Today is Holy Wenesday...

Pieta, originally uploaded by Tomptie Waggs.

I pray for the wellness of my family and stronger bond with my langga...

Philippine TV Ratings March 30 - April 1, 2007

Narito ang nakalap naming overnight ratings ng mga programa ng GMA 7 at ABS-CBN 2 nu'ng nakaraang weekend.

BIYERNES (Marso 30):

SiS 11.6% vs. Homeboy 12.5%;

Yellow Handkerchief 16.2% vs. Game Ka Na Ba 17.8%;

Eat Bulaga 22.5% vs. Wowowee 20.4%;

Daisy Siete 18.6% vs. Inocente De Ti 13.1%;

Muli 16.3% at Princess Charming 14.4% vs. Kapamilya Cinema 13%;

Full House 15.1% vs. Pangako sa 'Yo 9%;

Gokusen 17.7% vs. Sineserye 10.8%;

24 Oras 25.1% vs. TV Patrol World 19.4%;

Asian Treasures 31.9% vs. Maria Flordeluna 19.8%;

Super Twins 32.4% vs. Maging Sino Ka Man 21.6%;

Bakekang 39.7% vs. Maging Sino Ka Man 19.4%;

Jumong 26.9% vs. Maalaala Mo Kaya 19.8%;

Bubble Gang 13.3% vs. Pinoy Big Brother 15.6% at Bandila 8.7%.

SABADO (Marso 31):

Takeshi's Castle 15.6% vs. Game Ka Na Ba 12.5%;

Eat Bulaga 24.2% vs. Wowowee 21.6%;

Startalk 13% vs. Nagmamahal Kapamilya 14.3%, Let's Go 9.2% at Star Magic Presents 11.3%;

Wish Ko Lang 18.9% vs. Little Big Superstar 9.3%;

Bitoy's Funniest Video 20.6% vs. TV Patrol Sabado 10.2%;

Pinoy Pop Superstar 20.1% vs. Komiks 17.7%;

Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho 29.6% vs. John En Shirley 16.6%; Imbestigador 26.5% vs. XXX 21.5%.

LINGGO (Abril 1):

SOP 14.3% vs. ASAP 17% at Your Song 9.4%;

Magic Kamison 12.6% vs. Love Spell 12.1%;

S-Files 9.5% vs. The Buzz 9.7%;

Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang 14.8% vs. TV Patrol Linggo 11.7%;

Philippine Agenda 19.8% vs. Goin' Bulilit 15.9%;

Mel and Joey 23.9% vs. Rated K 17.9%;

All Star K 21% vs. Sharon 13.1%;

Daddy Di Do Du 17.3% vs. Pinoy Big Brother 17.5%;

Sunday Night's Boxoffice 15% vs. Sunday's Best 4.4%.

Anthems ... from YOUNGBLOOD of INQUIRER.net

YOUNG BLOOD
Anthems
By Ernesto Dedel III
Inquirer
Last updated 00:07am (Mla time) 04/03/2007

"The sun is rising, Mama," the 7-year-old boy whispered. But he couldn't really see the sun. He was in a dark prison cell where he and his mother had been brought just hours after soldiers from another land stormed their house and murdered his father and four older brothers. Now here, in the darkness, as they sat beside each other on the floor, mother and child held each other in a tight embrace, the wounded and profusely bleeding mother relishing the last few moments of her motherhood, the son desperately pressing his frail body against the mother's blood drenched torso, foolishly hoping that by doing so, his body would cover her unseen wound and miraculously stop the flow of blood.

In their first 10 hours of their incarceration, they never saw a glimmer of hope. Until a painfully familiar music seeped into the room through the small gap between the door and the floor. It was the enemy soldiers' national anthem.

He knew that every time the anthem was played, the invaders were celebrating another conquest, and his countrymen were mourning over another massacre. Yet his delirious heart felt some hope each time he heard that song, because it meant that a new day had just begun and maybe, after a night of deep contemplation, one of the soldiers would miraculously open the door to their cell and bring his dying mother to a doctor.

On the third day of their incarceration, his wish came true, albeit just partially. A soldier opened the door, the bright lamp in his hand suddenly bringing light into the claustrophobic cell, allowing the boy to see his mother's affectionate eyes. Those eyes were protectively looking down at him, just as they had for the last three days. Even in the dark, she never took her gaze off her son. The boy reached out to touch those loving eyes and, gently, he shut them. She deserved to be at peace after lapsing into an eternal sleep.

