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Victor Villanueva » Initial observations of the 2011 Aquino budget

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:10 +0000

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (photo from www.gov.ph)

The Aquino Administration submitted its budget proposal for 2011 to Congress this week. It is through the budget where one can see the priorities of the government, in how much it intends to spend on various programs of government. For 2011, the government under the Aquino administration intends to spend P1.645 trillion. ...

Victor Villanueva » After flu, random thoughts

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:09 +0000

Last night, I was supposed to get a respite from my usual evening classes in law school. I went home from our House of Representatives office in the middle of the afternoon after going through a check-up at the Congress’ medical facility. I hadn’t been feeling well since I woke up that morning. I remember waking up in the middle of ...

Victor Villanueva » First week in UST

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:08 +0000

It’s been over a week since I started attending classes at the University of Santo Tomas. The feeling of being a clueless freshman wandering around campus without having the privilege of knowing anyone, it’s an amusing but all too familiar feeling. It brought back memories of being a high school freshman in Ateneo and a college freshman in UP Diliman. And ...

Victor Villanueva » Kabataan Partylist Rep’s Oath-Taking

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:07 +0000

Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raymond 'Mong' Palatino, flanked by his family and national officers of Kabataan Party-List, takes his oath as re-elected Congressman before Senator Francis 'Chiz' Escudero

Last Friday, we had our first nominee, incumbent Congressman Mong Palatino take his oath as re-elected Representative of Kabataan Party-list before Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, one of the more prominent legislators closest to ...

Victor Villanueva » First day of school

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:06 +0000

More than two hundred youths from different universities and communities in Metro Manila marched yesterday, June 15, 2010, to the gates of Malacanang to protest the worsening crisis in education

Yesterday was the first day of classes for most schools, colleges and universities in the country. As millions flocked to their respective campuses, more than 8 million of our fellow ...

Victor Villanueva » On rules prescribed by the Catholic university of the Philippines

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:05 +0000

Upon enrollment at a law school of a Catholic university in Manila, I was made to sign a conforme prescribing the kind of conduct and discipline the university imposes on all its students.

At the onset, I was taken aback. Not only because I had come from a relatively more liberal environment in the University of the Philippines, but I simply ...

Victor Villanueva » On Kabataan Partylist’s “unsightly” graffitis

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:04 +0000

A few days ago, an anonymous reader left a comment expressing disappointment over graffitis spray-painted across the city during the election campaign period by members of Kabataan Partylist. These are the graffitis that read “Edukasyon Karapatan!” and “Tutulan ang Tuition Increase!” among others. The comment also asked me to condemn such forms of expression and dissuade our members from executing them. ...

Victor Villanueva » Bohol Trip w/ Family 2010 (Part 2)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:03 +0000

A standard landscape snapshot of the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, taken from the viewdeck where all the other thousands of tourists take their snapshots

Our second day in Bohol was spent going around the usual tourist spots in the province. With just a day, we could only cover so much.

Our first destination was the world-famous Chocolate Hills, a ...

Victor Villanueva » Bohol Trip w/ Family 2010 (Part 1)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:02 +0000

Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

Almost a month ago, my family spent a weekend in Bohol. We availed of the usual tour package, a two night stay at a Panglao island resort and a day tour around the usual tourist spots in the island-province. I’ve never been to Bohol till then, but because much has been written about it as as ...

Victor Villanueva » Labor Day in Manila 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:23:01 +0000

Thousands of workers marched on the streets of Manila together with hundreds from other sectors of society to commemorate Labor Day

More than two weeks ago, I marched in my third Labor Day rally in Manila, together with thousands from different sectors of society, to commemorate international workers’ day. Being the last Labor Day celebration under the Gloria Arroyo government, ...

Victor Villanueva » Initial observations of the 2011 Aquino budget

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:31:38 +0000

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (photo from www.gov.ph)

Victor Villanueva » After flu, random thoughts

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:11:58 +0000

Victor Villanueva » First week in UST

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:17:08 +0000

Victor Villanueva » Kabataan Partylist Rep’s Oath-Taking

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:19:29 +0000

Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raymond 'Mong' Palatino, flanked by his family and national officers of Kabataan Party-List, takes his oath as re-elected Congressman before Senator Francis 'Chiz' Escudero

Victor Villanueva » First day of school

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:49:16 +0000

More than two hundred youths from different universities and communities in Metro Manila marched yesterday, June 15, 2010, to the gates of Malacanang to protest the worsening crisis in education

Yesterday was the first day of classes for most schools, colleges and universities in the country. As millions flocked to their respective campuses, more than 8 million of our fellow ...

