It happened on or near Good friday - my Dad told me... it was really sad Holy Week- I was not around but i do remember my dad as a young boy in manila telling me his feelings about the day he heard Bataan had fallen.

Most of those who had seen the fighting from the shores of manila bay remember only defiant words on the radio broadcast over the voice of freedom.

Ironically - from a tunnel also soon to be known for its fall - malinta in Corregedor.

The words- I wonder if any still live to have heard the elequent broadcast the Japanese tried to jam but the rock's ransmiter kept going along.

It confirmed the surrender of Gen King, the radio then was the way word came of the fall of Bataan - came to most- who knew the men of Corregidor would soon follow.

The transcript of the speech read slowly over the voice of freedom....

Indomitable Farewell

"Bataan has fallen. Fil-American troops in the ravaged and blood-stained peninsula have laid down their arms. With heads bloody but unbowed, They have yielded to the superior force and numbers of the enemy.

"The flesh must yield at last, for they are not made of impervious steel. They fought a brave and bitterly contested struggle, all the world will testify to the utmost superhuman which they stood up until the last face of overwhelming odds.

"Bataan fell, but the spirit that made it stood, a beacon to all liberty loving peoples of the world, did not fail."

As time passes many forget the sacrifices of men and boys - women and girls who fought or saw these events first hand.

Some look from the past for lessons for today.... I know decades have passed and time has moved on to the present where in todays world things have changed - but there is always a ned to look back remember and think of those times of the past and hope in future people do not forget.

there is more here - on this - perhaps better written than my words can be as I've heard the stories but these stories are people who lived those times...

http://www.paete.org/literary/archives/000006.php

Freedom at Dawn...

Written by : Colonel Frank B. Quesada

philippines news-and-politics

It is Good Friday in a few days and as always - there are those who will try to literally take it upon themselves by acts of pain and suffering; some even will nail themselves to crosses - monitored by doctors and with ambulances standing by try to suffer as the savior did.

I cannot question the devotion or the motives or the reasons.

Some choose that path- so be it- other chose another form of penitance- they trek all
over this island nation of 7,700+ islands returning to the home town they came from and
make a journey that at each stage can be full of danger and problems and risks.

highway accidents already claimed 4 souls on Palm Sunday- the first day of the Holy Week another 64 were injured most in bus a that ran off the side of the road.
A fire also hit a ferry - But there no injuries reported.

In another incident a set of clashes between gov't forces and the armed groups of the left and extremist set also took place on in Zambo - another in - Ozamis.


The Military claimed victory in one attack - killing two terrorists of the Abu Sayyaf and nearly at the same time suffered a attack on the other side of Mindanao's Zamboanga peninsula - where 3 died in Sapang - Dalaga when a detachment was over-run by a large band of rebels who made off with most of the armoury's contents - about 20 assault rifles and a M60 machine gun! Quite a haul the Military tagged on the NPA.

A days before the traditional Lenten cease fire was discussed but both sides seem to have taken
a silent approach to that thought considering the recent state of things.

Yes - travel can be a penitance - but most travel ends and celebrations and reunions begin- which I am sure God understands- but take some time to remember that Jesus is the meaning of the season - His sacrifice and suffering for all mankind



- thank you Lord....
philippines news-and-politics

Commercial sex for U.S. troops now a crime Under an Oct 14th Presidential Order amending

Art. 134 of the UCMJ - note the date - Since Oct 14th US forces are barred from soliciting, frequenting, being near districts where human trafficking and prostitution happens.

In simple civilian terms- if a Soldier - well- does what soldiers and sailors often do on liberty call and uh- to put in simply- goes out and gets laid by securing the services of prostitute overseas or in the USA he or she for that mater has disobeyed a presidential order - So too are commanders guilty by merely allowing the "Liberty call-Liberty call" order to be issued in Ports or areas where Human trafficking is present.

Meaning - by allowing a liberty tour in a places where what happens, happens, when sailors and marines go ashore... Was a direct violation of a Presidential order in time of war.

As early as December the new sections of Article 134 took effect

RE: human trafficking and prostitution have now been posted in every base and station of the PA Command so a report of the "Stars and Stripes" says.

