New Airport Scanners to see literally EVERYTHING

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Carlo Ople

I got this information from Magic 89.9 DJ Mo Twister. New airport scanners were deployed in the United States and man… they are scary. It’s literally similar to assigning Clark Kent with his X-Ray vision on the counter. The new scanners will see everything and can even show actual naked pictures of the people who pass through the scanner – yes they will see your private parts in all of it’s glory. While this may prevent drug smuggling and the like, this measure posts so many risks that I can’t imagine this being implemented locally here in the Philippines.

Before I move on, here’s a picture of the scanner image. Courtesy of DJ Mo Twister:

I can already foresee how many scandals and issues this will bring about once brought in the Philippines. x.x

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Nilo, the Everyday Hero

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Carlo Ople

My friend, confidant, and driver Nilo passed away last night. He was in a comatose for the past 3 days after getting hit by a pretty bad stroke early Monday morning. He left behind his grade school son and his wife. I visited him at the Manila Hospital around 9PM and he was already in critical condition. My eyes, brain, and heart couldn’t comprehend how this happened so fast. Just last Saturday Nilo and I were going around the Metro meeting clients and working on various projects. He was so full of life and we were even talking about how life would change once I got married.

I walked up to him and met his family for the first time. His wife was devastated. I tried my best to comfort her and told her that I would try to help as much as I can. Mich and I then went over to Nilo and offered a prayer for him. After a few minutes, Nilo’s breathing started to slow down, and eventually the nurses had to go there to do CPR and they began emergency measures. Nilo passed away half an hour later.

You don’t really know how valuable something or someone is until they’re gone. While accompanying the nurse bring the body to the morgue, I couldn’t help but think of all the good times that I had with him. Nilo has only been with me for the past four months but as most of you know, the last four months for me have been really life-changing. Unknown to most, Nilo actually helped and gave lots of input in the planning of my proposal to my fiancee. More than anything though the thing I will miss are the random conversations we would have while we suffer the intolerable rush hour traffic of Makati and Edsa. Sometimes we would talk about my problems – be it at work or with my family. He’d offer advice since he was technically my “Kuya”. I remember him sharing about how proud he was of his own family and that he’s really excited to see his kid grow up and become a man. This guy worked really hard and the only thing that he really aspires for is that his kid would have a better life than him.

Nilo was an everyday hero. His sacrifices – both physical, financial, and emotional were all fueled by his burning desire to make sure that his kid would grow up and have a better future. Each time I’d give him his salary, he’d talk about buying clothes or whatnot for his kid and it was really touching to see how much he passionately loved his family.

I only knew him four months, but I will miss him terribly. May he find peace and joy in the arms of our maker. I pray for comfort and kindness for his family and those that he left behind.

I’m currently raising funds that I can give to his family for financial assistance. If you feel like giving, please do let me know by sending me an e-mail at oplecarlo@gmail.com or sending me an SMS at +63918 804 00 55.

Posted in Random Musings | Tagged | 3 Comments

A weird picture

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Carlo Ople

This recently surfaced on Facebook a few minutes ago. It’s a picture of Senator Noynoy Aquino getting mobbed by the supporters of Senator Manny Villar. Looks like no one can resist the urge to take pictures with him, hahaha!


Photo Source

Posted in 2010 Presidential Elections, Manny Villar, Noynoy Aquino | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Noynoy Aquino’s “Hindi ako Magnanakaw” TVC

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Carlo Ople

Senator Noynoy Aquino came out with a new wave of advertisements just recently and I have to admit that this time the material was pretty powerful. In his new TVC, Aquino talks about forming a bond with the viewers – a bond that he will not steal from them when he is in position because he will not forsake their trust. He goes on to say that he promises this in the name of his parents and even God. Truly a powerful statement.

Here’s the TVC for your viewing pleasure.

