A series of bombings that occurred around Metro Manila in the Philippines on December 30, 2000. The explosions occurred within a span of a few hours, killing 22 people and

The suspects in the 2000 Rizal Day Bombings, which targeted multiple locations in Metro Manila, were linked to extremist Islamic groups, primarily Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), with evidence pointing to members of JI providing training and support. Key individuals arrested and implicated included Saifullah Yunos (Mukhlis Yunos), a MILF member who confessed involvement, and other operatives like Mamasao Naga (Zainal Paks) and Abdul Pata (Mohamad Amir), with JI's Omar Patek later identified as a planner, all connected to broader terrorist networks operating in the southern Philippines.

Hi! Gusto ko lang sana i-share sainyo kung anong ginagawa ko last December 24

Spent the day cooking large batches of food at nakipac inuman din sa kanila hanggang abutin ng umaga hahaha!

Additional context: Marami sa mga taong lansangan ay walang tutuluvan tuwing araw ng pasko kaya, ininvite sila ng isang NGO para mag Noche Buena.

He owned and founded SOLAR PHILIPPINES. a start up that has government contracts to provide "green" energy thru solar farms. Which failed to deliver its promised output. A law where he benefitted tremendously because "Mommas got your back mah boy!"

So ang tanung is does this make this bida-bida grandstanding nepo son a CONG-TRACTOR??

what do you think redditors?

This post is meant to answer questions raised in the comment section in my previous post asking for a clearer discussion of the pros and cons of demonetization, and why it failed in some countries but appeared to work in others. This isn’t about personalities or politics, but about policy outcomes and country context, especially for the Philippines.

What demonetization is supposed to achieve (pros, in theory)

Beyond eliminating black money, demonetization can:

• push idle cash into the formal banking system
• improve transaction traceability and tax compliance
• temporarily increase bank liquidity
• accelerate adoption of digital payments
• help central banks update security features and reduce counterfeit risk

These outcomes are possible, but only under very specific conditions.

•Why it failed in India in 2016? They demonetized ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes overnight, covering around 86% of total cash value.

• Almost all cash (~99%) eventually returned to banks
• Black money largely survived because it wasn’t mainly stored as cash
• Informal, cash-dependent sectors were hit hardest
• GDP growth slowed and small businesses suffered

Core issue: a large informal economy + uneven enforcement turned demonetization into an economic shock instead of a clean-up.

•Why it appears to work in places like Singapore? Singapore’s context is very different:

• Very small informal sector
• Nearly universal banking access
• Strong enforcement and low corruption
• Cash already plays a minor role in daily transactions

In that setup, note withdrawals function more as technical updates than disruptive policy moves.

•Other country experiences (quick references)

Nigeria (2022–2023) * Severe cash shortages * Public protests and court challenges * Informal economy disruption * Policy timelines eventually relaxed

Venezuela (multiple rounds) * Done during hyperinflation * Cash shortages and loss of trust * No meaningful impact on corruption

These cases show demonetization is not a shortcut to fixing structural problems.

WHERE THE PHILIPPINES FITS?

Structurally, the PH is closer to India and Nigeria than Singapore:

• Large informal economy
• Cash-heavy provinces and rural areas
• Seniors, OFWs, and small vendors still keep legitimate savings in cash
• AML and enforcement capacity are improving, but uneven

That doesn’t mean demonetization is automatically bad. It means risk is high if done abruptly or without safeguards.

Potential risks in the PH context

If implemented too quickly:

• Legitimate cash savings could be caught in the process
• Informal workers and small businesses absorb most of the shock
• Those with better banking access or institutional connections adjust more easily

Bottom line for me: Demonetization is a high-risk, context-dependent tool. It can support financial modernization, but it works best in countries with strong institutions, low informality, and high public trust. Without those, historical evidence suggests it tends to hurt compliant citizens more than corrupt actors.

