Filipinos keep love alive with herbs and
goat's hair: Herbal mixes and a ring made of goat's hair are still preferred to
the more expensive Viagra to put more zip into their sex lives
By Luz Baguioro
PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT
MANILA - This may be the age of Viagra but Filipinos still prefer locally made products made from herbs and goats' hair to improve their sex lives. In Manila's Quiapo district, hawkers peddle herbal-based preparations touted to spice up sex lives. Vendors said sales of these products have been thriving for years, albeit discreetly, owing to local sensibilities and a city ordinance that prohibits their sale to minors.
'If a man or a woman wants to boost his or her sexual performance, these products are the answer,' said 60-year-old vendor Nene Morales. For those who lack energy to match their sex drive, Mrs Morales, who has been selling herbal medicine for 30 years, recommends a liquid syrup called potachin. According to her, a teaspoon of the dark syrup - a concoction of local herbs - should be taken three times a day for at least one week before its effects can be felt. IIt helps build up energy, and can be useful for a person whose sex life is very active.'
Men who suffer from limited sexual performance because of impotence or old age can buy 'Peter cream', which is made from local herbs. Vendors say the cream is a cheaper alternative to Viagra - a pill prescribed for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction - as it can also help men who are unable to sustain an erection. Men who want to liven up their sex lives may also opt to buy the 'goat's eye', a ring made from goat's hair that is worn around the penis. 'The goat's eye is very popular even with foreign tourists, especially the Japanese,' according to Mrs Morales.
Price has made all the difference in making these products popular. A 25-mg pill of Viagra is sold locally - and only with a doctor's prescription - for 392 pesos (S$13.50). In contrast, a 100-ml bottle of the herbal-based syrup costs 150 pesos, a 75-ml bottle of 'Peter cream' sells for 250 pesos, and the 'goat's eye' is worth 150 pesos apiece.
A recent survey showed that most Filipinos continue to enjoy healthy sex lives well into their 70s. Another survey by the Commission on Population found that 18 per cent of Filipinos, ranging in age from 15 to 20, engage in pre-marital sex. More than 80 per cent of them do not use condoms. Such 'high-risk behaviour' could promote the spread of Aids, authorities warned.
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ILOILO CITY � It was meant to be a marketing strategy to attract more customers. But the gimmick of Marina Restaurant here to employ bikini-clad girls to wash cars at its parking lot got more than the ogles of motorists and the curiosity of menfolk. Now, the resto is facing mounting protests from local women�s groups.
The militant women�s group Gabriela-Panay has kicked off protest actions to denounce the "bikini car wash" as "deliberate commodification" and "outright exploitation" of women. At least 100 members of the Panay chapters of Gabriela and Bayan picketed the restaurant yesterday to seek a stop to the gimmick.
"We are severely disturbed by these incidents where women are being used as commodities and sex objects just to promote a business venture," said Lucy Francisco of Gabriela-Panay. "No matter how the Marina management justify their so-called business innovation and creativity, this is still a clear degradation and exploitation of women," she added.
Francisco clarified that they do not condemn the "bikini car wash" girls who, she said, "are just victims of opportunistic and profit-hungry businessmen." She urged the government to investigate such a scheme to protect the rights and welfare of women.
In Manila, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas apparently heeded the call, directing the Bureau of Women and Young Workers to check possible violations committed by companies that employ women clad in skimpy bikinis to wash cars. Sto. Tomas issued the order in response to a petition of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) for a stop to such a practice. In a statement, Unifem official Ermelita Valdeavilla said the practice not only demeans women, but "also insults the men for it views them as sex hunters, ready to prey upon hapless victims."
Even the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, the country�s biggest labor group, frowned upon the "bikini car wash." Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Tre�as told The STAR he was surprised to learn about the existence of the "bikini car wash" here. Upon checking, he learned that Marina Restaurant, owned by Ross Paul Gorriceta, had indeed applied for a business permit for the "bikini car wash" but the application remains unapproved pending the submission of additional documents.
In an earlier interview, Gorriceta said the "bikini car wash" was a brainchild of his son. "We have to think of something unusual which no other businesses have thought of. What matters most is that these girls earn a decent living more than the salary of a regular eight-hour job," he said. His restaurant employs three girls who earn P400 for three hours (3 to 6 p.m.) of washing cars. The car wash costs P100 up, depending on the type of vehicle.
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Philippine Inquirer
Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines
AP June 11, 2002
Police in Toledo City, Philippines arrested a 40 year-old man yesterday for having sexual intercourse with a dog in the comfort room of the downtown transit station. Facing 20 years in jail for violating the Philippine Bestiality Statutes, Section 103.22, the man, reported to be from Manila, said he was drunk and looking to urinate in the comfort room when a large dog walked in and got him aroused. The dog was destroyed humanely by being put to sleep by a local veterinarian at the Toledo City Police Station.
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22-yr-old man drinks, brags,
dies
May 02, 2002
A 22-year-old man, who had one drink too many and boasted to friends he could make electricity run through his body without any ill-effects, paid dearly with his life last Tuesday night in Caloocan City.
Witnesses told probers that Roderick de la Cruz, single, of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, shook uncontrollably in agony as electric current ripped through his body after he touched an exposed livewire in the house of his elder brother Rogelio, where the drinking session took place. De la Cruz, who sustained third degree burns in most parts of his body, was rushed to the hospital but expired before reaching the Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital.