So why have we not heard any reports of any sanctions versus say a fleet commander or Unit Commander who says to his men and women ok boys and girls- time for R & R - If such an event happens in any area or port of call where Human trafficking exists - Could we soon see a case filed- for deliberate actions - that violated the UCMJ. And a order of his or her commander in Chief to a ships captain or army marine or air force person in charge being issued? Remember - this change in the UCMJ - is only to make it level in wording and effect laws that presently US civilians are under- making it illegal for a US Citizen to engage in or support in any way businesses that are in effect part of the Human trafficking trade.

That’s the truth; can you handle it? Where is Tom Cruise when you need him...?

Now below is an article I did... a summery with full credit of Quotes to US forces newspaper online the Stars & Stripes-

Now - the funny thing is- no US media outlet seems to really wants to report what happened in one case here in Asia in Subic, where four American servicemen - marines - have been charged with rape - nothing major anywhere on US TV or major network news? Why the blackout?

Why is both the liberal and right wing media not reporting on it?

Oh yes- forgot- Americans are the accused and not the victims. unlike the sad Holiway story- the victim was not blonde- blue-eyed and white so the major networks ignore it- even if the accused all look like poster boys for the Duke la crosse team or a 90's boy band- so it's ignored.

If one looks at the Aruba incident where a US teenager on a high school trip went missing, or the report on a man who was allegedly killed on a cruise ship in turkey, and any other major story on crimes vs. Americans overseas.

In those cases - AP, The NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, reported it to no end in print.
CNN, Fox, and, MSNBC fall over themselves to repeat and report on for hours on end.

Now here is what puzzles me -when it's a American accused of the crimecommittedd overseas unless they happen to be a Celeb- so it's been mostly...

Nada, nothing, or something of that nature- a policy of deliberate ignorance almost.

Now had these accused. Marines; who by Philippine law are innocent until proven guilty, I mean had they been accused of done what theyallegedlyy did in an American City

Wow! You would see endless press coverage in the USA; And I wonder had the victim been blond and blue eyed well then- every US network would be all over this case.

Or had; heaven forbid foreign troops training in the US even been accused of being near when such an alleged incident occurredd- had such a thing happened.... I wonder what networks, papers, or media in general would have reported on that.

So there it is for you my friends over here..

It is sad the subic case is mostly a story here- But per my contacts on US networks is -"
Not on the radar" says more than one foreign editor I sent updates to - can't blame him he has to follow news cycles in Aruba...

Oh well.
philippines news-and-politics

I pod, I blog, I listen... but who else does?

Manila - I sit at my PC listening to a stream of Music from across the pacific on I-97 a ipod stream out of sunny OK somewhat sunny currently drenched rainy California.

I wonder is this really a radio station that has taken its content and put it on the web via pod casts - or a couple of guys in a office somewhere making good use of extra space on a private networks fifty terabyte server nobody is like really using in some back office of a company or government agency?

A lot of people are hoping to cash-in on people who will buy streaming content on a pod stream for people who will eventually pay to listen to the service provided.

kind of like bloggers who make a little or a lot depending on ads and hits on the sites they have.
I switch casts like switching radio stations and am now pulling in an old song from God knows where on the web into my PC and listen as Adam Ant chants something onto my speakers I have not heard since I was in high school in Tustin, California!

But with all the streams and service providers the question I have is like many who host these Blog sites - OK you blog- you Pod- you video stream - but who is watching or listening anymore- is it stream overload.

I must have 400 to 900 music services I can downstream onto my hard drive if I want to! and that just 80S music.

What is next - is this going to be like niche broadcast cable with 999 channels - on a up link so one can watch 400 versions of i love Lucy or happy days or star trek airing at the same time in as many languages.

If say in some strange configuration of life you have say- 100 million pod, data cast, video, and, mp3 service providers for the say 1 billion on the web at any one time - whats the catch ratio of that?

Will there ever - say - be one service provider to bring all of that into one area or place to be able to make it 1# on the web- certainly apple itunes has hit that mark with its billionth download - but overall - aside from the mainstream will there ever be say a journalist or producer who can say make it on a one man band garage podder - who will bring in the big bucks by themselves and have a story to tell?