Victor Villanueva » On rules prescribed by the Catholic university of the Philippines

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:46:51 +0000

Upon enrollment at a law school of a Catholic university in Manila, I was made to sign a conforme prescribing the kind of conduct and discipline the university imposes on all its students.

At the onset, I was taken aback. Not only because I had come from a relatively more liberal environment in the University of the Philippines, but I simply ...

Victor Villanueva » On Kabataan Partylist’s “unsightly” graffitis

Fri, 21 May 2010 02:47:50 +0000

Victor Villanueva » Bohol Trip w/ Family 2010 (Part 2)

Mon, 17 May 2010 16:01:00 +0000

A standard landscape snapshot of the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, taken from the viewdeck where all the other thousands of tourists take their snapshots

Our second day in Bohol was spent going around the usual tourist spots in the province. With just a day, we could only cover so much.

Our first destination was the world-famous Chocolate Hills, a ...

Victor Villanueva » Bohol Trip w/ Family 2010 (Part 1)

Sun, 16 May 2010 10:35:29 +0000

Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

Victor Villanueva » Labor Day in Manila 2010

Sat, 15 May 2010 05:17:01 +0000

Thousands of workers marched on the streets of Manila together with hundreds from other sectors of society to commemorate Labor Day

Victor Villanueva » Elections are over! Is it, really?

Thu, 13 May 2010 12:37:25 +0000

Elections are over. Though most of the apparent victors are obvious, I would still like to suspend my complacence and hold back my sigh of relief until all the votes have been counted. The past two days saw the sudden slow-down in the electronic transmittal of votes from various precincts. I hope nothing mysterious happens in the five or so millions ...

Victor Villanueva » Just a week to go

Tue, 04 May 2010 03:10:22 +0000

I’ll catch up with my blog entries after this intense election season is over. Till then.

Victor Villanueva » Why the Hacienda Luisita issue is not just a Black Propaganda campaign

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:23:52 +0000

“Hindi kailangang sulsulan para mag-welga ang sinumang binibigyan lamang ng P9.50 isang araw bilang sahod sa maghapong paggawa.”

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Lingayen, Pangasinan

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:53:41 +0000

The historic Pangasinan provincial capitol in Lingayen, beautifully lit at night

A visit to the Hundred Islands can be complemented by a visit to the provincial capital, Lingayen, a historic town east of Alaminos.

January 28, 2010. The provincial capitol complex in Lingayen boasts of newly renovated historical buildings that date back to almost a hundred years and ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Hundred Islands, Pangasinan

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:53:14 +0000

A view of the Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, Pangasinan, taken from the top of Governor's Island

January 29, 2010. It is rare to find a Filipino, young or old, who is not familiar with the Hundred Islands. Along with the Mayon Volcano and the Banaue Rice Terraces, the renowned group of islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan has always been ...

Victor Villanueva » Why I’m shading #33 and #37 for senators in my ballot

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 05:42:04 +0000

In a field of more than five dozen candidates for senators, it is hard to distinguish senatoriables from among each other. At a time when the focus of traditional and new media are the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the majority of the electorate are left largely with familiarity as basis in choosing their 12 bets. This trend is manifested in latest ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Stop over at Masinloc, Zambales

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:01:25 +0000

The controversial coal-fired power plant sits along a bay with half a dozen marine sanctuaries and coral reserves

January 29, 2010. From Pangasinan, we drove southwards along the South China Sea into Zambales. Before proceeding to our next stop, Subic, we stopped over the town of Masinloc.

Masinloc may sound familiar to some of us, as the town plays ...

Victor Villanueva » The campaign for greater state subsidy continues

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 09:54:07 +0000

Friends and supporters of the "PUP 5" jubilantly welcomed the five student leaders as they were released from detention at the Manila Police District HQ

It’s been almost a week since the tuition-hike saga of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines concluded with the successful junking of the proposal. It was formalized at the meeting of the university’s Board ...