Investigation conducted by PO1 Reynaldo Placido of the Station investigation Bureau (SIB) said the incident occurred at around 7 p.m. in his brother's house not far from Roderick's own in the same neighborhood. It was gathered that the victim went to his brother's house for a few drinks but when the alcohol began to take effect on him, he bragged to his friends that he had a way with electricity like no other. To prove to his unbelieving audience that he was not bluffing, he allegedly pulled a wire from the ceiling and twirled its exposed end with his bare thumb and index finger.
Rogelio allegedly warned his sibling about doing anything stupid but the admonition went unheeded and apparently even fueled his desire to be proven right about his claims before his doubting audience, probers said. In a split second, the startled victim cried out in agony as the current took its toll on his intoxicated body.
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In
Pasig City, girls trade sex for 'text'
Posted: 11:39 PM (Manila Time) | Apr. 20, 2002
By Alcuin Papa
Inquirer News Service
PASIG policemen on Friday rounded up five young girls who were said to be offering sex in exchange for prepaid cards for cellular phones. The police acted on a tip that young girls were soliciting sex in exchange for 300-peso and 500-peso cell phone cards in front of the Immaculate Conception Church in the city.
The girls, aged 16 and 17, were arrested around 2 a.m. They admitted to police they exchanged sexual favors for prepaid cards and that a still unidentified cigarette vendor acted as their pimp. Police seized from the girls packets of condom, lubricants, cell phones and cell cards.
They told police that they entered the sex business to fund their "texting" habits -- a reference to the short message system, a feature in cellular phone units where users can send "text messages" to friends and acquaintances.
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Filipinos Pick Strange Names,
Trying to Stand Out in Crowd
By JAMES HOOKWAY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
MANILA -- A strange name has its unexpected advantages. "Sometimes it helps with the ladies," says Hitler Manila, a smile flashing beneath his thick mustache. "It's a memorable name, you know. But mostly, being called Hitler stops people mistaking me for somebody else." And that is no small matter here in the Philippines. Thanks to Spain's decision a century and a half ago to restrict its colony's choice of surnames to a basket of generic Spanish names -- and the Philippines' lumbering, underfunded bureaucracy -- Filipinos find it harder and harder to tell each other apart, particularly in the phone book.
Mel Martinez, a gym instructor, winces as he remembers the long months he spent trying to get cellphone service. "Some other guy with the same name hadn't been paying his bills, so I couldn't get a line," he says. In the end, he decided to just use prepaid phone cards -- less of a hassle, he figured. Efforts to get bank loans and passports can become surreal experiences. Thousands of Filipinos walk around with certificates from the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippines equivalent of the FBI, to prove they aren't wanted for kidnapping or murder, because someone with the same name is.
Many Filipinos want to spare the next generation these problems. Jennifer Camato, chief registrar at Makati City Hall, purrs as she dusts off a thick ledger that contains the names of all the babies born in Makati, one of 17 cities that make up the sprawling landscape of skyscrapers and shantytowns known as Metro Manila. "We've got some really good ones in here," she says. "How about this? The name is Courtney, but it's spelled Kurtney." Others have silent letters seemingly thrown in at random, like "Jhimmy" and "Jhoyce."
"It's all about being unique. It can save so much trouble in the long run," Ms. Camato says. Her boss, the mayor of Makati City, is named Jejomar Binay -- a contraction of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, auspicious first names in this overwhelmingly Catholic country.
The Philippine name game traces back to 1521 with the arrival of the Spanish. Thousands of Filipinos adopted family names with religious references such as Bautista, Santos or De la Cruz because they thought it would bring good luck as they converted to Catholicism. That created administrative headaches for the colonial authorities.
"They arbitrarily adopted the names of saints and this practice has resulted in the existence of thousands of individuals having the same name," Spanish Governor-General Narciso Claveria complained at the time. "I saw the resultant confusion with regard to the administration of justice, government, finance and public order, as well as the far-reaching moral, civil and religious consequences to which this might lead." In particular, the governor-general fretted about cousins getting married without knowing they were blood relations.
His answer, in 1849, was to publish a list of acceptable names. Lazy administrators in some towns bestowed the entire village with the same name, such as Reyes or Villaneuva. But that hardly solved the problem of many people, possibly related, with the same surname. Only powerful warlords or rich families could retain their original surnames. (One of those names was Macapagal, the last name of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's father.)
Basket of Surnames
Today, the basket of Spanish surnames introduced by Gov. Claveria is proving insufficient to accommodate the Philippines' fast-growing population, now estimated at 78 million and projected to double in 30 years. In the Manila phone book, the Reyeses alone run to 13 tightly packed pages. So Filipinos are getting creative where they can -- with first names. Many borrow from other cultures in unexpected ways.
