Mall Guard Shoots Grocery Client.

     A Mall security guard shot and almost killed a shopper in a mall a few days ago after they both fell into a hated argument. The victim, Florante Ileto and his wife were about to enter the grocery section of a nearby mall when the guards asked them to leave their shopping bags at the baggage counter before entering the grocery area. This is the usual thing that mall or grocery guards tell or ask the clients before they can enter the premises, leave your plastic bags or any kind of gear in the baggage counter and get them back later on.

      Why? It's a common method employed by the malls to prevent shoplifters from hiding their stolen items inside the plastic bags. Yup, in the Philippines before you can enter an establishment like malls and large groceries you are frisked, your bags inspected and your plastic bags must be left at the counter. Clients are frisked and searched to prevent terrorists and criminals from bringing in bombs and weapons which I think is reasonable to protect mall goers but being suspected as a shoplifter is very, very unacceptable. It specially pisses me off when I'm going out of the mall after shopping that the guards have to check my receipts, that really ticks me off. What am I a thief? Although I do understand that the guards are only obeying what the mall owners are telling them to do.

     Not all Filipinos are thieves, at least not the ordinary Pinoys although I certainly cannot guarantee the character of the Filipino politicians and government officials. I think the guard and the grocery client fell into an argument about that policy of the malls of not allowing shopping bags from being taken inside their stores. Maybe the client and his wife got insulted and started arguing with the guard and the guard was in a bad mood or something and got fed up with the clients' yapping.

     I really don't know what happened that day because I wasn't there but I can only say one thing, never argue with a guy that packs a loaded gun unless you're well armed too and willing to engage in a firefight. But that might end up badly with both of you dead and maybe injure a couple of Innocent bystanders as well so it's better not go that far. Besides, it's always wiser and safer to walk away in any risky situation before it escalates into a more dangerous and deadly confrontation. It's always better to be safe than be sorry later on guys. Why? Because once you end up dead, you stay dead forever bro!

Baby Stolen from its Mother inside a Grocery Store.

     A 2 week old baby was stolen from its mother inside a grocery store a few days ago. The mother who was from a poor family was inside a local convenience store when a woman offered her Php500 as financial help. The young mother thought that the stranger was a "Good Samaritan" who was trying to help her out and she quickly and willingly took the offered money without thinking twice.

     The mother said she was busy choosing which groceries to buy  when the "kind woman" asked if she could help her carry her baby so that she can finish her errands faster. In good faith the young mother let the woman hold her child while she was busy buying their much needed goods. It was later on that she noticed that the woman was gone and that her baby was nowhere to be found. She desperately looked for her baby and asked the employees to help her find her child but it was too late. The CCTV of the store showed that the woman indeed left the establishment with the baby in her arms.

     Police said this was a new "Modus Operandi"or mode of operation from baby thieves and the coppers suspect that the woman was a member of a syndicate which kidnaps and sells babies for profit. The Philippine National Police (PNP) warned the public from such unscrupulous persons and is now investigating the crime committed by that woman. The cops said that the CCTV footage would greatly help them in catching the baby thief. I hope that coppers are right about catching that evil woman....

     I do agree that the woman is engaged in selling babies to childless couples because in the Philippines it is a common practice among adopting parents to falsify the Birth Certificates of children and instead of adopting legally they just pretend to have given birth and bribe the necessary persons to make the certificate valid. The police calls it "simulated birth" and is now illegal but it is still being done all over the country because legal adoption takes a long, long time and costs a lot of money.

      Although I do not condone such illegal methods but if I were in the shoes of the adoptive parents who have been childless for many years and are desperate in having their own kid.....I honestly don't know what I'll do too. I could stick to my principles of obeying the law but if my wife and I are really desperate to adopt a kid and we have the cash to pay for it then it's very difficult to do the right thing. That's why these syndicates or individuals that steal and sell babies for profit are still thriving in our country.

     So the bottom line is that the Government should encourage childless couples to do the legal way of adopting by lessening the delay and the court fees without sacrificing the protection for the child being adopted. The Government should increase the penalty on child kidnappers, of course the cops have to catch them first before they can be jailed which sometimes never happens.....Yeah, strange things do happen in our country and oftentimes it's embarrassing. Only in the Philippines guys, only in the Philippines.