Kudos to the agency who came up with this. :)

Posted in 2010 Presidential Elections, Noynoy Aquino | Tagged | 10 Comments

Carlo Ople’s Sample Ballot in 2010 Project

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Carlo Ople

This post is inspired by fellow blogger Jester-in-Exile. He recently made a sample ballot and I’m following his lead. I’d also to call on all other bloggers to do the same. I feel like it’s our responsibility to our readers to share our sentiments especially since we get to meet the candidates up close and personal during blogger sessions. This will be a working project that will eventually get filled up. Right now there are only a few names on my list.

PRESIDENT
???
VICE-PRESIDENT
Mar Roxas, Liberal Party

SENATORS
1. Susan Ople
2. Ruffy Biazon
3. TG Guingona
4. Risa Hontiveros
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???
11. ???
12. ???

I’ll write separate entries on why I’m voting for each of the candidates that I’ve listed above. If you’ve made your own sample ballots, please do let me know so I can give you some link love. :)

Posted in 2010 Presidential Elections | Tagged | 4 Comments

God’s Will for the 2010 Elections

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Carlo Ople

I had the chance to spend an afternoon with Bangon Pilipinas Presidential candidate Brother Eddie Villanueva last weekend. I’ll write an exhaustive piece on the topics we covered such as the RH Bill, Separation of Church and State, etc. on a separate entry in Blog Watch. This post will be a little more personal and will center around the question that I’ve been wanting to ask him for the longest time. Was it God’s will that Bro. Eddie lost in 2004 and what is God’s will for the 2010 elections? Pretty tough question right?

This was his answer. I might have missed a few words here and there since I don’t have a video copy of the event (was just transcribing) but I’ll try to double check after Noemi uploads it on Youtube.

God is not a dictator. The perfect will of god cannot happen without the partnership and obedience of god’s own people. God does not wish a single soul to be perish in hell but all should come to repentance or else they will go to hell. He respects free will. Blessings through obedience, curses through disobedience.

This made me really think about voting and my personal spirituality. I decided to go to the Bible to look for answers and this is the verse that comes closest to talking about what God wants in a leader:

14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)

It’s not just a voting for who YOU want, it’s voting WHO God wants
Based on the bible, the elections is not just a simple casting of votes. It’s a deep spiritual obligation not just to our country, but also to our God. You know what’s funny? If you check at the past two presidents and you try to match them up to the standards set in the bible then you know we’ve failed miserably in electing our leaders.

I am not saying, on any account, that Brother Eddie Villanueva is God’s chosen candidate or that it was God’s will that Bro. Eddie should have won in 2004. What I am saying is that we should really pray, research, and carefully choose who we will vote for in the upcoming 2010 elections. It is our obligation not just to the country, but to our conscience and to our God that we pick the right candidate based on his standards.

At the end of the day, don’t look to surveys, campaign materials, advice from the taxi driver, or “randomness”, to pick your candidate. All of these things are worldly and they can easily be manipulated and rigged. You cannot trust these kinds of things when you are deciding on who to vote. The mentality of “Iboboto ko na lang si X kasi yung gusto ko naman na si Y walang pag-asa eh.” is just crap. If the candidate doesn’t measure up to God’s standards, don’t vote for him or her.

What will happen if we don’t vote for the right person? It’s also in the bible!

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Proverbs 29:2)

A challenge for you, dear reader
And that, my friends, is my challenge for you. Don’t treat your vote lightly. It’s not something that you just write down on a piece of paper and regret later on. Remember to pray for who you will vote for and don’t just rely on the campaign materials that you see on media and even from what your friends say. What’s important is that you pick a candidate who is righteous, otherwise we will all mourn for the next 6 years.

Again, let me say that this is not an endorsement whatsoever of Bro. Eddie, it’s just a reminder that we should all hold our candidates to a higher standard and that we should really vote according to our conscience and God’s will.