When Maricel Gamboa was in the final stage of her pregnancy earlier this year, she thought long and hard about names for her child. She had heard horror stories from her friends about the headaches that common names can cause. "I was determined I wouldn't let that happen to my child," says Ms. Gamboa, 24, dressed in loose-fitting shorts and a T-shirt to combat the tropical heat. So she started flipping through magazines for ideas. Weeks later, she settled on Enrique, after pop singer Enrique Iglesias. But she later decided that there were already too many Enriques in the Philippines. Ms. Gamboa scrambled the letters and threw in a "k" for good measure, to get Quenrik. "It's a good name," Ms. Gamboa says, bouncing the month-old Quenrik on her knee. "It's unique."
Mr. Martinez, the gym instructor, doesn't have it so easy. To verify that he isn't really the other Mel Martinez -- the deadbeat -- he has to present proof of identity. But he can only get this by paying a visit to the country's national statistics office, with its facade of crumbling 1960s concrete. The agency is in the throes of converting its paper files to electronic files. But clerks for decades have sorted birth certificates manually, which has led to long processing delays and many lost files. Applicants such as Mr. Martinez have had to stand in line for hours to hand in their forms, and then wait up to several weeks for the copy of the birth certificate to arrive by mail. Understandably, Filipinos dread this process. Hence the offbeat name. Hollywood stars have been popular inspirations, Elvis, for instance, and still are today. Several babies have been named Pitt this year, registrars say, after Brad Pitt.
Willian and Rommel
By 1968, the year Mr. Manila was born, names combining those of mother and father began to take off, such as "Willian" (a hybrid of William and Lillian) and "Rommel" (a cross between Romeo and Melanie). Ethnic-Chinese Filipinos have been among the most inventive name generators -- turning their given surnames into playful references to famous personalities. One teenager goes by Michael Jacks Ong. Another is named Magic Diongson.
But Hitler Manila, who works at a telephone company, is in a league of his own. He doesn't recall why his father, who died several years ago, fancied that name. He takes pains to point out that he doesn't share any of the dictator's beliefs. But, twisting a gold ring on his finger that is stamped with a swastika, he says he fully embraces the uniqueness of the name.
Filipinos rarely remark about the spread of unorthodox names in the past several decades -- because it has become so common. But foreigners aren't always prepared for it. Once, while on vacation on Boracay Island, south of the Philippine capital, Mr. Manila and a group of colleagues were shooting pool with some visiting Germans. The games began cordially enough. Then Mr. Manila wrote his name on the blackboard to signify that he had the next game. "They wouldn't believe that my name was Hitler," he says. Things were tense until Mr. Manila pulled out his driver's license as proof.
Still, in the Philippines at least, being able to introduce yourself as Hitler has a certain panache. In his single days, Mr. Manila says, girls found the contrast between his name and good looks striking. "They would remember me," recalls the 34-year-old. "The only problem was I didn't have enough money to take them out on dates." Now, Mr. Manila has decided to "carry on the tradition." He recently named his two sons Himmler and Hess, after Heinrich and Rudolf, two of Hitler's henchmen. "My wife doesn't like it, though," he reports. "She made me put in a middle name. So my eldest is called Himmler Michael Manila."
Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@wsj.com
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American Takes Photo Of Nude
Woman, Suffers Heart Attack
Today Newspaper
By Jimmy Perez
An American tourist suffered a heart attack inside his hotel room yesterday morning allegedly while taking pictures of a nude woman he earlier befriended in Ermita.
The Manila police identified the man as Robert Giles, who police said checked in at the Swagman Hotel about four hours before the incident. The woman identified as Maricel Racreo 21, alerted the hotel's staff, but the 53 year old Giles of California, was already dead when the employees responded to the woman's call for assistance.
Racreo recounted to investigators that she was strolling in Ermita when Giles approached and invited her to his hotel room. A the hotel room, the American reportedly offered her cash in exchange for posing naked. Racreo said she rejected the offer as she was having her menstrual period. But Giles, she claimed, told her that she would only pose half-naked. It was in the middle of the photo session when Giles clutched his chest and collapsed. Racreo said she was frightened and ran outside the room to call for help.
Probers said Giles was supposed to go to Angeles City in Pampanga, and are looking into the possibility that the American was engaged in pornography business. Investigators from the police homicide division said signs indicated that Giles died of cardiac arrest pending results of an autopsy.
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QATARAN engineer Mahamad Saeed Baghazal, 54, said he passed out and lost more than 80,000 pesos in cash and valuables after he "smelled something" from the body of a "fat" woman he invited to his hotel room in Ermita, Manila. Baghazal, 54, a tourist who was staying at the City State Hotel on A. Mabini Street, Ermita, claimed he only invited the woman to talk in his hotel room about 9:30 p.m. Friday.
He ended up losing a camera, an Alcatel cellular phone, blood testing machines, three wristwatches, traveler's checks, gold jewelry, two plane tickets, and cash in Qataran and Philippine denominations totaling 82,850 pesos, said SPO3 Cecilio Sacorum of the Western Police District.
Baghazal said the woman approached him at Robinson's Place that night. In his room, he was struck down by the scent coming from the woman's body, he said. He described the woman, who identified herself as "Lily," as about 45, fair complexioned, a bit on the heavy side, and with a mole on her upper lip.
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THE SUPREME Court on Tuesday ruled with finality on Rep. Romeo Jalosjos' motion for reconsideration of his conviction for statutory rape and acts of lasciviousness, junking it for "resounding absurdity." The decision paves the way for the expulsion of the Zamboanga del Norte congressman, who was convicted in 1997 but reelected in 1998 and 2001, from the House of Representatives.
