Facebook and Twitter in the PNoy government

With his presidential campaign successfully fueled by social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, PNoy will now try to tap those tools in his good governance campaigns. The first government unit to try to use them was the Supreme Court. It was also the first to deactivate its use. The Supreme Court is not giving up though on Twitter. It says it's still tweaking its account.

The Department of Finance today announced it will soon launch its own social media accounts. The department hopes to receive from the public some leads in its anti-tax evasion and smuggling campaigns.

These departments are definitely not the first to use social networking media to reach out to the public. It has been tried before but the rigid bureaucracy nipped it in the bud. Mid level bureaucrats are unable to explain to their superiors the utility of the social media in disseminating information although many of them use them personally. It is only now in PNoy's time, with new blood being infused in the top, that social media gets a second look. With the mid level bureaucrats' Malabanan mentality, expect many to suddenly like those tools now and suggest their use to management.

Didn't they know resistance is futile?

Hopeless Pag-asa X

Reports say PNoy criticized the PAGASA for not warning the residents of Metro Manila about a strong tropical storm that pummeled the nation's capital. Hopeless PAGASA had it coming. Our weather bureau could have used a dart board in predicting the weather and it might have gotten better results. They are that bad.

PAGASA's own website says public storm signal no. 1 is raised when winds of 30-60 kph may be expected in at least 36 hours or intermittent rains may be expected within 36 hours. Public storm signal no. 2 is hoisted when winds of greater than 60 kph and up to 100 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours. This is summarized in the Philippine's first website on tropical cyclones.

What did PAGASA do this time to deserve the presidential ire?

They wrongly predicted the places where typhoon Basyang will hit. They raised signal no. 1 in Metro Manila. When winds over 100kph started to batter the metropolis, they hastily upped it to signal no. 2, only to quickly lower it back to no. 1 after 6 hours, when the typhoon  has passed. You raise public storm signals to notify residents of impending weather disturbances, so they can prepare for contingencies. With its performance, PAGASA does not forecast the weather, it describes the weather. Last night when they raised signal no. 2, they did not mean to forecast winds up to 100kph will come in 24 hours. They meant to describe the winds we have now at 100kph as signal no. 2 category.

World cup fever fails to infect Filipinos

While the whole world highly anticipates the FIFA World Cup games, Filipinos hardly notice the games. Elsewhere, even an octopus who has correctly predicted the results of Germany's games, get good press.

Only a few Pinoys play the game. Not many schools have big enough space for a football field in this space challenged metropolis. Politicians routinely donate basketball goals which can be rolled and setup on paved streets. But how do you donate more than a half hectare just for the playing field?

Larissa Riquelme, a lingerie model from Paraguay who at certain angles resembles the presidential girlfriend, promised to run naked if her national team wins the Cup. Damn Spain for scoring late to deny the world of Larissa's naked run, but her fervor showed us enough of her ample charms. The latest word is she'll still run naked despite the loss. Talk about winning in losing.

Not to be outdone, Bobbie Eden, a Dutch porn star, promised in a tweet, to give a BJ to all her followers if Netherlands wins the Cup. As expected, her followers shot over a hundred thousand and counting. I'm rooting for Spain but I expect Bobbi to do a Larissa even if Holland loses.

But in the Philippines, fans get bored by the game. Our Asian neighbors join the world in the FIFA fever, but not us. Perhaps sometime soon, since the game is now making a strong headway in the US, then we can have some body like Christine Reyes to run naked if Team Pilipinas wins. Then we all win.

Aling Banang meets Facebook

I blogged about Aling Banang (the eatery) last year because its specialties remain in taste buds of longtime San Juan residents. There is also a healthy dose of Aling Banang references in the world wide web as many bloggers likewise post entries about their Aling Banang experience. The Aling Banang branch in N. Domingo is even used as a landmark by Google maps.

Now Aling Banang has a Facebook fan page. As of tonight, there are 1,400+ fans. May the tribe increase.

White hair chronicles XXVIII - Wonder Nanay @ 70

Our Nanay Eliz turned 70 last July 2. To celebrate the milestone, we invited some of her friends and classmates for lunch at the house that fried chicken built last July 3. In a short program that followed, my sister asked our mom's friends to say a few words about the birthday girl. There were several classmates and a teacher from their elementary school days in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro. Her classmates talked about the simple life back then when they graduated in 1956. One recounted that their daily allowance then was 'dalawang pera', which bought them 10 guavas and 2 slices of coconut candy that they shared among themselves. My niece cannot grasp the concept of the pera, she asked if it meant a peso. She gasped when told that it meant two cents (centavos). Throughout their reminiscing, they all had very good words about our mother.

After my mom's classmates, I was asked to speak in behalf of my siblings. I had to remind the guests I am not from their school batch for I could have passed off as one with my white hair and gait. I told them about our Nanay Eliz is truly a Wonder Mom. It is not easy being a mother of nine and a wife to our father. But our mother does it excellently with nary a complaint.

Her friends had equally good words for her as friend, mentor, and bingo buddy. Everyone of the 80 or so in attendance could have gone on all afternoon and all would have heaped praises on her. Perhaps to cap all the accolades, the senior citizen's office coordinator announced that nanay will receive an outstanding senior citizen award next month. What a fitting tribute to the finest lady one can ever know.