Typhoon Ondoy's situation in Manila, Philippines

Last Saturday at around 12:00 noon New York time and 12:00 midnight Manila time I was calling our home phone in Manila trying to contact my two sons and ask how they are. I called five times and the phone was just ringing. I was wondering why, I thought that my sons go to my aunt’s house to attend the wedding of my cousin. Unaware when was the wedding and thinking that they are having a good time. I tried to call their cell number but it was out of coverage area. So I tried to call my sister’s cell phone - just ring twice and then went busy. So I called my cousin’s house to check if they were there but the phone is just ringing too. I decided to call my other aunt, somebody answered and told me to wait but alas I was waiting for five minutes but the other end went off. So I tried my sisters cell phone again and this time I was able to talk to her and it was only then that I learned that the communication is down, electricity is off and no water because some parts of Manila is flooded because of typhoon Ondoy. She told me that due to flood from her office in Quezon Avenue she took the MRT to SM North Edsa from there she walk to our house in Frisco because the jeeps and buses are stranded. The flood at seven o’clock on that area is up to her legs. Thank God that when she get home the flood in our area sudside already. But before that the next street to us is flooded above the head of a man. My son narrated that he was there in his own way together with his friends help the people getting things that they could get from the houses and help them load to the truck. He told me that there are some families that were trapped in their houses and on the roof of their houses. They could not get out because the water is too high and the current of the water is very strong. They are afraid they might be carried by the flow. Anyway, I am just lucky and I feel blessed that my children and sister is safe in my house though I am sad and my heart goes to them some of my relatives in Marikina, Cainta, and in Laguna are unlucky and victims of the flood. They have no food to eat, no clothing and left homeless. Here are some pictures and videos that I got from you tube courtesy of members who downloaded this. Thanks for them for sharing them.

A Philippine Air Force aerial shot shows floodwaters caused by continuous rains brought by Typhoon Ondoy in Cainta Rizal, east of Manila September 27, 2009.

Residents wade in floodwaters in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009.

Rescuers assist residents from floodwaters as they board a rubber boat in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009.

evacuate residents on a rubber boat in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009.

Rescuers from the Philippine Navy carry a victim of flash floods at Provident Village in Marikina City September 27, 2009.

Residents sit on a rubber boat as they are evacuated from floodwaters in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009.
---see video---

Quezon city

Marikina & Cainta


Pasig


Now I am initiating in my own little way to ask whatever help that I could get in cash or in kind from our neighbors here and my hubby’s cousins, our bosses and officemates . I make my face thick so I could help my relatives and also extend a help to others thru our little NGO organization spearheaded by my cousin. I thank God in advance that they answered my calling and pledge for support. I am now waiting for them to give it to me so I could pack and sent the package to the Philippines soonest.

Singing Nurse

When I am not busy I always visit you tube before I visit my blogs. I want to get updated on what's happening to the video world. One video that catch my attention is this Pinoy nurse named Dominic Limpin. He is assigned in the dialysis department in one of the hospital here in New York. We all know that it's not easy for a person who is ill to pretend that you are happy.Or sometimes you could not even let them smile, how could you ever smile if you are suffering for too much pain. I know everyone of us could relate or might as well pity those who are sick. For we know the pain that they are suffering and yet this Pinoy nurse manage to help them ease the pain by singing to them or letting the patient join him in singing. I think his intention is to alliviate their suffering even only for a short while. At least for this short time they might as well forget the pain that they go thru. I really admire this man's compassion. I just hope that some nurses out there would be as compassionate as he is while doing their work. I observe that there are nurses who are rude to the patients. Instead of helping them ease the pain they are adding problem to the patient. We understand that you are pressured but it doesn't necessarily mean that you will take it against your patients. Just my opinion and some piece of advise, be compassionate, kind and to them for you just don't only know how they really feel. Sometimes the pain is killing them and too much to bear.Let's say its a vice-versa. What if you are on their situation and same thing would be done to you.How would you react. Anyway, I am happy for you Mr. Limpin. Keep it up! Yan ang Pinoy! Thumbs up!

this video is courtesy of jollybmcdonald--thank you for sharing this video....

