney Pioneer Sarao Dead at 80		Sailor Marries Transsexual		Wives Vs Girlfriends

Genital Eating Fish	Incest is Dangerous		Philippine Poll		Wife Hacked For Nagging

More than 12 million women in the public and private sectors will be able to take a one day "menstruation leave" if a bill filed by Miriam Defensor Santiago is passed into law. The bill proposes to grant a one-day work leave with 50 percent remuneration for those who opt not to report to work because of pre-menstrual and menstrual tension not to mention cramps.

Under SB 1687, every female employee except pregnant and menopausal women, in the public and private sector, regardless of the nature of their employment, shall be entitled to the menstrual leave.

Any person, corporation or business violating any of the provisions of the bill or it's implementing rules and regulations shall be fined an amount not exceeding P30,000 or put behind bars for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 6 months.

MANILA, Philippines - It looks like prison life wasn't too tough for some of the Philippines' most notorious inmates. Authorities said Monday they had seized late-model flat-screen TVs, DVD players and stereos, assorted firearms and mobile phones from jail cells in the national penitentiary compound in the Manila suburb of Muntinlupa.

Bureau of Corrections Director Vicente Vinarao said he ordered the swoop after an upsurge in the electricity bill, and in line with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's order for all government offices to save on energy. More than 900 assorted weapons - swords, knives, live ammunition, improvised guns and machetes - also were confiscated, Vinarao said.

"What is surprising, maybe you will not believe, that along with the ... assorted weapons, we also confiscated almost 100 televisions, mostly 29 inches," Vinarao told DZBB radio. He said while the assorted weapons could be hidden, it was impossible for TVs and other appliances to be smuggled in without the guards' knowledge.

Vinarao said most of the luxury items were found among convicted drug smugglers, who were also using cell phones to conduct business from jail. He said that as a result, "undesirable" prison guards and custodial personnel were removed from the facility.

Vinarao said only one television set is now allowed in each prison dormitory, and that lights will be turned on only from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to help cut to about half the prison's $35,700 monthly electricity bill. The national penitentiary is home to death row convicts, those serving life sentences and other criminals.

Manila - For the first time in Philippines election history, toilets were used as polling centers in one of the slum districts of the capital. Election officials resorted to the arrangement - after a cleaning - because of a shortage of rooms in a school in the district of Payatas in the Manila suburb of Quezon.

Efrenita Miranda, a teacher in the Payatas Elementary School (PES), said the shortage occurred because one of the buildings in the compound was under construction. "We have no other option but to use our two comfort rooms to accommodate all the registered voters," she said.

Miranda said 20 605 registered voters have been assigned to 103 precincts at PES, which only had 21 classrooms that were available for use. The school's library, lobby and clinic were also put to use, aside from the toilets, she added.

Miranda, who was assigned to prepare the toilets for the voting, said that at any given time, eight to 10 voters can fit into one comfort room. "We have made it more comfortable for our voters by putting temporary covers in the cubicles," she said. "And they don't have to worry because we made sure that the comfort rooms are clean."

More than 43,5 million Filipinos are eligible to vote for the country's next president, vice president, 12 senators, more than 200 congressmen and about 17 000 local officials. - Sapa-dpa

In what he calls a "less violent form of protest," disqualified presidential candidate Elly Pamatong made his supporters scatter hundreds of steel spikes along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila and other areas of the country yesterday.

"It's a choice between bullets or any other violent way to express my disappointment, with the government," Pamatong said. At least 800 spikes or caltrops---fashioned from four-inch nails and concealed in paper wrappings---were found all over Metro Manila yesterday after they blew out the tires of at least 167 vehicles. Officials initially thought the "spike attack" was a prelude to another coup attempt.

Pamatong, in a radio interview, said he believed scattering metal spikes on major roads in Metro Manila, Baguio, Davao, Cagayan, Bicol and Laguna was for the good of the country. He clarified that the attack was not to kill or hurt anyone but to call the attention of government officials to stop being corrupt.

Pamatong apologized to vehicle owners whose tires were punctured by the metal spikes, and asked that they demand remuneration from the "crooks in government."

Candidate tries to bomb own rally for sympathy vote (3:12 p.m.)
Friday, May 07, 2004

MANILA -- Police said Friday they foiled a plot by a member of parliament to bomb his own election rally in an attempt to win sympathy votes. The brother of Cong. Edgar Erice was arrested while driving a van carrying a home-made bomb to a campaign rally in Manila, police superintendent Marcelino Franco said.

He said police believe Erice's supporters planned to stage a bomb attack to attract a sympathy vote for the congressman, who is standing for mayor in Caloocan City north of the capital. Police said a man caught planting the bomb confessed that he was ordered to do so by the congressman's head of security.

At least 86 people have been killed in election-related violence in the lead-up to Monday's presidential, parliamentary and local elections. Most of the violence has been blamed on personal political squabbles. AFP

A sentensyador (cockfight referee) in a fund-raising derby here was killed when one of the game fowls attacked him, it's tari-a blade attached to the cock's feet- piercing his chest and left armpit. Doctors at the Jose Amante Clinic said the blade cut through the heart of 47-year old Arnel Torres and severed a vain causing his death.

Felix Romolacio, chairman of Barangay San Roque, said the "freak accident" occurred during a cockfight meant to raise funds for a deceased resident. Remolacio said Torres noticed that the fighting cock's tari had loosened and attempted to fix it. But the cock instead attacked him.

Because of what happened, Torres' relatives meted the "death sentence" on the killer cock, chopping it into pieces.

A young Cebuano man who has an American penpal (male) was able to meet this penpal face to face when the Yank came to Cebu for a vacation. The American invited the young man in to his hotel room for a meeting — their first.

While in the room they drank liquor and when they both had gotten tipsy the Yank embraced his Pinoy penpal and kissed him. Before he knew it, the gay Kano was already giving the local man the works from behind. Now the local penpal says he seems to have fallen in love with the American gay and he seems to have lost interest in his girlfriend. “Wa ba kaha ko mabayot?” he asked a counselor of love.

BARRIOTIC! That’s how my late partner, Tony Mercado, described any uncouth behavior of Filipinos. Barriotic comes from the word barrio. Barriotics are absurd acts such as urinating on the walls of gas stations, clambering over the mid-road iron fence on C-5, quarreling scandalously loud with Chinese salesmen in a Hong Kong camera store, serving cabernet sauvignon in a plastic cup, calling someone “Psssst!” and many other obnoxious acts.

Why barriotic? It’s because whether we are mainstream urbanities in Marikina or middle-class residents at Corinthian Gardens, we are only one to three generations away from promdi roots. If a town creature, he is just one or two generations away from his rural forebears who are natives of the barrio.

The age gap may exist but the cultural gap doesn’t. Our DNA favors our ancestral quirks. Isn’t peeing on the walls of gas stations in Manila a continuation of Lolo Pedro’s peeing under the banana tree in Barrio Ugong? Yeah! But what about the idiot who clambers over the middle iron fence of C-5, scampering like a dog, risking being run over by a speeding truck? Think again of barrio genetics and you’ll understand the guy’s stupidity. Remember, traffic rules are unknown in barrio life. Mobile creatures like carabaos, horses, pigs and goats roam wherever they please. The muddy feeder road was unknown to motor vehicles. It’s for slow-moving work animals and barrio folk only.

The nonexistent of traffic rules in barrio life also explains why taxi and bus drivers who are new migrants to the city drive like drunken fools. These guys simply skipped the learning curve. From riding the barriotic carabao they went straight to the driver’s seat of a Fuso delivery truck. Like the Chinese, Dutch and Indians, they should have at least ridden a bike and learned to travel on asphalt roads where rules exist.

The coiffured wifey who serves cabernet sauvignon in a plastic cup is probably a winsome barrio girl turned mistress of the town’s jueteng lord. She also took a shortcut from water in a glass to push rice and saluyot, then fast-tracking to paksiw na lechon with white wine. No chance to get educated, to mix with Forbes Park socialites, to acquire taste.

The “Psssst!” thing is not so weird. It’s simply used out of context. The original “Psssst!” also came from our rural forebears. Parents and grandparents of old used “Pssst!” to beckon misbehaving kids to be given a dressing down. Unless you abhor someone don’t call him “Pssst!”

Our worst barriotic cases are those that are institutionalized errors. They were meant to correct a mistake, but resulted in a bigger mistake. I can think of three right now that pose danger to our life, limb and health.

