IF we ask, who is the greatest Filipino athlete of all time?

As of August 3, 2024, the day gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo bagged the Philippines’ second gold medal, so far, in the World Olympic Games in Paris, France, the answer should be 24-year-old Carlos Edriel Yulo.

If, by a stroke of luck, another Filipino athlete competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics was able to chalk up two gold medals before the conclusion of the World Olympic Games in Paris, he or she could dislodge Yulo from our “all-time the best” ranking.

FIRST THE QUESTIONS:

—Why not weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz who won the country’s first Olympic Games gold medal in Tokyo three years ago (the 2000 Tokyo Olympics was held in 2021 because of the pandemic) to end our gold medal drought since we first participated in the 1924 Paris Olympics?

—Why not Manny Pacquiao who won eight world boxing titles in eight different weight categories?

—Why not bowler Arianne Cerdeña, originally the first Filipino to win the gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics?

—Why not Efren “Bata” Reyes, who won the world 9-ball championship in 1999 and the world 8-ball championship in 2004?

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—Why not Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno, who won the World Cup of Bowling four times (1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996) and the World’s Invitational Tournament in 1984 and the World Tenpin Masters championship in 1999?

—Why not the late former Asian Games track and field queen Lydia de Vega, first Asian world boxing champion Pancho Villa (Francisco Guilledo), the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga, Asia’s first chess grand master Eugene Torre, and so on and so forth?

THE ANSWERS:

—Hidilyn Diaz, 33. She could be second to Yulo by virtue of being the first Filipino to officially win the World Olympic Games gold medal. Nothing can take away this sterling distinction from her. Let’s give credit where credit is due. But, unlike Yulo who is gymnastics world champion in floor exercise (2019, 2018); vault (2021, 2022), parallel bars (2021, 2022) before the World Olympic Games, Diaz never won a world title in weightlifting except for the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

—Arianne Cerdeña, 62. Although she won the gold medal in bowling, it was a demonstration event in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, thus it was not counted in the medal tally. Bowling, sad to say, never became an official Olympic Games event until today; however, it is popular in the Special Olympics.

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—Manny Pacquiao, 45. If the former senator from Saranggani province in Mindanao won the eight world boxing title belts in the World Olympic Games, he would be notches away from Yulo and the rest of the pack as “the greatest Filipino athlete of all time.” Pacquiao fought in the professional rank, enriching himself through the help of shrewd promoters in glitzy Las Vegas. Unlike Yulo, 24, who fought against fellow Olympic greats from other countries (he upset Tokyo Olympics champion Artem Dolgopyat in Paris) around the world in major world championships even before the 2024 Paris Olympics, Pacquiao would collect the eight world boxing tiaras at the behest of Bob Arum who picked his opponents. Pacquiao became instant world champion only after one fight without tackling and eliminating the top 10 contenders in each of the eight weight classes. All his bouts were shortcut or automatic championships. Yulo bagged the gold after passing through the proverbial eye of the needle in grueling rocking of floor routine capped off with a stuck twist versus highly regarded rivals. Nothing can compare to the Olympic Games gold medal; it’s the highest and most prestigious sports medal in the globe.

—Efren “Bata” Reyes, Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno, Lydia de Vega, Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga, Pancho Villa, Eugene Torre, and other great Filipino athletes were outstanding and legendary, but without a gold medal in the World Olympic Games, in terms of “the greatest of all time,” they will always be behind the king, Carlos “Edriel” Yulo.

(The author, who is now based n New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

The post Why Yulo’s Olympic gold is more valuable than Pacquiao’s 8 world titles first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

Meanwhile, it has not entered the agenda of either of the two houses of our own Congress.

I have used the word “taming” as a title of this essay, because that is exactly how I look at AI, that it is like a wild animal that has to be “tamed”, otherwise it could go on a rampage that could cause damage or even death to humans.

As a wild animal, it also has to be domesticated, otherwise it could just become feral, with no economic value or contribution to society.

