RA 10361: Kasambahay Bill

Republic Act No. 10361 (RA 10361) or An Act Instituting Policies for the Protection and Welfare of Domestic Workers was already signed into law by President Aquino. In this act, “kasambahay” is defines as any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship such as general househelp, nursemaid or “yaya,” cook, gardener, or laundry person. The minimum wage of domestic workers is sets at P2,500 in Metro Manila, P2,000 in chartered cities and first class municipalities and P1,500 in mother municipalities.

I have nothing against kasambahays because it is a reality that there are families that need them. I just want to expect that the contents of the act will be fair between the employers and the kasambahays. Yes there are abusive employers, but there are abusive kasambahays too.

'Yayas', cooks to benefit from Kasambahay Law 
Punto por Punto: Kasambahay Law: Ano ang obligasyon ng amo sa kasambahay? 
3M domestic workers to benefit from Kasambahay law 
PNoy signs Kasambahay bill into law 
2M PH maids to benefit from 'kasambahay' bill 
Punto por Punto: Dagdag benepisyo para sa mga kasambahay

Robbery @ SM Megamall Building B

The robbery that took place inside a mall last Saturday was very alarming. There have been previous occurrences of the said style of robbery and yet the national police, security agencies and the business establishments seem to do nothing about it. People are going to malls to unwind, entertain and bond with their loved ones and then all of a sudden you will hear gun shots. OMG!!!

According to the initial investigation made by the police, there are at least 4 to 5 suspects that robbed F and C Jewelry Store located at the ground floor of SM Megamall Building B last Saturday at around 7:30pm. The suspects broke the glass jewelry case with a pipe wrench previously purchased in a hardware store inside the mall.

This is very alarming because guns were able to get inside the mall by these intruders given the security check at every entrance of the mall. Is there a conspiracy or lapses in here again? Will this time the national police and security agencies implement a system that will ensure or guarantee the safety of the customers or mall goers.

Divorce lawyers & other litigations

The oldest law firm in Denton County, Hammerle Finley, was established first with the partnership of Pete and Virginia Hammerle. Since then, they were joined by experienced lawyers and dedicated employees to deliver quality legal services to their entire clientele. Today, the law firm focused in the five major areas of practice to meet the needs of their client base.

ELDER LAW – this area of practice covered all legal issues that are common to older people. Considering the declining mental and physical health of our elders, planning plays an important part. Does a family member needs a long term care or has been financially exploited? It also includes the probate process which involves dealings with the properties and debts of a deceased family member.

FAMILY LAW – hiring the right attorney in cases involving families is very critical. Family law matters are difficult that’s why Hammerle Finley Law Firm help each and every client by understanding each situation and work with towards a successful resolution or be awarded a fair and just result. Looking for a Lewisville divorce lawyer? You are in the right place and in good hands. Cases under this area are Premarital, Post-Marital and Cohabitation Agreements, Child Custody, Family Law Modification, Family Court Enforcement/Contempt, Grandparent Access and Rights, High Net Worth and Collaborative Divorce litigations. Hammerle Finley Law Firm has group of experienced Lewisville divorce attorney to handle simple to even complicated divorce cases.

BUSINESS & CORPORATE LAW – when it comes to business matters, whether small, medium or large, Hammerle Finley Law Firm has more than 30 years of experience to help their clients achieve their goals.

CIVIL LITIGATION – they have litigation attorneys with extensive experience handling cases in both federal and state court at the trial and appellate levels. There are also experts to facilitate arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

CRIMINAL LAW – experts at Hammerle Law Firm are aware of the everlasting impact that criminal charges have on their clients. It is for this reason that they fight aggressively for their client’s rights, challenge the validity of any evidence and vigorously analyze every angle of the case to achieve the best possible result for the clients.

For more than 30 years, experts of Hammerle Finley Law Firm continue to represent individuals and families from Collin, Tarrant, Dallas and other counties, most especially their Denton County lawyers. If you need an experienced attorney to represent you, feel free to contact them for a consultation.

2013 MTAP Elimination Rounds

Many public and private schools all over the Philippines are aware of MTAP. It is the biggest and widely anticipated Math competition among elementary and secondary students in the country. The competition is being sponsored by Metrobank, MTAP and DepEd for students to continually hone their mathematical abilities.