First, the jeep. From the war-surplus depots of World War II, hundreds of US army jeeps, cute, nimble and tough in war zones, were sold to the public at giveaway prices.

Jeep owners in 1945 configured the vehicle with a rectangular body that could load 12 passengers including the driver. Our transport system—the tranvia, taxis and buses—was destroyed during the war and the jeep quickly filled the transportation lack. We patted ourselves on the back for being maparaan (resourceful). We even admired the jeep as art because of its ari-manok design and its borloloys. Today the jeep is the worst means of mass transportation in the world.

Fifty years after, the jeep is an anachronism, the barriotic symbol of our government’s inability to think and plan. In the jeep we have created a monster. It causes chaos on the streets, irksome traffic gridlock, gas wastage, lost man-hours and worst of all, air pollution.

The jeep’s boundary system promotes the culture of kaswapangan, pang-iisa, at kabastusan among jeepney drivers, to the death of politeness and courteousness on city streets. Diesel fumes emitted by jeeps have been responsible for high death rates due to lung diseases such as coughs and colds, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and lung cancer.

My uncle died of emphysema after 20 years of slow-motion suffocation. What’s more, jeepney associations have become so powerful and arrogant they keep the citizenry hostage by going on strike (complete with basag-ulo) whenever they want fare increases. The jeep was not meant to be a mode of public transportation. It was temporary, a make do. How our barriotic government allowed it to be a deadly monster is beyond me!

Now, the mid-street iron railings. We see them dividing the right and left lanes on busy streets and circumferential roads like the C-5. They cost millions of taxpayer’s money. They were built because people flouted the law and the police could not enforce it. The “No-Crossing” sign has simply been ignored by pedestrians since time immemorial. Either people can’t read or they are simply matigas ang ulo.

And why can’t the police enforce the law on “No Crossing”? Listen to this: Wala raw budget.

But the mother of all stupidities is that people cannot distinguish between what’s right and wrong. What’s good or bad for the community.

Other barriotics appear dumb and ridiculous. Here’s the ridiculous: a commuter train sporting a triangle roof. A decrepit, filthy, smelly train that runs daily from Paco, Manila, to Santa Rosa, Laguna. No trains anywhere in the world have a dunce cap for a roof. Only in the Philippines. The railway company resorted to this funny-looking roof because thousands of squatters living in shacks along the rails have zero sanitation, garbage disposal and hygiene facilities like toilets, so they wrap their garbage and excreta and throw them at the train roof to be carried all the way to Laguna.

It’s of course humiliating to squatters (human-rights lawyers and do-gooders, take note) to put hundreds of signs on the railroad tracks with this warning: “Huwag magtapon ng tae sa bubong ng train! Multa: P5,000.” What about the difficulty Filipinos have of falling in line? Ah, this minor character flaw is another barriotic attitude: “Baka ka mahuli sa pansitan.” In short, huwag kang papatay-patay!

In Batangas, Dog Meat Trade Is a Door-To-Door Business
Philippine Star January 5, 2004

Padre Garcia, Batangas-- Despite being illegal, the trade in dog meat is growing so fast that dog traders are now going door-to-door looking for canines to buy. Dog meat traders now hire tricycle drivers to go house to house shouting, "Aso! Asokayo diyan, may ibebenta kayong aso d'yan (Dogs! Have you got dogs to sell?)

One dog trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity said they transport 800 to 1,000 dogs a month to Baguio City and Tarlac,Pangasinan and the Cordilleras to supply about 100 eateries and restaurants that openly serve dog meat. Because of the tremendous demand for dog meat, dog traders have resorted to hiring tricycle drivers as their "agents" and procure dogs for slaughter by going house to house throughout Batangas province. Sometimes they go as far as the neighboring provinces of Laguna and Quezon.

"When we were just starting this business, we only had two tricycles to go around town to buy dogs," the trader said. "Now we use at least 10 tricycles a day to cover almost all towns. Each tricycle driver is given P1000 as capital with which to buy dogs. The going rate is P50 to P175 depending on the size of the dogs. At the end of the day they turn the dogs and the remaining capital in to their financiers, after taking their commissions of P40 to P50 per dog. Once bought, the dogs are classified into two groups: the dogs to be slaughtered for local consumption and the "viaje (journey)" dogs that will be transported to Baguio and the northern provinces. The "locals" will be delivered to eateries and restaurants in Batangas particularly in the towns of Ibaan, Rosario, Padre Garcia and San Juan.

Suspicions of unfaithfulness drove a housewife to cut off the penis of her husband yesterday inside their house in Taguig. Police said Marilou Llanerezah used a kitchen knife to cut off the sex organ of her husband, Antonio, 30, while he was asleep in their room at the TUP compound in Western Bicutan at around 9:30 a.m.

Llanerezah said she did it because she could no longer take the unfaithfulness of her husband, who works as a night-shift plumber. She said she has evidence to prove her suspicions, referring to the text messages on her husband's cell phone. However, the wife still rushed her husband to the Pasay City General Hospital.

According to attending surgeon Dr. Leonarda Cacawa, a large part of the penis was already detached when the victim arrived at the hospital. "We could not attach the cut portion of the penis back. All we could do was to treat the wound," he said. Probers said filing of charges against Llanerezah would depend on her husband.

A former aviation official in the Philippines briefly seized the control tower at Manila's airport on Friday night, according to officials. Panfilo Villaruel, accompanied by up to 12 armed men, told local radio he was protesting against government corruption on behalf of scared people. After a brief but intense gun battle, security forces retook the tower.

Mr Villaruel and an accomplice were reportedly killed by the security forces and the airport was re-opened. 'Surrender' "It's over," Edgardo Manda, general manager of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, told reporters. "We can now receive international flights." He said police had swooped after "suspicious-looking characters were seen inside the tower".

Local media reported on a short, but intense, exchange of fire - after which emergency workers had taken three stretchers up the tower. We are being killed here," the disgruntled former official was heard saying on live radio, with shots and groans in the background. "We surrender."

This should teach people not to drink and fly--especially if you're with a presidential entourage. Press Undersecretary Heraclio "Rocky" Nazareno was sacked yesterday for mistaking the exit door of the plane for a urinal and pissing on it. The embarrassing incident happened on Sept.30 on board a chartered Philippine Airlines return flight from the United States and Europe.

According to witnesses Nazareno had been drinking with a newspaper columnist and a congressman in the economy section of the plane. After a while, the already tipsy press aide stood up to go to the comfort room. When he reached the exit door, he mistook it for a urinal and pissed on it. Ambassador Manuel Paynor, who coordinated the foreign trip got wind of the incident and reported it to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was in the business section with her official entourage. Sources say the President became furious upon learning this and ordered Nazareno banned from all presidential trips abroad.

Classes in this town' high school were suspended the other day--the second time since Monday--after several female students were allegedly possessed by spirits of the dead who were buried in the area before World War II. Teachers of the school, located on the national highway in Barangay Tuao here, could not help but be worried when at least 25 coeds fainted and started acting strangely the other day, a repeat of the unusual occurrences in the school last Monday.

Emily Gacad, a second year high school advisor, said the students fainted almost one after another. One of them had eyes turning red and displayed uncanny behavior. "One of the possessed students displayed extraordinary strength. It took four male students to restrain her." Gloria Jasmin, also an instructor at the school, said some of the possessed students had harsh voices while others spoke in quiet tones. Others were shouting and screaming but were not violent she added.

Old-timers here said the school compound used to be a graveyard during the Japanese occupation. The area had remained untouched for many years until the government converted it into a national high school. Many old trees, huts and tombs were bulldozed to give way to classrooms. A group of priests from the catholic and Aglipayan churches here have already sprinkled the school with holy water and oil in a bid to drive out the spirits. However a local albularyo (quack doctor) said the spirits should be appeased, not driven away.

Teachers, parents and students were supposed to hold a ritual the other day but cancelled it on the advise of the albularyo. The albularyo, according to the teachers, told them to bury a pig's head in the school grounds to pacify the spirits. They were also instructed to have a share of the meat to eat, otherwise the ritual would be ineffective.

At this party dancers must bring at least 50 rat tails before they can shake their own. Admission to the Cabuto town dance is the latest gimmick in vermin control in the central Philippines Cabuto is in Iloilo province, one of the nation's biggest rice-growing regions.

Rats have destroyed 58,000 acres of rice. Town officials were inspired by the "Miss Rat" contest earlier this year in nearby Monpon, which did much to end that town's problem, provincial agriculturist Apolinario Sotomil said. If successful, Cabutan officials say they might make rat tails the admission for each of the town's Four annual dances.