In the House, however, Assistant Majority Leader Francis Escudero said Congress was unsure whether the expulsion would be automatic or would require a two-thirds vote of all House members. "With resounding absurdity, accused-appellant pictures himself as a captured, helpless and submissive prey enslaved by an overpowering passion instigated and provoked by an 11-year-old experienced sex worker," read the two-page decision handed down Tuesday afternoon.
The Supreme Court, voting en banc, said the motion for reconsideration was untenable because the victim's unchaste character, as alleged by Jalosjos, was neither a defense nor a mitigating circumstance in rape. "Likewise, whatever consent or 'provocation' an 11-year-old girl gave to a sexual congress is no consent or 'provocation' at all. The very essence of the crime of statutory rape is the carnal knowledge of a woman below 12 years old," the decision said.
On Nov. 16, 2001, the high tribunal affirmed the Makati Regional Trial Court's 1997 decision sentencing Jalosjos to reclusion perpetua on two counts of statutory rape and six counts of acts of lasciviousness. Despite the lower court decision, Jalosjos successfully ran for reelection twice.
Reflecting the novelty presented by what he called a "unique case," Escudero at first categorically denied that the House would automatically expel Jalosjos, saying under House rules a two-thirds vote of all 214 House members was required. But he later said several congressmen were of the opinion that the expulsion would be automatic and that the House need not vote on it. "This is a unique case because the crime was not committed during this Congress," Escudero said.
Escudero said other House leaders were of the view that the ethics committee had no jurisdiction over it because Jalosjos was convicted of a crime that happened in a previous Congress. "So there's a chance that the expulsion would be effected at once," he said, as soon as the SC turns over a copy of its decision to the House. Before any vote, House rules require the ethics committee to make a recommendation.
"Under our rules, there is no automatic expulsion," Escudero said. Once the Supreme Court transmits its decision to the House, Escudero said, the rules committee will refer the communication to the ethics committee, that would then convene a meeting to sign a report recommending his expulsion. Escudero could not say when the committee would meet. He said Isabela Rep. Antonio Abaya, ethics committee chair, was ill but that any of his vice chairs could take charge.
Escudero said it also remained to be seen whether a special election would be held to fill up Jalosjos' seat once he is expelled. "In the past there were no special elections to fill up vacancies arising from the deaths of congressmen," Escudero said. He said that if the barangay elections would push through in May, a special election could be held in Jalosjos' district. This would require a special law, however.
Escudero added that if Jalosjos' seat is vacated, Speaker Jose de Venecia could appoint a neighboring congressman or a special assistant to attend to his constituents. Escudero said Jalosjos had not been receiving his salary.
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Goons prey on Swede in
the heart of Manila
Posted: 0:38 AM (Manila Time) | December 13, 2001
By Philip C. Tubeza
Inquirer News Service
WHILE Abu Sayyaf terrorists continue kidnapping foreign missionaries in the south, petty criminals are preying on foreign tourists right in the heart of Manila. Local tourism took another beating after Swedish tourist Robert Erik Eriksson, 43, lost more than 4,000 dollars to members of the notorious Ativan gang after playing golf in Intramuros.
He became the third tourist to fall victim to criminals in Manila in four days. And the suspects even beat up Eriksson when he prematurely woke up after the culprits had drugged him to sleep. Eriksson, billeted at the City State Tower Hotel in Ermita, told the Western Police District (WPD) General Assignments Section (GAS) that he lost $4,400 dollars to two unidentified Ativan gang members.
The victim described the first suspect as "decent-looking," around 60-years-old, medium built, fluent in English, and 5'9" in height. The second suspect was twenty-ish, slim, fair-complexioned, sporting short hair, and was driving a white Toyota car. Eriksson added that he lost a wristwatch worth 4,000 dollars, a gold necklace worth 400 dollars, 2,500 pesos in cash, a T-shirt worth 40 dollars, and a pair of pants worth 25 dollars.
He said the incident happened around 3 p.m. on Dec. 7 near the Intramuros Golf Course. He said he had just finished playing golf and was waiting for a taxi when one of the two suspects approached and befriended him. The culprit, "who was glib," then offered Eriksson a ride back to his hotel. While they were on their way to City State Tower, the suspects offered him some juice drink.
After taking a sip, Eriksson said he felt dizzy and passed out. When he woke up, he was surprised to see that he was already near a police station in Carmona, Cavite. The victim, who had bruises in his body, later told policemen that he woke up while he was still inside the suspects' car. He said that he sensed that something was wrong and tried to fight off the two suspects. But the culprits ganged up on him and beat him up until he again passed out.
On Saturday, Indian tourist and businessman Yogesh Marhawa, 36, lost nearly 200,000 pesos to the Ativan gang. One of the suspects befriended Marhawa, pretending to be a CitiBank vice president, while he was walking also in Intramuros.
On Monday night, American tourist John Walter Pennel II, lost more than 2,000 dollars to two snatchers, who at first offered him to have "threesome sex" with them.