Recently, the 2013 MTAP Elimination Rounds were held in different testing centers. My daughter Ysabel Nicole Taruc once again represented her school together with other 2 students from the Grade 6 level. The elimination round was held in Taytay Elementary School and fortunately their level was qualified to move on to the next round to happen on February 7.

To our daughter, congratulations and wish you the best of luck in the final round. We are so very proud of you.

Advance Carpet One Flooring Products

Are you looking for flooring products in the net? Bath remodel? Start here. You can find many of that at Advance Carpet One Fairview Heights. They have plenty of flooring products and definitely you can find one to suit your personal preferences for your home or business. Flooring is what they do so you are 100% sure they can assist you in every step of the way up to installation.

Advance Carpet One offers top quality carpet, hardwood, tile, laminate and vinyl floors. You can check their website to browse their inventory of different flooring types to choose from or even better pay them a visit at their large showroom at Fairview Heights. Want more? You will pay less because they pay less. They have over 900 stores in their buying group so they get the lowest prices from the best flooring manufacturers. Since they want 100% satisfaction from their customers in every aspect, whatever savings they can get from their orders it will be passed on to their valued customers. Another thing is that they offer fast, easy, and secure financing. You can apply for your Carpet One card that you can use to avail low minimum monthly payments, special financing opportunities and use it for repeat purchases.

What else you need to consider for the perfect floors you want in your home or business they have it. They have massive stocks of flooring products with different designs and colors, comprehensive warranties, guaranteed installation, plus fast and easy financing. For your bath, kitchen, bedroom area, living room or for your business needs check out Advance Carpet One.

Cebu City justice hall shooting spree

Another tragic incident happened in the justice hall. A Canadian national, John Pope, killed 2 people and wounded an assistant prosecutor before turning the gun on himself in a shooting spree inside the Cebu City justice hall Tuesday morning. Dr. Rene Rafols, a pediatrician, and his lawyer Atty. Jovian Atiaf was shot by Pope and died on the spot. After shooting Rafols and Atiaf, Pope went to MTCC Branch 1 and shot Assistant City Prosecutor Matet Casiño and then shot himself after that. Both Pope and Casiño are now in critical condition.

Pope was charged by Rafols with malicious mischief and the incident happened on MTCC Branch 6 where the said case is being heard. Pope was also being sued for grave threat and illegal possession of firearms in various branches. Due to the shooting, all court proceedings in the hall of justice have been suspended.

Maricel Soriano out in Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin

ABS-CBN Head of Corporate Communications Bong Osorio announced last Monday that returning Kapamilya star, veteran actress Maricel Soriano will no longer be part of the upcoming series “Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin” (I'll Love You Tomorrow).  What happened??? According to reports, Soriano shouted at the actor Gerald Anderson before walking out of the set after Anderson had a hard time with his line and that allegedly irritated the actress on their first day of taping.

The ABS-CBN management and the management of Maricel Soriano agreed mutually on removing the actress in the series. I am just curious why Gerald had hard time delivering his line, is he nervous or kind of troubled? Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

USS Guardian @ Tubbataha Reef

What happened? What went wrong? What happened to US Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, and it ran aground the Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Sulu Sea of the Philippines on Thursday? It has been reported that the USS Guardian had come from a port call in Subic Bay and was on its way to Indonesia when the accident took place. At least 10 meters of the coral reef have been damaged. OMG! The US Navy blamed a faulty navigation chart data that may have misplaced the location of Tubbataha Reef for the grounding.

It is kind of confusing for a certain US ship to be involved in such kind of accident knowing the caliber of their equipment and technology and now they are blaming such for the accident. With regard to this sad news, all I want is for them to work out on the damages at Tubbataha Reef to restore and preserve again the said precious heritage site.

Tubbataha Reef damage getting worse 
Damage to Tubbataha Reef worsens
10 meters of Tubbataha Reef damaged by US ship
US Navy ship stuck in Tubbataha Reef

Acadian Flooring America LaPlace

One of the good things the internet brings to people, especially the consuming public, is that you can check on different online stores for every personal need without having so much trouble and at the convenience of staying at home. It’s hard to leave your home, be caught in a traffic jam and be limited with your choices among the places you can able to visit. While surfing the web, you can check on different stores offering what you are looking for and sometimes even able to know the personal experiences of their satisfied customers, which I believed is very important.