UPDATE RE THE WIDOW OF MR. HUNT

JANELAZE Hunt could end up losing her green card if proven that she lied to US authorities about her having a daughter when she applied for a visa and subsequently, a permanant resident status.Bureau of Immigration director for northern Mindanao Florentino Diputado said the US government ‘‘is very strict when it comes to immigration laws.’’He said lying to US immigration authorities about not having a child could mean serious consequences on one’s status as a green card holder.‘‘If it can be proven that Janelaze violated their law, then there’s a chance she would be deported,’’ Diputado said.A message posted by Mrs. Hunt on a ‘‘Yahoo Answers’’ page a year ago suggests that she denied that she had a daughter and lied to her husband, the late Thomas J. Hunt, about it apparently just to be able to go and stay in the US.Diputado said he believed that the Hunt affair was an ‘‘isolated case.’’‘‘Filipino women are generally very caring and loving to their husbands, be they foreigner or not,’’ said Diputado. ‘‘Filipino women are good wives.”Diputado said there were also times when Filipino wives complained to the bureau about alleged abuses. He said there were actual cases Filipino wives who went to the immigration bureau here to complain because they were handled roughly by their expat-husbands.The ‘‘usual reason,’’ according to Diputado, for the alleged abuses: jealousy. He said he advised the complaining wives to press charges.‘‘But things got patched up right away... Complaining wives normally do not come back to the office,’’ said Diputado. But generally, expatriates here have good relationships with their Filipino wives, he said.


JANELAZE Hunt's question in YAHOO ANSWER...

Is there any chance to get my daughter even i denied her in USCIS..Im stillgreencard holder?Hello Mr. Garfunkil,i came her in US for fiancee visa last2005 of Dec.10th..Right now i already pass my removal of status to become agreencard.My big problems is i denied in immigration that i have daughter soright now my husband know already everything about my past which he accept mewith all his heart ,so right now ?Our problems is do we have a chance topetition my daughter to come here in US shes still 4 years old right isimmigration wont bother this case?Can u help me for this case or can u give me aadvice what we gonna supposed to do,while right now im still waiting for mygreencard coz i just file last Feb.19,2008 this year?please can u give meadvaice what can we do for this situation hoping for ur good help & what canwe do for this status which i denied my daughter..Is there any chance that shecan still come her with us? Janelaze R. Hunt fromYuma ,Arizona.

Sad News from the Philippines-Tragic Story of Thomas J. Hunt

By HERBIE GOMEZ - Editor in chief and MARK FRANCISCO - Staff member Updated May 8, 2009 12:00 AM
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Thomas J. Hunt in this undated photo. There was a time only a few people in Cagayan de Oro knew he existed. -PHOTO COURTESY OF ELMER ZINK.

These are the videos while he is in the hospital

Left penniless and stranded in Oro, American was alone even in death.

THE poor American septuagenarian was alone even in death.

Thomas J. Hunt’s body has been at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes since April 27, and the people running the place say they do not know what to do with his remains.

Inside one of Cosmopolitan’s ‘‘chapels’’ on Capistrano Street is Hunt’s white casket. The coffin is a bit expensive but the ‘‘chapel’’ where Hunt’s body lies in state is considered the cheapest facility Cosmopolitan can offer.

The dead American, who lost a lot of weight judging from his loose skin, is clad in a cheap white office Barong. Around the Baptist’s hands, ironically, is a Catholic rosary.
Yesterday morning, the seats were all empty; there was literally no living thing inside that ‘‘chapel.’’

‘‘They say the interment will be on Saturday,’’ said a Cosmopolitan executive as he pointed to a whiteboard that showed that workers were supposed to bring Mr. Hunt’s body to a cemetery tomorrow. ‘‘But quite frankly, I really don’t know. Until now, no payment has been made... not a single centavo. And the wife is not here.’’