For a time a top police official in Guimaras was puzzled by the mysterious death of his eight chickens. The chickens appeared to have died in a similar manner--each had a swollen anus, as if some object was inserted in it.

The policemen were amazed and prowled the compound of the provincial command to find out who was behind the bizarre crime. They soon discovered that the culprit was a 13 year old boy, who was earlier charged with raping a six year old girl in barangay Constancia, San Lorenzo, Guimaras.

Being a minor, the boy was not put behind bars. Instead he was required to report to the police provincial command so that his behavior could be monitored. The police found out that at this tender age the boy has a sexual urge beyond his control. After he was caught on January 9 he was put behind bars. The social welfare department's field office, however, has sent a social worker to look after the boy, who is scheduled for psychiatric evaluation.

MANILA (AFP) - A runaway circus elephant caused a massive traffic jam when it slipped out of its pen and strayed into a major artery in the Philippines capital on Thursday, local officials said. Dumbo, a six-tonne, 21 year-old Thai elephant, escaped from a animal performance show being staged at a commercial section of Manila and touched off a five-hour gridlock, city traffic authorities said.

Veterinarians injected the pachyderm with tranquilizers in late afternoon to end the walkabout. A crane later hauled it onto a truck to be returned to its handlers. The animal handlers had allowed the elephants in the troupe to exercise in their cage after being fed lunch when one of the herd slipped out and lumbered over to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the city's main artery.

Traffic police initially closed off one lane, forcing vehicles to go around the creature. They later stopped it by feeding it bananas and hosing it down with water. Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando said the elephant had caused "serious" traffic snarls for dozens of kilometers. "We have to find out what happened here to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

A man who checked in at a Quiapo hotel with two women lapsed into unconsciousness during lovemaking and later died while being rushed to a hospital yesterday morning. The fatality was said to be between 35 and 40 years old, clad in a blue shirt, gray pants and wearing slippers. He died on arrival at Reyes Memorial medical Center.

Investigation conducted by the Western District Police Homicide section revealed that the victim checked into the Dragon Hotel in Quiapo, Manila at about 2:30 AM with two female companions. The trio occupied room 106. After several minutes, the two woman came out of the room and asked assistance from hotel employees, telling them that their male companion had lost consciousness after gasping for breath at the height of their lovemaking.

The two woman even accompanied the man to the hospital, but he died along the way. Hospital guards failed to get the names of the two women who sped away in a cab after wheeling in the victim to the emergency room. Closer investigation of the body revealed that it was negative of any external injuries.

A cowardly fighting cock that ran away from a "sparring match" led to the death of a man the other night in Makati City. PO2 Dexter Castor of the Makati police Homicide Division identified the victim as Edwin Bangod, 35, a resident of PNR South, Barangay bangkal, Makati City.

Investigation revealed that the incident took place at around 6 PM last Sunday during a cockfight at the PNR South area. The victim had set up a cockfight with his neighbor Ferdie But, 30, on that night. When the match began, But's rooster ran away. The cowardly display angered Bangod who vented his ire on the cock's handler and strangled him in front of several spectators. Humiliated and hurt, the suspect went home and retrieved his jungle bolo to confront Bangod.

The victim was hacked and stabbed several times all over his body and was brought to the Pasay City General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The suspect on the other hand was apprehended immediately after the incident and is now detained at the Makati police headquarters.

To Prove Fidelity To Wife, Man Chops Off His Penis
Philippine Star
February 26,2003

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan — Wanting to prove his fidelity to his estranged wife, he sacrificed his manhood — he cut off his penis, wrapped it in newspaper and gave it to her. The severed three-inch penis is now in the custody of this town’s police after Evelyn Palaganas Mamaril, 35, "surrendered" it to them last Saturday night. The police sought the help of an embalmer to preserve it in a bottle.

Evelyn was in her parents’ house here when something wrapped in newspaper was thrown through the window. She was shocked to find the severed male organ. Outside the house, her estranged husband George shouted, "Piano ag ka la manududa ya onkakaraw ak (So you will not suspect I am courting another girl)."

Her neighbors saw George walking away, grimacing in pain while covering his bloodied crotch. The couple have been estranged for three years now after Evelyn’s parents prodded her to live with them because George was jobless and thus, incapable of supporting her and their two children.

FILIPINO women on Saturday marched for peace and against war and women's "dictated" role in society. Some 20 members of Women's Rage, an affiliate of the militant Sanlakas, took off their bras in the course of an anti-war protest near the US Embassy in Manila.

"Throughout history, the bra has been regarded as one of the fashion statements on how women's breasts should be worn: flattened, squeezed, enlarged or enhanced, depending on what is fashionable," said Women's Rage spokesperson Page Reyes.

"Aside from opposing war in Iraq and in Mindanao, we are removing our bras to symbolize our protest and refusal to continue to adhere to the dictates on women's role and place in society," she said.

Manila - A 40-year-old man was killed in the Philippines for laughing at his buddy's penis and refusing to show his during a drinking spree, a police officer said on Friday. Police officer Joseph Pueblo said Eduardo Cristomar was allegedly shot dead late on Wednesday by Arnel Orbeta in a village in Antipolo City, 3km east of Manila.

Pueblo said the two men and their friends were having a drinking party when the victim challenged all to show their penises to determine who possessed the longest and widest male member. "A drunken Orbeta immediately unzipped his pants and showed his sex organ," he said. "Cristomar laughed at Orbeta instead of showing his penis, infuriating the suspect."

Orbeta then allegedly pulled out his gun and repeatedly shot the victim. Pueblo said police were already hunting down Orbeta, who fled after the incident.

Man mauled by Mistress and her Lesbian Lover
Posted: 2:56 AM (Manila Time) | Feb. 23, 2003
By Philip Tubeza
Inquirer News Service

PASAY City building inspector Engineer Rodolfo Medroso, 58, decided to play with fire and took up a mistress. He got burned and badly bruised. Medroso, of Tramo Road, Pasay City, filed a complaint against his mistress and her lesbian lover after they beat him black and blue when he caught them having sex, said senior police officer 2 Mario Salonga of the Western Police District.

Medroso said his mistress, Laarni Calayacan, 33, of Sampaloc, Manila, and her lover Belen Ocampo, 29, took turns in hitting him, Salonga said. "He could not open his eyes when he came here," Salonga said. "I also told him that he might get into trouble by admitting that he had a mistress, but he said he was afraid that the two might turn the tables on him." Having a mistress is immoral under the Civil Service Code.

Salonga said the beating happened at around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 at the house Medroso allegedly provided for his mistress. "He had become suspicious that his mistress was also having an affair, and so he went there in the middle of the night," Salonga said.

But what shocked him was not the confirmation of his fears but the sight of his mistress carousing with another woman. "He caught them in a very compromising situation," Salonga said. In a fit of rage, the engineer threw his cellular phone at the couple. But the two women got up and attacked him.

The engineer had to be taken to the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center after the beating. The victim went to the WPD headquarters to file physical injuries charges against the two women.

BAGUIO CITY — Nearly a hundred dogs destined for the Christmas pot were rescued in a police bust of a canine meat smuggling gang, officials said yesterday. Police in this northern mountain resort detained seven people and confiscated the live cargo stashed in three vans at a checkpoint last Saturday, Superintendent Generoso Bonifacio, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said.

Dog meat figures prominently in the cuisine of the upland regions of the north, even though it is illegal to slaughter canines for their meat. The suspects, six men and a woman, were trying to supply dog meat to illegal Baguio slaughterhouses in time for the Christmas holidays, Bonifacio said.

Of the 175 dogs crammed in cages inside the vehicles, 91 were alive. The rest had apparently died in transit. Three months ago, authorities arrested three persons and rescued five dozens of dogs about to be slaughtered in La Trinidad, Benguet.

Hard times nowadays have prompted workers to seek better coverage in collective bargaining agreements (CBA's: salary increases, clothing allowance, rice subsidy-and a weekly supply of condoms.

Several labor unions have, in fact, successfully forged CBA's with specific stipulation on free condoms for workers the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said. TUCP spokesman Alex Aguilar said that workers from Jollibee, one of the country's largest food chains are among the beneficiaries of the free condom CBA's.

"Members of those unions are entitled to at least three condoms a week whether married or single," Aguilar said. He noted that they are not promoting promiscuity among workers because even if they did not distribute condoms workers could still buy them on their own.