Microsoft Copilot defines AI as the “ability of digital computers or computer-controlled robots to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings”.

According to Copilot, among these tasks are reasoning, discovering meaning, generalizing and learning from past experiences. In computer parlance, the latter is defined as “machine learning” (ML).

Just to be clear, it is not the robot itself that is intelligent. It is the software program that runs the robot that is intelligent.

In other words, an AI program does not need to take on a robotic physical form in order to function. That is the case of Alexa and Siri, two AI programs that could function through any computing device.

Right now, the understanding of most people about AI is limited to chatbots like Copilot, ChatGPT and Gemini, but AI is really more than just chatbots.

Technically, a chatbot is also a robot even if it does not have a physical form, but there are many other AI programs that have taken physical forms, like ASIMO, JUSTIN and CHARLI.

It is not too late for our Congress to start studying how AI could be used for the good of our country in general, and for the good of our national security in particular, including our food security.

In case our Congress issues a call for help, I can mobilize our local AI experts to come in as resource persons, because I know many of them. Just invite them, and they will come.Ike Señeres

The post The taming of artificial intelligence first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

THE main worries of the Treñas political bandwagon in Iloilo City nowadays is that it appears it has failed to convince many political leaders and allies in the barangays to shift their allegiance to Raisa Treñas-Tiu or Raisa Treñas two months after Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas announced his breakup with former protégé, lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda.

The Treñas camp was expecting a tsunami to hit Baronda after that shock announcement of parting of ways, but what happened was a drizzle.

Based on most recent developments, there are pro-Treñas political leaders and allies, including their supporters, who are adamant to junk Baronda for Raisa.

In fact, the efforts to isolate and jettison Baronda may have backfired; the lady solon apparently continues to enjoy immense popularity among the women and young voters who have found no major reason to dump her.

This is a bad start and definitely a potential major headache for the Treñas camp.

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If city hall can’t halt Baronda’s surge despite the sustained carpet-bombing these past weeks, Treñas might indeed be forced to swallow his pride and face Baronda in the congressional battle, instead of risking everything by forcing his daughter to tangle versus the more popular and charismatic Baronda.

If Papa Jerry, who has an amazing string of political victory, will take the driver’s seat against Baronda, daughter Raisa will understand. She can pave the way and wait in 2028.

But if Papa Jerry really thinks daughter Raisa is ripe for the coveted congressional job despite the handwriting on the wall and they can hack the win against the “silent” Baronda, father and daughter might decide to cross the bridge together with bated breath.  

Politics has always been full of surprises and tense moments.

It’s too early to speculate and many things could happen before the serious campaign kicks off for the 2025 local election.

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MORE former Department of Health (DoH) secretaries and high-ranking officials have been implicated in plunder and charged with violation of anti-graft and corrupt practices act.

From now Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin to Dr. Francisco Duque III, among other health department bigwigs.

In the list of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) for the most corrupt departments and agencies, the top three were the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs.

DoH could be in the top 10 along with Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Philippine National Police (PNP).

What happened to the big names from the aforementioned departments who were implicated in graft and corruption or those who enriched themselves while in office?

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(Ika-004 nga Binalaybay sa serye nga tag-ilinit. Ginbalay ni Ambassador, Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr., sa Kaagahon sang ika-11 sang Mayo,2024, sa Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

BISAN PA NGA MABUDLAY

I

Ang mga ginaatubang nga kahimtangan kag bagay, Agud indî ka dayon magtigulang, mahapos lang kag tuman ka halay,

Atubanga lang ini nga nagayuhom kag may kalipay.

II

Bisan pa gabi tuman ka gin-ot,

Indî ka gid magbinuringot,

 Kay madasig lang sinâ ang hitsura mo maga kulurinot,

Ari ay laygay ko nga lusot,

Kabiga lang ini nga tion sang Kaham-ot,

Kay bulawanon ini nga tion kon san-o,

Tanan kita makapaindis-indis sang aton mga ilok, magpahamot-hamot!..

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FIRST CONTRACEPTIVE. The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by the Egyptians in 2,000 B.C. It was replaced with elephant droppings when they realized it wouldn’t work.