Workers at Cosmopolitan said the facility where the body of the American lies in state has been unattended most of the time.

‘‘It’s like he was abandoned, technically speaking,’’ said one executive.

Just outside the ‘‘chapel,’’ a woman who identified herself only as Inday was playing solitaire.
‘‘I’m their neighbor and I was just asked to watch,’’ Inday told The Gold Star Daily in the vernacular. ‘‘They just went out to buy something.’’

Asked if she knew where Hunt’s widow was, Inday replied: ‘‘She was here last night.’’
For some reason, the widow, unknown to Inday, is still in the US. Inday bumbled when she was asked if she knew that.

‘‘It’s because they know me but I don’t know them that well, really,’’ she spoke haltingly.
Hunt, 72, was married to the former Janelaze Songcuya, a woman who could have passed off as his granddaughter.

Elmer Zink, who claims to be living about 30 miles from where the widow is living right now, said the Hunts had decided to move to Cagayan de Oro in May last year, a month after the American retired from an establishment called Hoppstetter’s Office Products.

Zink said the Hunts went bankrupt and lost their home in Yuma, Arizona. Without elaborating, Zink blamed the woman for the bankruptcy.

‘‘In May 2008, she convinced him to go on ahead of her to Cagayan de Oro, and she would follow as soon as she received her permanent green card or extension on her two-year green card,’’ said Zink.

Mr. Hunt flew to Cagayan de Oro but his wife never came. Instead, according to Zink, Mrs. Hunt went to live in Fairfax, Virginia––allegedly with a boyfriend.

Hunt’s widow, said to be working as a saleslady at a Macy’s branch in Virginia, could not be reached for comment at presstime. But she told YumaSun.com earlier that she did not follow her husband here because ‘‘they could not afford two round trip tickets.’’

When YumaSun pressed for further explanation, she said the reason was between her and her husband. She also said she wanted to bring her husband back to the US but she had no money.
Expat Mike Farrell told The Gold Star Daily Hunt and Janelaze stumbled on each other via the Internet.

In 2005, the American brought his then fiancee, to Yuma, Arizona, said a relative of the widow’s.
Janelaze’s aunt, Grace Songcuya, said the couple had planned to settle here for good. “Thomas realized that he was only getting a pension that’s a meager amount in the States so he decided to come here ahead of his wife.”

Songcuya said Hunt stayed with her family in Barangay Consolacion for almost a year.
“We treated him like he was a member of the family. He told us, smiling, that he was very satisfied here unlike in Yuma where he had no family,” Songcuya said.

While in Cagayan de Oro, Hunt had very little money because he entrusted his monthly social security pension of US$1 thousand to Janelaze, Farrell said. ‘‘He was that in love with her.’’

Zink, who lives south of Baltimore, Maryland, corroborated this in an e-mail: ‘‘Mr. Hunt’s (social security pension of) $1000/month [was] deposited to his American bank account monthly... The wife had debit card and used some of his SS money for her while he was in Cagayan de Oro. She denies this, but he had very little money... and she has also never showed me the bank statements.’’

Janelaze confirmed to the YumaSun that Hunt was receiving a US$1-thousand monthly pension that was deposited to their joint bank account. Because Hunt was ill, she said, her family members in Cagayan de Oro were granted access to the account.

Zink said that when Hunt arrived in the city last year, he stayed at a hotel but later moved in with Janelaze’s parents because he was running out of cash. Subsequently, he said, Hunt lived with the family of Janelaze’s sister ‘‘who had a house with dirt floor.’’

Hunt, according to Zink, became ill when continuous heavy rains battered the city last January. The American was a diabetic and ‘‘[he] didn’t have enough money for his insulin.’’

The YumaSun quoted Hunt’s stepson Ted Hammon of Phoenix as saying that Hunt had brain tumor and suffered from complications due to diabetes.