The Light Trail Transit Authority (LRTA) said yesterday that gays dressed up like women would not be allowed in a special coach assigned for female passengers.

Anna Ferrer, LRTA information officer, noted that even if a male passenger looks like a woman, he can never avail of the special coach program which would be implemented starting Dec. 2. "That special coach is specifically for the protection of the female passengers. I don't think we can't allow any men there," he added.

According to LRTA administrator Teddy Cruz Jr., said they decided to earmark a special train for females amid complaints of sexual harassment. The LRTA, however, will not compel female passengers to take the special coach. If a female passenger, does not want to be separated from her male companion, she must join him in the regular coaches.

From Angeles City Sun-Star News
Boy, 11, found to have body parts of a girl
By Linette C. Ramos

DOCTORS of an 11-year-old "boy" found to have a uterus are more concerned about the psychological effects of his transformation from being a boy to a woman. Larry (not his real name) was first rushed to the hospital for severe stomach pains. An ultrasound revealed that he has all the parts of a woman's reproductive system. It also turned out that his severe stomach pains were caused by his first menstrual period.

Although it will only take an ordinary surgery to cure the abnormalities in Larry's reproductive organ, Dr. Warfe Engracia, a radiologist, said the psychological effect of the transformation could be damaging. He said it will be difficult to explain to an 11-year-old child why all of a sudden, he has turned into a woman, especially when his family and society have reared him as a boy.

"He was brought up as a boy. Lalaki siya tan-awon, including his genitals. But the ultrasound showed that he has all the parts of a woman's reproductive system, so babaye gyud siya," Engracia told Sun.Star. He said an ultrasound performed on Larry showed that he has a uterus, cervix, vaginal canal and urethra.

Filipinos keep love alive with herbs and goat's hair: Herbal mixes and a ring made of goat's hair are still preferred to the more expensive Viagra to put more zip into their sex lives
By Luz Baguioro
PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT

MANILA - This may be the age of Viagra but Filipinos still prefer locally made products made from herbs and goats' hair to improve their sex lives. In Manila's Quiapo district, hawkers peddle herbal-based preparations touted to spice up sex lives. Vendors said sales of these products have been thriving for years, albeit discreetly, owing to local sensibilities and a city ordinance that prohibits their sale to minors.

'If a man or a woman wants to boost his or her sexual performance, these products are the answer,' said 60-year-old vendor Nene Morales. For those who lack energy to match their sex drive, Mrs Morales, who has been selling herbal medicine for 30 years, recommends a liquid syrup called potachin. According to her, a teaspoon of the dark syrup - a concoction of local herbs - should be taken three times a day for at least one week before its effects can be felt. IIt helps build up energy, and can be useful for a person whose sex life is very active.'

Men who suffer from limited sexual performance because of impotence or old age can buy 'Peter cream', which is made from local herbs. Vendors say the cream is a cheaper alternative to Viagra - a pill prescribed for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction - as it can also help men who are unable to sustain an erection. Men who want to liven up their sex lives may also opt to buy the 'goat's eye', a ring made from goat's hair that is worn around the penis. 'The goat's eye is very popular even with foreign tourists, especially the Japanese,' according to Mrs Morales.

Price has made all the difference in making these products popular. A 25-mg pill of Viagra is sold locally - and only with a doctor's prescription - for 392 pesos (S$13.50). In contrast, a 100-ml bottle of the herbal-based syrup costs 150 pesos, a 75-ml bottle of 'Peter cream' sells for 250 pesos, and the 'goat's eye' is worth 150 pesos apiece.

A recent survey showed that most Filipinos continue to enjoy healthy sex lives well into their 70s. Another survey by the Commission on Population found that 18 per cent of Filipinos, ranging in age from 15 to 20, engage in pre-marital sex. More than 80 per cent of them do not use condoms. Such 'high-risk behaviour' could promote the spread of Aids, authorities warned.

ILOILO CITY — It was meant to be a marketing strategy to attract more customers. But the gimmick of Marina Restaurant here to employ bikini-clad girls to wash cars at its parking lot got more than the ogles of motorists and the curiosity of menfolk. Now, the resto is facing mounting protests from local women’s groups.

The militant women’s group Gabriela-Panay has kicked off protest actions to denounce the "bikini car wash" as "deliberate commodification" and "outright exploitation" of women. At least 100 members of the Panay chapters of Gabriela and Bayan picketed the restaurant yesterday to seek a stop to the gimmick.

"We are severely disturbed by these incidents where women are being used as commodities and sex objects just to promote a business venture," said Lucy Francisco of Gabriela-Panay. "No matter how the Marina management justify their so-called business innovation and creativity, this is still a clear degradation and exploitation of women," she added.

Francisco clarified that they do not condemn the "bikini car wash" girls who, she said, "are just victims of opportunistic and profit-hungry businessmen." She urged the government to investigate such a scheme to protect the rights and welfare of women.

In Manila, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas apparently heeded the call, directing the Bureau of Women and Young Workers to check possible violations committed by companies that employ women clad in skimpy bikinis to wash cars. Sto. Tomas issued the order in response to a petition of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) for a stop to such a practice. In a statement, Unifem official Ermelita Valdeavilla said the practice not only demeans women, but "also insults the men for it views them as sex hunters, ready to prey upon hapless victims."

Even the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, the country’s biggest labor group, frowned upon the "bikini car wash." Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas told The STAR he was surprised to learn about the existence of the "bikini car wash" here. Upon checking, he learned that Marina Restaurant, owned by Ross Paul Gorriceta, had indeed applied for a business permit for the "bikini car wash" but the application remains unapproved pending the submission of additional documents.

In an earlier interview, Gorriceta said the "bikini car wash" was a brainchild of his son. "We have to think of something unusual which no other businesses have thought of. What matters most is that these girls earn a decent living more than the salary of a regular eight-hour job," he said. His restaurant employs three girls who earn P400 for three hours (3 to 6 p.m.) of washing cars. The car wash costs P100 up, depending on the type of vehicle.

Police in Toledo City, Philippines arrested a 40 year-old man yesterday for having sexual intercourse with a dog in the comfort room of the downtown transit station. Facing 20 years in jail for violating the Philippine Bestiality Statutes, Section 103.22, the man, reported to be from Manila, said he was drunk and looking to urinate in the comfort room when a large dog walked in and got him aroused. The dog was destroyed humanely by being put to sleep by a local veterinarian at the Toledo City Police Station.

A 22-year-old man, who had one drink too many and boasted to friends he could make electricity run through his body without any ill-effects, paid dearly with his life last Tuesday night in Caloocan City.

Witnesses told probers that Roderick de la Cruz, single, of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, shook uncontrollably in agony as electric current ripped through his body after he touched an exposed livewire in the house of his elder brother Rogelio, where the drinking session took place. De la Cruz, who sustained third degree burns in most parts of his body, was rushed to the hospital but expired before reaching the Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital.

Investigation conducted by PO1 Reynaldo Placido of the Station investigation Bureau (SIB) said the incident occurred at around 7 p.m. in his brother's house not far from Roderick's own in the same neighborhood. It was gathered that the victim went to his brother's house for a few drinks but when the alcohol began to take effect on him, he bragged to his friends that he had a way with electricity like no other. To prove to his unbelieving audience that he was not bluffing, he allegedly pulled a wire from the ceiling and twirled its exposed end with his bare thumb and index finger.

Rogelio allegedly warned his sibling about doing anything stupid but the admonition went unheeded and apparently even fueled his desire to be proven right about his claims before his doubting audience, probers said. In a split second, the startled victim cried out in agony as the current took its toll on his intoxicated body.

In Pasig City, girls trade sex for 'text'
Posted: 11:39 PM (Manila Time) | Apr. 20, 2002
By Alcuin Papa
Inquirer News Service

PASIG policemen on Friday rounded up five young girls who were said to be offering sex in exchange for prepaid cards for cellular phones. The police acted on a tip that young girls were soliciting sex in exchange for 300-peso and 500-peso cell phone cards in front of the Immaculate Conception Church in the city.

The girls, aged 16 and 17, were arrested around 2 a.m. They admitted to police they exchanged sexual favors for prepaid cards and that a still unidentified cigarette vendor acted as their pimp. Police seized from the girls packets of condom, lubricants, cell phones and cell cards.

They told police that they entered the sex business to fund their "texting" habits -- a reference to the short message system, a feature in cellular phone units where users can send "text messages" to friends and acquaintances.