PS: Watch out for my post on Blog Watch

Posted in 2010 Presidential Elections | Tagged , | 60 Comments

The Noynoy Aquino – Manny Villar Facebook War Escalates

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Carlo Ople

It looks like the battlefield between the two perceived front runners has expanded to cyberspace. It’s really amazing how these two candidates have polarized a lot of the online Filipinos, in particular the ones active on Facebook. As of 7:45PM, January 10, 2010, Noynoy Aquino’s fans stand at 275k. Manny Villar’s fans surged and they now number at 240k. In response to Villar’s surge on Facebook, Aquino’s camp are saying that most of the new accounts are just fake and that the “orange” team is cheating. Here’s a screenshot of the statement:

fake accounts

Based from my personal observations, the influx of fans came after Villar’s team launched a Google Adwords campaign which bombarded various local websites with ads asking people to be fans of Manny Villar. This was also initially done by Noynoy’s team which probably bolstered their numbers at the start (according to their admin though it was a donor and that they had nothing to do with it).

It’s really amusing how venomous and toxic the fan profiles of both candidates have become. Supporters are attacking and defending their candidates like rabid dogs. I can almost imagine their leaders shouting out “UNLEASH THE HOUNDS!!!”. x.x

If anything, this is a wake-up call for the rest of the Presidentiables, and even the Senatorial candidates. Social network marketing is not just for Villar and Aquino. You guys should jump in as well. ROYAL RUMBLE! RAWR! :) )

Posted in 2010 Presidential Elections, Manny Villar, Noynoy Aquino | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Mar Roxas finally drops Padyak!

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Carlo Ople

Senator Mar Roxas‘ previous Padyak campaign was really a sight for sore eyes. A lot of people got disenchanted with him because it gave the impression of him being a traditional politician. I recently saw his latest ad and I must admit that this one is 100x better than Padyak. It also highlights what Mar is all about and genuinely communicates his love for the country and passion for service. I’d like to share his latest ad in this blog which I found circulating on Facebook entitled “Mar Roxas’ Sacrifice”.

Good job to Mar’s campaign team for this one. Panalo! :)

Posted in Mar Roxas | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Lotto profits turn to Gloria Rice and Gloria Sardines

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Carlo Ople

Have you ever noticed one thing about people lining up at lotto lines? None of them are actually millionaires or wealthy. The reason is that Lotto is statistically made to make profit out of the gullible masses who flock to it as if it were a shrine of divine salvation. The money generated by Lotto is supposedly used to fund useful government projects that will make life better for our less fortunate brothers. This is an insane oxymoron if I’ve ever seen one. You literally exploit the poor so that you make pro-poor projects? But in reality we all know that the money doesn’t really go to that cause in it’s entirety.

According to Kim from Tumblr, PGMA distributed the fruits of Lotto to government employees as an extra Christmas gift. I have nothing against bonuses for employees but to blatantly brand it with her face and to call it “Gloria Sardines” and “Gloria Rice”? It’s not your money, Madame President. It’s the money of the masses that were duped and fooled into placing their little and hard earned money into gambling which they have almost zero chances of winning.

gloria ketchup

gloria sardines

Lotto should be abolished because it offers no permanent solution to poverty, and in fact worsens it because it is literally exploitative in design. There is a reason why there are more people who lose in gambling versus those who win and it’s really frustrating to see more and more people get sucked into this deadly “hobby”.

Posted in Current Events | Tagged , | 2 Comments

What would you ask Bro. Eddie Villanueva?

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Carlo Ople

I was recently invited to a blogger coffee session with JIL Senior Pastor and presidential candidate Bro. Eddie Villanueva this coming weekend. Since I want to take this opportunity to represent you guys (Juan Country readers), please do leave comments on this post on what you want me to ask Bro. Eddie. This is a good opportunity for us to candidly confront and pick his brains. Personally I already have a bunch of questions that I’ll fire off, most of which will definitely “hot” so I’m really looking forward to this event.

Hit the comments below for your questions. I’ll compile and try to ask them during the session this Saturday.

Posted in 2010 Presidential Elections, Eddie Villanueva | Tagged , | 58 Comments