Now You See It, Now You Don't!

     The Board of Governors Conference of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is being held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) since yesterday and a lot of delegates from all over the world are attending the symposium. That's good news, the Philippines will be famous again to these foreign dignitaries and maybe they will come back to our country after the said meeting but this time as tourists. Perfect scenario, eh? Nice move from the Philippine Government huh?

     Well, you better not believe everything that you hear or see boys and girls. The said Conference was almost picture perfect except that the roads and bridges along the dignitaries route, probably from the airport going to their hotels and all the way up to the PICC that have "illegal and informal settlers" or "squatters" residents have been boarded up with pre-painted steel sheets. The purpose is to prevent such eyesores from being seen or noticed by the foreign dignitaries passing by that route. The bridges were also boarded up to cover the view of the polluted and stinking river and the destitute people that live under the bridges.

     Isn't that a clever, clever move by the Noynoy Aquino Administration? Conceal eyesores from the foreigners' eyes and they will never find out that the Philippines is run by Corrupt and Crooked Leaders. Yes, simple and effective solution to a never ending problem. Just like what that dumb and idiotic Puerto Galera Town Mayor and Barangay Captain said about the raw sewage problem in that area. Simply make the sewage pipe longer and deeper so that it will drain out into the deep blue sea. I guess idiocy and absurdity is a common trait of these corrupt politicians.

     So there it is, the slogan of President Noynoy Aquino during the last Presidential Election is about the "Daang Matuwid" or the "Honorable and Honest Way" to Governance. I guess he forgot to say that the "Daang Matuwid" is boarding up roads and bridges with painted steel sheets to cover up the poor residents and to hide other eyesores. I remember that during the tim of President Fidel V. Ramos when th APEC Summit was held here in our country that they did the same thing, the only difference is that they used plywood to cover up squatters' area from view and had the shanties painted in uniform colors to make it look "acceptable" to the foreign delegates eyes. I guess these Politicians are all the same in character, they just come in different shapes, sizes and hairdo.....:))))

Pres. Aquino Rejects Php125 Wage Increase.

     Well, after all that campaign slogan and promises of President Noynoy Aquino about alleviating the plight of the ordinary Filipinos during the last Presidential Elections; it all comes down to this, outright rejection of the proposed Php125 nationwide across the board increase for minimum/daily wage workers. The President said the businessmen cannot afford such an increase and the best that they can give the poor Pinoy worker is Php8.

     Yup, eight pesos bro! 8, eight, ocho, huit, acht, otto in numerical, English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. Eight pesos which is not even enough to pay for your bus, jeepney, pedicab or tricycle fare. The President said that the businessmen will not be able to afford the Php125 across the board increase and it will only result in the widespread bankruptcy of businesses and the price hikes of commodities. He further added that it will result in massive lay-offs of workers. Maybe the President knows what he's talking about, with all that thousands of Hacienda Luisita workers that his clan employs and oppressed for so many generations....hmmm..

     The President and his businessman buddies even had the balls to compare us to countries like Vietnam and Cambodia whose workers they say earn way, way less than the Filipino "Obrero" or working class. Okay, so Pinoys earn more than the Vietnamese and the Cambodians, the question is this; how much is the cost of living in Vietnam and Cambodia compared to the Philippines? Is it more expensive to live there or is it more cheaper to reside there?

     It has always been this way ever since the Labor Day has been enacted and celebrated by the Masses. The Politicians and the Businessmen always say no to the requests of the poor workers. Sorry we can't give you that because it will cause mass lay-offs or it will make our business go belly up. Yeah, sure manure! Do you think the Filipino laborers still buy that old and over used explanation? The ordinary Pinoy worker may have never finished a degree in college but they are not that stupid. At least not now with all that Labor Rights Groups educating them about their rights as workers.