CALORIES BURNT. The more intense the sex, the more calories are burnt: up to 10,000 calories annually. How? Having sex 3 times a week burns 7,500 calories per year. That’s the equivalent of jogging 75 miles (120.675 km).

PREGNANT AFTER ORGASM. If a woman experiences an orgasm during sex, she’s more likely to become pregnant, since orgasmic spasms in pelvic muscles can help move sperm up the vaginal canal to the uterus.

INFERTILE. Although it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg, a man whose ejaculate yields less than 35 million sperm is considered infertile.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo. — Ed)

The post But Jamjam doesn’t sink first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

After the presentation, along with other friends we had a lengthy discussion about just anything and exchanged banters in between laughter. I remember him telling me that after his three year study in Rome he will make sure that I will finally wed and he will officiate the ceremonies. I told him that I threw a party and celebrated after knowing that his stay will be extended indefinitely because of his appointment which everybody around had a hearty laugh. We talked about how close Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is with Pope Francis and how the pope defied several traditions in the Vatican including his very down to earth demeanor which many conservative members of the Catholic Church don’t like. A pope should act like he is way above everyone and Pope Francis doesn’t like it.

The conversation eventually shifted to my profession. How’s the media he asked. Of course, to answer his question will take all our time. I told him that the landscape today is no longer the same as before. Social media has forced a 360 degree turnaround and perhaps a paradigm shift to the traditional media which includes television, radio and the print industry. It has changed the landscape of the traditional media. Like for example, before, people are merely waiting for the radio to tell the latest news stories. Nowadays, the people are the ones telling the radio people of the news stories as it happens. They would even oftentimes dictate the manner of how they want radio to spread the stories. Before, it’s just the radio reporters who flock road accidents or police operations and report and document the unfolding stories. Today, everybody wants to be a reporter and will find a way to aim their mobile phone cameras at the subjects and post it right away on their social media accounts.

The print medium is far worse. In fact, like radio, it has begun its extinction stage as everybody from advertisers to readers today would rather prefer the social media as their source of information thus ads placement are now online and digital. People would rather scan their mobile phones to know the latest than look for a newspaper and read. Sadly, mobile contents are free of charge. Newspapers will cost readers a few pesos. Investigative writing and reporting is now a thing of the past as readers are merely reading the first two lines and will scan new stories to check instead of read. Reporters and writers will have to report and write their stories for publication the following day and people can no longer wait as they can browse their mobile phones and social media accounts to know about the latest and as it happens. People want to see the graphic presentation of the stories they want to know while the traditional print media is bound to follow journalistic standards and guidelines.

From nowhere, Fr. Marvin related the same reality in the media industry with their experiences as priests. He actually raised a question that made us pause and listen intently. Why are there fewer churchgoers than those who attend regular prayer rallies and meetings? Is there something wrong with the priest preaching the Bible inside the church?

Even I was left thinking and speechless for a while because the truth is the Catholic Church, once considered as the strongest religion is experiencing a diminishing number of churchgoers. Does it have a direct correlation with our belief in God? But why is it that those who preach in stadiums and other outdoor venues have far greater and bigger attendance compared to those who go to church and listen for the mass? Indeed, what is wrong with the church?

Teachings-wise, it’s practically the same. It’s actually the same story told in different versions. Does it have something to do with technology? I mean what’s technologically advanced in preaching outside and in stadiums? Do we have a greater chance of redemption there? Or perhaps, the rituals of the Catholic Church has gone obsolete and have been left by time that the new generation today can no longer relate. But God is not time bound. So what’s wrong indeed?

We all bid each other good night and parted with a lot of questions to think about. Maybe, it’s God’s way of telling me to search for more and get closer with him. Maybe. Or maybe, something is simply wrong.

Farewell meantime, Father Marvin. See you in the Vatican soon.