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Menage-a-trois too
expensive for tourist
11:17 PM (Manila Time) | December 11, 2001
By Philip C. Tubeza
Inquirer News Service
A 45-YEAR-OLD American tourist lost more than 2,000 dollars after an alleged gay and a woman offered him "threesome sex" in Ermita, Manila on Monday night. The victim nabbed the suspects when he saw them again Tuesday morning. It was too late. The money was already gone.
John Walter Pennel II, of Room 407 Palm Plaza Hotel Manila, told investigators he lost 2,375 dollars to suspects Ruben B. Bautista, 27, of 126 Magunhawa St. Pasay and Joy O. Gonzaga, 27.
The suspects denied they were the ones who duped the American. Pennel said he was walking along the corner of M.H. Del Pilar and Soldado streets in Manila around 10 p.m. Monday when he encountered the suspects.
Bautista allegedly approached him and, for 2,000 dollars, offered to have "threesome sex" with Pennel. The suspect allegedly made the offer while pointing to Gonzaga, who was standing nearby. But the American tourist claimed he refused since his girlfriend was sleeping in his hotel room.
Gonzaga then approached Pennel and tried to seduce him. Pennel claimed she began fondling his chest. But while trying to seduce the victim, Gonzaga suddenly snatched Pennel's money, which was kept inside a pouch.
The two suspects then quickly escaped toward an unknown direction, leaving behind the bewildered victim. Pennel decided to go back to the crime scene around 6 a.m. Tuesday to see if he could find the culprits. To his surprise, both Gonzaga and Bautista were there. Pennel wasted no time. He arrested the two persons, who did not resist. Pennel later asked for assistance at a nearby police outpost and brought the suspects to the Ermita police station.
But after conducting a body search on the two suspects, police did not find a trace of Pennel's money.
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PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS
NABBED FOR 'LIVE SHOW'
Philippine Star
Sunday December 9, 2001
Two alleged members of the United States Peace Corps. were arrested by members of the Western Police District Mobile Patrol Unit for allegedly engaging in torrid necking before a crowd in Ermita, Manila early yesterday morning.
Police said American Elizabeth Rosh, 25; and Eugene Quezada,26; were arrested by policemen during a routine patrol along Mabini street about 1 A.M. According to police inspector Richard Gando and senior police officer 1 Johnny Casper they were aboard their prowl car and were cruising along Mabini street when they chanced upon a small crowd gathering at Sinagoga street.
Police said the two officers checked out what was happening and saw the couple standing half-naked and necking in the dimly lit sidestreet before spectators. The policemen broke up the crowd and escorted the couple to a prowl car. According to the WPD Mobile Patrol Unit, the two were later turned over to the custody of the United States Embassy.
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U.S. COUPLE IN SIDEWALK SEX BOUT
Bandera News
Sunday December 9, 2001
Failing to control their passion reportedly after taking drugs two American lovers engaged in torrid sex on a sidewalk in Ermita, Manila yesterday, but found themselves in jail, not in heaven, when they regained their senses. The two, Eugene Quezada, 26 and Elizabeth Rosh, 25, both natives of Alaska, USA and alleged members of the United States Peace Corps, were still doing it when collared by responding policemen.
Insp. Richard Gando said he and his two men were patrolling in Ermita, Manila around 1 A.M. yesterday when they noticed a commotion at the corner of Sinagoga and Mabini streets. Gando said some bystanders, mostly men, were even shouting while apparently watching a show. Curious, the lawmen approached the crowd to know what was going on. The cops were shocked upon seeing what the crowd was cheering on: Quezada and Rosh having sex on the sidewalk, unmindful of the presence of the people.
When the lawmen tried to stop the lovers from continuing the show, Rosh got irked and tried to attack them. "Tila nabitin pa iyong babae kaya pinagkakalmot nito ang mga pulis na umistorbo sa kanila," a bystander said. The two were subsequently brought to the police headquarters. Police said the two were apparently high on drugs, the reason why they did not mind having sex in public. But instead of filing criminal charges against the lovers, police said they may turn them over to the United States Embassy for proper disposition.
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BACOLOD, Philippines (Reuters) - A 32-year-old Filipino farmer who believed his penis was driving him to sin sliced it off with a machete in a fit of religious fervor, family members and doctors said on Friday. Relatives said they found the former security guard lying on the floor, covered in blood and with a portion of his penis missing when they went to his hut on Negros island in the southern Philippines on Monday.
"He is a good son, and one of seven children, He indulged himself by reading the Bible,'' his mother told reporters in Bacolod City 306 miles south of Manila, where the man is now in hospital. "His act was probably triggered by the book of Matthew 18:8,'' she said. The verse, from the New Testament, reads "If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.''
Family members said they rushed the man to a nearby hospital in Bacolod where doctors said they had stitched up and reconstructed his penis, although it is now 20 percent shorter. Relatives said they were unable to find the severed portion. Doctors said the man's penis showed several wounds, indicating that the man had hacked at it several times before it detached.
"The mere act of cutting his penis signifies that he is psychotic,'' the doctor said, but did not indicate whether the man would undergo psychiatric evaluation. He is now in stable condition and his wounds were expected to heal in two and a half weeks, doctors said. The man will still be able to have children, the doctor added. The man's mother said her son had been depressed and obsessed with the Bible since his wife moved to Manila to work as a housemaid, leaving their young child to live with her family.