Victor Villanueva » Ampatuan’s “rebellion” designed to exonerate suspects

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 06:50:25 +0000

“We have expected this. The rebellion case filed against them was designed and programmed to exonerate the Ampatuans at the onset. The rebellion case served as their defense against multiple murder charges. This is Arroyo and her allies at work,” said Kabataan Partylist Secretary General Vencer Crisostomo.

Last Monday, March 29, right after our victory and protest action at Manila ...

Victor Villanueva » Opportunist Roxas claims victory where he did nothing

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:11:05 +0000

Roxas never even posted a Twitter or Facebook message to support the students. Mar Roxas photo from Wikipedia

In an unprecedented press release, the office of Senator Manuel Roxas II claimed that it was because of the Senator, and current vice-presidential candidate, why the almost 2,000% tuition hike in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines was shelved. If that was ...

Victor Villanueva » Our freedom and our rights were not won with diplomacy

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:52:11 +0000

Anuman ang sabihin ng mga kontra-aktibista, wala nang ibang magpapatunay sa kawastuhan ng linya at pamamaraaan na tinahak ng mga estudyanteng nag-protesta laban sa tuition hike kung hindi ang mismong pag-atras at pagsuko ng CHED (Commission on Higher Education) at ng PUP (Polytechnic University of the Philippines) administration sa kanilang maitim na balak, at ang hindi pagkakatuloy sa paga-apruba ng mga ...

Victor Villanueva » Kabataan Partylist, overwhelming choice of UP students for partylist

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:24:09 +0000

Kabataan Partylist won by a landslide in the recently concluded University of the Philippines (UP) System-wide mock elections entitled “Botong Isko 2010″. The mock polls gathered votes from all the UP units and campuses nationwide (UP Baguio, UP Pampanga, UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Banos, UP Tacloban, UP Iloilo, UP Cebu, UP Mindanao) and lasted for a week. ...

Victor Villanueva » Why candidates must take a stand on the PUP tuition hike crisis

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:30:12 +0000

Students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Manila walked out of their classes last Friday, March 19, 2010, to protest the impending implementation of the almost 2,000% tuition increase in the largest state university in the country. Agitated students set to flames decades-old and dilapidated armchairs to show their disgust and anger at the school administration and the ...

Victor Villanueva » 2010 Mock Elections in the University of the Philippines

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:16:52 +0000

There is an ongoing mock elections happening in the University of the Philippines system this week till next. All UP students from units and campuses from UP Baguio to UP Mindanao are involved. Majority of the national university’s more than 50,000 students are expected to participate.

The project, entitled Botong Isko 2010 seeks to “unite students and the whole UP ...

Victor Villanueva » PUP students protest proposed 2,000% tuition hike

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 08:58:04 +0000

Yesterday, hundreds of students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila walked out of their classes to protest the proposed almost 2,000% tuition hike in the largest state university in the country. Agitated students threw out dilapidated armchairs and desks from the balconies and piled them up in front of the main arts building. They even set them up ...

Victor Villanueva » On student council elections

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:31:23 +0000

The past month saw various student council election campaigns in campuses across the country. For some students and for those of us who have graduated, there is a tendency to dismiss student council elections in major universities as irrelevant child play. For me, though, and I’m not saying this just because I have always been involved in campus politics, I ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Where to stay in Subic & Olongapo

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:47:37 +0000

During the Zambales leg of our Lakbay Norte caravan, we were accommodated at the White Rock Resort Hotel near Olongapo. It is a 150-room hotel in a vast estate along the beach. It is also a resort and waterpark with two giant wave pools where visitors can ride the tides. They also have a bowling alley and an entertainment ...

Victor Villanueva » A career in law?

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:46:01 +0000

A few days ago, I submitted the initial set of requirements for my entry into another law school. It’s been more than half a year since I got dismissed from UP Law. I really don’t want to give law up. I don’t really mind repeating the classes I’ve taken during my freshman year. In fact, I want to take them again ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Subic & Olongapo

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:46:30 +0000

Subic Bay Freeport was once home to one of the largest overseas naval bases of the Americans. Since the abrogation of the bases agreement in the early 90’s, Subic has been transformed into a premiere freeport with a robust business and investment climate.