The American became delirious and was rushed to the Polymedic General Hospital on Velez Street where he was confined since Jan. 29.

Songcuya, Janelaze’s aunt, said the hospital bills reached P570,665.95. No payment has been made at presstime and that means no death certificate can be issued. Without a death certificate, Hunt cannot be laid to rest, legally.

Hunt’s widow also owes Cosmopolitan some P45 thousand for its services, including a five-day use of its facilities. After five days, Cosmopolitan charges ‘‘overstaying customers’’ on a daily basis.
While in the hospital, very little was done for Hunt until a doctor informed expats in the city that
there was an American in Polymedic who had no visitors for a month, according to Zink.

Farrell said the expats met and soon, their wives started raising funds for Hunt. He said the group spent nearly P100 thousand for medicines.

‘‘They were getting small donations. They were not much... some gave $50, others gave $200 ,’’ said Farrell.

But Janelaze’s aunt Grace, who works in a local court, was unhappy with the expats and their wives, said Farrell. He said the women were later accused of using Hunt for unauthorized solicitations, and the women were driven away when they went to Cosmopolitan for the wake.
Songcuya, according to Farrell, threatened to sue the group. He said she also ‘‘ordered’’ one of the expats to see her as if she had the authority.

‘‘They helped a lot and that was what they got,’’ said Farrell.

Now, said Farrell, the widow wants the expats and their wives to shoulder the medical and funeral expenses because ‘‘she says she doesn’t have money.’’

Out of the blue, Songcuya said, came the group of Filipino women in Cagayan de Oro who are married to expats.

“I was surprised [and questioned] the motive of this group. Who are they to interfere with our affairs?” asked Songcuya.

She said the group called ‘‘Expats’ Ladies Charities’’ solicited funds here and abroad supposedly to pay the hospital bills, and wake and burial expenses.

“But we or Polymedic or Cosmopolitan never received a single centavo from this group,” Songcuya said.

She said the group needs to account for the funds.

Manny Pacquiao's fight against Ricky Hatton

Another event for that we could watch is the biggest boxing match in years as Filipino Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao takes on Britain's Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009 Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel Garden in Las Vegas.The match will be one of the last few fights before the grand finale of Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao's stellar fight career. The 30-year-old athlete will be facing yet another bigger opponent Manchester's pride, 30-year-old Ricky Hatton
Manny Pacquiao is now 100% focused and ready for the battle of east and west against Ricky Hatton. Not only is he ready, but Pacquiao appears to be excited going into ring Saturday fight against the taller Hatton.In the Philippines, almost every activity stops during live broadcasts of Manny Pacquiao's fight.Pacquiao vs Hatton is a surefire blockbuster, with earnings status befitting a mega-fight. Million dollars will go to the coffers of both fighters, and a sizable portion of these will go to Pacquiao purse.Although The Battle of East and West is a non-title bout for the jr. welterweight division, the Pacquiao vs Hatton Winner Results Update, is expected to pit Pacquiao's pure fire aggression with Hatton's body punches. Manny Pacquiao's combinations, will utilize his speed to weaken Hatton's body.
The streets of the Philippines could resemble a ghost town for a few hours on Sunday morning, Satuday evening here in the US May 2. as everyone from taxi drivers to petty thieves makes time to watch Manny Pacquiao's fight against Ricky Hatton.
Pacquiao, known as the "nation's fist," is idolised in the Southeast Asian nation and his every appearance in the ring has a majority of the 90 million people glued to their television and radio sets, causing a surge in demand for electricity. "I'm sure all Filipinos will also stay home so it will just be a waste of time driving around. If Manny wins, then I'll have a busy afternoon, and expects people to be partying in the streets should their man triumph.
Restaurants with cable television will open early as will shopping malls with cinemas, where people can watch the fight live via satellite.
According to news The SM group, the country's largest cinema operator, said the tickets, priced at 551 pesos each, were selling fast.
Pacquiao, nicknamed "Pac-man," is clearly popular with the nation's criminals as well.
Historical and statistical data to show that there's always zero crime during Pacquiao's actual match," said Nicanor Bartolome, national police spokesman.
In the southern Mindanao island, government soldiers will set up a giant screen in a former camp of the militant rebel group Abu Sayyaf to watch the match, according to a local radio report. Pacquiao, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has also distracted politicians.
Congress adjourned its session early this week so about 50 lawmakers, including the speaker of the House of Representatives, could fly to Las Vegas for the fight.
I am praying for Manny's victory because that will bring honour and pride to all Filipinos anywhere in the world, "He's my hero because he always makes us proud." GO PAQUIAO, GO, GO! WE’RE PROUD FOR YOU AND WE’RE PROUD TO BE PINOY!!!!