"The sun is rising, Mama," he said for the last time.

A year later, the invaders were defeated and the boy regained his freedom. On the night that he was freed, he went straight to their house. Not a single lamp or candle was there to light up the place. But he actually liked it, because in the dark, there was little for the eyes to see and much for the mind to dream of. And dream he did.

He lay down on the hard bamboo floor, and dreamed that his family was whole again, that his brothers had fought back and killed the invaders when their home was raided. He remembered the days before the war, when they would all sleep together on just one mat.

But after all that he'd been through, he could no longer tolerate his own ridiculous fantasies. He shifted to more realistic dreams and imagined that they were together in that dark prison cell, all dying but comforted by the thought of journeying to heaven as one family.

Amid all the dreaming, the boy unconsciously hummed the invaders' anthem. The night was so silent that the boy's faint humming could be heard by his neighbors. And upon hearing that despicable music, the neighbors were instantly scandalized. The boy had gone insane, they concluded. As soon as the sun rose, they planned to scold him and purge him of his unpatriotic ways.

But why should an individual's love become a worthy sacrifice when it stands in the way of a collective hatred? Why should they take away the one thing that reminds him of his mother's most memorable gestures of love? Couldn't they understand? The boy hummed that unpatriotic song not because he loved the invaders but because he loved his mother.

The boy's story is true. It is the sad story of the Filipino people.

They keep saying that we don't have a true national identity. We're constantly described as monkeys who honor their cruel masters by imitating the latter's tricks. Do they really think that each time we celebrate Christmas, fiestas and Holy Week, we're just sucking up to our former Spanish masters? That each time we write songs and poems in English, we're just mimicking the Americans? Don't they get it? We practice traditions inspired by Spaniards and Americans not because we take pride in being their former subjects. We practice them not because we're lifeless caricatures who perpetually worship the colonizers but because we're real human beings who know how to feel, to love and to live.

Throughout this nation's history, we often had to feel, love and live even as our hands were tied and our feet were shackled. We had to move on even if our homeland was one dark prison cell. So what if the only music that played in that prison was the music of our captors? So what if the prayers we had to pray were the same ones our jailers prayed? What's important is that we learned to hum to the music when there was nothing else to inspire us and we displayed faith even when the only way of doing it was to speak to the invaders' God. Of course, there are some who would always ridicule the prisoners who kept humming and praying inside the prison cell. But they're the ones who never knew how it's like to be jailed. That's why they never understand.

The days of our incarceration are gone. But the music that played in those dark days still continues to play in our heads. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Going back to the boy, he didn't have a past he could brag about. But did he really have a chance to choose his past? The boy's mother was never strong enough to protect him from the invaders. So what? She was strong enough to love him till the end. And that's what should matter most. That should be all the reason he needs to spend the rest of his life striving to honor his mother's memory with his triumphs. Sometimes, the songs of his countrymen will inspire him. But there will be nights when the enemy's anthem will play in his head, stoking the fires of determination that burned in him.

Today, millions of Filipinos are out there, trying to fulfill their dreams and hoping to honor the mothers who bled to death in dark prisons. In their heads, different songs are playing—some written by Filipinos, others written by the invaders' descendants. But to their hearts, the songs bring the same message: "The sun is rising, my motherland."

Ernesto Dedel III, 24, is a customer service representative of Sitel Customer Care Philippines Inc.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

start of the Holy Week...

PABASA 2007, originally uploaded by kunzite1.

its Holy Monday today, please comptemplate to help the philippines in its effort to uplift the quality of life of all filipinos

Philippine TV Ratings March 26-28, 2007

Narito ang overnight ratings ng mga programa ng GMA 7 at ABS-CBN 2 noong LUNES (Marso 26):

SiS 15.6% vs. Homeboy 11.1%;

Yellow Handkerchief 18.1% vs. Game Ka Na Ba 19.4%;

Eat Bulaga 23.6% vs. Wowowee 22.4%;

Daisy Siete 17.4% vs. Inocente De Ti 14.4%;

Muli 15.6% at Princess Charming 14.4% vs. Kapamilya Cinema 12.1%;

Full House 14.1% vs. Pangako sa Yo 8.8%;

Gokusen 17.3% vs. Sineserye 13.6%;

24 Oras 29.1% vs. TV Patrol World 22.8%;

Asian Treasures 32.7% vs. Maria Flordeluna 23.1%;

Super Twins 31.3% vs. Sana Maulit Muli 27.2% at Maging Sino Ka Man 27.7%;

Bakekang 32.8% vs. Pinoy Big Brother 23.9%;

Jumong 26.5% vs. Princess Hours 17.1%;

Lagot Ka Isusumbong Kita 15.3% vs. Bandila 8.2%.