Filipinos Pick Strange Names,
Trying to Stand Out in Crowd
By JAMES HOOKWAY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

MANILA -- A strange name has its unexpected advantages. "Sometimes it helps with the ladies," says Hitler Manila, a smile flashing beneath his thick mustache. "It's a memorable name, you know. But mostly, being called Hitler stops people mistaking me for somebody else." And that is no small matter here in the Philippines. Thanks to Spain's decision a century and a half ago to restrict its colony's choice of surnames to a basket of generic Spanish names -- and the Philippines' lumbering, underfunded bureaucracy -- Filipinos find it harder and harder to tell each other apart, particularly in the phone book.

Mel Martinez, a gym instructor, winces as he remembers the long months he spent trying to get cellphone service. "Some other guy with the same name hadn't been paying his bills, so I couldn't get a line," he says. In the end, he decided to just use prepaid phone cards -- less of a hassle, he figured. Efforts to get bank loans and passports can become surreal experiences. Thousands of Filipinos walk around with certificates from the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippines equivalent of the FBI, to prove they aren't wanted for kidnapping or murder, because someone with the same name is.

Many Filipinos want to spare the next generation these problems. Jennifer Camato, chief registrar at Makati City Hall, purrs as she dusts off a thick ledger that contains the names of all the babies born in Makati, one of 17 cities that make up the sprawling landscape of skyscrapers and shantytowns known as Metro Manila. "We've got some really good ones in here," she says. "How about this? The name is Courtney, but it's spelled Kurtney." Others have silent letters seemingly thrown in at random, like "Jhimmy" and "Jhoyce."

"It's all about being unique. It can save so much trouble in the long run," Ms. Camato says. Her boss, the mayor of Makati City, is named Jejomar Binay -- a contraction of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, auspicious first names in this overwhelmingly Catholic country.

The Philippine name game traces back to 1521 with the arrival of the Spanish. Thousands of Filipinos adopted family names with religious references such as Bautista, Santos or De la Cruz because they thought it would bring good luck as they converted to Catholicism. That created administrative headaches for the colonial authorities.

"They arbitrarily adopted the names of saints and this practice has resulted in the existence of thousands of individuals having the same name," Spanish Governor-General Narciso Claveria complained at the time. "I saw the resultant confusion with regard to the administration of justice, government, finance and public order, as well as the far-reaching moral, civil and religious consequences to which this might lead." In particular, the governor-general fretted about cousins getting married without knowing they were blood relations.

His answer, in 1849, was to publish a list of acceptable names. Lazy administrators in some towns bestowed the entire village with the same name, such as Reyes or Villaneuva. But that hardly solved the problem of many people, possibly related, with the same surname. Only powerful warlords or rich families could retain their original surnames. (One of those names was Macapagal, the last name of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's father.)

Today, the basket of Spanish surnames introduced by Gov. Claveria is proving insufficient to accommodate the Philippines' fast-growing population, now estimated at 78 million and projected to double in 30 years. In the Manila phone book, the Reyeses alone run to 13 tightly packed pages. So Filipinos are getting creative where they can -- with first names. Many borrow from other cultures in unexpected ways.

When Maricel Gamboa was in the final stage of her pregnancy earlier this year, she thought long and hard about names for her child. She had heard horror stories from her friends about the headaches that common names can cause. "I was determined I wouldn't let that happen to my child," says Ms. Gamboa, 24, dressed in loose-fitting shorts and a T-shirt to combat the tropical heat. So she started flipping through magazines for ideas. Weeks later, she settled on Enrique, after pop singer Enrique Iglesias. But she later decided that there were already too many Enriques in the Philippines. Ms. Gamboa scrambled the letters and threw in a "k" for good measure, to get Quenrik. "It's a good name," Ms. Gamboa says, bouncing the month-old Quenrik on her knee. "It's unique."

Mr. Martinez, the gym instructor, doesn't have it so easy. To verify that he isn't really the other Mel Martinez -- the deadbeat -- he has to present proof of identity. But he can only get this by paying a visit to the country's national statistics office, with its facade of crumbling 1960s concrete. The agency is in the throes of converting its paper files to electronic files. But clerks for decades have sorted birth certificates manually, which has led to long processing delays and many lost files. Applicants such as Mr. Martinez have had to stand in line for hours to hand in their forms, and then wait up to several weeks for the copy of the birth certificate to arrive by mail. Understandably, Filipinos dread this process. Hence the offbeat name. Hollywood stars have been popular inspirations, Elvis, for instance, and still are today. Several babies have been named Pitt this year, registrars say, after Brad Pitt.

By 1968, the year Mr. Manila was born, names combining those of mother and father began to take off, such as "Willian" (a hybrid of William and Lillian) and "Rommel" (a cross between Romeo and Melanie). Ethnic-Chinese Filipinos have been among the most inventive name generators -- turning their given surnames into playful references to famous personalities. One teenager goes by Michael Jacks Ong. Another is named Magic Diongson.

But Hitler Manila, who works at a telephone company, is in a league of his own. He doesn't recall why his father, who died several years ago, fancied that name. He takes pains to point out that he doesn't share any of the dictator's beliefs. But, twisting a gold ring on his finger that is stamped with a swastika, he says he fully embraces the uniqueness of the name.

Filipinos rarely remark about the spread of unorthodox names in the past several decades -- because it has become so common. But foreigners aren't always prepared for it. Once, while on vacation on Boracay Island, south of the Philippine capital, Mr. Manila and a group of colleagues were shooting pool with some visiting Germans. The games began cordially enough. Then Mr. Manila wrote his name on the blackboard to signify that he had the next game. "They wouldn't believe that my name was Hitler," he says. Things were tense until Mr. Manila pulled out his driver's license as proof.

Still, in the Philippines at least, being able to introduce yourself as Hitler has a certain panache. In his single days, Mr. Manila says, girls found the contrast between his name and good looks striking. "They would remember me," recalls the 34-year-old. "The only problem was I didn't have enough money to take them out on dates." Now, Mr. Manila has decided to "carry on the tradition." He recently named his two sons Himmler and Hess, after Heinrich and Rudolf, two of Hitler's henchmen. "My wife doesn't like it, though," he reports. "She made me put in a middle name. So my eldest is called Himmler Michael Manila."

American Takes Photo Of Nude Woman, Suffers Heart Attack
Today Newspaper
By Jimmy Perez

An American tourist suffered a heart attack inside his hotel room yesterday morning allegedly while taking pictures of a nude woman he earlier befriended in Ermita.

The Manila police identified the man as Robert Giles, who police said checked in at the Swagman Hotel about four hours before the incident. The woman identified as Maricel Racreo 21, alerted the hotel's staff, but the 53 year old Giles of California, was already dead when the employees responded to the woman's call for assistance.

Racreo recounted to investigators that she was strolling in Ermita when Giles approached and invited her to his hotel room. A the hotel room, the American reportedly offered her cash in exchange for posing naked. Racreo said she rejected the offer as she was having her menstrual period. But Giles, she claimed, told her that she would only pose half-naked. It was in the middle of the photo session when Giles clutched his chest and collapsed. Racreo said she was frightened and ran outside the room to call for help.

Probers said Giles was supposed to go to Angeles City in Pampanga, and are looking into the possibility that the American was engaged in pornography business. Investigators from the police homicide division said signs indicated that Giles died of cardiac arrest pending results of an autopsy.

QATARAN engineer Mahamad Saeed Baghazal, 54, said he passed out and lost more than 80,000 pesos in cash and valuables after he "smelled something" from the body of a "fat" woman he invited to his hotel room in Ermita, Manila. Baghazal, 54, a tourist who was staying at the City State Hotel on A. Mabini Street, Ermita, claimed he only invited the woman to talk in his hotel room about 9:30 p.m. Friday.

He ended up losing a camera, an Alcatel cellular phone, blood testing machines, three wristwatches, traveler's checks, gold jewelry, two plane tickets, and cash in Qataran and Philippine denominations totaling 82,850 pesos, said SPO3 Cecilio Sacorum of the Western Police District.

Baghazal said the woman approached him at Robinson's Place that night. In his room, he was struck down by the scent coming from the woman's body, he said. He described the woman, who identified herself as "Lily," as about 45, fair complexioned, a bit on the heavy side, and with a mole on her upper lip.

THE SUPREME Court on Tuesday ruled with finality on Rep. Romeo Jalosjos' motion for reconsideration of his conviction for statutory rape and acts of lasciviousness, junking it for "resounding absurdity." The decision paves the way for the expulsion of the Zamboanga del Norte congressman, who was convicted in 1997 but reelected in 1998 and 2001, from the House of Representatives.