Cory Aquino to undergo an operation

Honestly, I am not really an avid admirer of the recent Philippine Presidents. Forgive me but that is how I feel after numerous bad experiences with our political system. Although, I do appreciate certain individuals who are trying to make a change & trying to exert certain effort inspite of Philippines political situation. Sometimes it is extremely distressing listening and watching news with regards to our leaders. I do admire Aquino for her adherence to end the horrible Filipinos suffering under Marcos regime. According to news,the former President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino will go under the knife as part of her treatment for colon cancer that she has been battling for over a year now.
This was according to Aquino's son, Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who asked people for prayers for the successful operation of the former president.
Mrs. Aquino, an icon of Philippine democracy, is the wife of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. She was installed in power after the 1986 People Power revolt.
In March 2008, Aquino's children Noynoy and TV personality Kris disclosed that their mother was diagnosed to have cancer. Kris said it was her mother's decision for the family to release a statement regarding her health condition.
Despite her illness, she remained active in dealing with national concerns.

Madam: The Filpinos supports and love you. We pray for a successful operation and you speed recovery.

Britain's Got Talent singing 'I Dream A Dream'

Wow!!! Whatta Voice. I was stunned watching her singing this beautiful piece. This lady's name is Susan Boyle-47 years old from West Lothian, Scotland. She is a singer and church volunteer who came to public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent. Boyle found fame when she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables in the competition's first round first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2009. Before she sang, both the audience and the judges appeared to express scepticism based on her unpolished appearance. In contrast, her vocal performance was so well received that she has been dubbed "The Woman Who Shut Up Simon Cowell".She received a standing ovation from the live audience, and unanimous praise from the judges.Watch her amazing performance which has captured the hearts of millions worldwide and you'll be the judge.....

Latest Ted Failon's Wife Died

Trinidad Etong, wife of ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon Etong, passed away at 8:50 pm Thursday night after suffering from a gunshot wound to the head that her family said was self-inflicted more than a day earlier.
ABS-CBN vice-president for Manila Radio and Sports Division Peter Musngi, who was in the Intensive care unit (ICU) of the New Era Hospital in Quezon City where Trina was being treated, told DZMM that the patient's condition turned for the worse at 8:25 pm after her blood pressure went down.
He said at least six medical attendants tried to save the patient but nothing happened.
Musngi said Failon has called for a priest who will administer the final blessings for his 45-year-old wife.
"Ted is inconsolable," Musngi said. "He is both sad and angry."
Shortly before Trina’s death, members of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit arrested two of her relatives for alleged obstruction of justice.
Police are still investigating whether Trina committed suicide or was a victim of foul play.

FAILON'S WIFE IN CRITICAL CONDITION

This is the news Yesterday:

To the Filipinos he is known as Ted Failon is a news anchor of TV Patrol World and is a radio commentator on DZMM, the radio station of ABS-CBN.

In 2001, Ted ran and won as congressman representing the first district of Leyte, but he only served one term, from 2001 to 2004, after which he returned to ABS-CBN.