"He said he wanted to be nailed to a coconut tree,'' the man's mother said. "He had memorized the Bible and preaches with the pastors in our place. "He also advised other people to remove nude photos from their walls so that small children will not become sex maniacs later,'' the mother said. Today newspaper quoted the man as saying he had no regrets about cutting off his penis because it was driving him to sin. Local radio and newspaper reports said the man had visualized his penis as a "cobra'' drawing him toward women.
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BY THE WAY by Max V. Soliven 11/06/2001
The idea being floated in Malaca�ang about the President declaring a one-week holiday this Christmas is insane. This absurd scheme will put an official stamp on absenteeism and laziness, at a crucial time when our nation needs to work, not indulge in partying and leisure.
There is a great deal of pontificating in Palace quarters that a one-week hiatus will constitute millions of pesos in "savings" in the form of the foregone use of electricity and other public utilities. This is nonsense. Wherever holidaymakers and pleasure-seekers may go, they�ll still need electricity. There�s no such thing as a vacation with vacationers fumbling around in the dark.
What the government may be calculating is that it will save on the expense of powering and air-conditioning some of its buildings. This is a false premise. The awful truth is that a weeklong holiday at the end of the year will destroy our economy. Businesses, already faltering and strapped for cash, will be forced to pay essential personnel extra pay to stay on the job, with these sums amounting to more than double the weekly wage.
The situation is horrible enough as it is. You don�t need a crystal ball to predict that many firms will be closing down, or declaring bankruptcy after the Christmas season. Desperate employers are maintaining their rosters, as it is, in order not to dampen the Christmas cheer of their soon-to-be-separated employees and workers.
Why should we be so different from the rest of the world, or more blessed by the god of employment? In New York City alone, more than 300,000 jobs were lost in the wake of the September 11 disasters. There will be millions of jobs lost in the "rich" United States in the weeks to come. All over the globe, powerful corporations and big manufacturers, not to mention high-tech firms, have been laying off workers on the average of 10,000 to 15,000 jobs per company, or more. Even Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe, is being swamped by a rising tide of unemployment and corporate failure.
And we�re planning more holidays? We must be living in a fools� paradise. The problem is that we can�t even go back to a coconut economy like the South Sea islanders. In the old days, the coconut was described as "the tree of life." It provided drink, food, copra, building material, and a lot of other ingredients. In the image of an idyllic islander existence, all people had to do was nap in the sun and wait for the coconuts to fall. Today, we don�t have many coconuts left. Our once-prosperous coconut industry, owing to years of neglect and government indifference, has gone to hell � the same hell to which our once-flourishing sugar production has gone. Decades ago we were one of the world�s biggest sugar exporters, vying with pre-Castro Cuba for a chunk of the US Sugar Quota. These days, criminal syndicates even have to smuggle in tons of sugar (and rice) to fill our needs.
The Department of Tourism is even claiming that a one-week Christmas holiday will encourage domestic tourism. Whaat? If Filipinos have only a few pesos in their pockets, they�ll go to window-shopping the malls which have replaced our parks (since our parks are overrun with muggers and squatters), or else stay put in their hometowns. There�s a beach almost everywhere, close to home for that matter. Worst of all, our officials who sponsor the one-week "happy happy" must have lost touch with reality. The end of the year is always budget and accounting time, with all accounts having to be squared and budgets toted up. Who�ll do these things if everyone is out on a lark?
What we need is hard work. Otherwise, in the end, there will be no work left for our wage-earners to do. In hard times, there is no substitute for perspiration. Coupled, of course, with faith.
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Taxi cab driver electrocuted while pissing
Meanwhile, a taxi cab driver was electrocuted when he urinated on an electric post in Intramuros, Manila early Saturday morning. According to investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Raul Olavarrio, the victim, Ramonito Yuson, 37, of Phase 4, Package 4, Block 11, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, was urinating on the base of an electric post along Bonifacio Drive, Intramuros at about 4 a.m. when he accidentally touched a dangling live wire.
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Court acquits Aussie on 87 counts of rape
By GILBERT BAYORAN
TODAY Correspondent
BACOLOD CITY-A 54-year-old Australian engineer, who has decided to spend the remaining days of his life in the Philippines, was acquitted Wednesday of 87 counts of rape.
Judge Reynaldo Alon, presiding judge of the Silay City Regional Trial Court Branch 40, said he ordered the release from jail of Australian John Paul Taylor after the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt in all the charges filed against him. Taylor has been in jail for two years and 10 months.
The complainant, a 14-year-old watch-your-car girl, accused Taylor of raping her for 91 days from September 2 to December 1998 at the Valladars Apartment on Roxas and Yap Quina streets in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Nene (not her real name), whose mother was employed by Taylor as a househelp, also claimed that the Australian employed intimidation in raping her.
In his 65-page decision, Alon said that, given the physical condition of Taylor at the time of the alleged rapes, with both of his legs being supported by steel braces and who uses a cane to support himself while walking, "such feat would be incredible." Alon added that the alleged 87 rapes that were repeatedly done in such a robotic manner, "is a story, not only this Court, but even an ordinary person will find absolutely absurd." "No human being is capable of such incredulous redundancy," he stressed.