MARTES (Marso 27):

SiS 14.6% vs. Homeboy 12.5%;

Yellow Handkerchief 20.1% vs. Game Ka Na Ba 17.6%;

Eat Bulaga 24% vs. Wowowee 22%;

Daisy Siete 18.6% vs. Inocente De Ti 14.4%;

Muli 14.9% at Princess Charming 13.7% vs. Kapamilya Cinema 11.1%;

Full House 17.5% vs. Pangako sa 'Yo 8.2%;

Gokusen 15.3% vs. Sineserye 15.6%;

24 Oras 26.8% vs. TV Patrol World 24.1%;

Asian Treasures 33.9% vs. Maria Flordeluna 24.3%;

Super Twins 31.3% vs. Sana Maulit Muli 28% at Maging Sino Ka Man 26.3%;

Bakekang 33.5% vs. Pinoy Big Brother 22.7%;

Jumong 25% vs. Princess Hours 18.5%;

Bahay Mo Ba 'To 13.7% vs. Bandila 9.5%.

MIYERKULES (Marso 28):

SiS 14.6% vs. Homeboy 14.4%;

Yellow Handkerchief 18.5% vs. Game Ka Na Ba 19.6%;

Eat Bulaga 21.2% vs. Wowowee 22.3%;

Daisy Siete 18.1% at GMA Flash Report 17.7% vs. Inocente De Ti 14.2% at News Patrol 19.7%;

Muli 15.9% at Princess Charming 16.9% vs. Kapamilya Cinema 14.1%;

Full House 16.6% vs. Pangako sa 'Yo 8.2%;

Gokusen 15.7% vs. Sineserye 11%;

24 Oras 29% vs. TV Patrol World 24.8%;

Asian Treasures 32.5% vs. Maria Flordeluna 22.2%;

Super Twins 28.6% vs. Sana Maulit Muli 24.9% at Maging Sino Ka Man 25.8%;

Bakekang 30.1% vs. Pinoy Big Brother 20.9%;

Jumong 22.5% vs. Princess Hours 16.6%;

Nuts Entertainment 10.5% vs. Bandila 9.7%.

TV RATINGS - ABS CBN 2 NUMBER 1 NATION WIDE

TV RATINGS - ABS CBN 2 NUMBER 1 NATION WIDE

cybermyx

Abante

ABS-CBN, #1 TV station sa buong bansa

Mula Marso 4 hanggang Marso 17, 2007, ipinakita ng NATIONWIDE TV
ratings data mula sa

AGB-Nielsen Media Research Philippines na ang ABS-CBN ang
nangu-ngunang istasyon sa buong

bansa.

Sa pangkalahatan, nakakuha ang ABS-CBN ng 47% shares, laban sa 35% na
nakuha ng GMA-7.

Labinlima (15) sa na-ngungunang dalawampung (20) programang pinapanood
ng BUONG BANSA ay

mga programa ng ABS-CBN.

Pinakamataas ang rating ng teleseryeng Sana Maulit Muli, na sinusundan
ng Maging Sino Ka

Man at Maria Flordeluna.

Karamihan sa mga Pilipino ay sa ABS-CBN nakatutok kung News and
Current Affairs programs

ang hanap nila. Ang TV Patrol World ang nangungunang news program sa
bansa, at ang XXX:

Exklusibong, Explosibong Expose at Ra-ted K ang mga nangunguna sa mga
current affairs

programs.

Ang Wowowee ang naghaharing programa sa pananghalian.