ABS-CBN news anchor Teodoro 'Ted' Failon said his wife was faced with a problem about "family finances" before he found her lying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound in her head in one of the bathrooms of their house in Quezon City on Wednesday.

In an interview with Ces Drilon on Bandila, Failon said he talked with his wife 1:30 am Wednesday about the problem, and he tried to assure her that he could earn and recover whatever financial loss she may have incurred.

“It's all about the family's finances,” Failon said in the interview. He told her that since they both came from poor families, it should not be a problem.

“Kung ano man ang problema na iyan, kung pera man yan o anuman yan, kikitain ko lang iyan,” Failon said.

He said he tried to console his wife by saying, “Mommy, galing tayo sa wala eh, di pino-problema iyan.”

Failon said he also found that night a "sorry" letter from his wife indicating a financial problem

The letter said: "Papa, I'm so sorry, gustong-gusto ko pang magsabi sa iyo ng totoo pero hindi ko po alam kung papaano ko uumpisahan. Sobrang takot na takot po ako. Umalis po muna ako kasi hindi ko po kaya at nahihiya po ako sa iyong humarap. Sana po mapatawad mo ako, Papa. Sorry sorry Papa, -- Mama"

The couple failed to fully discuss the problem, but Failon said they agreed to meet again later on Wednesday.

At around 10:20 am, while Failon was still on board DZMM for his radio program, "Tambalang Failon at Sanchez," Failon said he was trying to call his wife but she was not answering her phone. He asked their household help to check on his wife and was told she was in the bathroom.

When he finally got to talk to his wife on the phone, Failon said his wife told him, “Papa, wala akong mukhang ihaharap sa iyo.”

'Pool of blood'

Failon said that was when he decided to leave early from his program and go home.

Upon reaching his residence in Tierra Pura subdivision in Quezon City, Failon said his wife had locked herself in the bathroom. He asked one of the maids to look for the key so that the door could be opened.

Asked what he saw, Failon said: "She was lying in a pool of blood."

Failon denied he had a physical fight with his wife and that he had hurt her early Wednesday. “Ni minsan (no)…," he said.

Failon said the gun his wife used in the apparent suicide was a licensed Walther PPK .380 which he owned.

He said he had taught her how to use it in case she had to defend herself, and that she knew where he kept the gun.

"It’s a licensed gun. Noong unang panahon pa, tinuturuan ko siya for protection sa bahay. At siyempre, alam niya kung saan nakatago iyan,” he said.

Asked about reports that he could be a suspect, Failon said: "I don't have to defend myself with that allegation."

Further questioning

Police authorities are still trying to determine whether the shooting was an attempted homicide or a suicide attempt.

As of posting, Failon and his lawyers had agreed to go to Camp Karingal for further questioning. Trinidad, 44, was still in critical condition at the New Era General Hospital.

Failon was accompanied to the police headquarters by his daughter, Kaye, his dzMM radio partner Korina Sanchez, and ABS-CBN Vice-President for sports Peter Musngi.

Failon, whose full name is Mario Teodoro Failon Etong, earlier underwent a paraffin test together with members of his household.

In a statement he issued early Wednesday afternoon, Failon said he rushed his wife to the hospital after seeing her lying in a pool of blood.

"Hindi ko na tinapos ang aking programa sa dzMM kaninang umaga matapos kong makausap ang aking asawa sa telepono. Kaya umuwi ako kaagad at natagpuan kong nakakandado ang pinto ng banyo,” he said. “Pinabuksan ko ang pinto at natagpuan ko ang aking asawa na duguan kung kaya't itinakbo ko sya kaagad sa ospital."

Not a suicide note

Police Superintendent Frank Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said the "sorry" note of Trinidad does not appear to be a suicide note.

Mabanag lamented that the household helpers of Failon cleaned the bathroom where Trinidad was found, and that Failon returned the gun in the bedroom instead of leaving the scene for the police to examine.

Mabanag said Failon and his household helpers could face a case of "obstruction of justice" for cleaning the scene of the shooting incident.