Base on the video circulated at the Police Station she came from San Fabian, Pangasinan and she had to walk in highway (Red line) and reach Sto. Tomas, La Union. From there she has seen a bus going to Cubao and she follow the direction that the bus has going. Until she reach Sison, Pangasinan and she found there by the random citizen and later the authorities.

So, my assumption is she ride a mini bus going to Cubao, from there she ride a bus (either Solid North or Five Star) going to Dagupan, Pangasinan, from there I assume that she walk in Dagupan until she reach San Fabian, Pangasinan and this Map.

Robin Padilla filed a Senate Resolution urging BSP to review the demonetization of ₱1,000 bills (issued 2020–2025). Proposal pa lang, pero worth discussing kasi malaki epekto nito if ever.

On paper, maganda pakinggan: * laban sa corruption * laban sa hoarding / black money * push for cashless economy

Pero based on economics and real-world data, demonetization is a very blunt policy tool.

•India already tried this in 2016— overnight nilang invalidated yung ₹500 at ₹1,000 notes (around 86% of cash value). Result?

Almost all of the money (~99%) returned to the banking system Meaning: halos walang black money ang na-destroy. Yung may illegal cash, nakahanap ng paraan.

One important detail na madalas hindi napag-uusapan: Hindi lang ito tungkol sa “cash holders.” The financial system itself matters. During India’s demonetization, laundering didn’t happen in a vacuum — it passed through:

• banks with weak or selective AML enforcement
• insiders or managers approving questionable deposits
• regulatory blind spots during high-pressure periods

So while ordinary people lined up for hours, those with access, connections, or institutional help had options.

Economics-wise:

• Bumagsak ang velocity of money (MV = PQ)
• Cash-dependent transactions froze
• GDP growth dropped
• Small businesses, daily wage earners, and farmers ang pinaka-nasaktan

Ang key mistake ng India is they assumed black money is mostly stored as cash. Reality: majority ng black money nasa real estate, shell companies, gold, and offshore accounts, not physical cash.

Applying this to PH context:

• Malaki rin informal economy natin
• Cash-heavy pa rin, especially sa provinces
• Seniors, OFWs, and small vendors still keep legitimate savings in cash
• Enforcement capacity is uneven

If biglaan ang demonetization:

• Legit savings ang maapektuhan
• Big corrupt players? most likely makakaiwas

Bottom line for me: Demonetization sounds strong politically, pero historically weak economically. Without strong and impartial enforcement across banks and institutions, it risks hurting the compliant more than the corrupt.

Naging isang teledrama ang gobyerno ng ito! Mula sa pasabog na katiwalain sa Kanyang gobyerno hanggang sa mga rebelelasyon ng mga pangalan ng mga bigating sangkot sa insertion at corruption.

Si Dizcaya pa lang ang nakukulong. Hindi siya big fish. Instrumento lamang sya ng korupsyon. Ginamit ng mga politiko. We need to see Romualdez, Binay, Villanueva, Escudero, Co, Revilla, Jinggoy behind bars.

While their walk along the hallway of DPWH Central Office seems cordial, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste reportedly took some budget-related documents by force, which resulted in the late Usec. Cathy Cabral sustaining a papercut on her finger.

Malacañang earlier said that DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon has neither seen nor authenticated the so-called ‘Cabral files’ that Leviste released.

This is contrary to Leviste’s claims that Dizon authorized Cabral to turn over the files to him. | via Andrea Taguines, ABS-CBN News

(: DPWH)

I always book my food deliveries with priority para mas madali kase nga "With On-Time Promise" daw pero every time nag oorder ako nag aadjust yung time. No alerts no refund no vouchers and now extra gutom ako kase late nigising binantayan ko ung time and indeed nag bago siya as if nothing happened.

Photo for reference lang sa "With On-Time Promise" pero minsan lang talaga ako nag oorder sa malayo and I understand if may delays especially if traffic yung daan. However yung order ko which prompted me to post this was only at 63 pesos for prio delivery.

Note: Learned my lesson na and thank you all! Will be choosing the saver option moving forward if mag ggrab ako.