Subic attracts hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists who flock to the freeport for its ...

Victor Villanueva » To the next people power revolution!

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:06:34 +0000

The mainstream depiction of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution (EDSA 1) as a spontaneous outburst of the people’s outrage to the Marcos dictatorship bothers me. From how I hear it from martial law veterans and in history books, revolution has long been waging and brewing in the decade before the massive EDSA protest. EDSA 1 was simply a product, ...

Victor Villanueva » First days of 2010 campaign

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:42:50 +0000

In between spending the day at the headquarters and meeting with allied candidates, organizations and supporters, I joined some of Kabataan Partylist’s sorties this past week, the first in the official campaign period for the May 2010 national elections.

Our campaign platform ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Where to Stay & Eat in Clark & Angeles

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:14:40 +0000

Angeles City and Clark have many establishments that cater to local and foreign visitors, from restaurants that serve local and international cuisine to budget motels to world-class hotels and leisure resorts to shopping malls.

During our stay in Clark for the Lakbay Norte 2010 caravan, we were booked at Holiday Inn. Holiday Inn Clark is the only accredited international deluxe ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte 2010: Clark, Pampanga

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:17:38 +0000

It was in 1903 when the American invaders established “Fort Stotsenburg.” For almost a hundred years later, the fort, which was later renamed to “Clark Air Base” became a major stronghold of the American forces in the Far East. It was considered the largest American military installation on foreign soil. With the expiration of the base agreement in 1991, the Philippines ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbayan 2010

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:42:11 +0000

Why should Land Reform be a major election issue?

A huge part of our population still depends on agriculture for their livelihood. 75%, or three-fourths, in fact are farmers and farmworkers. And for every ten farmers, seven do not own the land they work on.

Farmers who do not have their ...

Victor Villanueva » Lakbay Norte: Rediscover the North

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:55:52 +0000

1,798 kilometers, 26 people, 8 provinces, 7 days, 1 bus.

Over the past week, I went with a group of print and online media representatives in a caravan around northern and central Luzon organized by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), a not for profit organization whose aim is to promote domestic and foreign travel in the region. ...

Victor Villanueva » Our first Sinulog

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:21:11 +0000

I had never been to Cebu for the Sinulog Festival. Because this year it fell on the day of my parent’s wedding anniversary, I made the pitch of celebrating their day in Cebu. We brought Tisay along, too. It was her first time to ride an airplane.

I wasn’t able to take a lot of pictures during the grand parade ...

Victor Villanueva » Sinulog 2010

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:57:42 +0000

Held annually on January in Cebu City, the Sinulog Festival is one of Cebu’s claim-to-fame fiestas, which attracts tens of thousands of tourists from across the country and overseas.

Sinulog is traditionally Cebu’s version of the national day of celebration for pilgrims and devotees of the child Jesus or the Santo Nino which is on the third Sunday of January. ...

Victor Villanueva » The Danger with the Cybercrime Prevention Act

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:56:02 +0000

In a press release by the House of Representatives leadership, Speaker Prospero Nograles revealed that the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2009 (H.B. 6974) is up for third reading approval, meaning there would be no more deliberations nor debates over the bill and all Congress needs to do is to grant it its vote of approval. In other words, it’s as good ...

Victor Villanueva » Films Seen in 2010 #2

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:35:41 +0000

I shall continue with my “themed” film commentaries. This set, obviously, has the word “candidate” in the movies’ titles, and all involve quite reluctant individuals thrown into the election circus and get involved in all the politics and image-building behind it.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004). This film is about Gulf War veterans Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) and ...

Victor Villanueva » South Korea Trip ‘09: Dongdaemun & Itaewon markets, Seoul

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:23:21 +0000

November 09, 2009. Before we headed off to the airport for our flight that evening back to Manila, the family decided to go shopping in some of Seoul’s shopping districts. We went to two, Dongdaemun and Itaewon.

Dongdaemun Market is near its namesake ancient landmark, Dongdaemun, or the Great East Gate. It is apparently the largest shopping district ...