At the annual gathering of Manila’s foreign press, guests from the American diplomatic corps and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) surprised us by bursting into song. It was a first for the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), to be serenaded by those we interview. The song came with this intro - Those who have suffered through Manila’s [...]
Star witness in Ramgen Revilla murder prompts probe of victim's four siblings
Read Janelle Manahan’s reply-affidavit My exclusive – by Raïssa Robles Left to die, Janelle Manahan summoned all her will and strength to text her family for help. In this gripping eyewitness account of her own attempted murder and the slaying of her live-in partner Ramgen Revilla, young aspiring model-actress Janelle Manahan narrates the events that changed her life [...]
Ramona sketches out Ramgen Revilla's murder
Read her signed counter-affidavit By Raïssa Robles Ramona Revilla is the only other living witness – besides girlfriend Janelle Manahan – to the murder of Ramgen Revilla on October 28, 2011. She submitted a 13-page counter-affidavit to the Philippine consulate in Ankara, Turkey last November 24. It is understandably short on details since the police has tagged her as an [...]
Ram Revilla murder: Tale of the 2 'idiot' killers
Read the actual documents By Raïssa Robles If Carlo J. Caparas, the king of massacre movies, were to make a film out of the Ram Revilla murder, an apt title would be – “God help me, the killers I hired are idiots,” my hubby Alan said. This was after he heard me giggling at times and expressing disbelief while reading [...]
NAIA: Is it terminal?
Probably one of the best persons to pass judgement on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 is a frequent flyer. Fortunately, I’ve been living with one for many years now. And so today, I’d like to share with you the thoughts of a frequent flyer on why our airport terminal has been cited as one of the worst [...]
US envoy's 'sex tourism' remark may have come from this YouTube video
By Raïssa Robles A YouTube video from an NGO working for years against child trafficking may have been the source of US Ambassador Harry Thomas’ off-the-cuff remark on sex tourists. Two weeks ago, Thomas told a forum of judges: I estimate that maybe up to 40% of foreign men who come here come for sexual tourism and that is [...]
Typhoons and the Filipino spirit
By Raïssa Robles After the electricity went back on and the winds died down, I watched the BBC coverage of Typhoon Nesat which we call Pedring. Why – the well-coiffed anchor woman demanded to know – can’t the Philippines prepare for typhoons if these happen yearly? Her source on the program tried to explain to her that one [...]
Pia Guanio and Steeve Mago in Rome
By Raïssa Robles “Awesome” was the word Pia often used to describe the blitz trip she and Steeve took recently. It was Pia’s first trip ever to Europe – something that my husband Alan had been prodding her to do for YEARS AND YEARS. But Pia’s right. The best way to see Europe, especially Italy, is with someone you [...]
Our airport ramp controllers are paid the same as new call center agents? Jeeez....
By Raïssa Robles Our country’s premiere airport gateway in Metro Manila is now suddenly short of eight “ramp controllers” – you know, those guys who direct those multi-million dollar planes where to go after landing at the tarmac. Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Honrado said today that eight of these controllers resigned last week for higher paying jobs [...]
Make smoking uncool: put yucky "cancer" photos on cigarette boxes
By Raïssa Robles Yawn. The toothless MMDA(Metro Manila Development Authority) has warned it would start arresting people who smoke in public areas. Big deal. This will just turn into another money-making racket for MMDA but will not drastically reduce the number of smokers in the country. What the government has to do is to make smoking uncool by displaying photos [...]
Bus company, whose bus killed journalist-teacher Chit Estella, figured in an earlier fatal accident
Bus company has also NEVER filed any financial statements My exclusive By Raïssa Robles When the body of journalist-professor Chit Estella was claimed by her husband, Professor Roland Simbulan, he was told his wife was not the only victim of the bus owned by Universal Guiding Star Bus Lines Corp. In an interview, Simbulan told me: “The funeral parlor where Chit’s [...]
Challenge to PNoy government: force bus operators to take "Matuwid na Daan" at 60 kilometers per hour
[My newspaper, South China Morning Post, allowed me to post on my blog my story today on journalist-professor Chit Estella's road death. Just a point of clarification. The sentence that says - Simbulan's husband, Roland, said yesterday that the bus company told him it would foot all funeral expenses, but he refused their offer. In the shortening and editing, some [...]
Why not turn mothballed Bataan Nuclear Plant into giant theme park?
By Raïssa Robles A tourist official said today that the mothballed nuclear power plant will be turned into a tourist attraction, to teach tour groups about nuclear power. C’mon, don’t be shy. Turn the power plant into the most unique tourist spot in the world – a theme park complete with a hotel, a restaurant, disco casino and rides galore. [...]
Thank you, Boo, for airing my concern about our air traffic safety. Now I want to talk about NAIA's toilets & bad food
By Raïssa Robles Today, Philippine Star columnist Boo Chanco mentioned my exclusive report on how NAIA’s air traffic congestion is worsening. Boo takes an even more urgent note by entitling his column - Air tragedies waiting to happen Here’s that portion of Boo’s article: Air tragedies waiting to happen DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) Updated May 04, [...]
NAIA's air traffic congestion worsening
My exclusive By Raissa Robles The takeoff and landing of planes at the runways of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex is now “going beyond safe limits” at times, a high government official casually told me during an interview on another topic. I was shocked when the official said that. But at that time last month, I did not realize [...]
Taal Volcano: a metaphor of life in the Philippines
By Raissa Robles Taal Volcano is rumbling and smoking again. So what’s new. Only a month ago, I had gazed down at its placid but deadly beauty. I marvelled at this tiniest active volcano on earth. Among our more than 200 volcanoes, Taal gets second spot, next to Mayon, for the number of known eruptions. In her book Volcanoes of [...]