In the House, however, Assistant Majority Leader Francis Escudero said Congress was unsure whether the expulsion would be automatic or would require a two-thirds vote of all House members. "With resounding absurdity, accused-appellant pictures himself as a captured, helpless and submissive prey enslaved by an overpowering passion instigated and provoked by an 11-year-old experienced sex worker," read the two-page decision handed down Tuesday afternoon.

The Supreme Court, voting en banc, said the motion for reconsideration was untenable because the victim's unchaste character, as alleged by Jalosjos, was neither a defense nor a mitigating circumstance in rape. "Likewise, whatever consent or 'provocation' an 11-year-old girl gave to a sexual congress is no consent or 'provocation' at all. The very essence of the crime of statutory rape is the carnal knowledge of a woman below 12 years old," the decision said.

On Nov. 16, 2001, the high tribunal affirmed the Makati Regional Trial Court's 1997 decision sentencing Jalosjos to reclusion perpetua on two counts of statutory rape and six counts of acts of lasciviousness. Despite the lower court decision, Jalosjos successfully ran for reelection twice.

Reflecting the novelty presented by what he called a "unique case," Escudero at first categorically denied that the House would automatically expel Jalosjos, saying under House rules a two-thirds vote of all 214 House members was required. But he later said several congressmen were of the opinion that the expulsion would be automatic and that the House need not vote on it. "This is a unique case because the crime was not committed during this Congress," Escudero said.

Escudero said other House leaders were of the view that the ethics committee had no jurisdiction over it because Jalosjos was convicted of a crime that happened in a previous Congress. "So there's a chance that the expulsion would be effected at once," he said, as soon as the SC turns over a copy of its decision to the House. Before any vote, House rules require the ethics committee to make a recommendation.

"Under our rules, there is no automatic expulsion," Escudero said. Once the Supreme Court transmits its decision to the House, Escudero said, the rules committee will refer the communication to the ethics committee, that would then convene a meeting to sign a report recommending his expulsion. Escudero could not say when the committee would meet. He said Isabela Rep. Antonio Abaya, ethics committee chair, was ill but that any of his vice chairs could take charge.

Escudero said it also remained to be seen whether a special election would be held to fill up Jalosjos' seat once he is expelled. "In the past there were no special elections to fill up vacancies arising from the deaths of congressmen," Escudero said. He said that if the barangay elections would push through in May, a special election could be held in Jalosjos' district. This would require a special law, however.

Escudero added that if Jalosjos' seat is vacated, Speaker Jose de Venecia could appoint a neighboring congressman or a special assistant to attend to his constituents. Escudero said Jalosjos had not been receiving his salary.

Goons prey on Swede in the heart of Manila
Posted: 0:38 AM (Manila Time) | December 13, 2001
By Philip C. Tubeza
Inquirer News Service

WHILE Abu Sayyaf terrorists continue kidnapping foreign missionaries in the south, petty criminals are preying on foreign tourists right in the heart of Manila. Local tourism took another beating after Swedish tourist Robert Erik Eriksson, 43, lost more than 4,000 dollars to members of the notorious Ativan gang after playing golf in Intramuros.

He became the third tourist to fall victim to criminals in Manila in four days. And the suspects even beat up Eriksson when he prematurely woke up after the culprits had drugged him to sleep. Eriksson, billeted at the City State Tower Hotel in Ermita, told the Western Police District (WPD) General Assignments Section (GAS) that he lost $4,400 dollars to two unidentified Ativan gang members.

The victim described the first suspect as "decent-looking," around 60-years-old, medium built, fluent in English, and 5'9" in height. The second suspect was twenty-ish, slim, fair-complexioned, sporting short hair, and was driving a white Toyota car. Eriksson added that he lost a wristwatch worth 4,000 dollars, a gold necklace worth 400 dollars, 2,500 pesos in cash, a T-shirt worth 40 dollars, and a pair of pants worth 25 dollars.

He said the incident happened around 3 p.m. on Dec. 7 near the Intramuros Golf Course. He said he had just finished playing golf and was waiting for a taxi when one of the two suspects approached and befriended him. The culprit, "who was glib," then offered Eriksson a ride back to his hotel. While they were on their way to City State Tower, the suspects offered him some juice drink.

After taking a sip, Eriksson said he felt dizzy and passed out. When he woke up, he was surprised to see that he was already near a police station in Carmona, Cavite. The victim, who had bruises in his body, later told policemen that he woke up while he was still inside the suspects' car. He said that he sensed that something was wrong and tried to fight off the two suspects. But the culprits ganged up on him and beat him up until he again passed out.

On Saturday, Indian tourist and businessman Yogesh Marhawa, 36, lost nearly 200,000 pesos to the Ativan gang. One of the suspects befriended Marhawa, pretending to be a CitiBank vice president, while he was walking also in Intramuros.

On Monday night, American tourist John Walter Pennel II, lost more than 2,000 dollars to two snatchers, who at first offered him to have "threesome sex" with them.

Menage-a-trois too expensive for tourist
11:17 PM (Manila Time) | December 11, 2001
By Philip C. Tubeza
Inquirer News Service

A 45-YEAR-OLD American tourist lost more than 2,000 dollars after an alleged gay and a woman offered him "threesome sex" in Ermita, Manila on Monday night. The victim nabbed the suspects when he saw them again Tuesday morning. It was too late. The money was already gone.

John Walter Pennel II, of Room 407 Palm Plaza Hotel Manila, told investigators he lost 2,375 dollars to suspects Ruben B. Bautista, 27, of 126 Magunhawa St. Pasay and Joy O. Gonzaga, 27.

The suspects denied they were the ones who duped the American. Pennel said he was walking along the corner of M.H. Del Pilar and Soldado streets in Manila around 10 p.m. Monday when he encountered the suspects.

Bautista allegedly approached him and, for 2,000 dollars, offered to have "threesome sex" with Pennel. The suspect allegedly made the offer while pointing to Gonzaga, who was standing nearby. But the American tourist claimed he refused since his girlfriend was sleeping in his hotel room.

Gonzaga then approached Pennel and tried to seduce him. Pennel claimed she began fondling his chest. But while trying to seduce the victim, Gonzaga suddenly snatched Pennel's money, which was kept inside a pouch.

The two suspects then quickly escaped toward an unknown direction, leaving behind the bewildered victim. Pennel decided to go back to the crime scene around 6 a.m. Tuesday to see if he could find the culprits. To his surprise, both Gonzaga and Bautista were there. Pennel wasted no time. He arrested the two persons, who did not resist. Pennel later asked for assistance at a nearby police outpost and brought the suspects to the Ermita police station.

But after conducting a body search on the two suspects, police did not find a trace of Pennel's money.

PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS NABBED FOR 'LIVE SHOW'
Philippine Star
Sunday December 9, 2001

Two alleged members of the United States Peace Corps. were arrested by members of the Western Police District Mobile Patrol Unit for allegedly engaging in torrid necking before a crowd in Ermita, Manila early yesterday morning.

Police said American Elizabeth Rosh, 25; and Eugene Quezada,26; were arrested by policemen during a routine patrol along Mabini street about 1 A.M. According to police inspector Richard Gando and senior police officer 1 Johnny Casper they were aboard their prowl car and were cruising along Mabini street when they chanced upon a small crowd gathering at Sinagoga street.

Police said the two officers checked out what was happening and saw the couple standing half-naked and necking in the dimly lit sidestreet before spectators. The policemen broke up the crowd and escorted the couple to a prowl car. According to the WPD Mobile Patrol Unit, the two were later turned over to the custody of the United States Embassy.

Failing to control their passion reportedly after taking drugs two American lovers engaged in torrid sex on a sidewalk in Ermita, Manila yesterday, but found themselves in jail, not in heaven, when they regained their senses. The two, Eugene Quezada, 26 and Elizabeth Rosh, 25, both natives of Alaska, USA and alleged members of the United States Peace Corps, were still doing it when collared by responding policemen.

Insp. Richard Gando said he and his two men were patrolling in Ermita, Manila around 1 A.M. yesterday when they noticed a commotion at the corner of Sinagoga and Mabini streets. Gando said some bystanders, mostly men, were even shouting while apparently watching a show. Curious, the lawmen approached the crowd to know what was going on. The cops were shocked upon seeing what the crowd was cheering on: Quezada and Rosh having sex on the sidewalk, unmindful of the presence of the people.