The post Maybe first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

I really can’t imagine how the section or department inside DepEd that is assigned in producing such reading materials could be so reckless or work with utter disregard of basic editing and proofreading that such kind of errors happen again and again. I mean they are being paid using the people’s money and the most they can do is to produce such kind of erroneous reading materials. Worst, we are talking here of reading materials that are being used as foundations of basic education. Or is it possible that the lack of DepEd personnel or too much workload on a person assigned to do the job of proofreading and editing are the primary cause of these lapses? Or perhaps, it’s about irresponsibility on the part of those working on the said modules that they delegate everything to the contractor assigned to print the materials.

No matter what the reasons are, the lapses are reflective of the kind of leadership the education department has. This is the problem if the head of the agency was appointed out of political considerations. Being vice president does not necessarily qualify Sara Duterte to head the Education portfolio. She may be famous and an experienced local leader prior her election as vice president but it doesn’t mean that she is the most qualified to lead the department. Of course, I must make myself clear that I am not underestimating her capabilities. In fact, I am one of those who voted for her. All I am saying is simple, being a good surgeon does not make one a good carpenter.

And you can only imagine the head of the education department slugging it out with the legislators just to have her requested P150-million confidential fund approved. She may have failed and eventually conceded that she can’t have her CF but her act only qualified her understanding of her role as education secretary. She would rather address the eroding literacy rate in the country and the low quality of education by equating it with national security while arguing that the communists are infiltrating the schools with their ideologies. It’s unfortunate that instead of sitting down with qualified and distinguished educators and seeking a thorough dialogue on how to improve the quality of education in the country, Sara Duterte was busy arguing with Congress to have a confidential fund allocated for DepEd.

Learning materials are of utmost importance in helping educators inculcate the value of knowledge among the young minds. It’s hard to imagine our teachers trying their best to help mold the minds of the younger generation using erroneous learning materials. Sadly, the problematic learning materials are just the icing on the cake. I am afraid Secretary Duterte is not even aware that until now, several schools are holding classes under the trees and makeshift classrooms. I am even certain that she has not attempted to resolve the very high ratio of students per teachers in public schools thus resulting in inefficiency and ineffectiveness.

Now who is to blame for the quality of education in our country?

The post Being a good surgeon does not make one a good carpenter first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

Condé Nast Traveler is among the media brands owned by Condé Nast, a global mass media company which also owns Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, Wired and Bon Appétit. Its Wikipedia data boasts of 72 million consumers in print, 394 million in digital and 454 million in social media platforms. Thus, being included in the Top 10 List is not merely something but a big thing that as a Filipino I must be proud of.

Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco of the Tourism Department said that the achievement reflects the hard work, dedication and sustainable tourism efforts of the country, from the local communities, national and local government agencies and stakeholders who have strived tirelessly to preserve and enhance the beauty of the world recognized islands.

I can speak a little about Palawan and Siargao. Twice I have travelled to Palawan and I am always in awe of the crystal clear sea water and superbly clean shoreline of its public beaches. In Siargao, I just love the very laid back lifestyle, very affordable accommodation and food. Since it’s more of a surfing destination, I must say that I did enjoy the attempt to stand on the surfboard but I can’t really appreciate the beaches except in island beach areas. Though I must say that it’s the island where I had the best memories in my life engraved.

Boracay on the other hand is closer to where I live. It’s just a five hour drive away from the city. No one can contest the powdery white sand it possesses but I can no longer say that it’s the most tranquil place to stay given the ultra modern amenities and facilities it offers. Of course, I don’t want to impose my opinion on anyone. The desire for peace or appreciation of a peaceful place is relative.

What I want to say though is on how the community and the local government of Malay and Aklan manage its resources to maintain the cleanliness and order in the island. Like in several decades that I have frequented it, the environmental fees and terminal fees are really expensive and given the hundreds of thousands of guests coming in everyday it’s really hard to imagine why they cannot even build a presentable and sustainable terminal for the passengers. Boracay has been there since time immemorial but it’s just now that they started building a terminal in Tabon that is being used during southwest monsoon wind season. In the island part, the terminal is still makeshift.