However, Mabanag said the two maids told police they were not told by Failon to clean the bathroom where Trinidad was found lying in a pool of blood.

Mabanag said they will also study the bullet entry, which was through the left temple.

Initial reports said the couple had an argument in Failon's car on Wednesday, but this was denied by Mabanag.

Still critical

In an interview Thursday over dzMM, Dr. Adonis Gascon, surgeon of the New Era General Hospital, said Trinidad was still in critical condition. Her vital signs were still unstable

He said Trinidad was not clinically dead as some media organizations (not ABS-CBN) earlier reported. Brain surgery was not an option, he added.

In a statement early Wednesday , ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. appealed to the public to respect the privacy of Failon’s family.

"We appeal to everyone to please respect the privacy of Ted Failon and his family," ABS-CBN corporate communications head Bong Osorio said. "His wife is fighting for her life."

Failon was negative in gun powder but he is still considered as suspect.

Charice Pempengco will sing for Barack Obama

At Charice interview

Another Filipino that I am proud of is Charice Pempengco, she is tagged as an international singing sensation. I remember that day when she sings at Macy’s big event in New York City – The Thanksgiving Day.I was kinda sentimental to see her on TV and said to myself Pinoy talaga ako. Come Jan. 20,2009 she will again, bring a big honor to my beloved Philippines being the only Filipino who will sing at the historic inauguration of the newly elect President of the United States of America Barack Obama in Washington . She will be singing God Bless America and One Moment in Time. This is really her one shining moment being on the stage singing with the new historic President. To sing with him, be one of the invited guest is really an honor. Mabuhay ka Kabayan!!!!

Pinoy Student will attend President-elect Barack Obama's Inauguration come Jan. 20

He is Paul Michael Pilares Cruz, a 19-year-old college freshman from the Philippines. He is one of only two Filipinos to be invited to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. He couldn’t believe his luck describing the moment the invitation arrived by mail from the Congressional Youth Leadership Council Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that has secured seats for students from around the globe.
Cruz and another Filipino, Anna Liwanag, attended the Global Youth Leadership Conference when they were high school seniors in June 2007 in Washington and New York, making them eligible to be invited to the Jan. 20 inauguration. To have this opportunity and be included in the inauguration of the World’s renowned leader is a big success. Go, go, go Pinoy! Naniniwala ako sa galling ng Pinoy!!! Being a Filipina living in the States – am still a full blooded Pinoy , I am proud of you and I am proud to be a Filipino. Mabuhay Ka!

U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crash in New York City's Hudson

Airbus 320 US Airways aircraft that went down in the Hudson River is seen in New York, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009.

Passengers stand on the wings of a U.S. Airways plane as a ferry pulls up to it after the plane landed in the waters of Hudson River.People splashed down in the frigid waters, and survivors waiting rescue.

Passengers in a raft move away from an Airbus 320 US Airways

Rescue boats float next to a US Airways plane floating in the water after crashing
Authorities arrive on the scene

About 155 passengers and crew onboard on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crash-landed in New York City's Hudson River today Jan. 15, 2009. Several tourist boats and ferries quickly came to the aid of the downed jet, rescuing stranded passengers who had managed to get out onto the wings of the aircraft. Jeff Kolodjay, a rescued passenger from Norwalk, Connecticut was headed to North Carolina on a golf trip when the plane went down. "The engine blew out about three minutes into the flight," he said. "We circled around and saw we were in line with the Hudson [River]. The captain came on [the plane's public address system] and said, 'Look, we're going down, brace for impact.' And everyone kind of looked at each other and said some prayers. I said about five 'Our Fathers' and five 'Hail Marys' and we hit the water."U.S. Coast Guard ships and helicopters also responded. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.U.S. Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia airport bound for Charlotte, North Carolina when it went down in the frigid waters of the Hudson River. Officials said the Airbus A-320 may have been hit by birds, disabling one or both of its engines.