Taylor admitted that the alleged victim's mother, a cigarette vendor whose identity is also being withheld, had compelled her daughter to file charges against him after he turned down their demands to pay them P125,000 to P300,000. Assuming that the alleged rapes did occur, Alon said, the complainant had several opportunities to shout for help since their rented apartment is located in a heavily populated area and a school zone.
The complainant's failure to flee, which she could have done, judging by the physical incapacity of the accused, and to shout for help before the alleged rape was committed, is inconsistent with the normal behavior of a woman who feels her virtue is being threatened, he also stressed. Taylor said he has been suffering from peripheral muscular atrophy for 11 years now. He arrived in the Philippines in 1974 after he retired from working in a mining company in Australia.
Although he said it is impossible for him to forgive those who had manufactured the accusations that led to his detention for almost three years, Taylor said he is not interested in filing countercharges against the alleged victim and her mother. "I was optimistic that I would be cleared since I am innocent," he added. Alon noted that the contradictions presented by the complainant in her declarations are too glaring and strike at her very credibility.
"In a criminal case, every doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused and the constitutional presumption of innocence still stands. For this reason, the accused must be acquitted," he said. TODAY
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QC COUNCILOR WANTS TOILETS FOR GAYS
From Philippine Star 9/27
A Quezon City councilor has filed an ordinance that will require administrators of public places and private establishments to set-up separate toilets for homosexuals, who she said have different needs and concerns from males and females. "Setting up a separate and distinct comfort room for the third sex in public places and establishments will recognize their existence in society, thus enhancing their right as a human being," said councilor Janet Malaya of the city's Fourth District.
But Malaya's proposed ordinance was apparently addressing only the " needs and concerns and demands" of male homosexuals because no mention was made about lesbians. Under the proposal, owners and administrators of public places and private establishments in Quezon City must provide a partition or cubicle intended for the use of homosexuals inside toilets for men.
Malaya said putting up cubicles or partitions for homosexuals in rest rooms for males would be one of the requirements in securing or renewing building and business permits in Quezon City. According to Malaya, failure to comply with the ordinance would mean cancellation of business licenses and building permits.
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Jeepney pioneer Sarao dead at 80
Fernando Sarao, who trail blazed the fabrication of jeepneys out of discards from American military "jeeps" after the end of World War II, succumbed to a heart attack Monday. The 80-year old Sarao, famous for his colorful jeepneys that have become a Philippine hallmark known the world over, died in his Imus, Cavite farm. He is survived by his family.
Sarao's death is also symbolic of the beginning of the end of an industry, which has suffered a gradual downfall in recent years. It came less than nine months following the closure of Sarao Motors Incorporated. The country's pioneer jeepney manufacturer, Sarao Motors halted production citing rising production costs and low demand in October of 2000.
The firm's co-owner, Edgardo Sarao, said: "We can't maintain the cost of production, so we've had to shut it down. But we will maintain our collection office and the service department," he said. He also pointed out that consumers have practically stopped buying jeepneys altogether, opting instead to purchase AUVs and SUVs, even as more commuters are patronizing the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) around Metro Manila.
From a high of nine jeepneys a day, Sarao Motors now only sells four units a week at P316,000-319,000 a unit. Distinctly Filipino, jeepneys slowly became a household name in the 1960s shortly after Sarao started his business. With a vision to become the Henry Ford of the Philippines, Leopoldo Sarao refashioned the GI-issue jeep into the more popular Philippine jeepney, which accommodated more passengers and discarded the drab military look.
Sarao produced a customized jeepney used by Pope John Paul II during his first visit to the Philippines in 1981. The jeepney was also used by then candidate Joseph Estrada during the 1998 presidential campaign period, epitomizing the culture of the Filipinos. Sarao had earlier sought the assistance of then President Estrada to bail out the company and prolong its existence. Malaca�ang insisted, however, that the downfall of Sarao was basically caused by the company's failure to keep in pace with the times.
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Sailor
Marries Transsexual
News report from the ABS-CBN news website
Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon filed on Monday a bill banning transsexual marriages, following last month's wedding of a Filipino transsexual to her U.S. serviceman boyfriend. Last month, Filipino Esperanza Martinez and U.S. Navy serviceman Jacob Allen Widener made headlines when they were married in simple wedding rites in Manila.
Their wedding was considered unique because Esperanza had to be declared a woman by a Manila Regional Trial Court before marriage. Christened as Barry Rommel Martinez, the six-foot-tall Filipino underwent a sex-change operation in Osaka, Japan, last January and a breast enhancement operation a decade ago. "I always thought of myself as a girl. I felt I was disabled to do something," Martinez told the court.
Esperanza and Jacob's wedding, which was the first of its kind in the Philippines, prompted Biazon to file a bill disallowing a man to marry a transsexual. Biazon said nature deemed man and woman to marry for "procreation and multiplication of the species." He said transsexuals who hide their true gender to their spouses may have their marriages nullified. "It goes against the intent of the Family Code. A marriage should be between natural born males and females," he said.
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The families of two arriving passengers at both the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Manila Domestic Airport turned both terminals Friday afternoon into a scene reminiscent of the "Wild, Wild West" when two wives caught their husbands disembarking from their respective flights with a woman in tow.