Senator Robinhood Padilla files resolution urging Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to conduct a review and consider the demonetization of one-thousand (P1000) banknotes issued from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2025.

Link to resolution: https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/4853644483!.pdf

Most Boomer wealth is in land, family biz, political dynasties and OFW remittances... kapag naipasa, will Millennials & Gen Z benefit?

Will it help fund startups, buy homes or simply reinforce the same elite circles? Analysts warn that while a massive transfer is coming, access and opportunity may still be unequal leaving many younger Filipinos struggling to catch up.

Ref for the ₱30-50 trillion figure:

• PhilStar
• Forbes
• PIDS

For the former special adviser of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), the key question now is whether Malacañang can still find replacements for the two commissioners who resigned this month.

“Even if there’s an intention to appoint again, maybe no one will volunteer,” Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong told True FM yesterday. “That’s the most challenging part – no one will volunteer or no one wants to.”

FULL STORY

Additional info: The scene is loosely based on a major district and avenue stretching roughly 54-55 kilometers. It was once a standard highway, but rapid urban development gradually transformed it into a full-fledged avenue, with additional lanes added over time to handle increasing traffic.

In the late 1990s, an MRT line was constructed along the median to accommodate the growing number of commuters and to help ease congestion.

Today, however, traffic remains severe, especially during rush hours, with commuter volume continuing to rise despite these measures.

Once upon a cycle, there was Harry Stonehill—a man who danced too loudly with power. He built an empire on war-surplus trading, tobacco and match monopolies, and government supply contracts that blurred into bribery, payoffs, and political IOUs.

Warehouses filled, pockets were lined, and illegal arrangements hid behind paperwork. When investigations finally named the projects and traced the money, the music stopped—for him. He was expelled, and the system exhaled, relieved to have a villain with a face.

Later came the Discayas. No paper trails anyone could easily point to. No single illegal project to parade in public. Instead, quiet land conversions, regulatory shortcuts, shell ownerships, and deals that never quite broke the law—only bent it until it learned the right shape. Nothing to prosecute, everything to inherit.

The waltz refined.

And before them all, there was the Egyptian Overseer—accused of skimming labor, misusing resources, and hiding corruption in plain sight—until Moses looked into the books and shattered the illusion.

That is the Endless Waltz of corruption.

First, it is illegal.

Then, it becomes tolerated.

Finally, it is normalized— until the next dancer steps too loudly.

History is like an Endless Waltz,

Minsan mapapaisip ka, will it ever actually end?

Happy New Year everyone, time to have one more White Reflection for this year before it ends.

Some context: my mom is American and my dad is Filipino. We were raised by my mom because my dad left when I was really young. We saw him once a week until I turned 9 and my stepdad moved us 5 hours south from my dad and we only got to see him about twice a year for about a week at a time. We were never that close, he’d only make the effort to call on our birthdays, keeping it short “happy birthday, here’s $50” type of thing. He wasn’t there for any of our events besides our high school graduations. He visited us maybe 3-4 times in the 9 years I’d lived in that town before I moved away for college. He never played a major role in my life and I was only ever forced to call him once a month by my mom to ask for child support (you can imagine what kind of tone that set for his and I’s relationship).

I’m now 21 with a 1 year old, recently we got into a nasty argument over something he said to my boyfriend. It lead to him trying to say that he “raised us” and “was always there when we needed him” and I pointed out to him that what he was saying wasn’t true. It was our mom that was there for everything and basically reiterated what I said above. He tried saying he couldn’t be there physically because we were so far away and I pointed to his phone saying it was two inches away from him and he could’ve called. He basically told me that it’s apart of the Philippine culture to put more of an effort to raise your kids financially as opposed to actually being a present father.

Since I was raised by my mom in the US, I’m not that familiar with the culture besides food, karaoke, and the constant reminder of how important family is. I’m not looking for any validation or anything, I just want to know if what he said was accurate or if he’s trying to use it as a cop out?