Bb. Pilipinas 2008 Update

The Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant officially kicks off with the press presentation of the 24 candidates who will all vie for the three crowns at stake: Bb. Pilipinas World, Bb. Pilipinas International, and Bb. Pilipinas Universe crowns. The presentation was held on Thursday, February 21, 2008, at the Sunset Pavilion of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila located at the CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.

Looking all gorgeous and sexy in their red metallic swimsuits provided by Cumbia at the Gateway, the latest batch of official candidates is as promising as ever, with law students, CPAs, medical professionals, teachers, and even an SK chairman in the roster.

Kapuso host Paolo Bediones was hosting the event. He will also host the coronation night on March 8 at the Araneta Coliseum with Raymond Gutierrez and 1994 Bb. Pilipinas Universe winner Charlene Gonzalez-Muhlach.

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Oath-taking for successful Nursing examinees -March 17,18

MANILA, Philippines -- The oath-taking for those who passed the December 2007 nursing licensure examination is on March 17 and 18 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the Professional Regulation Commission's Board of Nursing said Thursday.

Read More!

PRC Board Exam Results

Full List of New Registered Nurses

List of New Registered Nurses Retakers

List of New Registered Physicians

List of New Electronics & Communications Engineers

List of New CPA's

List of New Civil Engineers

"WET SUMMER" in the Philippines

A wet summer awaits Filipinos this year as state weather forecasters the La Niña weather phenomenon is likely to hang around until June.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz particularly cautioned residents in Eastern Visayas and Mindanao to be wary.

The rains caused by La Niña had been behind the heavy rains that had caused landslides and flash floods in Eastern Samar and several parts of Southern Luzon and Bicol.

Cruz said the rains would usually end in February or March, but La Niña has "extended" the rainy season so far.

Areas most likely to be affected also include Northeast Mindanao such as Surigao and Agusan provinces, he said.

"Kahit tag-araw meron tayong tag-ulan ... Baka makaapekto ito lalo sa agrikultura (Even during the summer we'll have rains. This may affect our agriculture)," he said.

Meanwhile, Pagasa said Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.

These will become widespread rains over the Bicol region "which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," it said.

Also, it said the tail-end of a cold front continues to affect Luzon while wind convergence still affects Visayas and Mindanao.

Pagasa said the rest of Luzon will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered light rains.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate blowing from the northeast and east with slight to moderate seas.

-gma news.tv

KC Concepcion - new UN Ambassador against hunger

MANILA, Philippines -- Young celebrity Kristina Cassandra “KC” Concepcion has been named the Philippines' ambassador against hunger, the United Nations World Food Programme announced.

In an e-mailed statement to media Thursday, the WFP said Concepcion's special mission was to highlight the need for effective solutions to hunger and to address humanitarian needs in Mindanao.

Concepcion has gone to Pikit town, North Cotabato province with WFP where they provided food assistance and hot meals to children to boost school enrolment and attendance in Mindanao.

“It was so uplifting to see first-hand how something as basic as food can make such a difference in the lives of children,” Concepcion said after that visit.

Hunger is more than an empty stomach. It's an obstacle that stops children from achieving their full potential, said Concepcion, daughter of popular television and movie star Sharon Cuneta and ex-husband and actor Gabby Concepcion.

The young Concepcion, who will travel within and outside the Philippines to raise awareness about WFP operations, joins other WFP celebrity endorsers like Indonesian television and film actor Luna Maya and American movie star Drew Barrymore.

WFP's Food for Education program, which is being implemented with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and local authorities, has raised enrollment by 40 percent and cut dropouts by providing monthly food support to more than 180,000 children in 800 schools over the past year.

In addition to its school feeding programme, WFP supports nearly one million people in Mindanao, including internally displaced, pregnant and nursing mothers and others affected by the conflict.

Valerie Guarnieri, WFP country director and representative in the Philippines, said the organization was “thrilled” to have Concepcion on board. She said the young celebrity would be able “to help get the word out that, together, we can make real progress in helping to end hunger in our lifetime through small steps, such as this one, that makes sure no child goes to school hungry.”

-inquirer.net

EDSA 1 Aniv. on Feb. 25 declared NON-WORKING HOLIDAY

Filipinos can expect a three-day weekend after President Arroyo yesterday declared Feb. 25, Monday, a "special non-working holiday" to mark the 22nd anniversary of the EDSA People Power bloodless revolution that led to the 1986 downfall of the government of then President Marcos.

-full story

Bb. Pilipinas 2008

The 24 candidates of the 2008 Bb. Pilipinas pageant are presented to the media at the Mandarin Oriental Suites at Gateway Mall of Araneta Center in Quezon City yesterday.

Mandy Moore Live @ Eastwood

Pop Princess and film star Mandy Moore headlines the upcoming "Mandy Moore Live at Eastwood City," on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. Eastwood City, the country's ultimate shopping, dining and entertainment destination, is gearing up for the must-watch show by transforming their outdoor stage into a unique ampitheater to accomodate Mandy's legions of fans.

Canadian Embassy gears up for more VISA applicants

Canada is sending more immigration officers to its embassy in Manila in preparation for the expected huge volume of visa applications in the Philippines.

The embassy’s visa processing offices will also be renovated for expansion to accommodate more applicants, according to Canada’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration in a statement on Monday.