     So there it is, another May 1st has passed and still the Pinoy "Obrero" is as usual, deprived of his rights to a decent wage increase. Same old story every year, just given a different title. I am proud though of these people, these daily wage earners, student activists, labor and human rights groups and all of the ordinary folks that joined the rally in Mendiola last Tuesday. It gave us hope the way the various labor group leaders faced and answered the President and his men who were clearly lying and are jerking us all Juan Dela Cruzes around, the old Politicians bullshit doesn't work anymore. The ordinary Filipinos already know how there animals think, move and talk. We are no longer fools....

     So to the "Obreros" who joined the rally in Mendiola, thank you very much for supporting and fighting for our rights even if we always end up disappointed and screwed again and again by this Corrupt Government and by these Greedy Businessmen. To the student activists and various human rights and labor groups, keep holding on to that dream that someday all Laborers will have a decent job, right wages and protected  from selfish and greedy employers. Never give up the fight because you are our only hope against these scumbags....Mabuhay ang mga Magagawang Pilipino! Long live the ordinary Filipino workers!

Still No Justice for Ruby Rose Barrameda.

     Do you still remember Ruby Rose Barrameda? The beautiful young Filipina who went missing a couple of years ago and was later found inside a steel oil drum filled with cement out in the Navotas sea in 2009? Yeah, I'm sure you guys will recall that terrible, horrifying and shocking crime that happened to her. Well, it's been more than three long years from that horrific day when the cops and her family hauled that steel drum from the shallow waters of the Navotas fish port. I remember my reaction while watching that news report on TV 3 years ago. It was full of shock, disgust and repulsion at what those heartless bastards did to that pitiful young mother of two.

     What's the worst part was the fact that the mastermind to that heinous crime was her own former husband Manuel Jimenez III, her father-in-law; Manuel Jimenez Jr. and her uncle-in-law; Lope Jimenez who owns the Buena Swerte Jimenez Fishing Company in Navotas City. The 3 hounds from hell, Manuel Jimenez, Jr., Lope Jimenez and Manuel Jimenez III ordered their henchmen to rape, torture and strangle Ruby with a piece of plastic bag before putting her inside a steel drum and filling it with cement and using one of their fishing vessels to drop that drum into the sea.

     One of the murderers who turned state witness said that she was still alive when they put her inside the drum and that they forced a bottle inside her throat to shut off her screams. Sweet Jesus! Do you believe this kind of cruelty really exists in this world? If I can recall correctly the news report said she was killed, sealed in a steel drum and dumped in the sea when her ex-husband and her in-laws got pissed at her for asking too much money as financial support and for seeking custody of her kids.

     The evil minded and sadistic threesome owned a sardine canning business and are a very rich and powerful clan in Navotas. Damn, it's a good thing that these 3 buggers didn't decide to ground her to bits and mixed her up and included her as ingredients in the millions of canned sardines that they sell huh? Otherwise her body would have never been found. Like most Filipinos I eat a lot of canned sardines because that is what I can usually afford. Anyway, I think I better change the topic as I'm beginning to feel nauseous just thinking about if I ate....Oops, too late, there goes my midnight snack!

     After three long years, that old fart Manuel Jimenez Jr., is still confined at the Heart Center of the Philippines under hospital arrest allegedly for medical reasons and Ruby's ex-husband and former uncle-in-law are still scot-free. I guess it's really great if your filthy rich, you'll never see the insides of a jail cell and you can always have your lawyers delay your arrest, trial and conviction for let's say....a million years or so! Crap and a lot more of crap!!! I guess Ruby was still lucky even after what happened to her. Why? It's not because the cops found her gruesome remains, let's be candid here guys, the Philippine National Police is not that intelligent.

     She's still lucky because: 1) One of her murderers after allegedly being bothered by his conscience confessed to the cops and pointed out exactly where they dumped her steel sarcophagus. 2) Her former husband, father-in-law and uncle-in-law ordered their henchmen to fill up the steel drum with cement which made her body resist decomposition longer, thus her remains were still intact when the authorities opened the drum and removed the mortar and 3) Her butchers dumped her steel tomb into the shallow waters of the Navotas fish port which resulted in it's easy recovery other wise if it was dumped in the deepest waters of the sea, not even "Titanic" movie producer James Cameron who loves exploring the deepest abyss in the ocean would be able to find her steel grave.

