a tanker containing oil for petron corporation ran aground in the visayan seas here in the philippines. it happened last week. oil continues to spill and threatens to destroy the livelihood of thousands of people. it also endangers an ecosystem that is rich in biodiversity. my mother attended a funeral of an uncle there two days ago. he says oils has already "stained" whitesand beaches. but local people and the people are working hard to minimise the possible damage.

i live in the city. but my relatives live in a province 8 hours away from manila by bus. at the moment, the people in my place are experiencing something they thought belonged to the days of martial law. my mother sent me a text message while i was enjoying a rock music festival last night. they (not specified who) are cheking residence certificates at night and those who do not have are beaten. so there is now a mad rush to secure residence cetificates so much so that the local issuing offi...

The hearing of the rape case filed against Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, Staff Sargeant Chad Carpentier, Lance Corporals Dominic Duplantis and Keith Silkwood has been concluded lastweek. The victim (nicknamed Nicole) and one of her lawyers claim that the end of the hearing of the has been abrupt and unexpected. Her lawyers were still expecting to present additional evidence and more importantly to cross examine the proofs of the defense panel. Judging of the case will be on November 27.

four US military officers are currently undergoing court litigation here in the Philippines. They are accused of gang-raping a woman nicknamed "Nicole" to protect her identity. The US army officers are under the Visiting Forces Agreement between the US and the Philippine Government after the 9/11 attacks as part of the global effort to stem terrorism. The case is being heard in the Makati Regional trial court. Watch this space for further developments and more details.