Canada has opened its labor market to Filipino workers, with the provinces of Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Manitoba signing agreements with the Philippines on the recruitment of Filipino workers. The province of Alberta is working out a similar agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment.

“Our government supports the Filipino community in Canada. There has been a longstanding concern that processing times needed to improve. Today, we are taking action and committing more resources to help applicants from the Philippines," said Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada will be reconfiguring existing offices and adding new space at the Canadian Embassy to accommodate Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) program needs.

Starting middle of this year, CIC will add three additional Canada-based immigration officers and four locally-engaged staff to work at the embassy. More CIC staff could be added the following year, the ministry advisory stated.

The increase in staff is also intended to address the increased volume of temporary foreign worker applications while at the same time ensuring that processing times for other lines of service are also improved.

The number of temporary workers coming to Canada from around the world has soared in recent years in an effort to meet this country’s labor market needs.

In 2006, Canada welcomed 8,529 temporary foreign workers from the Philippines. This number is expected to continue to grow in response to increasing demands from Canadian employers for temporary workers.

-via gma news

A Reality Show for UNEMPLOYED PINOYS

It has always been a known fact that one of our country’s greatest problems is unemployment.

To help our country in solving this challenge, Q-11 developed a new reality show called "Hired!" It’s the only reality show in the Philippines that gives job opportunities. Hosted by Paolo Abrera and Mariz Umali, "Hired!" aims to give deserving individuals a chance to finally land their dream job!

"Hired!" will feature several applicants vying for one job through a series of challenges that will test their skills, smarts and determination. The applicants who will be competing on-cam will be chosen from the hundreds of applications and auditions conducted by the show.

The program will also select judges who can assist the employer in deciding who should win the coveted position.

"These tasks were not only given just for the sake of putting up a contest but designed to test the skills and knowledge of these applicants with regards to the jobs up for grabs and which they are applying for," explains Mariz.

Aside from the challenges, "Hired!" viewers will also learn tips, strategies and techniques on how to get their dream jobs – how an employer usually thinks during a job screening, what to do during job interviews, etc.

"We’ll also share tips for job hunters on how to make themselves more marketable to potential employers and show them specific skills that they must develop for a particular field that they may be interested in," says Paolo.

"Hired!" begins on Q today, Feb. 10, 8 p.m. with its search for a florist for the largest flower retailer in the country.

via manila bulletin online

Beer with VITAMIN B!!!

Good news for beer lovers!

This could be the start of something big... and healthy.

A Filipino-made beer with vitamin B took center stage during the gathering of members of the International Federation of Inventors' Association in Bangkok, Thailand, recently.

Some of the inventors showcased by inventors from all over the world included chopsticks that double as a toothbrush and a hi-tech sandwich filling spreader.

The crowd, however, made a bee-line to the beer concocted by Filipino Inventor Billy Malang.

Unlike ordinary beer, Malang's beer has vitamin B.

"All clear beers have no vitamins. It just contain alcohol, which is converted to sugar which gives you a big tummy, called the beer belly. So I brought back the vitamin B to make beer a healthier habbit," said Malang.

Malang was among inventors from 27 countries who featured more than new 150 inventions in the gathering.

-via abs-cbn interactive

JDV-OUT, NOGRALES-IN as House Speaker

Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. was officially ousted from his seat and replaced by Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles as the new speaker of the House of Representatives shortly before 1 a.m Tuesday.

The voting to declare the speakership post vacant ended with 174 congressmen voting in the affirmative as opposed to 35 negative votes for the motion to declare the speakership as vacant. Sixteen were counted as abstentions.

The votes totaled 225. According to the House Website (www.congress.gov.ph), there are 240 sitting congressmen.

Shortly after the lengthy nominal voting, de Venecia resigned to his fate and recommended his replacement.

"I am sure that our dear friend and colleague, one of the outstanding leaders of this country and of this house… I propose him to become our next speaker: Speaker [Prospero] Boy Nograles," said de Venecia.

The proposal was sealed when the lawmakers agreed to close the nomination of Nograles.

-abs-cbn interactive

After 8 years: Jessa, Ruffa Mae Still fighting over Dingdong

Every tell-all interview deserves more telling from those being told about, it seems. After publishing a no-holds barred interview with singer Pops Fernandez (wherein she details how she was dumped by then hubby singer Martin Nievera, and notes the effects of post-coital urinary tract infection on one's marriage), YES! magazine seems to have another hit in the making.

This time around, it's bosomy comedian-actress-singer Rufa Mae Quinto getting the ire of singer and former politician Dingdong Avanzado and his wife, singer Jessa Zaragosa.

The couple moved residence to the United States a few years ago.

Zaragosa, who was a popular singer with a string of monster hits in the 1990s, vented her disappointment and called Quinto a liar on ABS-CBN's "The Buzz" on Sunday through a phone interview from her home in California.

The whole fracas arose from statements made by Quinto in the YES! interview, where she revealed the depths of the heartache she felt after her then-boyfriend Avanzado was "stolen" by Zaragosa.

Zaragosa denied Quinto's claims.

"Unang-una, nung mga panahon po na yon, wala pong inagaw, wala pong inagawan at wala rin po akong sinira na relasyon nila ni Dingdong noon... hindi po siya girlfriend ni Dingdong Avanzado," said Zaragosa.

(First of all, at the time, no one was "stolen", nobody was stolen from anyone, and I never ruined her relationship with Dingdong then... she was not the girlfriend of Dingdong Avanzado.)

-full story