Last week, I stayed there for five days and I have observed that the garbage on the shoreline brought by the southwest monsoon waves are littered all over the place. Some people, perhaps paid workers are picking up the wood wastes and plastic wastes but are not enough to cover the whole stretch. Given the amount of environmental fees collected on a daily basis which could reach to several millions of pesos monthly, it’s hard to imagine why the provincial government of Aklan and the local government of Malay cannot purchase a motorized or mechanized garbage picker or hauler that can be used early in the morning to clean and clear the beach area.

This is not to put down the ranking of Boracay and the prestige of being included in the Condè Nast Traveler List. But, I don’t think Boracay can afford another closure just to cleanse it. Secretary Frasco is not blind but for sure she hasn’t seen Boracay on a daily or regular basis. The local governments of Aklan and Malay and even Brgy. Caticlan must do their share diligently in protecting and cleaning the island.

The post Some thoughts about Boracay first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The denial of Duterte’s confidential fund requests is double sided in nature. Firstly, the House showed some sense of idealism and practicality. Secondly, it is rather a political statement which implications everybody must watch.

The House of Representatives has been notoriously known as a stamping pad and boot-licker of a sitting president. Them agreeing to deny Sara Dutette of the confidential fund she has been asking shows resolve that many expected them to have several times but failed to show. Duterte is an ally of President Bongbong Marcos. They are very close allies that they ran together last elections. Thus for the House to deny the request of Duterte is as synonymous as denying the president himself. Hence, the omenous political act by the House.

They would not have acted without the blessing of the president as it is as close to shaming him. The House surely acted with the clearance of Speaker Martin Romualdez who is said to be silently building his own backyard for a possible presidential bid. While it may sound presumptuous, blood is always thicker than water. Of course, other than such reading, a trade-off could have been agreed between Marcos and Duterte given the highly suspicious act of the House.

Meantime, the people have partially won against the interests of the younger Duterte. “Ang ayaw sa confidential fund ay ayaw ng kapayaan. Ang ayaw sa kapayaan ay kalaban ng estado,” the vice president once declared in fighting for her confidential funds. Nobody would have questioned her if she is the secretary of defense. But then, she’s not. Can’t it be said that those who fought and questioned her request for confidential funds are merely “ayaw sa magnanakaw?”

The post On the denial of Sara’s confidential fund requests first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

“Integrity, transparency and the fight against corruption have to be part of the culture. They have to be taught as fundamental values.”—Angel Gurria

The post Difficult to justify; mayor apologizes first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The same report said that China suppresses critical information that contradicts its narrative on issues like Taiwan, human rights and its flagging domestic economy. It mentioned China’s use of popular social media site WeChat in disseminating disinformation targeting “Chinese-language speakers residing in democratic countries” and TikTok in ensuring that all critics of Beijing are blocked from using it.

James Rubin of GEC explained that if the pieces of the puzzle are put together, the “breathtaking ambition” of the People Republic of China for information dominance in key regions of the world can be seen and if allowed to continue it will eventually result to the destruction of democratic values.

The observation and report of the US State Department is valid but does not come without the bias of its own interests. While in these modern times the US can be considered as the world’s guardian of democracy and China has up to a certain degree managed to cover its dictatorship and arrogant behaviors with white linens and guised itself as a friendly ally of the world, being in a democracy does not necessarily mean the US exposing the evil acts of China to protect the world. It is rather protecting its interests around the world that has been experiencing a decline because of the advances of China.

One must realize that like China, the US has been into controlling and manipulating information to advance their own interests. In the end, its always about economic value. The only difference this time, China has mastered toying around democratic ideals in pushing forward its dictatorial and communist interests and its hurting the US.

As to the validity of the report, China would not be considered a super power without gaining control of information. Sadly, they are succeeding as the literacy around the world declines or perhaps the attitude of the current generation that does not actually care has become more favorable for them.

The post Only interests first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

There’s a huge gap in children’s overall performance when parents get involved at schools vs. do not.

The post P.T.A Alert first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.