The first scandal involved the arrival at the NAIA from Saudi Arabia of Manuel Espiritu, a technical engineer working at the Jeddah International Airport. He arrived with his girlfriend from Jeddah, not knowing that his wife, Luisa, and his three children, had staked out the airport waiting for him. Espiritu got the surprise of his life when his family suddenly appeared in front of him and his girlfriend. The next thing he knew, his wife and three children, had ganged up on his woman companion, creating a scene to the amusement of other arriving passengers. Timely intervention of the airport police prevented what could have been an uglier incident.
Espiritu, who arrived for a vacation from a three-year contract as a technical engineer at the Jeddah International Airport, explained to his family that he had become a Muslim while in Jeddah, and as such, could be allowed to three more wives. But no explanation could pacify his wife and three children, who asked him to make a choice between his real family and the other woman.
At the domestic terminal, the same scene was duplicated the same day when Elena Salvador, 36, caught her husband, Ariel, 33, with a woman in tow after disembarking from a domestic flight from Cagayan de Oro. Airport authorities said that the two incidents have become normal at both terminals, where husbands going astray are caught by their wives with a woman companion either departing or arriving from abroad or the provinces. The other women always claim when interviewed by airport authorities that they were made to believe that their men were single. In fact, some of the men proposed marriage to them, they added.
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Two Papua New Guinea fishermen have bled to death after having their penises bitten off by piranha-like river fish. The fish, which zero in on urine streams in the water, have struck terror among villagers along the Sepik River, in north-western PNG.
Authorities believe the killer fish is an introduced member of the South American pacu family and a relative of the piranha. In both of last month's fatalities, the fish demonstrated a trait of the piranha by following a trail of urine in the water, swimming to its source and then biting it off with razor-sharp teeth.
Some believe the killer may be a food-source fish introduced from Brazil in 1994 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the PNG National Fisheries Authority. However, marine biologist and aquaculturist Ian Middleton said he believed they were a different species, introduced from across the PNG-Indonesia border.
He believed the fish had started biting humans because of a lack of naturally occurring food. "The reason for biting people on their genitals is a result of the fish detecting a chemical change in the water, swimming up the urine trail and biting the genitals."
This behavior was well documented in the Amazon, he said. The director of the PNG Office of Environment and Conservation, Dr Wari Iamo, yesterday expressed "grave concern and dissatisfaction" at the way some government agencies and donor organizations had gone about importing exotic plant and animal species.
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A 44-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday charged with parricide before the Makati City Prosecutor's Office for killing his 21-year-old son who was said to be having an affair with his own 19-year-old sister.
Eulogio Bacarro admitted killing his son Bryan. "It was too much," was all Bacarro said after he was charged with his son's killing. The young Bacarro on Monday died from several stab wounds in his father's house at 4050 Bernardino St., Laperal Compound in Barangay Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City.
Makati City police homicide investigator PO2 Juvenal Barbossa said the stabbing happened while father and son were arguing. Police said the young Bacarro pulled out a knife but his father managed to wrest the knife from him and used it to stab him repeatedly.
The argument between father and son began when the young Bacarro fetched his sister from his father's house on Monday afternoon, police said. The siblings, police said, were living in a rented house in Mandaluyong City as husband and wife. But the older Bacarro learned of the incestuous affair and took home his daughter, police said.
The young Bacarro, police said, then went to his father's house to fetch his sister, triggering the argument with his father. The older Bacarro surrendered to police after the stabbing. He told police that his daughter admitted she was her brother's lover but claimed that he had been raping her since April.
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The Philippine Star reported that in a recent public opinion poll by Pulse Asia, a nationally representative sample of adult Filipinos "were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, 'Wala nang pag-asa ang bansang ito kaya kung maaari lamang ay magma-migrate ako at duon na sa ibang bansa maninirahan.' (This country is already hopeless and if possible I would migrate and live in another country.)" Almost half of the Filipinos (forty-four percent) replied either that they "would migrate to another country, if possible" or that they "are undecided about leaving but will not rule out this option as of now." Geographically, "the sense of desperation is clearly strongest among those surveyed in the Visayas" (Samar, Leyte, Negros, etc.). Among socioeconomic categories, "hopelessness is most apparent among the poorest people," "those who are poorly educated," and "the generally poorly paid government employees and those who farm for a living." The percentage of Filipinos who are ready to leave their country "would probably be among the highest national proportion if a comparative study of migration preferences were conducted worldwide."
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Wife, Mom-in-law Hacked For Nagging
A jobless man hacked and wounded his wife and mother-in-law with a jungle bolo after he got fed up with their nagging over his drinking habit in Para�aque City on Monday night, the police said. Victim Delma Bernales, 30, housewife, suffered a deep hack wound in the head and lost four of her fingers, while her mother, Conchita Calsaja, 51, sustained hack wounds to her jaw. Both are undergoing medical treatment at the Philippine General Hospital. Police are now looking for the suspect, Edito Bernales, 33, who escaped after the incident. An investigation conducted by Senior Police Officer 2 Bert Parena showed the hacking occurred at around 9:30 p.m. at Calsaja�s house, where the couple are also staying. It was learned that before the incident the two victims were ganging up on Edito, scolding him for coming home drunk and for failing to find a job. At the height of the tongue-lashing, Edito reportedly grabbed a jungle bolo and hacked the victims.
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