When the lawmen tried to stop the lovers from continuing the show, Rosh got irked and tried to attack them. "Tila nabitin pa iyong babae kaya pinagkakalmot nito ang mga pulis na umistorbo sa kanila," a bystander said. The two were subsequently brought to the police headquarters. Police said the two were apparently high on drugs, the reason why they did not mind having sex in public. But instead of filing criminal charges against the lovers, police said they may turn them over to the United States Embassy for proper disposition.

BACOLOD, Philippines (Reuters) - A 32-year-old Filipino farmer who believed his penis was driving him to sin sliced it off with a machete in a fit of religious fervor, family members and doctors said on Friday. Relatives said they found the former security guard lying on the floor, covered in blood and with a portion of his penis missing when they went to his hut on Negros island in the southern Philippines on Monday.

"He is a good son, and one of seven children, He indulged himself by reading the Bible,'' his mother told reporters in Bacolod City 306 miles south of Manila, where the man is now in hospital. "His act was probably triggered by the book of Matthew 18:8,'' she said. The verse, from the New Testament, reads "If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.''

Family members said they rushed the man to a nearby hospital in Bacolod where doctors said they had stitched up and reconstructed his penis, although it is now 20 percent shorter. Relatives said they were unable to find the severed portion. Doctors said the man's penis showed several wounds, indicating that the man had hacked at it several times before it detached.

"The mere act of cutting his penis signifies that he is psychotic,'' the doctor said, but did not indicate whether the man would undergo psychiatric evaluation. He is now in stable condition and his wounds were expected to heal in two and a half weeks, doctors said. The man will still be able to have children, the doctor added. The man's mother said her son had been depressed and obsessed with the Bible since his wife moved to Manila to work as a housemaid, leaving their young child to live with her family.

"He said he wanted to be nailed to a coconut tree,'' the man's mother said. "He had memorized the Bible and preaches with the pastors in our place. "He also advised other people to remove nude photos from their walls so that small children will not become sex maniacs later,'' the mother said. Today newspaper quoted the man as saying he had no regrets about cutting off his penis because it was driving him to sin. Local radio and newspaper reports said the man had visualized his penis as a "cobra'' drawing him toward women.

The idea being floated in Malacañang about the President declaring a one-week holiday this Christmas is insane. This absurd scheme will put an official stamp on absenteeism and laziness, at a crucial time when our nation needs to work, not indulge in partying and leisure.

There is a great deal of pontificating in Palace quarters that a one-week hiatus will constitute millions of pesos in "savings" in the form of the foregone use of electricity and other public utilities. This is nonsense. Wherever holidaymakers and pleasure-seekers may go, they’ll still need electricity. There’s no such thing as a vacation with vacationers fumbling around in the dark.

What the government may be calculating is that it will save on the expense of powering and air-conditioning some of its buildings. This is a false premise. The awful truth is that a weeklong holiday at the end of the year will destroy our economy. Businesses, already faltering and strapped for cash, will be forced to pay essential personnel extra pay to stay on the job, with these sums amounting to more than double the weekly wage.

The situation is horrible enough as it is. You don’t need a crystal ball to predict that many firms will be closing down, or declaring bankruptcy after the Christmas season. Desperate employers are maintaining their rosters, as it is, in order not to dampen the Christmas cheer of their soon-to-be-separated employees and workers.

Why should we be so different from the rest of the world, or more blessed by the god of employment? In New York City alone, more than 300,000 jobs were lost in the wake of the September 11 disasters. There will be millions of jobs lost in the "rich" United States in the weeks to come. All over the globe, powerful corporations and big manufacturers, not to mention high-tech firms, have been laying off workers on the average of 10,000 to 15,000 jobs per company, or more. Even Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe, is being swamped by a rising tide of unemployment and corporate failure.

And we’re planning more holidays? We must be living in a fools’ paradise. The problem is that we can’t even go back to a coconut economy like the South Sea islanders. In the old days, the coconut was described as "the tree of life." It provided drink, food, copra, building material, and a lot of other ingredients. In the image of an idyllic islander existence, all people had to do was nap in the sun and wait for the coconuts to fall. Today, we don’t have many coconuts left. Our once-prosperous coconut industry, owing to years of neglect and government indifference, has gone to hell the same hell to which our once-flourishing sugar production has gone. Decades ago we were one of the world’s biggest sugar exporters, vying with pre-Castro Cuba for a chunk of the US Sugar Quota. These days, criminal syndicates even have to smuggle in tons of sugar (and rice) to fill our needs.

The Department of Tourism is even claiming that a one-week Christmas holiday will encourage domestic tourism. Whaat? If Filipinos have only a few pesos in their pockets, they’ll go to window-shopping the malls which have replaced our parks (since our parks are overrun with muggers and squatters), or else stay put in their hometowns. There’s a beach almost everywhere, close to home for that matter. Worst of all, our officials who sponsor the one-week "happy happy" must have lost touch with reality. The end of the year is always budget and accounting time, with all accounts having to be squared and budgets toted up. Who’ll do these things if everyone is out on a lark?

What we need is hard work. Otherwise, in the end, there will be no work left for our wage-earners to do. In hard times, there is no substitute for perspiration. Coupled, of course, with faith.

Meanwhile, a taxi cab driver was electrocuted when he urinated on an electric post in Intramuros, Manila early Saturday morning. According to investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Raul Olavarrio, the victim, Ramonito Yuson, 37, of Phase 4, Package 4, Block 11, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, was urinating on the base of an electric post along Bonifacio Drive, Intramuros at about 4 a.m. when he accidentally touched a dangling live wire.

Court acquits Aussie on 87 counts of rape
By GILBERT BAYORAN
TODAY Correspondent

BACOLOD CITY-A 54-year-old Australian engineer, who has decided to spend the remaining days of his life in the Philippines, was acquitted Wednesday of 87 counts of rape.

Judge Reynaldo Alon, presiding judge of the Silay City Regional Trial Court Branch 40, said he ordered the release from jail of Australian John Paul Taylor after the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt in all the charges filed against him. Taylor has been in jail for two years and 10 months.

The complainant, a 14-year-old watch-your-car girl, accused Taylor of raping her for 91 days from September 2 to December 1998 at the Valladars Apartment on Roxas and Yap Quina streets in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Nene (not her real name), whose mother was employed by Taylor as a househelp, also claimed that the Australian employed intimidation in raping her.

In his 65-page decision, Alon said that, given the physical condition of Taylor at the time of the alleged rapes, with both of his legs being supported by steel braces and who uses a cane to support himself while walking, "such feat would be incredible." Alon added that the alleged 87 rapes that were repeatedly done in such a robotic manner, "is a story, not only this Court, but even an ordinary person will find absolutely absurd." "No human being is capable of such incredulous redundancy," he stressed.

Taylor admitted that the alleged victim's mother, a cigarette vendor whose identity is also being withheld, had compelled her daughter to file charges against him after he turned down their demands to pay them P125,000 to P300,000. Assuming that the alleged rapes did occur, Alon said, the complainant had several opportunities to shout for help since their rented apartment is located in a heavily populated area and a school zone.

The complainant's failure to flee, which she could have done, judging by the physical incapacity of the accused, and to shout for help before the alleged rape was committed, is inconsistent with the normal behavior of a woman who feels her virtue is being threatened, he also stressed. Taylor said he has been suffering from peripheral muscular atrophy for 11 years now. He arrived in the Philippines in 1974 after he retired from working in a mining company in Australia.

Although he said it is impossible for him to forgive those who had manufactured the accusations that led to his detention for almost three years, Taylor said he is not interested in filing countercharges against the alleged victim and her mother. "I was optimistic that I would be cleared since I am innocent," he added. Alon noted that the contradictions presented by the complainant in her declarations are too glaring and strike at her very credibility.

"In a criminal case, every doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused and the constitutional presumption of innocence still stands. For this reason, the accused must be acquitted," he said. TODAY

A Quezon City councilor has filed an ordinance that will require administrators of public places and private establishments to set-up separate toilets for homosexuals, who she said have different needs and concerns from males and females. "Setting up a separate and distinct comfort room for the third sex in public places and establishments will recognize their existence in society, thus enhancing their right as a human being," said councilor Janet Malaya of the city's Fourth District.

But Malaya's proposed ordinance was apparently addressing only the " needs and concerns and demands" of male homosexuals because no mention was made about lesbians. Under the proposal, owners and administrators of public places and private establishments in Quezon City must provide a partition or cubicle intended for the use of homosexuals inside toilets for men.