Flooring products are one of the items commonly sought in the internet. Of course we always wanted our home to look good and beautiful but at a reasonable price as possible. We can find many online stores offering flooring products and services like the Acadian Flooring America LaPlace. With just a click we can browse the different flooring products from type, quality, designs, pricing, installation and more.

Acadian Flooring America has massive selection of flooring products that will surely fit every aspect of your personal preferences. Their lineup of products will definitely give your interiors a complete makeover beyond your imagination. The inventory includes assorted flooring products including ceramic tile, wood flooring, laminated flooring and carpet. They have sales expert to assist you every step of the way to find the right one for your home. They also have “Design Inspiration” and “Floor Care & Maintenance” links to give you an idea and tips in choosing your design and how to take care and maintain properly your floors. But of course not to forget the warranty that accompanies their flooring products that will give you peace of mind that every penny will not be put into waste.

Are you one in need of flooring products? Visit their store or call them now at 504-459-9783.

Viva Sto. Niño pictures & festivals

HAPPY FIESTA !!!

Sto. Niño de Tondo Fiesta 

Sinulog Festival

Dinagyang Festival

Ati-Atihan Festival

Binanog Festival of Lambunao, Iloilo

In Lambunao, Iloilo, they have an annual celebration of BINANOG FESTIVAL every second Sunday of January. This festival is an exhibition of the Lambunaonons' deeply rooted culture. It centers on the native's "binanog dance" that replicates the mating ritual of the hawk or banog birds. The soul and dignified nature of the natives or bukidnons is evident in the calm movement of the arms and various footwork in the rhythm to the heartbeat of the gong. It depicts courtly pastime and stories that have been handed down from generation to generation.

The dance comprises of 3 acts:
BINANUGAN - the dancers copy the movements of birds.
INAGONG - dance movements of celebration.
DINAGMAY - the dance of courtship.

2013 Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge

The elimination round for 2013 MMC (Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd) Math Challenge will happen on January 17 for Elementary students and January 18 for Secondary in different school venues. Many public and private schools are participating in this Math contest to hone their mathematical abilities.

This will be the third time that our daughter Ysabel Nicole will participate in this contest and we are very proud of her for having such an experience and for her continued pursuit to learn the beauty of Math. For the last 2 years, she made it till the second round but not yet to regional and in the finals. We’re crossing our fingers that this time her team will make it.

I wish all the students the best of luck and for me you are all winners. The fact that you are representing your respective schools is already something to be proud of and winning is something to work hard for.

Sarah: Calling Gerald Anderson a womanizer?

Was Sarah Geronimo implied that her former suitor actor Gerald Anderson is a “womanizer” last Sunday at “Sarah G Live?” She performed the Britney Spears song urging the viewers not to fall in love with womanizers. The singer-actress even asked her co-host Robi Domingo if he was a womanizer and the latter denied being one. At the end of the show, Sarah sang “Take a Bow,” a song about saying goodbye to a boyfriend who has taken his relationships for granted. Geronimo repeatedly apologized for her statements for misbehaving and being out of control.

Rayver-Cristine break up ; Gerald to court Maja

Both actor Rayver Cruz and Cristine Reyes appeared on “The Buzz” last January 13 to confirm their break up that happened last year ending media speculations about their relationship. They both agreed to keep silent about it since they started their relationship with a little bit odd, this time they wanted to end it silently. But the ex-couple admitted they are friends and they will be there for each other.

On the other hand, Gerald Anderson said in an interview with Boy Abunda that he will pursue courting Maja Salvador. Controversial remarks from his ex-girlfriend Kim Chiu about the rumored courtship prompted to different speculations about him. But he told Abunda that courting Maja is a personal decision.

Search for 1st Filipino astronaut by Axe Apollo

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth. In 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts became the first men to set foot on the moon. In 2014, history will be made again, with the first Filipino flying to space. 