     I hope Ruby Rose Barrameda gets the justice that she deserves, I mean, I don't know her personally and I can't vouch for her character but even if what her husband and in-laws say about her bad attitude is true; nobody deserves to be raped, tortured, strangled, murdered and placed inside a steel drum filled with cement and thrown into the sea. Maybe in a horror flick or novel we would enjoy reading or watching things like this to keep our adrenalin pumping and our imagination working, but in real life? No way dude, that is simply too brutal and barbaric! Yup, even for a Stephen King fanatic like me that is too way weird for me! Hell, even for Stephen king himself, that is too scary for him! We can't accept these things in real life folks and we shouldn't tolerate people who do these crimes too. Let's put them in the slammer and leave them there to rot because that is what they deserve!!! Damn those Hounds from Hell!!!

Another Honest Taxi Driver Featured in Facebook.

     Another Filipino taxi driver shows the world that there are still a lot of decent Pinoys in the Philippines. The cab driver, Maximo Aton, 35 years old with 4 kids and one of them has an eye defect; immediately returned a bag left by his passenger Raine Cruz which contained a laptop and PHp5,000 in cash.

     Cruz and his companion took Aton's cab from Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas and told the driver to take them to Taytay, Rizal. It was when the two passengers alighted from the taxi that they noticed that they have left their belongings. The passenger Raine Cruz immediately called the Hotel and asked if the security personnel has some record as to the cabs' plate number or something and he was surprised that the security personnel gave him not only the cab's license plates but even the cabby's phone number.

      When Cruz called Aton about the lost bag, the cab driver immediately said that he tried to return the luggage but was unable to trace back where he had dropped his passengers off. So to cut the story short, the cabby returned the lost laptop and Php5,000 intact to it's rightful owner.

     As a result of this cabby's honesty, the laptop owner, Raine Cruz featured the taxi driver in his facebook account and now the whole world  is learning more about this simple Pinoy's trustworthiness and righteousness. We need more Pinoys like this guy, deep in financial difficulty and economic woes that he can't have his kid's eye problem treated but still he kept his moral values intact.

     If you want to know more about this reliable cabby, try looking him up at facebook. Rain Cruz wrote the whole story in his account so do check it out. I'll probably become one of this taxi drivers' countless fans. I love these kind of  Filipinos; I simply enjoy hearing stories about simple folk's honesty. I hope we have a billion more of these people in our country. :)

OFW Tortured in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

     Another female Overseas Filipino Worker was beaten, tortured and tormented; probably raped and sodomized too by her Arab employers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The hapless woman was denied her salary for 14 months as a domestic helper, never allowed to communicate with her family back in the Philippines and deliberately being starved by her masters.

     In the rarest of occasions that the husband and wife employers were in a splendid mood, they do give her some food, spoiled food that is. Yup, rotten food that even your pet dog or cat wouldn't even bother to eat. Before I forget to tell you folks, the Pnay OFW said she was regularly beaten by the husband and wife tandem with a 2x2 piece of lumber all over her body. The OFW said the Arab couple gets so much pleasure and satisfaction that they laugh their asses off when they see blood coming out of her injuries. The Filipina said the couple gets off watching her bleed.

     What the hell is this? I've heard of weird couples finding pleasure in masochism and torture directed at them prior to or while having sex but this is beyond description. Her employers enjoying giving her the worst form of cruelty and then after seeing her twist and scream in agony they probably rush to their bedroom to have a go at it? Is the temperature so hot in the Middle East that most of the locals there have fried their brains out and lost all their sense of humanity? I mean, this is not the first case of maltreatment and torture that OFWs have reported and complained about in that part of the world. There have been many more, way too many if you ask me.

     My heart goes out to this Filipina OFW, she only wanted to earn some decent money to help her family back home and she gets treated worse than a slave or an animal. She choose to be a domestic helper rather than steal or do something illegal here in our country and she gets this kind of crap. We've heard more than enough horror stories about our OFWs and it's not good to just watch and feel sorry for them. Our Government should finally make moves about banning or suspending deployment of OFWs to countries that are notorious in maltreating our fellowmen. Enough is enough!!!