Malaya said putting up cubicles or partitions for homosexuals in rest rooms for males would be one of the requirements in securing or renewing building and business permits in Quezon City. According to Malaya, failure to comply with the ordinance would mean cancellation of business licenses and building permits.

Fernando Sarao, who trail blazed the fabrication of jeepneys out of discards from American military "jeeps" after the end of World War II, succumbed to a heart attack Monday. The 80-year old Sarao, famous for his colorful jeepneys that have become a Philippine hallmark known the world over, died in his Imus, Cavite farm. He is survived by his family.

Sarao's death is also symbolic of the beginning of the end of an industry, which has suffered a gradual downfall in recent years. It came less than nine months following the closure of Sarao Motors Incorporated. The country's pioneer jeepney manufacturer, Sarao Motors halted production citing rising production costs and low demand in October of 2000.

The firm's co-owner, Edgardo Sarao, said: "We can't maintain the cost of production, so we've had to shut it down. But we will maintain our collection office and the service department," he said. He also pointed out that consumers have practically stopped buying jeepneys altogether, opting instead to purchase AUVs and SUVs, even as more commuters are patronizing the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) around Metro Manila.

From a high of nine jeepneys a day, Sarao Motors now only sells four units a week at P316,000-319,000 a unit. Distinctly Filipino, jeepneys slowly became a household name in the 1960s shortly after Sarao started his business. With a vision to become the Henry Ford of the Philippines, Leopoldo Sarao refashioned the GI-issue jeep into the more popular Philippine jeepney, which accommodated more passengers and discarded the drab military look.

Sarao produced a customized jeepney used by Pope John Paul II during his first visit to the Philippines in 1981. The jeepney was also used by then candidate Joseph Estrada during the 1998 presidential campaign period, epitomizing the culture of the Filipinos. Sarao had earlier sought the assistance of then President Estrada to bail out the company and prolong its existence. Malacañang insisted, however, that the downfall of Sarao was basically caused by the company's failure to keep in pace with the times.

Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon filed on Monday a bill banning transsexual marriages, following last month's wedding of a Filipino transsexual to her U.S. serviceman boyfriend. Last month, Filipino Esperanza Martinez and U.S. Navy serviceman Jacob Allen Widener made headlines when they were married in simple wedding rites in Manila.

Their wedding was considered unique because Esperanza had to be declared a woman by a Manila Regional Trial Court before marriage. Christened as Barry Rommel Martinez, the six-foot-tall Filipino underwent a sex-change operation in Osaka, Japan, last January and a breast enhancement operation a decade ago. "I always thought of myself as a girl. I felt I was disabled to do something," Martinez told the court.

Esperanza and Jacob's wedding, which was the first of its kind in the Philippines, prompted Biazon to file a bill disallowing a man to marry a transsexual. Biazon said nature deemed man and woman to marry for "procreation and multiplication of the species." He said transsexuals who hide their true gender to their spouses may have their marriages nullified. "It goes against the intent of the Family Code. A marriage should be between natural born males and females," he said.

The families of two arriving passengers at both the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Manila Domestic Airport turned both terminals Friday afternoon into a scene reminiscent of the "Wild, Wild West" when two wives caught their husbands disembarking from their respective flights with a woman in tow.

The first scandal involved the arrival at the NAIA from Saudi Arabia of Manuel Espiritu, a technical engineer working at the Jeddah International Airport. He arrived with his girlfriend from Jeddah, not knowing that his wife, Luisa, and his three children, had staked out the airport waiting for him. Espiritu got the surprise of his life when his family suddenly appeared in front of him and his girlfriend. The next thing he knew, his wife and three children, had ganged up on his woman companion, creating a scene to the amusement of other arriving passengers. Timely intervention of the airport police prevented what could have been an uglier incident.

Espiritu, who arrived for a vacation from a three-year contract as a technical engineer at the Jeddah International Airport, explained to his family that he had become a Muslim while in Jeddah, and as such, could be allowed to three more wives. But no explanation could pacify his wife and three children, who asked him to make a choice between his real family and the other woman.

At the domestic terminal, the same scene was duplicated the same day when Elena Salvador, 36, caught her husband, Ariel, 33, with a woman in tow after disembarking from a domestic flight from Cagayan de Oro. Airport authorities said that the two incidents have become normal at both terminals, where husbands going astray are caught by their wives with a woman companion either departing or arriving from abroad or the provinces. The other women always claim when interviewed by airport authorities that they were made to believe that their men were single. In fact, some of the men proposed marriage to them, they added.

Two Papua New Guinea fishermen have bled to death after having their penises bitten off by piranha-like river fish. The fish, which zero in on urine streams in the water, have struck terror among villagers along the Sepik River, in north-western PNG.

Authorities believe the killer fish is an introduced member of the South American pacu family and a relative of the piranha. In both of last month's fatalities, the fish demonstrated a trait of the piranha by following a trail of urine in the water, swimming to its source and then biting it off with razor-sharp teeth.

Some believe the killer may be a food-source fish introduced from Brazil in 1994 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the PNG National Fisheries Authority. However, marine biologist and aquaculturist Ian Middleton said he believed they were a different species, introduced from across the PNG-Indonesia border.

He believed the fish had started biting humans because of a lack of naturally occurring food. "The reason for biting people on their genitals is a result of the fish detecting a chemical change in the water, swimming up the urine trail and biting the genitals."

This behavior was well documented in the Amazon, he said. The director of the PNG Office of Environment and Conservation, Dr Wari Iamo, yesterday expressed "grave concern and dissatisfaction" at the way some government agencies and donor organizations had gone about importing exotic plant and animal species.

A 44-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday charged with parricide before the Makati City Prosecutor's Office for killing his 21-year-old son who was said to be having an affair with his own 19-year-old sister.

Eulogio Bacarro admitted killing his son Bryan. "It was too much," was all Bacarro said after he was charged with his son's killing. The young Bacarro on Monday died from several stab wounds in his father's house at 4050 Bernardino St., Laperal Compound in Barangay Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City.

Makati City police homicide investigator PO2 Juvenal Barbossa said the stabbing happened while father and son were arguing. Police said the young Bacarro pulled out a knife but his father managed to wrest the knife from him and used it to stab him repeatedly.

The argument between father and son began when the young Bacarro fetched his sister from his father's house on Monday afternoon, police said. The siblings, police said, were living in a rented house in Mandaluyong City as husband and wife. But the older Bacarro learned of the incestuous affair and took home his daughter, police said.

The young Bacarro, police said, then went to his father's house to fetch his sister, triggering the argument with his father. The older Bacarro surrendered to police after the stabbing. He told police that his daughter admitted she was her brother's lover but claimed that he had been raping her since April.

The Philippine Star reported that in a recent public opinion poll by Pulse Asia, a nationally representative sample of adult Filipinos "were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, 'Wala nang pag-asa ang bansang ito kaya kung maaari lamang ay magma-migrate ako at duon na sa ibang bansa maninirahan.' (This country is already hopeless and if possible I would migrate and live in another country.)" Almost half of the Filipinos (forty-four percent) replied either that they "would migrate to another country, if possible" or that they "are undecided about leaving but will not rule out this option as of now." Geographically, "the sense of desperation is clearly strongest among those surveyed in the Visayas" (Samar, Leyte, Negros, etc.). Among socioeconomic categories, "hopelessness is most apparent among the poorest people," "those who are poorly educated," and "the generally poorly paid government employees and those who farm for a living." The percentage of Filipinos who are ready to leave their country "would probably be among the highest national proportion if a comparative study of migration preferences were conducted worldwide."

A jobless man hacked and wounded his wife and mother-in-law with a jungle bolo after he got fed up with their nagging over his drinking habit in Parañaque City on Monday night, the police said. Victim Delma Bernales, 30, housewife, suffered a deep hack wound in the head and lost four of her fingers, while her mother, Conchita Calsaja, 51, sustained hack wounds to her jaw. Both are undergoing medical treatment at the Philippine General Hospital. Police are now looking for the suspect, Edito Bernales, 33, who escaped after the incident. An investigation conducted by Senior Police Officer 2 Bert Parena showed the hacking occurred at around 9:30 p.m. at Calsaja’s house, where the couple are also staying. It was learned that before the incident the two victims were ganging up on Edito, scolding him for coming home drunk and for failing to find a job. At the height of the tongue-lashing, Edito reportedly grabbed a jungle bolo and hacked the victims.