22 people around the world will be given a chance for the opportunity of a lifetime to take the ride of their lives in space, and one of them will be a Filipino. With the new spaceship of Space Expedition Corporation that can go over the Earth’s atmosphere in just 4 minutes, 22 qualified applicants will have a chance to be part of the team to ride in space on 2014.

Two Filipinos will be sent to the global space camp in Orlando, Florida to undergo several challenges and exercises and one of them will be fortunate to be on the trip. For those interested just log on to www.axeapollo.com before the end of mid-May.

 

Filipino-American Idol on FOX

19 Entertainment, a division of Core Media Group and Fremantle Media North America, Inc. produced the new reality television singing competition “Filipino-American Idol.” There will be four judges namely Nicole Scherzinger, (recording artist, TV personality & actress) Bruno Mars singer-songwriter & record producer), apl.de.ap (rapper, record-producer & occasional drummer) and Vanessa Hudgens (actress & singer) while comedian Rob Shneider will be the show’s host. This show will premieres on FOX in March 2013 as the 12th season of American Idol airs on January 16.

Kim-Gerald-Maja controversy, before & after

After Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson is reported dating with the actress’ best friend Maja Salvador. Is there anything in bad taste there? Well I don’t think so not unless we have ideas on the broke up of Gerald and Kim 3 years ago and what the latter told Maja about Gerald that made Kim reacted “She seems just had eaten her words.” I guess that was the most intriguing part of the interview that any showbiz reporter must uncover. Can you tell it straight to us Kim what Maja told you before that she forgot and ate now? Hmmmm!

Video of abusive montessori professor goes viral

A professor from the Montessori Professional International College in Pasay City was caught in video verbally and physically abusing his student. Ledor, the student who took the video, said that their teacher Narciso Varona got mad when he saw his students taking tests for another subject during a period reserved for his class. But Ledor claimed that the professor forgot that he had cancelled his class on that day. The professor, who teaches personality development, vented his anger to the female students who was the class president.

Rooftop Prince @ ABS-CBN

The “Rooftop Prince” will be part of ABS-CBN first quarter line-up for 2013.

Teaser: A prince from the Joseon era travels to the future in Seoul 2012 with his entourage when the girl he loves passed away. In present time, the prince finds a girl who looks exactly like the one he loved. The Prince journeys to discover the reason behind their time travel, and if the persons from the present can help them unlock the mysteries of the past.

Korean actor Park Yoochun topbills the Asianovela portraying Prince Lee Gak, Han Ji-min as Park Ha and Jeong Yu-mi as Sena.

"Minute to Win It" Philippines

If you were able to watch the US “Minute to Win It” game show, I’m sure Filipinos will be excited to be part of the Philippine version of it. Me and my 2 kids enjoy watching the different challenges of the game show and even eager to try it at home. The first few challenges might seem easy as it gradually increasing in difficulty and prizes. Practice, approach and tactics of the fortunate contestant will eventually enrich him or her with Php 1 million.

Challenges include fanning three raw eggs with a pizza box into a pre-designated area on the other side of the stage, stacking eight octagon bolts on top of each other using a barbecue stick to form a tower that must be freestanding for three seconds, tossing a water bottle and getting it to land upright on a table five feet away, and sucking candies with a straw and placing them one at a time on straws standing vertically.

This is the same international production that brought the local versions of “The Biggest Loser” and “MasterChef” and will be hosted by versatile actor/model Luis Manzano on January 14 on ABS-CBN.

ABS-CBN's Juan Dela Cruz fantasy series

ABS-CBN fantasy series “Juan dela Cruz” will be the comeback for Coco Martin after the success of “Walang Hanggan” (No End). He will take the role of a superhero who is the latest in the lineage of the “Tagapagbantay.” To battle the different forces of evil, Martin will be equipped with a holy cross that can shift into different weapons – a whip, a spear and arrow, and a sword. The twist in his character is that he also bears “aswang blood.”

The fantasy series aim to impart values anchored on faith in God and features an all-star cast including Erich Gonzales, Albert Martinez, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Joel Torre, Gina Pareno, Louise Abuel, Lotlot de Leon, Neil Coleta, Arron Villaflor, Jaime Fabregas and Izzy Canillo.