Nakasaad din sa listahan ang pagdomina ng mga Kapamilya programs sa
iba't ibang genre sa

telebisyon. John En Shirley at Goin' Bulilit ang nangunguna sa mga
comedy shows, Sharon sa

mga talk show, at ang Pinoy Big Brother Season 2 ang nangungunang
reality show sa bansa

Inspiring ... from YOUNGBLOOD of INQUIRER.net

YOUNGBLOOD
Inspiring
By Jessica Marie Robredo
Inquirer
Last updated 02:06am (Mla time) 03/31/2007

I was only 12 years old in August 2000 when Jesse Manalastas Robredo was proclaimed as the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service. I was a witness to how honored the man felt with the recognition given to him. But it was not until I was asked by my English teacher to go over the list of past and present Ramon Magsaysay awardees and write an essay on one of them that that I was able to fully understand the great significance of the award. The awardees, I quickly learned, were exceptional men and women who bravely dared to make a difference in making Asia, and maybe the world, a better place.

It was easy for me to pick Jesse Robredo from the list of 229 awardees because he was one person who truly inspired me, and who continues to inspire me to make a difference. To write about his life and his work, however, is a very daunting task, because he is very close to my heart.

Much has been written about his outstanding work as mayor of Naga City from 1988 to 1998 and how he bravely fought corruption, vice, poverty, economic stagnation and dramatically transformed Naga from an inefficient and dispirited city into one of the most progressive in the country. When the euphoria brought about by the Edsa People Power Revolution started to wane and people were starting to doubt if a more authoritarian leadership would work better for the Filipino people, Robredo showed us all that the people are still the most important resource and restored our faith in democracy. He not only worked for the poor but worked with them and involved them every step of the way. He has always pushed for growth with equity, transparency, integrity and he brought honor to his office. But the most essential part of his accomplishments are those that are invisible to the naked eye.

I am 15, but I must admit that to this day, the lessons of democracy, of fiscal management, of people empowerment, are still quite difficult for me to comprehend. What I do understand is that the people of Naga look up to him because he succeeded in making them feel he is just like any one of them. He is simple and humble in his ways. He wears the city government uniform to work. He is in his office before eight o'clock in the morning. He goes around without bodyguards, and he does not believe he is entitled to special perks just because of his office. He lives very modestly as his house and office would reveal.

He is a very dedicated public servant and practices what he preaches. No task is ever too menial for him, whether it is driving around the city at night to check busted lampposts or joining street cleaners and garbage collectors in performing their regular chores.

People see the best in him during the worst of times. He is always the last man on the street during typhoons, making sure that people are safe, and the first one to shovel the mud out of the city after the floods.

In 1998, after serving his third consecutive term as mayor of the city, he stepped down quietly, ignoring suggestions for him to seek higher office or perpetuate himself in power by asking a family member to run in his stead.

Now that I know what the Ramon Magsaysay Award is all about, I feel truly blessed that I happen to be his daughter. I was born exactly six days before he was first elected mayor and I spent the first 10 years of my life with him at City Hall.

If there was one thing that convinced me that he is truly deserving of the award, it is this: He has never made me feel I was different from others just because he is my father. As he goes about serving others, I have never been left wanting for his time and attention. He eats lunch and dinner with us seven days a week, even if it means he has to take two or three more meals because he has to attend a constituent's wedding or birthday reception. No occasion is too trivial for him. He is there for us not only during PTA meetings or piano or ballet recitals, but even when my math homework gets a little too difficult.

Now that I am a little older, sometimes people would come up to me to tell me what great things my father has done for them. I feel proud. But what puts a smile in my heart is knowing that he also did small things for some people -- things like bringing back a wayward son to his distraught mother, helping a male employee patch things up with his wife, or playing basketball on a street corner with the neighborhood kids. Such things may appear inconsequential, but they have brought great joy to others and made them feel important.

His decision to continue serving his native city and resist the lure of national prominence, which a higher elective post could have brought him, had the deepest impact on me and imparted to me life-long lessons: that no deed is too small nor too big if it makes other people's burden lighter and their lives better; that greatness of spirit can be achieved not through wealth, power or popularity but by living your life with quiet dignity and by becoming a man for others. By his example, I have been truly inspired to dare to make a difference, break ground, stand up for my own convictions and serve others selflessly and with integrity in whatever field I will find myself in.

Jessica Marie Robredo, 15, is a high school student at the Universidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga City. This essay was the winner of the Grand Prize for the high school category of the 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Student Essay Competition.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.