I mean everybody has a story in life and and try to find a way or place to sell and play or make people listen to them.

Does anyone really look or listen to all the services out there or have time to go beyond the basic information load we have in our lives and the focus we have in those areas and search out new things.

convergence is the key they say- there will always be people out there in the mainstream media who will look at see what else is out there and do something to make people be dragged to the nest new thing. After all we all want to be in the game as it were.

So I'm going to be podding too soon- video and audio - hope you'll all listen - I wonder if anything will come of it.

When I told a few friends of mine about it there was laugh and chuckle about the whole thing - like "Why do that? why go into it? who'll listen or view something put together by one or two guys on podcast for news or information when there is so much else out there?"

Mix that with a laugh the people I was with dismissed the idea with a little shrug-shrug-chuckle- confident of course in their own paths at a major broadcast outfit.

I remember a long time ago - when I was first starting out in the business's of broadcasting -
i heard something on the radio - a DJ - talking on air.

And I said "Hey I can do that..." was a teenager at the time way back then I heard the little chuckle and the " Ah... sure yeah... OK mike."

When I got into radio and a couple of years later was soon running a small station at the age 19 - I heard the news being done by another announcer and I was intrigued being in college at the time and it was an interesting time Politcal upheaval and protests people were calling for change on the streets... So being a PolSci major - minoring in parties - I repeated my old battle cry...

" Hey can I do that!!!" with a laugh my station General Manager at the time looked at me from head to toe and said "Well... OK... sure..." add a few shrug-shrugs and a chuckle and you get the picture...

I did, took some courses in broadcast journalism; a year later or so I was soon doing radio news reports not only for the station I started with- but for news networks all over that country and the rest of the world. Hopping all over the place driving my mother and her friends crazy being always on the chase and hunt for the story where-ever it took me in SE Asia.

Later- I moved to TV when that small radio outfit I was working with - set up a small TV station. We produced a local newscast out of a one room office and studio - We did OK-

we were local so people watched us.

Later we produced a couple of news cast and further down the road more and more - things like live events and documentaries.

Then while at that station I watched a national newscast of ABS-CBN ther Philippines No.1 at that time; Eventually - like before I said- "Hey...."

flatly I was told ---- "No way... it ain't gonna happen- be happy where you are - I was told - that was the big time - Network TV - 3,800 applicants for like 10 posts - Even my close relatives said - "You don't stand a chance..."

I was told in my small station in Palawan way back then - laughed at for even thinking of it -

Like before - I had the last laugh I started slow- a researcher- became a reporter and later a morning anchor about five hard years later... anchoring special events and becoming a de-facto foreign editor-

Whats even more funny was at the big network one day I saw a few reports on CNN - and said - Hey....- major guffaw - major laughs - major challenges - major intrigue - all over again- I did end up doing "stringer" freelance work for the network Ted built- for a couple of months and later was giggling myself when the same people who laughed tried as hard as they could too to get on the air with them as well.

Anyhow - I left network TV a few years after that shifted to where I am now - a freelance producer doing my own thing - or at least trying to - mostly for a very good network that has little interest in Asia - but is the best news channel in America and also it's sister network in the UK and downunder.

its been a good career so far...

But as far as advancement- I feel I am now coming full circle - back to... me, myself, and, I ...

in a venture of trying to make it on the web and wondering - is anyone reading or listening?

I heard laughter tonight when I told my friends my little idea - freelance journalists selling stories directly to viewers and users on the web - it's only an idea- I saw a lot of shrugs and shrugs... more puzzled looks- and the major question most my fellow broadcasters asked was- WHY?

I'm challenged to try it - oh well - I do hope history repeats itself - because whenever I get laughed at or put down I always seem to bounce up.

Perhaps it's God's blessings for me is when I see that its not road traveled by others I try to take the path- I hope it works.

So here I go - thinking - mike pod - new pod - upod- I guess it's all like farming - like a simple seed - a pod- perhaps it'll take root and grow.

laugh please!

I need success....

philippines news-and-politics